{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_45321/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_45321","id":"gutenberg_45321","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45321","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- Serbia","Tales -- Serbia"],"text":"SERBIAN FOLK-LORE\n\n\n        _TRANSLATED FROM THE SERBIAN_\n\n        BY MADAME ELODIE L. MIJATOVICH\n\n  AUTHOR OF THE \"HISTORY OF MODERN SERBIA,\"\n       \"KOSSOVO BALLADS\" ETC. ETC. ETC.\n\n\n            _WITH AN INTRODUCTION_\n       BY THE LATE REV. W. DENTON, M.A.\n\n\n               _SECOND EDITION_\n\n\n                     1899\n      The Columbus Printing, Publishing\n      and Advertising Company, Limited,\n     Amberley House, Norfolk Street, W.C.\n\n\n\n\n           _Preparing for Publication_,\n\n             SERBIAN POPULAR CUSTOMS,\n\n  _A Further Contribution to Serbian Folk-Lore_,\n\n          BY MADAME ELODIE L. MIJATOVICH.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                     PAGE.\n    INTRODUCTION                                         1\n\n    THE BEAR'S SON                                      23\n\n    THE WONDERFUL KIOSK                                 31\n\n    THE SNAKE'S GIFT. LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS               36\n\n    THE GOLDEN APPLE-TREE, AND THE NINE PEAHENS         42\n\n    PAPALLUGA; OR, THE GOLDEN SLIPPER                   58\n\n    THE GOLDEN-FLEECED RAM                              65\n\n    WHO ASKS LITTLE, GETS MUCH                          74\n\n    JUSTICE OR INJUSTICE? WHICH IS BEST                 80\n\n    SATAN'S JUGGLINGS AND GOD'S MIGHT                   84\n\n    THE WISE GIRL                                       88\n\n    GOOD DEEDS ARE NEVER LOST                           93\n\n    LYING FOR A WAGER                                  103\n\n    THE WICKED STEPMOTHER                              108\n\n    BIRD GIRL                                          114\n\n    SIR PEPPERCORN                                     117\n\n    BASH-CHALEK; OR, TRUE STEEL                        139\n\n    THE SHEPHERD AND THE KING'S DAUGHTER               165\n\n    ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER                     180\n\n    THE BITER BIT                                      191\n\n    THE TRADE THAT NO ONE KNOWS                        206\n\n    THE THREE SUITORS                                  221\n\n    THE GOLDEN-HAIRED TWINS                            228\n\n    THE DREAM OF THE KING'S SON                        237\n\n    THE THREE BROTHERS                                 245\n\n    ANIMALS AS FRIENDS AND AS ENEMIES                  282\n\n    THE LEGEND OF ST. GEORGE                           295\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nIt is only within the last few years that the importance of folk-lore,\nthe popular legends, tales, drolls, and extravagances which have been\nhanded down from generation to generation among the labourers,\npeasants and youth of a nation, has been frankly recognised. It is\nnow, however, generally acknowledged that this kind of literature,\nwhich more than all other deserves the name of popular, possesses a\nvalue beyond any momentary amusement which the tales themselves may\nafford, and it has assumed an honourable post side by side with other\nand graver materials, and has obtained a recognised use in deciding\nthe conclusions of the historian and ethnologist. It is fortunate that\nthe utility of these 'tales and old wives' fables' should have been\nthus recognised, otherwise the dull utilitarianism of modern educators\nwould soon have trampled out these fragments of the 'elder time,' and\nhave left to our children no alternative than that of 'being crammed\nwith geography and natural history.'[1] The collection of Serbian\npopular tales, now translated into English and here published, is an\nadditional contribution to our knowledge of such literature--the most\nvenerable secular literature, it may be, which has come down to our\ntimes.\n\n    [1] Charles Lamb, in a letter to Coleridge, October, 1802.\n\nAt the wish of the lady who has selected and translated these tales, I\nhave undertaken to edit them. In doing so I have, however, preserved,\nas far as possible, the literality of her version, and have limited\nmyself to the addition of a few notes to the text. The tales included\nin this volume have been selected from two collections of Serbian\nfolk-lore; the greater part from the well-known 'Srpske narodne\npripovijetke,' of Vuk Stefanovich Karadjich, published at Vienna, in\n1853, and others from the 'Bosniacke narodne pripovijetke,' collected\nby the 'Society of Young Bosnia,' the first part of which collection\nwas printed at Sissek, in Croatia, in 1870. The collection of Vuk\nStefanovich Karadjich was translated into German by his daughter\nWilhelmina, and printed at Berlin, in 1854.[2] To this volume, which\nis dedicated to the Princess Julia, widow of the late Prince Michael\nObrenovich III., Jacob Grimm, who suggested to Karadjich the utility\nof making the original collection, has contributed a short but\ninteresting preface.\n\n    [2] 'Volksm\u00e4rchen der Serben, gesammelt und herausgegeben von\n    Vuk Stephanowitsch Karadschitsch.' Berlin, 1854.\n\nThe collection of Vuk Karadjich was gathered by him from the lips of\nprofessional story-tellers, and of old peasant women in Serbia and\nthe Herz\u00e9govina. One of these stories, translated in the present\nvolume, and here called 'The Wonderful Kiosk,' or 'The Kiosk in the\nSky,' was however written out and contributed to this collection by\nPrince Michael, the late and lamented ruler of Serbia, who had heard\nit, in childhood, from the lips of his nurse. The Bosniac collection\nwas made by young theological students from that country--members of\nthe college at Dyakovo, in Croatia.\n\nThe taste for this species of literature has, during the last few\nyears, led to the publication of various collections of traditional\nfolk-tales, legends, and sagas, from all countries including and lying\nbetween Iceland and the southern extremity of Africa and of Polynesia,\nuntil a very ample body of such stories have been made accessible even\nto the mere English reader. Whilst Mr. Thorpe[3] and Mr. Dasent[4]\nhave directed their attention to Iceland and the Scandinavian\nkingdoms, Mr. Campbell has rendered important service by his large\ncollection of West Highland stories.[5] Indian legends, and folk-lore\nin general, has been illustrated by the volumes of Mr. W. H. Wilson,\nDr. Muir[6], Colonel Jacob, Mr. Kelly[7], and Miss Frere[8]; and the\nCingalese traditions by the writings of Mr. Turnour, and especially\nby the volumes of Mr. Spence Hardy.[9] Russian and North Slavonic\nfolk-lore has been made accessible and arranged in the valuable\nvolumes of Mr. Ralston, on 'The Songs of the Russian People,' and on\n'Russian Folk-Lore.' Dr. Bleek has collected some of the myths and\npopular tales of the tribes in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good\nHope[10]; and Sir George Grey has done the same good service in\npreserving specimens of the folk-tales of the people of New\nZealand.[11] Whilst foreign countries have given up their stores of\npopular literature to these investigations, similar industry has been\nshown in collecting the traditions and folk-lore of our own country.\nThe songs collected in Sir Walter Scott's 'Border Minstrelsy,'\nillustrated as they are by the notes which he added, are a store-house\nalike for the northern counties of England and the southern counties\nof Scotland. Mr. Wright and Mr. Cockayne, in their volumes, that on\nthe 'Literature of the Middle Ages,' by the former gentleman, and that\nof the 'Leechdoms of Early England,' by the latter, have brought\ntogether the folk-lore of our forefathers; and in the pages of\nBaker[12], Chambers[13], Hone[14], Henderson[15], Hunt[16], and\nothers, are stored up much of the local folk-lore and tales which\nstill exist amongst us, and which we have inherited from our Aryan\nancestors,--echoes of stories first heard by them in their home in\nCentral Asia.\n\n    [3] 'Northern Mythology,' 3 vols.\n\n    [4] 'Popular Tales from the Norse.'\n\n    [5] 'Popular Tales of the West Highlands,' 4 vols. Edinb.\n    1860-62.\n\n    [6] 'Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the\n    People of India, &c.'\n\n    [7] 'Indo-European Traditions.'\n\n    [8] 'Old Deccan Days.'\n\n    [9] 'Manual of Buddhism' and 'Legends and Theories of the\n    Buddhists.' London. 1866.\n\n    [10] 'Reynard, the Fox, in South Africa.'\n\n    [11] 'Polynesian Mythology and Traditions of New Zealand.'\n\n    [12] 'Folk-Lore of Northamptonshire.'\n\n    [13] 'The Book of Days.'\n\n    [14] 'Table Book' and 'Year Book.'\n\n    [15] 'Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of\n    England and the Borders.'\n\n    [16] 'Drolls of Old Cornwall.' 2 vols.\n\nBy means of these and similar collections, we are enabled to trace and\ncompare the folk-tale in the various stages of its growth, and note\nits modifications, according to the religion of the people who have\nreceived it, and the climate of the countries in which it has been\nnaturalised. In the pages of Professor Max M\u00fcller, of Mr. Baring\nGould, and of Mr. Cox, we have attempts, more or less successful, to\ntreat these stories scientifically, and to trace and explain the\norigin and motive of the various popular tales and legends which are\ncomprehended under the name of folk-lore.