Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have come as a
wooer! Give me the Princess Anna to wife.'

'I won't interfere with my sister's freedom. If you gain her affections,
let her marry you.'

So the Princess Anna married the Raven, and he bore her away into his
own realm. Prince Ivan was left alone. A whole year he lived without his
sisters; then he grew weary, and said:

'I will set out in search of my sisters.'

He got ready for the journey, he rode and rode, and one day he saw
a whole army lying dead on the plain. He cried aloud, 'If there be a
living man there, let him make answer! Who has slain this mighty host?'

There replied unto him a living man:

'All this mighty host has been slain by the fair Princess Marya
Morevna.'

Prince Ivan rode further on, and came to a white tent, and forth came to
meet him the fair Princess Marya Morevna.

'Hail, Prince!' says she; 'whither does God send you? and is it of your
free will or against your will?'

Prince Ivan replied, 'Not against their will do brave youths ride!'

'Well, if your business be not pressing, tarry awhile in my tent.'

Thereat was Prince Ivan glad. He spent two nights in the tent, and he
found favour in the eyes of Marya Morevna, and she married him. The fair
Princess, Marya Morevna, carried him off into her own realm.

They spent some time together, and then the Princess took it into her
head to go a warring. So she handed over all the house-keeping affairs
to Prince Ivan, and gave him these instructions:

'Go about everywhere, keep watch over everything; only do not venture to
look into that closet there.'

He couldn't help doing so. The moment Marya Morevna had gone he rushed
to the closet, pulled open the door, and looked in--there hung Koshchei
the Deathless, fettered by twelve chains. Then Koshchei entreated Prince
Ivan, saying:

'Have pity upon me and give me to drink! Ten years long have I been here
in torment, neither eating nor drinking; my throat is utterly dried up.'

The Prince gave him a bucketful of water; he drank it up and asked for
more, saying:

'A single bucket of water will not quench my thirst; give me more!'

The Prince gave him a second bucketful. Koshchei drank it up and asked
for a third, and when he had swallowed the third bucketful, he regained
his former strength, gave his chains a shake, and broke all twelve at
once.

'Thanks, Prince Ivan!' cried Koshchei the Deathless, 'now you will
sooner see your o