Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/358

328 own club. Nothing in the world was as ugly as he, for there was only one eye in his forehead, which blazes like a coal, and no warrior was able to defeat him. Perhaps on to-morrow there will come a warrior—for every day there was sure to come one—and when he be fighting the warrior the branch shall be in his belt, and when he would strike the warrior perhaps there might be a chance of picking a berry off it, but it might be the cause of your death," says the robin of the wood.

"I would give a hundred lives," says the 'other robin, "for Rosaline's sake."

So early the next day they saw a great warrior coming, and the giant bounded high in the air and plucked a branch off the tree and put it in his belt. The warrior gave him battle, and they were not long fighting when the giant got fatigued, and he took a handful of the berries to revive him, and with one mighty blow he struck down the warrior with his iron club; and as the warrior fell the giant went on his knees with the mighty stroke he made, and the branch that was in his belt fell out behind him, and the robin like a dart of lightning picked a berry off the branch and made her escape.

She flew towards the king's castle; and as she was flying towards it she saw a beautiful body of warriors coming along led by a beautiful prince, the like of whom she had never seen. She flew on towards the king's castle; and as she arrived there she found Rosaline outside the castle-walls, sitting on the steps. She lit on her shoulder and put the berry between her lips; and no sooner did she swallow it than, as beautiful as she was first, she was twice as beautiful then; and when she saw how beautiful she looked she thought it was dreaming she was. She heard a great noise coming; and as she looked she saw a beautiful prince accompanied by a great number of warriors; and as he came up nearer he jumped off his steed and went on his knee at her side.