When the prince awoke in the early morning, he was not a little surprised
at finding himself high up above the clouds. He was seated on the back of
the East Wind, who held him faithfully; and they were so high in the air that
woods and fields, rivers and lakes, as they lay beneath them, looked like a
painted map.
“Good morning,” said the East Wind. “You might have slept on a while;
for there is very little to see in the flat country over which we are passing
unless you like to count the churches; they look like spots of chalk on a
green board.” The green board was the name he gave to the green fields and
meadows.
“It was very rude of me not to say good-bye to your mother and your
brothers,” said the prince.
“They will excuse you, as you were asleep,” said the East Wind; and then
they flew on faster than ever.
The leaves and branches of the trees rustled as they passed. When they
flew over seas and lakes, the waves rose higher, and the large ships dipped
into the water like diving swans. As darkness came on, towards evening, the
great towns looked charming; lights were sparkling, now seen now hidden,
just as the sparks go out one after another on a piece of burnt paper. The
prince clapped his hands with pleasure; but the East Wind advised him not
to express his admiration in that manner, or he might fall down, and find
himself hanging on a church steeple. The eagle in the dark forests flies
swiftly; but faster than he flew the East Wind. The Cossack, on his small
horse, rides lightly o’er the plains; but lighter still passed the prince on the
winds of the wind.
“There are the Himalayas, the highest mountains in Asia,” said the East
Wind. “We shall soon reach the garden of paradise now.”
Then, they turned southward, and the air became fragrant with the
perfume of spices and flowers. Here figs and pomegranates grew wild, and
the vines were covered with clusters of blue and purple grapes. Here they
both descended to the earth, and stretched themselves on the soft grass,
