til he filled that space so completely that not even a
mouse could slip through. Keen took his place by a pillar in the
middle of the hall.

But, alas, in a few moments they all grew heavy with drowsiness and in
the end slept soundly all night long.

In the morning in the early dawn the prince awoke and with a pain in
his heart that was like a blow from a dagger, he saw that the princess
was gone. Instantly he aroused his men and asked them what was to be
done.

"It's all right, master, don't worry," said Keen as he took a long
look through the window. "I see her now. A hundred miles from here is
a forest, in the midst of the forest an ancient oak, on the top of the
oak an acorn. The princess is that acorn. Let Longshanks take me on
his shoulders and we'll go get her."

Longshanks picked Keen up, stretched himself out, and set forth. He
took ten miles at a stride and in the time it would take you or me to
run around a cottage, here he was back again with the acorn in his
hand. He gave it to the prince.

"Drop it, master, on the floor."

The prince dropped the acorn and instantly the princess appeared.

As the sun came over the mountain tops the doors slammed open and the
magician entered. A crafty smile was on his face. But when he saw the
princess the smile changed to a scowl, he growled in rage, and bang!
one of the iron bands about his waist burst asunder. Then he took the
princess by the hand and dragged her off.

That whole day the prince had nothing to do but wander about the
castle and look at all the strange and curious things it contained.
It seemed as if at some one instant all life had been arrested. In one
hall he saw a prince who had been turned into stone while he was
brandishing his sword. The sword was still uplifted. In another room
there was a stone knight who was taken in the act of flight. He had
stumbled on the threshold but he had not yet fallen. A serving man sat
under the chimney eating his supper. With one hand he was reaching a
piece of roast meat to his mouth. Days, months, perhaps years had gone
by, but the meat had not yet touched his lips. There were many others,
all of them still in whatever position they happened to be when the
magician had cried: "Be ye turned into stone!"

In the courtyard and the stables the prince found many fine horses
overtaken by the same fate.

Outside the castle everything was equally dead and silent. There were
trees but they had no leaves, there wa