Three brothers once upon a time went out into the neighbouring forest
to choose some trees fit for building. Before going, however, they told
their mother not to forget to send their sister into the wood after
them with their dinners. The mother sent the girl as she had been told
to do; but as the girl was on her way a giant met her in the wood, and
carried her off to a cave, where he lived.
All day long the brothers waited, expecting their sister, and wondering
why their mother had forgotten to send them food. At length, after
remaining two days in the forest, and becoming anxious and angry at the
delay, they went home. When they arrived there they asked their mother
why she had not sent their sister with their food, as she had promised
to do; she replied that she had sent the girl three days ago, and had
been wondering greatly why she had not come back.
When the three brothers heard this they were exceedingly troubled, and
the eldest said, “I will go back into the forest and look for my
sister.” Accordingly he went. After wandering about some time he came
to a shepherdess, who was minding a flock of sheep. He asked her
anxiously if she had seen his sister in the wood, or whether she could
tell him anything about her. The shepherdess replied that she had
indeed seen a girl carrying food, but a giant had met her and carried
her off to his cave. Then the young man asked her to tell him the way
to the giant’s cave, which she did. The cave was hidden in a deep
ravine. The brother at once went down, and called aloud on his sister
by name. In a short time the girl came to the mouth of the cave, and,
seeing her eldest brother, invited him to come in. This he did, and was
exceedingly surprised to see that the seeming cave was in reality a
magnificent palace. Whilst he stood there talking to his sister and
inquiring how she liked her new home, he heard a loud whirring in the
air overhead, and, immediately afterwards, saw a heavy mace fall on the
ground just in front of the cave. Greatly terrified and astonished, he
asked his sister what this meant, and she told him not to be afraid,
for it was only the way the giant let her know of his return three
hours before he came, that she might begin to prepare his supper.
When it grew dark the giant came home, and was at once aware that a
stranger was in his place. In reply to his angry questions, his wife
told him it was “only her brother, who had come to visit them.” When
the giant heard this he went to the mouth of the cave, and, calling a
shepherd, ordered him to kill the largest sheep in his flock and roast
it.
When the meat was ready the giant called his brother-in-law and said,
as he cut the sheep in two equal parts, “My dear brother-in-law, listen
well to what I say; if you eat your half of the meat sooner than I eat
mine, I will give you leave to kill me; but if I eat my half quicker
than you eat yours, I shall certainly kill you.”
Thereupon the poor brother-in-law began to shake all over with fright;
and, fearing the worst, tried to eat as fast as he could. But he had
hardly swallowed three mouthfuls before the giant finished his share of
the sheep, and killed him, according to his threat.
For some time the other two brothers and their old mother waited
impatiently to see if the elder brother would come back. At last,
hearing nothing either of the brother or of the sister, the second son
said, “I will go and look after them.” So he went into the same forest
where his brother had gone, and, meeting there the same shepherdess
minding her sheep, he inquired if she had seen his brother or sister.
The shepherdess answered him as she had answered the elder brother, and
he, too, asked the way to the giant’s cave, and, on being told, went
down the ravine until he reached the place. There he called on his
sister by name, and she came out and invited him to enter the cave.
This he did, and shared the fate of his brother; for, being unable to
eat his part of the sheep as quickly as the giant ate his, he also was
killed.
Not long after the third brother went forth the same road, to look
after his two elder brothers and sister, and having found the giant’s
cave, was likewise invited to eat half a sheep, or be put to death. He,
however, failed like his brothers had done before him, and, being
unable to eat his part of the sheep as quickly as the giant ate his, he
was also killed.
Now the parents, being alone in their house, prayed that God would give
them another son, even were he no bigger than a peppercorn. As they
prayed so it came to pass, and not very long after a little boy was
born to them, who was so extremely small that they christened him
“Peppercorn.”
When the boy was old enough he went out to play with other boys; and
one day, in a quarrel, one of these said to him, “May you share the
fate of your elder brothers.” Hearing this, Peppercorn ran off home at
once, and asked his mother what these words meant. So the mother was
forced to tell him how his three brothers had gone into the forest to
look after their lost sister, and had never come back again. As soon as
he heard this, Peppercorn began to search the house for pieces of old
iron, and, having found some scraps, carried them off in the evening to
a blacksmith, that with them he might make him a mace. Next morning
Peppercorn went to the smith to ask for his mace, which the man gave
him, saying at the same time, “Now pay me for making it.” To this
Peppercorn replied, “First let me see if it is strong enough”; and he
threw it up in the air and held his head so that the mace might fall
upon it. As soon as the mace struck his head, it broke into pieces; and
Peppercorn, seeing how badly it was made, fell into a passion and
killed the smith. Then he gathered up the pieces of iron and went off
to look for a better workman. He soon found another blacksmith who was
willing to make him a mace, but demanded a ducat for the work.
