hatever she wanted, that he gladly did. Then the old witch
said, 'Now we must have the bird-heart; he will not feel when it is
gone.' She prepared a drink, and when it was ready she poured it in a
goblet and gave it to the maiden, who had to hand it to the hunter.

'Drink to me now, my dearest,' she said. Then he took the goblet, and
when he had swallowed the drink the bird-heart came out of his mouth.
The maiden had to get hold of it secretly and then swallow it herself,
for the old witch wanted to have it. Thenceforward he found no more gold
under his pillow, and it lay under the maiden's; but he was so much in
love and so much bewitched that he thought of nothing except spending
all his time with the maiden.

Then the old witch said, 'We have the bird-heart, but we must also get
the wishing-cloak from him.'

The maiden answered, 'We will leave him that; he has already lost his
wealth!'

The old witch grew angry, and said, 'Such a cloak is a wonderful thing,
it is seldom to be had in the world, and have it I must and will.' She
beat the maiden, and said that if she did not obey it would go ill with
her.

So she did her mother's bidding, and, standing one day by the window,
she looked away into the far distance as if she were very sad.

'Why are you standing there looking so sad?' asked the Hunter.

'Alas, my love,' she replied, 'over there lies the granite mountain
where the costly precious stones grow. I have a great longing to go
there, so that when I think of it I am very sad. For who can fetch them?
Only the birds who fly; a man, never.'

'If you have no other trouble,' said the Hunter, 'that one I can easily
remove from your heart.'

So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished themselves to the
granite mountain, and in an instant there they were, sitting on it! The
precious stones sparkled so brightly on all sides that it was a pleasure
to see them, and they collected the most beautiful and costly together.
But now the old witch had through her caused the Hunter's eyes to become
heavy.

He said to the maiden, 'We will sit down for a little while and rest; I
am so tired that I can hardly stand on my feet.'

So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As
soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened the cloak from his shoulders,
threw it on her own, left the granite and stones, and wished herself
home again.

But when the Hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, he found that