riors protected the princess, and the royal father
remained quiet at home.

When they reached the merchants' ship the korolevna Helena came down,
and at once the crystal bridge was placed and the korolevna with all
her nurses and maidens went on board the foreign ship, such a ship
as they had never seen before, never even dreamed of. Meanwhile the
guards kept watch.

The seventh Simeon showed the lovely guests everywhere. He was talking
smoothly while leisurely unfolding his precious goods. The korolevna
listened attentively, looked around curiously, and seemed well
pleased.

At the same moment the fourth Simeon, watching the proper moment,
snapped the prow and down to mysterious depths went the ship where no
one could see her. The people on the king's vessel screamed in terror,
the warriors looked like drunken fools, and the guards only opened
their eyes wider than before. What should they do? They directed the
vessel back to the island and appeared before the king with their
terrible tale.

"Oh, my daughter, my darling princess Helena! It is God who punishes
me for my pride. I never wanted thee to marry. No king, no prince,
would I consider worthy of thee; and now--oh! now I know that thou art
wedded to the deep sea! As for me, I am left alone for the rest of my
sorrowful days."

Then all at once he looked around and shouted to his men:

"You fools! what were you thinking about? You shall all lose your
heads! Guards, throw them into dungeons! The most cruel death shall
be theirs, such a death that the children of their great-grandchildren
shall shiver to hear the tale!"

Now, while the king of Buzan raved and grieved, the ship of the
brothers Simeon, like a golden fish, swam under the blue waters, and
when the island was lost from sight the fourth Simeon brought her to
the surface and she rose upon the waters like a white-winged gull. By
this time the princess was becoming anxious about the long time they
were away from home, and she exclaimed:

"Nurses and maidens, we are leisurely looking around, but I fancy my
father the king finds the time sadly long." She hastily walked to the
deck of the ship, and behold!--only the wide sea was around her like a
mirror! Where was her native island, where the royal vessel? There was
nothing visible but the blue sea. The princess screamed, struck her
white bosom with both hands, transformed herself into a white swan and
flew high into the sky. But the fifth Simeon, watc