Now , when the prince found that he was not likely to leave his father 's kingdom again , he sent for his wife , and bade the messenger tell her that he would await her coming in the town on the banks of the great river . This was the reason why he delayed his journey so long , and narrowly escaped being eaten by the crocodile . During the weeks that followed the prince amused himself as best he could , though he counted the minutes to the arrival of the princess , and when she did come , he at once prepared to start for the court . That very night , however , while he was asleep , the princess noticed something strange in one of the corners of the room . It was a dark patch , and seemed , as she looked , to grow longer and longer , and to be moving slowly towards the cushions on which the prince was lying . She shrank in terror , but , slight as was the noise , the thing heard it , and raised its head to listen . Then she saw it was the long flat head of a serpent , and the recollection of the prophecy rushed into her mind . Without waking her husband , she glided out of bed , and taking up a heavy bowl of milk which stood on a table , laid it on the floor in the path of the serpent -- for she knew that no serpent in the world can resist milk . She held her breath as the snake drew near , and watched it throw up its head again as if it was smelling something nice , while its forky tongue darted out greedily . At length its eyes fell upon the milk , and in an instant it was lapping it so fast that it was a wonder the creature did not choke , for it never took its head from the bowl as long as a drop was left in it . After that it dropped on the ground and slept heavily . This was what the princess had been waiting for , and catching up her husband 's sword , she severed the snake 's head from its body . The morning after this adventure the prince and princess set out for the king 's palace , but found when they reached it , that he was already dead . They gave him a magnificent burial , and then the prince had to examine the new laws which had been made in his absence , and do a great deal of business besides , till he grew quite ill from fatigue , and was obliged to go away to one of his palaces on the banks of the river , in order to rest . Here he soon got better , and began to hunt , and to shoot wild duck with his bow ; and wherever he went , his dog , now grown very old , went with him . One morning the prince and his dog were out as usual , and in chasing their game they drew near the bank of the river . The prince was running at full speed after his dog when he almost fell over something that looked like a log of wood , which was lying in his path . To his surprise a voice spoke to him , and he saw that the thing which he had taken for a branch was really a crocodile . ` You can not escape from me , ' it was saying , when he had gathered his senses again . ' I am your fate , and wherever you go , and whatever you do , you will always find me before you .
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