She said she had taken her guitar that evening, as soon as she had finished her supper, but had fallen asleep as usual. She asked the Prince, "Do you play?" and he said, "Only a little;" and then they walked around the room, and looked at all the instruments, to see if there were any that the Prince could play on better than the rest. He wished her to perform, but she urged him, and he soon saw a hand-organ, and said he was pretty sure that he could play on that. So he tried, and, sure enough, he could play very well, and the Princess sat down on the floor by him, and he played for almost an hour and three quarters, and they were both very much pleased. Then the Prince's arm got tired, and he stopped and asked the Princess to tell him her history. She said she was a little ashamed to tell him her story, because he might think that she was not of as good descent as himself; but the Prince insisting, she told him that her mother was a water-woman.



"A mermaid, I suppose?" said the Prince.

"O no!" she cried, "none of those low things with fish-tails, but a real princess of the ocean. She lived in a splendid palace at the bottom of the sea, and fell in love with a prince of the earth, who left his father's kingdom, and went down there and married her.

"I remember my father very well," continued the beautiful Princess. "He was a fine, handsome man, but our climate never seemed to agree with him. He could not smoke under the water, and he often used to have aches which helped to make him unhappy. Before he died, he said that he would give all the treasures of the ocean for a pipe and a piece of dry flannel. When he left her, mother pined away, and soon died too, when I was only about twelve years old. I was very lonely, but, as I was the daughter of a water-princess and a land-prince, I could go where I pleased, either on shore or in the water."

"Amphibious like?" said the Prince.

"I don't know anything about that," she replied; "but I used to like to walk about on the sea-shore, for everything was so different from what I had been accustomed to,—birds, you know, and all that sort of thing."

"O yes," said the Prince, "it must have been very different to you indeed; but I was going to say to you, a little while ago, that you need not think me above you, for I am half-brother to a gnome."

"O, I am glad to hear that," she said; "I was afraid you would make fun of me."

"As if I could!" said the Prince, reproachfully.

So she went on with her story.

"One day, about a year ago, when I was quite grown up, I met some ladies who lived here at the palace, and they wanted me to come home with them, and I did; and I have lived here ever since, and like it very much. They are all very kind, and if I didn't sleep so much, I should be very happy."

The Prince now proposed to the Princess, and she accepted him, and then she sat down to a harp to give him a little music. The Prince's presence, in some way (perhaps because he was half-brother to a gnome), prevented the appearance of the Nimshee; and for the first time since she had been in the palace, she played without hindrance, and her music was perfectly charming; and with tears of joy in his eyes, the Prince sat wishing she would play forever. After a while, however, she got tired and stopped; and when they turned around, they saw the room was filled by the people of the palace, who had come to hear this delicious music. They were nearly all wiping their eyes with their handkerchiefs,—they were so much affected—and they could not find words good enough with which to praise the playing of the Princess. Such music they had never heard before.

Directly she declared that she was going to bed; but she desired the Grand Chamberlain to take that young Prince and give him a handsome room until morning, when she would like to see him again, and make arrangements for their wedding.

So she went away with her ladies, and the Chamberlain took the Prince out into the alabaster hall again.

"Prince indeed!" said the Chamberlain to himself; "O yes! I'll take care of him, certainly. A good room,—O yes, indeed!" and, taking the Prince by the arm, he hurried him along, until he came to the aviary, where all sorts of wonderful and costly birds were kept, and he pushed him in there, and locked him up. The Prince was so taken by surprise at this hasty treatment, that he had no time to get angry, or he would certainly have drawn his sword, and made short work of the Grand Chamberlain. As it was, he passed the night in the aviary as well as he could; but as he had no place to lie but the floor, and as the ostriches walked about a good deal, he was very much afraid they might tread upon him, and this made him feel uneasy all night. The great owls, too, made it very unpleasant for him, by forming a circle around him, and steadfastly gazing at him with their great eyes, which looked like enormous cat-eyes, stuck into the darkness. As to the night-hawks and the other birds which fly in the dark, they swooped around and over him the whole livelong night; and when he began to get a little sleep, about daybreak, every bird in the place began to sing, or twitter, or scream, or crow, or gobble, or chatter, and the Prince might as well have tried to fly as sleep. About eight o'clock, a man came to feed the birds, and seeing the Prince in the aviary, he put him out instantly. The Prince was very angry, and tried to find out what this all meant; but the man told him he had better not let him catch him in there again, and slammed the door in his face. As the Prince wandered about the palace, he met a number of people, all of whom he asked to conduct him to the Princess. Some laughed at him, and others told him that he had better be careful how he talked about the beautiful Princess, but no one conducted him to her.

At last a man who seemed to have some authority, came up to the Prince, and, having heard his story, requested him to follow him. He led the way to a small door, and, motioning to the Prince to pass through it, shut and fastened it after him. The Prince found himself out in the street.

Enraged and hungry, he hurried back to his lodgings, where he had left Trumkard. On the way, he heard a great many people talking of the beautiful music that, it was reported, the Princess had played at the palace the evening previous. In fact, this matter seemed to be the town talk; but the Prince did not stay to listen to much of it, for he was extremely anxious to get something to eat, and to relate his troubles.

Trumkard did not encourage him much, and proposed that they should continue their journey; but the Prince would not listen to such advice, and as soon as he had finished his breakfast, he went back to the palace in order to try and see his Princess. But all the doors were fastened, and it was evident that there was no admission for the public that day. A great crowd stood around the gates, and they were very much excited about something.

The Prince learned from their discourse that it was thought that the Princess who played so splendidly, could certainly sing as well, and there was a suspicion that the Prime Minister, who had governed the people so long, was afraid of her powers, and had sent her away. Indeed, a certain Habbed-il-Gabbed, who kept a goat's-cheese shop, and who had a cousin who was one of the royal-black-eunuch-guards, had heard from him that the Princess had certainly disappeared, and that the public suspicions were very likely to be correct.

At this news the Prince smote his breast, and became very sad; and all that day and night, and the next day until sundown, he hung around the palace, hoping to get in. Trumkard was with him a great part of the time, and brought him cakes and things to keep him from starving. In the early evening of the second day, the Prince, while walking round the palace, saw a boy come out of a back-alley gate, to empty some ashes. Rushing at him, he seized him, and demanded of him news of the Princess. The boy, however, was deaf and dumb, and could not answer him; and the Prince perceiving this, and being very expert in making signs, asked him in that way what had become of his lady-love. The boy then replied by a sign representing a heavy door, with four locks, a big bar, and a chain; and a black eunuch with a drawn sword, asleep before it.

Then the Prince tore his hair, and groaned, and went home to Trumkard. But he could not sleep; and when the moon arose, he got up and wandered far away beyond the walls of the city, until he came to the borders of the sea. There he saw, roaming about upon the sands, numbers of water-women, who every now and then blew upon conch-shells, looking about them in every direction, as if they expected some one to answer them. When the Prince perceived them, he slipped softly from rock to rock, keeping himself well concealed, until he came near one of them, when he made a sudden rush and caught her, while all the others, with loud cries, dashed into the sea. The one he had captured, struggled and cried piteously; but, in as few words as possible, he entreated her to be quiet, and to understand that if she was looking for a Princess, he could tell her where she was, or at least where she had been. The water-woman then became quiet, and the Prince told her all he knew, and how anxious he was to find the beautiful Princess. The good woman of the sea then told him that she and her companions had come up on the shore every night for a year, hoping that the Princess would stray that way, and be induced by them to return to her ocean home. Then she told him who the Princess really was, and thus her story ran.

When the late mighty King, Barradin, was quite young, he married a daughter of the ocean, at which his father, much incensed, drove him from the court. He retired far from men, and a little son was born to him. In a few years his wife died, and he was left alone with his son. When this boy grew up, he also married a water-woman, and, having so much of their blood in his veins, he went down to live with his wife's relations, leaving his father to do as well as he could by himself, until he ascended the throne. When Barradin became king, he did not marry a queen, or cut off people's heads, or go to war, or build palaces; but he took his chief delight in music, and encouraged the love of it among his people. So it was in the hope that one of his descendants might some day sit upon the throne, that he composed the magical music; for he knew that no one but a descendant of the ocean-folk could sing that music, and none but those of his blood could read it, for there was magic in his family.

When the music was finished, the King died. His mother was a sorceress, and a very wicked old woman, who, when her son was dead, gave it out that she herself was dying; for she had now lived so long that people had begun to suspect something, and to think that she had too much to do with magic. So she pretended to die, and was buried in the royal vault; and at night she came out and went far away from the city to a great cave in a lonely country where dwelt the demons and evil spirits who were her servants. She now spent her life in wickedness. She it was who put it into the heads of so many sensible people to contend for the crown, and it was with joy that she saw them carried out to the asylum. Many other evil thoughts she put into the hearts of the people, and she was forever imagining and doing mischief.

When this young Princess, her great-grandchild, was born, Mahbracca (that was the name of the old sorceress) was very much troubled, and used all available means to destroy the infant; but her efforts were vain, for the people of the ocean protected her from all enchantments.

As the Princess grew up, she loved to ramble on the white sands, and she was once perceived there by a party of ladies from the palace, who had persuaded her to come with them to their royal home, where she had now been for a year. She knew not who she was, nor did her friends at the palace; and her relations of the ocean had always hoped that some day she would return to them. Now the sorceress feared that some day she would happen to sing the magical music, and be made queen; and she hated the poor girl so much, that she would not have had this happen for all the world. Therefore it was, no doubt, that she had sent the Nimshee, in order to prevent the Princess from ever exercising the wonderful gift she had inherited.

