34. SLAV TALES

down the river. He jumped at once into his boat, picked
it up, and ran to tell his wife the good news.

“Look,” said he, “you have always longed for a son;
here is a beautiful little boy the river has sent us.”

The woman was delighted, and took the infant and loved
it as her own child. They named him Plavacek (the floater),
because he had come to them floating on the water.

The river flowed on. Years passed away. ‘The little
baby grew into a handsome youth; in all the villages round
there were none to compare with him. Now it happened
that one summer day the king was riding unattended. And
the heat being very great he reined in his horse before the
fisherman’s door to ask for a drink of water. Plavacek
brought the water. The king looked at him attentively, then
turning to the fisherman, said, ‘“‘That is a good-looking lad ;
is he your son?”

“He is and he isn’t,” replied the fisherman. “I found
him, when he was quite a tiny baby, floating down the stream
in a basket. So we adopted him and brought him up as
our own son.”

The king turned as pale as death, for he guessed that he
was the same child he had ordered to be drowned. Then
recovering himself he got down from his horse and said: “I
want a trusty messenger to take a letter to the palace, could
you send him with it?”

“With pleasure! Your majesty may be sure of its safe
delivery.” ;

Thereupon the king wrote to the queen as follows—

“The man who brings you this letter is the most dan-
gerous of all my enemies. Have his head cut off at once;