At this the old witch scowled until her eyebrows met. “Very well,” said she, “you shall have what you want if you can clean my stables to-morrow between the rise and the set of the sun. But I tell you plainly, if you fail in the doing, you shall be torn to pieces body and bones.” But the prince was not to be scared away with empty words. So the next morning the old witch came and took him to the stables where he was to do his task. There stood more than a hundred cattle, and the stable had not been cleaned for at least ten long years. “There is your work,” said the old witch, and then she left him. Well, the king’s son set to work with fork and broom and might and main, but—prut!—he might as well have tried to bale out the great ocean with a bucket. At noontide who should come to the stable but the pretty Swan Maiden herself. “When one is tired, one should rest for a while,” said she; “come and lay your head in my lap.” The prince was glad enough to do as she said, for nothing was to be gained by working at that task. So he laid his head in her lap, and she combed his hair with a golden comb till he fell fast asleep. When he awoke the Swan Maiden was gone, the sun was setting, and the stable was as clean as a plate. Presently he heard the old witch coming, so up he jumped and began clearing away a straw here and a speck there, just as though he were finishing the work. [Illustration: The Prince comes to the old, three eyed Witch’s house.] “You never did this by yourself!” said the old witch, and her brows grew as black as a thunder-storm. “That may be so, and that may not be so,” said the king’s son, “but you lent no hand to help; so now may I have the one who builds the fire and draws the water?” At this the old witch shook her head. “No,” said she, “there is more to be done yet before you can have what you ask for. If you can thatch the roof of the stable with bird feathers, no two of which shall be of the same color, and can do it between the rise and the set of sun to-morrow, then you shall have your sweetheart and welcome. But if you fail your bones shall be ground as fine as malt in the mill.” Very well; that suited the king’s son well enough. So at sunrise he arose and went into the fields with his gun; but if there were birds to be shot, it was few of them that he saw; for at noontide he had but two, and they were both of a color. At that time who should come to him but the Swan Maiden. “One should not tramp and tramp all day with never a bit of rest,” said she; “come hither and lay your head in my lap for a while.” The prince did as she bade him, and the maiden again combed his hair with a golden comb until he fell asleep. When he awoke the sun was setting, and his work was done. He heard the old witch coming, so up he jumped to the roof of the stable and began laying a feather here and a feather there, for all the world as though he were just finishing his task. “You never did that work alone,” said the old witch.