day, when her tutors were away, he made a kite, to which he
fastened a letter addressed to the princess, and flew it. While she was
strolling about in her garden, the kite suddenly swooped down before
her. She was surprised, and wondered. "What impudent knave," she said,
"ventures to let fall his kite in my garden?" She stepped towards the
kite, looked at it, and saw the letter written in bold hand. She read
it. After a few moments' hesitation, she replaced it with a letter
of her own in which she told him to come under the window of her tower.

When he came there, the princess spoke to him in this manner: "Juan,
if you really love me, you must undergo hardships. Show yourself
to my father to-morrow, and agree to do all that he commands you to
do. Then come back to me." Juan willingly promised to undertake any
difficulties for her sake.

The next morning Juan waited at the stairway of the king's palace. The
king said to him, "Who are you, and what do you come here for?"

"O king! I am Juan, and I have come here to marry your daughter."

"Very well, Juan, you can have your wish if you perform the task I
set you. Take these grains of wheat and plant them in that hill,
and to-morrow morning bring me, out of these same grains, newly
baked bread for my breakfast. Then you shall be married immediately
to my daughter. But if you fail to accomplish this task, you shall
be beheaded."

Juan bowed his head low, and left. Sorrowful he appeared before
the princess.

"What's the matter, Juan?" she said.

"O my dear princess! your father has imposed on me a task impossible
to perform. He gave me these grains of wheat to be planted in that
hill, and to-morrow he expects a newly baked loaf of bread from them."

"Don't worry, Juan. Go home now, and to-morrow show yourself to my
father. The bread will be ready when he awakes."

The next morning Juan repaired to the palace, and was glad to find the
bread already on the table. When the king woke up, he was astonished
to see that Juan had performed the task.

"Now, Juan," said the king, "one more task for you. Under my window
I have two big jars,--one full of mongo, [61] the other of very fine
sand. I will mix them, and you have to assort them so that each kind
is in its proper jar again." Juan promised to fulfil this task. He
passed by the window of the princess, and told her what the king had
said. "Go home and come back here to-morrow," she said to him. "The
king will find the