` How am I to get that handkerchief ? ' cried he ; ` why I should need Jacob 's ladder ! ' But the horse answered : ` Do not be frightened ; call to the eagle you set free from the net , he will bring it to you . ' So Jose called to the eagle , and the eagle flew to the top of the tree and brought back the handkerchief in its beak . Jose thanked him , and vaulting on his horse they rode on to the river . A great deal of rain had fallen in the night , and the river , instead of being clear as it was before , was dark and troubled . ` How am I to fetch the ring from the bottom of this river when I do not know exactly where it was dropped , and can not even see it ? ' asked Jose . But the horse answered : ` Do not be frightened ; call the little fish whose life you saved , and she will bring it to you . ' So he called to the fish , and the fish dived to the bottom and slipped behind big stones , and moved little ones with its tail till it found the ring , and brought it to Jose in its mouth . Well pleased with all he had done , Jose returned to the palace ; but when the king took the precious objects to Bella-Flor , she declared that she would never open her door till the bandit who had carried her off had been fried in oil . ' I am very sorry , ' said the king to Jose , ' I really would rather not ; but you see I have no choice . ' While the oil was being heated in the great caldron , Jose went to the stables to inquire of his friend the horse if there was no way for him to escape . ` Do not be frightened , ' said the horse . ` Get on my back , and I will gallop till my whole body is wet with perspiration , then rub it all over your skin , and no matter how hot the oil may be you will never feel it . ' Jose did not ask any more questions , but did as the horse bade him ; and men wondered at his cheerful face as they lowered him into the caldron of boiling oil . He was left there till Bella-Flor cried that he must be cooked enough . Then out came a youth so young and handsome , that everyone fell in love with him , and Bella-Flor most of all . As for the old king , he saw that he had lost the game ; and in despair he flung himself into the caldron , and was fried instead of Jose . Then Jose was proclaimed king , on condition that he married Bella-Flor which he promised to do the next day .
But first he went to the stables and sought out the horse , and said XXXXX him : ` It is to you that I owe my life and my crown .
So as at from of out over that till to