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Once there was a king, and he had three sons, and when the king died,
they did not give a shade of anything to the youngest son, but an old
white limping garron.

"If I get but this," quoth he, "it seems that I had best go with this
same."

He was going with it right before him, sometimes walking, sometimes
riding. When he had been riding a good while he thought that the
garron would need a while of eating, so he came down to earth, and
what should he see coming out of the heart of the western air toward
him but a rider riding high, well, and right well.

"All hail, my lad," said he.

"Hail, king's son," said the other.

"What's your news?" said the king's son.

"I've got that," said the lad who came. "I am after breaking my heart
riding this ass of a horse; but will you give me the limping white
garron for him?"

"No," said the prince; "it would be a bad business for me."

"You need not fear," said the man that came, "there is no saying but
that you might make better use of him than I. He has one value, there
is no single place that you can think of in the four parts of the
wheel of the world that the black horse will not take you there."

So the king's son got the black horse, and he gave the limping white
garron.

Where should he think of being when he mounted but in the Realm
Underwaves. He went, and before sunrise on the morrow he was there.
What should he find when he got there but the son of the King
Underwaves holding a court, and the people of the realm gathered to
see if there was any one who would undertake to go to seek the
daughter of the King of the Greeks to be the prince's wife. No one
came forward, when who should come up but the rider of the black
horse.

"You rider of the black horse," said the prince, "I lay you under
crosses and under spells to have the daughter of the King of the
Greeks here before the sun rises to-morrow."

The lad went out and he reached the black horse and leaned his elbow
on his mane, and he heaved a sigh.

"Sigh of a king's son under spells!" said the horse; "but have no
care; we shall do the thing that was set before you." And so off they
went.

"Now," said the horse, "when we get near the great town of the Greeks,
you will notice that the four feet of a horse never went to the town
before. The king's daughter will see me from the top of the castle
looking out of a window, and she will not be content without a turn of
a ride upon me. Say that she