THE MAGIC EGG. 233

and collected all the birds of the air to make war
upon the mouse Tsaritsa; but the Tsaritsa called
together all the beasts to defend her, and so the war
began. Whenever the beasts came rushing out of
the wood to tear the birds to pieces, the birds flew
up into the trees; but the birds kept in the air, and
hacked and pecked the beasts wherever they could.
Thus they fought the whole day, and in the evening
they lay down to rest. Now when the Tsaritsa
looked around upon her forces, she saw that the ant
was taking no part in the war. She immediately
went and commanded the ant to be there by evening,
and when the ant came, the Tsaritsa ordered her to
climb up the trees with her kinsmen and bite off the
feathers round the birds’ wines.

Next day, when there was licht enough to see by,
the mouse Tsaritsa cried: “Up, up, my warriors!”
Thereupon the birds also rose up, and immediately
fell to the ground, where the beasts tore them to bits.
So the Tsaritsa overcame the Tsar. But there was
one eagle who saw there was something wrong, so
he did not try to fly, but remained sitting on the
tree. And lo! there came an archer along that
way, and seeing the eagle on the tree, he took
aim at it; but the eagle besought him and said :
“Do not kill me, and I'll be of great service to
thee!” The archer aimed a second time, but the