A moment now and he would have gained it , when , through the groans and yells , he heard his brothers ' voices . He turned , and there was one stone the more . And all this while his sister was pacing up and down the palace , hardly letting the knife out of her hand , and dreading what she knew she would see , and what she did see . The blade grew red before her eyes , and she said , ` Now it is my turn . ' So she walked , and she walked , and she walked till she came to the giant , and prayed him to tell her if he had seen three young men pass that way seeking the distant mountain . ' I have seen them pass , but they have never returned , and by this I know that the spell has fallen upon them . ' ` And what must I do to set them free , and to find the water of life , and the talking bird , and a branch of the tree of beauty ? ' ` You must go to that mountain , which is so full of stones that your feet will hardly find a place to tread , and as you climb you will hear a noise as if all the stones in the world were mocking you ; but pay no heed to anything you may hear , and , once you gain the top , you have gained everything . ' The girl thanked him for his counsel , and set out for the mountain ; and scarcely had she gone a few steps upwards when cries and screams broke forth around her , and she felt as if each stone she trod on was a living thing . But she remembered the words of the giant , and knew not what had befallen her brothers , and kept her face steadily towards the mountain top , which grew nearer and nearer every moment . But as she mounted the clamour increased sevenfold : high above them all rang the voices of her three brothers . But the girl took no heed , and at last her feet stood upon the top . Then she looked round , and saw , lying in a hollow , the pool of the water of life . And she took the brazen pitcher that she had brought with her , and filled it to the brim . By the side of the pool stood the tree of beauty , with the talking bird on one of its boughs ; and she caught the bird , and placed it in a cage , and broke off one of the branches . After that she turned , and went joyfully down the hill again , carrying her treasures , but her long climb had tired her out , and the brazen pitcher was very heavy , and as she walked a few drops of the water spilt on the stones , and as it touched them they changed into young men and maidens , crowding about her to give thanks for their deliverance . So she learnt by this how the evil spell might be broken , and she carefully sprinkled every stone till there was not one left -- only a great company of youths and girls who followed her down the mountain . When they arrived at the palace she did not lose a moment in planting the branch of the tree of beauty and watering it with the water of life . And the branch shot up into a tree , and was heavy with flowers , and the talking bird nestled in its branches . Now the fame of these wonders was noised abroad , and the people flocked in great numbers to see the three marvels , and the maiden who had won them ; and among the sightseers came the king 's son , who would not go till everything was shown him , and till he had heard how it had all happened .
And the prince admired the strangeness and beauty of the treasures in the palace , but more than all he admired the beauty and courage XXXXX the maiden who had brought them there .
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