Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/67

 The Giant who had no Heart. 55 eyes upon, and you could see the glitter of them a long way off, and each had his own horse, which cost many, many hundréd dollars, and so they set out on the journey. After håving been to many royal palaces and seen all the princesses there, they came at last to a king who had six daughters ; such lovely princesses they had never seen, and so each of them began wooing one of the six sisters, and when they had got them for sweethearts, they set out for home again ; but they quite forgot to bring a princess with them for Ashiepattle,1 who was left at home, so busy were they making love to their sweethearts. When they had journeyed a good bit of the way, they passed close to the side of a steep mountain, where there was a giant's castle. As soon as the giant saw them, he came out and turned them all, princes and princesses, into stone. But the king waited and waited for his six sons, but no sons came. He was very sad, and said that he should never be glad again. " Had you not been left to me," he said to Ashiepattle, " I should not care to live any longer. I am so sad because I have lost your brothers." — "But I have been thinking to ask for leave to set out and find them, I have," said Ashiepattle. — " No, I cannot let you go," said his father ;" I shall lose you as well." But Ashiepattle would go, and he begged and prayed till the king gave him leave to go. The king had no other horse to give him but an old jade, for his six brothers and their men had tåken all the other horses, but Ashiepattle did not mmd that ; he mounted the shabby old nag. "Good-bye, father," said he to the king, "I shall come back, sure enough, and who knows but I shall have my six brothers with me as well," and off he started. Well, when he had got a bit on his way, he came to a raven, which was lying in the road flapping his wings, and was unable to get out of his way, it was so famished. " Oh, dear friend, give me something to eat, and I will help you in your utmost need,"said the raven. — "Verylittle food have I," said the prince, "and you 1 The favourite hero of most Norwegian fairy tal&s is called " Askeladen," a sort of a male " Cinderella," and is always the youngest son of the family.