at his
chamberlain, then recovering his presence of mind he shook hands with
the fisherman.

"Your good health, my friend. By what happy fortune do you return safe
and sound to my court? The chamberlain told me that through your own
carelessness you had fallen out of the tower window; in truth, we
mourned you as dead."

"I should not have fallen out of the window if I had not been thrown
down by your chamberlain; there is the traitor. I only escaped death
through God's help, and I have just come to the palace in my air-car."

The king made a pretence of being angry with the guilty chamberlain,
and ordered his guards to take him away to the donjon cell; then, with
pretended friendship, he embraced the fisherman and led him to his own
apartments. All the while he was thinking and thinking what he could
do to get rid of him. The idea of having him, a mere peasant and one
of his own subjects, for a son-in-law was most repugnant to him, and
hurt his kingly pride. At last he said, "The chamberlain will most
certainly be punished for his crime. As for you, who have twice been
my saviour, you shall be my son-in-law. Now the customs observed at
court demand that you should send your bride a wedding gift, a jewel,
or some other trifle of value. When this has been observed I promise
to give my blessing on the marriage, and may you both be happy and
live long."

"I have no jewel worthy of the princess's acceptance. I might have
given her as much gold as she wished, but your chamberlain took my
magic golden ring from me."

"Before insisting upon its return something else might be done. I
thoroughly appreciate the value of your marvellous flying carpet--why
should not we both sit on it and make an excursion to the Valley of
Diamonds? There we can obtain stones of the finest water, such as no
one in the world has ever possessed. Afterwards we will return here
with your wedding present for my daughter."

The king then opened the window, and the fisherman, spreading out his
carpet, repeated the magic words.

Thus they took flight into the air, and after travelling one or two
hours began to descend at their destination. It was a valley
surrounded on all sides by rocks so steep and so difficult of access,
that, except by God's special grace, no mortal man imprisoned there
could possibly escape. The ground was strewn with diamonds of the
finest quality. The king and fisherman found it easy to make a large
collection, picking and