CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE BATTLE

Meanwhile, however, the river having now settled considerably, the young men had already slipped into the water, quietly swimming about in search of the ring.  The prince was in fact also with them.  But for the next forty-five minutes, they moved about inside the river, going down, deep and almost across to the other bank in the serious search.  But there was nothing like the ring to be found.  So, at the end, they came out of the water completely exhausted.  It was the saddest day in the prince's live.  For since he grew up, that was the first time he saw his sister weeping so bitterly.  It was with the greatest art of persuasion that the princess was made to accept leaving the river bank.  She said it would be better to die in the river than go home without the ring.  She could not help imagining what was really going to happen to the people of Mayomi now the ring was lost.  As for her own fate, she knew she was simp