forehead sharply with her
tail, and cried:

'Deer, come to me!'

In a moment the small, slimy body disappeared, and in its place stood
a beautiful beast with branching horns and slender legs, quivering with
longing to be gone. Throwing back her head and snuffing the air, she
broke into a run, leaping easily over the rivers and walls that stood in
her way.

It happened that the king's son had been hunting since daybreak, but
had killed nothing, and when the deer crossed his path as he was resting
under a tree he determined to have her. He flung himself on his horse,
which went like the wind, and as the prince had often hunted the forest
before, and knew all the short cuts, he at last came up with the panting
beast.

'By your favour let me go, and do not kill me,' said the deer, turning
to the prince with tears in her eyes, 'for I have far to run and much to
do.' And as the prince, struck dumb with surprise, only looked at her,
the deer cleared the next wall and was soon out of sight.

'That can't really be a deer,' thought the prince to himself, reining in
his horse and not attempting to follow her. 'No deer ever had eyes
like that. It must be an enchanted maiden, and I will marry her and no
other.' So, turning his horse's head, he rode slowly back to his palace.

The deer reached the giant's castle quite out of breath, and her heart
sank as she gazed at the tall, smooth walls which surrounded it. Then
she plucked up courage and cried:

'Ant, come to me!' And in a moment the branching horns and beautiful
shape had vanished, and a tiny brown ant, invisible to all who did not
look closely, was climbing up the walls.

It was wonderful how fast she went, that little creature! The wall must
have appeared miles high in comparison with her own body; yet, in less
time than would have seemed possible, she was over the top and down in
the courtyard on the other side. Here she paused to consider what had
best be done next, and looking about her she saw that one of the walls
had a tall tree growing by it, and in the corner was a window very
nearly on a level with the highest branches of the tree.

'Monkey, come to me!' cried the ant; and before you could turn round
a monkey was swinging herself from the topmost branches into the room
where the giant lay snoring.

'Perhaps he will be so frightened at the sight of me that he may die
of fear, and I shall never get the crown,' thought the monkey. 'I had
better become somet