226 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

He prays thee no more time to waste,
But bring him back in greatest haste.”

“So!” exclaimed King Cloudcatcher with a
laugh so loud that it nearly blew the elf from
his finger, “I thought we had found the way to
his heart. Come, friend elf, since thou hast
executed thy mission so well, thou shalt take
a journey to yonder
high mountain and
see the prison where
we have the dwarf
prince in safe keep-
ing.”

So saying, the
giant picked up his
great hood that lay
on the ground be-
side him, and_ that
was much larger than the hut of either
the hunter or the rover, or, in fact, than
both put together, and, placing the elf on the
top of it, where he could sit or walk about as
he felt inclined, and whence he would have a
fine view of the country through which they
‘must pass, the giant carefully put his hood on