journey, and among the
lessons he had learned was this one: "Always rescue a fair maiden in
distress." He immediately asked what he could do to rescue the
beautiful captive princess.

"You can never succeed in rescuing me, I fear," replied the princess.
"At the door of this palace there is a giant on guard who never
sleeps."

"Never mind," replied the prince. "I'll put him to sleep."

Just at that moment the giant himself strode into the dungeon. He had
heard voices there. "Sing, my little bird, sing," commanded the prince
to his singing bird.

At the first burst of melody the giant went to sleep there in the
dungeon, though he had never before taken a wink of sleep in all his
life.

"This beetle of mine has gnawed an entrance through the great wall
which surrounds the land of the giants," said the prince to the
captive princess. "To escape we'll not have to climb the high wall."

"What of the guard who stands on top of the wall with his head
reaching up to the clouds?" asked the princess. "Will he not spy us?"

"My singing bird has put him to sleep, too," replied the prince. "If
we hurry out he will not yet be awake."

"I have been confined here in this dungeon so long that I fear I have
forgotten how to walk," said the princess.

"Never mind," replied the prince. "My butterfly will bear you upon his
wings."

With the lovely princess borne safely upon the butterfly's wings the
prince swiftly escaped from the land of the giants. The giant on the
wall yawned in his sleep as they looked up at him. "He is good for
another hour's nap," remarked the prince.

[Illustration: With the lovely princess borne safely upon the
butterfly's wings, the prince swiftly escaped]

The prince returned to his father's kingdom as soon as he could find
the way back. He took with him the lovely princess, and the singing
bird, and the gnawing beetle, and the strong-winged butterfly.

His father and all the people of the kingdom received him with great
joy. "Never again will the prince of our kingdom be called stupid,"
said the wise men when they heard the account of his adventures. "With
his singing bird and his gnawing beetle and his strong-winged
butterfly he has become the cleverest youth in the land."

XI

THE GIANT'S PUPIL

Long years ago there lived a little boy whose name was Manoel. His
father and mother were so very poor that they could not afford to send
him to school. Because he did not go to school he pl