If you look after them both for a whole year I will give you anything you like to ask ; but if , on the other hand , you let either of the animals escape you , your last hour is come , and your head shall be stuck on the last spike of my fence . The other spikes , as you see , are already adorned , and the skulls are all those of different servants I have had who have failed to do what I demanded . ' Iwanich , who thought he could not be much worse off than he was already , agreed to the witch 's proposal . At daybreak nest morning he drove his horses to the field , and brought them back in the evening without their ever having attempted to break away from him . The witch stood at her door and received him kindly , and set a good meal before him . So it continued for some time , and all went well with the Prince . Early every morning he led the horses out to the fields , and brought them home safe and sound in the evening . One day , while he was watching the horses , he came to the banks of a river , and saw a big fish , which through some mischance had been cast on the land , struggling hard to get back into the water . Iwanich , who felt sorry for the poor creature , seized it in his arms and flung it into the stream . But no sooner did the fish find itself in the water again , than , to the Prince 's amazement , it swam up to the bank and said : ` My kind benefactor , how can I reward you for your goodness ? ' ' I desire nothing , ' answered the Prince . ' I am quite content to have been able to be of some service to you . ' ` You must do me the favour , ' replied the fish , ` to take a scale from my body , and keep it carefully . If you should ever need my help , throw it into the river , and I will come to your aid at once . ' Iwanich bowed , loosened a scale from the body of the grateful beast , put it carefully away , and returned home . A short time after this , when he was going early one morning to the usual grazing place with his horses , he noticed a flock of birds assembled together making a great noise and flying wildly backwards and forwards . Full of curiosity , Iwanich hurried up to the spot , and saw that a large number of ravens had attacked an eagle , and although the eagle was big and powerful and was making a brave fight , it was overpowered at last by numbers , and had to give in . But the Prince , who was sorry for the poor bird , seized the branch of a tree and hit out at the ravens with it ; terrified at this unexpected onslaught they flew away , leaving many of their number dead or wounded on the battlefield . As soon as the eagle saw itself free from its tormentors it plucked a feather from its wing , and , handing it to the Prince , said : ` Here , my kind benefactor , take this feather as a proof of my gratitude ; should you ever be in need of my help blow this feather into the air , and I will help you as much as is in my power . ' Iwanich thanked the bird , and placing the feather beside the scale he drove the horses home .
Another day he had wandered farther XXXXX usual , and came close to a farmyard ; the place pleased the Prince , and as there was plenty of good grass for the horses he determined to spend the day there .
So as beside in into of than that through while