“Then I must perish here!” cried Boyislav.
“Now thou wilt not perish; but hadst thou gone on the boat thy death would be sure, for thy brothers had conspired to kill thee.”
“Oh, the thankless wretches!” cried Boyislav. “What shall I do now?”
“If thou wilt obey me,” said the horse, “thou wilt gain thy object in time. Go now to the garden of the first castle, and pluck four golden apples, but only four.”
Boyislav went, and for the first time noticed the beauty of the whole garden; he went back and forth, and would have soon forgotten the apples had he not heard the neighing of the horse. Now he saw the tree with golden apples, and plucked four. Since they were so beautiful, he wanted more, but the horse neighed so fiercely that the whole castle trembled; his arm, which was stretched to the apples, dropped of itself, and he returned to the horse, which said, “Now sit on me.”
Boyislav did so, and the horse bore him soon to the shore of the sea, and said, “Throw an apple in the sea.”
“But it is a pity to lose it!” said Boyislav.
“Throw it in!” repeated the horse, with stern voice; and Boyislav obeyed. That moment a road five hundred miles long rose out of the sea. The horse stepped on the road, and hurried along night and day. When the domes of a great city were seen in the distance, he said to Boyislav: “Now we are going to Red Island, to a king who has a very ugly daughter; but have no fear in the world of her. When she casts eyes on thee, say that thou art seeking a bride, but before choosing thou must consult thy father. Then the king will offer thee a present; take nothing but a piece of rope for my bridle.”
Boyislav promised obedience. When they came to Red Island, the road sank in the sea, and the horse hurried on. Boyislav left him on the meadow outside the city, and went straight to the king’s castle, where he was courteously received. “Where art thou going, noble prince?” asked the king.
“In search of a bride,” answered Boyislav; and the king led him to his daughter. She was so ugly that Boyislav was frightened.