This much the water-woman told the Prince, but as to what had now become of the Princess, she did not know; but there were others of her people who knew more than she did, and she would inquire of them. Taking the Prince by the hand, she led him out upon a headland that projected some distance out into the sea, and blew four times loudly upon her conch-shell. A great heaving and swelling of the waters was presently seen, and in a few moments an elderly personage emerged from the waves, and walked carefully up to the rock on which they stood. He was a curious-looking individual, and, as the water-woman informed the Prince, a powerful lord of the ocean.

He was wrapped in an old-fashioned cloak, made of the finest quality of sea-weed, and drawing this closely around him, he requested his fair cousin of the sea to be as quick as possible in her business with him, as it was not prudent for him to be in the air much at his age. So the water-woman briefly related to him what the Prince had told her.

When he heard this, the old sea-gentleman folded his arms and looked very grave. "Mahbracca is at the bottom of this," said he. "The Prime Minister would never have thought of imprisoning the Princess, if that wretched sorceress had not put it into his head. I have no doubt that she now has the Princess in her power, and very likely shut up in her retreat."

"What!" cried the Prince, "where is it? Where is her cave? I will go instantly and rescue my beloved Princess!" and he drew his sword of adamant and waved it over his head.

"Ah my friend!" said the old man of the water, "you could do little against the powerful Mahbracca and her minions. But you might go there to be sure, and find out if she really has possession of the Princess. But then you may lose your life."

"I care not!" cried the Prince. "Dead or alive, I will be with my Princess."

The two citizens of the ocean talked together a few moments, and then the old man asked him if he was really determined to undertake this perilous enterprise, and the Prince emphatically declared that he was.

"The distance by the sea is much the shortest; would you be willing to go in that way?" asked the old man.

"Certainly," said the Prince, "provided I have to go over, and not under the water."

The old gentleman made no reply to this, but putting his two forefingers in his mouth he whistled loudly.

In a few moments a sea-boy came up out of the water, and stood beside him. The old man made a few remarks to him in the ocean dialect, when the boy jumped off the rock and disappeared beneath the waves.

"Now, sir," said the sea-gentleman to the Prince, "you must cheer up and be lively, or you cannot hope to succeed in this matter. My boy will take you to the sea-side entrance of the cave of Mahbracca. There I hope you will have no difficulty in entering, but I can say nothing positive upon the subject."

At this moment the sea-boy reappeared, driving a pair of dolphins, which were harnessed to a large and commodious sea-shell, somewhat resembling in shape the boat of the nautilus.

When the equipage was drawn up at the foot of the rock, the Prince took leave of his friends, and quickly stepped in and took his seat.

"I wish you all success," said the elderly personage, and, reminding the boy to be sure to keep their heads up, he walked down into the sea.

The water-woman said nothing, but stood on the rock, gazing sadly after the Prince, as the dolphins drew him rapidly from the shore. The fishes made excellent time, and the motion of the great shell over the waves would have been exceedingly pleasant to the Prince, if his mind had not been filled with anxiety and impatience. He shifted his position so often, and rolled the vehicle about so much, that once or twice the sea-boy turned round and asked him if he did not wish to get out, to which the Prince did not reply, but only urged him to make greater speed. The journey lasted until the morning of the next day, and was marked by no greater occurrence than the annoyance caused by the wild dolphins occasionally coming up around them, endeavoring to play with their brothers in harness. But the boy, with his whip of shark's skin, and the Prince with his sword, soon drove them down again.

At last they dashed into shore, and the sea-boy, pulling up his steeds, jumped out, followed immediately by the Prince.

"Take the road in front of you," said the boy, "and you cannot miss your way."

The Prince then threw a piece of platinum to the boy, who tucked it in between two of his scales, and jumping into his shell, drove rapidly away.



The shore where the Prince now found himself was very peculiar. A high rocky wall, seemingly inaccessible, stood up solemnly in front of him, and extended out, on each side, far into the sea. Directly before him was a great cleft or tunnel in the rock, which extended so far back that its other extremity was not visible from where he stood. This rocky avenue was the only passage, in any direction, that the Prince could perceive, and consequently, without delay or fear, he drew his sword, and entered it. The way for a while was easy, but afterward became very rough and uneven. Here and there were openings in the walls above him, through which came a misty light; and by it the Prince perceived that the walls were filled with precious stones, which glistened and sparkled brightly, while great veins of gold and silver were streaked about in all directions. Under his feet were thousands of jewels, and bits of precious minerals without number. His way was now very difficult, for the avenue was narrow and rough. Pearls and sapphires got into his shoes, and he cut his legs and scratched his hands against the sharp diamonds and rubies that stuck out from the walls. But he pressed bravely on until the ground became more even and the walls wider apart, and at length he entered quite an open space, inclosed by a wall in which he saw before him an immense gate of copper. He went up and tried to push it open, but finding it immovable, he knocked loudly upon it with the hilt of his sword. Directly, a small window at one side of the gate was opened, and a ghoul put his head out. Seeing that it was a Prince who knocked, he drew in his head, and opened the gate. The Prince quickly entered. "I wish," said he, in an imperious voice, "to see the Princess whom the wicked Mahbracca has doubtless imprisoned in this cavern."

"O!" said the ghoul, grinning horribly, "certainly! Pass on, great Prince! The Princess and my mistress will both be glad to see you. Pass on freely. You cannot miss your way." Opening then his wide mouth, he gave a great laugh, and reentered the porter's lodge, through the open door of which the Prince saw, upon a table, an empty coffin and a jug.

The Prince now found himself in a long and wide passage, dimly lighted and very damp. The place smelt like a burial vault, and against the walls on each side, rows of ghouls sat on the floor, their knees drawn up to their chins. As the Prince passed, some of them jumped up and gibed at him, leering, sticking out their tongues, and smacking their lips as they danced around him. Walking on rapidly, he soon left these gibbering wretches, and found that the passage became much drier, although darker, and wound and turned in various directions. Against the walls, transfixed by great iron pins, were enormous glow-worms, which gave the only light in this dismal place. These worms turned their heads to look at the Prince, and flashed a brighter light from their tails, that they might see him the better. Presently he noticed a small door in the wall, which was not quite closed. Pushing it open, he entered a room, the floor of which was not very spacious, but which was very high. Against one of the walls, chained by his arms and his wings and his legs, was the Nimshee who had fanned the Princess with his sleep-giving wings.

When this evil spirit saw the Prince, his eyes glowed so brightly that they lighted up the room as if they had been torches; and, putting down his horrid head as low as his bonds would allow, he opened wide his nostrils and his mouth, and bellowed with fury, like an immense bull,—at the same time tugging and struggling at his chains, until the very walls shook with his raging strength.

This spectacle caused the Prince to step out of the room with alacrity, and quickly shutting the door behind him, he walked rapidly along the gloomy passage. On his way he met numerous demons and evil spirits of various kinds, but they only scowled at him as he passed, and he spoke to none of them. He soon descended a stone stairway which led down to a large circular hall, with various doors and passages leading from it. On the side opposite to the stairs was a great door of green marble, sculptured with mysterious devices. Stepping up to it, and finding that it opened easily, he entered an octagonal room, the walls of which were hung with the skins of spotted cats, and on the floor was spread a skin of the sacred white elephant of India. The Prince perceived that this was merely an anteroom, for to the left of him was a door, before which sat a fierce and black Afrite, with a great javelin in his hand. With his hands upon his knees, the Afrite bent down his head, and looked steadfastly at the Prince with glaring eyes.

Advancing towards this formidable sentinel, the Prince inquired of him where he should find the Princess, if she were shut up here, or where he could see the sorceress Mahbracca. The Afrite arose, and, pushing aside the block of porphyry on which he had been sitting, took down a brazen bar by which the door was fastened, and throwing it open, told the Prince, in a harsh and brazen voice, to enter.

The room in which the Prince now found himself, was the private apartment of the sorceress, where had been concocted all the wickedness with which she had cursed the subjects of her son.

At first, the Prince could scarcely distinguish the objects in the room, as it was lighted only by a small brazier which burnt dimly on a table; but the Afrite thrust his javelin into the brazier, and the flames, all green and red, burst forth luridly, lighting up the apartment with unearthly colors. The Afrite, after informing the Prince that the great Mahbracca would soon attend him, left him, and returned to his station on the other side of the door. Somewhat fearful that all this willingness to admit him boded no good, the Prince still determined to push boldly on in his adventure (that being, indeed, the only course possible for him), and to take things as coolly as possible.

Looking around him, he saw, by the bright light which now filled the room, that against each of the walls was a row of cages, containing snakes of various grades of venom, placed in order, according to their deadly properties. Standing on their heads, in various places against the wall, were many of those dreadful green lizards which poison the air of the deep valleys of Sumatra, and whose bite causes their victim, together with all his blood relations, to gangrene in an instant. These, although standing so stiffly against the wall, were all alive, and some of them, perceiving the Prince was looking at them, winked at him. But he paid them no further attention, and proceeded with his inspection of the room.

