Page:The Enchanted Knights; or The Chronicle of the Three Sisters.djvu/102

22 same time the reputation of a wizard. He carried me over the sea to England, in the form of a light skiff, and returned with me to Mecklenburg, where he changed into a winged horse which carried me comfortably on its back to my own country. It was he also who went as a scout to bring me information of your affairs. By my order, transformed into a light zephyr, he directed your ship towards the Amber shore, and when the tempest had shattered it, he drew you from the water to the sands, and while asleep in the fisherman’s hut, carried you on his back to this palace.—I would not lose him for half my kingdom but, as you have gained my friendship, I shall give him to you on your good faith to use him for a time, and when you shall no longer want his services, send him back in the form of a hawk with the ring in his beak. If you require his assistance, turn the ring three times round your finger, towards the right, and he will be ready to obey you, and as soon as he has done what you desired, turn the ring three times to the left, when he will again enter his adamantine habitation.” Prince Udo received this token of the king’s esteem with the utmost gratitude. He looked at the ring and saw through the transparent gem, a misty little cloud, which imagination could as easily