op, and Juan,
who recognized the lieutenant, said, "Yes." Then the lieutenant went
away, soon returning with seven great casks, in each of which he had
seven men.

These he stored under Juan's house until such time as Juan, being
asleep, could be killed with certainty and little danger. When
this was done, he went into the house, intending to make Juan drunk
and then kill him as Juan had the captain. Juan, however, got the
lieutenant drunk first, and soon his head, like the captain's, rolled
on the floor.

The soldiers below, like all soldiers, wished to have a drink from
the great casks, and so one of them took a borer and bored into one of
the casks. As he did so, a voice whispered, "Is Juan asleep yet?" The
soldier replied, "Not yet," and went and told Juan. The casks by
his order were all put into a boat, loaded with stones and chains,
and thrown into the sea. So perished the last of the robbers.

Juan, being no longer in fear of the robbers, often went to their
cave, and helped himself to everything that he wanted. He finally
became a very great and wealthy man. [16]

CHAPTER 13

The Covetous King and the Three Children.

There were once three orphan children, the oldest of whom was perhaps
ten years old, and the others but little things, almost babies. They
had a tiny little tumble-down house to live in, but very little to
eat. Said the eldest to his little brother and sister, "I will go
yonder on the sands laid bare by the falling tide, and it may be that
I shall find something that we can eat." The little children begged
to go, too, and they all set out over the sands. Soon they found
a large living shell. "Thanks be to God," said the boy, for he was
well instructed, "we shall have something to eat." "Take me home,
but do not cook me," said the shell, "and I will work for you." Now
this was probably the Holy Virgin herself, in the form of a shell,
who had taken pity on the poor children. They took the shell home,
and there it spoke again. "Put me into the rice pot, cover me up,
and you shall turn out plenty of boiled rice for all of you." And
they did so, and the boiled rice came from the pot. "Now put me
into the other pot, and take out ulam." And they took out ulam in
abundance. "Have you a clothes chest?" asked the shell; but there
was none, so they put it into a box, and the box became filled with
clothing. Then the shell filled the spare room with rice, and last
of all filled another large box wi