der and he looked up, and there was a ship with wings
outspread, all ready to fly. So he climbed into it and bade it fly away
to the city of the Princess.

As he flew over a clearing in the woods Simple saw a man with his ear to
the ground, listening.

"Ho!" he cried, "you below! What are you doing?"

"I am listening to the sounds of the world," said the man.

"Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe you can hear more up
here."

So the man climbed up into the ship, and they flew on. As they passed
over a field they saw a man hopping on one leg, with the other strapped
up behind his ear.

"Ho!" cried Simple, "You below! Why do you hop on one leg, with the
other bound up?"

"Because," said the man, "if I were to unbind the other I would step so
far that I would be at the end of the world in a minute."

"Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship, that will be less tiresome
than hopping so far."

So the man came up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed a
clear lake of cold water they saw a man standing beside it looking so
disconsolately at the water that Simple called out, "Ho, you below! Why
do you look at the water so sadly?"

"Because," said the man, "I am very thirsty."

"Well," called Simple, "why don't you take a drink? There is water
enough!"

"No," said the man, "it is not right that I should drink here, for I am
so thirsty that I would drink all of this at one gulp, and there would
be no lake, and I would still be thirsty."

"Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe we can find water
enough for you somewhere."

So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed
over a village they met a man carrying a great basket of bread. "Ho!"
cried Simple, "you below! Where are you going?"

"I am going to the baker's at the other end of the village to buy some
bread for my breakfast," replied the man.

"But you have a big basketful of bread now," said Simple.

"Oh," said the man, "that is not enough for the first morsel. I shall
eat that up in one bite. There are not bakers enough in this village to
keep me supplied, and I am always hungry."

"Well," said Simple, "come up into the ship. Maybe we shall find some
bread in the city."

So the man climbed up into the ship and they flew on. As they passed
over a meadow they saw a man carefully carrying a bundle of straw.

"Ho!" cried Simple, "you below! Why do you carry that straw so
carefully, when there is s