Bravely he charged
against them, his sword in his right hand, his spear in his left, and
the reins held between his teeth.

Every knight he touched with either sword or spear fell instantly to
the ground, and when Vuca, the general, wholly dismayed, tried to
escape on his fiery Arabian horse, Marko followed him, threw him,
bound him, and led him to the place where his son lay. Then he bound
the two together, tossed them on the saddle of the Arabian horse and
rode home. There he put them in prison.

Hearing this, the wife of the general wrote a letter to Marko, begging
for mercy for her husband and son. Marko promised to release them on
condition that she release Milos and his brothers. This she did,
honoring them and making them rich presents.

"Now, for the love of Heaven," said she, "see that my husband and my
son return to me."

"Never fear," answered Milos. "Give me the general's black horse;
adorn him as the general adorned him; give me a golden chariot with
twelve horses, such as the general rides in when he journeys to the
emperor in Vienna; and give me the robe that the general wears on
state occasions."

The wife provided all that he asked, and gave the prisoners for
themselves a thousand ducats. Then they rode away.

Marko welcomed them, released the general and his son and provided
them with a strong body-guard back to Varadin. Then Milos and his
brothers divided the ducats among them, kissed the hand of the king's
son, and rode away into their own country.

THE DECISION OF LIBUSCHA

There dwelt once in the neighborhood of Gruenberg Castle in Bohemia two
brothers--Staglow and Chrudis, of the distinguished family of
Klemowita--and these two had fallen into a fierce dispute over the
inheritance of their father's lands. The older son Chrudis thought
that he should inherit all of the estate--and that is the custom in
some countries, you know--while the younger son, Staglow, declared
that the property should be equally divided.

Now it happened that a sister of the princess Libuscha Vyched lived at
the court. She entreated the princess to settle the quarrel according
to law.

The princess yielded to her wish, and decided that the brothers should
either inherit their father's estate jointly or divide it into equal
shares.

All the lords of the country assembled to hear the rendering of the
decision--brave knights from far and near. Chrudis and Staglow, of
course, were present, very curious t