rds. And so it came to pass, for a
week or two later God sent her a son, and he was in no way like an
ordinary child. His eyes resembled those of a falcon, and his eyebrows
the sable's fur. His right hand was of pure gold, and his manner and
appearance were so full of an indescribable majesty, that he was
looked upon by every one with a feeling of awe.

His growth, too, was not like that of other children. When but three
days old, he stepped out of his swaddling-clothes and left his cradle.
And he was so strong that when his parents entered the room he ran
towards them, crying out, "Good morning, dear parents, why are you so
sad? Are you not happy at the sight of me?"

"We are indeed happy, dear child, and we thank God for having sent us
you in our great grief. But we cannot forget your two brothers; they
were so handsome and brave, and worthy of a great destiny. And our
sadness is increased when we remember that, instead of resting in
their own country in the tomb of their forefathers, they sleep in an
unknown land, perhaps without burial. Alas! it is three years since we
had news of them."

At these words the child's tears fell, and he embraced his parents and
said, "Weep no more, dear parents, you shall soon be comforted: for
before next spring I shall be a strong young man, and will look for my
brothers all over the world. And I will bring them back to you, if not
alive, yet dead: ay, though I have to seek them in the very centre of
the earth."

At these words and at that which followed the king and queen were
amazed. For the strange child, guided as it were by an invisible hand,
rushed into the garden, and in spite of the cold, for it was not yet
daylight, bathed in the early dew. When the sun had risen he threw
himself down near a little wood on the fine sand, rubbed and rolled
himself in it, and returned home, no longer a child but a youth.

It was pleasant to the king to see his son thrive in this way, and
indeed the young prince was the handsomest in the whole land. He grew
from hour to hour. At the end of a month he could wield a sword, in
two months he rode on horseback, in three months he had grown a
beautiful moustache of pure gold. Then he put on a helmet, and
presenting himself before the king and queen, said: "My much honoured
parents, your son asks your blessing. I am no longer a child, and now
go to seek my brothers. In order to find them I will, if necessary, go
to the furthest ends of the world