the man angrily pursued Schurka, Waska managed to drag the rolls out
of sight behind a bush. And when a moment later Schurka joined her,
they set off at full tilt to the stone tower where Martin was a
prisoner, taking the rolls with them. Waska, being very agile, climbed
up by the outside to the grated window, and called in an anxious
voice:

'Are you alive, master?'

'Scarcely alive--almost starved to death,' answered Martin in a weak
voice. 'I little thought it would come to this, that I should die of
hunger.'

'Never fear, dear master. Schurka and I will look after you,' said
Waska. And in another moment she had climbed down and brought him back
a roll, and then another, and another, till she had brought him the
whole tray-load. Upon which she said: 'Dear master, Schurka and I are
going off to a distant kingdom at the utmost ends of the earth to
fetch you back your magic ring. You must be careful that the rolls
last till our return.'

And Waska took leave of her beloved master, and set off with Schurka
on their journey. On and on they travelled, looking always to right
and left for traces of the Princess, following up every track, making
inquiries of every cat and dog they met, listening to the talk of
every wayfarer they passed; and at last they heard that the kingdom at
the utmost ends of the earth where the twelve youths had borne the
Princess was not very far off. And at last one day they reached that
distant kingdom, and, going at once to the palace, they began to make
friends with all the dogs and cats in the place, and to question them
about the Princess and the magic ring; but no one could tell them much
about either. Now one day it chanced that Waska had gone down to the
palace cellar to hunt for mice and rats, and seeing an especially fat,
well-fed mouse, she pounced upon it, buried her claws in its soft fur,
and was just going to gobble it up, when she was stopped by the
pleading tones of the little creature, saying, 'If you will only spare
my life I may be of great service to you. I will do everything in my
power for you; for I am the King of the Mice, and if I perish the
whole race will die out.'

'So be it,' said Waska. 'I will spare your life; but in return you
must do something for me. In this castle there lives a Princess, the
wicked wife of my dear master. She has stolen away his magic ring. You
must get it away from her at whatever cost; do you hear? Till you have
done this I won't take my