y back to the
maiden and tell her to be ready on the ninth night, for then will I come
and fetch her away." The wind wizard's son did this, and the raven flew
so swiftly that it reached the hut that same evening. The maiden thanked
the bird heartily and went home, telling no one what she had heard.

As the ninth night drew near she became very unhappy, for she feared
lest some terrible mischance should arise and ruin all. On this night
she crept quietly out of the house and waited trembling at some little
distance from the hut. Presently she heard the muffled tramp of horses,
and soon the armed troop appeared, led by the Prince, who had prudently
marked all the trees beforehand, in order to know the way. When he saw
the maiden he sprang from his horse, lifted her into the saddle, and
then, mounting behind, rode homeward. The moon shone so brightly that
they had no difficulty in seeing the marked trees.

By and by the coming of dawn loosened the tongues of all the birds,
and, had the Prince only known what they were saying, or the maiden
been listening, they might have been spared much sorrow, but they were
thinking only of each other, and when they came out of the forest the
sun was high in the heavens.

Next morning, when the youngest girl did not come to her work, the old
woman asked where she was. The sisters pretended not to know, but the
old woman easily guessed what had happened, and, as she was in reality
a wicked witch, determined to punish the fugitives. Accordingly, she
collected nine different kinds of enchanters' nightshade, added some
salt, which she first bewitched, and, doing all up in a cloth into the
shape of a fluffy ball, sent it after them on the wings of the wind,
saying:

"Whirlwind!--mother of the wind!
Lend thy aid 'gainst her who sinned!
Carry with thee this magic ball.
Cast her from his arms for ever,
Bury her in the rippling river."

At midday the Prince and his men came to a deep river, spanned by so
narrow a bridge that only one rider could cross at a time. The horse on
which the Prince and the maiden were riding had just reached the middle
when the magic ball flew by. The horse in its fright suddenly reared,
and before anyone could stop it flung the maiden into the swift current
below. The Prince tried to jump in after her, but his men held him back,
and in spite of his struggles led him home, where for six weeks he shut
himself up in a secret chamber, and would neither e