THE MAID WITH HAIR OF GOLD 77

When George looked towards where this strange talk came
he saw a gander flying at the head of a flock of geese.

“ How lucky,” thought he; ‘‘now I know why my master
set so much value on this fish and wished to eat it all
himself.”

George had now no doubt that by tasting the fish he had
learnt the language of animals, so after having taken a little
more he served the king with the remainder as if nothing had
happened.

When his majesty had dined he ordered George to saddle
two horses and accompany him for a ride. They were soon
off, the master in front, the servant behind.

While crossing a meadow George’s horse began to prance
and caper, neighing out these words, “‘I say, brother, I feel so
light and in such good spirits to-day that in one single bound
I could leap over those mountains yonder.”

“T could do the same,” answered the king’s horse, “ but
I carry a feeble old man on my back; he would fall like a log
and break his skull.”

“What does that matter to you? So much the better if
he should break his head, for then, instead of being ridden by
an old man you would probably be mounted by a young one.”

The servant laughed a good deal upon hearing this con-
versation between the horses, but he took care to do so on the
quiet, lest the king should hear him. At that moment his
majesty turned round, and, seeing a smile on the man’s face,
asked the cause of it.

“Oh. nothing, your majesty, only some nonsense that
came into my head.”

The king said nothing, and asked no more questions, but