ses. You must proceed in that direction, so that the sun shines in
your face every morning, and on your back every evening. Every day you
will feel stronger, and after seven years you will see a great mountain
before you, so high that its summit reaches to the clouds. There you
will find your future fortune. Take my wallet and my flask, and you will
find as much food and drink in them as you require each day. But take
care always to leave a crumb of bread and a drop of liquid untouched, or
else your store of food will fail you.[147] You may give freely to a
hungry bird or to a thirsty animal, for God is pleased when one of His
creatures is kind to another. You will find a folded plantain-leaf at
the bottom of the wallet, which you must take the greatest care of. When
you come to a river or lake on your journey, spread the leaf on the
water, and it will immediately change into a boat which will carry you
over to the other side. Then fold the leaf together again, and put it
into your wallet." After thus speaking, he gave the wallet and the flask
to the boy, and said, "God bless you!" The next moment he had vanished
from the boy's eyes.

The boy would have supposed it to be all a dream, if he had not held the
wallet and flask in his hand to convince him that it was a reality. He
then looked into the wallet, where he found half a loaf, a small case of
salt herrings, another of butter, and a nice piece of bacon. When the
boy had eaten enough, he lay down to sleep, with the wallet and flask
under his head, so that no thief should be able to take them from him.
Next morning at sunrise he awoke, refreshed himself with food and drink,
and then set out on his journey. It was strange that he felt no
weariness, and only hunger made him aware that it was nearly noon. He
ate the good fare with relish, took a nap, and travelled on. He found
that he had taken the right course when the sun set behind his back. He
travelled for many days in the same direction, when he arrived on the
bank of a small lake. Now he had an opportunity of testing the
properties of the leaf. All befell as the old man had foretold, for a
small boat with oars lay before him on the water. He stepped in, and a
few good strokes of the oars landed him on the other side. Then the
boat changed back into a leaf, and he put it into his wallet.

Thus the boy travelled for several years, without the provisions in his
flask and wallet failing. Seven years may well have pass