Tales of Giants from Brazil | Page 5

aid."
The prince sailed up the great river which leads to Giantland. He
anchored at many harbors and took part in many festas. By the time he
had reached Giantland he had spent all his gold.
At home in the palace garden the youngest prince watched the lemon

tree carefully every day. He watered it and pruned it. He took splendid
care of it.
[Illustration: The youngest prince watched the lemon tree carefully
every day]
When at last the prince set out to climb the mountain which leads to the
fountain of Giantland he felt very brave and very wise. He climbed
steadily on and on, looking neither to the right nor to the left, even
though he heard the voices of the giants shouting at him, and from the
corners of his eyes could see the giant forms along the pathway.
Suddenly he heard the voice of his own brother, the eldest prince,
weeping as the giant gave him blows. At that sound he forgot all about
looking straight ahead.
The moment the prince turned his eyes from the pathway straight ahead
of him a giant seized him and made him his slave. "You shall be my
slave for ever and a day," said the giant, "unless you have gold enough
to pay your ransom."
At home in the palace garden his little brother was watching the lemon
tree. The very moment its leaves began to wither he noticed it and ran
at once to the king. "O my father," he cried as soon as he was in the
king's presence. "My brother is in trouble. I must go to his aid."
"You, my son, are only a lad," said the king. "How can you succeed
when your two older brothers have failed? I cannot bear to let you go.
You are all I have left. I prefer to remain blind the rest of my days. O,
why did I ever listen to the story the little old woman told me about the
water of the fountain of Giantland?"
The youngest prince begged so hard to go that at length his father
granted his request and prepared a fleet for him. He gave him all the
gold he could collect in the kingdom.
The prince set out with brave heart. He sailed on his way steadily
although at every harbour there were voices which bade him linger.

There were games and feasting and fair maidens.
Soon the youngest prince had reached Giantland. Above him rose the
rough steep rocky mountain. Before he started to make the ascent he
first stuffed cotton in his ears. Then he carefully placed upon his head a
bottle to fill with the water of the fountain of Giantland.
He climbed up the steep mountain looking neither to the right nor to the
left. Through the cotton in his ears he could faintly hear the giant
voices calling him. From the corners of his eyes he could see the giant
forms along the pathway. He resolutely kept his eyes fixed straight
ahead and steadily climbed upward though the path was very rough and
full of stones. The cotton in his ears prevented him from hearing the
voices of his two brothers crying out when the giants beat them.
At length the lad was in sight of the fountain at the summit of the
mountain. The little old woman was standing in the path, watching his
ascent. As soon as he came near to her he took the cotton out of his ears
so that he might hear what she had to say to him.
"You have arrived at a safe moment," the little old woman told him.
"The dragon is asleep."
The little old woman helped the prince fill the bottle with water from
the fountain. Then she said, "The dragon which guards the fountain is
an enchanted princess. No prince has ever before been brave enough
and wise enough to reach this spot. In a year and a day from this
moment her enchantment will be broken. Come again and claim her as
your bride."
The little old woman gave the prince a ring, and the prince drew a ring
from his own finger and gave it to the little old woman. "When the
enchantment is broken put my ring upon the finger of the princess," he
said. "Expect me back in a year and a day. I'll be sure to come."
The prince made his way back down the steep slope of the mountain,
guarding his bottle full of the water of the fountain of Giantland with
the utmost care. When he was half way down the mountain he saw his

two brothers standing in his path.
"Viva," cried they. "You have been successful. You have a bottle full of
the water from the fountain. Now