The prince had no desire to refuse; he filled the cup with water, and poured it over the man’s head. No sooner had he done this than Bash Tchelik broke the iron chains around his neck, jumped up with the speed of lightning, and, lo! he had wings. He rushed through the door before the surprised prince could make a movement, and, having snatched up the daughter of the tsar, the wife of his deliverer, he flew into the air and disappeared.

When the tsar returned from the hunt, his son-in-law told him all that had happened, and the tsar was indeed greatly saddened, and exclaimed: “Why did you do this? Did I not tell you not to open the ninth room?” The prince humbly answered: “Do not be angry, I shall go in search of Bash Tchelik, for I must fetch my wife.” But the tsar tried to dissuade him, saying: “Do not go, for anything in the world! You do not yet know this man; it cost me many an army before I succeeded in taking him prisoner. Remain in peace where you are, and I will find for you a still better wife than my daughter was, and rest assured that I shall continue to love you as my own son!” However, the young prince would not listen to his father-in-law’s advice, but took money for his travelling expenses, saddled a horse and went in search of Bash Tchelik.

The Prince finds his Sister

Some time later the young man came to a city. From the window of a castle a girl cried out: “O prince, alight from your charger and come into our courtyard!” The prince did as he was invited; the girl met him in the courtyard, and he was greatly astonished to recognize in her his eldest sister. They embraced and kissed each other, and his sister said: “Come within, my brother.” When they were inside, the prince asked his sister who her husband was, and she answered: “I have married the king of dragons, and he has sworn that he will kill my brothers the first time he comes across them. Therefore, I will hide you, and shall ask him first what he would do to you if you appeared. Should he declare that he would do you no harm, I would tell him of your presence.” So she hid both her brother and his horse. Toward evening the dragon flew home, and the whole castle shone. As soon as he entered, he called his wife: “My dear, there is a smell of human bones! Tell me at once who is here!” She answered: “There is nobody!” But the dragon added: “That cannot be!” Then his wife asked him: “Please answer truly, would you harm my brothers if one of them should come here to see me?” And the king of dragons said: “Your eldest and your second brother I would slaughter and roast, but your youngest brother I would not harm.” Then she said: “My youngest brother, and your brother-in-law, is here.” Thereupon the king said: “Let him come in.” And when the prince appeared, the king of dragons stretched forth his arms, embraced his brother-in-law, and said: “Welcome, O brother!” And the prince answered: “I hope you are well?” Then they related to each other all their adventures from beginning to end, and sat down to supper.

At length the prince told his brother-in-law that he was searching for Bash Tchelik, and the dragon advised him, saying, “Do not go any further! I will tell you all about him; the very day when he escaped from his prison, I met him with five thousand of my dragons, and, after a severe battle, he escaped victorious. So you see, there is slender hope for you, alone, to overpower him. Therefore I advise you, as a friend, to abandon your plan, and return home in peace; and if you are in need of money I will give you any amount of it.” But the prince answered: “I thank you very much for all your good wishes and advice, but I cannot do otherwise than go in search of Bash Tchelik!” And he thought: “Why should I not do so, since I have three superfluous lives?”

When the king of dragons saw that he could not dissuade the prince, he handed a feather he was wearing to him, and said: “Take this, and if you are ever in need of my help, you have only to burn it, and I will come at once to your aid with all my forces.” The prince thankfully took the feather and started once more in pursuit of Bash Tchelik.

The Second Sister

Wandering for some time he came at length to another city, and, as he was riding under the tower of a magnificent castle, a window opened and he heard a voice calling him: “Alight from your steed, O prince, and come into our courtyard!” The prince complied immediately, and when he entered the courtyard, he was greatly surprised to see his second sister, who threw herself into his arms, weeping for joy. Then she showed her brother into her private apartment, and he asked: “To whom are you married, sister dear?” And she answered: “My husband is the king of the eagles.” When the king returned home his loving wife welcomed him, but he exclaimed at once: “Who is the daring man now in my castle? Tell me directly!” She lied and said: “No one!” Then they began their supper, and the princess asked her husband: “Tell me truly, would you do any harm to my brothers if one of them should dare to come here to see me?” And the eagle-king answered: “As to your eldest and your second brother, I declare that I would kill them; but your third brother I would welcome and help as much as I could.” Then she took heart and told him: “Here is my youngest brother, and your brother-in-law, who has come to see us!” Then the king ordered his servants to bring the prince before him, and when the servants obeyed and the prince appeared, he stood up and embraced and kissed his brother-in-law, saying: “Welcome, my dear brother-in-law!” And the prince, touched by his kindness, answered most courteously: “Thank you, my brother! I hope you are well!” The king at once bade him be seated at table, and after supper the prince related his wonderful adventures, and finished by telling them about his search for Bash Tchelik. Hearing this, the eagle-king counselled his brother-in-law most urgently to give up his hazardous plan, adding: “Leave that fiend alone, O dear brother-in-law! I would advise you to remain here; you will find everything you desire in my castle.” But the adventurous prince would not listen to this advice for a moment, and on the morrow he prepared to resume his search for Bash Tchelik. Then the eagle-king, seeing that the prince’s resolution was unshakable, plucked out of his garment a beautiful feather, handed it to his brother-in-law, and said: “Take this feather, O brother, and if you ever should need my help you will have but to burn it, and I will at once come to your aid with the whole of my army.” The prince accepted the feather most gratefully, took his leave, and went away in pursuit of his enemy.

The Third Sister

After some time he came to a third city, in which he found in the same manner his youngest sister. She was married to the king of the falcons, who also welcomed him in a friendly manner, and gave him a feather to burn in case of need.