chicken as big as an
elephant.

"Now we have done wrong," said the lad; "this can cost us all our
lives;" and then he asked his sailors if they were men enough to sail
to Arabia in four-and-twenty hours if they got a fine breeze. Yes!
they were good to do that, they said, so they set sail with a fine
breeze, and got to Arabia in three-and-twenty hours. As soon as they
landed, the lad ordered all the sailors to go and bury themselves up
to the eyes in a sandhill, so that they could barely see the ships.
The lad and the captains climbed a high crag and sate down under a
fir.

In a little while came a great bird flying with an island in its
claws, and let it fall down on the fleet, and sunk every ship. After
it had done that, it flew up to the sandhill and flapped its wings, so
that the wind nearly took off the heads of the sailors, and it flew
past the fir with such force that it turned the lad right about, but
he was ready with his sword, and gave the bird one blow and brought it
down dead.

After that he went to the town, where every one was glad because the
_King_ had got his daughter back; but now the _King_ had hidden her
away somewhere himself, and promised her hand as a reward to any one
who could find her, and this though she was betrothed before. Now as
the lad went along he met a man who had white bear-skins for sale, so
he bought one of the hides and put it on; and one of the captains was
to take an iron chain and lead him about, and so he went into the town
and began to play pranks. At last the news came to the _King's_ ears,
that there never had been such fun in the town before, for here was a
white bear that danced and cut capers just as it was bid. So a
messenger came to say the bear must come to the castle at once, for
the _King_ wanted to see its tricks. So when it got to the castle
every one was afraid, for such a beast they had never seen before; but
the captain said there was no danger unless they laughed at it. They
mustn't do that, else it would tear them to pieces. When the _King_
heard that, he warned all the court not to laugh. But while the fun
was going on, in came one of the _King's_ maids, and began to laugh
and make game of the bear, and the bear flew at her and tore her, so
that there was scarce a rag of her left. Then all the court began to
bewail, and the captain most of all.

"Stuff and nonsense," said the _King_; "she's only a maid, besides
it's more my affair than yours."

When