ming her skinny hands
at a fire. The Prince offered to become her servant, and the old hag
told him she was badly in want of one, and he seemed to be just the
person to suit her.

When Iwanich asked what his work, and how much his wages would be, the
witch bade him follow her, and led the way through a narrow damp
passage into a vault, which served as a stable. Here he perceived two
pitch-black horses in a stall.

'You see before you,' said the old woman, 'a mare and her foal; you have
nothing to do but to lead them out to the fields every day, and to see
that neither of them runs away from you. If you look after them both for
a whole year I will give you anything you like to ask; but if, on the
other hand, you let either of the animals escape you, your last hour is
come, and your head shall be stuck on the last spike of my fence. The
other spikes, as you see, are already adorned, and the skulls are all
those of different servants I have had who have failed to do what I
demanded.'

Iwanich, who thought he could not be much worse off than he was already,
agreed to the witch's proposal.

At daybreak nest morning he drove his horses to the field, and brought
them back in the evening without their ever having attempted to break
away from him. The witch stood at her door and received him kindly, and
set a good meal before him.

So it continued for some time, and all went well with the Prince.

Early every morning he led the horses out to the fields, and brought
them home safe and sound in the evening.

One day, while he was watching the horses, he came to the banks of a
river, and saw a big fish, which through some mischance had been cast on
the land, struggling hard to get back into the water.

Iwanich, who felt sorry for the poor creature, seized it in his arms and
flung it into the stream. But no sooner did the fish find itself in the
water again, than, to the Prince's amazement, it swam up to the bank and
said:

'My kind benefactor, how can I reward you for your goodness?'

'I desire nothing,' answered the Prince. 'I am quite content to have
been able to be of some service to you.'

'You must do me the favour,' replied the fish, 'to take a scale from my
body, and keep it carefully. If you should ever need my help, throw it
into the river, and I will come to your aid at once.'

Iwanich bowed, loosened a scale from the body of the grateful beast, put
it carefully away, and returned home.

A short time afte