while they were asleep in a barn and killed them, and persuaded
the villagers that if THEY did not kill the other soldiers before
morning they would certainly be killed themselves. Thus it
happened that when the sun rose not a single soldier was alive in
the village.

Of course this news soon reached the king's ears, and he was very
angry, and summoned the Wise Man to take counsel with him. And
this was the counsel of the Wise Man--that he should invite all
the people in the countryside to a ball, and among them the bold
and impudent thief would be sure to come, and would be sure to
ask the king's daughter to dance with him.

'Your counsel is good,' said the king, who made his feast and
prepared for his ball; and all the people of the countryside were
present, and the Shifty Lad came with them.

When everyone had eaten and drunk as much as they wanted they
went into the ballroom. There was a great throng, and while they
were pressing through the doorway the Wise Man, who had a bottle
of black ointment hidden in his robes, placed a tiny dot on the
cheek of the Shifty Lad near his ear. The Shifty Lad felt
nothing, but as he approached the king's daughter to ask her to
be his partner he caught sight of the black dot in a silver
mirror. Instantly he guessed who had put it there and why, but he
said nothing, and danced so beautifully that the princess was
quite delighted with him. At the end of the dance he bowed low to
his partner and left her, to mingle with the crowd that was
filling the doorway. As he passed the Wise Man he contrived not
only to steal the bottle but to place two black dots on his face,