\n\nAn examination of these collections leads to the conclusion\nthat--apart at least from the legends of history--the number of\nstrictly original folk-tales is but small; and that people, settled\nfor ages in countries separated geographically, have yet possessed\nfrom remote antiquity a popular literature, which must have been the\ncommon property of the race before it branched into nations; but that\nthe natural accretions, the growth of time, together with local\ncolouring, fragments of historical facts, the influence of popular\nreligious belief, and, above all, the exigencies and ingenuity of\nprofessional story-tellers, have so modified these primitive tales and\nlegends, that an appearance of originality has been imparted to\ncurrent popular tales, which, however, a larger acquaintance with\nfolk-lore, and a more extended investigation, are now gradually\ndispelling. It is at length evident that various primitive legendary\nand traditionary elements have been combined in most of these tales;\nand that the only originality consists in such combination. They\nresemble a piece of tesselated work made up of cubes of coloured\nstone, the tints of which are really few in number, though they admit\nof being arranged into a variety of figures after the fancy of the\nartist.\n\nIn the appendix to Mr. Henderson's 'Notes on the Folk-Lore of the\nNorthern Counties of England,' under the appropriate name of\n'Story-radicals,' the reader will find a useful and suggestive\nclassification of the elements which enter into the composition of\nvarious popular tales borrowed from Von Hahn's introduction to his\ncollection of Greek and Albanian folk-tales; and although this\nclassification is rendered imperfect by the recent large increase of\nsuch stories, yet it suffices to explain the manner in which fragments\nselected from other popular fictions have been built up and\nagglutinated together. Philological research is day by day\nillustrating more clearly the original oneness of the language of\nmankind; and collections of household stories and popular legends are\nshowing that much of the really popular literature, especially such as\nlingers in lands uninvaded by modern civilisation, and in sequestered\nspots in the midst of such civilisation, was possessed in common,\nbefore mankind was parted off into races, and subdivided into tribes\nand nations; so that they also furnish another proof of the unity of\nthe human race. We are still able, at least to some extent, to trace\nthe genealogy of many popular stories, and to ascend to their\nfountain-head, or at least to such a distance as to indicate the time\nwhen they originated, and the land where they were first told. Thus we\nmay feel sure that had some of the tales in this volume been the\noriginal fancies of Slavonic minstrels and story-tellers they would\nnot have been garnished with crocodiles, alligators, elephants, and\nthe fauna and flora of Hindoostan, and that the germ of such stories\nmust therefore have existed before the Slav made his home in Europe.\nSuch accessories are sufficient proof that the tales themselves could\nnot have been indigenous to the banks of the Danube, but must have\nbeen brought thither by a race which had migrated from a more southern\nand eastern home.\n\nWhilst the original home of these stories may thus be satisfactorily\nproved to have been in other lands than that in which they are now\nfound, the growth of the tale, story, legend, or droll may be traced\nby an examination of the stories themselves. They are, in most\ninstances, composite--an agglutination of fragments such as is seen in\nthe breccias and similar stones of igneous origin. The desire of being\ncredited with originality--a common weakness of humanity--the\nnecessity of lengthening out a tale so as to fill up a definite amount\nof time in its recitation, and the wish to amuse by novel\ncombinations--all tended to the structural growth of these tales. This\nwas effected in part by the unexpected arrangements of old and\nwell-known incidents, in part by the easier and coarser expedient of\nmere repetition. Thus, a common trick of the story-teller was to\nrepeat all the details of the events which happened to one of the\npersonages in his story, and to attribute them to each of the three,\nor even the seven heroes who had started in search of adventures, and\nwhom he makes meet with precisely similar fortunes. These repetitions\nsometimes appear and are sometimes dispensed with, according to the\nexigencies of time, or the skill of the narrator. The other expedient\nof adding to the original tale incidents taken from other stories,\nadmits of the exercise of much ingenuity on the part of the\nstory-teller, and entitled him, in some degree, to the credit of\noriginality. The fact remains, however, that the materials out of\nwhich such stories are constructed are less numerous than the stories\nthemselves; which have for thousands of years delighted and amused,\nand sometimes instructed, both old and young alike, the peasant and\nthe prince, the rude Hottentot of Southern Africa, the stolid boor of\nRussia, and the quick-witted and intelligent Greek.\n\nIt is comparatively an easy task to trace the popular stories which\nare familiar to us, to the countries where they were originally told;\nor, at least, to decide approximately as to the land of their birth.\nStill more easy to decompose them, and separate the original germ from\nthe accretions which have gathered around it in its course. It is not\nso easy, however, to determine the motive of the original story.\nAccording to one school of writers, these popular folk-tales embody\nprofound mythological dogmas, and were even purposely constructed to\nconvey, by means of symbolical or histrionic teaching, the maxims of\nancient religions and philosophies. To some extent this is possibly\ntrue; apart, however, from the fact, and the speculations which the\nfacts may give rise to, the truth or falsity of this is of but little\npractical value. No skill which we possess can decide with any\ncertainty as to the mythological or non-mythological origin of a\nfolk-tale, or families of such tales, and the attempts which have been\nmade to interpret such tales in accordance with mythology, have ended\nin absurd failures.\n\nMuch confusion of thought, as it appears to me, exists as to the\nmythological motive which is claimed for many of these folk-tales; and\nmen have confounded the mythological explanation of a tale with its\nmythological origin and motive. We shall, however, have done but\nlittle in the way of clearing up this question when we have adjusted\nthe various incidents of a folk-tale to the teaching of ancient\nmythology. The attempt to do so resembles the labours of the\nneo-Platonic expounders of declining Paganism, in their endeavours to\nmake it appear more reasonable by giving to the gross and material\nincidents of ancient polytheism a subtle and recondite spiritual\ninterpretation. The question--too frequently lost sight of--being not\nwhether the incidents of Pagan mythology might by any such process be\nreconciled with the intellect of a philosopher, but whether the\nincidents themselves originated in the intent to present spiritual\ntruth to the mind, and were bodied forth in order to convey such\nspiritual lessons to the apprehension of the worshipper. There is a\nsimilar order to be observed in the examination and interpretation of\nthese tales; and the most ingenious interpretation of a folk-tale, and\nits adjustment to the incidents of mythology, do not advance us one\nstep towards determining its motive, and clearing up the obscurities\nwhich surround its origin. Again, the presence of mythological\nincidents in a tale in no degree accounts for its origin; nor does it\nassist us in proving these tales to possess a mythological character.\nIn popular literature--especially in such a literature as that of\nwhich I am speaking--the tone of the popular mind must needs be\nreflected; and if mythology had, at the date of the creation of the\ntale, or during its growth, any considerable hold over the popular\nmind, this fact would be indicated by the characters introduced, as\nwell as by the general colouring given to the tale itself; just as a\nprofoundly religious mind tinges the creations of the imagination or\nthe productions of the intellect with the religious convictions which\npossess it. But tales and scientific treatises may be profoundly\nChristian in their _ethos_, without it being necessary for us to\nattribute to their authors the intention of presenting, by this means,\nan esoteric explanation of the articles of the Creed.\n\nNow it is to be borne in mind, that at the time when most of the\nprimary materials, out of which these folk-tales are constructed,\noriginated, polytheism had peopled the groves and streams, the\nmountains and the valleys, the hills and plains, the sky above and the\ndeep sea below, and even the centre of the earth, with supernatural\nbeings. Every day and every fraction of life had its tutelary; every\nfamily its special _lar_; and every individual its _genius_, or\nguardian spirit. Omnipresence was subdivided into atoms, and an atom\nwas everywhere present. Under such circumstances it would hardly have\nbeen possible to construct a tale or to rearrange the fragments of\nolder tales without introducing these elements of the popular belief.