done if my magic has power to do it."

"Well then, mother dear, turn the twenty-four dancers and pipers into
twenty-four grey herons, and let my seven sons become seven white
swans, and let me be a goshawk and their leader."

"Alas! alas! my son," she said, "that may not be; my magic reaches not
so far. But perhaps my teacher, the spaewife of Ostree, may know
better." And away she hurries to the cave of Ostree, and after a while
comes out as white as white can be and muttering over some burning
herbs she brought out of the cave. Suddenly Coo-my-dove changed into a
goshawk and around him flew twenty-four grey herons and above them
flew seven cygnets.

Without a word or a good-bye off they flew over the deep blue sea
which was tossing and moaning. They flew and they flew till they
swooped down on Earl Mar's castle just as the wedding party were
setting out for the church. First came the men-at-arms and then the
bridegroom's friends, and then Earl Mar's men, and then the
bridegroom, and lastly, pale and beautiful, Earl Mar's daughter
herself. They moved down slowly to stately music till they came past
the trees on which the birds were settling. A word from Prince
Florentine, the goshawk, and they all rose into the air, herons
beneath, cygnets above, and goshawk circling above all. The weddineers
wondered at the sight when, swoop! the herons were down among them
scattering the men-at-arms. The swanlets took charge of the bride
while the goshawk dashed down and tied the bridegroom to a tree. Then
the herons gathered themselves together into one feather bed and the
cygnets placed their mother upon them, and suddenly they all rose in
the air bearing the bride away with them in safety towards Prince