Then he mounted his golden horse, and rode off till he reached the
forest where his brother lay transformed to stone. The old witch came
out of her house and called to him, for she would gladly have cast her
spells on him too, but he took care not to go near her, and called out:
'Restore my brother to life at once, or I'll shoot you down on the
spot.'
Reluctantly she touched the stone with her finger, and in a moment it
resumed its human shape. The two golden lads fell into each other's arms
and kissed each other with joy, and then rode off together to the edge
of the forest, where they parted, one to return to his old father, and
the other to his bride.
When the former got home his father said, 'I knew you had delivered your
brother, for all of a sudden the golden lily reared itself up and burst
into blossom.'
Then they all lived happily to their lives' ends, and all things went
well with them.
Grimm.
_THE WHITE SNAKE_
Not very long ago there lived a King, the fame of whose wisdom was
spread far and wide. Nothing appeared to be unknown to him, and it
really seemed as if tidings of the most secret matters must be borne to
him by the winds. He had one very peculiar habit. Every day, after the
dinner table had been cleared, and everyone had retired, a confidential
servant brought in a dish. It was covered, and neither the servant nor
anyone else had any idea what was on it, for the King never removed the
cover or partook of the dish, till he was quite alone.
This went on for some time till, one day, the servant who removed the
dish was so overcome with curiosity, that he could not resist carrying
it off to his own room. After carefully locking the door, he lifted the
cover, and there he saw a white snake lying on the dish. On seeing it he
could not restrain his desire to taste it, so he cut off a small piece
and put it in his mouth.
Hardly had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange sort of
whispering of tiny voices outside his window. He stepped to the casement
to listen, and found that the sound proceeded from the sparrows, who
were talking together and telling each other all they had seen in the
fields and woods. The piece of the white snake which he had eaten had
enabled him to understand the language of animals.
Now on this particular day, it so happened that the Queen lost her
favourite ring, and suspicion fell on the confidential servant who had
access to all parts of the palace. The King sent for him, and threatened
him angrily, saying that if he had not found the thief by the next day,
he should himself be taken up and tried.
It was useless to assert his innocence; he was dismissed without
ceremony. In his agitation and distress, he went down to the yard to
think over what he could do in this trouble. Here were a number of ducks
resting near a little stream, and pluming themselves with their bills,
whilst they kept up an animated conversation amongst themselves. The
servant stood still listening to them. They were talking of where they
had been waddling about all the morning, and of the good food they had
found, but one of them remarked rather sadly, 'There's something lying
very heavy on my stomach, for in my haste I've swallowed a ring, which
was lying just under the Queen's window.'
[Illustration]
No sooner did the servant hear this than he seized the duck by the neck,
carried it off to the kitchen, and said to the cook, 'Suppose you kill
this duck; you see she's nice and fat.'
'Yes, indeed,' said the cook, weighing the duck in his hand, 'she
certainly has spared no pains to stuff herself well, and must have been
waiting for the spit for some time.' So he chopped off her head, and
when she was opened there was the Queen's ring in her stomach.
It was easy enough now for the servant to prove his innocence, and the
King, feeling he had done him an injustice, and anxious to make some
amends, desired him to ask any favour he chose, and promised to give him
the highest post at Court he could wish for.
The servant, however, declined everything, and only begged for a horse
and some money to enable him to travel, as he was anxious to see
something of the world.
When his request was granted, he set off on his journey, and in the
course of it he one day came to a large pond, on the edge of which he
noticed three fishes which had got entangled in the reeds and were
gasping for water. Though fish are generally supposed to be quite mute,
he heard them grieving aloud at the prospect of dying in this wretched
manner. Having a very kind heart he dismounted and soon set the
prisoners free, and in the water once more. They flapped with joy, and
stretching up their heads cried to him: 'We will remember, and reward
you for saving us.'
He rode further, and after a while he thought he heard a voice in the
sand under his feet. He paused to listen, and heard the King of the Ants
complaining: 'If only men with their awkward beasts would keep clear of
us! That stupid horse is crushing my people mercilessly to death with
his great hoofs.' The servant at once turned into a side path, and the
Ant-King called after him, 'We'll remember and reward you.'
The road next led through a wood, where he saw a father and a mother
raven standing by their nest and throwing out their young: 'Away with
you, you young rascals!' they cried, 'we can't feed you any longer. You
are quite big enough to support yourselves now.' The poor little birds
lay on the ground flapping and beating their wings, and shrieked, 'We
poor helpless children, feed ourselves indeed! Why, we can't even fly
yet; what can we do but die of hunger?' Then the kind youth dismounted,
drew his sword, and killing his horse left it there as food for the
young ravens. They hopped up, satisfied their hunger, and piped: 'We'll
remember, and reward you!'
