270 SLAV TALES

From that time Ohnivak came no more to the garden,
and the apples remained untouched. Yet the king could
think of nothing else but how to possess this marvellous bird.
At last, beginning to despair of ever seeing it, he was filled
with melancholy, and would remain for hours in deep thought ;
thus he became really ill, and every day continued to grow
worse. be

One day he summoned his three sons before him and
said, “My dear children, you see the sad state I am in. If
I could but hear the bird Ohnivak sing just once I should
be cured of this disease of the heart; otherwise it will be
my death. Whichever of you shall succeed in catching
Ohnivak alive and inducing him to sing to me, to him I will
give half of my kingdom and the heirship to the throne.”

Having taken leave of their father the brothers set off.
They travelled together until they came to a part of the forest
where the road branched off in three directions.

‘Which turning shall we take?” asked the eldest.

The second brother answered, ‘‘We are three, and three
roads lie before us; let us each choose one, thus we shall
treble our chances of finding the bird, for we shall seek it
in three different countries.”

“That is a good idea, but how shall each one decide
which way to choose?”

The youngest brother said, “I will leave the choice to
you two, and will take whichever road you leave me.”

So each took the road that chance decided for him,
agreeing that when their mission was over they would return
to the point of departure. In order to recognise the place
again each one planted the branch of a tree at the cross