Then she bade them hide themselves next morning , as soon as Iwanich was asleep , in the King 's hen-house , which stood on a lonely part of the heath , and to remain there till she called . If they failed to do as she told them she would certainly beat them this time till they bled . On the following morning the Prince drove his horses as usual to the fields . After he had been overpowered by sleep , as on the former days , the mare and foal ran away and hid themselves in the royal hen house . When the Prince awoke and found the horses gone he determined to appeal to the fox ; so , lighting a fire , he threw the two hairs into it , and in a few moments the fox stood beside him and asked : ` In what way can I serve you ? ' ' I wish to know , ' replied Iwanich , ` where the King 's hen-house is . ' ` Hardly an hour 's walk from here , ' answered the fox , and offered to show the Prince the way to it . While they were walking along the fox asked him what he wanted to do at the royal hen-house . The Prince told him of the misfortune that had befallen him , and of the necessity of recovering the mare and foal . ` That is no easy matter , ' replied the fox . ` But wait a moment . I have an idea . Stand at the door of the hen-house , and wait there for your horses . In the meantime I will slip in among the hens through a hole in the wall and give them a good chase , so that the noise they make will arouse the royal henwives , and they will come to see what is the matter . When they see the horses they will at once imagine them to be the cause of the disturbance , and will drive them out . Then you must lay hands on the mare and foal and catch them . All turned out exactly as the sly fox had foreseen . The Prince swung himself on the mare , seized the foal by its bridle , and hurried home . While he was riding over the heath in the highest of spirits the mare suddenly said to her rider : ` You are the first person who has ever succeeded in outwitting the old witch Corva , and now you may ask what reward you like for your service . If you promise never to betray me I will give you a piece of advice which you will do well to follow . '
The XXXXX promised never to betray her confidence , and the mare continued : ` Ask nothing else as a reward than my foal , for it has not its like in the world , and is not to be bought for love or money ; for it can go from one end of the earth to another in a few minutes .
Corva Iwanich Prince days fire first heath hen-house henwives hour