He was now obliged to trust to his own legs, and after walking a long
way he reached a big town. Here he found a great crowd and much
commotion in the streets, and a herald rode about announcing, 'The
King's daughter seeks a husband, but whoever would woo her must first
execute a difficult task, and if he does not succeed he must be content
to forfeit his life.' Many had risked their lives, but in vain. When the
youth saw the King's daughter, he was so dazzled by her beauty, that he
forgot all idea of danger, and went to the King to announce himself a
suitor.
On this he was led out to a large lake, and a gold ring was thrown into
it before his eyes. The King desired him to dive after it, adding, 'If
you return without it you will be thrown back into the lake time after
time, till you are drowned in its depths.'
Everyone felt sorry for the handsome young fellow, and left him alone on
the shore. There he stood thinking and wondering what he could do, when
all of a sudden he saw three fishes swimming along, and recognised them
as the very same whose lives he had saved. The middle fish held a mussel
in its mouth, which it laid at the young man's feet, and when he picked
it up and opened it, there was the golden ring inside.
Full of delight he brought it to the King's daughter, expecting to
receive his promised reward. The haughty Princess, however, on hearing
that he was not her equal by birth despised him, and exacted the
fulfilment of a second task.
She went into the garden, and with her own hands she strewed ten sacks
full of millet all over the grass. 'He must pick all that up to-morrow
morning before sunrise,' she said; 'not a grain must be lost.'
The youth sat down in the garden and wondered how it would be possible
for him to accomplish such a task, but he could think of no expedient,
and sat there sadly expecting to meet his death at daybreak.
But when the first rays of the rising sun fell on the garden, he saw the
ten sacks all completely filled, standing there in a row, and not a
single grain missing. The Ant-King, with his thousands and thousands of
followers, had come during the night, and the grateful creatures had
industriously gathered all the millet together and put it in the sacks.
The King's daughter came down to the garden herself, and saw to her
amazement that her suitor had accomplished the task she had given him.
But even now she could not bend her proud heart, and she said, 'Though
he has executed these two tasks, yet he shall not be my husband till he
brings me an apple from the tree of life.'
The young man did not even know where the tree of life grew, but he set
off, determined to walk as far as his legs would carry him, though he
had no hope of ever finding it.
After journeying through three different kingdoms he reached a wood one
night, and lying down under a tree prepared to go to sleep there.
Suddenly he heard a sound in the boughs, and a golden apple fell right
into his hand. At the same moment three ravens flew down to him,
perched on his knee and said, 'We are the three young ravens whom you
saved from starvation. When we grew up and heard you were searching for
the golden apple, we flew far away over the seas to the end of the
world, where the tree of life grows, and fetched the golden apple for
you.'
[Illustration]
Full of joy the young man started on his way back and brought the golden
apple to the lovely Princess, whose objections were now entirely
silenced. They divided the apple of life and ate it together, and her
heart grew full of love for him, so they lived together to a great age
in undisturbed happiness.
Grimm.
_THE STORY OF A CLEVER TAILOR_
Once upon a time there lived an exceedingly proud Princess. If any
suitor for her hand ventured to present himself, she would give him some
riddle or conundrum to guess, and if he failed to do so, he was hunted
out of the town with scorn and derision. She gave out publicly that all
comers were welcome to try their skill, and that whoever could solve her
riddle should be her husband.
Now it happened that three tailors had met together, and the two elder
thought, that after having successfully put in so many fine and strong
stitches with never a wrong one amongst them, they were certain to do
the right thing here too. The third tailor was a lazy young scamp who
did not even know his own trade properly, but who thought that surely
luck would stand by him now, just for once, for, if not, what _was_ to
become of him?
The two others said to him, 'You just stay at home, you'll never get on
much with your small allowance of brains.' But the little tailor was not
to be daunted, and said he had set his mind on it and meant to shift for
himself, so off he started as though the whole world belonged to him.
The three tailors arrived at Court, where they had themselves duly
presented to the Princess, and begged she would propound her riddles,
'for,' said they, 'here were the right men at last, with wits so sharp
and so fine you might almost thread a needle with them.'
Then said the Princess, 'I have on my head two different kinds of hair.
Of what colours are they?'
'If that's all,' said the first tailor, 'they are most likely black and
white, like the kind of cloth we call pepper-and-salt.'
'Wrong,' said the Princess.
