e, King Koshchey was almost mad with
anger.

"Does he want to mock me? Run, break the door, and take by force that
ill-bred fellow."

The servants ran, the door was broken up. What a surprise! Nobody was
inside, but the breath was loudly laughing at them.

King Koshchey almost burst with anger. "O, you miserable thief! Come here,
my people! All to me, my servants! Run, all of you, in pursuit of them.
They have departed."

"I hear the tramping of horses feet," whispered the princess, clasping the
prince.

He dismounted, and putting his ear against the ground said, "Yes, I hear
the chase, and it is quite near."

"Then we must not lose our time," said Princess Mary, and in a minute she
turned into a river, the prince into an iron bridge the steed into a black
raven, and the large road was divided into three smaller roads.

Swiftly the chase was coming by the fresh tracks, but when they came to the
river, they stopped perplexed. Up to the bridge they could follow the
track, but beyond it the track was lost. Nothing could be done. They had
to go back.

King Koshchey was terribly angry when he heard about their failure. "You
fools!" cried he. "The river and the bridge must have been they. Couldn't
you guess it, you idiots! Go again, and do not fail to bring them with
you."

The pursuit started anew.

"I hear the tramping of horses," said Princess Mary to Prince Ivan.

He dismounted again, put his ear against the ground and said, "Yes, they
are tramping, and pretty near us."

In a second Princess Mary, together with Prince Ivan and the steed, turned
into a wild dark forest. In that forest there were numberless paths, and a
horse with two riders seemed to gallop through it. Now the chase came by
the fresh track to the forest. They saw the riders and ran after them. The
forest reached as far as King Koshchey's underground kingdom. The chase was
flying and the horse with the two riders was always before them. Now they
almost reached them, now they only had to grasp them,--but no, the steed
was again far behind them. And see! There they were again before the
entrance to King Koshchey's kingdom at the same place where they started
their chase; and everything disappeared,--no more horse, no more forest.

With empty hands the pursuers appeared before King Koshchey. Like one mad
the king tossed about. "Wait until I catch that wretch! I will go myself
now. Let us see how they are going to escape me!"

Again Princess M