country belonging to the
magician lay far behind them.

In the meantime the magician returned to his palace, which he found in
smouldering ruins. In vain he called for his servant. At last he went to
look for him in the stables, and when he discovered that the black
horse had disappeared too, he at once suspected that they had gone
together; so he mounted a roan horse that was in the next stall, and set
out in pursuit.

As the prince rode, the quick ears of his horse heard the sound of
pursuing feet.

'Look behind you,' he said, 'and see if the old man is following.' And
the prince turned in his saddle and saw a cloud like smoke or dust in
the distance.

'We must hurry,' said the horse.

After they had galloped for some time, the horse said again: 'Look
behind, and see if he is still at some distance.'

'He is quite close,' answered the prince.

'Then throw the looking-glass on the ground,' said the horse. So the
prince threw it; and when the magician came up, the roan horse stepped
on the mirror, and crash! his foot went through the glass, and he
stumbled and fell, cutting his feet so badly that there was nothing for
the old man to do but to go slowly back with him to the stables, and put
new shoes on his feet. Then they started once more in pursuit of the
prince, for the magician set great value on the horse, and was
determined not to lose it.

In the meanwhile the prince had gone a great distance; but the quick
ears of the black horse detected the sound of following feet from afar.

'Dismount,' he said to the prince; 'put your ear to the ground, and tell
me if you do not hear a sound.'

So the prince dismounted and listened. 'I seem to hear the earth
tremble,' he said; 'I think he cannot be very far off.'

'Mount me at once,' answered the horse, 'and I will gallop as fast as I
can.' And he set off so fast that the earth seemed to fly from under his
hoofs.

'Look back once more,' he said, after a short time, 'and see if he is in
sight.'

'I see a cloud and a flame,' answered the prince; 'but a long way off.'

'We must make haste,' said the horse. And shortly after he said: 'Look
back again; he can't be far off now.'

The prince turned in his saddle, and exclaimed: 'He is close behind us,
in a minute the flame from his horse's nostrils will reach us.'

'Then throw the brush on the ground,' said the horse.

And the prince threw it, and in an instant the brush was changed into
such a thick wood tha