And the young prince had pity , and unstrung his bow . ` Oh , prince , I will repay your deed of mercy , said the grateful wood-pigeon . ` Poor thing ! how can you repay me ? ' asked the prince . ` You have forgotten , ' answered the wood-pigeon , ` the proverb that runs , `` mountain and mountain can never meet , but one living creature can always come across another . '' ' The boy laughed at this speech and went his way . By-and-by he reached the edge of a lake , and flying towards some rushes which grew near the shore he beheld a wild duck . Now , in the days that the king , his father , was alive , and he had everything to eat he could possibly wish for , the prince always had wild duck for his birthday dinner , so he quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and took a careful aim . ` Do not shoot , I pray you , noble prince ! ' cried the wild duck ; ' I have two little sons at home ; they will die of hunger if I am not there to bring them food . ' And the prince had pity , and let fall his arrow and unstrung his bow . ` Oh , prince ! I will repay your deed of mercy , ' exclaimed the grateful wild duck . ` You poor thing ! how can you repay me ? ' asked the prince . ` You have forgotten , ' answered the wild duck , ` the proverb that runs , `` mountain and mountain can never meet , but one living creature can always come across another . '' ' The boy laughed at this speech and went his way . He had not wandered far from the shores of the lake , when he noticed a stork standing on one leg , and again he raised his bow and prepared to take aim .
` Do not shoot , I pray you , noble prince , ' cried the stork ; ' I have two little sons XXXXX home ; they will die of hunger if I am not there to bring them food . '
across at from near of on stork to towards wood-pigeon