'Then,' said the second tailor, 'if they are not black and white, no
doubt they are red and brown, like my father's Sunday coat.'
'Wrong again,' said the Princess; 'now let the third speak. I see he
thinks he knows all about it.'
Then the young tailor stepped boldly to the front and said, 'The
Princess has one silver and one golden hair on her head, and those are
the two colours.'
When the Princess heard this she turned quite pale, and almost fainted
away with fear, for the little tailor had hit the mark, and she had
firmly believed that not a soul could guess it. When she had recovered
herself she said, 'Don't fancy you have won me yet, there is something
else you must do first. Below in the stable is a bear with whom you must
spend the night, and if when I get up in the morning I find you still
alive you shall marry me.'
She quite expected to rid herself of the tailor in this way, for the
bear had never left anyone alive who had once come within reach of his
claws. The tailor, however, had no notion of being scared, but said
cheerily, 'Bravely dared is half won.'
When evening came on he was taken to the stable. The bear tried to get
at him at once and to give him a warm welcome with his great paws.
'Gently, gently,' said the tailor, 'I'll soon teach you to be quiet,'
and he coolly drew a handful of walnuts from his pocket and began
cracking and eating them as though he had not a care or anxiety in the
world. When the bear saw this he began to long for some nuts himself.
The tailor dived into his pocket and gave him a handful, but they were
pebbles, not nuts. The bear thrust them into his mouth, but try as he
might he could not manage to crack them. 'Dear me,' thought he, 'what a
stupid fool I must be--can't even crack a nut,' and he said to the
tailor, 'I say, crack my nuts for me, will you?'
'You're a nice sort of fellow,' said the tailor; 'the idea of having
those great jaws and not being able even to crack a walnut!' So he took
the stone, quickly changed it for a nut, and crack! it split open in a
moment.
'Let me try again,' said the bear; 'when I see the thing done it looks
so easy I fancy I _must_ be able to manage it myself.'
So the tailor gave him some more pebbles, and the bear bit and gnawed
away as hard as he could, but I need hardly say that he did not succeed
in cracking one of them.
Presently the tailor took out a little fiddle and began playing on it.
When the bear heard the music he could not help dancing, and after he
had danced some time he was so pleased that he said to the tailor, 'I
say, is fiddling difficult?' 'Mere child's play,' replied the tailor;
'look here! you press the strings with the fingers of the left hand, and
with the right you draw the bow across them, so--then it goes as easily
as possible, up and down, tra la la la la--'
'Oh,' cried the bear, 'I do wish I could play like that, then I could
dance whenever the fancy took me. What do you think? Would you give me
some lessons?'
[Illustration]
'With all my heart,' said the tailor, 'if you are sharp about it. But
just let me look at your paws. Dear me, your nails are terribly long; I
must really cut them first.' Then he fetched a pair of stocks, and the
bear laid his paws on them, and the tailor screwed them up tight. 'Now
just wait whilst I fetch my scissors,' said he, and left the bear
growling away to his heart's content, whilst he lay down in a corner and
fell fast asleep.
When the Princess heard the bear growling so loud that night, she made
sure he was roaring with delight as he worried the tailor. Next morning
she rose feeling quite cheerful and free from care, but when she looked
across towards the stables, there stood the tailor in front of the door
looking as fresh and lively as a fish in the water.
After this it was impossible to break the promise she had made so
publicly, so the King ordered out the state coach to take her and the
tailor to church to be married.
As they were starting, the two bad-hearted other tailors, who were
envious of the younger one's happiness, went to the stable and unscrewed
the bear. Off he tore after the carriage, foaming with rage. The
Princess heard his puffing and roaring, and growing frightened she
cried: 'Oh dear! the bear is after us and will certainly catch us up!'
The tailor remained quite unmoved. He quietly stood on his head, stuck
his legs out at the carriage window and called out to the bear, 'Do you
see my stocks? If you don't go home this minute I'll screw you tight
into them.'
When the bear saw and heard this he turned right round and ran off as
fast as his legs would carry him. The tailor drove on unmolested to
church, where he and the Princess were married, and he lived with her
many years as happy and merry as a lark. Whoever does not believe this
story must pay a dollar.
Grimm.