Peppercorn said he would willingly pay the ducat if the smith made him
a really strong, serviceable mace. So next morning he went to ask if it
was ready, and the smith said “Yes; but you must first pay me the
ducat, and then I will give it you.” Peppercorn, however, answered,
“The ducat is ready in my pocket, but I must first see if the mace is
good before I pay for it.” Thereupon he caught it, flung it up in the
air, and held his head under it as it fell. As soon as the mace struck
his head it broke into pieces; and he, again falling into a great
passion, killed this smith also.
Gathering up the pieces of iron, he now carried them to a third smith,
who undertook to make him a good strong mace, and demanded a ducat for
doing so. Next morning Peppercorn went for the mace and, after trying
it three times, each time throwing it up higher in the air and letting
it fall on his head, where it raised great bumps, he owned that he was
satisfied with it, and accordingly paid the smith the ducat as he had
promised.
Having now a good strong mace, Peppercorn started off at once for the
forest, in which his three elder brothers and his sister had been lost.
After wandering about for some time, he came to the place where the
shepherdess sat watching her sheep, and, in reply to his questions, she
told him that she had seen his three brothers go down the ravine in
search of their sister, but had never seen them come up again.
Notwithstanding this, Peppercorn went resolutely down the ravine,
calling aloud upon his sister by name. When she heard this she was
exceedingly surprised, and said to herself, “Who can this be calling me
by name, now that all my brothers are killed? I have no other relations
to come and look for me.” Then she went to the entrance of the cave and
called out, “Who is it that calls me; I have no longer any brothers?”
Peppercorn said to her, “I am your brother who was born after you left
home, and my name is Peppercorn.”
On hearing this, his sister led him into the palace, but he had hardly
had time to say a few words to her before a loud whirring was heard in
the air, and the giant’s mace fell to the ground. For a moment
Peppercorn was terrified at this, but he recovered himself quickly,
and, pulling the mace out of the ground, flung it back to the giant,
who, in astonishment, said to himself, “Who is this who throws my mace
back to me? Methinks I have at last found someone able to fight with
me.”
When the giant came home he immediately asked his wife who had been in
the cave, and she answered him, “It is my youngest brother.” Thereupon
the giant ordered the shepherd to bring the largest sheep in his flock.
When this was brought the giant killed it himself, and, whilst
preparing it for roasting, said to Peppercorn, “Will you turn the meat,
or will you take care of the fire?” Peppercorn said he would rather
gather wood and make the fire; so he went out and tumbled down some
large trees with his mace. These he carried to the mouth of the cave,
and made a large fire ready for the meat.
When the sheep was roasted the giant cut it in two parts, and gave one
half to Peppercorn, saying, “Take this half, and if you eat it before I
eat my half you are free to kill me; but if you don’t, I shall surely
kill you.” So Peppercorn and the giant began to eat as fast as they
could, swallowing down large pieces of meat, and, in their haste,
almost choking themselves. At last Peppercorn, by trickery, managed to
get rid of his share of the sheep, and, according to the arrangement,
killed the giant. This done, with the help of his sister, he collected
all the treasures the giant had heaped up in his palace, and, taking
them with him, returned home with his sister, to the great joy of their
parents.
Peppercorn remained some time after this with his father, mother, and
sister, and they lived very merrily on the treasures he had brought
from the giant’s cave. At length, however, he saw that the riches were
coming to an end, so he resolved to go into the world to seek his
fortune.
After travelling about a good while he came one day to a large city,
where he saw a great crowd gathered about a man who held an iron pike
in his hand, and every now and then squeezed drops of water out of the
iron. Whilst the people watched, wondering and admiring his great
strength, Peppercorn went up and asked him, “Do you think there is any
man in the world stronger than yourself?”
“There is only one man alive who is stronger than myself, and that one
is a certain person called Peppercorn,” answered he. “Peppercorn can
receive a mace on his head without being hurt.”