There were great numbers of horrid-looking furnaces, and cages, and grotesque lamps, with the flames out, but with wicks still smouldering, and smelling vilely. Upon a shelf near the ceiling was a row of great jars, and out of one of them was continually popping the head of an excessively shining and black little demon, who had evidently, for some offense, been put there in pickle. From the other jars came groans, but no heads. These had been in longer. While the Prince stood, scarcely able to refrain from laughing at the comical countenance of the young demon in the jar, he heard the opening of a door, and, turning, saw the sorceress Mahbracca enter the apartment. This worthy dame presented a remarkable appearance. Short, with a large head partly covered with stubbly white hair, she had a face of the color and smoothness of an Irish potato, which has been lying in the sun for about eighteen months. Her eyes opened in the middle of the pupil, with a slit, like those of a cat, and she had three long hairs, or whiskers, on each side of her upper lip. She advanced with a smile, which did not make her look any more lovely, and extended her hand to the Prince. Being a man of politeness, of course he took it, but her touch was ten times more clammy and deadly than that of a snake.

"I am glad to see you," said Mahbracca. "Will you take some rest and refreshment? You must be tired, for you have surely travelled a long way."

"No," said the Prince, "I desire neither rest nor refreshment. All I require is, that you conduct me to the Princess, if you have her here confined, and then that you deliver her up to me."

"Ah!" said the sorceress, "that is certainly not much to ask. You shall be gratified. Allow me to conduct you to her; she will be delighted, I am sure."

Then taking in her hand a staff, and opening the door by which she had entered, she requested the Prince to follow her. Passing quickly through several apartments, they entered a wide, long, and dim avenue.

"Come," said the sorceress, "give me your hand; we will lose no time."

But the Prince, remembering his former experience of her touch, drew back from the bony hand which she extended to him.

"Ah!" cried she, with a hideous grin, "you are able to get along by yourself, are you, my dear? I dare say your young legs are very strong and nimble. You don't need any old woman's help. Ha, ha! Well, come on! The Princess awaits you!"



With these remarks, the aged hag set off at a pace, which, considering her years, was truly wonderful, putting the Prince to his best endeavors to keep up with her. The underground avenue in which they ran seemed of great length; and very shortly the old lady varied the exercise by introducing certain gymnastics. Sometimes, as she stretched out her staff, the ground would suddenly open before her, and she sprang over the wide chasm with the greatest ease; while the poor Prince, all unprepared, would have to strain every muscle in his body to clear, in the midst of his rapid career, the yawning gulf. Then she would wave her staff upwards, and the ground rise in front of her, like a steep and rocky hill, up which she would lightly run, while the Prince could scarcely restrain himself from dashing violently against its stony face. Then, while heated and breathless with the ascent of one of these, he would see her wave her staff downward, and plunge down a steep declivity, into the darkness of which he followed her pell-mell, not knowing whether he was going to descend a few yards or a mile. Very soon, however, he began to get his blood up, and, kicking out his legs like a wild goat of Cashmere, he prepared to show her that it would have to be a very smart old woman who could beat him in a race. So away they went, like a cat and a dog, the Prince clearing the great gaps as fast as Mahbracca could make them. At last he actually gained on her, and kept ahead of her for a few minutes, during which time he had level running. But with a great effort, she passed him, and, violently throwing up the end of her staff, caused a great rock to rise with such promptness, that the Prince came within an inch of braining himself against it. But over it they went, and for half a mile kept neck and neck; but the old woman soon put an end to this, for, whirling her staff round her head, the Prince instantly found himself wading in sand up to his armpits.

"That's mean!" he cried, with tears of indignation in his eyes. But Mahbracca jumped up and down on top of the sand, waving her arms, and laughing and screaming like a hyena.

"Ah ha! my vigorous Prince," cried she, "why do you stop? Hasten, hasten! Swiftest of youths, the Princess awaits us!"

Incensed by her mockery, he gave a mighty plunge into the sand before him, and surged along like a ship in the ocean, while Mahbracca skipped gayly by him, playfully kicking the sand into his eyes.

"You see the advantage of lightness, my dear," cried she. "I pass easily over the top of this sand, while you—O, how you do wallow! Ha, ha, ha! I never saw anything like it."

With such remarks, she beguiled his way, until relenting, she at last waved her staff again above her head, and the Prince found himself by her side, on solid ground.

She complimented him on his remarkable agility and strength, but he made her no answer, and, wiping his face with his handkerchief, walked on without a word. At length they reached the end of the avenue, and, passing through a circular aperture with which it terminated, the Prince found himself in the cavity of an immense hollow mountain, the floor of which was a great plain, and into which the light of day was admitted through an opening in the top, more than two miles above him.

Scattered about over the blackish sward were many groups of ghouls and variously colored demons, some playing pitch-penny with ancient coins, and others lying asleep on the ground. At a distance, grazing on the exuberant and oily foliage, were herds of the prong-horned Yabouks,—those sanguinary monsters which impale their victims on the great horn upon their noses, holding back their heads and opening their mouths to let the blood slowly trickle down their throats.

Many other dreadful cattle were scattered about the plain, drinking at the greenish streams which meandered about in various directions, or standing ruminating, knee-deep in the oily water. But these things claimed not the attention of the Prince.

In the centre of this great plain stood a tower.

"Behold!" cried Mahbracca, springing in front of him, and waving her arms—"behold the dwelling of your Princess! Come! let us run, let us bound!"

Seizing him by the hand with a strength that was not to be resisted, she led him, at great speed, to the foot of the tower. Then at the top of her voice she called out,—

"Princess! appear at your window quickly! Your love has come from afar unto you. Show yourself to him!"

At these words, the Princess put her head out of the highest window, and when the Prince saw her lovely face, he fell down on his knees, trembling with happiness, and protesting in broken sentences his love for her; while she, bending out over the window-sill, wept silently tears of joy, which came down pitter, patter, on the Prince's head.

Starting presently to his feet, the Prince ran around the tower to find the front door, and, seeing it, he endeavored to push it open, but it was securely fastened. He then turned to look for Mahbracca, and perceived her standing at some distance, surrounded by a crowd of ghouls and demons, who seemed to be greatly enjoying the scene. The Prince shouted loudly to her to send him the keys, at which the whole crowd set up a shout of laughter, and Mahbracca hysterically screamed to him,—

"Enter! Enter, great Prince! Why wait so long outside? You grieve your lovely Princess!"

The Prince, enraged, drew his sword of adamant, and at one blow thrust it through the lock, but the door did not open, and the sword was fixed immovably. In vain did he tug and struggle at it. He could not move it an inch. Hearing greater and wilder cries of derision, he turned towards the crowd and shook his fist at them, and then went back under the window of the Princess, but she was not visible. He called her again and again, at the top of his voice, but she did not answer him nor make her appearance. The night was fast coming on, and overcome with sorrow and despair, and weak with hunger, the Prince fell upon the ground.

When he had lain thus for an hour or two, hearing nothing of the Princess or his enemies, he began to reflect that if he intended to serve his lady-love, he must do something, and that speedily. He himself, he plainly saw, had no power against this sorceress, and perhaps even now she was within the tower, preventing the Princess from answering or appearing to him. He would go for assistance, and, come what would, the Princess should be delivered from that horrid tower. He therefore arose, and, without reflecting how he was to leave this abode of wickedness, he prepared to return to his friend and adviser Trumkard. When he reached the aperture by which he had entered the hollow mountain (which he did without meeting any one), he found it closed by a gate of brass. But he was not to be thus deterred. He ran around the sides of the mountain, rousing in his course several herds of Yabouks and dreadful cattle that gazed, half awake, at his rapid movements, and examined, as well as he could by the dim light, the wall of this great cavern. He soon became convinced, by the knowledge he had gained in a few visits to his step-mother's dominions, that these walls were not very thick. His resolution was quickly formed. Taking off his handsome and richly embroidered clothes, which would only impede him in his labors, he stood dressed only in his under-vest and trousers. Then, springing upon a projecting rock and over another, he entered a great crack, pushed through some loose earth, and made his way through the various crevices of the ground, as he had seen the gnomes do. After about an hour's work, he emerged into the open air very tired and very dirty. After resting awhile, he arose, and, taking his way across a great plain, found himself by daybreak, worn out and footsore, near the gates of a great city. Entering, he inquired of one of the few people who were up so early, what city this was, and was informed that it was the city of the Queen Altabec, and a long distance from the city of the mighty King.

The Prince thanked his informant, and proceeded to look for a tailor's shop, where he might provide himself with clothes; for he perceived that people eyed him with suspicion, and well they might. Having found a shop, he entered, and desired to be immediately fitted with a prince's suit. The master tailor, knowing by his proud air that he was a Prince, and supposing he had been on some youthful adventure, and had thus lost his clothes, was delighted to serve him, and, running to the shelves and drawers, pulled out all the princes' suits, and spread them before his customer. The Prince selected some very handsome clothes, and, having washed himself, put them on, and found they fitted him exactly. He declared his satisfaction with them, and putting his hand in his pocket for his purse, found nothing of the kind there, the tailor not furnishing his clothes in that way. He now remembered that all his money was in the clothes he had left behind him in the mountain, and explained his condition to the tailor. The latter, however, had no wish to deal with princes who had no money, and ordered him to instantly take off the suit. The Prince, who was strictly honest, was about obeying, when one of his feet (which were very tender with his much walking) giving him a sudden pain, he stooped down to see what was in his shoe, and taking it off, out rolled a magnificent pearl and two sapphires.

