r the air at once becomes cold, and snow falls, and
the people freeze.'

Then the Simpleton asked him also to join them.

At last the ship, with its strange crew, arrived at the King's Court.
The King was having his dinner, but he at once despatched one of his
courtiers to find out what the huge, strange new bird could be that
had come flying through the air. The courtier peeped into the ship,
and, seeing what it was, instantly went back to the King and told him
that it was a flying ship, and that it was manned by a few peasants.

Then the King remembered his royal oath; but he made up his mind that
he would never consent to let the Princess marry a poor peasant. So he
thought and thought, and then said to himself:

'I will give him some impossible tasks to perform; that will be the
best way of getting rid of him.' And he there and then decided to
despatch one of his courtiers to the Simpleton, with the command that
he was to fetch the King the healing water from the world's end before
he had finished his dinner.

But while the King was still instructing the courtier exactly what he
was to say, the first man of the ship's company, the one with the
miraculous power of hearing, had overheard the King's words, and
hastily reported them to the poor Simpleton.

'Alas, alas!' he cried; 'what am I to do now? It would take me quite a
year, possibly my whole life, to find the water.'

'Never fear,' said his fleet-footed comrade, 'I will fetch what the
King wants.'

Just then the courtier arrived, bearing the King's command.

'Tell his Majesty,' said the Simpleton, 'that his orders shall be
obeyed;' and forthwith the swift runner unbound the foot that was
strung up behind his ear and started off, and in less than no time had
reached the world's end and drawn the healing water from the well.

'Dear me,' he thought to himself, 'that's rather tiring! I'll just
rest for a few minutes; it will be some little time yet before the
King has got to dessert.' So he threw himself down on the grass, and,
as the sun was very dazzling, he closed his eyes, and in a few seconds
had fallen sound asleep.

In the meantime all the ship's crew were anxiously awaiting him; the
King's dinner would soon be finished, and their comrade had not yet
returned. So the man with the marvellous quick hearing lay down, and,
putting his ear to the ground, listened.

'That's a nice sort of fellow!' he suddenly exclaimed. 'He's lying on
the ground, sno