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298 others again carried fruit, flowers, and even birds. But what were the feelings of the Fairy, who followed this fair and numerous troop, when she saw the sea-rushes looking so like the King of the Gold Mines, that it was impossible to distinguish the least difference between them? At this sight, struck with astonishment and the deepest grief, she uttered so fearful a shriek that it pierced the skies, made the hills tremble, and was echoed even in the infernal regions. The Furies, Megara, Alecto, and Tisiphone, could not assume a more terrible appearance than did the Fairy of the Desert at that moment. She threw herself on the seeming body of the King; she wept, she howled, she tore to pieces fifty of the most beautiful maidens who had accompanied her, immolating them to the manes of the dear departed. After this she invoked the presence of eleven of her sister fairies, and requested them to aid her in the construction of a superb mausoleum, in which she might deposit the remains of the young hero. Every one of the eleven was, like the Desert Fairy, deceived by the appearance of the sea-rushes. This circumstance is enough to surprise one, for fairies in general know everything; but the clever Syren proved in this case that she knew more than they did.

While they were collecting porphyry, jasper, agate, and marble, statues, devices, gold and bronze to immortalise the memory of the King they believed to be dead, he was thanking the amiable Syren, and conjuring her to continue to protect him. She pledged herself to do so in the kindest manner possible, and vanished from his sight. There was nothing left for him to do, but to advance towards the Steel Castle.

So, guided by his love, he strode on rapidly, narrowly examining every part of the castle in hopes of discovering his adorable Princess; but he was not long without other occupation. Four terrible sphinxes surrounded him, and flying on him with their sharp talons would quickly have torn him in pieces, if the diamond sword had not proved as useful to him as the Syren had predicted. He had scarcely flashed it in the eyes of these monsters before they fell powerless at his feet. He dealt each of them its death-blow, then advancing again, he encountered six dragons, covered with scales, harder to pierce than iron. Alarming as was this adventure, his courage remained unshaken, and making good use of