“Yes, it must be true, sure I see it with my own eyes; but she’ll not do
it again, I’m sure, and so this time I’ll spare her life.”
So before the next year was out she had another son, and the same thing
happened. The King’s step-mother got more and more jealous and spiteful.
She stole in to the young Queen at night while she slept, took away the
babe, and threw it into a pit full of snakes, cut the young Queen’s
finger, and smeared the blood over her mouth, and then went and told the
King she had eaten up her own child. Then the King was so sorrowful, you
can’t think how sorry he was, and he said,—
“Yes, it must be true, since I see it with my own eyes; but she’ll not
do it again, I’m sure, and so this time too I’ll spare her life.”
Well! before the next year was out, Snow-white and Rosy-red brought a
daughter into the world, and her, too, the old Queen took and threw into
the pit full of snakes, while the young Queen slept. Then she cut her
finger, smeared the blood over her mouth, and went again to the King and
said,—
“Now you may come and see if it isn’t as I say; she’s a wicked, wicked
witch, for here she has gone and eaten up her third babe too.”
Then the King was so sad, there was no end to it, for now he couldn’t
spare her any longer, but had to order her to be burnt alive on a pile
of wood. But just when the pile was all a-blaze, and they were going to
put her on it, she made signs to them to take twelve boards and lay them
round the pile, and on these she laid the neckerchiefs, and the shirts,
and the coats for her brothers, but the youngest brother’s shirt wanted
its left arm, for she hadn’t had time to finish it. And as soon as ever
she had done that, they heard such a flapping and whirring in the air,
and down came twelve wild ducks flying over the forest, and each of them
snapped up his clothes in his bill and flew off with them.
“See now!” said the old Queen to the King, “wasn’t I right when I told
you she was a witch; but make haste and burn her before the pile burns
low.”
“Oh!” said the King, “we’ve wood enough and to spare, and so I’ll wait a
bit, for I have a mind to see what the end of all this will be.”
As he spoke, up came the twelve princes riding along, as handsome
well-grown lads as you’d wish to see; but the youngest prince had a wild
duck’s wing instead of his left arm.
“What’s all this about?” asked the Princes.
“My Queen is to be burnt,” said the King, “because she’s a witch, and
because she has eaten up her own babes.”
“She hasn’t eaten them at all,” said the Princes. “Speak now, sister;
you have set us free and saved us, now save yourself.”
Then Snow-white and Rosy-red spoke, and told the whole story; how every
time she was brought to bed, the old Queen, the King’s step-mother, had
stolen into her at night, had taken her babes away, and cut her little
finger, and smeared the blood over her mouth; and then the Princes took
the King, and shewed him the snake-pit where three babes lay playing
with adders and toads, and lovelier children you never saw.
So the King had them taken out at once, and went to his step-mother, and
asked her what punishment she thought that woman deserved who could find
it in her heart to betray a guiltless Queen and three such blessed
little babes.
“She deserves to be fast bound between twelve unbroken steeds, so that
each may take his share of her,” said the old Queen.
“You have spoken your own doom,” said the King, “and you shall suffer it
at once.”
So the wicked old Queen was fast bound between twelve unbroken steeds,
and each got his share of her. But the King took Snow-white and
Rosy-red, and their three children, and the twelve Princes; and so they
all went home to their father and mother, and told all that had befallen
them, and there was joy and gladness over the whole kingdom, because the
Princess was saved and set free, and because she had set free her twelve
brothers.
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