e to all
the delights of heaven; and the eighth to the Great Joy of Earth and
Heaven in one.

And now he stood at the door of the ninth.

'What is here?' said he. 'What is here that is denied me? I have slain
the three-headed alligator; I have hewed off the heads of nine giants; I
have vanquished the serpent that encircles the world, and rescued the
Princess from his lowering fangs. Surely the Tsar is testing me! Come
what may, I will enter at this door; for he who does not go on, slides
back.'

With this he selected the key; and, inserting it in the lock, opened the
ninth door, and entered. What an unexpected sight was there! The joys of
the four, the three, and the eighth--were they at last bound up in
this?--this man with the strength of the under-world in his limbs, the
strength of the mid-world in his set face, and the strength of the skies
in his calm gaze beneath tortured brows?

There, before him, was a man, bound, it seemed, by all the bonds of the
universe. His legs were encircled with bands of iron, which, at their
fastenings into the floor, were rusted. His hips and loins were bound
with lead. A copper girdle held his breast. A silver band enthralled his
tongue and hands, and what seemed like a spider's web of thin,
light-blue wire encircled his body and gathered itself in a circlet of
the same woven material upon his brows. Truly, if ever a man was fast
bound, this man was; for, in addition to all these things, there was a
ring of gold round his neck, and from it extended thick cables of
platinum, which were firmly riveted into four strong beams, one in each
corner of the room. Around him, on the eight sides of the room, were
open windows revealing all the joys of the eight chambers; but the man
was bound in the centre.

And, as the Prince looked upon him, the captive gasped, 'O young man,
for the love of God, bring me a cup of water from yonder fountain; and
I, in return, will give thee another life.'

The Prince at once drew him the draught from the nearest fountain,
thinking the while that it would be good to have a life to spare. Then,
when the chained captive had drunk the water eagerly, the two looked at
one another.

'What is your name?' asked the Prince.

'My name is Bashtchelik, which, as you know, means "real steel."'

'Farewell, then, Bashtchelik; I hear the hoof-beats of the Tsar's horses
in the distance.' And he turned towards the door.

'Nay, leave me not!' cried Bashtchelik, and