Thereupon Peppercorn told the man who he was, and proposed to him that
they should travel about the world together.
“That will I right gladly,” said the Pikeman. “How can I help being
glad to go with a trusty fellow like you!”
Travelling together they came one day to a certain city, and, finding a
concourse of people assembled, they went to see what was the matter.
They found a man sitting on the bank of a river turning the wheels of
nine mills with his little finger. So they said to him, “Is there
anyone stronger than you in the world?”
And he answered them, “There are only two men stronger than I am—a
certain person named Peppercorn and a certain Pikeman.” Hearing this,
Peppercorn and the Pikeman told him who they were, and proposed that he
should join them in their travels about the world.
The Mill-turner very gladly accepted the offer, and so all three
continued their journey together.
After travelling some time they came to a city where they found all the
people greatly excited because some one had stolen the three daughters
of the king, and, notwithstanding the immense rewards his majesty had
offered, no one had as yet dared to go out to look for the princesses.
As soon as Peppercorn and his two comrades heard this they went to the
king and offered to search for his three daughters. But in order to
accomplish the task they demanded that the king should give them a
hundred thousand loads of wood. The king gave them what they wanted,
and they made a fence all around the city with the timber. This done
they began to watch.
The first morning they prepared a whole ox for their dinners, and
discussed the question which of the three should stay behind to mind
the meat whilst the other two watched the fence. The Pikeman said, “I
think I will stay here and take care of the meat, and I will have
dinner ready for you when you come back from looking after the fence.”
So it was thus settled. Just, however, as the Pikeman thought the ox
was well roasted he was frightened by the sudden approach of a man with
a forehead a yard high and a beard a span long. This man said to the
Pikeman, “Good morning!” but the latter ran away instead of answering,
he was so shocked by the strange appearance of the man.
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard was quite content at this, and,
sitting down, soon finished the whole ox. When he had ended his dinner
he got up and went away.
Shortly afterwards Sir Peppercorn and the Mill-turner came for their
dinners, and, being very hungry, shouted from afar to the Pikeman, “Let
us dine at once!” But the Pikeman, keeping himself hidden among the
bushes, called out to them, “There is nothing left for us to eat! A
little while ago Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard came up and ate
up the whole ox to the very last morsel! I was afraid of him, and so I
did not say one word against it.”
Peppercorn and the Mill-turner reproached their companion bitterly for
allowing all their dinner to be stolen without once trying to prevent
it, and the Mill-turner said scornfully, “Well, I will stop to-morrow
and look after the meat, and Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard may
come if he likes!”
So the next day the Mill-turner stayed to roast the ox, and his two
comrades went to look after the fence they had built round about the
city.
Just before dinner-time Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard came out
of the forest and walked straight up to the ox, and stretched his hands
out greedily to grasp it. The Mill-turner was so frightened by his
strange appearance that he ran off as hard as he could to look for a
place to hide in.
By-and-by Peppercorn and the Pikeman came for their dinners and asked
angrily where the meat was. Whereupon the Mill-turner answered, “There
is no meat! It has all been eaten by that horrible
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard, and his looks frightened me so
that I dared not say a single word to him.”
It was no use complaining, so Peppercorn only said, “To-morrow I will
stay to mind the ox, and you two shall go and look after the fence. I
will see if we are to remain the third day without dinner.”
The next morning the Pikeman and the Mill-turner went to see if all was
right round about the city, and Peppercorn remained to roast the ox.
Exactly as on the two former days, just before dinner was ready,
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard made his appearance, and went up
to seize the meat. But Peppercorn pushed him roughly back, saying, “Two
days I have been dinnerless on your account, but the third day I will
not be so, as long as my head stands on my shoulders!”
Much astonished at his boldness, Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard
exclaimed, “Take care you don’t begin to quarrel with me. There is no
one in all the world who can conquer me, except a fellow called
Peppercorn!”
Peppercorn was very pleased to hear this, and, without more hesitation,
sprang at once on Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard, and, after
some struggling, pulled him down to the earth and bound him. This done,
he tied him fast to a tall pine-tree. Now the Pikeman and Mill-turner
came up and were exceedingly glad to find their dinners safe. Just as
they were in the middle of their dinners, however,
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard, with a sudden jerk, pulled up
the pine-tree by the roots and ran off with tree and all, making
furrows in the earth with it just as if three ploughs had been passing
over the ground.
