a piece to his dog. The dog died immediately. The bread was
poisoned.

Even as Manoel stood by weeping for his faithful dog, three big black
buzzards flew down and devoured the dead beast. They fell dead
immediately. Just then the lad heard voices, and soon he saw seven
horsemen approaching. The men were robbers, and though they had much
gold in their pockets they had no food. "I am hungry enough to eat a
dead buzzard," said the captain of the robbers. The robbers greedily
seized the three buzzards and devoured them at once. The seven men
immediately died from the poison.

"The buzzards stole the body of my dog, so they became mine," said
Manoel. "The seven robbers stole my three buzzards, so they became
mine, too." He took all the gold from the pockets of the seven robbers
and dressed himself in the garments of the captain of the robbers
because they were finest. He mounted the horse of the captain of the
robbers because that was the best horse.

The lad rode on toward the palace of the king. After a time he became
thirsty and pushed the horse into a gallop. The horse became covered
with sweat, and with the horse's sweat he quenched his thirst. Soon he
arrived at the royal palace.

Dressed in the robber's fine garments and mounted upon the robber's
fine horse, Manoel had no difficulty in being admitted to the palace.
He was taken at once before the princess to tell his riddle.

The princess saw in Manoel's eyes all the secrets of the forests and
jungles which the kind giant had taught him. "Here is a youth who will
tell me a riddle which will be worth listening to," said the princess
to herself. All the princes and _cavalheiros_ from all the
neighbouring kingdoms had told her such stupid riddles that she had
been bored nearly to death. She could always guess the answers, even
before she had heard the end of the riddle.

This is the riddle which Manoel told the princess:

"I went away from home with a pocket full;
Soon it became empty;
Again it became full.
I went away from home with a companion;
My pocket-full killed my companion;
My dead companion was the slayer of three;
The three killed seven.
From the seven I chose the best;
I drank water which did not fall from heaven.
And here I stand
Before the loveliest princess in the land."

The princess listened to the riddle carefully. Then she asked Manoel
to say it all over again. The princess thought and thought, but she
did not have