To this end he gathered together a very large army, and determined

to be himself their leader. The news of the king's intention spread

swiftly over the whole kingdom, whereupon for the third time the fox

called together all her friends--the bear, the wolf, the kumrekusha,

the mouse, the mole, and the hare--to a general council.

When all were assembled the fox addressed them thus: "My friends, the

king has declared war against us, and intends to destroy us all. Now

it is our duty to defend ourselves in the best way we can. Let us each

see what number of animals we are able to muster. How many of your

brother bears do you think you can bring to our help, my good Bruin?"

The bear got up as quickly as he could on his hind legs and called out,

"I am sure I can bring a hundred."

"And how many of your friends can you bring, my good wolf?" asked

the fox anxiously.

"I can bring at least five hundred wolves with me," said the wolf

with an air of importance.

The fox nodded her satisfaction and continued, "And what can you do

for us, dear master hare?"

"Well, I think, I can bring about eight hundred," said the hare

cautiously.

"And what can you do, you dear little mouse?"

"Oh, I can certainly bring three thousand mice."

"Very well, indeed!--and you Mr. Mole?"

"I am sure I can gather eight thousand."

"And now what number do you think you can bring us, my great friend,

kumrekusha?"

"I fear not more than two or three hundred, at the very best," said

the kumrekusha sadly.

"Very good; now all of you go at once and collect your friends; when

you have brought all you can, we will decide what is to be done," said

the fox; whereupon the council broke up, and the animals dispersed

in different directions throughout the forest.

Not very long after, very unusual noises were heard in the

neighbourhood of the castle. There was a great shaking of trees; and

the growling of bears and the short sharp barking of wolves broke the

usual quiet of the forest. The army of animals was gathering from

all sides at the appointed place. When all were gathered together

the fox explained to them her plans in these words: "When the king's

army stops on its march to rest the first night, then you, bears

and wolves, must be prepared to attack and kill all the horses. If,

notwithstanding this, the army proceeds farther, you mice must be ready

to bite and destroy all the saddle-straps and belts while the soldiers

are resting the second night, and you hares must gnaw through the

ropes with which the men draw the cannon. If the king still persists

in his march, you moles must go the third night and dig out the earth

under the road they will take the next day, and must make a ditch full

fifteen yards in breadth and twenty yards in depth all round their

camp. Next morning, when the army begins to march over this ground

which has been hollowed out, you kumrekushas must throw down on them

from above heavy stones while the earth will give way under them."

The plan was approved, and all the animals went off briskly to attend

to their allotted duties.

When the king's army awoke, after their first night's rest on their

march, they beheld, to their great consternation, that all the horses

were killed. This sad news was reported at once to the king; but he

only sent back for more horses, and, when they came late in the day,

pursued his march.

The second night the mice crept quietly into the camp, and nibbled

diligently at the horses' saddles and at the soldiers' belts, while the

hares as busily gnawed at the ropes with which the men drew the cannon.

Next morning the soldiers were terrified, seeing the mischief the

animals had done. The king, however, reassured them, and sent back to

the city for new saddles and belts. When they were at length brought

he resolutely pursued his march, only the more determined to revenge

himself on these presumptuous and despised enemies.

On the third night, while the soldiers were sleeping, the moles

worked incessantly in digging round the camp a wide and deep trench

underground. About midnight the fox sent the bears to help the moles,

and to carry away the loads of earth.

Next morning the king's soldiers were delighted to find that no harm

seemed to have been done on the previous night to their horses or

straps, and started with new courage on their march. But their march

was quickly arrested, for soon the heavy horsemen and artillery began

to fall through the hollow ground, and the king, when he observed that,

called out, "Let us turn back. I see God himself is against us, since

we have declared war against the animals. I will give up my daughter."

Then the army turned back, amidst the rejoicings of the soldiers. The

men found, however, to their great surprise and fear, that whichever

way they turned, they fell through the earth. To make their

consternation yet more complete, the kumrekushas now began to throw

down heavy stones on them, which crushed them completely. In this

way the king, as well as his whole army, perished.

Very soon afterward the young nobleman, who had married the king's

daughter, went to the enemy's capital and took possession of the

king's palace, taking with him all his animals; and there they all

lived long and happily together.

XVI. THE THREE SUITORS

In a very remote country there formerly lived a king who had only one

child--an exceedingly beautiful daughter. The princess had a great

number of suitors, and amongst them were three young noblemen, whom

the king loved much. As, however, the king liked the three nobles

equally well, he could not decide to which of the three he should

give his daughter as wife. One day, therefore, he called the three

young noblemen to him, and said, "Go, all of you, and travel about

the world. The one of you who brings home the most remarkable thing

shall be my son-in-law!"

The three suitors started at once on their travels, each of them

taking opposite ways, and going in search of remarkable things into

far different countries.

A long time had not passed before one of the young nobles found a

wonderful carpet which would carry rapidly through the air whoever

sat upon it.

Another of them found a marvellous telescope, through which he could

see everybody and everything in the world, and even the many-coloured

sands at the bottom of the great deep sea.

The third found a wonder-working ointment, which could cure every

disease in the world, and even bring dead people back to life again.

Now the three noble travellers were far distant from each other

when they found these wonderful things. But when the young man who

had found the telescope looked through it, he saw one of his former

friends and present rivals walking with a carpet on his shoulder, and

so he set out to join him. As he could always see, by means of his

marvellous telescope, where the other nobleman was, he had no great

difficulty in finding him, and when the two had met, they sat side

by side on the wonderful carpet, and it carried them through the air

until they had joined the third traveller. One day, when each of them

had been telling of the remarkable things he had seen in his travels,

one of them exclaimed suddenly, "Now let us see what the beautiful

princess is doing, and where she is." Then the noble who had found

the telescope, looked through it and saw, to his great surprise and

dismay, that the king's daughter was lying very sick and at the point

of death. He told this to his two friends and rivals, and they, too,

were thunderstruck at the bad news--until the one who had found the

wonder-working ointment, remembering it suddenly, exclaimed, "I am sure

I could cure her, if I could only reach the palace soon enough!" On

hearing this the noble who had found the wonderful carpet cried out,

"Let us sit down on my carpet, and it will quickly carry us to the

king's palace!"

Thereupon the three nobles gently placed themselves in the carpet,

which rose instantly in the air, and carried them direct to the

king's palace.

The king received them immediately; but said very sadly, "I am sorry

for you: for all your travels have been in vain. My daughter is just

dying, so she can marry none of you!"

But the nobleman who possessed the wonder-working ointment said

respectfully, "Do not fear, sire, the princess will not die!" And

on being permitted to enter the apartment where she lay sick, he

placed the ointment so that she could smell it. In a few moments the

princess revived, and when her waiting-women had rubbed a little of

the ointment in her skin she recovered so quickly that in a few days

she was better than she had been before she was taken ill.

The king was so glad to have his daughter given back to him, as he

thought, from the grave, that he declared that she should marry no

one but the young nobleman whose wonderful ointment had cured her.

The Dispute

But now a great dispute arose between the three young nobles: the

one who possessed the ointment affirmed that had he not found it the

princess would have died, and could not, therefore, have married any

one; the noble who owned the telescope declared that had he not found

the wonderful telescope they would never have known that the princess

was dying, and so his friend would not have brought the ointment

to cure her; whilst the third noble proved to them that had he not

found the wonderful carpet neither the finding of the ointment nor

the telescope would have helped the princess, since they could not

have travelled such a great distance in time to save her.

The king, overhearing this dispute, called the young noblemen to him,

and said to them, "My lords, from what you have said, I see that

I cannot, with justice, give my daughter to any of you; therefore,

I pray you to give up altogether the idea of marrying her, and that

you continue friends as you always were before you became rivals."

The three young nobles saw that the king had decided justly; so

they all left their native country, and went into a far-off desert

to live like hermits. And the king gave the princess to another of

his great nobles.

