fly like a bird wherever he wished.

He reached home in a few weeks, and heard from the people that the
horrible Northern Frog was already in the neighbourhood, and might be
expected to cross the frontier any day. The king caused it to be
proclaimed everywhere that if any one could destroy the frog, he would
not only give him part of his kingdom, but his daughter in marriage
likewise. A few days later, the young man came before the king, and
declared that he hoped to destroy the monster, if the king would provide
him with what was necessary; and the king joyfully consented. All the
most skilful craftsmen of the neighbourhood were called together to
construct first the iron horse, next the great spear, and lastly the
iron chains, the links of which were two inches thick. But when all was
ready, it was found that the iron horse was so heavy that a hundred men
could not move it from its place. The youth was therefore obliged to
move the horse away alone, with the help of his ring.

The frog was now hardly four miles away, so that a couple of bounds
might carry it across the frontier. The young man now reflected how he
could best deal with the monster alone, for, as he was obliged to push
the heavy iron horse from below, he could not mount it, as the sorcerer
had directed him. But he unexpectedly received advice from the beak of a
raven, "Mount upon the iron horse, and set the spear against the ground,
and you can then push yourself along as you would push a boat from the
shore." The young man did so, and found that he was able to proceed in
this way. The monster at once opened its jaws afar off, ready to receive
the expected prey. A few fathoms more, and the man and the iron horse
were in the monster's jaws. The young man shook with horror, and his
heart froze to ice, but he kept his wits about him, and thrust with all
his might, so that the iron spear which he held upright in his hand,
pierced the jaws of the monster. Then he leaped from the iron horse, and
sprang away like lightning as the monster clashed his jaws together. A
hideous roar, which was heard for many miles, announced that the
Northern Frog had bitten the spear fast. When the youth turned round, he
saw one point of the spear projecting a foot above the upper jaw, and
concluded that the other was firmly fixed in the lower one; but the frog
had crushed the iron horse between his teeth. The young man now hastened
to fasten the chains in the ground, for which s