re
all very much surprised, but they gave him something to eat. When the
old man came to take away the plate which had contained the Crab's
dinner, he found it full of gold, and as the same thing happened every
day he soon became very fond of the Crab.

One day the Crab said to the fisherman's wife, 'Go to the King and
tell him I wish to marry his younger daughter.'

[Footnote 5: 'Prinz Krebs,' from _Griechische Maehrchen_. Schmidt.]

The old woman went accordingly, and laid the matter before the King,
who laughed a little at the notion of his daughter marrying a crab,
but did not decline the proposal altogether, because he was a prudent
monarch, and knew that the Crab was likely to be a prince in disguise.
He said, therefore, to the fisherman's wife, 'Go, old woman, and tell
the Crab I will give him my daughter if by to-morrow morning he can
build a wall in front of my castle much higher than my tower, upon
which all the flowers of the world must grow and bloom.'

The fisherman's wife went home and gave this message.

[Illustration: Let down Let Down thy Petticoat That Lets thy Feet be
Seen]

Then the Crab gave her a golden rod, and said, 'Go and strike with
this rod three times upon the ground on the place which the King
showed you, and to-morrow morning the wall will be there.'

The old woman did so and went away again.

The next morning, when the King awoke, what do you think he saw? The
wall stood there before his eyes, exactly as he had bespoken it!

Then the old woman went back to the King and said to him, 'Your
Majesty's orders have been fulfilled.'

'That is all very well,' said the King, 'but I cannot give away my
daughter until there stands in front of my palace a garden in which
there are three fountains, of which the first must play gold, the
second diamonds, and the third brilliants.'

So the old woman had to strike again three times upon the ground with
the rod, and the next morning the garden was there. The King now gave
his consent, and the wedding was fixed for the very next day.

Then the Crab said to the old fisherman, 'Now take this rod; go and
knock with it on a certain mountain; then a black man[6] will come out
and ask you what you wish for. Answer him thus: "Your master, the
King, has sent me to tell you that you must send him his golden
garment that is like the sun." Make him give you, besides, the queenly
robes of gold and precious stones which are like the flowery meadows,
and