\nWithout doing so, indeed, a tale would not--could not have become a\nfolk-tale. This, however, in no way makes probable the mythological\nsignification and origin of such tales, any more than the introduction\nof guns and pistols, of gas or the telegraph, into a modern tale,\nwould prove it to have a military or a scientific motive.\n\nA specimen of the way in which folk-tales are interpreted\nmythologically will, I think, show at once the ingenuity of the\ninterpreter and the baselessness of the interpretation. The tale which\nI cite as a specimen of this kind of treatment is one which, like\nfolk-tales in general, occurs in several forms in England, in Southern\nItaly, in Germany, in the Tyrol, in Hungary, in Iceland, Swabia,\nWallachia, and Greece, and probably in other countries. I give it in\nthe form in which it appears in the 'Modern Greek Household Tales,'\nedited by Von Hahn, because the Greek version of this tale has the\nmerit of being 'shorter than most of its variants.' The ingenious\nthough fanciful explanation will be found in the appendix to Mr.\nHenderson's 'Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of\nEngland':--\n\n'A man and a woman had no children; the woman prayed that she might be\ngranted one, even though it were a serpent; and in due course of time\nshe brought forth a serpent, which left the house and took up its\nabode in a hole.\n\n'The woman is a terrible shrew, and a bad woman to boot; she brings\nthe house to poverty, and then goes to the serpent to ask for relief.\nThe serpent gives his mother a gold-dropping ass, warning her never to\nlet it touch water. The couple live on the gold for some while, but at\nlast the woman leads the ass to the water, and it runs away and is\nlost. She goes once more to her child, who gives her a pitcher, which\ndoes all she wants; she sells this to the king, and is reduced to\npoverty. The old man now goes to the serpent's lair and obtains a\nstick, to which he says, \"Up stick, and do your duty!\" whereupon it\nknocks the woman on the head and kills her; so the man lives in\nhappiness ever after.'\n\nOn this, the writer who undertakes to interpret this tale observes--\n\n'That these stories rest upon a common mythological foundation, there\nis strong evidence to prove. The gold-dropping animal, the magic table\nor napkin, the self-acting cudgel, appear in some of the tales of\nancient India, and their original signification is made apparent.\n\n'The master, who gives the three precious gifts, is the All\nFather--the Supreme Spirit. The gold and jewel dropping ass is the\nspring cloud hanging in the sky, and shedding the bright productive\nVernal showers. The table which covers itself is the earth becoming\ncovered with flowers and fruit at the bidding of the New Year. But\nthere is a check; rain is withheld, the process of vegetation is\nstayed, by some evil influence. Then comes the Thunder cloud, out of\nwhich leaps the bolt and rains pour down, the earth receives them, and\nis covered with abundance--all that was lost is restored.'\n\nThe incident of the dropping of jewels only appears in the Neapolitan\nversion, given in the 'Pentamerone' of Giambattista Basile,[17] and is\napparently an addition made by him to the original story. The\nexplanation of the meaning of the tale, it appears to me, might as\nfittingly have been taken from the region of science, or of history,\nand might have been as easily interpreted in a thousand and one other\nways as in this. So that if, originally, the folk-tale embodied a\nmythological truth, which, however, may be affirmed or denied with\nequal right, the fact is of no value in aiding us to determine what\nthe intentions of the inventor of the tale must have been.\n\n    [17] Naples, 1837.\n\nMythological symbolism, like very much of what passes current as\necclesiastical symbolism, is a testimony to the ingenuity of the\ninterpreter; it has, oftentimes, no existence in the object\ninterpreted. We may, to our own satisfaction, perhaps, resolve the\nsternest facts into impalpable fancies; the fact remains, and will\nremain when the fancy has faded into its original nothingness or\nlingers only as a beautiful freak of fancy. The twelve C\u00e6sars were\nliving and historical personages, though an ingenious apologist has\nreduced them into mythological non-existences, and has traced in them\na likeness to the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Mythological and\nlegendary incidents, it is true, have a tendency to fasten themselves\nupon real men and women until, like parasitical plants round the trunk\nof a tree, they conceal the true character of those who are thus\nclothed. Sir Richard Whittington, however, was Lord Mayor of London,\nthough the sounds heard from the brow of Highgate Hill--\n\n    'When he, a friendless and a drooping boy,\n    Sat on a stone, and heard the bells speak out--\n    Articulate music'--[18]\n\nhad no more real existence than his famous cat, and though we are\nindebted for the means by which his great wealth was acquired only to\nthe pleasant invention of the popular-romance writer.\n\n    [18] Wordsworth, 'The Prelude.'\n\nProbably many of these stories possess an historical origin, and could\nwe recover their original form, they might be found to record real\nincidents in the life of an historical personage or of a nation. The\noriginal form, however, can now hardly be even guessed at. Successive\ngenerations of story-tellers have added to the original tale, and have\nchanged archaic incidents for those better understood by the audience,\nand therefore appealing the readier to their sympathies. When\ntransplanted from its home to a distant land the local colouring has\nbeen changed, unintelligible customs have been made to give place to\nvernacular ones, until so little remains of the old tale that even\nwith the help of comparative analysis it is now impossible to recover\nthe form in which it was given out at the first. Even with a written\nliterature and with diffused information, Shakespeare found it\nnecessary to the stories which he dramatized to interweave appliances\nmade known by modern discoveries, and, accordingly, anachronisms\nabound in his plays. If this has been the case even where the national\nliterature was a written one, we might be confident beforehand that we\nshould find the story-teller of the Southern Slavs lengthening out and\ngiving variety to his tale, not from the stores of arch\u00e6ology, but\nfrom such common, every-day customs as would appeal forcibly to his\nsimple audience.\n\nThe reader who is familiar with the stories accumulated by recent\ncollectors, will trace, without difficulty, in the present volume,\nthose fragments of the primary tales out of which story-tellers in all\nparts of the world have for many generations constructed or expanded\ntheir own tales. It is, therefore, unnecessary for me to do this. I\nadd, however, a few notices of some of the tales included in this\nvolume, merely as illustrations of the way in which they have been\nbuilt up out of older materials: like the palaces of the modern Roman\nnobility, out of the marbles which were originally intended to\nperpetuate the memory of the victories of the Republic and the\nmagnificence of the ministers of the Empire.\n\nIn the tale which is entitled 'Justice or Injustice,'[19] the manner\nin which the king's daughter is enticed on ship-board, and carried off\nwith her attendant maidens, will at once recall the incident related\nin the opening paragraph of the history of Herodotus. The resemblance\nbetween the narrative of the abduction of the daughter of Inachus by\nthe Phoenician merchants, and that in the tale, is so close that it\ncan hardly be accidental. Some will think that this lends some support\nto the notion that the account in Herodotus is mythological; others\nthat the Serb tale is probably based on an historical fact. That the\ntale in this volume is not of Serbian origin, is evident from the\nintroduction of the elephants, and the description of their capture\nafter being intoxicated. The restoration of the hero by means of 'the\nwater of life,' is an incident common to very many of these\nfolk-tales, and may fairly be regarded as a 'story-radical.' In the\ntale of 'Bash-Chalek,' this water of life is changed and christianized\ninto 'the water of Jordan,' whereas in its North Slavonic variant it\nis still the 'water of life' which is retained as the means by which\nthe hero is recalled from death. In most particulars the Serbian tale\nclosely follows the Russian type, and may be compared with the tale\nwhich Mr. Ralston has translated under the title of 'Marya\nMorevna.'[20] The 'True Steel' of the Serbian tale is the Koshchei\nthe Deathless of the Russian story; and the younger brother of the\nNorth Slavonic story is evidently the Prince Ivan of the South\nSlavonic tale. Again, two of the wooers are the same in both stories,\nthe chief variation being that in the Serbian folk-tale the raven is\nintroduced instead of the dragon of the Russian story.\n\n    [19] Ralston's 'Russian Folk-Tales,' p. 85.\n\n    [20] Ralston's 'Russian Folk-Tales,' p. 85.\n\nThe Bosniac story of 'The Three Brothers' is a good example of the way\nin which the expansion of these stories is effected. We have here\nthree separate stories thrown into one; the various incidents of which\nare to be sought for in a variety of tales and in different countries.