Many, many years had passed away since the marriage of the princess,

when her husband was sent by her father to a distant country with which

the king was waging war. The nobleman took his wife, the princess,

with him, as he was uncertain how long he might be forced to remain

abroad. Now it happened that a violent storm arose just as the vessel

which carried the princess and her husband was approaching a strange

coast; and in the height of the great tempest the ship dashed on some

rocks, and went to pieces instantly. All the people on board perished

in the waves, excepting only the princess, who clung very fast to a

boat and was carried by the wind and the tide to the shore. There she

found what seemed to be an uninhabited country, and, discovering a

small cave in a rock, she lived alone in it for three years, feeding

on wild herbs and fruits. She searched every day to find some way

out of the forest which surrounded her cave, but could find none. One

day, however, when she had wandered farther than usual from the cave

where she lived, she came suddenly on another cave which, to her great

astonishment, had a small door. She tried over and over again to open

the door, thinking she would pass the night in the cave; but all her

efforts were unavailing, it was shut so fast. At length, however,

a deep voice from within the cave called out, "Who is at the door?"

At this the princess was so surprised that she could not answer for

some moments; when, however, she had recovered a little, she said,

"Open me the door!" Immediately the door was opened from within,

and she saw, with sudden terror, an old man with a thick grey

beard reaching below his waist and long white hair flowing over

his shoulders.

What frightened the princess the more was her finding a man living

here in the same desert where she had lived herself three years

without seeing a single soul.

The hermit and the princess looked at each long and earnestly without

saying a word. At length, however, the old man said, "Tell me, are

you an angel or a daughter of this world?"

Then the princess answered, "Old man, let me rest a moment, and then

I will tell you all about myself, and what brought me here." So the

hermit brought out some wild pears, and when the princess had taken

some of them, she began to tell him who she was, and how she came in

that desert. She said, "I am a king's daughter, and once, many years

ago, three young nobles of my father's court asked the king for my

hand in marriage. Now the king had such an equal affection for all

these three young men that he was unwilling to give pain to any of

them, so he sent them to travel into distant countries, and promised

to decide between them when they returned.

"The three noblemen remained a long time away; and whilst they were

still abroad somewhere, I fell dangerously ill. I was just at the point

of death, when they all three returned suddenly; one of them bringing a

wonderful ointment, which cured me at once; the two others brought each

equally remarkable things--a carpet that would carry whoever sat on it

through the air, and a telescope with which one could see everybody and

everything in the world, even to the sands at the bottom of the sea."

The Recognition

The princess had gone on thus far with her story, when the hermit

suddenly interrupted her, saying: "All that happened afterward I

know as well as you can tell me. Look at me, my daughter! I am one of

those noblemen who sought to win your hand, and here is the wonderful

telescope." And the hermit brought out the instrument from a recess

in the side of his cave before he continued; "My two friends and

rivals came with me to this desert. We parted, however, immediately,

and have never met since. I know not whether they are living or dead,

but I will look for them."

Then the hermit looked through his telescope, and saw that the other

two noblemen were living in caves like his, in different parts of the

same desert. Having found this out, he took the princess by the hand,

and led her on until they found the other hermits. When all were

re-united, the princess related her adventures since the foundering

of the ship, in which her husband had gone down, and from which she

alone had been saved.

The three noble hermits were pleased to see her alive once again,

but at once decided that they ought to send her back to the king,

her father.

Then they made the princess a present of the wonderful telescope, and

the wonder-working ointment, and placed her on the wonderful carpet,

which carried her and her treasures quickly and safely to her father's

palace. As for the three noblemen, they remained, still living like

hermits, in the desert, only they visited each other now and then,

so that the years seemed no longer so tedious to them. For they had

many adventures to relate to each other.

The king was exceedingly glad to receive his only child back safely,

and the princess lived with her father many years; but neither the king

nor his daughter could entirely forget the three noble friends who,

for her sake, lived like hermits in a wild desert in a far-off land.

XVII. THE DREAM OF THE KING'S SON

There was once a king who had three sons. One evening, when the young

princes were going to sleep, the king ordered them to take good note

of their dreams and come and tell them to him next morning. So, the

next day the princes went to their father as soon as they awoke,

and the moment the king saw them he asked of the eldest, "Well,

what have you dreamt?"

The prince answered, "I dreamt that I should be the heir to your

throne."

And the second said, "And I dreamt that I should be the first subject

in the kingdom."

Then the youngest said, "I dreamt that I was going to wash my hands,

and that the princes, my brothers, held the basin, whilst the queen,

my mother, held fine towels for me to dry my hands with, and your

majesty's self poured water over them from a golden ewer."

The king, hearing this last dream, became very angry, and exclaimed,

"What! I--the king--pour water over the hands of my own son! Go away

this instant out of my palace, and out of my kingdom! You are no

longer my son."

The poor young prince tried hard to make his peace with his father,

saying that he was really not to be blamed for what he had only

dreamed; but the king grew more and more furious, and at last actually

thrust the prince out of the palace.

So the young prince was obliged to wander up and down in different

countries, until one day, being in a large forest, he saw a cave,

and entered it to rest. There, to his great surprise and joy, he

found a large kettle full of Indian corn, boiling over a fire: and,

being exceedingly hungry, began to help himself to the corn. In this

way he went until he was shocked to see he had nearly eaten up all

the maize, and then, being afraid some mischief would come of it,

he looked about for a place in which to hide himself. At this moment,

however, a great noise was heard at the cave-mouth, and he had only

time to hide himself in a dark corner before a blind old man entered,

riding on a great goat and driving a number of goats before him.

The old man rode straight up to the kettle, but as soon as he found

that the corn was nearly all gone, he began to suspect some one was

there, and groped about the cave until he caught hold of the prince.

"Who are you?" asked he sharply; and the prince answered, "I am a

poor, homeless wanderer about the world, and have come now to beg

you to be good enough to receive me."

"Well," said the old man, "why not? I shall at least have some one

to mind my corn whilst I am out with my goats in the forest."

So they lived together for some time; the prince remaining in the

cave to boil the maize, whilst the old man drove out his goats every

morning into the forest.

One day, however, the old man said to the prince, "I think you shall

take out the goats to-day, and I will stay at home to mind the corn."

This the prince consented to very gladly, as he was tired of living

so long quietly in the cave. But the old man added, "Mind only one

thing! There are nine different mountains, and you can let the goats

go freely over eight of them, but you must on no account go on the

ninth. The veele live there, and they will certainly put out your eyes

as they have put out mine, if you venture on their mountain." The

prince thanked the old man for his warning, and then, mounting the

great goat, drove the rest of the goats before him out of the cave.

Following the goats, he had passed over all the mountains to the

eighth, and from this he could see the ninth mountain, and could not

resist the temptation he felt to go upon it. So he said to himself,

"I will venture up, whatever happens!"

The Prince and the Veele

Hardly had he stepped on the ninth mountain before the fairies

surrounded him, and prepared to put out his eyes. But, happily, a

thought came into his head, and he exclaimed, quickly, "Dear veele,

why take this sin on your heads? Better let us make a bargain, that

if you spring over a tree that I will place ready to jump over,

you shall put out my eyes, and I will not blame you!"

So the veele consented to this, and the prince went and brought a large

tree, which he cleft down the middle almost to the root; this done,

he placed a wedge to keep the two halves of the trunk open a little.

When it was fixed upright, he himself first jumped over it, and then

he said to the veele, "Now it is your turn. Let us see if you can

spring over the tree!"

One veele attempted to spring over, but the same moment the prince

knocked the wedge out, and the trunk closing at once held the veele

fast. Then all the other fairies were alarmed, and begged him to

open the trunk and let their sister free, promising, in return,

to give him anything he might ask. The prince said, "I want nothing

except to keep my own eyes, and to restore eyesight to that poor old

man." So the fairies gave him a certain herb, and told him to lay it

over the old man's eyes, and then he would recover his sight. The

prince took the herb, opened the tree a little so as to let the

fairy free, and then rode back on the goat to the cave, driving the

other goats before him. When he arrived there he placed at once the

herb on the old man's eyes, and in a moment his eyesight came back,

to his exceeding surprise and joy.

