floor the princess stood before him. When the wizard came,
his eyes shot forth flames of fury. Cric-crac was heard, and another of
his iron bands broke and fell. He seized the princess by the hand and
led her off, growling louder than ever.

All that day things went on exactly as they had done the day before.
After supper the wizard brought back the princess, and looking him
straight in the eyes he said, 'We shall see which of us two will gain
the prize after all!'

That night they struggled their very hardest to keep awake, and even
walked about instead of sitting down. But it was quite useless. One
after another they had to give in, and for the third time the princess
slipped through their fingers.

When morning came, it was as usual the prince who awoke the first, and
as usual, the princess being gone, he rushed to Quickeye.

[Illustration: THE GUARDIANS CAUGHT NAPPING]

'Get up, get up, Quickeye, and tell me where is the princess?'

Quickeye looked about for some time without answering. 'Oh, my lord, she
is far, very far. Three hundred miles away there lies a black sea. In
the middle of this sea there is a little shell, and in the middle of the
shell is fixed a gold ring. That gold ring is the princess. But do not
vex your soul; we will get her. Only to-day, Long must take Broad with
him. He will be wanted badly.'

So Long took Quickeye on one shoulder, and Broad on the other, and they
set out. At each stride they left thirty miles behind them. When they
reached the black sea, Quickeye showed them the spot where they must
seek the shell. But though Long stretched down his hand as far as it
would go, he could not find the shell, for it lay at the bottom of the
sea.

'Wait a moment, comrades, it will be all right. I will help you,' said
Broad.

Then he swelled himself out so that you would have thought the world
could hardly have held him, and stooping down he drank. He drank so much
at every mouthful, that only a minute or so passed before the water had
sunk enough for Long to put his hand to the bottom. He soon found the
shell, and pulled the ring out. But time had been lost, and Long had a
double burden to carry. The dawn was breaking fast before they got back
to the castle, where the prince was waiting for them in an agony of
fear.

Soon the first rays of the sun were seen peeping over the tops of the
mountains. The door burst open, and finding the prince standing alone
the wizard broke into peals of