[Illustration: O]
Once there was a king and he had three sons, and when the king died,
they did not give a shade of anything to the youngest son, but an old
white limping garron.
"If I get but this," quoth he, "it seems that I had best go with this
same."
He was going with it right before him, sometimes walking, sometimes
riding. When he had been riding a good while he thought that the garron
would need a while of eating, so he came down to earth, and what should
he see coming out of the heart of the western airt towards him but a
rider riding high, well, and right well.
"All hail, my lad," said he.
"Hail, king's son," said the other.
"What's your news?" said the king's son.
"I have got that," said the lad who came. "I am after breaking my heart
riding this ass of a horse; but will you give me the limping white
garron for him?"
"No," said the prince; "it would be a bad business for me."
"You need not fear," said the man that came, "there is no saying but
that you might make better use of him than I. He has one value, there is
no single place that you can think of in the four parts of the wheel of
the world that the black horse will not take you there."
So the king's son got the black horse, and he gave the limping white
garron.
Where should he think of being when he mounted but in the Realm
Underwaves. He went, and before sunrise on the morrow he was there. What
should he find when he got there but the son of the King Underwaves
holding a Court, and the people of the realm gathered to see if there
was any one who would undertake to go to seek the daughter of the King
of the Greeks to be the prince's wife. No one came forward, when who
should come up but the rider of the black horse.
"You, rider of the black horse," said the prince, "I lay you under
crosses and under spells to have the daughter of the King of the Greeks
here before the sun rises to-morrow."
He went out and he reached the black horse and leaned his elbow on his
mane, and he heaved a sigh.
"Sigh of a king's son under spells!" said the horse; "but have no care;
we shall do the thing that was set before you." And so off they went.
"Now," said the horse, "when we get near the great town of the Greeks,
you will notice that the four feet of a horse never went to the town
before. The king's daughter will see me from the top of the castle
looking out of a window, and she will not be content without a turn of a
ride upon me. Say that she may have that, but the horse will suffer no
man but you to ride before a woman on him."
They came near the big town, and he fell to horsemanship; and the
princess was looking out of the windows, and noticed the horse. The
horsemanship pleased her, and she came out just as the horse had come.
[Illustration]
"Give me a ride on the horse," said she.
"You shall have that," said he, "but the horse will let no man ride him
before a woman but me."
"I have a horseman of my own," said she.
"If so, set him in front," said he.
Before the horseman mounted at all, when he tried to get up, the horse
lifted his legs and kicked him off.
"Come then yourself and mount before me," said she; "I won't leave the
matter so."
He mounted the horse and she behind him, and before she glanced from her
she was nearer sky than earth. He was in Realm Underwaves with her
before sunrise.
"You are come," said Prince Underwaves.
"I am come," said he.
"There you are, my hero," said the prince. "You are the son of a king,
but I am a son of success. Anyhow, we shall have no delay or neglect
now, but a wedding."
"Just gently," said the princess; "your wedding is not so short a way
off as you suppose. Till I get the silver cup that my grandmother had at
her wedding, and that my mother had as well, I will not marry, for I
need to have it at my own wedding."
"You, rider of the black horse," said the Prince Underwaves, "I set you
under spells and under crosses unless the silver cup is here before dawn
to-morrow."
Out he went and reached the horse and leaned his elbow on his mane, and
he heaved a sigh.
"Sigh of a king's son under spells!" said the horse; "mount and you
shall get the silver cup. The people of the realm are gathered about the
king to-night, for he has missed his daughter, and when you get to the
palace go in and leave me without; they will have the cup there going
round the company. Go in and sit in their midst. Say nothing, and seem
to be as one of the people of the place. But when the cup comes round to
you, take it under your oxter, and come out to me with it, and we'll
go."
Away they went and they got to Greece, and he went in to the palace and
did as the black horse bade. He took the cup and came out and mounted,
and before sunrise he was in the Realm Underwaves.
"You are come," said Prince Underwaves.
"I am come," said he.
"We had better get married now," said the prince to the Greek princess.
"Slowly and softly," said she. "I will not marry till I get the silver
ring that my grandmother and my mother wore when they were wedded."
"You, rider of the black horse," said the Prince Underwaves, "do that.
Let's have that ring here to-morrow at sunrise."
The lad went to the black horse and put his elbow on his crest and told
him how it was.
"There never was a matter set before me harder than this matter which
has now been set in front of me," said the horse, "but there is no help
for it at any rate. Mount me. There is a snow mountain and an ice
mountain and a mountain of fire between us and the winning of that ring.
It is right hard for us to pass them."
Thus they went as they were, and about a mile from the snow mountain
they were in a bad case with cold. As they came near it he struck the
horse, and with the bound he gave the black horse was on the top of the
snow mountain; at the next bound he was on the top of the ice mountain;
at the third bound he went through the mountain of fire. When he had
passed the mountains he was dragging at the horse's neck, as though he
were about to lose himself. He went on before him down to a town below.
"Go down," said the black horse, "to a smithy; make an iron spike for
every bone end in me."
Down he went as the horse desired, and he got the spikes made, and back
he came with them.
"Stick them into me," said the horse, "every spike of them in every bone
end that I have."
That he did; he stuck the spikes into the horse.
"There is a loch here," said the horse, "four miles long and four miles
wide, and when I go out into it the loch will take fire and blaze. If
you see the Loch of Fire going out before the sun rises, expect me, and
if not, go your way."
Out went the black horse into the lake, and the lake became flame. Long
was he stretched about the lake, beating his palms and roaring. Day
came, and the loch did not go out.
But at the hour when the sun was rising out of the water the lake went
out.
And the black horse rose in the middle of the water with one single
spike in him, and the ring upon its end.
[Illustration: .THE.BLACK.HORSE.]
He came on shore, and down he fell beside the loch.
Then down went the rider. He got the ring, and he dragged the horse down
to the side of a hill. He fell to sheltering him with his arms about
him, and as the sun was rising he got better and better, till about
midday, when he rose on his feet.
"Mount," said the horse, "and let us begone."
He mounted on the black horse, and away they went.
He reached the mountains, and he leaped the horse at the fire mountain
and was on the top. From the mountain of fire he leaped to the mountain
of ice, and from the mountain of ice to the mountain of snow. He put the
mountains past him, and by morning he was in realm under the waves.
"You are come," said the prince.
"I am," said he.
"That's true," said Prince Underwaves. "A king's son are you, but a son
of success am I. We shall have no more mistakes and delays, but a
wedding this time."
"Go easy," said the Princess of the Greeks. "Your wedding is not so near
as you think yet. Till you make a castle, I won't marry you. Not to your
father's castle nor to your mother's will I go to dwell; but make me a
castle for which your father's castle will not make washing water."
"You, rider of the black horse, make that," said Prince Underwaves,
"before the morrow's sun rises."
The lad went out to the horse and leaned his elbow on his neck and
sighed, thinking that this castle never could be made for ever.
"There never came a turn in my road yet that is easier for me to pass
than this," said the black horse.
Glance that the lad gave from him he saw all that there were, and ever
so many wrights and stone masons at work, and the castle was ready
before the sun rose.
He shouted at the Prince Underwaves, and he saw the castle. He tried to
pluck out his eye, thinking that it was a false sight.
"Son of King Underwaves," said the rider of the black horse, "don't
think that you have a false sight; this is a true sight."
"That's true," said the prince. "You are a son of success, but I am a
son of success too. There will be no more mistakes and delays, but a
wedding now."
"No," said she. "The time is come. Should we not go to look at the
castle? There's time enough to get married before the night comes."