The princesses stepped out into the garden, under the blue sky, shading their eyes at first because they had never before been in the golden sunlight.  Soon they were taking hands, and running this way and that along the garden paths and over the green grass, and gathering posies of shining flowers to set in their girdles and to shame their golden crowns.  And the King sat and watched them with love in his eyes, and was glad to see how happy they were.  And after all, he thought, what with the high walls and the soldiers standing to arms, nothing could get in to hurt them.

[Illustration:  It caught up the princesses and carried them up into the air.]

But just as he had quieted his old heart a strong whirlwind came down out of the blue sky, tearing up trees and throwing them aside, and lifting the roofs from the houses.  But it did not touch the palace roofs, shining green in the sunlight, and it plucked no trees from the garden.  It raged this way and that, and then with its swift whirling arms it caught up the three lovely princesses, and carried them up into the air, over the high walls and over the heads of the guarding soldiers.  For a moment the King saw them, his daughters, the three lovely princesses, spinning round and round, as if they were dancing in the sky.  A moment later they were no more than little whirling specks, like dust in the sunlight.  And then they were out of sight, and the King and all the maids and nurses were alone in the empty garden.  The noise of the wind had gone.  The soldiers did not dare to speak.  The only sound in the King’s ears was the sobbing and weeping of the maids and nurses.

The King called his generals, and made them send the soldiers in all directions over the country to bring back the princesses, if the whirlwind should tire and set them again upon the ground.  The soldiers went to the very boundaries of the kingdom, but they came back as they went.  Not one of them had seen the three lovely princesses.

Then the King called together all his faithful servants, and promised a great reward to any one who should bring news of the three princesses.  It was the same with the servants as with the soldiers.  Far and wide they galloped out.  Slowly, one by one, they rode back, with bent heads, on tired horses.  Not one of them had seen the King’s daughters.

Then the King called a grand council of his wise boyars and men of state.  They all sat round and listened as the King told his tale and asked if one of them would not undertake the task of finding and rescuing the three princesses.  “The wind has not set them down within the boundaries of my kingdom; and now, God knows, they may be in the power of wicked men or worse.”  He said he would give one of the princesses in marriage to any one who could follow where the wind went and bring his daughters back; yes, and besides, he would make him the richest man in the kingdom.  But the boyars and the wise men of state sat round in silence.  He asked them one by one.  They were all silent and afraid.  For they were boyars and wise men of state, and not one of them would undertake to follow the whirlwind and rescue the three princesses.