194 SLAV TALES

carry her off. He reached the earth by striking it from under-
ground three times with his forehead. The princess called
her army together, and putting herself at its head, led her
soldiers against him. But he merely breathed upon the
soldiers and they fell down in an overpowering sleep. Then
he stretched out his bony hands to take the princess, but she,
throwing a glance full of anger and disdain at him, changed
him into a block of ice. Then she shut herself up in her
palace. Kostey did not remain frozen long ; when the princess
had departed he came to life again, and started off in pursuit
of her. On reaching the town where she dwelt, he put all the
inhabitants into a charmed sleep, and laid the same spell
upon the twelve maids of honour. Fearing the power of her
eyes, he dared not attack Sudolisu herself; so he surrounded
her palace with an iron wall, and left it in charge of a monster
dragon with twelve heads. Then he waited, in hope that the
princess would give in.

Days passed, weeks grew into months, and still Princess
Sudolisu’s kingdom looked like one large bedchamber. The
people snored in the streets, the brave army lying in the fields
slept soundly, hidden in the long grass under the shadow
of nettle, wormwood, and thistle, rust and dust marring the
brightness of their armour. Inside the palace everything was
the same. The twelve maids of honour lay motionless. The
princess alone kept watch, silent amid this reign of sleep. She
walked up and down her narrow prison, sighing and weeping
bitter tears, but no other sound broke the silence ; only Kostey,
avoiding her glance, still called through the doors and begged
her to refuse him no longer. Then he promised she should be
Queen of the Nether World, but she answered him not.