the following day he once more pastured his cattle in the wood . when he came to the same clearing , and again ate his dinner there . and again he saw the rat and went to look for it , and again when he bent down he went head over heels , and fell fast asleep . and again he dreamed of the princess on the mount of the golden queen , and that in order to get her he would need seventy pounds of iron and a pair of iron shoes . he awoke and it was all a dream . by now he had made up his mind to find the mount of the golden queen , and he went home with his herd . on the third day , when he led out his cattle , he could not reach the clearing of his happy dream too soon . again the rat showed itself and when he went to look for it , he fell asleep as he had done each preceding day . and again he dreamed of the princess on the mount of the golden queen , and that she came to him , and laid a letter and a band of gold in his pocket . then he awoke and to his indescribable surprise , he found in his pocket both of the things of which he had dreamed , the letter and the band . now he had no time to attend to the cattle any longer , but drove them straight home . then he went into the stable , led out a horse , sold it , and bought seventy pounds of iron and a pair of iron shoes with the money . he made the thole - pins out of the iron , put on his iron shoes , and set forth . for a time he traveled by land . at last he came to the lake which he had to cross . he saw nothing but water before and behind him , and rowing so long and steadily that he wore out one thole - pin after another . he at length reached land , and a green meadow , where no trees grew . he walked all around the meadow , and at last found a mound of earth from which smoke was rising . when he looked more closely , out came a woman who was nine yards long . he asked her to tell him the way to the mount of the golden queen . 
he needed it to save the princess .
why did the lad buy seventy pounds of iron and a pair of iron shoes ?
why did the lad buy seventy pounds of iron and a pair of iron shoes ?