The king said: "And how are you going to trace her, when you are
sleeping all the time? If you fail to trace her you will lose your
head."
John answered that he would try to trace her all the same.
When the evening was come the queen went to bed in one room and John
went to bed in the next room, through which the queen had to pass. He
did not go to sleep, but when the queen was going by he pretended to
be in a deep slumber. So the queen lit a candle and scorched the soles
of his feet to make sure that he was asleep. But John didn't stir,
and so she was certain that he was asleep. Then she took her twelve
pairs of new shoes and off she went.
John got up, put his cap on, and pointed with his stick and said:
"Let me be where the queen is."
Now, when the queen came to a certain rock, the earth opened before
her and two dragons came to meet her. They took her on their backs
and carried her as far as the lead forest. Then John said: "Let me
be where the queen is," and instantly he was in the lead forest. So
he broke off a twig for a proof and put it in his knapsack. But
when he broke off the twig it gave out a shrill sound as if a bell
were ringing. The queen was frightened, but she rode on again. John
pointed with his stick and said: "Let me be where the queen is," and
instantly he was in the tin forest. He broke off a twig again and
put it in his knapsack, and it rang again. The queen turned pale,
but she rode on again. John pointed with his stick again and said:
"Let me be where the queen is," and instantly he was in the silver
forest. He broke off a twig again and put it into his knapsack. As
he broke it, it gave out a ringing sound and the queen fainted. The
dragons hastened on again till they came to a green meadow.
A crowd of devils came to meet them here, and they revived the
queen. Then they had a feast. Sleepy John was there too. The cook was
not at home that day, so John sat down in his place, and, as he had his
cap on, nobody could see him. They put aside a part of the food for the
cook, but John ate it all. They were all surprised to see all the food
they put aside disappearing. They couldn't make out what was happening,
but they didn't care very much. And when the banquet was at an end the
devils began to dance with the queen, and they kept on dancing until
the queen had worn out all her shoes. When her shoes were worn out,
those two dragons took her on their backs again and brought her to
the place where the earth had opened before her. John said: "Let me be
where the queen is." By this time she was walking on the earth again,
and he followed her. When they came near the palace he went ahead of
the queen and went to bed; and, as the queen was going in, she saw
him sleeping, and so she went to her own room and lay down and slept.
In the morning the lords gathered together and the king asked whether
any of them had tracked the queen. But none of them could say "Yes."
So he summoned Sleepy John before him. John said:
"Gracious Lord King, I did indeed track her, and I know that she used
up those twelve pairs of shoes upon the green meadows in Hell."
The queen stood forth at once, and John took from his knapsack the
leaden twig and said: "The queen was carried by two dragons towards
Hell, and she came to the leaden forest; there I broke off this twig
and the queen was frightened."