'I don't know,' answered the Youth.
'Who is your Father?'
'That I must not say.'
'What are you always mumbling in your beard?'
'Ah,' answered the Youth, 'I want to learn to shudder, but no one can
teach me.'
'Stop your silly chatter,' said the Carter. 'Just you come with me,
and I'll see that you have what you want.'
The Youth went with the Carter, and in the evening they reached an
inn, where they meant to pass the night. He said quite loud, as they
entered: 'Oh, if only I could learn to shudder, if only I could learn
to shudder.'
The Landlord, who heard him, laughed, and said: 'If that's what you
want, there should be plenty of opportunity for you here.'
'I will have nothing to say to it,' said the Landlady. 'So many a
prying fellow has already paid the penalty with his life. It would be
a sin and a shame if those bright eyes should not see the light of day
again.'
But the Youth said: 'I will learn it somehow, however hard it may be.
I have been driven out for not knowing it.'
He gave the Landlord no peace till he told him that there was an
enchanted castle a little way off, where any one could be made to
shudder, if he would pass three nights in it.
The King had promised his daughter to wife to any one who dared do it,
and she was the prettiest maiden the sun had ever shone on.
There were also great treasures hidden in the castle, watched over by
evil spirits, enough to make any poor man rich who could break the
spell.
Already many had gone in, but none had ever come out.
Next morning the Youth went to the King, and said: 'By your leave, I
should like to pass three nights in the enchanted castle.'
The King looked at him, and, as he took a fancy to him, he said: 'You
may ask three things to take into the castle with you, but they must
be lifeless things.'
He answered: 'Then I ask for a fire, a turning-lathe, and a cooper's
bench with the knife.'
The King had all three carried into the castle for him.
When night fell, the Youth went up to the castle and made a bright
fire in one of the rooms. He put the cooper's bench with the knife
near the fire, and seated himself on the turning-lathe.
'Oh, if only I could shudder,' he said; 'but I shan't learn it here
either.'
Towards midnight he wanted to make up the fire, and, as he was blowing
it up, something in one corner began to shriek: 'Miau, miau, how cold
we are!'
'You fools!' he cried. 'What do you shriek for? If you are cold, come
and warm yourselves by the fire.'
As he spoke, two big black cats bounded up and sat down, one on each
side of him, and stared at him with wild, fiery eyes.
After a time, when they had warmed themselves, they said: 'Comrade,
shall we have a game of cards?'
'Why not?' he answered; 'but show me your paws first.'
Then they stretched out their claws.
'Why,' he said, 'what long nails you've got. Wait a bit; I must cut
them for you.'
He seized them by the scruff of their necks, lifted them on to the
cooper's bench, and screwed their paws firmly to it.
[Illustration: Crowds of black cats and dogs swarmed out of every
corner.]
'I have looked at your fingers, and the desire to play cards with you
has passed.'
Then he killed them and threw them out into the moat.
But no sooner had he got rid of these two cats, and was about to sit
down by his fire again, than crowds of black cats and dogs swarmed out
of every corner, more and more of them.
They howled horribly, and trampled on his fire, and tried to put it
out.
For a time he looked quietly on, but when it grew too bad he seized
his cooper's knife, and cried: 'Away with you, you rascally pack,' and
let fly among them right and left. Some of them sprang away, the
others he killed, and threw them out into the water.
When he came back he scraped the embers of his fire together again,
and warmed himself. He could hardly keep his eyes open, and felt the
greatest desire to go to sleep. He looked round, and in one corner he
saw a big bed.
'That's the very thing,' he said, and lay down in it. As soon as he
closed his eyes, the bed began to move, and soon it was tearing round
and round the castle. 'Very good!' he said. 'The faster the better!'
The bed rolled on as if it were dragged by six horses; over thresholds
and stairs, up and down.
Suddenly it went hop, hop, hop, and turned topsy-turvy, so that it lay
upon him like a mountain. But he pitched the pillows and blankets into
the air, slipped out of it, and said: 'Now any one may ride who
likes.'
Then he lay down by his fire and slept till daylight.
In the morning the King came, and when he saw him lying on the floor,
he thought the ghosts had killed him, and he was dead. So he said:
'It's a sad pity, for such a handsome fellow.'
But the Youth heard him, and sat up, saying: 'It has not come to that
yet.'
The King was surprised and delighted, and asked him how he had got on.
'Pretty well!' he answered. 'One night is gone, I suppose I shall get
through the others too.'
When the Landlord saw him he opened his eyes, and said: 'I never
thought I should see you alive again. Have you learnt how to shudder
now?'
'No,' he answered; 'it's all in vain. If only some one would tell me
how.'
The second night came, and up he went again and sat down by the fire,
and began his old song: 'Oh, if only I could learn to shudder.'
In the middle of the night a great noise and uproar began, first soft,
and then growing louder; then for a short time there would be silence.
At last, with a loud scream, half the body of a man fell down the
chimney in front of him.
'Hullo!' he said, 'another half is wanting here; this is too little.'
The noise began again, and, amidst shrieks and howls, the other half
fell down.
'Wait a bit,' he said; 'I'll blow up the fire.'
When this was done, and he looked round, the two halves had come
together, and a hideous man sat in his place.
'We didn't bargain for that,' said the Youth. 'The bench is mine.'
The man wanted to push him out of the way, but the Youth would not
have it, flung him aside, and took his own seat.
Then more men fell down the chimney, one after the other, and they
fetched nine human shin bones and two skulls, and began to play
skittles.
The Youth felt inclined to join them, and cried: 'I say, can I play
too?'
'Yes, if you've got any money.'
'Money enough,' he answered, 'but your balls aren't quite round.'
Then he took the skulls and turned them on the lathe till they were
quite round. 'Now they will roll better,' he said. 'Here goes! The
more, the merrier!'
So he played with them, and lost some money, but when it struck
twelve everything disappeared. He lay down, and was soon fast asleep.
Next morning the King came again to look after him, and said: 'Well,
how did you get on this time?'
'I played skittles,' he answered, 'and lost a few coins.'
'Didn't you learn to shudder?'
'Not I. I only made merry. Oh, if I could but find out how to
shudder.'
On the third night he again sat down on his bench, and said quite
savagely: 'If only I could shudder!'
When it grew late, six tall men came in, carrying a bier, and he said:
'Hullo there! That must be my cousin who died a few days ago.' And he
beckoned and said: 'Come along, cousin, come along.'
The men put the coffin on the floor, and he went up and took the lid
off, and there lay a dead man. He felt the face, and it was as cold
as ice. 'Wait,' he said; 'I will warm him.'
Then he went to the fire and warmed his hand, and laid it on his face,
but the dead man remained cold. He took him out of the coffin, sat
down by the fire, and took him on his knees, and rubbed his arms to
make the blood circulate.
But it was all no good. Next, it came into his head that if two people
were in bed together, they warmed each other. So he put the dead man
in the bed, covered him up, and lay down beside him.
After a time the dead man grew warm, and began to move.
Then the Youth said: 'There, you see, cousin mine, have I not warmed
you?'