Tales of Giants from Brazil | Page 6

if you also have your pockets full of
gold you can pay our ransom and we will return with you to our father's
kingdom."
"My pockets are still lined with gold which my father gave me," said
the youngest prince. "Help yourselves. It is yours if it can serve you."
There was more than enough money to pay the ransom of his two older
brothers.
When they were sailing down the great river towards home the two
older brothers plotted against the youngest prince. "Come," said one to
the other. "How can we let our father know that it was our little brother
who succeeded in this quest? Let us cast our brother ashore. Then we
will go together to our father with the water from the fountain of
Giantland. When his sight is restored we will share his blessing and the
honors of the kingdom. We will claim no knowledge of our youngest
brother."
This is what the two eldest princes did. The youngest prince was cast
ashore when he was asleep. After many long weary wanderings he
found refuge in the hut of a poor fisherman and hired out to work for
him.
The king's eyesight was restored immediately when he had bathed his
eyes in the water from the fountain of Giantland. The two princes were
given all the honors of the kingdom. The whole kingdom, however,
mourned the loss of the little prince. The king and queen never gave up
hoping that he would come back to them. The queen carefully laid
away all the clothes which had belonged to the youngest prince so that
they would be ready for him if he should return to the palace. Every
day she shook them out with loving care, so that the baratas and white
ants would not eat holes in them.
A year and a day flew swiftly by. The huge dragon which had guarded
the fountain of Giantland escaped from her enchantment and was

restored to the form of a beautiful princess.
The little old woman and the princess watched and waited for the return
of the prince according to his promise. "Some evil must surely have
befallen the lad," said the little old woman. "Let us go in search of him.
I know he was a lad who would not break his word."
The little old woman and the beautiful princess who wore the prince's
own ring upon her finger came to the palace of the king. When the king
had listened to the story they told, the guilty princes were called before
him. They were forced to confess their evil deed. They were
immediately thrown into prison. The anger of the whole kingdom was
kindled against them.
Then the king and the queen and all the court sailed in their swiftest
ships to the place where the little prince had been cast ashore. The little
old woman and the beautiful princess who wore the prince's own ring
upon her finger went with them. At length after much searching they
found the fisherman's hut and the prince working for the fisherman.
The king and the queen and all the court wept tears of joy when they
beheld the youngest prince alive and well. The queen wept again when
she noticed the poor rough clothing which the prince was wearing. She
had brought with her the prince's favourite suit of cloth of gold which
she had laid away carefully. When the prince put it on it was a trifle
tight and a little bit too short for him, as he had grown so much in the
year. Nevertheless he looked very handsome in it when he stood before
the beautiful princess and claimed her as his bride.
The fisherman was greatly astonished at all the proceedings, for he had
never dreamed that it was the king's son who had been working for him
all the year and sleeping on a mat at his side on the floor of his rude
hut.
"He may be a prince, but he is the most faithful lad who ever worked
for me," said the fisherman.
"He is indeed a prince," cried the courtiers, "and the bravest, most

faithful prince which any land in all the world ever boasted of."
"His princely deeds have proven to all the world that he is fit to reign as
king over our fair land when I no longer live," said the king as he gave
the prince and the beautiful princess his royal blessing.

III
THE BOY AND THE VIOLIN
Once upon a time there was a man who had an only son. When the man
died the son was left all alone in the world. There was not very much
property--just a cat and a dog, a small piece of land, and a few