ONCE on a time there was a king, and he had a daughter who was such a
scold, and whose tongue went so fast, there was no stopping it. So he
gave out that the man who could stop her tongue should have the Princess
to wife, and half his kingdom into the bargain. Now, three brothers, who
heard this, made up their minds to go and try their luck; and first of
all the two elder went, for they thought they were the cleverest; but
they couldn’t cope with her at all, and got well thrashed besides.
Then Boots, the youngest, set off, and when he had gone a little way he
found an ozier band lying on the road, and he picked it up. When he had
gone a little farther he found a piece of a broken plate, and he picked
that up too. A little farther on he found a dead magpie, and a little
farther on still, a crooked ram’s horn; so he went on a bit and found
the fellow to the horn; and at last, just as he was crossing the fields
by the king’s palace, where they were pitching out dung, he found a
worn-out shoe-sole. All these things he took with him into the palace,
and went before the Princess.
“Good day,” said he.
“Good day,” said she, and made a wry face.
“Can I get my magpie cooked here?” he asked.
“I’m afraid it will burst,” answered the Princess.
“Oh! never fear! for I’ll just tie this ozier band round it,” said the
lad, as he pulled it out.
“The fat will run out of it,” said the Princess.
“Then I’ll hold this under it,” said the lad, and shewed her the piece
of broken plate.
“You are so crooked in your words,” said the Princess, “there’s no
knowing where to have you.”
“No, I’m not crooked,” said the lad; but “this is,” as he held up one of
the horns.
“Well!” said the Princess, “I never saw the match of this in all my
days.”
“Why, here you see the match to it,” said the lad, as he pulled out the
other ram’s horn.
“I think,” said the Princess, “you must have come here to wear out my
tongue with your nonsense.”
“No, I have not,” said the lad; “but this is worn out,” as he pulled out
the shoe-sole.
To this the Princess hadn’t a word to say, for she had fairly lost her
voice with rage.
“Now you are mine,” said the lad; and so he got the Princess to wife,
and half the kingdom.
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