So the Princess and the baby floated and drifted in the chest on the sea all day and night , but the baby was not afraid of the waves nor of the wind , for he did not know that they could hurt him , and he slept quite soundly . And the Princess sang a song over him , and this was her song : `` Child , my child , how sound you sleep ! Though your mother 's care is deep , You can lie with heart at rest In the narrow brass-bound chest ; In the starless night and drear You can sleep , and never hear Billows breaking , and the cry Of the night-wind wandering by ; In soft purple mantle sleeping With your little face on mine , Hearing not your mother weeping And the breaking of the brine . '' Well , the daylight came at last , and the great chest was driven by the waves against the shore of an island . There the brass-bound chest lay , with the Princess and her baby in it , till a man of that country came past , and saw it , and dragged it on to the beach , and when he had broken it open , behold ! there was a beautiful lady and a little boy . So he took them home , and was very kind to them , and brought up the boy till he was a young man . Now when the boy had come to his full strength the King of that country fell in love with his mother , and wanted to marry her , but he knew that she would never part from her boy . So he thought of a plan to get rid of the boy , and this was his plan : A great Queen of a country not far off was going to be married , and this king said that all his subjects must bring him wedding presents to give her . And he made a feast to which he invited them all , and they all brought their presents ; some brought gold cups , and some brought necklaces of gold and amber , and some brought beautiful horses ; but the boy had nothing , though he was the son of a princess , for his mother had nothing to give him . Then the rest of the company began to laugh at him , and the King said : `` If you have nothing else to give , at least you might go and fetch the Terrible Head . '' The boy was proud , and spoke without thinking : `` Then I swear that I will bring the Terrible Head , if it may be brought by a living man . But of what head you speak I know not . '' Then they told him that somewhere , a long way off , there dwelt three dreadful sisters , monstrous ogrish women , with golden wings and claws of brass , and with serpents growing on their heads instead of hair . Now these women were so awful to look on that whoever saw them was turned at once into stone . And two of them could not be put to death , but the youngest , whose face was very beautiful , could be killed , and it was her head that the boy had promised to bring . You may imagine it was no easy adventure . When he heard all this he was perhaps sorry that he had sworn to bring the Terrible Head , but he was determined to keep his oath . So he went out from the feast , where they all sat drinking and making merry , and he walked alone beside the sea in the dusk of the evening , at the place where the great chest , with himself and his mother in it , had been cast ashore . There he went and sat down on a rock , looking toward the sea , and wondering how he should begin to fulfill his vow .
Then he felt some one touch him XXXXX the shoulder ; and he turned , and saw a young man like a king 's son , having with him a tall and beautiful lady , whose blue eyes shone like stars .
So at for if on over that though till toward