THE STORY OF LITTLE TSAR NOVISHNY. 59

slicing sword, and in the third corner stood the dog
Protius,, and in the stove corner stood the dog
Nedviga.’ ‘The little Tsar longed to be off. “ Rise,
little sister!” cried he. “God has been good to us!
Rise, dear little sister, and let us pray to God!”
So they arose and prayed to God, and while they
prayed the day dawned. Then he mounted his horse
and took the dogs with him, that he might live by
what they caught.

So they lived in their hut by the sea, and one day
the sister went down to the sea to wash her bed-
linen and her body-linen in the blue waters. And
the serpent came and said to her: “ How didst thou
manage to jump over the sea ?”—‘ Look, now!”
said she, “we crossed over in this way. My brother
has a handkerchief which becomes a bridge when
he waves it behind him.’—And the serpent said to
her: ‘I tell thee what, ask him for this handkerchief ;
say thou dost want to wash it, and take and wave it,
and [ll then be able to cross over to thee and live
with thee, and we'll poison thy brother.”—Then she
went home and said to her brother: ‘Give me that
handkerchief, dear little brother; it is dirty, so Pl
wash and give it back to thee.” And he believed
her and gave it to her, for she was dear to him,

1 The two fabulous hounds of Ruthenian legend.
2 Heavysides ?