“When the great day for the contest came, a large gathering of the suitors was held in an open field at the foot of the Fire Mountains. They were a fine and noble company of young men who contended for Kuldah’s hand, and her father said she should have felt proud and glad at such a sight. But she was too sad to feel proud. She had dressed as became a Sun Princess, and her gown was of finely spun gold, embroidered in diamonds. Her white arms and throat gleamed through the thin gauze dress, and a girdle of diamonds encircled her slender waist. From her shoulders fell a train, which swept for yards behind her, and a narrow gold band held her beautiful hair in place. For her hair hung about her in loose masses, falling far below her waist, and mingling its burnt-gold color with that of her brilliant dress, so that one could hardly tell where one ended and the other began. As she stood she looked like a golden Princess, except that her face was as pale as the fleecy clouds overhead. “In her majestic beauty she let them kneel and kiss her hand. Each one, as he touched her hand, swore in turn to be faithful and true to the knight who should win her, but each one believed secretly he himself would be the winner. Then began the tournament of skill. One showed how he could ride; another how he could mount and dismount, or how he could unhorse an enemy; a third used the gloves or the sword with wonderful dexterity; another engaged in a trial of strength, or swiftness in running; and so on until the long list was completed. “It seemed to the Princess, as she watched in despair their wonderful deeds, that there was nothing left for her beloved even to attempt. The suitors had all done such marvellous things; and her heart ached within her when she learned from one of her handmaidens that her lover was the last to appear on the lists. Yet, when he did step forth, calm and serene, her heart leaped again to her throat, her confidence returned; for he looked strong and handsome, and it was only with pride and pleasure she gazed upon him. She leaned forward with a smiling face to listen to his words, for he was speaking. “‘O mighty King of the Sun,’ he was saying. ‘I have one request to make of you before beginning my experiment. If successful in what I undertake, I want your consent to take the Princess away with me from the Sun lands. What I shall try to accomplish to-day is but the beginning of a great problem I wish to work out. It may take thousands of years to complete, and I wish to live in a land of my own choosing, that I may be able to accomplish it.’