is master took the fancy to have a long sleep. At
such times he slept for seven weeks at a stretch, without interruption,
and without showing himself.

It chanced that the master had fallen into one of his deep slumbers,
when one day a great eagle descended on the hill of stones and began to
speak. "Are you not a great fool to sacrifice your pleasant life to good
living? The money which you have saved is quite useless to you, for
there are no men here who require it. Take your master's swift horse
from the stable, bind your bag of money to his neck, leap on his back,
and ride away in the direction in which the sun sets, and after some
weeks you will again find yourself among men. But you must bind the
horse fast with an iron chain, so that he cannot run away, or he would
return to his usual haunts, and your master would come to fight with
you; but if he is without the horse, he cannot leave the place." "But
who will watch the dogs here, if I go away while my master sleeps?"
asked the young man. "A fool you are, and a fool you will remain,"
replied the eagle. "Are you not yet aware that God has created him for
the express purpose of guarding the hell-hounds? It is from sheer
laziness that he sleeps for seven weeks at a stretch. When he has no
stranger as a servant, he will be obliged to rouse himself and do his
own work himself."

This advice delighted the young man. He followed the counsel of the
eagle, took the horse, bound the bag of gold on his neck, leaped on his
back, and rode away. He had not ridden very far from the mountain when
he heard his master calling after him, "Stop, stop! Take your money and
begone in God's name, but leave me my horse!" The youth paid no heed,
but rode away, and after some weeks he found himself once more among
mortal men. Then he built himself a nice house, married a young wife,
and lived happily as a rich man. If he is not dead, he must be still
living, but the wind-swift horse died long ago.

* * * * *

Of the next story we give only an abstract. It will be remembered that
Linda was hatched from an egg, while the later adventures of the
princess in the following tale resemble those of Cinderella.

[Footnote 146: The original title of this story is, "How an orphan made
his fortune unexpectedly." Some commentators identify the keeper of the
hounds with Othin. In the Scandinavian mythology the breaking loose of
the monsters, the most terrible of whom i