Seeing him run off, the Pikeman and Mill-turner jumped up quickly and
ran after him, but Peppercorn called them back and told them to finish
their dinners first, for there would be plenty of time to catch him
after they had dined! So they all three went on eating, and when they
had done they followed the furrows which
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard had made in the ground. After a
while they came to a deep dark hole in the earth, and when they had
examined it all round and tried in vain on account of the darkness to
look down into it, they returned to the king and asked him to give them
a thousand miles of strong rope so that they could go down into the
pit.
The king at once ordered his servants to give them what they required,
and when they had got the great cable they went back to the hole. On
the way, as they were going, they discussed which of the three should
venture down first, and it was at last settled that the Pikeman should
be let down. However, he made them solemnly promise him that they
should pull him up again the instant he shook the rope.
He had been let down but a very little way before he shook the rope,
and so they pulled him up as they had promised.
Then the Mill-turner said, “Let me go down.” And so the other two
lowered him, but in a moment or two he shook the rope violently; and so
he, too, was pulled up.
Now Peppercorn grew angry, and exclaimed, “I did not think you were
such cowards as to be afraid of a dark hole! Now let me down!” So they
let him down and down until his foot touched solid ground. Finding that
he had reached the bottom, he looked round him, and saw that he stood
just in the very middle of a most beautiful green plain—a plain so
beautiful that it was a real pleasure to look on it.
At one end of the plain stood a large handsome palace, and Peppercorn
went nearer to look at it. There, in the gardens, walking, he met two
young girls, and asked them if they were not the daughters of the king.
When they said that they were, he inquired what had become of the other
sister; and the princesses told him that their youngest sister was in
the palace very busy binding up the wounds that
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard had lately received from a
certain knight called Peppercorn.
Then Peppercorn told them who he was, and that he had come down on
purpose to release them, and to take them back to the king, their
father. On hearing this good news, the two princesses rejoiced greatly,
and told Peppercorn where he would find
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard and their youngest sister. But
they warned him not to rush in on the giant, but rather to go softly,
and first try to get hold of the sabre which hung on the wall over his
bed, for this sabre possessed the wonderful power of killing a man when
he was a whole day’s journey from it.
Peppercorn took care to do as the princesses had told him. He stole
very quietly into the room where Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard
was lying, and when he was near the bed he sprang up suddenly and
seized the sword. The moment the wounded giant saw his sabre in the
hands of Peppercorn he jumped up quickly and ran out of the palace.
Peppercorn followed him some time before he remembered what the two
princesses had told him of the wonderful properties of the sword, but
as soon as he recollected this he made a sharp cut with it in the air,
as if he were cutting off a man’s head, and the moment he did so
Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard fell down dead.
Then Peppercorn went back to the palace, and, taking with him the three
princesses, prepared to return to the upper world.
When he came to the place where the rope was hanging he took a large
basket, and, placing the eldest princess in it, fastened it to the
rope, then, giving her a note, in which he said that he sent her for
the Pikeman, he made the signal agreed upon for the rope to be drawn
up. So his comrades pulled up the rope, and when it came down again
with the empty basket, Peppercorn sent up the second princess, after
giving her a paper, in which he had written, “This one is for the
Mill-turner.”
When the rope descended the third time he sent up the youngest
princess, who was by far the most beautiful of the three. He gave her a
paper which said that this one he meant to keep for himself. Just as
the Pikeman and the Mill-turner began to pull up the rope the princess
gave Peppercorn a little box, saying, “Open it when you have need of
anything!”
Now, when the Pikeman and Mill-turner drew up the youngest princess,
and saw how very beautiful she was, they determined to leave Peppercorn
down in the pit, and go back without delay to the king’s palace, and
there see which of them could get the youngest princess for his wife.
Peppercorn waited patiently some time for the rope to be let down that
he might be drawn up, but no rope appeared. At last he was obliged to
own to himself that his two comrades had deceived and deserted him,
and, seeing how useless it was to remain standing still any longer, he
walked off without knowing where the road would take him. Walking on,
after a long time, he came to the shore of a large lake, and heard a
great noise of crying and shouting. Very soon a multitude of people,
looking like a wedding party, made their appearance. After placing a
young girl in bridal attire on the shore of the lake, the people left
her there alone and went away.