\nIn part the tale seems to be an echo of the Egyptian story, which,\nwritten on papyrus and believed to be of the date of the Exodus of the\nIsraelites, is preserved in the Biblioth\u00e8que Imp\u00e9riale. Of this story,\nMr. Goodwin has given an abstract in the Cambridge Essays of 1858. The\nastonishing leap made by the horse of the younger brother is but an\nexaggeration of the sufficiently exaggerated exploit of Buddha's\nhorse, Kantako, which was thirty-six feet long, was able to go three\nhundred miles in one night, and, when impeded by the D\u00e9was, overcame\nthe obstacles interposed in the way of its progress by leaping across\nthe river Anoma, a distance of two hundred and ten feet.[21] In part,\nhowever, the details of this part of the story accords with the\naccount of the leap made by the horse Rama Rajah which took three\nsuccessive leaps, not only over a wide river, but also over four\nthick and tall groves of copal, soparee, guava, and cocoa-nut trees,\nas told in the story of 'Rama and Luxman.'[22] Again, the iron teeth\nof the sister in the Bosniac story make part of the marvels in the\nRussian story of 'The Witch,'[23] and has its counterpart in the\nincident of the Syriote story of 'The Striga.'[24] The way in which\nthe old woman destroys her victims by throwing around them a hair of\nher head is also common to these folk-tales, and to several which may\nbe found in the collections of similar tales told in widely separated\ncountries.\n\n    [21] Hardy's 'Legends and Theories of the Buddhists,' p. 134.\n\n    [22] Frere's 'Old Deccan Days,' p. 76.\n\n    [23] Ralston's 'Russian Folk-Tales,' p. 163.\n\n    [24] Hahn's 'Modern Greek Household Tales,' No. lxv.\n\nThe incident of the tree growing out of the grave in the Serb story of\n'The Golden-haired Twins,' makes also part of the story of 'Punchkin'\nin the collection of stories from the Deccan, where a pomelo tree\nwhich springs from the grave of a murdered person leads to the\nknowledge of the murder.[25] The same incident again occurs in\n'Truth's Triumph' in the same collection,[26] where the hundred and\none children of the king and Guzra Bai, after having been destroyed by\nthe ranee, their stepmother, and buried by her orders, have their\ngrave marked by a tree springing spontaneously from it; and when the\nmango tree has been cut down by the orders of the ranee and directed\nto be burnt, a sudden rising of the water prevents the order from\nbeing carried out, and the trunk is floated down to a place of\nsecurity, stranded on a bank, and again changed into children.\n\n    [25] 'Old Deccan Days,' p. 4.\n\n    [26] _Ibid_, p. 54.\n\nAnother of what I have ventured to call 'primitive fragments,' because\ncommonly made use of in the construction of the folk-tales of various\nraces, makes its appearance in the story of 'The Biter Bit.' In that\nstory the giant demands as his reward that he should receive what the\nold man had 'forgotten at home;' and obtains one of his sons, who had\nbeen left behind when his numerous brothers had set out on their\nbride-seeking expedition. This reappears in the Russian tale of 'The\nWater King and Vasilissa the Wise,'[27] and also in the story of 'The\nYouth' from the same lands.[28] The latter part of the story resembles\nthe incidents in the Indian tale of 'Sringabhuja.' In 'Peppercorn' the\nepisode of the maces which the hero requires, and with which he is\nunsatisfied until the third has been made to stand the test of being\nthrown into the air and descending on the forehead of 'Peppercorn'\nwithout breaking the mace, but merely bruising the forehead of the\nhero, occurs not only in the Serbian tale of 'The Bear's Son,' but\nalso the Russian story of 'Ivan Popyalof,' of which Mr. Ralston has\ngiven us a translation; whilst the fraud practised on 'Peppercorn' by\nhis two companions who leave him in the deep hole down which he has\ndescended, and his subsequent adventures both below and on the earth,\nare almost identical with incidents in another Russian folk-tale, 'The\nNorka.'[29]\n\n    [27] Ralston's 'Russian Folk-Tales,' p. 120.\n\n    [28] _Ibid_, p. 139.\n\n    [29] _Ibid_, p. 73.\n\nI have noted these various resemblances and borrowings, or rather\nvariations from one and the same original, because they illustrate the\nway in which the tales found in all parts of the world have been built\nup of fragments which are the common property of mankind. I have not\nthought it necessary to trace out all the resemblances to other\ntales--all the borrowings from the common stock. Most of my readers\nwill be able to do that for themselves. I have but adduced them by way\nof example of story-building. They, however, show us that the stock of\noriginal materials out of which these folk-tales have been constructed\nis, comparatively speaking, of but limited extent, and also that the\nlarge number of tales which compose the popular literature of the\nworld are but evidences of the skill with which these scanty materials\nhave been combined by the folk-teachers. The literature of a nation is\nafter all but the result of the combination of some five-and-twenty\nsounds and letters.\n\nIn Serbia there is a curious distinction in the use of prose and\nrhythm in these folk-stories. Prose is the vehicle for tales related\nby women; rhythm the prerogative of men. Prose stories are usually\ntold in the domestic circle, and in gatherings of women at Selo or\nPrelo. During the summer evenings when field labour and household\noccupations have come to a close, it was, and indeed still is,\ncustomary in Serbian villages for young girls, accompanied by some\nolder female friends, to gather in groups under the branches of some\nwide-spreading tree, and then, whilst the younger people occupy\nthemselves in spinning, some of the older women interest the rest of\nthe company by relating these traditionary stories. Men are excluded\nfrom these gatherings, and the story-telling which fills up the chief\npart of these evenings is looked on as exclusively a feminine\noccupation. These stories are always in prose.\n\nThere are, indeed, men story-tellers. Their tales or stories,\nhowever, invariably assume the character of poems, and they are\ngenerally--indeed almost always--accompanied by the monotonous sounds\nof the \"gusle.\" Generally speaking, these poems relate to historical\nor mythical incidents in the life of the nation; though sometimes\nthey are of the same kind as the folk-tales which are given in this\nvolume, and which are related in the feminine circle. When this is\nthe case the distinction already noted is, however, strictly\nobserved. The folk-tale related by a woman is in prose; the same tale\ntold by a man is cast into the form of a poem. Even the purely\nChristian legends, of which the reader is presented in this volume\nwith a specimen popular in Bosnia and the Herz\u00e9govina, 'The Legend of\nSt. George,' is related with the aid of rhythm. Legends of the latter\nkind may have been, as some suppose, originally related by priests in\ntheir churches, and possibly in prose. Now, however, that they have\npassed into the possession of the professional story-tellers they\nhave put on the masculine garb of verse. This Homeric feature of Serb\ncustoms is indeed now dying out with other national peculiarities. It\nis, however, far from being dead, nor are such verses employed only\nin celebrating the glories of the reign of Stephen Dushan, the\nheroism of George Brankovich, or the mournful defeat of Kossovo. Long\ntedious debates in the National Parliament, or Skoupshtina, of 1870,\non the liberty of opening and keeping shops in villages as\ndistinguished from towns, were summed up and reported throughout the\ncountry in a way which would astonish the readers of the debates in\nour English Parliament. The whole discussion, with the arguments of\nthe various speakers, took the form of a long song or poem, which was\nrecited in the open air before the villagers assembled to hear the\ncourse and result of the debate. Perhaps in a similar manner the\nmilitary and naval incidents, the contentions of mighty chiefs, the\ndebates before the tent of Agamemnon, or in the council-house of\nTroy, were thrown into verse by the Father of poetry, the Prince of\nstory-tellers, or, if the reader holds to the Wolfian theory, by the\nprofessional rhapsodists, and thus made known throughout Greece in\nthe form of the Iliad. At any rate we have, in the practice still\nliving in Serbia, an instance of the way in which a Serbian Homer\nwould naturally have communicated to his countrymen all the details\nof meetings at the council-board and skirmishes in the plain which\ndiversified the history of a siege, in the varying fortunes of which\ntheir interest was enlisted.\n\n                                                  W. DENTON.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR'S SON.\n\n\nOnce upon a time a bear married a woman, and they had one son. When\nthe boy was yet a little fellow he begged very hard to be allowed to\nleave the bear's cave, and to go out into the world to see what was in\nit. His father, however, the Bear, would not consent to this, saying,\n'You are too young yet, and not strong enough. In the world there are\nmultitudes of wicked beasts, called men, who will kill you.' So the\nboy was quieted for a while, and remained in the cave.