Next morning the old man, before he drove out his goats, gave the

prince the keys of eight closets in the cave, but warned him on no

account to open the ninth closet, although the key hung directly over

the door. Then he went out, telling the prince to take good care that

the corn was ready for their suppers.

Left alone in the cave, the young man began to wonder what might be

in the ninth closet, and at last he could not resist the temptation

to take down the key and open the door to look in.

The Golden Horse

What was his surprise to see there a golden horse, with a golden

greyhound beside him, and near them a golden hen and golden chickens

were busy picking up golden millet-seeds.

The young prince gazed at them for some time, admiring their beauty,

and then he spoke to the golden horse, "Friend, I think we had better

leave this place before the old man comes back again."

"Very well," answered the golden horse, "I am quite willing to go

away, only you must take heed to what I am going to tell. Go and find

linen cloth enough to spread over the stones at the mouth of the cave,

for if the old man hears the ring of my hoofs he will be certain to

kill you. Then you must take with you a little stone, a drop of water,

and a pair of scissors, and the moment I tell you to throw them down

you must obey me quickly, or you are lost."

The prince did everything that the golden horse had ordered him,

and then, taking up the golden hen with her chickens in a bag, he

placed it under his arm, and mounted the horse and rode quickly out

of the cave, leading with him, in a leash, the golden greyhound. But

the moment they were in the open air the old man, although he was

very far off, tending his goats on a distant mountain, heard the

clang of the golden hoofs, and cried to his great goat, "They have

run away. Let us follow them at once."

In a wonderfully short time the old man on his great goat came

so near the prince on his golden horse, that the latter shouted,

"Throw now the little stone!"

The moment the prince had thrown it down, a high rocky mountain rose

up between him and the old man, and before the goat had climbed over

it, the golden horse had gained much ground. Very soon, however,

the old man was so nearly catching them that the horse shouted,

"Throw, now, the drop of water!" The prince obeyed instantly, and

immediately saw a broad river flowing between him and his pursuer.

It took the old man on his goat so long to cross the river that the

prince on his golden horse was far away before them; but for all that

it was not very long before the horse heard the goat so near behind him

that he shouted, "Throw the scissors." The prince threw them, and the

goat, running over them, injured one of his fore legs very badly. When

the old man saw this, he exclaimed, "Now I see I cannot catch you,

so you may keep what you have taken. But you will do wisely to listen

to my counsel. People will be sure to kill you for the sake of your

golden horse, so you had better buy at once a donkey, and take the

hide to cover your horse. And do the same with your golden greyhound."

Having said this, the old man turned and rode back to his cave; and

the prince lost no time in attending to his advice, and covered with

donkey-hide his golden horse and his golden hound.

After travelling a long time the prince came unawares to the kingdom

of his father. There he heard that the king had had a ditch dug, three

hundred yards wide and four hundred yards deep, and had proclaimed

that whosoever should leap his horse over it, should have the princess,

his daughter, for wife.

Almost a whole year had elapsed since the proclamation was issued,

but as yet no one had dared to risk the leap. When the prince heard

this, he said, "I will leap over it with my donkey and my dog!" and

he leapt over it.

But the king was very angry when he heard that a poorly dressed man, on

a donkey, had dared to leap over the great ditch which had frightened

back his bravest knights; so he had the disguised prince thrown into

one of his deepest dungeons, together with his donkey and his dog.

Next morning the king sent some of his servants to see if the man was

still living, and these soon ran back to him, full of wonder, and told

him that they had found in the dungeon, instead of a poor man and his

donkey, a young man, beautifully dressed, a golden horse, a golden

greyhound, and a golden hen, surrounded by golden chickens, which

were picking up golden millet-seeds from the ground. Then the king

said, "That must be some powerful prince." So he ordered the queen,

and the princes, his sons, to prepare all things for the stranger to

wash his hands. Then he went down himself into the dungeon, and led

the prince up with much courtesy, desiring to make thus amends for

the past ill-treatment.

The king himself took a golden ewer full of water, and poured some

over the prince's hands, whilst the two princes held the basin under

them, and the queen held out fine towels to dry them on.

This done, the young prince exclaimed, "Now, my dream is fulfilled";

and they all at once recognized him, and were very glad to see him

once again amongst them.

XVIII. THE BITER BIT

Once upon a time there was an old man who, whenever he heard anyone

complain how many sons he had to care for, always laughed and said,

"I wish that it would please God to give me a hundred sons!"

This he said in jest; as time went on, however, he had, in reality,

neither more nor less than a hundred sons.

He had trouble enough to find different trades for his sons, but

when they were once all started in life they worked diligently and

gained plenty of money. Now, however, came a fresh difficulty. One

day the eldest son came in to his father and said, "My dear father,

I think it is quite time that I should marry."

Hardly had he said these words before the second son came in, saying,

"Dear father, I think it is already time that you were looking out

for a wife for me."

A moment later came in the third son, asking, "Dear father, don't

you think it is high time that you should find me a wife?" In like

manner came the fourth and fifth, until the whole hundred had made

a similar request. All of them wished to marry, and desired their

father to find wives for them as soon as he could.

The old man was not a little troubled at these requests; he said,

however, to his sons, "Very well, my sons, I have nothing to say

against your marrying; there is, however, I foresee, one great

difficulty in the way. There are one hundred of you asking for wives,

and I hardly think we can find one hundred marriageable girls in all

the fifteen villages which are in our neighbourhood."

To this the sons, however, answered, "Don't be anxious about that, but

mount your horse and take in your sack sufficient engagement-cakes. You

must take, also, a stick in your hand so that you can cut a notch

in it for every girl you see. It does not signify whether she be

handsome or ugly, or lame or blind, just cut a notch in your stick

for every one you meet with."

The old man said, "Very wisely spoken, my sons! I will do exactly as

you tell me."

Accordingly he mounted his horse, took a sack full of cakes on his

shoulder and a long stick in his hand, and started off at once to

beat up the neighbourhood for girls to marry his sons.

The old man had travelled from village to village during a whole month,

and whenever he had seen a girl he cut a notch in his stick. But he was

getting pretty well tired, and he began to count how many notches he

had already made. When he had counted them carefully over and over

again, to be certain that he had counted all, he could only make

out seventy-four, so that still twenty-six were wanting to complete

the number required. He was, however, so weary with his month's ride

that he determined to return home. As he rode along, he saw a priest

driving oxen yoked to a plough, and seemingly very deep in anxious

thought about something. Now the old man wondered a little to see the

priest ploughing his own corn-fields without even a boy to help him;

he therefore shouted to ask him why he drove his oxen himself. The

priest, however, did not even turn his head to see who called to him,

so intent was he in urging on his oxen and in guiding his plough.

The old man thought he had not spoken loud enough, so he shouted out

again as loud as he could, "Stop your oxen a little, and tell me why

you are ploughing yourself without even a lad to help you, and this,

too, on a holy-day!"

Now the priest--who was in a perspiration with his hard work--answered

testily, "I conjure you by your old age leave me in peace! I cannot

tell you my ill-luck."

The Hundred Daughters

At this answer, however, the old man was only the more curious, and

persisted all the more earnestly in asking questions to find out why

the priest ploughed on a saint's day. At last the priest, tired with

his importunity, sighed deeply and said, "Well, if you will know:

I am the only man in my household, and God has blessed me with a

hundred daughters!"

The old man was overjoyed at hearing this, and exclaimed cheerfully,

"That's very good! It is just what I want, for I have a hundred sons,

and so, as you have a hundred daughters, we can be friends!"

The moment the priest heard this he became pleasant and talkative,

and invited the old man to pass the night in his house. Then, leaving

his plough in the field, he drove the oxen back to the village. Just

before reaching his house, however, he said to the old man, "Go

yourself into the house whilst I tie up my oxen."

