time enough to take it from her.' So he went off to hunt.

The moment he was safe out of the way, the girl ran upstairs and opened
the door of the room, which was quite bare. The one window was closed,
and she threw back the lattice and looked out. Beneath lay a garden
which belonged to the prince, and in the garden was an ox, who was
drawing up water from the well all by himself--for there was nobody to
be seen anywhere. The ox raised his head at the noise the girl made in
opening the lattice, and said to her, 'Good morning, O daughter of Buk
Ettemsuch! Your father is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and
then he will put you on a spit and cook you.'

These words so frightened the maiden that she burst into tears and ran
out of the room. All day she wept, and when the ogre came home at night,
no supper was ready for him.

'What are you crying for?' said he. 'Where is my supper, and is it you
who have opened the upper chamber?'

'Yes, I opened it,' answered she.

'And what did the ox say to you?'

'He said, "Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch. Your father is
feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he will put you on a
spit and cook you."'

'Well, to-morrow you can go to the window and say, "My father is feeding
me up till I am nice and fat, but he does not mean to eat me. If I had
one of your eyes I would use it for a mirror, and look at myself before
and behind; and your girths should be loosened, and you should be
blind--seven days and seven nights."'

'All right,' replied the girl, and the next morning, when the ox spoke
to her, she answered him as she had been told, and he fell down straight
upon the ground, and lay there seven days and seven nights. But the
flowers in the garden withered, for there was no one to water them.

When the prince came into his garden he found nothing but yellow stalks;
in the midst of them the ox was lying. With a blow from his sword he
killed the animal, and, turning to his attendants, he said, 'Go and
fetch another ox!' And they brought in a great beast, and he drew the
water out of the well, and the flowers revived, and the grass grew green
again. Then the prince called his attendants and went away.

The next morning the girl heard the noise of the waterwheel, and she
opened the lattice and looked out of the window.

'Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch!' said the new ox. 'Your
father is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he