\n\nBut, after some time, the boy prayed so earnestly that the Bear, his\nfather, would let him go into the world, that the Bear brought him\ninto the wood, and showed him a beech-tree, saying, 'If you can pull\nup that beech by the roots, I will let you go; but if you cannot, then\nthis is a proof that you are still too weak, and must remain with me.'\nThe boy tried to pull up the tree, but, after long trying, had to give\nit up, and go home again to the cave.\n\nAgain some time passed, and he then begged again to be allowed to go\ninto the world, and his father told him, as before, if he could pull\nup the beech-tree he might go out into the world. This time the boy\npulled up the tree, so the Bear consented to let him go, first,\nhowever, making him cut away the branches from the beech, so that he\nmight use the trunk for a club. The boy now started on his journey,\ncarrying the trunk of the beech over his shoulder.\n\nOne day as the Bear's son was journeying, he came to a field where he\nfound hundreds of ploughmen working for their master. He asked them to\ngive him something to eat, and they told him to wait a bit till their\ndinner was brought them, when he should have some--for, they said,\n'Where so many are dining one mouth more or less matters but little.'\nWhilst they were speaking there came carts, horses, mules, and asses,\nall carrying the dinner. But when the meats were spread out the Bear's\nson declared he could eat all that up himself. The workmen wondered\ngreatly at his words, not believing it possible that one man could\nconsume as great a quantity of victuals as would satisfy several\nhundred men. This, however, the Bear's son persisted in affirming he\ncould do, and offered to bet with them that he would do this. He\nproposed that the stakes should be all the iron of their ploughshares\nand other agricultural implements. To this they assented. No sooner\nhad they made the wager than he fell upon the provisions, and in a\nshort time consumed the whole. Not a fragment was left. Hereupon the\nlabourers, in accordance with their wager, gave him all the iron which\nthey possessed.\n\nWhen the Bear's son had collected all the iron, he tore up a young\nbirch-tree, twisted it into a band and tied up the iron into a bundle,\nwhich he hung at the end of his staff, and throwing it across his\nshoulder, trudged off from the astonished and affrighted labourers.\n\nGoing on a short distance, he arrived at a forge in which a smith was\nemployed making a ploughshare. This man he requested to make him a\nmace with the iron which he was carrying. This the smith undertook to\ndo; but putting aside half the iron, he made of the rest a small,\ncoarsely-finished mace.\n\nBear's son saw at a glance that he had been cheated by the smith.\nMoreover, he was disgusted at the roughness of the workmanship. He\nhowever took it, and declared his intention of testing it. Then\nfastening it to the end of his club and throwing it into the air high\nabove the clouds he stood still and allowed it to fall on his\nshoulder. It had no sooner struck him than the mace shivered into\nfragments, some of which fell on and destroyed the forge. Taking up\nhis staff, Bear's son reproached the smith for his dishonesty, and\nkilled him on the spot.\n\nHaving collected the whole of the iron, the Bear's son went to another\nsmithy, and desired the smith whom he found there to make him a mace,\nsaying to him, 'Please play no tricks on me. I bring you these\nfragments of iron for you to use in making a mace. Beware that you do\nnot attempt to cheat me as I was cheated before!' As the smith had\nheard what had happened to the other one, he collected his workpeople,\nthrew all the iron on his fire, and welded the whole together and\nmade a large mace of perfect workmanship.\n\nWhen it was fastened on the head of his club the Bear's son, to prove\nit, threw it up high, and caught it on his back. This time the mace\ndid not break, but rebounded. Then the Bear's son got up and said,\n'This work is well done!' and, putting it on his shoulder, walked\naway. A little farther on he came to a field wherein a man was\nploughing with two oxen, and he went up to him and asked for something\nto eat. The man said, 'I expect every moment my daughter to come with\nmy dinner, then we shall see what God has given us!' The Bear's son\ntold him how he had eaten up all the dinner prepared for many hundreds\nof ploughmen, and asked, 'From a dinner prepared for one person how\nmuch can come to me or to you?' Meanwhile the girl brought the dinner.\nThe moment she put it down, Bear's son stretched out his hand to begin\nto eat, but the man stopped him. 'No!' said he, 'you must first say\ngrace, as I do!' The Bear's son, hungry as he was, obeyed, and, having\nsaid grace, they both began to eat. The Bear's son, looking at the\ngirl who brought the dinner (she was a tall, strong, beautiful girl),\nbecame very fond of her, and said to the father, 'Will you give me\nyour daughter for a wife?' The man answered, 'I would give her to you\nvery gladly but I have promised her already to the Moustached.' The\nBear's son exclaimed, 'What do I care for Moustachio? I have my mace\nfor him!' But the man answered, 'Hush! hush! Moustachio is also\nsomebody! You will see him here soon.' Shortly after a noise was\nheard afar off, and lo! behind a hill a moustache showed itself, and\nin it were three hundred and sixty-five birds' nests. Shortly after\nappeared the other moustache, and then came Moustachio himself. Having\nreached them, he lay down on the ground immediately, to rest. He put\nhis head on the girl's knee and told her to scratch his head a little.\nThe girl obeyed him, and the Bear's son, getting up, struck him with\nhis club over the head. Whereupon Moustachio, pointing to the place\nwith his finger, said, 'Something bit me here!' The Bear's son struck\nwith his mace on another spot, and Moustachio again pointed to the\nplace, saying to the girl, 'Something has bitten me here!' When he was\nstruck a third time, he said to the girl angrily, 'Look you! something\nbites me here!' Then the girl said, 'Nothing has bitten you; a man\nstruck you!'\n\nWhen Moustachio heard that he jumped up, but Bear's son had thrown\naway his mace and ran away. Moustachio pursued him, and though the\nBear's son was lighter than he, and had gotten the start of him a\nconsiderable distance, he would not give up pursuing him.\n\nAt length the Bear's son, in the course of his flight, came to a wide\nriver, and found, near it, some men threshing corn. 'Help me, my\nbrothers, help--for God's sake!' he cried; 'help! Moustachio is\npursuing me! What shall I do? How can I get across the river?' One of\nthe men stretched out his shovel, saying, 'Here! sit down on it, and I\nwill throw you over the river!' The Bear's son sat on the shovel, and\nthe man threw him over the water to the other shore. Soon after\nMoustachio came up, and asked, 'Has any one passed here?' The\nthreshers replied that a man had passed. Moustachio demanded, 'How did\nhe cross the river?' They answered, 'He sprang over.' Then Moustachio\nwent back a little to take a start, and with a hop he sprang to the\nother side, and continued to pursue the Bear's son. Meanwhile this\nlast, running hastily up a hill, got very tired. At the top of the\nhill he found a man sowing, and the sack with seeds was hanging on his\nneck. After every handful of seed sown in the ground, the man put a\nhandful in his mouth and eat them. The Bear's son shouted to him,\n'Help, brother, help!--for God's sake! Moustachio is following me, and\nwill soon catch me! Hide me somewhere!' Then the man said, 'Indeed, it\nis no joke to have Moustachio pursuing you. But I have nowhere to hide\nyou, unless in this sack among the seeds.' So he put him in the sack.\nWhen Moustachio came up to the sower he asked him if he had seen the\nBear's son anywhere? The man replied, 'Yes, he passed by long ago, and\nGod knows where he has got before this!'\n\nThen Moustachio went back again. By-and-by the sower forgot that\nBear's son was in his sack, and he took him out with a handful of\nseeds, and put him in his mouth. Then Bear's son was afraid of being\nswallowed, so he looked round the mouth quickly, and, seeing a hollow\ntooth, hid himself in it.\n\nWhen the sower returned home in the evening, he called to his\nsisters-in-law, 'Children, give me my toothpick! There is something in\nmy broken tooth.' The sisters-in-law brought him two iron picks, and,\nstanding one on each side, they poked about with the two picks in his\ntooth till the Bear's son jumped out. Then the man remembered him, and\nsaid, 'What bad luck you have! I had nearly swallowed you.'\n\nAfter they had taken supper they talked about many different things,\ntill at last the Bear's son asked what had happened to break that one\ntooth, whilst the others were all strong and healthy. Then the man\ntold him in these words: 'Once upon a time ten of us started with\nthirty horses to the sea-shore to buy some salt. We found a girl in a\nfield watching sheep, and she asked us where we were going. We said we\nwere going to the sea-shore to buy salt. She said, \"Why go so far? I\nhave in the bag in my hand here some salt which remained over after\nfeeding the sheep. I think it will be enough for you.