n he wondered whether it would be wise to
wait for his stepfather's return and run the risk of the dreadful death
which had been promised him. 'No,' he said to himself, 'I am afraid to
stay. Perhaps the world will be kinder to me than he has been.'

Unseen he stole out when twilight fell, and for many days he wandered
over mountains and through forests and valleys without knowing where he
was going or what he should do. He had only the berries for food, when,
one morning, he saw a wood-pigeon sitting on a bough. In an instant he
had fitted an arrow to his bow, and was taking aim at the bird, thinking
what a good meal he would make off him, when his weapon fell to the
ground at the sound of the pigeon's voice:

'Do not shoot, I implore you, noble prince! I have two little sons at
home, and they will die of hunger if I am not there to bring them food.'

And the young prince had pity, and unstrung his bow.

'Oh, prince, I will repay your deed of mercy, said the grateful
wood-pigeon.

'Poor thing! how can you repay me?' asked the prince.

'You have forgotten,' answered the wood-pigeon, 'the proverb that runs,
"mountain and mountain can never meet, but one living creature can
always come across another."' The boy laughed at this speech and went
his way.

By-and-by he reached the edge of a lake, and flying towards some rushes
which grew near the shore he beheld a wild duck. Now, in the days that
the king, his father, was alive, and he had everything to eat he could
possibly wish for, the prince always had wild duck for his birthday
dinner, so he quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and took a careful aim.

'Do not shoot, I pray you, noble prince!' cried the wild duck; 'I have
two little sons at home; they will die of hunger if I am not there to
bring them food.'

And the prince had pity, and let fall his arrow and unstrung his bow.

'Oh, prince! I will repay your deed of mercy,' exclaimed the grateful
wild duck.

'You poor thing! how can you repay me?' asked the prince.

'You have forgotten,' answered the wild duck, 'the proverb that runs,
"mountain and mountain can never meet, but one living creature can
always come across another."' The boy laughed at this speech and went
his way.

He had not wandered far from the shores of the lake, when he noticed a
stork standing on one leg, and again he raised his bow and prepared to
take aim.

'Do not shoot, I pray you, noble prince,' cried the stork; 'I have two
little