"There," said the Prince, picking them up, and handing them to the tailor, "if these will be of any use to you, you can have them for the clothes."

The tailor, filled with admiration at the sight of these jewels, and with the most profound respect for a prince who carried such wealth in his shoes, accepted them instantly, and the Prince left the shop. But the good tailor, gazing joyfully at his new-found treasures, was so conscientious and grateful, that he ran out after the Prince, and gave him back one of the sapphires as change.

It may as well be here related that the tailor sold the pearl to a jeweler, who gave him one third of its value, with which he retired into the country, bought great possessions, and lived in much dignity for many years. Some time afterward, the Queen Altabec happening to pass the jeweler's shop, and seeing the pearl in the window, immediately ordered the execution of the jeweler and the seizure of the pearl, which she placed above all the other jewels in the tip-top of her crown, where it still remains. As for the sapphire, the tailor's wife put that away for a rainy day; but as the rainy day never came, and she never went to look for it in its hiding-place, it made no earthly difference to her that her youngest child had found it, and had swapped it off for half of a little stale apple-pie.

After leaving the tailor's shop, the Prince made all haste to an inn, where, having eaten about four meals in one, he bought from an Arab, who was highly recommended to him, a swift dromedary of the desert, for which he gave one sapphire, and requested the landlord of the khan to see that the Arab paid to him, out of its value, what would suffice for the price of his breakfast. This the landlord promised faithfully to do, and it is said that the descendants of that landlord are still drawing on the descendants of that Arab for installments of the price of that wonderful breakfast.

Mounting his dromedary, the Prince would have started, but was detained by the Arab, who embraced the animal, and begged the Prince, out of charity to a poor man, to add a little to the meagre price he had paid for it. Upon which the Prince, knowing the habits of these Arabs, drew his sword, which he had got with his suit, and threatened to split the affectionate man in halves, if he did not immediately take his hands off the beast, which the man instantly did. When he started off, the humpbacked courser might have gone much faster if he had felt inclined, and at last the Prince became so enraged at the exceedingly leisurely style of his trot, that he lifted his sword to serve the animal as he had threatened to serve his old master; but the intelligent dromedary, casting back its only eye, perceived the danger, and set off at such a terrific speed, that the people in the villages through which it passed knew not what it was that had trodden down their children, and upset the old women at their pomegranate stalls.

Before night, the Prince pulled up in the great city before the door of the inn in which Trumkard and himself had lodged. Trumkard was sitting on the front step, with a melon on his lap and a skin bottle between his knees. Hastily dismounting, the Prince threw himself upon the neck of his old friend with such force that he upset the old gentleman and his supper into a great pile together. Jumping up, and wiping the wine out of his eyes and the melon-juice out of his hair, Trumkard welcomed his young master, and assured him that he had several times wondered where he was. The Prince then led him in-doors, and related his adventures, and besought his advice.

Thereupon, Trumkard, throwing his right leg over his left, rested his elbow on his knee, and, reposing his chin in his hand, cogitated. At last he spoke.

"We cannot do better," said he, "than to apply to the Giant Tur-il-i-ra."

This Giant, it will be remembered, was our old acquaintance, and the friend of Ting-a-ling.

The Prince having readily consented to this proposition, it was agreed that they should go to the Giant the next day, and implore his assistance. The Prince would have started that night, but Trumkard had great objections to night travelling, and he, being the best at an argument, gained his point.

Early the next morning, the travellers set forth upon their journey, well mounted upon two good horses. (It may be as well to state that during the night, the Prince's dromedary had returned to its original owner.)

As it will take two days of hard riding for our friends to reach their destination, we will leave them, and return for a time to the gentle Mahbracca, who, when she had left the Prince, had gone to her private room to prepare an ingenious wire arrangement, which she called a "prince-trap," in which he was to be inclosed and hung up before the window of the Princess, for the amusement of this lively sorceress.

But what was her dismay when, on returning to the tower, the first Yabouk she met told her of the escape of the Prince! Speechless with apprehension, she ran to the place where he had passed through the side of the mountain, and seeing his clothes upon the ground and the indubitable signs of his egress, she became perfectly furious, and, rushing back to the tower, commanded the dreadful Afrite who guarded her door, and who now accompanied her, to enter and to bring down the Princess, but on no account to injure her until she should be placed alive in the cage that had been prepared for the Prince. The faithful Afrite bowed his head in obedience, and having at one bound entered one of the lower windows, he hurried up the stairs to the door of the Princess's room. Bursting it open, he saw the Princess lying on the floor in a swoon (into which she had fallen when she perceived that Mahbracca was acting treacherously towards the Prince), and, supposing her to be dead, he hastily plunged down the stairs to inform his mistress, and rushing violently against the front door to burst it open (as was his habit when doors were in his way), he immediately spitted himself upon the Prince's sword of adamant, which was sticking through the lock.

After waiting some time, and becoming alarmed at the long absence of the Afrite, the sorceress sent for the key of the tower, and opened the door. But when it slowly swung open, and the body of her favorite swung with it,—the point of the sword emerging from the middle of his back,—she fainted away. Coming to her senses in a few minutes, she ordered him to be drawn off and carried to her room, where, after again locking the tower door, she followed, in the hopes of reviving, by means of proper magical remedies, whatever vitality might be left in the unfortunate and indispensable Afrite.

Trumkard and the Prince journeyed so rapidly that their horses fell, utterly exhausted, at the end of the first day's journey; and, not being able to procure others, they were obliged to go the rest of the way on foot. You may be sure that the Prince did not lag by the way, and poor Trumkard was obliged to do his very best to keep up with him at all. Therefore, when, near the end of the second day, they arrived at the Giant's castle, they were tired and warm enough. Entering the great gate (to the hinge of which little Ting-a-ling once tied his butterfly), they approached the castle, and perceived the Giant sitting in his front porch, with his feet in immense slippers, comfortably resting against one of the great pillars before the door. The Prince, who had never seen him before, was struck with astonishment at his great size; but Trumkard assured him that a nobler or more true-hearted being never breathed, for all he was so big.

When Tur-il-i-ra perceived them, he arose and welcomed them heartily, remembering Trumkard as an old friend. He caused them to be seated on the porch, and ordered water to be brought that they might free themselves from the dust of the journey. Then he called to his attendants to spread a table, and to bring some cold meat and some game, some curries and hashes, some minced meat, some pepper-pot, some mutton-chops, omelettes, bacon and eggs; some broiled steaks, some spare-ribs, toast, butter, cheese, pickles, and salad; some macaroni, vermicelli, chowder, mullagatawny, lobsters, clams, oysters, mussels, and shrimps; also some tripe, kidneys, liver, and sausages, and calves'-foot-jelly, and stewed cranberries; also frangipanni tarts and a Charlotte-Russe, with bottles of orgeat, sherbet, and iced wines, together with mead and mineral water.

When his guests had partaken of these, their hunger was fully satisfied, and they related to him the reason of their coming. When the Giant learned how the Princess was kept from her lover, and in all probability from a throne, by this wicked sorceress, his anger knew no bounds.

"I knew the woman well!" he cried, "but I thought her dead. Many is the deed of vile magic which I have known her to do, but now—well, my friends, you shall be avenged. I will take up the cause of the Princess, and we will set out for the hollow mountain as soon as I can get myself ready to start."

Leaving the two friends in comfortable chairs on the porch, in which they fell asleep as soon as he had left them, the Giant ascended the great stone stairs into his armory, which was an immense room, filled with his mighty weapons, and armor and all sorts of implements of warfare. Kicking off his slippers, he put upon his feet great boots, the like of which were never seen before. Their soles were enormously thick, and studded with nails, each one of which was so heavy that I would not like to have to carry it very far. Then, having put on his chain armor and his great gauntlets, and having arrayed himself otherwise according to his taste, he put upon his head his helmet, which was like a great iron pot, and big enough to—well, big enough to cover his head, which is saying a great deal. He then took, from the corner of the room, his club, which was the trunk of a tall tree, with one end fastened into a great rock, by way of having a knob to it. Having thus accoutred himself, he came down-stairs, and, finding his guests in such a sound slumber, he had not the heart to waken them; so he gently took them up, and put one of them in each of the side-pockets of the coat which he wore over his armor. Then, having given orders to his servants to close all the gates, and see that the house was well fastened up for fear of thieves, he strode out of the great gate, and proceeded towards the hollow mountain. Although this was a long journey for a man or a horse, our Giant made such tremendous strides that it did not seem like a very great distance to him; and when Trumkard and the Prince awoke, and stood up, and looked in astonishment out of the pocket-holes, they saw the mountain in the distance. The Giant, perceiving that they were awake, looked from one to the other with his peculiar pleasant smile, and assured them that their troubles would soon be at an end.

"I hardly think," said he, "that the old woman can keep me out of her tower;" and he laughed at the very idea of such a thing. The Prince made no reply, but he thought that if the Giant did get into the tower, it would be considerably stretched.

