The whole day after the prince had nothing to do but walk up and down the castle, and round about the castle, and look at the wonderful things that were there.  It was everywhere as if life had been lost in a single moment.  In one hall he saw a prince, who held in both hands a brandished sword, as if he intended to cleave somebody in twain; but the blow never fell:  he had been turned into stone.  In one chamber was a knight turned into stone, just as if he had been fleeing from some one in terror, and, stumbling on the threshold, had taken a downward direction, but not fallen.  Under the chimney sat a servant, who held in one hand a piece of roast meat, and with the other lifted a mouthful toward his mouth, which never reached it; when it was just in front of his mouth, he had also been turned to stone.  Many others he saw there turned to stone, each in the position in which he was when the wizard said, “Be turned into stone.”  He likewise saw many fine horses turned to stone, and in the castle and round the castle all was desolate and dead; there were trees, but without leaves; there were meadows, but without grass; there was a river but it did not flow; nowhere was there even a singing bird, or a flower, the offspring of the ground, or a white fish in the water.

Morning, noon, and evening the prince and his companions found good and abundant entertainment in the castle; the viands came of themselves, the wine poured itself out.  After supper the folding doors opened again, and the wizard brought in the princess for the prince to guard.  And although they all determined to exert themselves with all their might not to fall asleep, yet it was of no use, fall asleep again they did.  And when the prince awoke at dawn and saw the princess had vanished, he jumped up and pulled Sharpsight by the arm, “Hey! get up, Sharpsight, do you know where the princess is?” He rubbed his eyes, looked, and said:  “I see her.  There’s a mountain two hundred miles off, and in the mountain a rock, and in the rock a precious stone, and she’s that precious stone.  If Long carries me thither, we shall obtain her.”

Long took him at once on his shoulders, extended himself, and went twenty miles at a step.  Sharpsight fixed his flaming eyes on the mountain, the mountain crumbled, and the rock in it split into a thousand pieces, and amongst them glittered the precious stone.  They took it up and brought it to the prince, and when he let it fall on the ground, the princess again stood there.  When afterward the wizard came and saw her there, his eyes flashed with spite, and bang! again an iron hoop cracked upon him and flew off.  He growled and led the princess out of the room.

That day all was again as it had been the day before.  After supper the wizard brought the princess in again, looked the prince keenly in the face, and scornfully uttered the words, “It will be seen who’s a match for whom; whether you are victorious or I,” and with that he departed.  This night they all exerted themselves still more to avoid going to sleep.  They wouldn’t even sit down, they wanted to walk about all night long, but all in vain; they were bewitched; one fell asleep after the other as he walked and the princess vanished away from them.