he mountain-side?" he asked.

"That I have, master; it was an amusing horse to ride, but I rode him
straight home, and put him in the stable too," said the Prince.

"I will see about that," said the giant, and went out to the stable,
but the horse was standing there just as the Prince had said. "You have
certainly been talking with my Master-maid, for you never got that out
of your own head," said the giant again.

"Yesterday, master, you talked about this Master-maid, and to-day you
are talking about her; ah, heaven bless you, master, why will you not
show me the thing? for it would be a real pleasure to me to see it,"
said the Prince, who again pretended to be silly and stupid.

"Oh! you will see her quite soon enough," said the giant.

On the morning of the third day the giant again had to go into the wood
with the goats. "To-day you must go underground and fetch my taxes,"
he said to the Prince. "When you have done this, you may rest for the
remainder of the day, for you shall see what an easy master you have
come to," and then he went away.

"Well, however easy a master you may be, you set me very hard work
to do," thought the Prince; "but I will see if I cannot find your
Master-maid; you say she is yours, but for all that she may be able
to tell me what to do now," and he went back to her. So, when the
Master-maid asked him what the giant had set him to do that day, he told
her that he was to go underground and get the taxes.

"And how will you set about that?" said the Master-maid.

"Oh! you must tell me how to do it," said the Prince, "for I have never
yet been underground, and even if I knew the way I do not know how much
I am to demand."

"Oh! yes, I will soon tell you that; you must go to the rock there under
the mountain-ridge, and take the club that is there, and knock on the
rocky wall," said the Master-maid. "Then someone will come out who will
sparkle with fire; you shall tell him your errand, and when he asks you
how much you want to have you are to say: 'As much as I can carry.'"

"Yes, I will keep that in mind," said he, and then he sat there with the
Master-maid the whole day, until night drew near, and he would gladly
have stayed there till now if the Master-maid had not reminded him that
it was time to be off to fetch the taxes before the giant came.

So he set out on his way, and did exactly what the Master-maid had told
him. He went to the rocky wall, and took the club, and knocked on