\" So we settled\nabout the price, and then she took the salt from her bag, whilst we\ntook the sacks from the thirty horses, and we weighed the salt and\nfilled the sacks with it till all the thirty sacks were full. We then\npaid the girl, and returned home. It was a very fine autumn day but as\nwe were crossing a high mountain, the sky became very cloudy and it\nbegan to snow, and there was a cold north wind, so that we could not\nsee our path and wandered about here and there. At last, by good luck,\none of us shouted, \"Here, brothers! Here is a dry place!\" So we went\nin one after the other till we were all, with the thirty horses,\nunder shelter. Then we took the sacks from the horses, made a good\nfire, and passed the night there as if it were a house. Next morning,\njust think what we saw! We were all in one man's head, which lay in\nthe midst of some vineyards; and whilst we were yet wondering and\nloading our horses, the keeper of the vineyards came and picked the\nhead up. He put it in a sling and slinging it about several times,\nthrew it over his head, and cast it far away over the vines to\nfrighten the starlings away from his grapes. So we rolled down a hill,\nand it was then that I broke my tooth.'\n\n\n\n\nTHE WONDERFUL KIOSK.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a king, who had three sons and one\ndaughter. The daughter was kept by her father for safety in a cage,\nsince he cared for her as for his own eyes. When the girl grew up, she\none evening asked her father to let her walk a little with her\nbrothers in the front of the palace, and her father granted her\nrequest. She had hardly, however, taken a step outside the door of the\npalace before a dragon came down, caught her away from her brothers,\nand flew up with her into the clouds.\n\nThe three brothers ran as quickly as they could, and told their father\nwhat had happened to their sister, and asked him to let them go in\nsearch of her. To this their father consented, and gave each of them a\nhorse, and other needful things for their travelling, and they went\naway to find their sister. After they had travelled a long time, they\ncame in sight of a kiosk, which was neither in the sky nor yet on the\nearth, but hung mid-way between both. On coming near it, they began to\nthink that their sister might be in it, and they consulted together\nhow they might contrive to reach it. After much deliberation they\nsettled that one of them should kill his horse, make a thong out of\nthe hide, and fastening one end of the thong to an arrow, shoot it\nfrom the bow so that it should strike deep in the side of the kiosk,\nand that thus they might be able to climb up to it. The youngest\nbrother proposed to the eldest that he should kill his horse, but this\nhe refused to do. In like manner the second brother refused, so that\nnothing remained but that the youngest should kill his horse, which he\ndid and made a long thong out of the hide; to this he tied an arrow,\nwhich he shot towards the kiosk.\n\nThe question was then asked, who would climb up the thong? The eldest\nbrother declared that he would not; the second also refused, and thus\nit was the youngest was forced to climb up. When he had reached the\nkiosk he went from room to room, until at length he found his sister\nsitting with the dragon sleeping with his head upon her knee, while\nshe passed her fingers through the hair of his head.\n\nWhen she saw her brother she was very much frightened, and made signs\nfor him to go away before the dragon woke up. But this her brother\nwould not do, and instead of going away took his mace and struck with\nall his might on the head of the dragon. The dragon moved his paw a\nlittle towards the place where he had been struck, and said to the\nmaiden, 'I felt something bite me just here.' As he spoke the king's\nson gave him another blow, and the dragon said again, 'I felt\nsomething bite me just here.' When the brother lifted his mace to\nstrike the third time, the sister pointed and showed him where to\nstrike at the life of the dragon. So he struck at the life, and the\ndragon immediately fell down dead, and the king's daughter pushed him\nfrom her knee and ran quickly to her brother and kissed him. Then she\ntook him by the hand and began to show him the various rooms of the\nkiosk.\n\nFirst, she took him into a room where a black horse stood ready to be\nmounted, with all his riding-gear on him, and the whole of the harness\nwas of pure silver.\n\nShe then led him to a second room, and in it stood a white horse, also\nsaddled and bridled, and his harness was entirely of pure gold.\n\nAt last the sister took her brother into a third room, and there stood\na cream-coloured horse, and the reins and stirrups and saddle, which\nwere on him, were all thickly studded with precious stones.\n\nAfter passing through these three rooms, she led him to a room where a\nyoung maiden sat behind a golden tambourette, busily engaged in\nembroidering with golden thread.\n\nFrom this room they went into another, where a girl was spinning gold\nthread, and again into another room where a girl sat threading pearls,\nand before her, on a golden plate, was a golden hen with her chickens,\nsorting the pearls.\n\nHaving seen all these things, the brother went back to the room where\nthe dragon lay dead, and threw him down to the earth, and the two\nbrothers, who were below, were almost frightened to death at the sight\nof the dragon's carcass. The young prince then let his sister slowly\ndown, and, after her, the three young maidens, each of them with the\nwork on which she was employed. As he let them down, one after the\nother, he shouted to his brothers and told them to whom each of the\nmaidens should belong--reserving for himself the third one, whom he\nalso let down to the ground. This was the maiden who was engaged in\nthreading pearls with the help of the golden hen and chickens. His\nbrothers, however, were envious at the success of his courage, and at\nhis having found his sister and saved her from the dragon, so they cut\nthe thong in order that he might not be able to get down from the\nkiosk.\n\nThen they found, in the fields near, a young shepherd, whom they\ndisguised and took to their father, but forbad their sister and the\nthree maidens, with many threats, to tell what they had done. After\nsome time the youngest brother, who had been left in the kiosk,\nreceived the news that his two brothers and the shepherd were to marry\nthe three maidens. On the day when his eldest brother was married, the\nyoungest brother mounted his black horse, and just as the wedding\nparty came back from the church, the young prince came down from the\nkiosk, rushed into the midst, and struck his eldest brother slightly\nin the back, so that he fell down from his horse; he then immediately\nflew back again to the kiosk. On the day that his second brother was\nmarried, the youngest again came down among the wedding party, as\nthey left the church. He was mounted on the white horse, and he struck\nhis second brother as he had done the eldest, so that he also fell\ndown, and then he returned again to the kiosk. At last, on hearing\nthat the young shepherd was going to be married to the maiden whom the\nprince had selected for himself, he mounted on the cream-coloured\nhorse, descended again, and rode among the wedding guests as they came\nout of the church, and struck the bridegroom with his mace on his head\nso that he at once fell down dead. When the guests gathered round him\nto catch him, which he permitted them to do, making no attempt to\nescape from them, he soon proved to them that he himself was the third\nson of the king, and that the shepherd was an imposter, and that his\nbrothers, out of envy, had left him in the kiosk, when he had found\nhis sister and killed the dragon. His sister and the three young\nmaidens confirmed all that he said, so that the king, in his anger at\nthe two elder brothers, drove them away from his court; however, he\nmarried the youngest brother to the third maiden, and, at his death,\nleft him his kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SNAKE'S GIFT. LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a shepherd who served his master\nfaithfully and honestly. One day, whilst keeping the sheep in the\nforest, he heard a hissing, and wondered what the noise could be. So\nhe went farther into the wood to try and find out. There he saw that\nthe forest was on fire, and a snake was hissing in the midst of the\nflames. The shepherd watched to see what the snake would do, for it\nwas quite surrounded by the fire, which approached it nearer and\nnearer. Then the snake cried out, 'For God's sake, good shepherd, save\nme from the fire!' So the shepherd stretched his crook across the\nflames and the snake glided rapidly over the staff and up his arm on\nto his shoulder, till at last it wound itself round his neck. Then the\nshepherd was terrified and exclaimed, 'What shall I do? What an\nunlucky wretch I am! I saved you, and now you are about to kill me!'\nThe snake answered, 'Do not be afraid; only take me to the house of\nmy father. My father is the king of snakes.' But the shepherd, being\nalready in great fear, began to excuse himself, saying he must not\nleave his sheep. Then the snake said, 'Nothing will happen to your\nsheep. Do not be anxious about them. But let us hurry home.'