Having arrived at the mountain, the Giant walked around it until he came to the place where, the Prince informed him, he had made his escape, and which was, as far as there was an opportunity of judging, one of the thinnest parts. Tur-il-i-ra took his friends out of his pockets, and set them on the ground at a little distance from the foot of the mountain; and then letting his club down from his shoulder, he whirled it around his head, and struck such a tremendous blow on the side of the mountain, with the rock end, that everything cracked again. Then another on the same place, and another, and another, until, at the last blow, a great mass of rock and earth fell inside with a crash like thunder, leaving a gap large enough for the whole party to walk in without stooping. You may be sure that the three were not long in entering; but no sooner had they set foot upon the great interior plain, than they perceived a mighty commotion among the inhabitants of this secluded spot. Ghouls, Afrites, and all sorts of demons were running towards them in a great state of excitement; and as they approached, they formed into a solid body, evidently intending to repel the invaders. There was no mistaking their intentions; for they hurled at the Giant a volley of spears and javelins that would have annihilated any one who was not so large, and who had not on such strong and secure chain-armor.

As to our two smaller friends, they were safe enough behind the Giant's legs. Giving his club a swing, Tur-il-i-ra stepped forward, and let it drive right into the middle of the crowd, crushing some sixty of them, and sending the rest howling in every direction.

Being thus rid, for a time, of these opposers, the Giant picked up his club, and, followed by the Prince and Trumkard, advanced towards the tower. Although Tur-il-i-ra strode along at a great rate, the Prince got to the tower first, and immediately commenced shouting to his Princess. She, however, did not make her appearance, for she was still in a swoon. So the Prince ran around to the door to see if, by chance, it was open, but found it locked. He saw, however, the hilt of his sword still in the lock, and, seizing it, he again used his utmost strength to pull it out, but in vain. The Giant, who had just come up, perceiving what he was trying to do, stooped down, and, taking hold of the hilt in his finger and thumb, gave it a jerk, and out it came. He handed it, with a smile, to the Prince, who, overjoyed at regaining his favorite weapon, jumped around to see if there was anybody he could stick it into; but as all the Yabouks and other cattle were standing at a respectful distance, and there was only old Trumkard running up, he thought better of the matter, and put his sword into its scabbard, feeling himself a man again. The Giant walked round the tower, putting his eye to the windows, but said he could see nothing.

"Look in the upper window!" shouted the Prince; "that is the Princess's room."

"Yes! here she is!" cried the old fellow, peering on tiptoe into the upper room. "And fast asleep on the floor! That wretch of a witch has not even given her a bed." Then, clapping his great hands against the side of the tower, he cried,—"Wake up, sweet Princess!" in a voice so loud that the poor young lady thought it was thunder, and sprang to her feet trembling with fright. Seeing the face of a strange Giant at the window, she was so much more terrified that it is probable she would have fainted away again, had she not heard the Prince's voice.



"Lift me up!" cried the Prince, jumping about almost mad with impatience. "Put me in, quick, good Giant, if she is there!" So the Giant took him up, and put him right in at the window. When the Princess saw him, her face flushed, and her eyes flashed with joy. Starting back and stamping one foot, she cried,—"My Prince!"

And he, starting back and stamping one foot, cried,—"My Princess!"

And then they rushed into each other's arms, and you could have heard the kissing ever so far.

Old Trumkard was nearly tickled to death, and ran around on his toes, trying insanely to reach up; but he couldn't see anything,—not he! As for the Giant, he could see first-rate, and he stood looking in at the window, with such a broad grin on his face, that one might almost have driven a horse and wagon down his throat.

In a short time the Prince and Princess made their appearance at the window, and requested to be taken down. When the Giant had deposited them safely on the ground, they embraced each other, and then Trumkard; and, turning to Tur-il-i-ra, they made him a very pretty speech, expressive of gratitude and eternal remembrance.

These little duties having been performed, there seemed nothing more to be done but to quit the mountain by the way they came. But, as they were about leaving the tower, they were startled by a sudden burst of yells and howls, and saw, issuing from the brazen gate by which the Prince had first entered, a great crowd, which was approaching them at full speed, headed by Mahbracca, who skipped along at an astonishing rate.

Our friends did not attempt to retreat. Indeed, the enemy was upon them almost as soon as they perceived their danger.

Mahbracca stepped to one side, and the crowd, opening, discovered in the midst forty-seven spotted demons, who carried a great copper brazier, like an enormous covered pot, which they quickly set down, almost at the feet of the Giant.

"Off with the lid!" shouted Mahbracca, and instantly a number of the slaves seized the cover and dragged it off, when a great, thick, poisonous smoke burst out of it, which would have destroyed our friends in a few moments, had not they involuntarily sprung back and clapped their handkerchiefs to their faces. However, they could not have lived more than half a minute, had not the Giant, with admirable presence of mind and surprising quickness, given the brazier such a tremendous kick with one of his heavy boots, that he sent it more than a mile and a half, into the midst of a distant herd of Yabouks, which were all instantly suffocated by the dense cloud of poisonous smoke which covered them, as the brazier fell, upside-down, right over the leader of the herd, who, giving one great bellow, instantly crisped up into nothing. The Giant and his party did not dare to draw breath until they had run a considerable distance; but, notwithstanding this precaution, the Princess presently sank down, very pale and faint; for her handkerchief, being of the finest cambric, did not prevent her from slightly smelling the horrid vapor, although she did not inhale any of it. However, the fresher air, and the vigorous efforts of the Prince, soon restored her.

Mahbracca, stupefied for a moment at her utter discomfiture, and deserted by her followers, stood gazing blankly at the scene. What she intended doing next, was not long doubtful; for, taking a magical wand from her pocket, she bade the Giant, with a wave of her wand, turn into a camelopard. As he did not seem in a hurry to obey, she commanded him to become a hippopotamus, and then an elephant. He positively declined, however, to turn into any of these animals, owing to his having taken the precaution, before leaving his castle, to drink a bottle of anti-enchantment water. The old sorceress now became so enraged that she could scarcely speak, but stood stamping her feet, and shaking her fist at the great Tur-il-i-ra, who, leaning on his club, waited with a smile for her next attempt upon him.

At this moment the Prince perceived, a short distance behind Mahbracca, a small, black, and shining demon, whom he immediately recognized as the little fellow he had seen in pickle. The young rascal was pulling and tugging at a great wire machine that had been dropped by the followers of Mahbracca when they ran away. He beckoned to the Prince to come and help him; and the latter, whispering to the Princess to keep behind the Giant, slipped quietly around to the rear of the angry sorceress, and assisted the little fellow to place the wire affair (which was nothing less than the "prince-trap" that Mahbracca had made) directly behind the old hag, with the door right at her back. The Giant, perceiving this rapidly performed stratagem, raised his club, and made a step forward, as if, with one blow, he would crush Mahbracca, who was just beginning to find her tongue. Startled by this sudden action, she stepped back quickly, and stumbled right over into the "prince-trap." For an instant she lay on her back, astounded, but quickly perceiving her predicament, she sprang to her feet, and with loud yells tried her best to get out. But it was of no use. The trap was made by the best rules of magic, and there was no such a thing as getting out, even if one was as small as a mouse. As for the little black fellow who had been in pickle, he laughed and danced until the old woman, glaring at him between the wires, ordered him to turn into a toad. But, unfortunately for her, she had dropped her magic wand outside of the cage, as she fell in, and the little demon, seeing this, merely laughed in her face, and running to the wand, picked it up, and ordered her to turn into a jackass, which she immediately did, and began to bray horribly. The little wretch was so delighted with this feat, that he turned about a dozen somersaults, and then, for the amusement of the Giant and his friends, he changed the old sorceress successively into a lion, a pig, an old hen, a turtle, a kangaroo, a boa-constrictor, an ape, a lobster, a cat, a crocodile, and a crane. He declared his intention of going through these exercises until he had used up the whole animal kingdom, and seemed delighted to think that he could have a complete menagerie in one cage. In order that he might pursue his amusement without interruption, the Giant put him, with the cage, on the top of the tower; and when our friends left the hollow mountain through the gap the Giant had made, the poor sorceress was being changed from bird to beast, and from beast to fish or reptile, as fast as the little demon was satisfied with her performance in any one character; and he may be keeping up this amusing pastime yet, for all I know.

When our party emerged into the open plain, it was night; but as the stars were quite bright, Tur-il-i-ra, carrying his smaller friends, and with his good club over his shoulder, took his way toward his castle. They had not travelled far before daylight appeared, and very soon afterward they saw in the distance what seemed to be a mighty army coming toward them. As it drew nearer, they perceived the glittering spears and the flags, and heard the sounds of drum and horn. This great multitude was nothing more than two or three hundred thousand of the inhabitants of the city of the mighty King, who were marching upon the stronghold of Mahbracca.

During the Prince's hurried visit to the city, he had freely told the few persons with whom he had conversed of the place of imprisonment of the Princess; and after he had left, the story spread rapidly.

At last the excitement became so great that it ended in a grand revolt. The Prime Minister was seized and imprisoned, and the palace was searched; and when it was found that the Princess was indeed gone, the whole city put full faith in the Prince's story, and all who could bear arms, or play music, and could possibly leave home, formed themselves into a great army, and started off for the cave of Mahbracca. They travelled bravely until they neared the hollow mountain, and hoped soon to destroy the wicked Mahbracca if they found that she was still alive, as the Prince had reported.

As they approached the Giant, some of the vanguard recognized Trumkard, and others remembered having seen the Prince before; and then when the Princess raised her head, as the Giant gently held her on his arm, thousands of the nearest of the army set up a great shout,—"The Princess! the Princess!"

