"Yes, I do!" said the Princess. "Do you live here all alone?"
"Why, of course," replied the Crab-herd, "I look after all the crabs of the district. You may see me collect them if you like, for if I'm to go with you now, I must shut them up safely before starting."
As he said this, he rose, and blowing a few notes on his horn, he walked slowly along, followed by the Princess.
As the horn sounded, crabs of every size and colour came darting out from the stones, and scuttled across the sand towards the Crab-boy. There were red and green, yellow and brown, large and small—a procession growing larger and larger, until it reached an enclosed space, into which the boy guided it, and then shut the gate securely.
The Princess had dropped down to rest upon a conch-shell, in the shade of some purple seaweed, and she looked up at the Crab-herd with her large blue eyes, while he counted his crabs, and chased in one or two of the stragglers.
"Is the Sea-grandmother's house far off?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Up in the great mountains, no distance from here. She lives in a cave, with plenty of space for her knitting."
"Does she knit much?" enquired Sidigunda.
"Yes; she knits and spins too. She never leaves off; and never has for hundreds and thousands of years."
"What a very old lady she must be! Old enough to be a great-great-great-grandmother!" cried the Princess in astonishment.