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296 I am laying a snare for you; I am of too honest a nature to wish to serve your foes. The conduct of the Fairy of the Desert and of the Yellow Dwarf has incensed me against them. I see your unhappy Princess daily; her beauty and merit equally excite my compassion, and I repeat to you, if you will have confidence in me, I will save you." "I have such perfect confidence in you," said the King, "that I will do whatever you command; but as you have seen my Princess, pray give me some news of her." "We should lose too much time in conversation, here," said the Syren. "Come with me, I will convey you to the Steel Castle, and leave on the shore a figure so perfectly resembling you, that it shall deceive the Fairy.

She immediately cut some sea-rushes, and making a large bundle of them, blew three times upon them, and said, "Sea-rushes, my friends, I order you to lie stretched on the sand, without motion, until the Fairy of the Desert comes to take you away." The rushes became covered with skin, and so like the King of the Gold Mines, that he had never seen so astonishing a transformation. They were dressed in clothes exactly resembling his, and the countenance was pale and wasted, as if he had been drowned. The friendly Syren then made the King seat himself upon her great fish's tail, and thus they ploughed the sea together with mutual satisfaction.

"I will now willingly inform you," said the Syren, "that when the wicked Yellow Dwarf carried off Toute-belle, notwithstanding the wound the Fairy of the Desert had inflicted on her, he placed her behind him on the crupper of his horrible Spanish cat. She lost so much blood, and was so terrified by the whole occurrence, that her strength failed her, and she was in a swoon during the entire journey; but the Yellow Dwarf would not stop to give her the least assistance until he had safely arrived in his terrible Steel Palace. He was received on his entrance by the most beautiful nymphs in the world whom he had transported thither. They emulated each other in their eagerness to serve the Princess. She was put into a bed, the furniture of which was of cloth of gold, covered with pearls as big as walnuts." "Hah!" exclaimed the King of the Gold Mines, interrupting the Syren, "he has married her, then? I faint! I die!" "No," said she, "compose yourself, my Lord, the constancy of Toute-belle has preserved