268 SLAV TALES

no ripe fruit ever remained on the tree on the following day ;
the apple disappeared, no one knew how or when, and this
deeply grieved the king.

At last he could bear it no longer, and calling his eldest
son to him, said: ‘“‘My child, I wish you to keep watch in
the garden to-night, and see if you can find out what becomes
of my golden apples. I will reward you with the choice of
all my treasures; if you should be lucky enough to get hold
of the thief, and bring him to me, I would gladly give you
half my kingdom.”

The young prince girded his trusty sword to his side, and
with his crossbow on his shoulder and a good stock of well-
tempered arrows, went into the garden to mount guard. And
as he sat under the apple tree a great drowsiness came over
hin which he could not resist; his arms dropped, his eyes
closed, and stretching himself on the grass he slept as soundly
as if he had been in his own bed at home, nor did he awake
until day dawn, and then he saw that the apple had dis-
appeared.

When questioned by his father, he said that no thieves
had come, but that the apple had vanished all the same. The
king shook his head, for he did not believe a word of it.
Then, turning to his second son, he bade him keep watch, and
promised him a handsome reward if he should catch the thief.

So the second son armed himself with everything necessary
and went into the garden. But he succeeded no better than
his brother, for he could not resist the desire to sleep, and
when he awoke the apple was no longer there.

When his father asked him how it disappeared, he ete
“No one took it, it vanished of itself.”