THE PRINCE WITH THE GOLDEN HAND 227

The cottage began to creak without delay, and turned round
with the floor facing the travellers. Old Yaga was on the
look-out, and came to meet them. As soon as she got the
Water of Youth she sprinkled herself with it, and instantly
everything about her that was old and ugly became young and
charming. So pleased was she to be young again that she
kissed the prince’s hands and said, “‘ Ask of me anything you
like, I will refuse you nothing.”

At that moment her two beautiful young daughters hap-
pened to look out of the window, upon which the two elder
princes, who were admiring them, said, ‘“ Will you give us your
daughters for wives?”

“That I will, with pleasure,” said she, and beckoned
them to her. Then curtseying to her future sons-in-law, she
laughed merrily and vanished. They placed their brides
before them on the same horse, while the Prince with the
Golden Hand, pointing to where he wished to go, said:

“Fiery Horse with strength of wing,
I am now your lord ;
Do my will in everything,
Be your law my word.
Where I point there you must go
At once, at once. The way you know.”

The horse rose up, pranced, flapped his wings, and flew
far above the forest. An hour or two later he descended
before the palace of the Golden-Haired Princess’s parents.
When the king and queen saw their only daughter who had
so long been lost to them, they ran to meet her with exclama-
tions of joy and kissed her gratefully and lovingly, at the same