own beside his horse, his
throat burning, his chest heaving, and his head going round. Already he
felt that death was near him, when his eyes fell on the bag where the
oranges peeped out.

Poor Desire, who had braved so many dangers to win the lady of his
dreams, would have given at this moment all the princesses in the world,
were they pink or golden, for a single drop of water.

'Ah!' he said to himself. 'If only these oranges were real fruit--fruit
as refreshing as what I ate in Flanders! And, after all, who knows?'

This idea put some life into him. He had the strength to lift himself up
and put his hand into his bag. He drew out an orange and opened it with
his knife.

Out of it flew the prettiest little female canary that ever was seen.

'Give me something to drink, I am dying of thirst,' said the golden
bird.

'Wait a minute,' replied Desire, so much astonished that he forgot his
own sufferings; and to satisfy the bird he took a second orange, and
opened it without thinking what he was doing. Out of it flew another
canary, and she too began to cry:

'I am dying of thirst; give me something to drink.'

Then Tubby's son saw his folly, and while the two canaries flew away
he sank on the ground, where, exhausted by his last effort, he lay
unconscious.

VII

When he came to himself, he had a pleasant feeling of freshness all
about him. It was night, the sky was sparkling with stars, and the earth
was covered with a heavy dew.

The traveller having recovered, mounted his horse, and at the first
streak of dawn he saw a stream dancing in front of him, and stooped down
and drank his fill.

He hardly had courage to open his last orange. Then he remembered that
the night before he had disobeyed the orders of the old man. Perhaps
his terrible thirst was a trick of the cunning witch, and suppose, even
though he opened the orange on the banks of the stream, that he did not
find in it the princess that he sought?

He took his knife and cut it open. Alas! out of it flew a little canary,
just like the others, who cried:

'I am thirsty; give me something to drink.'

Great was the disappointment of Desire. However, he was determined not
to let this bird fly away; so he took up some water in the palm of his
hand and held it to its beak.

Scarcely had the canary drunk when she became a beautiful girl, tall and
straight as a poplar tree, with black eyes and a golden skin. Desire had
never seen anyone half so