Then came a rush, in which the Giant might have had even his mighty legs taken from under him, had he not, with the presence of mind for which he was noted, mounted, at a bound, a tolerably high rock, and, waving his hand for silence, demanded that the people should gather round and listen to him. He then made a speech which met with the greatest attention. He told the people everything that had happened on this adventure, and, having such a loud voice, they all heard what he had to say. He related the remarkable fate of Mahbracca, and advised his hearers to forget their wrath against her, as she must, for the rest of her life, be harmless, and to conduct the Princess back to the mighty city, and there to establish her in whatever rights she possessed, that is, if it were proved she had any at all. He also spoke in the highest terms of the Prince, and recommended his old friend Trumkard to their kindest consideration. When he had finished, the whole multitude applauded rapturously for some time, and in the midst of it all, he delivered up his proteges to the guardianship of the Head-man, who immediately had the Prince and Trumkard mounted upon magnificent chargers, and the Princess was placed in a palanquin of white silk, embroidered with diamonds, which had been brought on purpose for her, in case they had had the good fortune to find her.

The Giant was then about to leave them; but as the citizens would not hear of this, and as he was a rare good fellow, and did not object to festivities, he was persuaded to go with them. As they had no horse big enough for him, he walked.

The procession was then formed for the return march. First of all rode the Head-man, with a sword in one hand and a golden horn in the other. Then marched the professors of music. After them came all those of the army who could play on the trumpet; then the guard of honor, with the Prince and Princess; then Trumkard and the Giant, and after them the immense host that could carry their weapons in one hand, and play upon the drum with the other. When they started, the drums were all beaten, the trumpets all blown, the horses neighed, the spears glittered, the banners flapped and fluttered, and there was never so brave an army in the world.

From all the hills, and plains, and valleys, the people came flocking to see them as they passed. The enthusiasm was so great, that when night came on again, enormous bonfires were lighted on both sides of their road, and kept up with such hearty good-will, that they travelled all night in a light as bright as day; and when the wood gave out, the peasants tore down their cottages, and threw them on the flames.

As they proceeded, the professors of music composed marches, and when one was finished, they gave the manuscript to the Head-man, who, commanding silence, blew the tune on his horn, and then the whole army struck up and played it grandly. Of these, the "Giant's Grand March" was the best. It was what might be called good, loud music. If it had thundered, it is not likely that it would have been heard in the grand final burst, when all the drums and trumpets beat and blew their very loudest.

The Giant himself played in this march; for some of those who marched near him, seeing that he had no instrument, asked him if he would not like to play upon something. To which he replied that he did not care if he did. So they got for him the largest bass-drum. He was much pleased at this, and handing his club to two hundred porters, who accompanied the expedition, he beat away upon his drum in good style. This performance did not last long, however; for the first time they played the grand final burst, he beat on both drum-heads at the same time, and of course there was no more music from him. The people around him were very glad of this; for while he played, he became so much excited that he did not see where he was walking, and was continually treading upon some one. So they journeyed with joy and gladness until they reached the city of the mighty King, and all the people who had been left behind came out to meet them. Bells were rung, and all kinds of music played, and the people shouted, so that the oldest inhabitant never knew such a noise and excitement before. They entered the city, and the procession halted at the palace. Here the Princess, after embracing the Prince, was conducted to the ladies' apartments, where her friends were so overjoyed at seeing her again, that one would have thought that they would never have got over it. The Prince, Trumkard, and the Giant were each shown to sumptuous apartments, and that night everybody in the palace had as much of everything good as they could eat.

Twelve o'clock of the next day was the time appointed for the Princess to make trial of the magical music. The great hall of the palace was fitted up most magnificently, and with the utmost rapidity, for this great occasion. The chairs of the judges were covered with new velvet, and nothing was omitted that could add to the regal splendor of the hall. At half-past ten the doors were opened, and the hall was immediately filled in every part, but the small portion reserved for the principal actors in the ceremony. There were nine galleries, one above the other, around this truly immense room; and when it was all packed full of people from floor to dome, it was a wonderful spectacle indeed.

At ten minutes of twelve, the procession entered the great hall. First came, along the centre passage, which was covered with cloth of gold, a number of beautiful boys, who strewed the way with hyacinths, and jasmines, and the costly blossoms of the century plant. After them were others, with golden water-pots, who sprinkled attar of roses before the Princess, who, dressed in the purest white silk, cut bias, and trimmed with pink fur, was escorted by the Prince. After them came the Prime Minister (released for the occasion), the nobles, etc., and the procession was closed by the guards of the palace, all dressed in blue and covered with diamonds. There was no music, nor scarcely any sound whatever, as they moved toward the judges, who were already sitting solemnly in their chairs. When the procession reached them, it halted, and the Princess was conducted to a chair in front of the music. Then the youngest judge arose, and uncovered the magical music.

In all that hall, filled with such a multitude, there was breathless silence. It was so still that the little mice came out of their holes, thinking there was no one there.

Then the Princess, timidly raising her eyes, ran them over the music, and began. It commenced softly and somewhat sadly, but soon, becoming louder and richer, the tones swelled high and clear, until the pure voice of the Princess thrilled through all the perfumed air. Then it became more and more glorious, until its beatific beauty caused many of the older hearers to die, and go straight to paradise. The close was inconceivably sweet; and when the last notes died away, the people bowed their heads in tearful peace, and all evil left their hearts, and to many of them it never returned.

As they raised their heads, they saw the oldest judge arise and point with his golden wand to the marble tablet. The characters of the music had disappeared, and the vellum on which they had been written was as white as snow. There was no need of any further decision. The judges descended from their chairs in profound silence, and the oldest and the youngest, each taking the Princess by the hand, led her up the steps to the throne, and seated her upon it. Then the Prime Minister took the crown from its velvet cushion, and placed it on her head, and, turning to the people, said in a voice which sounded in the stillness to all parts of the vast building, "Behold your Queen!"

Then, as one man, that great multitude gave such a sudden, wild, tremendous shout, that it took the roof right off the top of the house, and the wood that fell in every direction outside, was enough to keep the poor people in kindling-wood all winter.

The Giant, whirling his iron helmet around his head, now led off, with a thundering "Hip, hip, hurra!" in three cheers for the Queen. And three such cheers!

The dense crowd outside took them up, and shook the very foundations of the city with their shouts; and the country people, and those at a great distance, heard the joyful sounds, and before many minutes the whole country, for miles around, reverberated with cheers for the new-made Queen.



As for the palace, it shook and trembled with the thunders of applause, still led by the Giant, who couldn't be stopped. The people about him were all struck deaf in the ear nearest him, but the ear-doctors cured them all for nothing, when they got outside, so full of charity was every one. At last, when every one, the Giant and all, were hoarse with shouting, the Prime Minister offered his hand to the Queen, and led her down from the throne. Then she motioned to the Prince to give her his arm; and at the head of the procession, he led her to the royal apartments, at the door of which he left her. The multitude then dispersed, and they spent the rest of that day in putting right the wrongs they had committed, and in making provision for future virtue. When the Queen had taken some refreshment, she put on an every-day crown, and repaired to the audience chamber to receive the visits of the various dignitaries of the kingdom, who came before her, and brought her their keys, and papers, and account-books. Giving each one back his keys, and ordering the papers and accounts to be deposited in a great pile on one side, where she might look over them at her leisure, she reappointed every man to the office he held before, and sent them away rejoicing. Then she called for writing materials and slaves, and commenced writing notes to the Prince. She would write one on gilded vellum, and, folding it, would hand it to the slave next to her, who dipped it in frankincense, and handed it to the next one, who sprinkled it with attar of roses, and passed it to the next, who ran with it as hard as ever he could to the Prince. For in that kingdom it was not considered proper for lovers to visit much.

This performance the Queen kept up all the afternoon, writing as fast as she could, and only stopping long enough to read the answers which the slaves brought her as they returned. At last, they came back, bringing with them her last notes unopened, saying that the Prince had gone to sleep. At which intelligence she shed some tears, but then, like a sensible Queen, had her supper, and went to bed.

The next day the marriage of the Queen and the Prince took place, and it was a glorious affair indeed. Twenty-four historians were appointed by the Crown to write the history of it; they were paid by the quarter, and it took them a long time, I can assure you.

The whole of the wedding-day, the festivities were kept up, and all the eating, and drinking, and merry-making, was at the royal expense. During the day and night everybody spent, and gave away to the poor, all the wealth they possessed, and in the morning it was all paid back to them by the royal Treasurer. In the country, the people feasted grandly on their own herds, and drank up their own wines, and they were also reimbursed by the Crown.

But the great feature of the royal marriage was the decree, proclaimed at noon of the wedding-day, that all persons married on that day should be set up in housekeeping, free of expense!

Never, in the history of that or any other kingdom, were priests kept so busy as those in this city. They worked as hard as they could, but at three o'clock they were obliged to commence marrying the folks by squads; and so, before suppertime, there was not a bachelor or maid in the whole city,—excepting an old bobstay spinner,—one of the crossest of old maids, who hated men so much that she had not spoken to one for forty years; and a crabbed bachelor, who despised women so completely that he never had his clothes washed, because it would have to be done by females.

At midnight, the priest Ali-bo-babem was called out of his bed, and found at the door, desiring to be married, the crabbed old bachelor and the cross old maid. These two did not live long, but all the rest of the people were very happy for many years.

