THE BRAVE PRINCESS
"Listen, children! That must be the song of a nightingale. How
sweet it is!"
It was a lovely Sunday afternoon. Every one in the family had been
to church in the morning, and come home to a good dinner of bean soup
and potato salad. Then the father had said:
"Let us take a long walk over the fields and through the woods. The
world is beautiful to-day. We can enjoy it best by leaving the house
behind us."
Some of the neighbours joined the merry party. The men smoked their
pipes, while the women chatted together and the children frolicked
about them and picked wild flowers.
How many sweet smells there were in the fields! How gaily the birds
sang! The air seemed full of peace and joy.
They all wandered on till they came to a cascade flowing down over
some high rocks. Trees grew close to the waterfall, and bent over it
as though to hide it from curious eyes.
It was a pretty spot.
"Let us sit down at the foot of this cascade," said Bertha's father,
"It is a pleasant place to rest."
Every one liked the plan. Bertha nestled close to her father's side.
"Tell us a story. Please do," she said.
"Ask neighbour Abel. He knows many a legend of just such places as
this. He has lived in the Hartz Mountains, and they are filled with
fairy stories."
The rest of the party heard what was said.
"Neighbour Abel! A story, a story," they cried.
Of course the kind-hearted German could not refuse such a general
request. Besides, he liked to tell stories. Taking his long pipe
out of his mouth, he laid it down on the ground beside him. Then he
cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Look above you, friends. Do you see that mark on the rocky platform
overhead? I noticed it as soon as I got here. It made me think of a
wild spot in the Hartz Mountains where there is just such a mark.
The people call it 'The Horse's Hoof-print.' I will tell you how
they explain its coming there.
"Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. Her name was
Brunhilda, and she lived in Bohemia. She lived a gay and happy life,
like most young princesses, till one day a handsome prince arrived at
her father's palace. He was the son of the king of the Hartz country.
"Of course, you can all guess what happened. The prince fell in love
with the princess, and she returned his love. The day was set for
the wedding, and the young prince went home to prepare for the great
event.
"But he had been gone only a short time when a powerful giant arrived
at Brunhilda's home. He came from the far north. His name was Bodo.
"He asked for the princess in marriage, but her heart had already
been given away. She did not care for the giant, even though he gave
her the most elegant presents,--a beautiful white horse, jewels set
in gold, and chains of amber.
"'I dare not refuse the giant,' said Brunhilda's father. 'He is very
powerful, and we must not make him angry. You must marry him, my
daughter, in three days.'
"The poor maiden wept bitterly. It seemed as though her heart would
break. But she was a clever girl, and she soon dried her tears and
began to think of some plan by which she might yet be free. She
began to smile upon the giant and treat him with great kindness.
"'I should like to try the beautiful horse you brought me,' she said
to him. He was much pleased. The horse was brought to the door.
The princess mounted him and rode for a time up and down in front of
the palace.
"The very next day was that set apart for the wedding. The castle
was filled with guests who feasted and made merry. The giant entered
into everything with a will. He laughed till the floors and walls
shook. Little did he think what was taking place. For the princess
slipped out of the castle when no one was watching, hurried into the
stable, and leaped upon the back of her swift white horse.
"'Lower the drawbridge instantly,' she called to the guard. She
passed over it, and away she flew like the wind.
"You were too late, too late, O giant, when you discovered that
Brunhilda was missing.
"He flew out of the castle, and on the back of his own fiery black
horse he dashed after the runaway princess.
"On they went! On, on, without stopping. Over the plains, up and
down the hillsides, through the villages. The sun set and darkness
fell upon the world, but there was never a moment's rest for the
maiden on the white horse or the giant lover on his black steed.
"Sometimes in the darkness sparks were struck off from the horses'
hoofs as they passed over rough and rocky places. These sparks
always showed the princess ahead and slowly increasing the distance
between herself and her pursuer.
"When the morning light first appeared, the maiden could see the
summit of the Brocken ahead of her. It was the home of her lover.
Her heart leaped within her. If she could only reach it she would be
safe.
"But alas! her horse suddenly stood still. He would not move. He
had reached the edge of a precipice. There it lay, separating the
princess from love and safety.
"The brave girl had not a moment to lose. The giant was fast drawing
near. She wheeled her horse around; then, striking his sides a sharp
blow with her whip, she urged him to leap across the precipice.
"The spring must be strong and sure. It was a matter of life and
death. The chasm was deep. If the horse should fail to strike the
other side securely, it meant a horrible end to beast and rider.
"But he did not fail. The feet of the brave steed came firmly down
upon the rocky platform. So heavily did they fall that the imprint
of a hoof was left upon the rock.
"The princess was now safe. It would be an easy matter for her to
reach her lover's side.
"As for the giant, he tried to follow Brunhilda across the chasm.
But he was too heavy and his horse failed to reach the mark. The two
sank together to the bottom of the precipice."
Every one thanked the story-teller, and begged him to tell more of
the Hartz Mountains, where he had spent his boyhood days. The
children were delighted when he spoke of the gnomes, in whom he
believed when he was a child.
"Every time I went out in the dark woods," he said, "I was on the
lookout for these funny little fairies of the underground world. I
wanted to see them, but at the same time I was afraid I should meet
them.
"I remember one time that my mother sent me on an errand through the
woods at twilight. I was in the thickest part of the woods, when I
heard a sound that sent a shiver down my back.
"'It is a witch, or some other dreadful being,' I said to myself.
'Nothing else could make a sound like that.' My teeth chattered. My
legs shook so, I could hardly move. Somehow or other, I managed to
keep on. It seemed as though hours passed before I saw the lights of
the village. Yet I suppose it was not more than fifteen minutes.
"When I was once more safe inside my own home, I told my father and
mother about my fright.
"'It was no witch, my child,' said my father. 'The sound you
describe was probably the cry of a wildcat. I thank Heaven that you
are safe. A wildcat is not a very pleasant creature to meet in a
lonely place.'
"After that, I was never sent away from the village after dark.
"My boy friends and I often came across badgers and deer, and
sometimes foxes made their way into the village in search of poultry,
but I never came nearer to meeting a wildcat than the time of which I
have just told you."
"What work did you do out of school hours?" asked Hans. The boy was
thinking of the toys he had to carve.
"My mother raised canary-birds, and I used to help her a great deal.
Nearly every woman in the village was busy at the same work. What
concerts we did have in those days! Mother tended every young bird
she raised with the greatest care. Would it become a good singer and
bring a fair price? We waited anxiously for the first notes, and
then watched to see how the voices gained in strength and sweetness.
"It was a pleasant life, and I was very happy among the birds in our
little village. Would you like to hear a song I used to sing at that
time? It is all about the birds and bees and flowers."
"Do sing it for us," cried every one.
Herr Abel had a good voice and they listened with pleasure to his
song. This is the first stanza:
"I have been on the mountain
That the song-birds love best.
They were sitting, were flitting,
They were building their nest.
They were sitting, were flitting,
They were building their nest."
After he had finished, he told about the mines in which some of his
friends worked. It was a hard life, with no bright sunlight to cheer
the men in those deep, dark caverns underground.
"Of course you all know that the deepest mine in the world is in the
Hartz Mountains."
His friends nodded their heads, while Hans whispered to Bertha, "I
should like to go down in that mine just for the sake of saying I
have been as far into the earth as any living person."
"The sun is setting, and there is a chill in the air," said Bertha's
father. "Let us go home."