No sooner, however, had the old man entered the yard than the wife of

the priest rushed at him with a big stick, crying out, "We have not

bread enough for our hundred daughters, and we want neither beggars

nor visitors," and with these words she drove him away.

Shortly afterwards the priest came out of the barn, and, finding the

old man sitting on the road before the gate, asked him why he had

not gone into the house as he had told him to do. Whereupon the old

man replied, "I went in, but your wife drove me away!"

Then the priest said, "Only wait here a moment till I come back to

fetch you." He then went quickly into his house and scolded his wife

right well, saying, "What have you done? What a fine chance you have

spoiled! The man who came in was going to be our friend, for he has

a hundred sons who would gladly have married our hundred daughters!"

When the wife heard this she changed her dress hastily, and arranged

her hair and head-dress in a different fashion. Then she smiled

very sweetly, and welcomed with the greatest possible politeness

the old man, when her husband led him into the house. In fact, she

pretended that she knew nothing at all of anyone having been driven

away from their door. And as the old man wanted much to find wives

for his sons, he also pretended that he did not know that the smiling

house-mistress and the woman who drove him away with a stick were

one and the selfsame person.

So the old man passed the night in the house, and next morning asked

the priest formally to give him his hundred daughters for wives for

his hundred sons. Thereupon the priest answered that he was quite

willing, and had already spoken to his daughters about the matter,

and that they, too, were all quite willing. Then the old man took

out his "engagement-cakes," and put them on the table beside him,

and gave each of the girls a piece of money to mark. Then each of the

engaged girls sent a small present by him to that one of his sons to

whom she was thus betrothed. These gifts the old man put in the bag

wherein he had carried the "engagement-cakes." He then mounted his

horse, and rode off merrily homewards. There were great rejoicings in

his household when he told how successful he had been in his search,

and that he really had found a hundred girls ready and willing to be

married; and these hundred, too, a priest's daughters.

The sons insisted that they should begin to make the wedding

preparations without delay, and commenced at once to invite the guests

who were to form part of the wedding procession to go to the priest's

house and bring home the brides.

Here, however, another difficulty occurred. The old father must find

two hundred bride-leaders (two for each bride); one hundred kooms; one

hundred starisvats; one hundred chaious (running footmen who go before

the processions); and three hundred vojvodes (standard-bearers);

and, besides these, a respectable number of other non-official

guests. To find all these persons the father had to hunt throughout

the neighbourhood for three years; at last, however, they were all

found, and a day was appointed when they were to meet at his house,

and go thence in procession to the house of the priest.

The Wedding Procession

On the appointed day all the invited guests gathered at the old man's

house. With great noise and confusion, after a fair amount of feasting,

the wedding procession was formed properly, and set out for the house

of the priest, where the hundred brides were already prepared for

their departure for their new home.

So great was the confusion, indeed, that the old man quite forgot to

take with him one of the hundred sons, and never missed him in the

greeting and talking and drinking he was obliged, as father of the

bridegrooms, to go through. Now the young man had worked so long and

so hard in preparing for the wedding-day that he never woke up till

long after the procession had started; and every one had had, like

his father, too much to do and too many things to think of to miss him.

The wedding procession arrived in good order at the priest's house,

where a feast was already spread out for them. Having done honour to

the various good things, and having gone through all the ceremonies

usual on such occasions, the hundred brides were given over to their

"leaders," and the procession started on its return to the old

man's house. But, as they did not set off until pretty late in the

afternoon, it was decided that the night should be spent somewhere

on the road. When they came, therefore, to a certain river named

"Luckless," as it was already dark, some of the men proposed that the

party should pass the night by the side of the water without crossing

over. However, some others of the chief of the party so warmly advised

the crossing the river and encamping on the other bank, that this

course was at length, after a very lively discussion, determined on;

accordingly the procession began to move over the bridge.

Just, however, as the wedding party were half-way across the bridge

its two sides began to draw nearer each other, and pressed the people

so close together that they had hardly room to breathe--much less

could they move forwards or backwards.

The Black Giant

They were kept for some time in this position, some shouting and

scolding, others quiet because frightened, until at length a black

giant appeared, and shouted to them in a terribly loud voice, "Who

are you all? Where do you come from? Where are you going?"

Some of the bolder among them answered, "We are going to our old

friend's house, taking home the hundred brides for his hundred sons;

but unluckily we ventured on this bridge after nightfall, and it

has pressed us so tightly together that we cannot move one way or

the other."

"And where is your old friend?" inquired the black giant.

Now all the wedding guests turned their eyes towards the old

man. Thereupon he turned towards the giant, who instantly said to him,

"Listen, old man! Will you give me what you have forgotten at home,

if I let your friends pass over the bridge?"

The old man considered some time what it might be that he had

forgotten at home, but, at last, not being able to recollect anything

in particular that he had left, and hearing on all sides the groans

and moans of his guests, he replied, "Well, I will give it you,

if you will only let the procession pass over."

Then the black giant said to the party, "You all hear what he has

promised, and are all my witnesses to the bargain. In three days I

shall come to fetch what I have bargained for."

Having said this, the black giant widened the bridge and the whole

procession passed on to the other bank in safety. The people, however,

no longer wished to spend the night on the way, so they moved on

as fast as they could, and early in the morning reached the old

man's house.

As everybody talked of the strange adventure they had met with, the

eldest son, who had been left at home, soon began to understand how

the matter stood, and went to his father saying, "O my father! you

have sold me to the black giant!"

Then the old man was very sorry, and troubled; but his friends

comforted him, saying, "Don't be frightened! nothing will come of it."

The marriage ceremonies were celebrated with great rejoicings. Just,

however, as the festivities were at their height, on the third day,

the black giant appeared at the gate and shouted, "Now, give me at

once what you have promised."

The old man, trembling all over, went forward and asked him, "What

do you want?"

"Nothing but what you have promised me!" returned the black giant.

As he could not break his promise, the old man, very distressed, was

then obliged to deliver up his eldest son to the giant, who thereupon

said, "Now I shall take your son with me, but after three years have

passed you can come to the Luckless River and take him away."

Having said this the black giant disappeared, taking with him the

young man, whom he carried off to his workshop as an apprentice to

the trade of witchcraft.

From that time the poor old man had not a single moment of

happiness. He was always sad and anxious, and counted every year, and

month, and week, and even every day, until the dawn of the last day of

the three years. Then he took a staff in his hand and hurried off to

the bank of the river Luckless. As soon as he reached the river, he was

met by the black giant, who asked him, "Why are you come?" The old man

answered that he come to take home his son, according to his agreement.

Thereupon the giant brought out a tray on which stood a sparrow,

a turtle-dove, and a quail, and said to the old man, "Now, if you

can tell which of these is your son, you may take him away."

The poor old father looked intently at the three birds, one after

the other, and over and over again, but at last he was forced to own

that he could not tell which of them was his son. So he was obliged

to go away by himself, and was far more miserable than before. He had

hardly, however, got half-way home when he thought he would go back

to the river and take one of the birds which remembered and looked

at him intently.

When he reached the river Luckless he was again met by the black

giant, who brought out the tray again, and placed on it this time

a partridge, a tit-mouse, and a thrush, saying, 'Now, my old man,

find out which is your son!'

The anxious father again looked at one bird after the other, but

he felt more uncertain than before, and so, crying bitterly, again

went away.

The Old Woman

Just as the old man was going through a forest, which was between

the river Luckless and his house, an old woman met him, and said,

"Stop a moment! Where are you hurrying to? And why are you in such

trouble?" Now, the old man was so deeply musing over his great

unhappiness that he did not at first attend to the old woman; but

she followed him, calling after him, and repeating her questions with

more earnestness. So he stopped at last, and told her what a terrible

misfortune had fallen upon him. When the old woman had listened to

the whole story, she said cheerfully, "Don't be cast down! Don't be

afraid! Go back again to the river, and, when the giant brings out

the three birds, look into their eyes sharply. When you see that one

of the birds has a tear in one of its eyes, seize that bird and hold

it fast, for it has a human soul."

