ad on her lap. He
did so with delight, and her brother standing behind her back passed
her the egg unseen. She took it, and dashed it straight at the horrible
head, and the monster started, and with a groan that people took for the
rumblings of an earthquake, he turned over and died.

As the breath went out of his body the husbands of the two eldest
daughters resumed their proper shapes, and, sending for their
mother-in-law, whose sorrow was so unexpectedly turned into joy, they
had a great feast, and the youngest sister was rich to the end of her
days with the treasures she found in the cave, collected by the monster.

[From the Portuguese.]

The Story of Bensurdatu

There was once a king and a queen who had three wonderfully beautiful
daughters, and their one thought, from morning till night, was how they
could make the girls happy.

One day the princesses said to the king, 'Dear father, we want so much
to have a picnic, and eat our dinner in the country.'

'Very well, dear children, let us have a picnic by all means,' answered
he, and gave orders that everything should be got ready.

When luncheon was prepared it was put into a cart, and the royal family
stepped into a carriage and drove right away into the country. After
a few miles they reached a house and garden belonging to the king, and
close by was their favourite place for lunch. The drive had made them
very hungry, and they ate with a hearty appetite, till almost all the
food had disappeared.

When they had quite done, they said to their parents: 'Now we should
like to wander about the garden a little, but when you want to go home,
just call to us.' And they ran off, laughing, down a green glade, which
led to the garden.

But no sooner had they stepped across the fence, than a dark cloud
came down and covered them, and prevented them seeing whither they were
going.

Meanwhile the king and queen sat lazily among the heather, and an hour
or two slipped away. The sun was dropping towards the horizon, and they
began to think it was time to go home. So they called to their daughters
and called again, but no one answered them.

Frightened at the silence, they searched every corner of the garden, the
house, and the neighbouring wood, but no trace of the girls was to be
found anywhere. The earth seemed to have swallowed them up. The poor
parents were in despair. The queen wept all the way home, and for many
days after, and the king issued a proc