There were once two Brothers who both served as soldiers, and one was
rich and the other was poor.
The poor one, wishing to better himself, discarded his uniform and
worked like a Peasant. Then he dug and hoed his little field and sowed
Turnips.
The seed came up, and one of the Turnips grew to such an enormous
size, that it seemed as though it would never have finished; and it
might have been called the Queen of Turnips, for its like had never
been seen before, nor ever will be again.
At last it was so big that it filled a cart, and needed two oxen to
draw it; and the Peasant could not imagine what would come of it,
whether it would bring good luck or bad.
At last he said to himself: 'If I sell it what shall I gain? I might
eat it, but the little Turnips would do as well for that. The best
thing will be to take it to the King and offer it to him.'
So he loaded a cart, harnessed two oxen, and took it to the Court to
present it to the King.
'What is that extraordinary object?' said the King. 'I have seen many
marvels in my time, but never anything so remarkable as this. What
seed did it spring from? Perhaps it belongs to you, especially if you
are a child of good luck?'
'Oh no,' said the Peasant, 'lucky I certainly am not, for I am a poor
Soldier, who, since he could keep himself no longer, has hung up his
uniform on a nail, and tills the earth. Further, I have a Brother who
is rich, and well known to you, my Lord King; but I, because I have
nothing, am forgotten by all the world.'
Then the King pitied him and said: 'Your poverty shall be at an end,
and you shall receive such rich presents from me that your wealth will
equal that of your Brother.'
Thereupon he gave him plenty of gold, lands, fields, and flocks, and
enriched him with precious stones, so that the other Brother's wealth
could not be compared with his.
Now, when the rich Brother heard what his Brother with the single
Turnip had acquired, he envied him, and pondered how he might gain a
like treasure for himself.
[Illustration: So the rich Brother had to put his Brother's Turnip
into a cart, and have it taken home.]
But he wanted to show himself much cleverer, so he took gold and
horses and presented them to the King, feeling certain that he would
give him a far handsomer gift; for if his Brother got so much for a
Turnip, what would not he get for his beautiful things.
The King took the present, saying that he could give him in return
nothing rarer or better than the huge Turnip.
So the rich Brother had to put his Brother's Turnip into a cart, and
have it taken home.
Then he did not know on whom to expend his wrath and bitterness, till
evil thoughts came to him, and he determined to kill his Brother.
He hired Murderers, who were to place themselves in ambush, and then
he went to his Brother, and said: 'Dear Brother, I know of a secret
treasure which we will carry off and divide.'
The other agreed, and went without suspicion. But when they got out,
the Murderers sprang upon him, bound him, and prepared to hang him on
a tree.
While they were about it, they heard in the distance the clatter of
hoofs and the sound of singing, which frightened them so much that
they stuck their Prisoner into a sack, head foremost, slung it up on a
branch, and took to flight.
But the Man up in the sack worked a hole in it, and stuck his head
through.
Now the traveller turned out to be nothing more than a Student, a
young fellow who was riding through the wood, singing cheerily.
When the Man up in the sack saw some one down below, he called out:
'Good-day. You come in the nick of time.'
The Student looked all round, but could not make out where the voice
came from.