The three brothers built three fine palaces for themselves, and lived
therein some time unmarried. At length, however, they began to think
what would become of all their property after their deaths, and said to
each other that it would be a pity for them to die without heirs. So
they resolved to marry, that their wealth might be left to their sons
and daughters.
The eldest brother said, “Let me go and find the best wives I can for
all three of us; meantime you two will remain here, and take care of
our property.” The others gladly agreed to this, as the eldest brother
had given proofs enough that he was by far the wisest of the three, and
they felt sure that he would be able also to bring this important
business to a successful issue. So he made the needful preparations,
and started on his journey to look out for three wives for himself and
the two younger brothers who remained at home.
After long travelling he arrived at a large city, and resolved to
remain there all night, and to continue his journey in the morning.
It happened that the king of that place had just arranged a horse-race,
and promised his only daughter as the prize, and, with her, ten loads
of treasure to the winner.
The very evening the eldest brother arrived he heard the public
bell-man proclaiming aloud through the streets, that everyone who had a
horse should come to-morrow to the royal field, and whoever should
spring first over the ditch should be rewarded with the king’s
daughter, and should receive, with her, ten loads of gold.
He listened to the proclamation without saying anything. Next morning
he went out into the king’s field in order to see the racing, and found
there already innumerable horses of all kinds.
A little later came also the princess, the king’s daughter, and behind
her were brought ten loads of treasures.
When he saw the king’s daughter he thought her so exceedingly beautiful
that he went instantly a little aside from the crowd to get a better
sight of her. He then remembered his wonderful stone. Taking it out he
now lifted it to his lips, and immediately the two negroes appeared,
and said, “Master, what do you command?” He replied, “Bring me clothes
of silk and velvet, together with precious stones, and ten good horses!
and bring them as soon as possible!” He had not winked twice before the
negroes had placed before him everything which he had demanded. Then he
took out the hair, and, striking fire with a flint, held the hair near
it. The moment he did this, the same cream-coloured horse that had
given him the hair stood beside him, and asked, “Master, what do you
command?” He answered, “I wish that to-day we leave all the other
horses behind us in the race, so that I may gain the king’s daughter.
Therefore prepare yourself, and let us go at once, as the other horses
are now ready for starting.”
The instant he had spoken these words, the cream-coloured horse stood,
pawing the earth, ready and eager to begin the race. The man then
mounted it, and off they went. The other racers, having started a few
moments before, were already pretty far from the starting-point; in an
instant, however, he had reached them, and in another had passed and
left them far behind. When he reached the ditch—which was a hundred and
five yards deep, and a hundred yards wide—the horse made so great a
spring that it touched ground some fifty yards beyond the ditch, broad
as it was.
Then he rode back and took the maiden, the king’s daughter, and,
placing her behind him on his horse, carried her off, together with the
loads of gold. All the people, seeing this, wondered greatly who the
strange knight could be who had left all the best horses so far behind
in the race, and had won the beautiful princess, with all her rich
treasures.
He rode along until he came to a wood pretty far from the city, and
there he let his wonderful horse go until he should want him again. He
then took off all his beautiful clothes, and put on his old dress, and
in this manner went on with the maiden and the loads of gold.
About evening he arrived at a strange city, and decided to remain
there. After he had rested a little while, the people in the inn told
him that all day long the city bell-man had proclaimed that whoever had
a good horse should go to-morrow to the horse-race, for the king of the
palace had offered his only daughter as a prize, together with a
hundredweight of gold and jewels; but that there was a ditch to be
sprung over which was three hundred and fifty yards deep and a hundred
and fifty yards wide. When he heard this he was greatly pleased, for he
was quite sure that he should win this race also.
Next morning, by the help of the little stone and the wonderful hair,
he was again dressed in the finest clothes, and mounted on his
cream-coloured horse, and so took his place amongst the racers.
Everyone wondered from what country this knight came, and were
delighted at his rich dress; as for the horse, the people were never
tired of admiring it. When the race-horses were arranged for the start
he remained purposely behind. He knew well enough that this was of no
consequence to him, as in one moment he could reach and pass them all.
At length he started, and in a moment distanced the fleetest horse,
arriving at the ditch, and leaping over it as if it were nothing. Then,
without waiting a minute, he took possession of the king’s daughter and
her treasures, and went straight to the city where he had left the
first king’s daughter and her loads of gold.
Taking the two princesses and all the wealth with him, he now thought
that it was time for him to go back home. On his way, however, he had
the great good luck to come again to a large city, where he resolved to
remain during the night. There, also, the public crier had been
proclaiming all day long that the king had determined to give his only
daughter and fifteen hundredweight of gold to whoever should win the
race which was to be run on the morrow. In this instance, however, the
horses would have to leap over a ditch one thousand yards deep and four
hundred and fifty yards wide. On hearing this proclamation, the eldest
brother became very joyful, for he knew that no racer had any chance of
beating his wonderful horse.
On the morrow, therefore, by means of his little stone and the hair, he
ordered fifteen horses to be ready, to carry away the treasures he felt
sure of winning, and, at the same time, directed the negroes to bring
him his fairy courser and dresses so splendid that not even a king
could buy them.
Richly dressed in this way, and mounted, as he was, on his marvellous
horse, all the world, who had gathered to see the great race, could
look at nothing except at him.
When all the racers were arranged for the start, he lingered behind and
let them all speed off like falcons. He wished everyone to see that he
was the last to start, that they might not charge him afterwards with
having in any way cheated. When they had already gone pretty far, he
started himself, and in a moment he had reached them, passed them, and
left them all a long, long distance behind. How could it be otherwise?
When did the crow outfly the falcon? Coming to the ditch, he touched
the bridle a little, and, in an instant, his horse had leaped over the
ditch, and they were safe on the other side. So, without any delay, he
took away the maiden, together with all the gold, and went back to the
city. Having collected his immense treasures, he now took with him the
three princesses and went straight home. As he travelled along with his
company, everyone who met him asked him, “Where are you going?” For you
see the princesses were exceedingly beautiful. But beyond all others
his two brothers, when he reached home, wondered and were delighted at
the sight of the three beautiful princesses. They did not rejoice half
so much over the great riches he had gained for them as over the
marvellous fairness of the king’s daughters whom he had brought to be
their wives.
Thus each of the three brothers married a beautiful princess; the
eldest brother, however, who had shown himself so much the bravest and
wisest of them, married the youngest and most beautiful of the three.