"Good youth," said the old woman, "I am nearly seventy years of age, but of Peerless Beauty I have never heard. But farther on the way lives my elder sister. Perhaps she knows." Then Ivan Tsarevich went out of the great house, and, after taking courteous leave of the old woman, rode far away across the open steppe. All day he rode, and as night was coming on he came to a second house as large as a town, with each room as large as a village. He dismounted from his horse, tied the bridle to a silver ring in the door-post, and asked an old woman whom he met in the first room if he might have a night's lodging. And here it happened as it had happened before, only the old woman was eighty years of age. "Farther on the road," she said, "lives my elder sister and she has givers of answers. The first givers of answers are the fishes and other dwellers in the heaving restless sea; the second givers of answers are the wild beasts of the dark forests; and the third givers of answers are the birds of the open air. Whatever is in the whole white world is obedient to the will of my elder sister." Once again Ivan Tsarevich set out and came to a house where he tied his horse to a golden ring, and was received by an old, old woman who screamed at him in a voice like a flock of peacocks: "O you man of boldness, why have you tied your horse to a golden ring when an iron ring would be too good for you?" "Patience, good grandmother," said the Tsarevich gently, "it is easy to loose the bridle and tie the horse to another ring." "Ah, my good youth," said the old woman gently, and as one would speak to a child, "did I frighten you? Sit down now on the bench and take food and drink." Ivan did so, and then without being asked he told the old woman where he was going and what was his quest. "Go to your rest," she said shortly. "In the morning I will call my givers of answers." Next morning the old woman and the young man sat in the porch, and the former gave a heroic whistle, whereupon the blue sea heaved in a great heap, and the fishes, large and small, sea-serpents and sea-dragons, rose upon the surface and made for the shore. "Come no farther," said the old woman, raising her right hand. "Tell me where this good youth can find Peerless Beauty." Then the answer came from a million mouths, "We have not seen or heard of her." The old woman blew her whistle and the forests echoed to the sound of a million voices of wild beasts, but the answer to her question was, "We have not seen or heard of her." "Come hither," said the grandmother, "all ye birds of the air." And in a moment the light of the sun was hidden and the sound of flapping wings was like a tempest. But the answer of the birds to the question was, "We have not seen or heard of her." "My givers of answers fail me," said the ancient woman as she took Ivan by the lily-white hand and led him into the house. Then there flew through the open window the Mogol Bird which fell to the ground at her feet.