\n\nSo the shepherd went on with the snake through the forest, until they\ncame to a gate made entirely of snakes. Then the snake on the neck of\nthe shepherd hissed, and instantly the snakes untwined themselves, so\nthat the man could pass through. As soon as they had gone through, the\nsnake said to him, 'When you reach my father's house he will offer to\ngive you whatever you like--gold, silver, or precious stones. Do not,\nhowever, take any of these things. Choose, instead, the language of\nanimals. He will hesitate at first, but at last he will give it you.'\nMeanwhile they arrived at the palace, and the king of snakes said,\nweeping, 'For God's sake, my child, where were you?' Thereupon the\nsnake told him all that had happened, how he had been surrounded by\nfire, and how the shepherd had saved him. Then the snake king said to\nthe shepherd, 'What do you wish that I should give you for saving my\nson?'\n\nThe shepherd answered, 'I desire nothing but the language of animals.'\nThe snake king, however, said, 'That is not good for you, for if I\ngive it you, and you tell any one about it, you will instantly die.\nTherefore it is better that you ask me for something else.' 'If you\nwish to give me anything,' replied the shepherd, 'give me the\nlanguage of animals; if you will not give me that, I want nothing--so\ngood-bye,' and he turned to go away. Then the snake king called him\nback, saying, 'If you indeed wish it so much, take it. Open your\nmouth.' The shepherd did so, and the snake king blew into his mouth\nand said, 'Now blow once yourself in my mouth.' The shepherd did so,\nand then the snake king blew again into his mouth, and this they did\nthree times. After that the snake said, 'Now, you possess the language\nof animals; go, in God's name, but do not for the world tell any one\nabout it. If you tell any one you will instantly die.'\n\nThe shepherd returned across the forest, and, passing through it, he\nunderstood everything the birds and animals, and even the plants, were\nsaying to each other. When he came to his sheep he found them all\nthere, safe and sound, so he laid himself down to rest a little.\nHardly had he done so before two or three ravens settled on a tree\nnear him, and began to converse together, saying, 'If that shepherd\nonly knew that just on the spot where the black sheep is lying there\nis, deep in the earth, a cave full of gold and silver!' When the\nshepherd heard that he went off to his master and told him. The master\nbrought a cart, and dug down to the cave, and carried the treasure\naway home. But the master was honest, so he gave up the whole of the\ntreasure to the shepherd, saying, 'Here my son, all this wealth\nbelongs to you. For to you God gave it. Build a house, marry, and live\nupon the treasure.' So the shepherd took the money, built a house, and\nmarried, and by-and-by he became the richest man in the whole\nneighbourhood. He kept his own shepherd, and cattle-driver, and\nswineherd; in short, he had great property and made much money.\n\nOnce, just at Christmas, he said to his wife, 'Get ready some wine and\nother food, and to-morrow we will feast the shepherds.' The wife did\nso, and in the morning they went to their farm. Towards evening the\nmaster said to the shepherds, 'Come here, all of you; you shall eat,\ndrink, and make merry together, and I will go myself this night to\nwatch the sheep.'\n\nSo the master went to watch his sheep, and, about midnight, the wolves\nbegan to howl and the dogs to bark. The wolves spoke, in wolf\nlanguage, 'May we come and take something? You, also, shall get a part\nof the prey.' And the dogs answered, in dog language, 'Come! we also\nare ready to eat something.' But there was one old dog there who had\nonly two teeth left. This old dog shouted furiously, 'Come on, you\nmiserable wretches, if you dare. So long as I have these two teeth\nleft you shall not do any damage to my master's property.' All this\nthe master heard and understood. Next day he ordered all the dogs to\nbe killed except that old one. The servants began to remonstrate,\nsaying, 'For God's sake, master, it is a pity to do this.' But the\nmaster answered, 'Do as I have ordered you,' and started with his wife\nto go home. They rode on horseback, he on a fine horse and his wife on\na handsome mare. But the master's horse went so fast that the wife\nremained a little behind. Then the master's horse neighed, and said\nto the mare, 'Come on, why do you stay behind?' And the mare answered,\n'Ah, to you it is easy--you are carrying only one weight, and I am\ncarrying three.' Thereupon the man turned his head and laughed. The\nwife saw him laughing, and urged the mare on quicker till she came up\nto her husband, and asked him, 'Why were you laughing?' He said\nmerely, 'I had good reason to laugh!' But the wife was not satisfied,\nand again begged he would tell her why he laughed. He excused himself,\nexclaiming, 'Give up questioning me; what has come to you, my wife? I\nforget now why it was I laughed.' But the more he refused to tell her,\nthe more she wished to know. At last the man said, 'If I tell you I\nshall die immediately!' That, however, did not quiet her, and she kept\non asking, saying to him, 'You must tell me.' In the meantime they\nreached their house. When they had done so the man ordered a coffin to\nbe made, and, when it was ready, had it placed in front of the house,\nand laid himself down in it. Then he said to his wife, 'Now I will\ntell you why I laughed, but the moment I tell you I shall die.' So he\nlooked around once more, and saw that the old dog had come from the\nfield, and had taken his stand over his head, and was howling. When\nthe man noticed this he said to his wife, 'Bring a piece of bread for\nthis poor dog.' The wife brought a piece and threw it to the dog, but\nthe dog did not even look at it, and a cock came near and began to\npeck at it.\n\nThen the dog said to the cock, 'You think only about eating. Do you\nknow that our master is going to die?' And the cock answered, 'Well,\nlet him die, since he is such a fool. I have a hundred wives, and\noften at nights I gather them all round a grain of corn, and, when\nthey are all there, I pick it up myself. If any of them are angry, I\npeck them; that is my way of keeping them quiet. Only look at the\nmaster, however; he is not able to rule one single wife!'\n\nThe man, hearing that, got out of the coffin, took a stick, and called\nhis wife to him, saying, 'Come now, and I will tell you what you want\nto know.' The wife, seeing she was in danger of getting a beating,\nleft him in peace, and never asked him again why it was he laughed.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN APPLE-TREE, AND THE NINE PEAHENS.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a king who had three sons. Now, before\nthe king's palace grew a golden apple-tree, which in one and the same\nnight blossomed, bore fruit, and lost all its fruit, though no one\ncould tell who took the apples. One day the king, speaking to his\neldest son, said, 'I should like to know who takes the fruit from our\napple-tree!' And the son said, 'I will keep guard to-night, and will\nsee who gathers the apples.' So when the evening came he went and laid\nhimself down, under the apple-tree, upon the ground to watch. Just,\nhowever, as the apples ripened, he fell asleep, and when he awoke in\nthe morning, there was not a single one left on the tree. Whereupon he\nwent and told his father what had happened. Then the second son\noffered to keep watch by the tree, but he had no better success than\nhis eldest brother.\n\nSo the turn came to the king's youngest son to keep guard. He made his\npreparations, brought his bed under the tree, and immediately went to\nsleep. Before midnight he awoke and looked up at the tree, and saw\nhow the apples ripened, and how the whole palace was lit up by their\nshining. At that minute nine peahens flew towards the tree, and eight\nof them settled on its branches, but the ninth alighted near him and\nturned instantly into a beautiful girl--so beautiful, indeed, that the\nwhole kingdom could not produce one who could in any way compare with\nher. She stayed, conversing kindly with him, till after midnight, then\nthanking him for the golden apples, she prepared to depart; but, as he\nbegged she would leave him one, she gave him two, one for himself and\none for the king his father. Then the girl turned again into a peahen,\nand flew away with the other eight. Next morning, the king's son took\nthe two apples to his father, and the king was much pleased, and\npraised his son. When the evening came, the king's youngest son took\nhis place again under the apple-tree to keep guard over it. He again\nconversed as he had done the night before with the beautiful girl, and\nbrought to his father, the next morning, two apples as before. But,\nafter he had succeeded so well several nights, his two elder brothers\ngrew envious because he had been able to do what they could not. At\nlength they found an old woman, who promised to discover how the\nyoungest brother had succeeded in saving the two apples. So, as the\nevening came, the old woman stole softly under the bed which stood\nunder the apple-tree, and hid herself. And after a while, came also\nthe king's son, and laid himself down as usual to sleep. When it was\nnear midnight the nine peahens flew up as before, and eight of them\nsettled on the branches, and the ninth stood by his bed, and turned\ninto a most beautiful girl.