But this time they had in their midst a huge black cat who seemed to be their king , and whom the young man guessed to be the Spirit of the Mountain . The monster looked eagerly about him , and his eyes sparkled with joy when he saw the cask . He bounded high into the air with delight and uttered cries of pleasure ; then he drew near and undid the bolts . But instead of fastening his teeth in the neck of a beautiful maiden , Schippeitaro 's teeth were fastened in HIM , and the youth ran up and cut off his head with his sword . The other cats were so astonished at the turn things had taken that they forgot to run away , and the young man and Schippeitaro between them killed several more before they thought of escaping . At sunrise the brave dog was taken back to his master , and from that time the mountain girls were safe , and every year a feast was held in memory of the young warrior and the dog Schippeitaro . -LRB- Japanische Marchen . -RRB- THE THREE PRINCES AND THEIR BEASTS -LRB- LITHUANIAN FAIRY TALE -RRB- Once on a time there were three princes , who had a step-sister . One day they all set out hunting together . When they had gone some way through a thick wood they came on a great grey wolf with three cubs . Just as they were going to shoot , the wolf spoke and said , ` Do not shoot me , and I will give each of you one of my young ones . It will be a faithful friend to you . ' So the princes went on their way , and a little wolf followed each of them . Soon after they came on a lioness with three cubs . And she too begged them not to shoot her , and she would give each of them a cub . And so it happened with a fox , a hare , a boar , and a bear , till each prince had quite a following of young beasts padding along behind him . Towards evening they came to a clearing in the wood , where three birches grew at the crossing of three roads . The eldest prince took an arrow , and shot it into the trunk of one of the birch trees . Turning to his brothers he said : ` Let each of us mark one of these trees before we part on different ways . When any one of us comes back to this place , he must walk round the trees of the other two , and if he sees blood flowing from the mark in the tree he will know that that brother is dead , but if milk flows he will know that his brother is alive . '
XXXXX each of the princes did as the eldest brother had said , and when the three birches were marked by their arrows they turned to their step-sister and asked her with which of them she meant to live .
So Towards about after as at in on that with