"Resume," cried she, "your own shape!" And
in an instant the prince was himself again. The next thing the
sister of the queen did was to draw a circle upon the ground
around the prince, the old man, and herself. On the circle she
marked strange figures here and there. Then, all three standing
close together, she began her conjurations, uttering strange
words--now under her breath, and now clear and loud.
Presently the sky darkened, and it began to thunder and rumble.
Darker it grew and darker, and the thunder crashed and roared.
The earth trembled under their feet, and the trees swayed hither
and thither as though tossed by a tempest. Then suddenly the
uproar ceased and all grew as still as death, the clouds rolled
away, and in a moment the sun shone out once more, and all was
calm and serene as it had been before. But still the princess
muttered her conjurations, and as the prince and the old man
looked they beheld a speck that grew larger and larger, until
they saw that it was an eagle as black as night that was coming
swiftly flying through the sky. Then the queen's sister also saw
it and ceased from her spells. She drew a little cap of feathers
from her bosom with trembling hands. "Remember," said she to the
prince; and, so saying, clapped the feather cap upon her head. In
an instant she herself became an eagle--pied, black and white--and, spreading her wings, leaped into
the air.
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