FORTUNATTS. 95

he climbed up a high tree for safety ; and he had hardly seated
himself in it, before a lion walked fiercely up to the spring to
drink. This made him very much afraid. When the lion had
gone away, a bear came to drink also ; and, as the moon shone
very bright, he looked up and saw Fortunatus, and straight
began to climb up the tree to get at him.

Fortunatus drew his sword, and sat quict till the bear was
come within arm’s length ; and then he ran him through the
body with it several times. This drove the bear so very savage,
that he made a great spring to get at him; but the bough
broke, and down he fell, and Jay sprawling and making a
shocking yell on the ground. Fortunatus now looked around
on all sides; and as he saw no more wild beasts near, he
thought this would be a good time to get rid of the bear at
once ; sodown he came, and killed him at a single blow. Being
almost starved for want of food, he stooped down, and was
going to suck the blood of the bear ; but looking round once
more, to sce if any wild beast was coming, he on a sudden
beheld a beautiful lady standing by his side, with a bandage
over her eyes, leaning upon a wheel, and looking as if she was
going to speak. ‘The lady did not make him wait long before
she said these words: “Know, young man, that my name is
Fortune ; I have the power to bestow wisdom, strength, riches,
health, beauty, and long life; one of these I am willing to
bestow on you, choose for yourself which it shall be.” Fortu-
natus was not a moment before he answered, ‘ Good lady, I
wish to have riches in such plenty that I may never again
know what it is to be so hungry as I now find myself.”—The
lady then gave him a purse, and told him that in all the
countries where he might happen to be, he need only put bis
hand into the purse as often as he pleased, and he would be
sure to find in it ten pices of gold; that the purse should