at once.' And the pigeon flew away.

It flew and it flew and it flew till it found the brothers. The eldest
unfastened the letter from the pigeon's neck, and read what his sister
had written: 'I am in a great strait, my brothers. If you do not rescue
me to-night, to-morrow I shall be no longer living, for the man-eater
has broken open six doors, and only the iron door is left. So haste,
haste, post haste.'

'Quick, quick! my brothers,' cried he.

'What is the matter?' asked they.

'If we cannot reach our sister to-night, to-morrow she will be the prey
of the man-eater.'

And without more words they sprang on their horses, and rode like the
wind.

The gate of the castle was thrown down, and they entered the court and
called loudly to their sister. But the poor girl was so ill with fear
and anxiety that she could not even speak. Then the brothers dismounted
and passed through the six open doors, till they stood before the iron
one, which was still shut. 'Udea, open!' they cried, 'it is only your
brothers!' And she arose and unlocked the door, and throwing herself on
the neck of the eldest burst into tears.

'Tell us what has happened,' he said, 'and how the man-eater traced you
here.' 'It is all the cat's fault,' replied Udea. 'She put out my fire
so that I could not cook. All about a bean! I ate one and forgot to give
her any of it.'

'But we told you so particularly,' said the eldest brother, 'never to
eat anything without sharing it with the cat.'

'Yes, but I tell you I forgot,' answered Udea.

'Does the man-eater come here every night?' asked the brothers.

'Every night,' said Udea, 'and he breaks one door in and then goes
away.'

Then all the brothers cried together, 'We will dig a great hole, and
fill it with burning wood, and spread a covering over the top; and when
the man-eater arrives we will push him into it.' So they all set to
work and prepared the great hole, and set fire to the wood, till it was
reduced to a mass of glowing charcoal. And when the man-eater came, and
called as usual, 'Udea, what did you see your grandfather doing?' she
answered, 'I saw him pull off the ass' skin and devour the ass, and he
fell in the fire, and the fire burned him up.'

Then the man-eater was filled with rage, and he flung himself upon
the iron door and burst it in. On the other side stood Udea's seven
brothers, who said, 'Come, rest yourself a little on this mat.' And the
man-eater sat down, and he fell ri