_THE GOLDEN MERMAID_
A powerful king had, among many other treasures, a wonderful tree in his
garden, which bore every year beautiful golden apples. But the King was
never able to enjoy his treasure, for he might watch and guard them as
he liked, as soon as they began to get ripe they were always stolen. At
last, in despair, he sent for his three sons, and said to the two
eldest, 'Get yourselves ready for a journey. Take gold and silver with
you, and a large retinue of servants, as beseems two noble princes, and
go through the world till you find out who it is that steals my golden
apples, and, if possible, bring the thief to me that I may punish him as
he deserves.' His sons were delighted at this proposal, for they had
long wished to see something of the world, so they got ready for their
journey with all haste, bade their father farewell, and left the town.
[Illustration]
The youngest Prince was much disappointed that he too was not sent out
on his travels; but his father wouldn't hear of his going, for he had
always been looked upon as the stupid one of the family, and the King
was afraid of something happening to him. But the Prince begged and
implored so long, that at last his father consented to let him go, and
furnished him with gold and silver as he had done his brothers. But he
gave him the most wretched horse in his stable, because the foolish
youth hadn't asked for a better. So he too set out on his journey to
secure the thief, amid the jeers and laughter of the whole court and
town.
His path led him first through a wood, and he hadn't gone very far when
he met a lean-looking wolf who stood still as he approached. The Prince
asked him if he were hungry, and when the wolf said he was, he got down
from his horse and said, 'If you are really as you say and look, you may
take my horse and eat it.'
The wolf didn't wait to have the offer repeated, but set to work, and
soon made an end of the poor beast. When the Prince saw how different
the wolf looked when he had finished his meal, he said to him, 'Now, my
friend, since you have eaten up my horse, and I have such a long way to
go, that, with the best will in the world, I couldn't manage it on foot,
the least you can do for me is to act as my horse and to take me on your
back.'
'Most certainly,' said the wolf, and, letting the Prince mount him, he
trotted gaily through the wood. After they had gone a little way he
turned round and asked his rider where he wanted to go to, and the
Prince proceeded to tell him the whole story of the golden apples that
had been stolen out of the King's garden, and how his other two brothers
had set forth with many followers to find the thief. When he had
finished his story, the wolf, who was in reality no wolf but a mighty
magician, said he thought he could tell him who the thief was, and could
help him to secure him. 'There lives,' he said, 'in a neighbouring
country, a mighty emperor who has a beautiful golden bird in a cage, and
this is the creature who steals the golden apples, but it flies so fast
that it is impossible to catch it at its theft. You must slip into the
Emperor's palace by night and steal the bird with the cage; but be very
careful not to touch the walls as you go out.'
The following night the Prince stole into the Emperor's palace, and
found the bird in its cage as the wolf had told him he would. He took
hold of it carefully, but in spite of all his caution he touched the
wall in trying to pass by some sleeping watchmen. They awoke at once,
and, seizing him, beat him and put him into chains. Next day he was led
before the Emperor, who at once condemned him to death and to be thrown
into a dark dungeon till the day of his execution arrived.
The wolf, who, of course, knew by his magic arts all that had happened
to the Prince, turned himself at once into a mighty monarch with a large
train of followers, and proceeded to the Court of the Emperor, where he
was received with every show of honour. The Emperor and he conversed on
many subjects, and, among other things, the stranger asked his host if
he had many slaves. The Emperor told him he had more than he knew what
to do with, and that a new one had been captured that very night for
trying to steal his magic bird, but that as he had already more than
enough to feed and support, he was going to have this last captive
hanged next morning.
'He must have been a most daring thief,' said the King, 'to try and
steal the magic bird, for depend upon it the creature must have been
well guarded. I would really like to see this bold rascal.' 'By all
means,' said the Emperor; and he himself led his guest down to the
dungeon where the unfortunate Prince was kept prisoner. When the Emperor
stepped out of the cell with the King, the latter turned to him and
said, 'Most mighty Emperor, I have been much disappointed. I had thought
to find a powerful robber, and instead of that I have seen the most
miserable creature I can imagine. Hanging is far too good for him. If I
had to sentence him I should make him perform some very difficult task,
under pain of death. If he did it so much the better for you, and if he
didn't, matters would just be as they are now and he could still be
hanged.' 'Your counsel,' said the Emperor, 'is excellent, and, as it
happens, I've got the very thing for him to do. My nearest neighbour,
who is also a mighty Emperor, possesses a golden horse which he guards
most carefully. The prisoner shall be told to steal this horse and bring
it to me.'
