ore. There he saw a fisherman in a
boat, and asked him to carry him to the island of Bujan; and, taking a
seat in the boat, they speedily reached the island, where he landed.
Prince Astrach soon found the green oak, and he dug up the iron chest,
and broke it in pieces, and opened the basket, and took out of the
basket the hare, and tore in pieces the hare, when out flew a grey
duck; and as she flew over the sea, she let fall the egg into the
water. Thereat Prince Astrach was very sorrowful, and ordered the
fisherman to cast his nets into the sea, and instantly the man did so,
and caught a huge pike. So Prince Astrach drew the pike out of the
net, and found in it the egg which the duck had dropped: and, seating
himself in the boat, he bade the fisherman make for the shore. Then,
after rewarding the man for his trouble, the Prince mounted his steed
and returned to the Tsarevna Darisa.

As soon as he arrived and told her that he had found the egg, the
Princess said: "Now fear nothing; come with me straight to Kashtshei."
And when they appeared before him, Kashtshei jumped up, and would have
killed Prince Astrach; but the Prince instantly took the egg in his
hand and fell to crushing it gradually. Then Kashtshei began to cry
and roar aloud, and said to the Tsarevna Darisa: "Was it not out of
love that I told you where my death was? And is this the return you
make?" So saying he seized his sword from the wall to slay the
Tsarevna; but at the same moment Astrach, the King's son, crushed the
egg, and Kashtshei fell dead upon the ground like a sheaf of corn.

Then the Tsarevna Darisa led Astrach into the palace, where was the
Self-playing Harp, and said to him: "The Harp is now thine--take it;
but in return for it, conduct me back to my home." So Prince Astrach
took up the Harp, and it played so gloriously that he was struck dumb
with amazement at its sounds, as well as its workmanship of the
purest Eastern crystal and gold strings. After gazing at it for a long
time, Prince Astrach left the palace, and mounting his gallant steed
with Darisa, set out upon his return. First he carried the Tsarevna
back to her parents, and afterwards went on his way to Egypt, to Tsar
Afor, and gave the Self-playing Harp to his betrothed, the Tsarevna
Osida. Then they placed the Harp on the table, and it fell to playing
the most beautiful and merry tunes.

The next day Prince Astrach married the fair Tsarevna Osida, and in a
short time left Egy