his time, no crowd of weeping friends; the grief of the king
and queen was now too real to be shown, and the Princess had asked that
there should be no one to see her go.

"The brown bull stood still as a lamb for her to mount, and then at a
gentle pace he set off. The Princess had no need to catch hold of his
horns to keep herself from falling, his step was so even. And all along
as she rode she threw her balls up softly in the air, catching them as
they fell. But the brown bull spoke not a word.

"On and on they went; the sun rose high in the heavens and poured down
on the girl's uncovered head the full heat of his rays. But just as she
began to feel it painfully, they entered a forest, where the green shade
of the summer trees made a pleasant shelter. And when they came out from
the forest again on the other side the sun was declining; before long he
had sunk below the horizon, evening was at hand. And as before, the
brown bull stopped.

"'King's daughter,' he said, in a voice so gentle, though deep, that the
Princess started with surprise, 'what hour must it be by this? Tell me,
king's daughter, I pray.'

"'Brown bull,' replied the Princess, without a moment's hesitation, for
those who have nothing to conceal are fearless and ready; 'brown bull,
it is getting late. By now must the king and queen, my father and
mother, be sitting down to their solitary supper and thinking of me, for
at this hour I was used to hasten to them, throwing my pretty balls
as I went.'

[Illustration: THE BROWN BULL OF NORROWA.--p. 162.]

"'I thank thee, thou true Princess,' said the bull in the same tone, and
he hastened on.

"And ere long the night fell, and the poor Princess was so tired and
sleepy, that without knowing it her pretty head drooped lower and lower,
and at last she lay fast asleep on the bull's broad back, her fair head
resting between his horns.

"She slept so soundly that she did not notice when he stopped, only she
had a strange dream. Some one lifted her gently and laid her on a couch,
it seemed to her, and a kind voice whispered in her ear, 'Good-night, my
fair Princess.'

"But it must have been a dream, she said to herself. How could a bull
have arms to lift her, or how could a rough, ferocious creature like him
be so gentle and kind? It must have been a dream, for when she awoke she
saw the great monster standing beside her on his four legs as usual; yet
it was strange, for she found herself lying on a deli