the empress was passing by,
drawing her silken train after her. Then they sat down on the soft
grass, under the shade of a big tree. Here they began to reflect and
consult each other about how they were to commence hunting. They
wanted to kill nothing but wild beasts. They did not notice the birds
which hopped around them and perched on the boughs of the trees; they
would have been sorry to hurt them, for they liked to listen to their
twitter. It seemed as if the birds knew this; they showed no fear, but
sang as if they were going to split their throats; the nightingales,
however, trilled only from their craws, that their songs might be the
sweeter. While they stood there consulting, the prince suddenly felt
so overwhelmed with fatigue that he could hold out no longer, but
laying his head in Siminok's lap, asked him to stroke his hair.

While he was doing so, Siminok stopped and said:

"What is the matter with your head, Brother Busujok?"

"What should be the matter? How do I know, Brother Siminok?"

"Just see," replied Siminok, "two locks of your hair are tied
together."

"How is that possible?" said Busujok. This discovery vexed the prince
so much that he determined to go out into the wide world.

"Brother Siminok," he said, "I'm going out into the wide world,
because I can't understand why my mother tied my hair while she was
playing with it."

"Listen to reason, Brother Busujok, and do nothing of the sort,"
replied Siminok; "if the empress tied your hair, it certainly was not
for any evil purpose."

But Busujok remained firm in his resolve, and when he took leave of
Siminok, he said to him:

"Take this handkerchief, Brother Siminok, and if you ever see three
drops of blood on it, you will know that I am dead."

"May the Lord help you, Brother Busujok, that you may prosper; but I
beg you once more by my love, stay!"

"Impossible," replied Busujok.

Then the youths embraced each other, and Busujok departed; Siminok
remained behind, gazing longingly after him till he was out of sight.

Siminok then returned to the palace and related all that had happened.

The empress was insane with grief. She wrung her hands and wept till
it was pitiful to see her. But she did not know what to do, and at
last comforted herself a little by gazing at Siminok. After some time
the latter took out the prince's handkerchief, looked at it, and saw
three drops of blood on it. Then he said:

"Oh! my royal brother is dead.