Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/144

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108
RUSSIAN WONDER TALES

And the beautiful Tzar's daughter, frightened by their threats, swore that she would speak as they commanded.

Tzarevich Dimitry and Tzarevich Wassily cast lots to see who should take Helen the Beautiful and who the Horse with the Golden Mane and the Glowing Bird. The Princess fell to Tzarevich Wassily and the horse and the bird to Tzarevich Dimitry, and Tzarevich Wassily took Helen the Beautiful on his horse and Tzarevich Dimitry took the Glowing Bird and the Horse with the Golden Mane and both rode swiftly to the Palace of their father, Tzar Wyslaff.

The Tzar rejoiced greatly to see them. To Tzarevich Dimitry, since he had brought him the Glowing Bird, he gave the half of his Tzardom, and he made a festival which lasted a whole month, at the end of which time Tzarevich Wassily was to wed the Tzarevna, Helen the Beautiful.

As for Tzarevich Ivan, dead and cut into pieces, he lay on the green plain for thirty days. And on the thirty-first day it chanced that the Gray Wolf passed that way. He knew at once by his keen scent that the body was that of Tzarevich Ivan. While he sat grieving for his friend, there came flying an iron-beaked she-crow with two fledglings,