When they were gone the imperial Prince awoke and said to the servant, "Have they been here?" The servant answered, "To be sure, and the one which seated herself upon your horse gave me orders to tell you that you must drive the upper wedge after the lower, and then you would find her." When he heard this the Prince drew his sword and struck off the servant's head. Then he went on alone through the world. After long, long wanderings he reached a high mountain, where he spent the night with a hermit. From him he asked tidings of the nine Peahens. The hermit answered: "My son, you are surely fortune's own child! God himself has led you in the right way. It is hardly more than half a day's journey from here to there. You have only to ride straight forward and you will come to a great gate. Then turn to the right and you will come straight to the city where their castle is." By morning dawn the Prince awoke, dressed himself, pressed his warmest thanks upon the hermit, and set out in the direction indicated. He went straight forward, reached the great gate, passed through it, and about noon he perceived a dazzling city, at sight of which his heart cried out for joy. In the city he inquired for the castle of the golden Peahens. At the castle-gate a guard stopped him, asked after his country and station, and when he had given the required information the guard went in to announce him to the Empress. When she heard of his arrival she ran to meet him like one beside herself--being, of course, in human form; and giving him her arm she led him into the castle. Great joy reigned through all the place, and after a few days the pair were married, and he remained thenceforth beside his beloved wife. After a time the Empress went on an excursion, leaving the Prince at home in the castle. Before going she gave him the keys of the twelve rooms on the ground floor, with the words, "You may go into all of them except the twelfth. Open that one on no account, for you stake your head in that game." With this warning she went away. The imperial Prince remained alone in the castle, and began to wonder, "What can be in that twelfth room?" Upon this he opened one room after the other, and when he came to the twelfth he hesitated awhile about opening it. But the thought, "What can be in there?" gave him no rest. He therefore resolved to open the room; and lo! in the middle of it stood a great open cask encircled with iron hoops, and a voice from within cried, "In Heaven's name, brother, I adjure thee, give me a glass of water! I am perishing with thirst!" The imperial Prince took a glass of water and poured it into the cask, whereupon one hoop of the cask fell off. Then again the voice cried out of the cask, "For Heaven's sake, brother, I am perishing with thirst! Give me another glass of water!"