hful John, as he sat in the forepart of the ship and made
music, caught sight of three ravens in the air flying overhead. Then he
stopped playing, and listened to what they said one to another, for he
understood them quite well. The first one cried,

"Ay, there goes the Princess of the Golden Palace."

"Yes," answered the second; "but he has not got her safe yet." And the
third said,

"He has her, though; she sits beside him in the ship."

Then the first one spoke again,

"What does that avail him? When they come on land a fox-red horse will
spring towards them; then will the King try to mount him; and if he
does, the horse will rise with him into the air, so that he will never
see his bride again." The second raven asked,

"Is there no remedy?"

"Oh yes; if another man mounts quickly, and takes the pistol out of the
holster and shoots the horse dead with it, he will save the young King.
But who knows that? and he that knows it and does it will become stone
from toe to knee." Then said the second,

"I know further, that if the horse should be killed, the young King will
not even then be sure of his bride. When they arrive at the castle there
will lie a wrought bride-shirt in a dish, and it will seem all woven of
gold and silver, but it is really of sulphur and pitch, and if he puts
it on it will burn him to the marrow of his bones." The third raven
said,

"Is there no remedy?"

"Oh yes," answered the second; "if another man with gloves on picks up
the shirt, and throws it into the fire, so that it is consumed, then is
the young King delivered. But what avails that? He who knows it and does
it will be turned into stone from his heart to his knee." Then spoke the
third,

"I know yet more, that even when the bride-shirt is burnt up the King is
not sure of his bride; when at the wedding the dance begins, and the
young Queen dances, she will suddenly grow pale and fall to the earth as
if she were dead, and unless some one lifts her up and takes three drops
of blood from her right breast, she will die. But he that knows this and
does this will become stone from the crown of his head to the sole of
his foot."

When the ravens had spoken thus among themselves they flew away.
Faithful John had understood it all, and from that time he remained
quiet and sad, for he thought to himself that were he to conceal what he
had heard from his master, misfortune would befall; and were he to
discover it his own life would be