journey."

But, as they pressed him, he consented to drink one cup with them before
he went. "Though in truth," he added, "if I mistake not, the skin is
emptied already. I see that you would force me to part with another,
before I set out."

As he spoke, he produced another wineskin, and the soldiers, who were
growing merry, greeted him with a shout of delight, and insisted on his
sitting down with them. Ladronius, still declaring that he could stay only
long enough to drink one cup with them, allowed himself to be placed in
the midst, where he presently proved himself so good a companion and told
so many merry tales that the soldiers would not hear of his departure.
They drank more and more heavily, until at length a third skin was opened,
and one by one the sentinels were overpowered by the strong wine, and all
lay asleep on the ground.

By this time it had grown dark, and Ladronius, who had pretended to be as
drunk as the rest, cautiously raised his head, and finding that all the
sentinels were snoring, he took down his brother's body and carried it
off. But, before he went, he shaved the right side of the head of each of
the sentinels, to show his contempt for the king's precautions.

The king was furious when he discovered the failure of his plan and the
insult offered to his guards, all of whom were beheaded for their
disobedience to his orders. He was more determined than ever to catch the
thief, and after taking counsel once more with his prime minister, he
decided upon another plan. He caused a proclamation to be made, in which
he promised the hand of his daughter to the man whom she should consider
the cleverest and most wicked of all men. He commanded the princess to sit
on a throne in the temple of Ra, the sun-god, and to speak to all who came
to pay their homage to her, asking them what was the cleverest and most
wicked deed they had done. But secretly Rhampsinitus told her that, if any
one related the story of the robbing of the treasury, she was to seize him
by the hand, and hold him till the guards came and secured him.

The moment Ladronius heard the proclamation, he saw that it was another
trick to catch him, but he was so daring and so fond of adventure that he
could not resist the temptation to outdo the king in cunning once more. He
determined actually to put his head in the lion's mouth--in other words,
to go boldly to the temple and talk to the princess. He took with him
under his cloak the st