In an instant prince, princess, and horse had all disappeared, and instead was a dense forest, crossed and recrossed by countless paths. Kostiei’s soldiers dashed hastily into the forest, believing they saw before them the flying horse with its double burden. They seemed close upon them, when suddenly horse, wood, everything disappeared, and they found themselves at the place where they started. There was nothing for it but to return to Kostiei, and tell him of this fresh disaster. ‘A horse! a horse!’ cried the king. ‘I will go after them myself. This time they shall not escape.’ And he galloped off, foaming with anger. ‘I think I hear someone pursuing us,’ said the princess ‘Yes, so do I.’ ‘And this time it is Kostiei himself. But his power only reaches as far as the first church, and he can go no farther. Give me your golden cross.’ So the prince unfastened the cross which was his mother’s gift, and the princess hastily changed herself into a church, the prince into a priest, and the horse into a belfry. It was hardly done when Kostiei came up. ‘Greeting, monk. Have you seen some travellers on horseback pass this way?’ ‘Yes, the prince and Kostiei’s daughter have just gone by. They have entered the church, and told me to give you their greetings if I met you.’ Then Kostiei knew that he had been hopelessly beaten, and the prince and princess continued their journey without any more adventures. [Contes Populaires Slaves. Traduits par Louis Léger. Paris: Leroux, éditeur.] The Simpleton There lived, once upon a time, a man who was as rich as he could be; but as no happiness in this world is ever quite complete, he had an only son who was such a simpleton that he could barely add two and two together. At last his father determined to put up with his stupidity no longer, and giving him a purse full of gold, he sent him off to seek his fortune in foreign lands, mindful of the adage: How much a fool that’s sent to roam Excels a fool that stays at home. Moscione, for this was the youth’s name, mounted a horse, and set out for Venice, hoping to find a ship there that would take him to Cairo. After he had ridden for some time he saw a man standing at the foot of a poplar tree, and said to him: ‘What’s your name, my friend; where do you come from, and what can you do?’ The man replied, ‘My name is Quick-as-Thought, I come from Fleet-town, and I can run like lightning.’ ‘I should like to see you,’ returned Moscione. ‘Just wait a minute, then,’ said Quick-as-Thought, ‘and I will soon show you that I am speaking the truth.’ The words were hardly out of his mouth when a young doe ran right across the field they were standing in.