So the Queen and
her baby were taken to an old and gloomy tower on a great rock
overlooking the northern sea; and after they had been there a day or
two, the chief jailer came to the Queen's room to take the child and
kill him.

[Illustration: Foreground, small winged boy seat on the ground, approached
by a large bird in flight; background, small cottage.]

Every year, on the Bird-Boy's birthday, a great gray bird was seen.

The Queen, when she heard this terrible order, uttered a gasping scream,
and seizing her little son from out his cradle, pressed him close to her
breast. But although she fought for her baby with all her might, the
rude strength of the jailers prevailed, and the child was torn from its
mother's arms. Then, before anyone could prevent her, the poor Queen
beat open the rotted fastening of an old casement window, sprang upon
the ledge, and giving one last look of love and tenderness to her
unhappy child, leaped down into the sea surging and pounding over the
rocks hundreds of feet below. She certainly would have been dashed to
pieces, had not a good spirit of the ocean taken pity on her, and
changed her into a great gray bird. Crying mournfully, the bird circled
the old tower thrice, and disappeared over the white-capped waters.

In spite of his roughness, however, the jailer was neither a brutal nor
a wicked man, and he did not relish the cruel task which the King had
given him. So, instead of killing the bird-boy, he carried him many
leagues back into the dark forest which bordered the sea, and gave him
to a family of charcoal-burners. With these rough, good people the
bird-boy lived till he was five years old. And every year, on the boy's
birthday, a great gray bird came flying over the forest from the distant
ocean, circled thrice the charcoal-burners' hut, and disappeared again,
crying mournfully.

One midsummer day, with a great deal of merry hallooing and blowing of
sweet-voiced horns, the King of the country, accompanied by his young
wife, came hunting through the wood. There was a pretty spring near the
door of the hut, and the party came to a halt at its edge. Out ran the
winged boy and his two little foster-brothers, to see the wonderful
sight. And a wonderful sight it was, indeed, to see the horses tossing
their jeweled bridles, the hooded falcons riding on the saddlebow,
clutching the leather with their curving claws, the merry young pages in
their dark suits, and all the gay co