The old man thanked her heartily for her advice, and turned back,

for the third time, towards the Luckless River. Again the black

giant appeared, and looked very merry whilst he brought out his tray

and put upon it a sparrow, a dove, and a woodpecker, saying, "My old

man! find out which is your son!" Then the father looked sharply into

the eyes of the birds, and saw that from the right eye of the dove a

tear dropped slowly down. In a moment he grasped the bird tightly,

saying, "This is my son!" The next moment he found himself holding

fast his eldest son by the shoulder, and so, singing and shouting in

his great joy, took him quickly home, and gave him over to his eldest

daughter-in-law, the wife of his son.

Now, for some time they all lived together very happily. One day,

however, the young man said to his father, "Whilst I was apprentice

in the workshop of the black giant, I learned a great many tricks of

witchcraft. Now I intend to change myself into a fine horse, and you

shall take me to market and sell me for a good sum of money. But be

sure not to give up the halter."

The father did as the son had said. Next market day he went to the

city with a fine horse which he offered for sale. Many buyers came

round him, admiring the horse, and bidding some sums for it, so that

at last the old man was able to sell it for two thousand ducats. When

he received the money, he took good care not to let go the halter,

and he returned home far richer than he ever dreamt of being.

A few days later, the man who had bought the horse sent his servant

with it to the river to bathe, and, whilst in the water, the horse

got loose from the servant and galloped off into the neighbouring

forest. There he changed himself back into his real shape, and returned

to his father's house.

After some time had passed, the young man said one day to his father,

"Now I will change myself into an ox, and you can take me to market to

sell me; but take care not to give up the rope with which you lead me."

So next market-day the old man went to the city leading a very fine

ox, and soon found a buyer, who offered ten times the usual price paid

for an ox. The buyer asked also for the rope to lead the animal home,

but the old man said, "What do you want with such an old thing? You

had better buy a new one!" and he went off taking with him the rope.

That evening, whilst the servants of the buyer were driving the ox

to the field, he ran away into a wood near, and, having taken there

his human shape, returned home to his father's house.

On the eve of the next market-day, the young man said to his father:

"Now I will change myself into a cow with golden horns, and you can

sell me as before, only take care not to give up the string."

Accordingly he changed himself next morning into a cow, and the old

man took it to the market-place, and asked for it three hundred crowns.

But the black giant had learnt that his former apprentice was making

a great deal of money by practising the trade he had taught him,

and, being jealous at this, he determined to put an end to the young

man's gains.

The Giant buys the Cow

Therefore, on the third day he came to the market himself as a buyer,

and the moment he saw the beautiful cow with golden horns he knew

that it could be no other than his former apprentice. So he came up

to the old man, and, having outbid all the other would-be purchasers,

paid at once the price he had agreed on. Having done this, he caught

the string in his hand, and tried to wrench it from the terrified

old man, who called out, "I have not sold you the string, but the

cow!" and held the string as fast as he could with both hands.

"Oh, no!" said the buyer, "I have the law and custom on my

side! Whoever buys a cow, buys also the string with which it is

led!" Some of the amused and astonished lookers-on said that this was

quite true, therefore the old man was obliged to give up the string.

The black giant, well satisfied with his purchase, took the cow with

him to his castle, and, after having put iron chains on her legs,

fastened her in a cellar. Every morning the giant gave the cow some

water and hay, but he never unchained her.

One evening, however, the cow, with incessant struggles, managed to

get free from the chains, and immediately opened the cellar-door with

her horns and ran away.

Next morning the black giant went as usual into the cellar, carrying

the hay and water for the cow; but seeing she had got free and run

away, he threw the hay down, and started off at once to pursue her.

When he came within sight of her, he turned himself into a wolf and

ran at her with great fury; but his clever apprentice changed himself

instantly from a cow into a bear, whereupon the giant turned himself

from a wolf into a lion; the bear then turned into a tiger, and the

lion changed into a crocodile, whereupon the tiger turned into a

sparrow. Upon this the giant changed from the form of a crocodile

into a hawk, and the apprentice immediately changed into a hare;

on seeing which the hawk became a greyhound. Then the apprentice

changed from a hare into a falcon, and the greyhound into an eagle;

whereupon the apprentice changed into a fish. The giant then turned

from an eagle into a mouse, and immediately the apprentice, as a cat,

ran after him; then the giant turned himself into a heap of millet, and

the apprentice transformed himself into a hen and chickens, which very

greedily picked up all the millet except one single seed, in which the

master was, who changed himself into a squirrel; instantly, however,

the apprentice became a hawk, and, pouncing on the squirrel, killed it.

In this way the apprentice beat his master, the black giant, and

revenged himself for all the sufferings he had endured whilst learning

the trade of witchcraft. Having killed the squirrel, the hawk took

his proper shape again, and the young man returned joyfully to his

father, whom he made immensely rich.

XIX. THE TRADE THAT NO ONE KNOWS

A long while ago there lived a poor old couple, who had an only

son. The old man and his wife worked very hard to nourish their child

well and bring him up properly, hoping that he, in return, would take

care of them in their old age.

When, however, the boy had grown up, he said to his parents, "I am a

man now, and I intend to marry, so I wish you to go at once to the

king and ask him to give me his daughter for wife." The astonished

parents rebuked him, saying: "What can you be thinking of? We have

only this poor hut to shelter us, and hardly bread enough to eat,

and we dare not presume to go into the king's presence, much less

can we venture to ask for his daughter to be your wife."

The son, however, insisted that they should do as he said, threatening

that if they did not comply with his wishes he would leave them,

and go away into the world. Seeing that he was really in earnest

in what he said, the unhappy parents promised him they would go and

ask for the king's daughter. Then the old mother made a wedding cake

in her son's presence, and, when it was ready, she put it in a bag,

took her staff in her hand, and went straight to the palace where the

king lived. There the king's servants bade her come in, and led her

into the hall where his Majesty was accustomed to receive the poor

people who came to ask alms or to present petitions.

The poor old woman stood in the hall, confused and ashamed at her

worn-out, shabby clothes, and looking as if she were made of stone,

until the king said to her kindly: "What do you want from me,

old mother?"

She dared not, however, tell his Majesty why she had come, so she

stammered out in her confusion: "Nothing, your Majesty."

Then the king smiled a little and said, "Perhaps you come to ask alms?"

Then the old woman, much abashed, replied: "Yes, your Majesty, if

you please!"

Thereupon the king called his servants and ordered them to give the

old woman ten crowns, which they did. Having received this money,

she thanked his Majesty, and returned home, saying to herself:

"I dare say when my son sees all this money he will not think any

more of going away from us."

In this thought, however, she was quite mistaken, for no sooner had

she entered the hut than the son came to her and asked impatiently:

"Well, mother, have you done as I asked you?"

At this she exclaimed: "Do give up, once for all, this silly fancy,

my son. How could you expect me to ask the king for his daughter to

be your wife? That would be a bold thing for a rich nobleman to do,

how then can we think of such a thing? Anyhow, I dared not say one

word to the king about it. But only look what a lot of money I have

brought back. Now you can look for a wife suitable for you, and then

you will forget the king's daughter."

When the young man heard his mother speak thus, he grew very angry,

and said to her: "What do I want with the king's money? I don't want

his money, but I do want his daughter! I see you are only playing with

me, so I shall leave you. I will go away somewhere--anywhere--wherever

my eyes lead me."

Then the poor old parents prayed and begged him not to go away from

them, and leave them alone in their old age; but they could only quiet

him by promising faithfully that the mother should go again next day

to the king, and this time really ask him to give his daughter to

her son for a wife.

In the morning, therefore, the old woman went again to the palace, and

the servants showed her into the same hall she had been in before. The

king, seeing her stand there, inquired: "What want you, my old woman,

now?" She was, however, so ashamed that she could hardly stammer,

"Nothing, please your Majesty."

The king, supposing that she came again to beg, ordered his servants

to give this time also ten crowns.

