"All the better, all the better; that will be of use to you."
He goes down to tell the serpent that there is a sportsman who can
kill a swallow in its flight. And at the same moment the weather
becomes black as night, and earth and sky are mingled together, and
all are trembling with fright. The serpent gives the captain a good
drink for the sportsman, and they bind him to the mast. At midnight
a piercing cry was heard. It was the bird which was passing over,
and our sportsman has the good luck to kill him. At the very instant
the sea becomes calm. The captain goes to the serpent, and tells him
that the bird is killed.