dy lost his
wealth!'

The old witch grew angry, and said, 'Such a cloak is a wonderful
thing, it is seldom to be had in the world, and have it I must and
will.' She beat the maiden, and said that if she did not obey it would
go ill with her.

[Illustration: THE Maiden Obtains the Bird-Heart]

So she did her mother's bidding, and, standing one day by the window,
she looked away into the far distance as if she were very sad.

'Why are you standing there looking so sad?' asked the Hunter.

'Alas, my love,' she replied, 'over there lies the granite mountain
where the costly precious stones grow. I have a great longing to go
there, so that when I think of it I am very sad. For who can fetch
them? Only the birds who fly; a man, never.'

'If you have no other trouble,' said the Hunter, 'that one I can
easily remove from your heart.'

So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished themselves to the
granite mountain, and in an instant there they were, sitting on it!
The precious stones sparkled so brightly on all sides that it was a
pleasure to see them, and they collected the most beautiful and costly
together. But now the old witch had through her witchcraft caused the
Hunter's eyes to become heavy.

He said to the maiden, 'We will sit down for a little while and rest;
I am so tired that I can hardly stand on my feet.'

So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As
soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened the cloak from his
shoulders, threw it on her own, left the granite and stones, and
wished herself home again.

But when the Hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, he found that
his love had betrayed him and left him alone on the wild mountain.
'Oh,' said he, 'why is faithlessness so great in the world?' and he
sat down in sorrow and trouble, not knowing what to do.

But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge giants, who lived on it
and traded there, and he had not sat long before he saw three of them
striding towards him. So he lay down as if he had fallen into a deep
sleep.

The giants came up, and the first pushed him with his foot, and said,
'What sort of an earthworm is that?'

The second said, 'Crush him dead.'

But the third said contemptuously, 'It is not worth the trouble! Let
him live; he cannot remain here, and if he goes higher up the mountain
the clouds will take him and carry him off.'

Talking thus they went away. But the Hunter had listened to their
talk, and