Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 3).djvu/637

 The King's daughter caressed the tame dove, and was giving it milk and sugar, when suddenly it shook its feathers violently, and Marzi in his own natural form stood before the astonished eyes of the Princess. He told her at once for what purpose he had come, and when she had heard his story she was delighted to think she was to have such a brave and handsome soldier for a husband.

She gave him the wonderful talisman, and warned him at the same time to beware on his return to the camp of the envy and jealousy of his comrades.

For fear he should be robbed of the ring on his way back, or lest any other misfortune should happen to him, Marzi begged the Princess to keep three tokens of him to show the King. Then he shook himself, and became a dove once more, which perched on her knee, and said:

The Princess did as she was bid, and pulled two beautiful feathers out of the dove's wings. When she had done so, the dove shook itself, and a lovely silver salmon lay before her and said:

And the Princess took eight lovely silver scales from the fish's back. In a moment the salmon shook itself also, and turned into a hare, which said:

The Princess took a pair of scissors and cut the hare's tail off, and put all three tokens in a little box, which she placed under lock and key among her other treasures. In the meantime the hare had shaken itself, and standing once more in his proper character before her, Marzi bade the Princess a tender farewell.

Thereupon he again changed himself into a dove, and, seizing the magic ring in its beak, flew with all haste out of the window. The long journey back to the camp, together with the weight of the ring, tired the poor little creature dreadfully; but it put forth all its strength, and flew cheerfully in the direction of the camp, where the King sat eagerly awaiting Marzi's return. But just as the dove came in sight of the camp a wind suddenly arose, and beat so violently against its wings that it was obliged to give up flying, and turn itself into a hare. Then taking the ring between its teeth, it ran as fast as its legs could carry it, till it was close on the King's tent.

But Marzi soon found out that the Princess's fears had not been groundless. One of his comrades, who had seen him run away in the shape of a hare, was so filled with jealousy that he determined to waylay the gallant soldier on his way back, and to seize from him the magic ring which he had promised the King. He hid himself therefore behind a bush, and when the hare passed by he shot it on the spot, and, taking the ring out of its mouth, he brought it to the King, who was greatly delighted at getting his magic talisman again, and repeated once more the reward he had promised to the bringer.

Hardly an hour had passed when the fortune of war changed, and success was henceforward on the King's side. The enemy's army was vanquished, their prince slain, all the weapons of war and many costly treasures were captured, and the whole country was conquered with very little difficulty.

When the war was over, the King set forth with his army to his own country, and arrived at his capital amid the joyful acclamation of his people. The Princess rejoiced greatly over his return, but her