Peppercorn, seeing the girl left by herself, and noticing how sad she
looked, went up to her, and asked her why her friends had left her
there, and why she was so sad? The girl answered, “In this lake is a
dragon who, every year, swallows up a young girl. It is now my turn;
and our people have brought me as a bride to the dragon, and left me to
be swallowed up.”
Peppercorn, on hearing this, asked her to let him rest near her a
little, because he was very tired, but she answered, “You had far
better fly away, my good knight; if it is necessary that I should die,
it is not needful that you should die also.”
But Peppercorn said to her, “Don’t trouble yourself about me, only let
me rest near you a little, for I am very tired. It will be time enough
for me to run away when the dragon comes.” Having said this he sat down
near the girl, and in a little while fell asleep. He had not slept long
before the surface of the lake became agitated, and the water rose up
in large waves; presently the dragon lifted its head, and swam straight
to the shore where the girl sat, evidently intending to swallow her at
once. The maiden cried bitterly, and a tear falling on Peppercorn’s
face, awakened him. He sprang up quickly, grasped his sword, and,
smiting fiercely, with one stroke, cut off the dragon’s head.
Then he took the girl by the hand, and led her back to the city, where
he found that she was the only daughter of the king of that country.
The king was overjoyed at hearing that the dragon was killed, and also
at seeing his daughter brought back to him safe and sound. So he
insisted that Peppercorn should marry the princess, which he did, and
they all lived together very happily for a long time.
After a while, however, Peppercorn began to long greatly for the other
world, and grew sadder and sadder every day. When his wife noticed this
change in his appearance she asked him very often what ailed him, but
he would not tell her for a long time, because he did not wish to
trouble her. At last, however, he could keep his secret no longer, and
confessed to the princess how much he longed to go back to the upper
world. Though she was very sorry to hear this, she promised him that
she herself would beg the king to let him go, since he so greatly
wished it. This she did; and when the king objected, not wishing to
lose so good a son-in-law, the princess said, “Let him go; he has saved
my life, and why should we keep him against his will? My three sons
will still remain to comfort us!”
Then the king consented, saying, “Very well; let it be as he wishes,
since you have nothing to say against it. Tell your benefactor to go to
the lake-shore, and to say to the giant-bird he will find there, that
the king sends her his greetings, and desires her to take the bearer of
them up to the other world.”
The princess returned to her husband and told him what her father had
said, and then began to prepare some provisions for the journey. When
these were ready, and the king had sent the letter for the bird,
Peppercorn took a kind leave of his wife, and went down to the
lake-shore, where he soon found the nest of the giant-bird and her
little ones in it, though she herself was not there. So he sat down to
wait under the tree where the nest was. As he sat there, he heard the
little birds chirping very restlessly and anxiously. Then he saw that
the lake was beginning to throw up high waves, and soon a monster came
out of the water and made straight for the nest to swallow the young
birds.
Peppercorn, however, did not stop long to think about the matter, but
quickly drew his wonderful sword and killed the monster. It happened
that the giant-bird was just coming back, and when she saw Peppercorn
under the tree, she shrieked as she ran up to kill him, “Now I have
caught you—you who have been killing all my little ones for so many
years! Now you shall pay me for it, for I will kill you!” But the
little birds from their nest high in the tree, cried out to her, “Don’t
do him any harm! he has saved us from being swallowed by a monster who
came out of the lake to kill us.”
Meanwhile, Peppercorn went to her, and presented the king’s letter. The
giant-bird read it through carefully, and then said to him, “Go home
and kill twelve sheep. Fill their skins with water, and bring them
here, together with the flesh of the sheep.”
Peppercorn went back to the king, who at once ordered that he should be
supplied with the flesh of twelve sheep, as well as with twelve
sheep-skins full of fresh water. With this provision Peppercorn
returned to the shore of the lake.
Then the giant-bird placed the twelve skins full of water under her
left wing, and the flesh of the twelve sheep under her right, and took
Peppercorn on her back. This done, she told him that he must watch well
her movements, and when she turned her beak to the left side, he must
give her water, and when she turned it to the right he must give her
meat. After impressing these directions upon Peppercorn, the giant-bird
rose with her triple load in the air, and flew straight up towards the
other world. As she flew she turned, from time to time, her beak, now
to the left and then to the right, and Peppercorn gave her water or
meat, as she had directed him to do. At last, however, all the meat
disappeared. So, when the giant-bird turned her beak once more to the
right, Sir Peppercorn, having no more meat to give her, and fearing
some evil might happen if he did not satisfy her, took out his knife,
and, cutting a piece of flesh from the sole of his right foot, gave it
to her.
