, the halter, that I may drink more easily."

Then the girl, who was a stupid wench, loosened the halter. At once
the lad slipped out of it and changed himself into a perch and fled
away down the river.

But the Green One knew what had happened. He rushed down to the river
and changed himself into a pike and pursued after the perch.

On and on they went, but the pike swam faster than the perch and was
just about to catch it when the perch sprang clear out of the water.

The daughter of the Tsar was walking by the river, and she was such a
beauty that it made the heart ache to look at her. On her arm she
carried a basket.

As the perch leaped he changed himself into a ruby ring and fell into
the basket.

The damsel was very much astonished to see the ring in her basket. She
did not know where it had come from. She looked up, and she looked
down, but she could see no one who could have thrown the ring.

Then she took it up and slid it upon her finger, and at once she loved
it as she had never loved anything in all her life before.

She carried it to her father and said to him, "Look what a pretty ring
I have found!"

"Yes," answered her father, "but where did you find it?"

"I found it in my basket, but how it came there I do not know."

The Tsaritsa's mother also admired the ring very much. Never had they
seen such a brilliant and flashing ruby before.

Now at first, after the perch leaped out of the river and into the
Tsaritsa's basket, Oh did not know what had become of him. He was
obliged to go home and get out his magic books, and then he soon
learned where the lad was.

He then changed himself into a venerable merchant, clothed in velvet
robes and with a long white beard. He broke a stick from an ash tree
and changed it into a horse, and mounted on it and rode away to the
Tsar's palace.

Then he asked to speak with the Tsar, and so old and venerable did he
look that they would not refuse him, but brought him before the Tsar.

"What dost thou want, old man?" asked the Tsar.

"Your majesty," answered the Green One, "I have had a great loss. I
was crossing the river in a boat, and I had with me a very handsome
ruby ring that I was carrying with me to my master, who is also a
Tsar. Unfortunately I lost the ring overboard, and I thought it might
perchance have washed up on the shore and have been picked up by one
of thy servants."

"What was thy ring like?" asked the Tsar.

Then the pretended merch