With this money the poor woman returned to her hut, where her son

met her, asking: "Well, mother, this time I hope you have done what

I asked you?" But she replied: "Now, my dear son, do leave the king's

daughter in peace. How can you really think of such a thing? Even if

she would marry you, where is the house to bring her to? So be quiet,

and take this money which I have brought you."

At these words the son was more angry than before, and said sharply:

"As I see you will not let me marry the king's daughter, I will

leave you this moment and never come back again;" and, rushing out

of the hut, he ran away. His parents hurried after him, and at length

prevailed on him to return, by swearing to him that his mother should

go again to the king next morning, and really and in truth ask his

Majesty this time for his daughter.

So the young man agreed to go back home and wait until the next day.

On the morrow the old woman, with a heavy heart, went to the palace,

and was shown as before into the king's presence. Seeing her there

for the third time, his Majesty asked her impatiently: "What do

you want this time, old woman?" And she, trembling all over, said:

"Please your Majesty--nothing." Then the king exclaimed: "But it

cannot be nothing. Something you must want, so tell me truth at once,

if you value your life!" Thereupon the old woman was forced to tell

all the story to the king; how her son had a great desire to marry

the princess, and so had forced her to come and ask the king to give

her him to wife.

When the king had heard everything, he said: "Well, after all, I

shall say nothing against it if my daughter will consent to it." He

then told his servants to lead the princess into his presence. When

she came he told her all about the affair, and asked her, "Are you

willing to marry the son of this old woman?"

The Condition

The princess answered: "Why not? If only he learns first the trade

that no one knows!" Thereupon the king bade his attendants give money

to the poor woman, who now went back to her hut with a light heart.

The moment she entered her son asked her: "Have you engaged her?" And

she returned: "Do let me get my breath a little! Well, now I have

really asked the king: but it is of no use, for the princess declares

she will not marry you until you have learnt the trade that no

one knows!"

"Oh, that matters nothing!" exclaimed the son. "Now I only know the

condition, it's all right!" The next morning the young man set out on

his travels through the world in search of a man who could teach him

the trade that no one knows. He wandered about a long time without

being able to find out where he could learn such a trade. At length

one day, being quite tired out with walking and very sad, he sat

down on a fallen log by the wayside. After he had sat thus a little

while, an old woman came up to him, and asked: "Why art thou so sad,

my son?" And he answered: "What is the use of your asking, when you

cannot help me?" But she continued: "Only tell me what is the matter,

and perhaps I can help you." Then he said: "Well, if you must know,

the matter is this: I have been travelling about the world a long time

to find a master who can teach me the trade that no one knows." "Oh,

if it is only that," cried the old woman, "just listen to me! Don't

be afraid, but go straight into the forest which lies before you,

and there you will find what you want."

The young man was very glad to hear this, and got up at once and went

to the forest. When he had gone pretty far in the wood he saw a large

castle, and whilst he stood looking at it and wondering what it was,

four giants came out of it and ran up to him, shouting: "Do you wish

to learn the trade that no one knows?" He said: "Yes; that is just

the reason why I come here." Whereupon they took him into the castle.

Next morning the giants prepared to go out hunting, and, before

leaving, they said to him: "You must on no account go into the first

room by the dining-hall." Hardly, however, were the giants well out

of sight before the young man began to reason thus with himself:

"I see very well that I have come into a place from which I shall

never go out alive with my head, so I may as well see what is in

the room, come what may afterwards." So he went and opened the door

a little and peeped in. There stood a golden ass, bound to a golden

manger. He looked at it a little, and was just going to shut the door

when the ass said: "Come and take the halter from my head, and keep

it hidden about you. It will serve you well if you only understand

how to use it." So he took the halter, and, after fastening the

room-door, quickly concealed it under his clothes. He had not sat

very long before the giants came home. They asked him at once if

he had been in the first room, and he, much frightened, replied:

"No, I have not been in." "But we know that you have been!" said the

giants in great anger, and seizing some large sticks they beat him

so severely that he could hardly stand on his feet. It was very lucky

for him that he had the halter wound round his body under his clothes,

or else he would certainly have been killed.

The next day the giants again prepared to go out hunting, but before

leaving him they ordered him on no account to enter the second room.

Almost as soon as the giants had gone away he became so very curious

to see what might be in the second room, that he could not resist

going to the door. He stood there a little, thinking within himself,

"Well, I am already more dead than alive, much worse cannot happen to

me!" and so he opened the door and looked in. There he was surprised

to see a very beautiful girl, dressed all in gold and silver, who sat

combing her hair, and setting in every tress a large diamond. He stood

admiring her a little while, and was just going to shut the door again,

when she spoke, "Wait a minute, young man. Come and take this key,

and mind you keep it safely. It will serve you some time, if you only

know how to use it." So he went in and took the key from the girl,

and then, going out, fastened the door and went and sat down in the

same place he had sat before.

He had not remained there very long before the giants came home from

hunting. The moment they entered the house they took up their large

sticks to beat him, asking, at the same time, whether he had been

in the second room. Shaking all over with fear, he answered them,

"No, I have not!"

"But we know you have been," shouted the giants in great anger,

and they then beat him worse than on the first day.

The Third Room

The next morning, as the giants went out as usual to hunt, they said

to him: "Do not go into the third room, for anything in the world;

for if you do go in we shall not forgive you as we did yesterday,

and the day before! We shall kill you outright!" No sooner, however,

had the giants gone out of sight, than the young man began to say to

himself, "Most likely they will kill me, whether I go into the room

or not. Besides, if they do not kill me, they have beaten me so badly

already that I am sure I cannot live long, so, anyhow, I will go and

see what is in the third room." Then he got up and went and opened

the door.

He was quite shocked, however, when he saw that the room was full

of human heads! These heads belonged to young men who had come,

like himself, to learn the trade that no one knows, and who, having

obeyed faithfully and strictly the orders of the giants, had been

killed by them.

The young man was turning quickly to go away when one of the heads

called out: "Don't be afraid, but come in!" Thereupon he went into

the room. Then the head gave him an iron chain, and said: "Take care

of this chain, for it will serve you some time if you know how to

use it!" So he took the chain, and going out fastened the door.

He went and sat down in the usual place to wait for the coming home

of the giants, and, as he waited, he grew quite frightened, for he

fully expected that they would really kill him this time.

The instant the giants came home they took up their thick sticks and

began to beat him without stopping to ask anything. They beat him

so terribly that he was all but dead; then they threw him out of the

house, saying to him: "Go away now, since you have learnt the trade

that no one knows!" When he had lain a long time on the ground where

they had thrown him, feeling very sore and miserable, at length he

tried to move away, saying to himself: "Well, if they really have

taught me the trade that no one knows for the sake of the king's

daughter I can suffer gladly all this pain, if I can only win her."

After travelling for a long time, the young man came at last to

the palace of the king whose daughter he wished to marry. When he

saw the palace, he was exceedingly sad, and remembered the words of

the princess; for, after all his wanderings and sufferings, he had

learnt no trade, and had never been able to find what trade it was

"that no one knows." Whilst considering what he had better do,

he suddenly recollected the halter, the key and the iron chain,

which he had carried concealed about him ever since he left the

castle of the four giants. He then said to himself, "Let me see what

these things can do!" So he took the halter and struck the earth

with it, and immediately a handsome horse, beautifully caparisoned,

stood before him. Then he struck the ground with the iron chain, and

instantly a hare and a greyhound appeared, and the hare began to run

quickly and the greyhound to follow her. In a moment the young man

hardly knew himself, for he found himself in a fine hunting-dress,

riding on the horse after the hare, which took a path that passed

immediately under the windows of the king's palace.

