A certain man named John had been a faithful soldier, and had served
the King all through the war, and had been wounded, too; but when the
war came to an end and he was discharged he only received three pieces
of silver as payment.
“That is a mean way to treat a fellow,” said John. “But never mind! If
I can only get the right sort of friends to help me we will get all the
King’s treasure from him before we are done.”
So he shouldered his knapsack and off he set into the world to find the
right sort of friends to help him do this.
He walked along and walked along till he came to a wood, and there was
a man pulling up trees by the roots as though they were no more than
grasses.
“You are the very man for me,” said John. “Come along with me and we
will make our fortunes.”
The man was willing. “But wait,” said he, “until I tie these fagots
together and take them home to my mother.”
He laid six of the trees together and twisted the seventh around them
to hold them. Then he walked off with them on his shoulder as easily as
though they were nothing.
When he came back he and the soldier started out in search of their
fortunes.
They had not gone far when they came to a hunter who had raised his gun
to his shoulder and was taking careful aim. The soldier looked about
over the meadows, but could see nothing to shoot.
“What are you aiming at?” asked he.
“Two miles away there is a forest,” said the man. “In the forest is an
oak tree. On the top-most leaf of that oak tree there is a fly. I am
going to shoot out the left eye of that fly.”
“Come along with me,” said the soldier, “we three will certainly make
our fortunes together.”
Very well; the hunter was willing. So he shouldered the gun and off he
tramped alongside of the other.
Presently they came to seven mill-wheels, and the sails were turning
merrily, and yet there was not a breath of wind stirring. “That is a
curious thing!” said the soldier. “Now what is turning those sails I
should like to know.”
Two miles farther on they came to a man sitting on top of a hill. He
held a finger on one side of his nose and blew through the other.
“What are you doing?” asked the soldier.
“I am blowing to turn the wheels of seven windmills two miles away, so
that the miller can grind his corn,” answered the man.
“Come with us,” said the soldier. “We are going out into the world to
make our fortunes.”
Very well, the man was willing; the wind was springing up, anyway,
so the miller would not need him. So now there were four of them
journeying along together.
After awhile they came to a heap of rocks, and there in the shade of it
sat a man. He had unfastened one of his legs, and taken it off, and he
sat with the other stretched out before him.
“That is a good way to rest,” said the soldier.
“I am not doing this to rest,” said the man. “I am a runner. If I were
to put on this other leg and start off I would be out of sight in a
twinkling. I have arranged to take off one leg so that I can go more
slowly; though ordinary people find it hard to keep up with me even so.”
“Take up your leg and come with us,” said the soldier. “We are going to
make our fortunes, and it shall be share and share alike with us if you
will come along.”
To this the runner agreed. He took up his one leg and hopped along on
the other, and they found it hard work to keep up with him, he went so
fast.
They had gone but a mile or so when they met a man who wore a little
hat cocked down over one ear.
“Hello!” called the soldier. “Why do you wear your hat in that fashion
instead of straight on your head like other people?”
“Oh, every time I set it straight there comes such a heavy frost that
the flowers are blighted, and even the birds freeze in the trees.”
“That is a wonderful gift,” said the soldier. “Come along with us, and
we will make our fortunes together. And now there are six of us, and
that is enough. We will have no more in our company.”
So the six stout comrades journeyed on until they came to the town
where the King lived. This King had one daughter, and she could run so
fast that it was like a bird skimming along, and the King had said that
no one should marry her unless he could run faster than she could; if
such a one came along he should have her for a wife. But so far no one
had been able to outrun her.
The soldier with his five comrades marched up to the palace and knocked
at the door as bold as bold, and asked to see the King.
At first the gatekeeper did not wish to let the six in, for they were
worn and dusty, but the soldier looked at him so fiercely that he did
not dare to refuse.
The six comrades were brought into the great hall where the King sat
with his daughter beside him and all his nobles about him.
Well, and what did the soldier and his fellows want with the King.
Oh, the soldier wanted to try a race with the princess; but he was not
much of a runner himself, so he would let his servant run for him.
The King was willing for that, but he warned the soldier that if he
failed in the race he and his servant, too, would lose their lives.
The soldier was not afraid to risk that, so the race course was laid
out, and the Princess and the runner made ready. They were to run to a
fountain miles and miles and miles away, and each was to fill a pitcher
with water and bring it back to the palace. Whichever first returned
with the water would win the race.
The runner stooped down and buckled on his second leg, and then he was
ready, and he and the Princess set out. The Princess flew like a bird,
but the runner ran like the wind. He was out of sight in a twinkling,
and had filled his pitcher and started home again before the Princess
was half-way to the fountain.
The runner sat down to rest a bit. He was very sleepy and he thought he
would just take a little nap before going the rest of the way. In order
not to be too comfortable and sleep too long he picked up a horse’s
skull that lay in a field near by and put it under his head for a
pillow.
But the runner slept more soundly than he meant to do.
The Princess also reached the fountain and filled her pitcher and
started home again, and then, half-way home, she came across the runner
fast asleep with his pitcher of water beside him.
