“No, I know nothing about them, but that never bothers me. If at any time I think I am going in the wrong direction, it is easy to right myself.”
“How is that?” said the Prince.
“Oh, I have the power of stretching myself out to any length, and if I lose my way I have only to make myself tall enough to see over the tree-tops, and then I can easily tell where I am.”
“That must be very curious. I should like to see that,” said the Prince.
Well, that was easy enough, and the man would be glad enough to oblige him. So he began to stretch himself. He stretched and stretched and stretched until he was taller than the tallest tree in the forest. His head and body were quite lost to sight among the branches, and all that the Prince could see were his legs and feet.
“Is that enough?” the man called down to the Prince.
“Yes, that is enough,” answered the Prince, and he had to shout to make himself heard, the man’s head was so far away.
Then the man began to shrink. He shrank and shrank until he was no taller than the Prince himself.
“You are a wonderful fellow,” said the Prince. “What is your name?”