he raven is, and that it is the
prince, whom the queen has bewitched. I also know nearly as much of
magic as she, and it is that alone that has saved me so long from ill.
But danger hangs close over me; the queen only waits for the chance to
bewitch me; and some day she will overpower me, for she is stronger
than I. With the prince's aid I can overcome her and make myself forever
safe, and it is this that has brought me here to-day. My magic is
powerful enough to change the prince back into his true shape again, and
I will do so if he will aid me in what follows, and this is it: I will
conjure the queen, and by-and-by a great eagle will come flying, and its
plumage will be as black as night. Then I myself will become an eagle,
with black-and-white plumage, and we two will fight in the air. After a
while we will both fall to the ground, and then the prince must cut off
the head of the black eagle with a knife I shall give him. Will you do
this?" said she, turning to the raven, "if I transform you to your true
shape?"

The raven bowed his head and said "Croak!" And the sister of the queen
knew that he meant yes.

Therewith she drew a great, long keen knife from her bosom, and thrust
it into the ground. "It is with this knife of magic," said she, "that
you must cut off the black eagle's head." Then the witch-princess
gathered up some sand in her hand, and flung it into the raven's face.
"Resume," cried she, "your own shape!" And in an instant the prince was
himself again. The next thing the sister of the queen did was to draw a
circle upon the ground around the prince, the old man, and herself. On
the circle she marked strange figures here and there. Then, all three
standing close together, she began her conjurations, uttering strange
words--now under her breath, and now clear and loud.

Presently the sky darkened, and it began to thunder and rumble. Darker
it grew and darker, and the thunder crashed and roared. The earth
trembled under their feet, and the trees swayed hither and thither as
though tossed by a tempest. Then suddenly the uproar ceased and all grew
as still as death, the clouds rolled away, and in a moment the sun shone
out once more, and all was calm and serene as it had been before. But
still the princess muttered her conjurations, and as the prince and the
old man looked they beheld a speck that grew larger and larger, until
they saw that it was an eagle as black as night that was coming swiftly
flying