ch. He dismounted from his horse, and stepped along in the
direction the sound came from. To his astonishment he found an old
woman, who begged him to help her out of the ditch. The Prince bent
down and lifted her out of her living grave, asking her at the same
time how she had managed to get there.

'My son,' answered the old woman, 'I am a very poor woman, and soon
after midnight I set out for the neighbouring town in order to sell my
eggs in the market on the following morning; but I lost my way in the
dark, and fell into this deep ditch, where I might have remained for
ever but for your kindness.'

Then the Prince said to her, 'You can hardly walk; I will put you on
my horse and lead you home. Where do you live?'

'Over there, at the edge of the forest in the little hut you see in
the distance,' replied the old woman.

The Prince lifted her on to his horse, and soon they reached the hut,
where the old woman got down, and turning to the Prince said, 'Just
wait a moment, and I will give you something.' And she disappeared
into her hut, but returned very soon and said, 'You are a mighty
Prince, but at the same time you have a kind heart, which deserves to
be rewarded. Would you like to have the most beautiful woman in the
world for your wife?'

'Most certainly I would,' replied the Prince.

[Footnote 23: From the _Bukowinaer_. Von Wliolocki.]

So the old woman continued, 'The most beautiful woman in the whole
world is the daughter of the Queen of the Flowers, who has been
captured by a dragon. If you wish to marry her, you must first set her
free, and this I will help you to do. I will give you this little
bell: if you ring it once, the King of the Eagles will appear; if you
ring it twice, the King of the Foxes will come to you; and if you ring
it three times, you will see the King of the Fishes by your side.
These will help you if you are in any difficulty. Now farewell, and
heaven prosper your undertaking.' She handed him the little bell, and
there disappeared hut and all, as though the earth had swallowed her
up.

Then it dawned on the Prince that he had been speaking to a good
fairy, and putting the little bell carefully in his pocket, he rode
home and told his father that he meant to set the daughter of the
Flower Queen free, and intended setting out on the following day into
the wide world in search of the maid.

So the next morning the Prince mounted his fine horse and left his
home. He had roamed ro