on the other side, he
saw two girls cooking, and though he shouted to them at the top of his
voice, they were too far off to hear what he said. And, what was
worse, the ball suddenly fell out of its snake's skin bag right into
the river.

Now, it is not at all an uncommon thing for balls to tumble into
rivers, but in that case they generally either fall to the bottom and
stay there, or else bob about on the top of the water close to where
they first touched it. But this ball, instead of doing either of these
things, went straight across to the other side, and there one of the
girls saw it when she stooped to dip some water into her pail.

'Oh! what a lovely ball!' cried she, and tried to catch it in her
pail; but the ball always kept bobbing just out of her reach.

'Come and help me!' she called to her sister, and after a long while
they had the ball safe inside the pail. They were delighted with their
new toy, and one or the other held it in her hand till bedtime came,
and then it was a long time before they could make up their minds
where it would be safest for the night. At last they locked it in a
cupboard in one corner of their room, and as there was no hole
anywhere the ball could not possibly get out. After that they went to
sleep.

In the morning the first thing they both did was to run to the
cupboard and unlock it, but when the door opened they started back,
for, instead of the ball, there stood a handsome young man.

'Ladies,' he said, 'how can I thank you for what you have done for me?
Long, long ago, I was enchanted by a wicked fairy, and condemned to
keep the shape of a ball till I should meet with two maidens, who
would take me to their own home. But where was I to meet them? For
hundreds of years I have lived in the depths of the forest, where
nothing but wild beasts ever came, and it was only when the lion
threw me into the sky that I was able to fall to earth near this
river. Where there is a river, sooner or later people will come; so,
hanging myself on a tree, I watched and waited. For a moment I lost
heart when I fell once more into the hands of my old master the wild
cat, but my hopes rose again as I saw he was making for the river bank
opposite where you were standing. That was my chance, and I took it.
And now, ladies, I have only to say that, if ever I can do anything to
help you, go to the top of that high mountain and knock three times at
the iron door at the north side, and I will come