Opening, part 14 · page 21 2101So they waited, seated on the highest chairs they could find, wrapped in their warmest garments, and with piles of cushions under their feet, while the poor birds flew with numbed wings hither and thither, till they were so lucky as to discover an open window in some forgotten corner.102Through this they vanished, and were seen no more.103At last, when the princess and her ladies had been forced to leave the upper rooms, where the walls and floors had melted away, and to take refuge in the hall, the young man came home.104He had ridden back along a winding road from which he did not see the palace till he was close upon it, and stood horrified at the spectacle before him.105He knew in an instant that his wife must have betrayed his trust, but he would not reproach her, as she must be suffering enough already.106Hurrying on he sprang over all that was left of the palace walls, and the princess gave a cry of relief at the sight of him.107'Come quickly,' he said, 'or you will be frozen to death!'108And a dreary little procession set out for the king's palace, the greyhound and the cat bringing up the rear.109At the gates he left them, though his wife besought him to allow her to enter.110'You have betrayed me and ruined me,' he said sternly; 'I go to seek my fortune alone.'111And without another word he turned and left her.112With his falcon on his wrist, and his greyhound and cat behind him, the young man walked a long way, inquiring of everyone he met whether they had seen his enemy the ogre.113But nobody had.114Then he bade his falcon fly up into the sky--up, up, and up--and try if his sharp eyes could discover the old thief.115The bird had to go so high that he did not return for some hours; but he told his master that the ogre was lying asleep in a splendid palace in a far country on the shores of the sea.116This was delightful news to the young man, who instantly bought some meat for the falcon, bidding him make a good meal.117'To-morrow,' said he, 'you will fly to the palace where the ogre lies, and while he is asleep you will search all about him for a stone on which is engraved strange signs; this you will bring to me.118In three days I shall expect you back here.'119'Well, I must take the cat with me,' answered the bird.120The sun had not yet risen before the falcon soared high into the air, the cat seated on his back, with his paws tightly clasping the bird's neck.121'You had better shut your eyes or you may get giddy,' said the bird; and the cat, you had never before been off the ground except to climb a tree, did as she was bid.122All that day and all that night they flew, and in the morning they saw the ogre's palace lying beneath them.123'Dear me,' said the cat, opening her eyes for the first time, 'that looks to me very like a rat city down there, let us go down to it; they may be able to help us.'124So they alighted in some bushes in the heart of the rat city.125The falcon remained where he was, but the cat lay down outside the principal gate, causing terrible excitement among the rats.1 2← previousOpening, part 13next →Opening, part 15↑ back to The Orange Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg3027/14/page/2/