Once upon a time there lived in one house the landlady and the
farmer's wife. [44] The farmer's wife had three sons; one day they
said to their mother to give each of them a ball and a penny roll,
that they wished to go from country to country. The mother was sorry
to part with her three much-loved sons; but all three started off.
When they were in the midst of a forest they saw that night was
coming on, and the eldest brother said that he would climb up the
first tree. He finds a tall tree, and climbs up to the top, to the
very tip-top, and the second says to him:
"Do you see nothing?"
He says, "No, no; there's nothing to be seen, nothing; not a
feather! nothing!"
"Come down then; you are an old donkey."
And the second climbs, and he sees nothing. The third says to him:
"You are no good at all, you others. I will climb up."
And he climbs to the top, to the very tip-top. The others say to him:
"And do you not see anything?"
He says to them:
"Yes; I see a long column of smoke, but very, very thin, and far,
very far away. Let us go towards that."
And the three brothers set out together. At eight o'clock in the
evening they come to a grand castle, and they knock at the door,
and the Basa-Andre (wild woman) comes to answer. She asks:
"Who is there?"