the birds and beasts that the King's Son had ever known. He went on, but he
saw no living creature before him. And then, at the end of the waste he came
upon two living creatures struggling. One was an eagle and the other was an
eel. And the eel had twisted itself round the eagle, and the eagle had covered
her eyes with the black films of death. The King's Son jumped off his horse
and cut the eel in two with a sharp stroke of his sword.

The eagle drew the films from her eyes and looked full at the King's Son. "I
am Laheen the Eagle," she said, "and I will pay you for this service, Son of
King Connal. Know that there has been a battle of the creatures--a battle to
decide which of the creatures will make laws for a year. All were killed
except the eel and myself, and if you had not come I would have been killed
and the eel would have made the laws. I am Laheen the Eagle and always I will
be your friend. And now you must tell me how I can serve you."

"You can serve me," said the King's Son, "by showing me how I may come to the
dominion of the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands."

"I am the only creature who can show you, King's Son. And if I were not old
now I would carry you there on my back. But I can tell you how you can get
there. Ride forward for a day, first with the sun before you and then with the
sun at your back, until you come to the shore of a lake. Stay there until you
see three swans flying down. They are the three daughters of the Enchanter of
the Black Back-Lands. Mark the one who carries a green scarf in her mouth. She
is the youngest daughter and the one who can help you. When the swans come to
the ground they will transform themselves into maidens and bathe in the lake.
Two will come out, put on their swanskins and transform themselves and fly
away. But you must hide the swanskin that belongs to the youngest maiden. She
will search and search and when she cannot find it she will cry out, 'I would
do anything in the world for the creature who would find my swanskin for me.'