Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/46

 "Emperor Beramo who is anxious to recover his Mirror, which is in the possession of your Queen, according to the pact proposed by her to him, has sent us to these parts, above all to free this kingdom from much damage continuously caused by the Hand which appears on the sea every day, and then we have to take it back to him."

The counselors said that the queen was most delighted, and that if they freed the country from the damage caused by the Hand, the Mirror would immediately be assigned to them. The young men left in an orderly manner to return in time the next day.

The counselors went together with them to the seashore and they would operate in such a manner that the Hand would not reappear in the future nor would anyone anywhere in the country be carried off. This news spread through the city, and everyone was very pleased and felt great admiration. Knowing that the following morning the young men would go out to the seashore, a large number of people went outside the city at night to the place where the young men were going to be. And when the counselors accompanied by the whole court came in the morning, they went to the palace where the young men were staying.

Then, they left together and arrived on the seashore at sunrise and saw the Hand rising straight up, and opening above the sea. There, the older brother stood up immediately and facing the Hand, raised his own hand, with the second and third fingers straight up, and the other three fingers held tight and low. Thereupon, the Hand which had caused so much destruction, plunged into the sea and it has never been seen by anyone since.