But the bird knew by the taste that he had cut it from his own foot, so
she did not swallow it, but hid it under her tongue, and held it there
until she reached the other world.
Then she set Peppercorn down on the earth and told him to walk, and
when he tried to do so he was forced to limp, because of the loss of
part of his foot. When the giant-bird noticed this, she asked him, “Why
do you limp so?” To this Peppercorn answered, “Oh, it is nothing! Do
not trouble yourself about it!” But the bird told him to lift his right
foot, and when he did so, she took the piece of flesh she had kept
hidden under her tongue, and laid it on the place where he had cut it
from. Then she tapped it two or three times with her beak to make it
grow to the rest of the foot.
Peppercorn walked on some time before he remembered the little box
which the youngest of the three daughters of the king had given him.
Now, however, he opened it, and a bee and a fly flew out and asked him
what he desired. He said, “I want a good horse to carry me to the
king’s residence, and a decent suit of clothes to wear.” Next moment a
suit of good clothes lay before him, and a handsome horse stood ready
saddled for him to mount. Then he took the clothes, and, mounting the
horse, rode off to the city where the king dwelt. Before entering the
city, however, he opened his little box, and said to the fly and the
bee, “I do not want the horse any more at present.” Accordingly they
took it with them into their little box.
Peppercorn went to live in the house of an old woman in the city. Next
morning he heard the public crier shouting in the street, “Is there
anyone bold enough to fight with the mighty Pikeman, the king’s
son-in-law?”
Peppercorn was very pleased to hear this challenge, and, opening his
box without delay, told the bee and fly, who flew out to receive his
orders, that he wanted at once a fine suit of clothes and a strong
charger, so that he might go to fight with the Pikeman. The bee and fly
instantly gave him what he required, and he dressed himself and rode
off to the field, where he found the Pikeman proudly awaiting anyone
who might presume to accept his challenge.
So Peppercorn and the Pikeman fought, and before very long the first
son-in-law of the king was slain. Then Peppercorn returned home
quickly, and opening his box, bade the bee and fly take away the horse
and the fine clothes.
The king sought everywhere for the stranger who had killed his
son-in-law, but no one knew anything about him. So, after some days,
the city crier went round again, proclaiming that the Mill-turner, the
second son-in-law of the king, would fight anyone who dared to meet
him.
Peppercorn again let out his bee and his fly, and asked for a finer
horse and handsomer clothes than the last. So they brought him a very
gorgeous suit, and a most beautiful coal-black charger, and with these
he went on the field to meet the Mill-turner. They fought, but
Peppercorn soon killed the king’s second son-in-law, and again went to
his lodgings, where he ordered the bee and fly to take the horse and
clothes with them into their little box.
Now, not only the king, but all his people were very much puzzled as to
who the powerful knight could be who had killed the two valiant
sons-in-law of the king. So a strict search was made, and he was sought
everywhere. But no one could tell anything about him; while such horses
as he rode and such clothes as he wore were not to be found in the
whole kingdom.
Some time had passed since the king’s sons-in-law had been killed, and
people had begun to be a little quieter and had given up all hope of
finding out who the stranger knight might be. Then Peppercorn wrote a
letter to the king’s youngest daughter, and sent it to her by the old
woman in whose house he lived. In the letter he told the princess
everything that had happened to him since he had sent her up in the
basket to his false comrades, and told her also that he himself had
slain both of the traitors in fair fight.
The young princess, as soon as she had read the letter, quickly ran to
her father and begged him to pardon Peppercorn. The king saw he could
not justly deny her this favour, since the two men who had been killed
had deceived and deserted their friend, without whose superior courage
they would never have been themselves his sons-in-law, seeing that all
the three princesses, but for Peppercorn, must have remained in the
other world where Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard had carried
them.
So, after thinking all this over in his mind, the king told his
daughter that he willingly forgave Peppercorn, and that she might
invite him to the palace. This the princess did at once, and very soon
after, Peppercorn made his appearance before the king in splendid
attire and was received very kindly.
Not long afterwards, the marriage of Peppercorn with the beautiful
princess, the king’s youngest daughter, was celebrated with great
rejoicings, and the king built them a fine house near his palace to
live in.
There Peppercorn and his princess lived long and happily, and he never
had any wish to wander again about the world.