ls in his fury; indeed, he quite frightened the young man,
who ran hastily home to his friends, and told the youth what the king
had said.

Now the princess, who was leaning from her window, heard his words and
bade the messenger go back to the king her father and tell him that she
had sworn a vow never to eat or drink again if the youth was taken from
her. The king was more angry than ever when he received this message,
and ordered his guards to go at once to the palace and put the
successful wooer to death; but the princess threw herself between him
and his murderers.

'Lay a finger on him, and I shall be dead before sunset,' said she; and
as they saw that she meant it, they left the palace, and carried the
tale to her father.

By this time the king's anger was dying away, and he began to consider
what his people would think of him if he broke the promise he had
publicly given. So he ordered the princess to be brought before him,
and the young man also, and when they entered the throne room he was
so pleased with the noble air of the victor that his wrath quite melted
away, and he ran to him and embraced him.

'Tell me who you are?' he asked, when he had recovered himself a little,
'for I will never believe that you have not royal blood in your veins.'

But the prince still had his reasons for being silent, and only told the
same story. However, the king had taken such a fancy to the youth that
he said no more, and the marriage took place the following day, and
great herds of cattle and a large estate were given to the young couple.

After a little while the prince said to his wife: 'My life is in the
hands of three creatures--a crocodile, a serpent, and a dog.'

'Ah, how rash you are!' cried the princess, throwing her arms round his
neck. 'If you know that, how can you have that horrid beast about you? I
will give orders to have him killed at once.'

But the prince would not listen to her.

'Kill my dear little dog, who had been my playfellow since he was a
puppy?' exclaimed he. 'Oh, never would I allow that.' And all that the
princess could get from him was that he would always wear a sword, and
have somebody with him when he left the palace.

When the prince and princess had been married a few months, the prince
heard that his stepmother was dead, and his father was old and ill, and
longing to have his eldest son by his side again. The young man could
not remain deaf to such a message, and he took a tend