'It was very rude of me to leave without saying good-bye to your mother
and brothers,' said the Prince.

'One is excused when one is asleep!' said the Eastwind, and they flew on
faster than ever. You could mark their flight by the rustling of the
trees as they passed over the woods; and whenever they crossed a lake,
or the sea, the waves rose and the great ships dipped low down in the
water, like floating swans. Towards evening the large towns were amusing
as it grew dark, with all their lights twinkling now here, now there,
just as when one burns a piece of paper and sees all the little sparks
like children coming home from school. The Prince clapped his hands, but
the Eastwind told him he had better leave off and hold tight, or he
might fall and find himself hanging on to a church steeple.

The eagle in the great forest flew swiftly, but the Eastwind flew more
swiftly still. The Kossack on his little horse sped fast over the
plains, but the Prince sped faster still.

[Illustration: _The eagle in the great forest flew swiftly, but the
Eastwind flew more swiftly still._]

'Now you can see the Himalayas!' said the Eastwind. 'They are the
highest mountains in Asia; we shall soon reach the Garden of Paradise.'

They took a more southerly direction, and the air became scented with
spices and flowers. Figs and pomegranates grew wild, and the wild vines
were covered with blue and green grapes. They both descended here and
stretched themselves on the soft grass, where the flowers nodded to the
wind, as much as to say, 'Welcome back.'