Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/59

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THE SPELL-BOUND GIANT..
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magician, "fill all the bags with them and send them with the horse to me, and the horse shall return for you." What did the boy do? The lad filled the bags with bones, and when the horse was descending he threw a large stone at the master and broke his legs. At this moment the giant suddenly experienced great joy and summoned the boy who was still in his palace and said to him, "Do you know that my spell is broken? some one has killed the magician." And by degrees as the magician's life was ebbing away so the giant's palace kept rising and rising. On awaking in the morning the lad looked out of his chamber window and he saw his mother's house standing near. The mother, who had also risen from her couch at the same hour as her son had done, on opening the front door saw that opposite to her house a splendid palace had risen up. She was much astonished at what she saw, and at that moment her son and his brother, the one who had killed the magician, both stood before her. The other two doves had also broken their spell and were transformed into beautiful maidens, and they married the two brothers. The giant was also disenchanted because he was a prince, and he married the beautiful maiden who in the shape of a white dove had been flying round about his palace.




IX.—The Enchanted Maiden.

There was once a man who had three daughters. In the country where he lived it was the custom to hang up a gold ball at the door when they wanted husbands for the girls who were single, as a sign to the young men. When the eldest daughter wished to get married the father hung a gold ball over the street door. Many persons passed the door, and as they saw