fied, and the youth continued his way. After he had gone a few
steps the animals called him back, and the lion said: "You have settled
our dispute, and we wish to reward you; when you wish to become a lion,
you have only to say: 'No more a man, a lion, with the strength of a
hundred lions!'" The eagle said: "When you wish to become an eagle, say:
'No more a man, an eagle, with the strength of a hundred eagles!'" The
ant, also, gave him power to transform himself into an ant in the same
way. The youth thanked them and departed. As he was passing along the
shore of the sea, he saw a dog-fish that was out of the water; he put it
back into the sea. The fish said: "When you need me, come to the sea and
cry: 'Dog-fish, help me!'"

The youth continued his way and arrived at a city all hung with
mourning. "What is the matter?" the young man asked. "There is here,"
they told him, "a big cloud (it was a fairy) that every year must have a
young girl. This year the lot has fallen on the king's daughter. If they
do not give her up, the cloud will throw so many things into the city
that we shall all be killed." The youth asked if he could see how the
thing went, and they told him he could. The ceremony began with muffled
drums and an escort of soldiers; the king and queen in tears accompanied
their daughter, who was taken to the top of a mountain, placed in a
chair, and left alone. The youth, who had followed them, hid himself
behind a bush. Then the cloud came, took the young girl in her lap, took
her finger in her mouth, and began to suck her blood. This was what the
cloud lived on. The princess remained half dead, like a log, and then
the cloud carried her away. The youth, who had seen all this, cried: "No
more a man, an eagle, with the strength of a hundred eagles!" Then he
became an eagle and flew after the cloud. They arrived at a palace, the
doors flew open and the cloud entered and carried the princess
up-stairs. The eagle alighted on a tree opposite and saw a large room
all full of young girls in bed. When the cloud entered they exclaimed:
"Mamma! here is our mamma!" The poor girls were always in bed, because
the fairy half killed them. She put the princess in a bed, and said to
the girls: "I am going to leave you for a few days." She went away and
left the girls. The youth was near and heard everything; he said: "No
more an eagle, an ant, with the force of a hundred ants!" He became an
ant, entered the palace unseen, and wen