The Prince was then let out of his dungeon, and told his life would be
spared if he succeeded in bringing the golden horse to the Emperor. He
did not feel very elated at this announcement, for he did not know how
in the world he was to set about the task, and he started on his way
weeping bitterly, and wondering what had made him leave his father's
house and kingdom. But before he had gone far his friend the wolf stood
before him and said, 'Dear Prince, why are you so cast down? It is true
you didn't succeed in catching the bird; but don't let that discourage
you, for this time you will be all the more careful, and will doubtless
catch the horse.' With these and like words the wolf comforted the
Prince, and warned him specially not to touch the wall or let the horse
touch it as he led it out, or he would fail in the same way as he had
done with the bird.
[Illustration]
After a somewhat lengthy journey the Prince and the wolf came to the
kingdom ruled over by the Emperor who possessed the golden horse. One
evening late they reached the capital, and the wolf advised the Prince
to set to work at once, before their presence in the city had aroused
the watchfulness of the guards. They slipped unnoticed into the
Emperor's stables and into the very place where there were the most
guards, for there the wolf rightly surmised they would find the horse.
When they came to a certain inner door the wolf told the Prince to
remain outside, while he went in. In a short time he returned and said,
'My dear Prince, the horse is most securely watched, but I have
bewitched all the guards, and if you will only be careful not to touch
the wall yourself, or let the horse touch it as you go out, there is no
danger and the game is yours.' The Prince, who had made up his mind to
be more than cautious this time, went cheerfully to work. He found all
the guards fast asleep, and, slipping into the horse's stall, he seized
it by the bridle and led it out; but, unfortunately, before they had got
quite clear of the stables a gadfly stung the horse and caused it to
switch its tail, whereby it touched the wall. In a moment all the guards
awoke, seized the Prince and beat him mercilessly with their
horse-whips, after which they bound him with chains, and flung him into
a dungeon. Next morning they brought him before the Emperor, who treated
him exactly as the King with the golden bird had done, and commanded him
to be beheaded on the following day.
When the wolf-magician saw that the Prince had failed this time too, he
transformed himself again into a mighty king, and proceeded with an even
more gorgeous retinue than the first time to the Court of the Emperor.
He was courteously received and entertained, and once more after dinner
he led the conversation on to the subject of slaves, and in the course
of it again requested to be allowed to see the bold robber who had dared
to break into the Emperor's stable to steal his most valuable
possession. The Emperor consented, and all happened exactly as it had
done at the court of the Emperor with the golden bird; the prisoner's
life was to be spared only on condition that within three days he should
obtain possession of the golden mermaid, whom hitherto no mortal had
ever approached.
Very depressed by his dangerous and difficult task, the Prince left his
gloomy prison; but, to his great joy, he met his friend the wolf before
he had gone many miles on his journey. The cunning creature pretended he
knew nothing of what had happened to the Prince, and asked him how he
had fared with the horse. The Prince told him all about his
misadventure, and the condition on which the Emperor had promised to
spare his life. Then the wolf reminded him that he had twice got him out
of prison, and that if he would only trust in him, and do exactly as he
told him, he would certainly succeed in this last undertaking. Thereupon
they bent their steps towards the sea, which stretched out before them,
as far as their eyes could see, all the waves dancing and glittering in
the bright sunshine. 'Now,' continued the wolf, 'I am going to turn
myself into a boat full of the most beautiful silken merchandise, and
you must jump boldly into the boat, and steer with my tail in your
hand right out into the open sea. You will soon come upon the golden
mermaid. Whatever you do, don't follow her if she calls you, but on the
contrary say to her, "The buyer comes to the seller, not the seller to
the buyer." After which you must steer towards the land, and she will
follow you, for she won't be able to resist the beautiful wares you have
on board your ship.'
[Illustration]
The Prince promised faithfully to do all he had been told, whereupon the
wolf changed himself into a ship full of most exquisite silks, of every
shade and colour imaginable. The astonished Prince stepped into the
boat, and, holding the wolf's tail in his hand, he steered boldly out
into the open sea, where the sun was gilding the blue waves with its
golden rays. Soon he saw the golden mermaid swimming near the ship,
beckoning and calling to him to follow her; but, mindful of the wolf's
warning, he told her in a loud voice that if she wished to buy anything
she must come to him. With these words he turned his magic ship round
and steered back towards the land. The mermaid called out to him to
stand still, but he refused to listen to her and never paused till he
reached the sand of the shore. Here he stopped and waited for the
mermaid, who had swum after him. When she drew near the boat he saw that
she was far more beautiful than any mortal he had ever beheld. She swam
round the ship for some time, and then swung herself gracefully on
board, in order to examine the beautiful silken stuffs more closely.
Then the Prince seized her in his arms, and kissing her tenderly on the
cheeks and lips, he told her she was his for ever; at the same moment
the boat turned into a wolf again, which so terrified the mermaid that
she clung to the Prince for protection.
