Part 29

He went along and went along, until after a while he came to a forest, and there he saw a bear.

Prince Ivan would have shot it, but the bear cried to him, "Do not shoot me, Prince. Take me with you as a servant, and the time may come when I can help you."

"Very well," said the Prince. "Come with me"; so he journeyed on with the bear at his heels.

Presently he saw a wild duck and would have shot it, but the duck called to him, "Do not shoot me, dear Prince. Take me with you, and I will be a faithful servant. The time may come when you will need me."

"Very well," answered the Prince. "You also may come with us as a companion."

So the Prince journeyed along with the bear at his heels and the duck flying overhead.

After a while they came to the edge of a river, and there lay a great fish, gasping out its life in the sunlight.

"Now at last I shall have a good meal," said the Prince.

But the fish cried to him in a human voice, "Throw me back into the river, Prince, that I may live. The time may come when I can do you a good turn also."

So the Prince had mercy on the fish and threw it back into the water.

After that he and his companions traveled on a long way. They journeyed over seven mountains and crossed seven seas, and so they came at last to the kingdom of Koshchei the Deathless.

There the Prince saw a little hut. It stood on hen's legs and turned this way and that, whichever way the wind blew. There was no getting at the door. Then the Prince cried, "Little hut, stand the way my mother built you with your back away from me and your door before me."

At once the hut whirled round and stood with the open door in front of him.

Prince Ivan entered in, and saw a bony-legged Baba Yaga lying on the stove with her grey hair over her face.

"Who are you? And what seek you here in the kingdom of Koshchei the Deathless?" she cried.

"Do not ask questions but rise up and give me food and drink," said the Prince; "for I am both hungry and thirsty."

The Baba Yaga arose and served him food and drink. He ate and gave part to the bear and the duck. Then he told the Baba Yaga why he had come there--that he was wandering in search of his dear wife, Vasilisa the Fair.

The old witch shook her head. "It will be a hard thing to rescue her," she said. "Koshchei is very powerful. Only in one way can you overcome him. Not far from here stands a tree. It is as hard as rock, so that no ax can dent it, and so smooth that none can climb it. On the top of it is a nest. In the nest is an egg. A duck sits over the egg to guard it. In that egg is a needle, and only with that needle can you kill Koshchei the Deathless."

The Baba Yaga then led Prince Ivan to the door and pointed out to him where the tree grew, and Prince Ivan hurried on toward it, with his two faithful servants, the bear and the duck.

But when he reached the tree he looked at it with despair. It was indeed very smooth and high,--as smooth as glass, and when he tried his hunting knife upon it the knife bent and crumpled in his hand.

"Master, now is the time that I can help you," said the bear. He went to the tree and clasped it and shook it, so that its roots cracked, and it fell with a mighty noise.

At once the duck that was guarding the egg caught it up in its claws and flew away with it. But Ivan's duck pursued so fiercely that the other was forced to drop the egg in order to defend itself.

Unfortunately they had both flown over a river, and into this river the egg dropped and was lost to sight.

Ivan sat down upon the bank of the river and wept. "Alas, alas!" he cried. "Now truly is my dear wife lost to me, for never can I recover the egg from the river."

Hardly had he spoken when the fish he had thrown back into the river appeared, bearing the egg in its mouth.

Now Ivan's grief was turned to rejoicing. He broke the egg and took out the needle. Then, with the little ball to lead him, he soon made his way to Koshchei's palace.

The Deathless One rushed out to meet him, but Ivan attacked him with the point of the needle. It was in vain Koshchei tried to protect himself. Ivan drove the needle into him deeper and deeper, and presently Koshchei sank down dead before him, no better than a lump of clay.

Prince Ivan strode across him and on into the castle. From room to room he went, and in the deepest dungeon he found the Princess Vasilisa, his own dear wife. She threw herself into his arms, weeping with joy.