About three o'clock of the morning after the great wedding-day, the Giant Tur-il-i-ra arrived at his castle gate. He had walked all the way home, and he felt in such a good humor that the road never seemed so short to him before. But, for some reason, he could not open the gate. There seemed to be an unusual number of locks and bolts, and the big key he carried did not seem to fit any of the numerous key-holes. He could easily reach over and undo the bolts, but the locks were too much for him; and, I am sorry to say, he got a little angry, and was about to take his club and smash his magnificent gate, when his wife, who had been sitting up for him, and had heard the noise he had been making, came down and let him in.

They went together into the great hall, and there Tur-il-i-ra sat down before the fire. His wife, who thought a great deal of the good Giant, was sorry to see that he was silent and rather grum.

"What makes you look so, my dear?" said she. "Did you not have a good time?"

"O yes," said he, "good enough,—but that gate put me out. I wonder what's the matter with it. It's got to be fixed. I won't be bothered and worried in this way."

"It shall all be made right in the morning," said his wife. "But are you sure you did not take anything that disagreed with you while you were away?"

"Perhaps I did," said he. "It might have been the mince-pies. They told me they were temperance pies, but I don't believe it."

"How many did you eat, my dear?" asked the good Giantess.

"Well, I don't know," said her husband. "About ten or eleven hundred, I suppose."

"That was too many for you," said his wife. "And I think you had better go to bed, and I will bring you something to make you feel better."

So the Giant went to bed, and as he slowly ascended the stairs, he winked to himself with his right eye. And his wife, she went into the kitchen, and winked to herself with her left eye.

After a while she came up to the Giant, and brought a barrel of hot chamomile tea; and when he had drank it all, she tucked him in, nice and warm, and the next morning he felt as well as ever.



TING-A-LING'S VISIT TO TUR-I-LI-RA.

One pleasant sunny day, the Giant Tur-il-i-ra was lying on his back on the grass, under some great trees, in a wood near the palace of the King.

His feet were high above the rest of his body, resting in the crotch of a great oak-tree, and he lay with his vest open and his hat off, idly sucking the pith from a young sapsago-tree that he had just broken off. Near him, on the top of a tall bulrush, sat the little fairy Ting-a-ling. They had been talking together for some time, and Tur-il-i-ra said, "Ting-a-ling, you must come and see me. You have never been to my castle except when you came for the good of somebody else. Come now for yours and mine, and stay at least a week. We will have a gay old time. Will you come?"

"I will," cried the little fairy, in a voice as clear as the chirp of a cricket. "I'll come whenever you say so."

"Let it be to-morrow, then," said the Giant. "Shall I fetch you?"

"O no," said Ting-a-ling; "I will come on my blue butterfly. You have no idea how fast he flies. I do believe he could go to your castle nearly as fast as you could yourself."

"All right," said Tur-il-i-ra, rising. "Come as you please, but be sure you come to stay."

Then the Giant got up, and he shook himself, and buttoned his vest, and put on his hat, and as he had thin boots on, he told Ting-a-ling he was going to see if he couldn't take the river at one jump. So, tightening his belt, and going back for a good run, he rushed to the river bank, and with a spring like the jerk of five mad elephants, he bounded across. But the opposite bank was not hard enough to resist the tremendous fall of so many tons of giant as came upon it when Tur-il-i-ra's feet touched its edge; and it gave way, and his feet went up and his back came down, and into the river, like a ship dropping out of the sky, went the mighty Giant. The splash was so great that the whole air, for a minute or two, was full of water and spray, and Ting-a-ling could see nothing at all. When things had become visible again, there was Tur-il-i-ra standing up to the middle of his thighs in the channel of the river, and brushing from his eyes and his nose the water that trickled from him like little brooks.

"Hel-l-o-o-o!" cried Ting-a-ling. "Are you hurt?"

"O no!" spluttered the Giant. "The water and the mud were soft enough, but I'm nearly blinded and choked."

"It's a good thing it isn't worse," cried the fairy. "If that river had not been so broad, you would have broken your neck when you came down."

"Good-by!" cried the Giant, stepping upon the bank; "I must hurry home as fast as I can." And so away he went over the hills at a run, and you may rest assured that he did not jump any more rivers that day.

The next morning early, Ting-a-ling mounted his blue butterfly, and over the fields he went almost as fast as a bird, for his was a butterfly of the desert, where they have to fly very far for anything to eat, and to race for it very often at that. Ting-a-ling took nothing with him but what he wore, but his "things" and his best clothes were to be sent after him on a beetle, which, though slow, was very strong, and could have carried, if he chose, everything that Ting-a-ling had. About sunset, the fairy and the butterfly, the latter very tired, arrived at the castle of Tur-il-i-ra, and there, at the great door, stood the Giant, expecting them, with his face beaming with hospitality and delight. He had had his slaves, for the whole afternoon, scattered along the road by which his visitor would come; and they were commanded to keep a sharp lookout for a blue butterfly, and pass the word to the castle when they saw it coming. So Tur-il-i-ra was all ready; and as he held out his finger, the butterfly was glad enough to fly up and light upon it. The good Giant took them both into the house, and the butterfly was put on a top-shelf, where there were some honey-jars, and if he didn't eat!

Supper was all ready, and Tur-il-i-ra sat down to the table on a chair which was bigger than some houses, while Ting-a-ling sat cross-legged on a napkin, opposite to him. The Giant had everything nice. There was a pair of roast oxen, besides a small boiled whale, and a great plate of fricasseed elks. As for vegetables, there were boat-loads of mashed potatoes, and turnips, and beans; and there was a pie which was as big as a small back-yard. The Giant had a splendid appetite, and before supper was over he had eaten up most of these things. As for little Ting-a-ling, he had only got half way through his third grain of boiled rice, when the Giant was done. But he could eat no more; and after scooping up about a drop of wine in a little cup he carried with him, he drank the health of Tur-il-i-ra, and then they went out on the front porch, where the Giant ordered his big pipe to be brought, and he had a smoke. When Tur-il-i-ra had finished his pipe, and Ting-a-ling had nearly sneezed himself to death, and the whole atmosphere, for about a mile around the castle, was foggy with smoke, they went in to bed.

Tur-il-i-ra took Ting-a-ling up-stairs, and showed him where he was to sleep; and then putting him down on the bed, he bade him good-night, and went out and shut the door after him.

Ting-a-ling stood in the middle of the bed and looked about him. It was as if he was in the midst of a great plain. The bed was a double one, that had belonged to the Giant's father and mother, and he had given it to Ting-a-ling because it was the best in the house. The little fairy was delighted with this bed, which was very smooth, and covered with a great white counterpane. He ran from one end to the other of it, and he turned heels-over-head, and walked on his hands, and amused himself in this way until he was thoroughly tired. Then he lay right down in the very middle, and went to sleep. I would like to have a picture of Ting-a-ling in the Giant's bed, but any one can draw it so easily for himself, that it is of no use to have it here. All that is necessary is to take a large sheet of white paper,—the largest you can get,—and in the centre of it make a small dot,—the smallest you can make,—and there you have the picture.

It must have been nearly morning when Ting-a-ling was awakened by a tremendous knocking at the front-door of the castle. The first thought he had was that perhaps there were his things! But he forgot that a very small, and probably tired-out fairy (for Parsley's younger brother was to come with the baggage), in charge of a beetle in the same condition, could hardly make such a thundering noise as that. But he jumped up and slid down on the floor, and as his room was a front one, he went to the window, and climbing up the curtains, got outside and looked down. There, in the moonlight, he saw an ordinary sized man on horseback, directing about a dozen black slaves, who had hold of a long rope, which they had tied to the knocker of Tur-il-i-ra's door. They were all pulling away at it as hard as they could (and a mighty pounding they made too), when the Giant put his head out of his window, and asked what all this noise meant.

"O good Tur-il-i-ra!" cried the man on the horse, "I have ridden for several days" (he said nothing about his slaves having run all the way) "to come to you, and tell you that the Kyrofatalapynx is loose."



"What!" cried Tur-il-i-ra, in a voice like the explosion of a powder magazine. "Loose!"

"Yes," said the man. "He's been loose for four days."

The Giant pulled in his head, and Ting-a-ling could hear him hurrying down-stairs to open the great door. The man came in and all the slaves, and as a good many of Tur-il-i-ra's people were up by this time, there was a great hubbub of voices in the lower hall; but though Ting-a-ling listened up by the banisters until the cold wind on the staircase had nearly frozen his little bare legs (which were not much longer than your finger-nail, and about as thick as a big darning-needle), he could make out nothing at all of the talk. So he went back to the bed, and got in under the edge of the counterpane, and lay there, with just his head sticking out, until he dropped asleep. At daybreak Tur-il-i-ra came into the room, and stooping over the bed, called to him to get up, as there was to be an early breakfast. As the Giant carried him down-stairs on his finger, he told the fairy that he was deeply grieved, but that he would be obliged to leave him for the rest of the day, on account of the Kyrofatalapynx having broken loose.

"But what is that?" asked Ting-a-ling.

"Why, don't you know? It is a—Look here, you fellows! Didn't I tell you that breakfast was to be all ready when I came down? What do you mean, you lazy rascals? Skip, now, and have everything ready this minute."

