endowed with the gift by a fairy. May not the MIRANDA
same be the case with me? Be not surprised, but
tell me what has brought you here.’
‘A thousand misfortunes,’ answered Miranda. ‘I
am forced to fly from the rage of a cruel father.’
‘Come then with me, madam,’ said the Ram, ‘and
I will conduct you to a place where you will be
secure from discovery, and be treated with the
utmost respect.’
The Ram then ordered his chariot, which was large
enough to hold two persons with ease, and was
lined with blue velvet, and drawn by six cashmere
goats. The princess placed herself in it, and the
Ram got in after her, and drove to the mouth of a
cave, which though stopped by a large stone, was
opened when the Ram touched it with his foot.
Miranda, having descended numerous marble steps,
was exceedingly surprised to find herself in a
strange country, in a plain enamelled with flowers,
where played fountains of fragrant essences.
Here and there clumps of trees formed a habitation
for birds; and when Miranda passed, they flew
out in the form of tartlets, cheese-cakes, sponge-
cakes, and biscuits, all supplied with wings.
The princely Ram told Miranda that he had reigned
here for several years, and had sufficient cause for
grief. He required but little persuasion to tell his
sad story.
‘Born and educated as a prince,’ said he, ‘I came
into possession of one of the most delightful king-
doms in the world, and I was much beloved by my
subjects and respected by foreigners. Being fond
of hunting, as I was one day pursuing a stag, he
took me to a pond, into which I imprudently
plunged my horse after him. Instead of finding
the water cold, I found it to be extremely hot; and
the pond dried up all of a sudden, and there shot
out of a hole in the earth a terrible fire. Then the
bottom of the pond sank, and I went down a long
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