This was the chance for the Princess. Very quietly she poured the water
from the runner’s pitcher, and set it down beside him empty. Then she
hurried on toward the palace, leaving the runner still asleep.
And now all would have been lost except for the hunter. He had been
watching from the palace window and had seen everything that happened.
He made haste to load his gun, and took aim and shot the skull from
under the sleeper’s head. This awakened the runner. He sat up and
looked about him.
There was the Princess almost back at the palace, and his pitcher lay
empty beside him.
However, this was nothing to him. He picked up his pitcher and away he
went, swifter than the wind. He ran back to the fountain and filled the
pitcher, and got back with it to the castle door before the Princess
had come in at the outer gate.
And now by rights the Princess belonged to the soldier, but the King
could not make up his mind to have her married to a common man like
that. As for the Princess she was ready to cry her eyes out at the
thought of it. She and the King talked and talked together, and at last
they made up a plan between them.
The King had a room made that was all of iron and could be heated until
it was hotter than any oven. Then he called the comrades to him and
said, “Now you have fairly won the race, and I have ordered food and
drink to be set out for you, so that you may make merry over it.”
He then showed the companions into the iron room, and there a grand
feast had been made ready. The six sat down at table and began to eat
and drink, but the king went on out and locked the doors behind him.
Then he ordered a fire to be built under the room, and to be kept up
until the room was red hot.
The six companions sat around the table eating and drinking merrily
enough, until they began to feel too warm. Then they got up to leave
the room, but they found the door was locked and they were fastened in.
At once they guessed the trick that had been played upon them, but
they were not troubled over that in the least.
“This is something for you to see to,” said the soldier to the man with
the hat over one ear.
The man set his hat straight and at once a frost fell upon the room. It
grew so cold that the comrades had to turn up their coat collars and
walk about to keep warm.
The King waited until he thought the six would certainly be suffocated
by the heat, and then he ordered the door to be opened. What was his
surprise when all the men walked out just as well and hearty as ever,
except that they looked somewhat pinched with the cold.
But the King was as unwilling as ever to give his daughter to the
soldier. He called the soldier to him and said, “Listen, if you will
give up marrying the Princess I will make you rich for life.”
“Yes, but how much will you give me?” asked the soldier.
“I will give you all the gold you can carry.”
Well, the soldier hardly knew what to say to that. Ever since he had
been in the war his back had been weak; but if the King would give him
as much as his servant could carry he would give up the Princess and
welcome.
The King did not care who carried off the gold. He was quite willing to
give as much as the servant could carry.
“Very well,” said the soldier. “In a week’s time I will come back for
the gold, and do you gather it together and have it ready for me.”
The next thing the soldier did was to hire all the tailors he could
get, and have them make for him an enormous sack, and when it was
finished it was as big as a house.
When it was done he and the strong man went back to the palace
together, and the week was just up. The strong man carried the sack,
rolled up, on his shoulders.
Meanwhile the King had had a ton of gold brought up from his
treasure-house, and that, he was sure, was more than the strongest man
could carry.
When the soldier and his comrade came where the gold was the strong
man opened up the sack, and taking up the ton of gold with one hand he
threw it into the sack. “That will do for a beginning,” said he, “but
we will have to have more than that.”
The King was frightened. He ordered more gold and more to be brought up
from his treasure-house, and still there did not begin to be enough. “I
can easily carry twice as much, and more,” cried the strong man.
At last the King’s treasure-house was empty, and he sent out all over
the kingdom for more gold, and still there was not enough.
“Oh, well!” cried the strong man at last, “I see you have done your
best; we will have to be content with what we have.” Then he swung the
sack up over his shoulder and marched off with it, and the soldier and
the other comrades went along with him.
But the King was in a terrible state of mind. Here all his treasure had
been carried off by a common soldier and his followers. He would almost
rather have given up the Princess than that. He stamped and raged, and
then he called his horsemen together, and sent out two regiments after
the comrades to bring them back again and the treasure with them.
It did not take the horsemen long to catch up to the comrades for they
were traveling along quietly enough, and without any haste.
“Stop! stop!” cried the captain of the regiment. “I have come to take
you and the treasure back to the King. Will you come along quietly, or
will we have to drag you?”
“Wait a bit,” said the blower. “Before we talk further about it suppose
you take a dance in the air.” He put one finger to his nostril and blew
through the other and away went the captain and his regiment, whirling
and dancing through the air like dry leaves when the wind blows them.
After awhile he allowed them to settle down to earth again. “There!”
said he. “Have you had enough, or would you like another dance?”
No! the regiment had no wish for another whirl through the air. All
they wished for now was to get safely back to the palace again.
“Very well,” said the blower. “Then go back to the King and tell him if
he sends his whole army out after us I will treat it in the same way.”
But this the King dared not do. His treasure was gone and he could not
risk having his army blown away, into the bargain. The comrades went
on their way with no further hindrance, and after awhile they sat down
and divided the treasure among them and each one had enough to make him
rich and prosperous for life.
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