Atondido Stories
their return, shading her eyes with her hand and gazing away
off at the horizon, hoping with all her heart that they would has-
ten to bring the night. In that position she was standing under a
royal palm tree, when the three slaves opened the bag and let
night escape. "Night comes. Night comes at last," she cried, as
she saw the clouds of night upon the horizon. Then she closed
her eyes and went to sleep there under the royal palm tree.
When she awoke she felt greatly refreshed. She was once more
the happy princess who had left her father's kingdom in the
depths of the great seas to come to the earth land. She was now
ready to see the day again. She looked up at the bright star shin-
ing above the royal palm tree and said, "O, bright beautiful star,
henceforth you shall be called the morning star and you shall
herald the approach of day. You shall reign queen of the sky at
this hour."
Then she called all the birds about her and said to them, "O,
wonderful, sweet singing birds, henceforth I command you to
sing your sweetest songs at this hour to herald the approach of
day." The cock was standing by her side. "You," she said to him,
"shall be appointed the watchman of the night. Your voice shall
mark the watches of the night and shall warn the others that the
madrugada comes." To this very day in Brazil we call the early
morning the madrugada. The cock announces its approach to
the waiting birds. The birds sing their sweetest songs at that
hour and the morning star reigns in the sky as queen of the
madrugada.
When it was daylight again the three slaves crept home
through the forests and jungles with their empty bag.
"O, faithless slaves," said their master, "why did you not obey
the voice of the GREAT SEA SERPENT and open the bag only in
117