Now, it happened that the king stood at a window looking out, and

noticed at once the beautiful greyhound which was chasing the hare,

and the very handsome horse which a huntsman in a splendid dress was

mounted on. The king was so pleased with the appearance of the horse

and the greyhound that he called instantly some of his servants, and,

sending them after the strange rider, bade them invite him to come to

the palace. The young man, however, hearing some people coming behind

him calling and shouting, rode quickly behind a thick bush, and shook

a little the halter and the iron chain. In a moment the horse, the

greyhound, and the hare had vanished, and he found himself sitting

on the ground under the trees dressed in his old shabby clothes. By

this time the king's servants had come up, and, seeing him sit there,

they asked him whether he had seen a fine huntsman on a beautiful

horse pass that way. But he answered them rudely: "No! I have not

seen any one pass, neither do I care to look to see who passes!"

Then the king's servants went on and searched the forest, calling

and shouting as loudly as they could, but it was all in vain; they

could neither see nor hear anything of the hunter. At length they

went back to the king, and told him that the horse the huntsman rode

was so exceedingly quick that they could not hear anything of him in

the forest.

The Son Returns

The young man now resolved to go to the hut where his old parents

lived; and they were glad to see that he had come back to them

once more.

Next morning, the son said to his father: "Now, father, I will

show you what I have learned. I will change myself into a beautiful

horse, and you must lead me into the city and sell me, but be very

careful not to give away the halter, or else I shall remain always a

horse!" Accordingly, in a moment he changed himself into a horse of

extraordinary beauty, and the father took him to the market-place to

sell him. Very soon a great number of people gathered round the horse,

wondering at his unusual beauty, and very high prices were offered

for him; the old man, however, raised the price higher and higher at

every offer. The news spread quickly about the city that a wonderfully

handsome horse was for sale in the market-place, and at length the

king himself heard of it, and sent some servants to bring the horse,

that he might see it. The old man led the horse at once before the

palace, and the king, after looking at it for some time with great

admiration, could not help exclaiming, "By my word, though I am a

king, I never yet saw, much less rode, so handsome a horse!" Then he

asked the old man if he would sell it him. "I will sell it to your

Majesty, very willingly," said the old man; "but I will sell only

the horse, and not the halter." Thereupon the king laughed, saying:

"What should I want with your dirty halter? For such a horse I will

have a halter of gold made!" So the horse was sold to the king for

a very high price, and the old man returned home with the money.

Next morning, however, there was a great stir and much consternation

in the royal stables, for the beautiful horse had vanished somehow

during the night. And at the time when the horse disappeared, the

young man returned to his parents' hut.

A day or two afterwards the young man said to his father: "Now I

will turn myself into a fine church not far from the king's palace,

and if the king wishes to buy it you may sell it him, only be sure

not to part with the key or else I must remain always a church!"

When the king got up that morning, and went to his window to look out,

he saw a beautiful church which he had never noticed before. Then

he sent his servants out to see what it was, and soon after they

came back saying, that "the church belonged to an old pilgrim,

who told them that he was willing to sell it if the king wished to

buy it." Then the king sent to ask what price he would sell it for,

and the pilgrim replied: "It is worth a great deal of money."

The King Outbid

Whilst the servants were bargaining with the father an old woman came

up. Now this was the same old woman who had sent the young man to

the castle of the four giants, and she herself had been there and

had learnt the trade that no one knew. As she understood at once

all about the church, and had no mind to have a rival in the trade,

she resolved to put an end to the young man. For this purpose she

began to outbid the king, and offered, at last, so very large a sum

of ready money, that the old man was quite astonished and confused

at seeing the money which she showed him. He accordingly accepted

her offer, but whilst he was counting the money, quite forgot about

the key. Before long, however, he recollected what his son had said,

and then, fearing some mischief, he ran after old woman and demanded

the key back. But the woman could not be persuaded to give back the

key, and said it belonged to the church which she had bought and paid

for. Seeing she would not give up the key, the old man grew more and

more alarmed, lest some ill should befall his son, so he took hold

of the old woman by the neck and forced her to drop the key. She

struggled very hard to get it back again, and, whilst the old man

and she wrestled together, the key changed itself suddenly into a

dove and flew away high in the air over the palace gardens.

When the old woman saw this, she changed herself into a hawk, and

chased the dove. Just, however, as the hawk was about to pounce upon

it, the dove turned itself into a beautiful bouquet, and dropped down

into the hand of the king's daughter, who happened to be walking in

the garden. Then the hawk changed again into the old woman, who went

to the gate of the palace and begged very hard that the princess

would give that bouquet, or, at least, one single flower from it.

But the princess said, "No! not for anything in the world! These

flowers fell to me from heaven!" The old woman, however, was determined

to get one flower from the bouquet, so, seeing the princess would not

hear her, she went straight to the king, and begged piteously that

he would order his daughter to give her one of the flowers from her

bouquet. The king, thinking the old woman wanted one of the flowers

to cure some disease, called his daughter to him, and told her to

give one to the beggar.

But just as the king said this, the bouquet changed itself into a

heap of millet-seed and scattered itself all over the ground. Then

the old woman quickly changed herself into a hen and chickens, and

began greedily to pick up the seeds. Suddenly, however, the millet

vanished, and in its place appeared a fox, which sprang on the hen

and killed her.

Then the fox changed into the young man, who explained to the

astonished king and princess that he it was who had demanded the hand

of the princess, and that, in order to obtain it he had wandered all

over the world in search of some one who could teach him "the trade

that no one knows."

When the king and his daughter heard this, they gladly fulfilled their

part of the bargain, seeing how well the young man had fulfilled his.

Then, shortly afterwards, the king's daughter married the son of the

poor old couple; and the king built for the princess and her husband

a palace close to his own. There they lived long and had plenty of

children, and people say that some of their descendants are living at

present, and that these go constantly to pray in the church, which is

always open because the key of it turned itself into a young man who

married the king's daughter, after he had shown to her that he had done

as she wished, and learnt, for her sake, "the trade that no one knows."

XX. THE GOLDEN-HAIRED TWINS

Once upon a time, a long, long while ago, there lived a young king

who wished very much to marry, but could not decide where he had

better look for a wife.

One evening as he was walking disguised through the streets of his

capital, as it was his frequent custom to do, he stopped to listen

near an open window where he heard three young girls chatting gaily

together.

The girls were talking about a report which had been lately spread

through the city, that the king intended soon to marry.

One of the girls exclaimed: "If the king would marry me I would give

him a son who should be the greatest hero in the world."

The second girl said: "And if I were to be his wife I would present

him with two sons at once--the twins with golden hair."

And the third girl declared that were the king to marry her, she

would give him a daughter so beautiful that there should not be her

equal in the whole wide world!

The young king listened to all this, and for some time thought over

their words, and tried to make up his mind which of the three girls

he should choose for a wife. At last he decided that he would marry

the one who had said she would bring him twins with golden hair.

Having once settled this in his own mind, he ordered that all

preparations for his marriage should be made forthwith, and shortly

after, when all was ready, he married the second girl of the three.

Several months after his marriage the young king, who was at war

with one of the neighbouring princes, received tidings of the defeat

of his army, and heard that his presence was immediately required

in the camp. He accordingly left his capital and went to his army,

leaving the young queen in his palace to the care of his stepmother.

Now the king's stepmother hated her daughter-in-law very much indeed,

so when the young queen was near her confinement, the old queen told

her that it was always customary in the royal family for the heirs

to the throne to be born in a garret.

The young queen (who knew nothing about the customs in royal families

except what she had learnt from hearing or seeing since her marriage

to the king) believed implicitly what her mother-in-law told her,

although she thought it a great pity to leave her splendid apartments

and go up into a miserable attic.

Now when the golden-haired twins were born, the old queen contrived to

steal them out of their cradle, and put in their place two ugly little

dogs. She then caused the two beautiful golden-haired boys to be buried

alive in an out-of-the-way spot in the palace gardens, and then sent

word to the king that the young queen had given him two little dogs

instead of the heirs he was hoping for. The wicked stepmother said in

her letter to the king that she herself was not surprised at this,

though she was very sorry for his disappointment. As to herself,

she had a long time suspected the young queen of having too great a

friendship for goblins and elves, and all kinds of evil spirits.

