words inscribed on it--"Kill the bearer at once, and sprinkle his blood
like water!"

Now, as the son of seven Queens could not read, he took the fatal
message cheerfully, and set off to find the white Queen's mother.

Whilst he was journeying be passed through a town, where every one of
the inhabitants looked so sad, that he could not help asking what was
the matter. They told him it was because the King's only daughter
refused to marry; so when her father died there would be no heir to the
throne. They greatly feared she must be out of her mind, for though
every good-looking young man in the kingdom had been shown to her, she
declared she would only marry one who was the son of seven mothers, and
who ever heard of such a thing? The King, in despair, had ordered every
man who entered the city gates to be led before the Princess; so, much
to the lad's impatience, for he was in an immense hurry to find his
mothers' eyes, he was dragged into the presence-chamber.

No sooner did the Princess catch sight of him than she blushed, and,
turning to the King, said, "Dear father, this is my choice!"

Never were such rejoicings as these few words produced.

The inhabitants nearly went wild with joy, but the son of seven Queens
said he would not marry the Princess unless they first let him recover
his mothers' eyes. When the beautiful bride heard his story, she asked
to see the potsherd, for she was very learned and clever. Seeing the
treacherous words, she said nothing, but taking another similar-shaped
bit of potsherd, she wrote on it these words--"Take care of this lad,
giving him all he desires," and returned it to the son of seven Queens,