just on the point of clutching it. But the green bird, at that instant, transformed itself into a man; he ran out of the door, and as if from a flat palm of the hand, disappeared, so that they did not the least know what had become of him.
After awhile he again changed himself to a green bird, and flew away to the window of the youngest queen, and fluttered about it and pecked at it so long until at last the queen opened it. And when she had let him in, he flew straight to her white hand, and so ingratiated himself that she sported with him with a childlike delight. “Ach! little rascal! indeed thou art a darling!” says the queen; “were my husband here, indeed thou hadst charmed him too; but he will not come until the evening of the day after tomorrow, for he is gone to inspect all three divisions of his kingdom.”
At this moment the old witch ran into the apartment. “Wring its neck! wring its neck! the accursed bird!” she shrieked while still at the door, “or it will dirty thee yet!” ‘Ah! mother mine, the idea of its dirtying me, the beautiful innocent little pet!” replied the daughter; and the witch: “Beautiful, innocent piece of nastiness! here with it, let me wring its neck!” But at that instant the bird made itself into a man, and he off and away out of the door so that they never saw him again.
Now the seer knew where the kings were, and when they were coming home. He came to the servant and told him to hasten after him out of the city. After this they went at a brisk pace, on and on, until they came to a bridge, over which the kings must pass. Under this bridge they lurked until the evening.
When the evening sun had sunk behind the mountains, there was to be heard at the bridge the thud of a horse’s hoofs. It was the eldest king returning home. At the bridge the horse stumbled over a beam which the seer had rolled across the bridge. “Eh! who is the scoundrel that has rolled this beam here?” shouted the king, incensed. That instant the seer leapt from under the bridge and stormed at the king for daring to abuse him as a scoundrel, and seizing his sword hurried after him. The king, too, drew his sword in defence; but after fencing a short time, fell from his horse a corpse. The seer lashed the dead king to his horse and then whipped up the horse that it might carry its dead master home. After this he retired under the bridge and again lurked there until evening.
When the next day inclined towards evening, the second king arrived at the bridge, and seeing the ground bespattered with blood,
