TWO king's sons once started to seek adventures, and fell into a wild,
reckless way of living, and gave up all thoughts of going home again.
Their third and youngest brother, who was called Witling, and had
remained behind, started off to seek them; and when at last he found
them, they jeered at his simplicity in thinking that he could make his
way in the world, while they who were so much cleverer were
unsuccessful. But they all three went on together until they came to an
ant-hill, which the two eldest brothers wished to stir up, that they
might see the little ants hurry about in their fright and carrying off
their eggs, but Witling said,
"Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be
disturbed."
And they went on farther until they came to a lake, where a number of
ducks were swimming about. The two eldest brothers wanted to catch a
couple and cook them, but Witling would not allow it, and said, "Leave
the creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be killed."
And then they came to a bee's-nest in a tree, and there was so much
honey in it that it overflowed and ran down the trunk. The two eldest
brothers then wanted to make a fire beneath the tree, that the bees
might be stifled by the smoke, and then they could get at the honey. But
Witling prevented them, saying,
"Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be
stifled."
At last the three brothers came to a castle where there were in the
stables many horses standing, all of stone, and the brothers went
through all the rooms until they came to a door at the end secured with
three locks, and in the middle of the door a small opening through which
they could look into the room. And they saw a little grey-haired man
sitting at a table. They called out to him once, twice, and he did not
hear, but at the third time he got up, undid the locks, and came out.
Without speaking a word he led them to a table loaded with all sorts of
good things, and when they had eaten and drunk he showed to each his
bed-chamber. The next morning the little grey man came to the eldest
brother, and beckoning him, brought him to a table of stone, on which
were written three things directing by what means the castle could be
delivered from its enchantment. The first thing was, that in the wood
under the moss lay the pearls belonging to the princess--a thousand in
number--and they were to be sought for and collected, and if he who
should undertake the task had not finished it by sunset,--if but one
pearl were missing,--he must be turned to stone. So the eldest brother
went out, and searched all day, but at the end of it he had only found
one hundred; just as was said on the table of stone came to pass and he
was turned into stone. The second brother undertook the adventure next
day, but it fared with him no better than with the first; he found two
hundred pearls, and was turned into stone.
And so at last it was Witling's turn, and he began to search in the
moss; but it was a very tedious business to find the pearls, and he grew
so out of heart that he sat down on a stone and began to weep. As he was
sitting thus, up came the ant-king with five thousand ants, whose lives
had been saved through Witling's pity, and it was not very long before
the little insects had collected all the pearls and put them in a heap.
Now the second thing ordered by the table of stone was to get the key of
the princess's sleeping-chamber out of the lake.
And when Witling came to the lake, the ducks whose lives he had saved
came swimming, and dived below, and brought up the key from the bottom.
The third thing that had to be done was the most difficult, and that was
to choose out the youngest and loveliest of the three princesses, as
they lay sleeping. All bore a perfect resemblance each to the other, and
only differed in this, that before they went to sleep each one had eaten
a different sweetmeat,--the eldest a piece of sugar, the second a little
syrup, and the third a spoonful of honey. Now the Queen-bee of those
bees that Witling had protected from the fire came at this moment, and
trying the lips of all three, settled on those of the one that had eaten
honey, and so it was that the king's son knew which to choose. Then the
spell was broken; every one awoke from stony sleep, and took their right
form again.
And Witling married the youngest and loveliest princess, and became king
after her father's death. But his two brothers had to put up with the
two other sisters.