now the third knight had a friend in china, so he wrote to him to get the skin of the fire-rat. the virtue of any part of this animal was that no fire could harm it. he promised his friend any amount of money he liked to ask if only he could get him the desired article. as soon as the news came that the ship on which his friend had sailed home had come into port, he rode seven days on horseback to meet him. he handed his friend a large sum of money, and received the fire-rat's skin. when he reached home he put it carefully in a box and sent it in to the princess while he waited outside for her answer.