ed on the throne, was to forbid anyone to go near
the brook, on pain of being seized by the watchmen. And this was purely
spite, for there was plenty of milk for everybody.

For some days no one dared venture near the banks of the stream, but at
length some of the watchmen noticed that early in the mornings, just at
dawn, a man with a gold beard came down to the brook with a pail, which
he filled up to the brim with milk, and then vanished like smoke before
they could get near enough to see who he was. So they went and told the
king what they had seen.

At first the king would not believe their story, but as they persisted
it was quite true, he said that he would go and watch the stream that
night himself. With the earliest streaks of dawn the gold-bearded man
appeared, and filled his pail as before. Then in an instant he had
vanished, as if the earth had swallowed him up.

The king stood staring with eyes and mouth open at the place where the
man had disappeared. He had never seen him before, that was certain; but
what mattered much more was how to catch him, and what should be done
with him when he was caught? He would have a cage built as a prison for
him, and everyone would talk of it, for in other countries thieves were
put in prison, and it was long indeed since any king had used a cage. It
was all very well to plan, and even to station a watchman behind every
bush, but it was of no use, for the man was never caught. They would
creep up to him softly on the grass, as he was stooping to fill his
pail, and just as they stretched out their hands to seize him, he
vanished before their eyes. Time after time this happened, till the king
grew mad with rage, and offered a large reward to anyone who could tell
him how to capture his enemy.

The first person that came with a scheme was an old soldier who promised
the king that if he would only put some bread and bacon and a flask of
wine on the bank of the stream, the gold-bearded man would be sure to
eat and drink, and they could shake some powder into the wine, which
would send him to sleep at once. After that there was nothing to do but
to shut him in the cage.

This idea pleased the king, and he ordered bread and bacon and a flask
of drugged wine to be placed on the bank of the stream, and the watchers
to be redoubled. Then, full of hope, he awaited the result.

Everything turned out just as the soldier had said. Early next morning
the gold-bearded man came down t