So the golden mermaid was successfully caught, and she soon felt quite
happy in her new life when she saw she had nothing to fear either from
the Prince or the wolf--she rode on the back of the latter, and the
Prince rode behind her. When they reached the country ruled over by the
Emperor with the golden horse, the Prince jumped down, and, helping the
mermaid to alight, he led her before the Emperor. At the sight of the
beautiful mermaid and of the grim wolf, who stuck close to the Prince
this time, the guards all made respectful obeisance, and soon the three
stood before his Imperial Majesty. When the Emperor heard from the
Prince how he had gained possession of his fair prize, he at once
recognised that he had been helped by some magic art, and on the spot
gave up all claim to the beautiful mermaid. 'Dear youth,' he said,
'forgive me for my shameful conduct to you, and, as a sign that you
pardon me, accept the golden horse as a present. I acknowledge your
power to be greater even than I can understand, for you have succeeded
in gaining possession of the golden mermaid, whom hitherto no mortal has
ever been able to approach.' Then they all sat down to a huge feast, and
the Prince had to relate his adventures all over again, to the wonder
and astonishment of the whole company.
But the Prince was wearying now to return to his own kingdom, so as soon
as the feast was over he took farewell of the Emperor, and set out on
his homeward way. He lifted the mermaid on to the golden horse, and
swung himself up behind her--and so they rode on merrily, with the wolf
trotting behind, till they came to the country of the Emperor with the
golden bird. The renown of the Prince and his adventure had gone before
him, and the Emperor sat on his throne awaiting the arrival of the
Prince and his companions. When the three rode into the courtyard of the
palace, they were surprised and delighted to find everything festively
illuminated and decorated for their reception. When the Prince and the
golden mermaid, with the wolf behind them, mounted the steps of the
palace, the Emperor came forward to meet them, and led them to the
throne room. At the same moment a servant appeared with the golden bird
in its golden cage, and the Emperor begged the Prince to accept it with
his love, and to forgive him the indignity he had suffered at his hands.
Then the Emperor bent low before the beautiful mermaid, and, offering
her his arm, he led her into dinner, closely followed by the Prince and
her friend the wolf; the latter seating himself at table, not the least
embarrassed that no one had invited him to do so.
As soon as the sumptuous meal was over, the Prince and his mermaid took
leave of the Emperor, and, seating themselves on the golden horse,
continued their homeward journey. On the way the wolf turned to the
Prince and said, 'Dear friends, I must now bid you farewell, but I leave
you under such happy circumstances that I cannot feel our parting to be
a sad one.' The Prince was very unhappy when he heard these words, and
begged the wolf to stay with them always; but this the good creature
refused to do, though he thanked the Prince kindly for his invitation,
and called out as he disappeared into the thicket, 'Should any evil
befall you, dear Prince, at any time, you may rely on my friendship and
gratitude.' These were the wolf's parting words, and the Prince could
not restrain his tears when he saw his friend vanishing in the
distance; but one glance at his beloved mermaid soon cheered him up
again, and they continued on their journey merrily.
The news of his son's adventures had already reached his father's Court,
and everyone was more than astonished at the success of the once
despised Prince. His elder brothers, who had in vain gone in pursuit of
the thief of the golden apples, were furious over their younger
brother's good fortune, and plotted and planned how they were to kill
him. They hid themselves in the wood through which the Prince had to
pass on his way to the palace, and there fell on him, and, having beaten
him to death, they carried off the golden horse and the golden bird. But
nothing they could do would persuade the golden mermaid to go with them
or move from the spot, for ever since she had left the sea, she had so
attached herself to her Prince that she asked nothing else than to live
or die with him.
For many weeks the poor mermaid sat and watched over the dead body of
her lover, weeping salt tears over his loss, when suddenly one day their
old friend the wolf appeared and said, 'Cover the Prince's body with all
the leaves and flowers you can find in the wood.' The maiden did as he
told her, and then the wolf breathed over the flowery grave, and, lo and
behold! the Prince lay there sleeping as peacefully as a child. 'Now you
may wake him if you like,' said the wolf, and the mermaid bent over him
and gently kissed the wounds his brothers had made on his forehead, and
the Prince awoke, and you may imagine how delighted he was to find his
beautiful mermaid beside him, though he felt a little depressed when he
thought of the loss of the golden bird and the golden horse. After a
time the wolf, who had likewise fallen on the Prince's neck, advised
them to continue their journey, and once more the Prince and his lovely
bride mounted on the faithful beast's back.