When the king received this letter, he fell into a frightful rage,

because he had only married the young girl in order to have the

golden-haired twins she had promised him as heirs to his throne.

So he sent word back to the old queen that his wife should be put at

once into the dampest dungeon in the castle, an order which the wicked

woman took good care to see carried out without delay. Accordingly

the poor young queen was thrown into a miserably dark dungeon under

the palace, and kept on bread and water.

The Plight of the Young Queen

Now there was only a very small hole in this prison--hardly enough

to let in light and air--yet the old queen managed to cause a great

many people to pass by this hole, and whoever passed was ordered

to spit at and abuse the unhappy young queen, calling out to her,

"Are you really the queen? Are you the girl who cheated the king in

order to be a queen? Where are your golden-haired twins? You cheated

the king and your friends, and now the witches have cheated you!"

But the young king, though terribly angry and mortified at his

great disappointment, was, at the same time, too sad and troubled

to be willing to return to his palace. So he remained away for fully

nine years. When he at last consented to return, the first thing he

noticed in the palace gardens were two fine young trees, exactly the

same size and the same shape.

These trees had both golden leaves and golden blossoms, and had grown

up of themselves from the very spot where the stepmother of the king

had buried the two golden-haired boys she had stolen from their cradle.

The king admired these two trees exceedingly, and was never weary of

looking at them. This, however, did not at all please the old queen,

for she knew that the two young princes were buried just where the

trees grew, and she always feared that by some means what she had done

would come to the king's ears. She therefore pretended that she was

very sick, and declared that she was sure she should die unless her

stepson, the king, ordered the two golden-leaved trees to be cut down,

and a bed made for her out of their wood.

As the king was not willing to be the cause of her death, he ordered

that her wishes should be attended to, notwithstanding he was

exceedingly sorry to lose his favourite trees.

A bed was soon made from the two trees, and the seemingly sick old

queen was laid on it as she desired. She was quite delighted that the

golden-leaved trees had disappeared from the garden; but when midnight

came, she could not sleep a bit, for it seemed to her that she heard

the boards of which her bed was made in conversation with each other!

At last it seemed to her, that one board said, quite plainly, "How

are you, my brother?" And the other board answered: "Thank you,

I am very well; how are you?"

"Oh, I am all right," returned the first board; "but I wonder how our

poor mother is in her dark dungeon! Perhaps she is hungry and thirsty!"

The wicked old queen could not sleep a minute all night, after hearing

this conversation between the boards of her new bed; so next morning

she got up very early and went to see the king. She thanked him for

attending to her wish, and said she already was much better, but she

felt quite sure she would never recover thoroughly unless the boards

of her new bed were cut up and thrown into a fire. The king was sorry

to lose entirely even the boards made out of his two favourite trees,

nevertheless he could not refuse to use the means pointed out for

his step-mother's perfect recovery.

So the new bed was cut to pieces and thrown into the fire. But whilst

the boards were blazing and crackling, two sparks from the fire flew

into the courtyard, and in the next moment two beautiful lambs with

golden fleeces and golden horns were seen gambolling about the yard.

The king admired them greatly, and made many inquiries who had sent

them there, and to whom they belonged. He even sent the public

crier many times through the city, calling on the owners of the

golden-fleeced lambs to appear and claim them; but no one came,

so at length he thought he might fairly take them as his own property.

The king took very great care of these two beautiful lambs, and

every day directed that they should be well fed and attended to;

this, however, did not at all please his stepmother. She could not

endure even to look on the lambs with their golden fleeces and golden

horns, for they always reminded her of the golden-haired twins. So,

in a little while she pretended again to be dangerously sick, and

declared she felt sure that she should soon die unless the two lambs

were killed and cooked for her.

The king was even fonder of his golden-fleeced lambs than he had been

of the golden-leaved trees, but he could not long resist the tears

and prayers of the old queen, especially as she seemed to be very

ill. Accordingly, the lambs were killed, and a servant was ordered to

carry their golden fleeces down to the river and to wash the blood

well out of them. But whilst the servant held them under the water,

they slipped, in some way or other, out of his fingers, and floated

down the stream, which just at that place flowed very rapidly. Now

it happened that a hunter was passing near the river a little lower

down, and, as he chanced to look in the water, he saw something

strange in it. So he stepped into the stream, and soon fished out

a small box which he carried to his house, and there opened it. To

his unspeakably great surprise, he found in the box two golden-haired

boys. Now the hunter had no children of his own; he therefore adopted

the twins he had fished out of the river, and brought them up just

as if they had been his own sons. When the twins were grown up into

handsome young men, one of them said to his foster-father, "Make

us two suits of beggar's clothes, and let us go and wander a little

about the world!" The hunter, however, replied and said: "No, I will

have a fine suit made for each of you, such as is fitting for two such

noble-looking young men." But as the twins begged hard that he should

not spend his money uselessly in buying fine clothes, telling him that

they wished to travel about as beggars, the hunter--who always liked

to do as his two handsome foster-sons wished--did as they desired,

and ordered two suit of clothes, like those worn by beggars, to be

prepared for them. The two sons then dressed themselves up as beggars,

and as well as they could hid their beautiful golden locks, and then

set out to see the world. They took with them a goussle and cymbal,

and maintained themselves with their singing and playing.

The King's Sons

They had wandered about in this way some time when one day they came to

the king's palace. As the afternoon was already pretty far advanced,

the young musicians begged to allowed to pass the night in one of

the out-buildings belonging to the court, as they were poor men, and

quite strangers in the city. The old queen, however, who happened to

be just then in the courtyard, saw them, and hearing their request

said sharply that beggars could not be permitted to enter any part

of the king's palace. The two travellers said they had hoped to pay

for their night's lodging by their songs and music, as one of them

played and sung to the goussle, and the other to the cymbal.

The old queen, however, was not moved by this, but insisted on their

going away at once. Happily for the two brothers, the king himself

came out into the courtyard just as his stepmother angrily ordered them

to go away, and at once directed his servants to find a place for the

musicians to sleep in, and ordered them to provide the brothers with

a good supper. After they had supped, the king commanded them to be

brought before him that he might judge of their skill as musicians,

and that their singing might help him to pass the time more pleasantly.

Accordingly, after the two young men had taken the refreshment

provided for them, the servants took them into the king's presence,

and they began to sing this ballad:--

"The pretty bird, the swallow, built her nest with care in the palace

of the king. In the nest she reared up happily two of her little

ones. A black, ugly-looking bird, however came to the swallow's nest to

mar her happiness and to kill her two little ones. And the ugly black

bird succeeded in destroying the happiness of the poor little swallow;

the little ones, however, although yet weak and unfledged were saved,

and, when they were grown up and able to fly, they came to look at

the palace where their mother, the pretty swallow, had built her nest."

This strange song the two minstrels sung so very sweetly that the

king was quite charmed, and asked them the meaning of the words.

Whereupon the two meanly dressed young men took off their hats, so that

the rich tresses of their golden hair fell down over their shoulders,

and the light glanced so brightly upon it that the whole hall was

illuminated by the shining. They then stepped forward together,

and told the king all that had happened to them and to their mother,

and convinced him that they were really his own sons.

The king was exceedingly angry when he heard all the cruel things his

stepmother had done, and he gave orders that she should be burnt to

death. He then went with the two golden-haired princes to the miserable

dungeon wherein his unfortunate wife had been confined so many years,

and brought her once more into her beautiful palace. There, looking on

her golden-haired sons, and seeing how much the king, their father,

loved them, she soon forgot all her long years of misery. As to the

king, he felt that he could never do enough to make amends for all

the misfortunes his queen had lived through, and all the dangers to

which his twin sons had been exposed. He felt that he had too easily

believed the stories of the old queen, because he would not trouble

himself to inquire more particularly into the truth or falsehood of

the strange things she had told him.

After all this mortification, and trouble, and misery, everything

came right at last. So the king and his wife, with their golden-haired

twins, lived together long and happily.