h
one of the children came running to meet him. "O father, guess what we
have at our house which we did not have when you went away," said the
child.

"A new puppy," replied her father.

"O no, father," replied the child. "You have not guessed right at all.
It is a new baby brother."

The poor fisherman burst into tears. "What shall I do! What shall I
do!" he sobbed. "I dare not break my vow to the river giant."

The fisherman's wife was heartbroken when she heard about the business
which her husband had transacted with the river giant. However she
could think of no way to escape from keeping the contract which he had
made. She kissed the tiny babe good-bye and gave it her blessing. Then
the fisherman took it down to the river bank and threw it into the
river at the exact spot from which the deep voice had come.

There in the depths of the river the river giant was waiting to
receive the new born babe. He took the little one into his palace of
gold and silver and mother-of-pearl with ornaments of diamonds, and
there the baby received excellent care.

Time passed and the little boy grew into a big boy. At last he was
fifteen years old and a handsome lad indeed, tall and straight, with
eyes which were dark and deep like the river itself, and hair as dark
as the shades in the depths of the river. All his life he had been
surrounded with every luxury, but he had never seen a single person.
He had never seen even the river giant. All he knew of him was his
deep voice which gave orders in the palace.

One day the voice of the river giant said, "I have to go away on a
long journey. I will leave with you all the keys to all the doors in
the palace, but do not meddle with anything. If you do you must
forfeit your life."

Many days passed and the lad did not hear the voice of the river
giant. He missed its sound in the palace. It was very still and very
lonely. At last at the end of fifteen days he took one of the keys
which the river giant had left and opened the door which it fitted.
The door led into a room in the palace where the boy had never been.
Inside the room was a huge lion. The lion was fat and well nourished,
but there was nothing for it to eat except hay. The boy did not meddle
with anything and shut the door.

Another fifteen days passed by, and again the lad took one of the
keys. He opened another door in the palace which he had never entered.
Inside the room he found three horses, one black, one white