Immediately he fell asleep; and the robber came in and took away his
sword and shirt of mail.

'These things belong to my brother,' he said. After he had got them
both in his hand the robber woke him.

'I am the master now,' said he. 'Choose one of two things--either you
must die, or your eyes will be put out, and you will be sent back to
the forest.'

The prince's blood grew cold at these words. Then a thought struck
him, and he turned to his mother: 'Is this _your_ doing?' he asked
sternly. And though she burst into tears and denied it, the prince
knew she was not telling the truth.

'Well,' said he, '"whilst there is life there is hope." I will go back
to the forest.'

Then the robber put out his eyes, gave him a stick, and some food and
drink, and drove him into the forest, hoping that the wild beasts
would kill him, as he no longer had the sword and shirt to protect
him.

'Now,' he said to the queen, 'we will return to your country.'

The next day they set sail, and as soon as they reached home, they
were married, and the robber became king.

Meanwhile the poor prince was wandering about in the forest, hoping to
find someone who would help him, and perhaps take him into service,
for now he had no money and no home. It so happened that there had
been a great hunt in the forest, and the wild beasts had all fled
before the hunters and were hiding, so nothing did him any harm. At
last one day, just when his food was all gone and he had made up his
mind that he must surely die of hunger, he came to the port whence the
ships sailed for Arabia. One vessel was just ready to start, and the
captain was going on board when he saw the prince.

'Why, here is a poor blind fellow!' he said. 'No doubt that is the
work of the robbers. Let us take him to Arabia with us. Would you like
to come, my good man?' he asked the prince.

Oh, how glad he was to hear someone speak kindly to him again! And he
answered that he would, and the sailors helped him to climb up the
side of the ship. When they got to Arabia the captain took him to the
public baths, and ordered one of the slaves to wash him. Whilst he was
being washed the princess's ring slipped off his finger and was
afterwards found by the slave who cleaned out the bath. The man showed
it to a friend of his who lived at the palace.

'Why, it is the princess's ring!' he said. 'Where did it come from?'

'It fell off a blind man's finger,' said the slave. 'He must have