But the Eagle didn't let him drown! it jerked him on to
its wing, and asked:--

"How now, my lord King! were you frightened, perchance?"

"I was," said the King; "I thought I was going to be drowned
outright!"

Again they flew and flew till they reached another sea. The
Eagle shook off the King right in the middle of the sea; the King
sank up to his girdle. The Eagle jerked him on to its wing
again, and asked:--

"Well, my lord King, were you frightened, perchance?"

"I was," he replied, "but all the time I thought, 'Perhaps,
please God, the creature will pull me out.'"

Away they flew again, flew, and arrived at a third sea. The
Eagle dropped the King into a great gulf, so that he sank right
up to his neck. And the third time the Eagle jerked him on to
its wing, and asked:--

"Well, my lord King! Were you frightened, perchance?"

"I was," says the King, "but still I said to myself, 'Perhaps
it will pull me out.'"

"Well, my lord King! now you have felt what the fear of
death is like! What I have done was in payment of an old score.
Do you remember my sitting on an oak, and your wanting to
shoot me? Three times you were going to let fly, but I kept on
entreating you not to shoot, saying to myself all the time, 'Perhaps
he won't kill me; perhaps he'll relent and take me home
with him!'"

Afterwards they flew beyond thrice nine lands: long, long
did they fly. Says the Eagle, "Look, my lord King! what is
above us and what below us?"

The King looked.

"Above us," he says, "is the sky, below us the earth."

"Look again; what is on the right hand and on the left?"

"On the right hand is an open plain, on the left stands a
house."

"We will fly thither," said the Eagle; "my youngest sister
lives there."

They went straight into the courtyard. The sister came out
to meet them, received her brother cordially, and seated him at
the oaken table. But on the King she would not so much as
look, but left him outside, loosed greyhounds, and set them at
him. The Eagle was exceedingly wroth, jumped up from table,
seized the King, and flew away with him again.

Well, they flew and flew. Presently the Eagle said to the
King, "Look round; what is behind us?"

The King turned his head, looked, and said, "Behind us is a
red house."

"That is the house of my youngest sister--on fire, because
she did not receive you, but s