When the King's son saw the cows, he said to himself, "I'll have another game with the grey old man to-day!" That morning he went out--
His hound at his foot, His hawk on his hand, And his fine black horse to bear him--
and he never drew rein till he came as far as the big bush on the brink of the glen. The grey old man was there before him, and asked him would he have a game of cards.
"I will," says the King's son; "but you know well that I can beat you playing cards."
"We'll have another game, then," says the grey old man. "Did you ever play ball?"
"I did, indeed," said the King's son; "but I think that you are too old to play ball, and, besides that, we have no place here to play it."
"If you're contented to play, I'll find a place," says the grey old man.
The King's son followed him through the glen until he came to a fine green hill. There he drew out a little enchanted rod, spoke some words which the King's son did not understand, and after a moment the hill opened and the two went in, and they passed through a number of splendid halls until they came out into a garden. There was everything finer than another in that garden, and at the bottom of the garden there was a place for playing ball. They threw up a piece of silver to see who would have hand-in, and the grey old man got it.
They began then, and the grey old man never stopped until he won out the game. The King's son did not know what he would do. At last he asked the old man what would he desire him to do for him.
"I am King over the Black Desert, and you must find out myself and my dwelling-place within a year and a day, or I shall find you out and you shall lose your head."
Then he brought the King's son out the same way by which he went in. The green hill closed behind them, and the grey old man disappeared out of sight.
The King's son went home, riding on his horse--
His hound at his foot, His hawk on his hand--
That evening the King observed that there was grief and great trouble on his young son, and when he went to sleep the King and every person that was in the castle heard heavy sighings and ravings from him. The King was in grief--a goat's head to be on the Queen--but he was seven times worse when they told him the (whole) story how it happened from beginning to end.