A sergeant-major cried for mercy , saying he had nine wounds , and was a brave fellow , and did not deserve this disgrace . So the blower let him off , and he came down without hurt . Then he said to him , ` Now go home to the King , and say that if he sends any more cavalry I will blow them all into the air . ' When the King received the message , he said , ` Let the fellows go ; they are bewitched . ' Then the Six brought the treasure home , shared it among themselves , and lived contentedly till the end of their days . THE WIZARD KING -LRB- 14 -RRB- -LRB- 14 -RRB- From Les fees illustres . In very ancient times there lived a King , whose power lay not only in the vast extent of his dominions , but also in the magic secrets of which he was master . After spending the greater part of his early youth in pleasure , he met a Princess of such remarkable beauty that he at once asked her hand in marriage , and , having obtained it , considered himself the happiest of men . After a year 's time a son was born , worthy in every way of such distinguished parents , and much admired by the whole Court . As soon as the Queen thought him strong enough for a journey she set out with him secretly to visit her Fairy godmother . I said secretly , because the Fairy had warned the Queen that the King was a magician ; and as from time immemorial there had been a standing feud between the Fairies and the Wizards , he might not have approved of his wife 's visit . The Fairy godmother , who took the deepest interest in all the Queen 's concerns , and who was much pleased with the little Prince , endowed him with the power of pleasing everybody from his cradle , as well as with a wonderful ease in learning everything which could help to make him a perfectly accomplished Prince . Accordingly , to the delight of his teachers , he made the most rapid progress in his education , constantly surpassing everyone 's expectations . Before he was many years old , however , he had the great sorrow of losing his mother , whose last words were to advise him never to undertake anything of importance without consulting the Fairy under whose protection she had placed him . The Prince 's grief at the death of his mother was great , but it was nothing compared to that of the King , his father , who was quite inconsolable for the loss of his dear wife . Neither time nor reason seemed to lighten his sorrow , and the sight of all the familiar faces and things about him only served to remind him of his loss . He therefore resolved to travel for change , and by means of his magic art was able to visit every country he came to see under different shapes , returning every few weeks to the place where he had left a few followers . Having travelled from land to land in this fashion without finding anything to rivet his attention , it occurred to him to take the form of an eagle , and in this shape he flew across many countries and arrived at length in a new and lovely spot , where the air seemed filled with the scent of jessamine and orange flowers with which the ground was thickly planted . Attracted by the sweet perfume he flew lower , and perceived some large and beautiful gardens filled with the rarest flowers , and with fountains throwing up their clear waters into the air in a hundred different shapes . A wide stream flowed through the garden , and on it floated richly ornamented barges and gondolas filled with people dressed in the most elegant manner and covered with jewels .
XXXXX one of these barges sat the Queen of that country with her only daughter , a maiden more beautiful than the Day Star , and attended by the ladies of the Court .
After In So among as at for through till to