Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 14 · page 21 2101But it was all no use; he couldn't help being miserable.102He longed so to know what was going on at home.103He often went to the top of a high mountain, and thence gazed at the palace in which he used to live, and he could see that it was all eaten away; nothing but the bare walls remained!104Then he would sigh and weep.105Once when he returned after he had been thus looking and crying, the Sun's Sister asked him:106"What makes your eyes so red to-day, Prince Ivan?"107[219]108"The wind has been blowing in them," said he.109The same thing happened a second time.110Then the Sun's Sister ordered the wind to stop blowing.111Again a third time did Prince Ivan come back with a blubbered face.112This time there was no help for it; he had to confess everything, and then he took to entreating the Sun's Sister to let him go, that he might satisfy himself about his old home.113She would not let him go, but he went on urgently entreating.114So at last he persuaded her, and she let him go away to find out about his home.115But first she provided him for the journey with a brush, a comb, and two youth-giving apples.116However old any one might be, let him eat one of these apples, he would grow young again in an instant.117Well, Prince Ivan came to where Vertogor was.118There was only just one mountain left!119He took his brush and cast it down on the open plain.120Immediately there rose out of the earth, goodness knows whence,[220] high, ever so high mountains, their peaks touching the sky.121And the number of them was such that there were more than the eye could see!122[221] Vertogor rejoiced greatly and blithely recommenced his work.123After a time Prince Ivan came to where Vertodub was, and found that there were only three trees remaining there.124So he took the comb and flung it on the open plain.125Immediately from somewhere or other there came a sound of trees,[222] and forth from the ground arose dense oak forests! each stem more huge than the other!126Vertodub was delighted, thanked the Prince, and set to work uprooting the ancient oaks.127By-and-by Prince Ivan reached the old women, and gave each of them an apple.128They ate them, and straightway became young again.129So they gave him a handkerchief; you only had to wave it, and behind you lay a whole lake!130At last Prince Ivan arrived at home.131Out came running his sister to meet him, caressed him fondly.132"Sit thee down, my brother!" she said, "play a tune on the lute while I go and get dinner ready."133The Prince sat down and strummed away on the lute [_gusli_].134Then there crept a mouse out of a hole, and said to him in a human voice:135"Save yourself, Prince.136Run away quick! your sister has gone to sharpen her teeth."137Prince Ivan fled from the room, jumped on his horse, and galloped away back.138Meantime the mouse kept running over the strings of the lute.139They twanged, and the sister never guessed that her brother was off.140When she had sharpened her teeth she burst into the room.141Lo and behold! not a soul was there, nothing but the mouse bolting into its hole!142The witch waxed wroth, ground her teeth like anything, and set off in pursuit.143Prince Ivan heard a loud noise and looked back.144There was his sister chasing him.145So he waved his handkerchief, and a deep lake lay behind him.146While the witch was swimming across the water, Prince Ivan got a long way ahead.147But on she came faster than ever; and now she was close at hand!148Vertodub guessed that the Prince was trying to escape from his sister.149So he began tearing up oaks and strewing them across the road.150A regular mountain did he pile up! there was no passing by for the witch!151So she set to work to clear the way.152She gnawed, and gnawed, and at length contrived by hard work to bore her way through; but by this time Prince Ivan was far ahead.1 2← previousChapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 13next →Chapter II. MYTHOLOGICAL, part 15↑ back to Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-loreThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg22373/32/page/2/