And the men skipped, and the cooks cooked, and the fires blazed, and the pots boiled and bubbled, and the Giant sat down in a great hurry, with the man who came on horseback sitting cross-legged on one side of the table, and Ting-a-ling on the other. So he forgot to finish his sentence about the Kyrofatalapynx. During the meal there was nothing but noise and confusion, and Ting-a-ling could not get in a word. The Giant had a dish of broiled sheep before him, and he was crunching them up as fast as he could, and talking, with his mouth full, to the man all the time; and the slaves and the servants were all eating and drinking, and running about, until there was no hearing one's own voice, unless it was a very big one. So, although Ting-a-ling was dying of curiosity to know what the Kyrofatalapynx was, he could not get an answer from any one.

As soon as the Giant was done eating, he jumped up, and shouted for his hat and his boots; and if the men did not run fast enough, he shouted at them all the louder. If Ting-a-ling had not stayed on the table, I don't know what would have become of him in the confusion. The Giant had now pushed off his slippers, and was waiting until the men should bring his boots; and as one lazy fellow was poking around, as if he was half asleep, Tur-il-i-ra was so irritated at his slowness that he slipped the toe of his stockinged foot under him, and gave him a tremendous send right out of the door, and he went flying over the trees at the bottom of the lawn, and over the barley-field on the other side of the ditch, and over the pasture, where the cows were kept, and over the pomegranate orchard, and over the palm-grove by the little lake, and over Hassan ab Kolyar's cottage, right smack down into the soft marsh, back of the sunflower garden; and he didn't get back to the castle until his master had been gone an hour. As the Giant sat on the edge of the table, pulling on his boots, he told Ting-a-ling that he must make himself as comfortable as possible until he came back, and that he would not be gone longer than he could possibly help. But although the fairy asked him again and again to tell him what the Kyrofatalapynx was, he never seemed to hear him, so busy was he, talking to everybody at once. Now Tur-il-i-ra was nearly ready to go, and Ting-a-ling was standing close to the fringe on his scarf, which lay over one end of the table.



"How I should like to go with him," said the little fairy, and he took hold of the fringe. "But he doesn't want me, or he would take me along. I would ask him, if he would only be quiet a minute"—

Just then up jumped the Giant; and as Ting-a-ling had not let go of the fringe, he was jerked up too. He held on bravely; and as he did not wish to swing about on the scarf, he climbed up to the Giant's shoulder, and took tight hold of his long hair. With the man and his slaves in a large round basket in one hand, and his great club in the other, away went Tur-il-i-ra, with strides longer than across the street, and he walked so fast, that Ting-a-ling had to hold on tight, to keep from being blown away.

About noon they came to a large palace, surrounded by smaller dwellings; and on the porch of the palace there stood a King and a Queen and three princesses, and they were all crying. On the steps, in the grounds and gardens, and everywhere, were the lords and ladies, and common people, and they were all crying too. When these disconsolate people saw the Giant approaching, they set up a great shout of joy, and rushed to meet him, calling out, "O, the Kyrofatalapynx has broken loose!"

Tur-il-i-ra went up to the palace, and sat down on the great portico, with his feet on the ground, and the people told him (all speaking at once, and not having even manners enough to let the King have the first say) that the Kyrofatalapynx had grown awfully strong and savage since the Giant had tied him up, and that he had at last broken loose, and was now ravaging the country. He had carried off ever so many camels, and horses, and sheep, and oxen, and had threatened to eat up every person in those parts, who was under age. But since he had found out that they had sent for Tur-il-i-ra, he had gone into the forest, and they knew not when he would come forth. Then up spoke a woodman above all the clamor, and he said he knew when he would come out, for he had been in the forest that morning, and had stumbled on the Kyrofatalapynx, which was so busy making something that he did not see him; and he heard him mutter to himself, over and over again, "When he comes, I'll rush out and finish him, and then I'll be head of them all."

"All right," cried Tur-il-i-ra. "I'll wait down there by the edge of the forest; and when he sees me, he can rush out, and then you will all soon know who will be finished."

So the Giant went over to the wood, and sat down and waited. After a while, he got very sleepy, and he thought he would take a little nap until the Kyrofatalapynx should come. In order that the people might wake him up in time, he tied a long rope to one of his ear-rings (his eyes had been a little weak in his youth), and everybody took hold of the end of the rope, and they promised to pull good and hard when they heard the trees crushing in the forest. So the Giant went to sleep, and the people all listened for the Kyrofatalapynx,—holding their breaths, and standing ready to jerk the rope when he should come.

Poor little Ting-a-ling was nearly consumed with curiosity. What was the Kyrofatalapynx? He slipped down to the ground without being noticed by anybody; and, as they all seemed so intent listening and watching, he felt afraid to speak to any of them. Directly a happy thought struck him.

"I will go into the wood myself. Whatever the Kyfymytaly-gyby is, he won't be likely to see me, and I can run and tell Tur-il-i-ra where he is, before he comes out of the wood."

So away he went, and soon was deep in the darkness of the forest. But he could hear no noise, and saw nothing that appeared to have life. Even the very birds and insects seemed to have flown away. After wandering some distance, he suddenly met a fairy, a little bit of a fellow, but somewhat larger than himself, and entirely green. Ting-a-ling spoke to him, and told him what he was after.

"That isn't exactly his name," said the green fairy, politely, "but I know what you mean. If you come this way, I can show him to you."

So Ting-a-ling followed him, and presently they came to the edge of an opening in the middle of the forest; and there, sure enough, was the Kyrofatalapynx. With one of his great red tails coiled around an immense oak-tree, and the other around a huge rock, he sat with his elephantine legs gathered up under him, as if he were about to spring over the tree-tops. But he had no such idea. In his great hands, as big as travelling-trunks, he held a long iron bar, one end of which he was sharpening against a stone. By his side lay an immense bow, made of a tall young yew-tree, and the cord was a long and tough grape-vine. As he sat sharpening this great arrow, he grinned until his horrid teeth looked like a pale-fence around a little garden, and he muttered to himself as he worked away,—"Four hundred and nine more rubs, and I can send it twang through him; twang, twang, twang!"

"Isn't he horrid?" whispered Ting-a-ling.

"Yes, indeed," said the green fairy. "When he was young, he came out of the mouth of a volcano; and the King here, who is very fond of wonderful things, got Tur-il-i-ra to catch him, and chain him up for him in a great yard he had made for him. But now that he is grown up, no chains can hold him, and I expect he will kill the Giant with that great iron arrow, before he can come near him."

"O!" cried Ting-a-ling, "he mustn't do that. We must never let him do that!"

"We!" said the fairy, in a voice of astonishment.

"Yes, yes, I mean us. O, what shall we do? Let's cut his bowstring," said Ting-a-ling, in great excitement, and drawing his little sword. The green fairy, although polite, could not help laughing at this idea; but Ting-a-ling slipped softly to where the bow was lying, a little behind the Kyrofatalapynx, and commenced to cut away at it; but although the green fairy took the sword when he was tired, they could make but little impression on the stout grape-vine, nearly as thick as they were high.

"Let's nick the sword," said Ting-a-ling, "and then it will be a saw." And so, with a sharp little flint, they nicked the edge of it, and the edge of the green fairy's knife (for he had no sword), and as they commenced to saw away as hard as they could at the grape-vine, they heard the Kyrofatalapynx muttering, "Only three hundred and seven more rubs, and then—twang, twang, twang!"

They worked like little heroes now; and as the fairy's sword was of the sharpest steel, they cut a good way into the vine; but just when they were nearly tired out, they heard the words,—"Ninety-three more rubs, and—twang, twang, twang!"

"O, let's saw, let's saw," cried Ting-a-ling (and it's a wonder the Kyrofatalapynx did not hear him), and they worked as hard as they did at first.

"Six more rubs, and—twang, twang, twang!" cried the Kyrofatalapynx, and the two little fairies fell down exhausted and disheartened. The vine was cut but little more than half through.

Up rose the mighty creature; and with his bow and arrow in his hands, he pushed quietly through the wood. The two fairies jumped up in a few minutes, and hurried after him; and as he went very slowly, so as not to be perceived, they reached the edge of the wood just as he crashed out into the open field.

"O!!!" shouted all the people, and they pulled the rope with a terrible jerk. Up sprang the Giant, but there stood the Kyrofatalapynx, with his long iron arrow already fitted into his bow. "Ha, ha!" he cried, "I shall put it through you—twang!" And he drew his arrow to its very head, and all the people fell down on their faces, and even Tur-il-i-ra turned a little pale. But snap! went the bowstring, and down fell the arrow! Then up rushed the Giant, and with one crushing blow of his rock-knobbed club, he laid the Kyrofatalapynx stone-dead!

The King, and the Queen, and the princesses, and all the people, jumped up, and in their wild joy they would have kissed the clothes off the good Giant, had he been willing to wait.

"All right!" he cried; "I must be off. I've a friend at home waiting for me. No thanks. You can stuff him now. Good-by!"

And away he went, and poor little Ting-a-ling was left behind!

When he saw the Giant walking away like a steam-engine on stilts, Ting-a-ling began to cry.

"Did you come with him?" said the green fairy. "Well, he's gone, and you can live with me now."

But Ting-a-ling was so overcome with sorrow, and begged so hard that his new friend should tell him of some way to follow the Giant, that the latter, after thinking a while, took him up into the King's pigeon-house. Warning him to be careful not to let any of the birds pick him up, the green fairy pointed out a gray pigeon to Ting-a-ling.