The King's joy was great when he embraced his youngest son, for he had
long since despaired of his return. He received the wolf and the
beautiful golden mermaid most cordially too, and the Prince was made to
tell his adventures all over from the beginning. The poor old father
grew very sad when he heard of the shameful conduct of his elder sons,
and had them called before him. They turned as white as death when they
saw their brother, whom they thought they had murdered, standing beside
them alive and well, and so startled were they that when the King asked
them why they had behaved so wickedly to their brother they could think
of no lie, but confessed at once that they had slain the young Prince in
order to obtain possession of the golden horse and the golden bird.
Their father's wrath knew no bounds, and he ordered them both to be
banished, but he could not do enough to honour his youngest son and his
marriage with the beautiful mermaid was celebrated with much pomp and
magnificence. When the festivities were over, the wolf bade them all
farewell, and returned once more to his life in the woods, much to the
regret of the old King and the young Prince and his bride.
[Illustration]
And so ended the adventures of the Prince with his friend the wolf.
Grimm.
_THE WAR OF THE WOLF AND THE FOX_
There was once upon a time a man and his wife who had an old cat and an
old dog. One day the man, whose name was Simon, said to his wife, whose
name was Susan, 'Why should we keep our old cat any longer? She never
catches any mice nowadays, and is so useless that I have made up my
mind to drown her.'
But his wife replied, 'Don't do that, for I'm sure she could still catch
mice.'
'Rubbish,' said Simon. 'The mice might dance on her and she would never
catch one. I've quite made up my mind that the next time I see her, I
shall put her in the water.'
Susan was very unhappy when she heard this, and so was the cat, who had
been listening to the conversation behind the stove. When Simon went off
to his work, the poor cat miawed so pitifully, and looked up so
pathetically into Susan's face, that the woman quickly opened the door
and said, 'Fly for your life, my poor little beast, and get well away
from here before your master returns.'
The cat took her advice, and ran as quickly as her poor old legs would
carry her into the wood, and when Simon came home, his wife told him
that the cat had vanished.
'So much the better for her,' said Simon. 'And now we have got rid of
her, we must consider what we are to do with the old dog. He is quite
deaf and blind, and invariably barks when there is no need, and makes no
sound when there is. I think the best thing I can do with him is to hang
him.'
But soft-hearted Susan replied, 'Please don't do so; he's surely not so
useless as all that.'
'Don't be foolish,' said her husband. 'The courtyard might be full of
thieves and he'd never discover it. No, the first time I see him, it's
all up with him, I can tell you.'
Susan was very unhappy at his words, and so was the dog, who was lying
in the corner of the room and had heard everything. As soon as Simon had
gone to his work, he stood up and howled so touchingly that Susan
quickly opened the door, and said 'Fly for your life, poor beast, before
your master gets home.' And the dog ran into the wood with his tail
between his legs.
When her husband returned, his wife told him that the dog had
disappeared.
'That's lucky for him,' said Simon, but Susan sighed, for she had been
very fond of the poor creature.
Now it happened that the cat and dog met each other on their travels,
and though they had not been the best of friends at home, they were
quite glad to meet among strangers. They sat down under a holly tree and
both poured forth their woes.
Presently a fox passed by, and seeing the pair sitting together in a
disconsolate fashion, he asked them why they sat there, and what they
were grumbling about.
The cat replied, 'I have caught many a mouse in my day, but now that I
am old and past work, my master wants to drown me.'
And the dog said, 'Many a night have I watched and guarded my master's
house, and now that I am old and deaf, he wants to hang me.'
The fox answered, 'That's the way of the world. But I'll help you to get
back into your master's favour, only you must first help me in my own
troubles.'
They promised to do their best, and the fox continued, 'The wolf has
declared war against me, and is at this moment marching to meet me in
company with the bear and the wild boar, and to-morrow there will be a
fierce battle between us.'
'All right,' said the dog and the cat, 'we will stand by you, and if we
are killed, it is at any rate better to die on the field of battle than
to perish ignobly at home,' and they shook paws and concluded the
bargain. The fox sent word to the wolf to meet him at a certain place,
and the three set forth to encounter him and his friends.
The wolf, the bear, and the wild boar arrived on the spot first, and
when they had waited some time for the fox, the dog, and the cat, the
bear said, 'I'll climb up into the oak tree, and look if I can see them
coming.'
The first time he looked round he said, 'I can see nothing,' and the
second time he looked round he said, 'I can still see nothing.' But the
third time he said, 'I see a mighty army in the distance, and one of the
warriors has the biggest lance you ever saw!'
This was the cat, who was marching along with her tail erect.
And so they laughed and jeered, and it was so hot that the bear said,
'The enemy won't be here at this rate for many hours to come, so I'll
just curl myself up in the fork of the tree and have a little sleep.'
And the wolf lay down under the oak, and the wild boar buried himself in
some straw, so that nothing was seen of him but one ear.
[Illustration]
And while they were lying there, the fox, the cat and the dog arrived.
When the cat saw the wild boar's ear, she pounced upon it, thinking it
was a mouse in the straw.
The wild boar got up in a dreadful fright, gave one loud grunt and
disappeared into the wood. But the cat was even more startled than the
boar, and, spitting with terror, she scrambled up into the fork of the
tree, and as it happened right into the bear's face. Now it was the
bear's turn to be alarmed, and with a mighty growl he jumped down from
the oak and fell right on the top of the wolf and killed him as dead as
a stone.
On their way home from the war the fox caught a score of mice, and when
they reached Simon's cottage he put them all on the stove and said to
the cat, 'Now go and fetch one mouse after the other, and lay them down
before your master.'
'All right,' said the cat, and did exactly as the fox told her.
When Susan saw this she said to her husband, 'Just look, here is our old
cat back again, and see what a lot of mice she has caught.'
'Wonders will never cease,' cried Simon. 'I certainly never thought the
old cat would ever catch another mouse.'
But Susan answered, 'There, you see, I always said our cat was a most
excellent creature--but you men always think you know best.'
In the meantime the fox said to the dog, 'Our friend Simon has just
killed a pig; when it gets a little darker, you must go into the
courtyard and bark with all your might.'
'All right,' said the dog, and as soon as it grew dusk he began to bark
loudly.
Susan, who heard him first, said to her husband, 'Our dog must have come
back, for I hear him barking lustily. Do go out and see what's the
matter; perhaps thieves may be stealing our sausages.'
But Simon answered, 'The foolish brute is as deaf as a post and is
always barking at nothing,' and he refused to get up.
The next morning Susan got up early to go to church at the neighbouring
town, and she thought she would take some sausages to her aunt who lived
there. But when she went to her larder, she found all the sausages gone,
and a great hole in the floor. She called out to her husband, 'I was
perfectly right. Thieves have been here last night, and they have not
left a single sausage. Oh! if you had only got up when I asked you to!'
Then Simon scratched his head and said, 'I can't understand it at all. I
certainly never believed the old dog was so quick at hearing.'
But Susan replied, 'I always told you our old dog was the best dog in
the world--but as usual you thought you knew so much better. Men are the
same all the world over.'
And the fox scored a point too, for he had carried away the sausages
himself!
Grimm.
_THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE_
There was once a fisherman and his wife who lived together in a little
hut close to the sea, and the fisherman used to go down every day to
fish; and he would fish and fish. So he used to sit with his rod and
gaze into the shining water; and he would gaze and gaze.
[Illustration]
Now, once the line was pulled deep under the water, and when he hauled
it up he hauled a large flounder with it. The flounder said to him,
'Listen, fisherman. I pray you to let me go; I am not a real flounder, I
am an enchanted Prince. What good will it do you if you kill me--I shall
not taste nice? Put me back into the water and let me swim away.'
'Well,' said the man, 'you need not make so much noise about it; I am
sure I had much better let a flounder that can talk swim away.' With
these words he put him back again into the shining water, and the
flounder sank to the bottom, leaving a long streak of blood behind. Then
the fisherman got up, and went home to his wife in the hut.
'Husband,' said his wife, 'have you caught nothing to-day?'
'No,' said the man. 'I caught a flounder who said he was an enchanted
prince, so I let him swim away again.'
'Did you wish nothing from him?' said his wife.
'No,' said the man; 'what should I have wished from him?'
'Ah!' said the woman, 'it's dreadful to have to live all one's life in
this hut that is so small and dirty; you ought to have wished for a
cottage. Go now and call him; say to him that we choose to have a
cottage, and he will certainly give it you.'
'Alas!' said the man, 'why should I go down there again?'
'Why,' said his wife, 'you caught him, and then let him go again, so he
is sure to give you what you ask. Go down quickly.'
The man did not like going at all, but as his wife was not to be
persuaded, he went down to the sea.
When he came there the sea was quite green and yellow, and was no longer
shining. So he stood on the shore and said:
'Once a prince, but changed you be
Into a flounder in the sea.
Come! for my wife, Ilsebel,
Wishes what I dare not tell.'