\n\nThen the old woman slowly took hold of one of the girl's curls, and\ncut it off, and the girl immediately rose up, changed again into a\npeahen and flew away, and the other peahens followed her, and so they\nall disappeared. Then the king's son jumped up, and cried out, 'What\nis that?' and, looking under the bed, he saw the old woman, and drew\nher out. Next morning he ordered her to be tied to a horse's tail, and\nso torn to pieces. But the peahens never came back, so the king's son\nwas very sad for a long time, and wept at his loss. At length he\nresolved to go and look after his peahen, and never to come back again\nunless he should find her. When he told the king his father of his\nintention, the king begged him not to go away, and said that he would\nfind him another beautiful girl, and that he might choose out of the\nwhole kingdom.\n\nBut all the king's persuasions were useless. His son went into the\nworld to search everywhere for his peahen, taking only one servant to\nserve him. After many travels he came one day to a lake. Now by the\nlake stood a large and beautiful palace. In the palace lived an old\nwoman as queen, and with the queen lived a girl, her daughter. He said\nto the old woman, 'For heaven's sake, grandmother, do you know\nanything about nine golden peahens?' and the old woman answered, 'Oh,\nmy son, I know all about them; they come every mid-day to bathe in the\nlake. But what do you want with them? Let them be, think nothing\nabout them. Here is my daughter. Such a beautiful girl! and such a\nheiress! All my wealth will remain to you if you marry her.' But he,\nburning with desire to see the peahens, would not listen to what the\nold woman spoke about her daughter.\n\nNext morning, when day dawned, the prince prepared to go down to the\nlake to wait for the peahens. Then the old queen bribed the servant\nand gave him a little pair of bellows, and said, 'Do you see these\nbellows? When you come to the lake you must blow secretly with them\nbehind his neck, and then he will fall asleep, and not be able to\nspeak to the peahens.' The mischievous servant did as the old woman\ntold him; when he went with his master down to the lake, he took\noccasion to blow with the bellows behind his neck, and the poor prince\nfell asleep just as though he were dead. Shortly after, the nine\npeahens came flying, and eight of them alighted by the lake, but the\nninth flew towards him, as he sat on horseback, and caressed him, and\ntried to awaken him. 'Awake, my darling! Awake, my heart! Awake, my\nsoul!' But for all that he knew nothing, just as if he were dead.\nAfter they had bathed, all the peahens flew away together, and after\nthey were gone the prince woke up, and said to his servant, 'What has\nhappened? Did they not come?' The servant told him they had been\nthere, and that eight of them had bathed, but the ninth had sat by him\non his horse, and caressed and tried to awaken him. Then the king's\nson was so angry that he almost killed himself in his rage. Next\nmorning he went down again to the shore to wait for the peahens, and\nrode about a long time till the servant again found an opportunity of\nblowing with the bellows behind his neck, so that he again fell asleep\nas though dead. Hardly had he fallen asleep when the nine peahens came\nflying, and eight of them alighted by the water, but the ninth settled\ndown by the side of his horse and caressed him, and cried out to\nawaken him, 'Arise, my darling! Arise, my heart! Arise, my soul!'\n\nBut it was of no use; the prince slept on as if he were dead. Then she\nsaid to the servant, 'Tell your master to-morrow he can see us here\nagain, but never more.' With these words the peahens flew away.\nImmediately after the king's son woke up, and asked his servant, 'Have\nthey not been here?' And the man answered, 'Yes, they have been, and\nsay that you can see them again to-morrow, at this place, but after\nthat they will not return again.' When the unhappy prince heard that,\nhe knew not what to do with himself, and in his great trouble and\nmisery tore the hair from his head.\n\nThe third day he went down again to the shore, but, fearing to fall\nasleep, instead of riding slowly, galloped along the shore. His\nservant, however, found an opportunity of blowing with the bellows\nbehind his neck, and again the prince fell asleep. A moment after came\nthe nine peahens, and the eight alighted on the lake and the ninth by\nhim, on his horse, and sought to awaken him, caressing him. 'Arise, my\ndarling! Arise, my heart! Arise, my soul!' But it was of no use, he\nslept on as if dead. Then the peahen said to the servant, 'When your\nmaster awakens tell him he ought to strike off the head of the nail\nfrom the lower part, and then he will find me.' Thereupon all the\npeahens fled away. Immediately the king's son awoke, and said to his\nservant, 'Have they been here?' And the servant answered, 'They have\nbeen, and the one which alighted on your horse, ordered me to tell you\nto strike off the head of the nail from the lower part, and then you\nwill find her.' When the prince heard that, he drew his sword and cut\noff his servant's head.\n\nAfter that he travelled alone about the world, and, after long\ntravelling, came to a mountain and remained all night there with a\nhermit, whom he asked if he knew anything about nine golden peahens.\nThe hermit said, 'Eh! my son, you are lucky; God has led you in the\nright path. From this place it is only half a day's walk. But you must\ngo straight on, then you will come to a large gate, which you must\npass through; and, after that, you must keep always to the right hand,\nand so you will come to the peahens' city, and there find their\npalace.' So next morning the king's son arose, and prepared to go. He\nthanked the hermit, and went as he had told him. After a while he came\nto the great gate, and, having passed it, turned to the right, so that\nat mid-day he saw the city, and beholding how white it shone, rejoiced\nvery much. When he came into the city he found the palace where lived\nthe nine golden peahens. But at the gate he was stopped by the guard,\nwho demanded who he was, and whence he came. After he had answered\nthese questions, the guards went to announce him to the queen. When\nthe queen heard who he was, she came running out to the gate and took\nhim by the hand to lead him into the palace. She was a young and\nbeautiful maiden, and so there was a great rejoicing when, after a few\ndays, he married her and remained there with her.\n\nOne day, some time after their marriage, the queen went out to walk,\nand the king's son remained in the palace. Before going out, however,\nthe queen gave him the keys of twelve cellars, telling him, 'You may\ngo down into all the cellars except the twelfth--that you must on no\naccount open, or it will cost you your head.' She then went away. The\nking's son whilst remaining in the palace began to wonder what there\ncould be in the twelfth cellar, and soon commenced opening one cellar\nafter the other. When he came to the twelfth he would not at first\nopen it, but again began to wonder very much why he was forbidden to\ngo into it. 'What _can_ be in this cellar?' he exclaimed to himself.\nAt last he opened it. In the middle of the cellar lay a big barrel\nwith an open bung-hole, but bound fast round with three iron hoops.\nOut of the barrel came a voice, saying, 'For God's sake, my brother--I\nam dying with thirst--please give me a cup of water!' Then the king's\nson took a cup and filled it with water, and emptied it into the\nbarrel. Immediately he had done so one of the hoops burst asunder.\nAgain came the voice from the barrel, 'For God's sake, my brother--I\nam dying of thirst--please give me a cup of water!' The king's son\nagain filled the cup, and took it, and emptied it into the barrel, and\ninstantly another hoop burst asunder. The third time the voice came\nout of the barrel, 'For God's sake, my brother--I am dying of\nthirst--please give me a cup of water!' The king's son again took the\ncup and filled it, and poured the water into the barrel--and the third\nhoop burst. Then the barrel fell to pieces, and a dragon flew out of\nthe cellar, and caught the queen on the road and carried her away.\n\nThen the servant, who went out with the queen, came back quickly, and\ntold the king's son what had happened, and the poor prince knew not\nwhat to do with himself, so desperate was he, and full of\nself-reproaches. At length, however, he resolved to set out and travel\nthrough the world in search of her. After long journeying, one day he\ncame to a lake, and near it, in a little hole, he saw a little fish\njumping about. When the fish saw the king's son, she began to beg\npitifully, 'For God's sake, be my brother, and throw me into the\nwater. Some day I may be of use to you, so take now a little scale\nfrom me, and when you need me, rub it gently.' Then the king's son\nlifted the little fish from the hole and threw her into the water,\nafter he had taken one small scale, which he wrapped up carefully in a\nhandkerchief. Some time afterwards, as he travelled about the world,\nhe came upon a fox, caught in an iron trap. When the fox saw the\nprince, he spoke: 'In God's name, be a brother to me, and help me to\nget out of this trap. One day you will need me, so take just one hair\nfrom my tail, and when you want me, rub it gently.' Then the king's\nson took a hair from the tail of the fox, and let him free.\n\nAgain, as he crossed a mountain, he found a wolf fast in a trap; and\nwhen the wolf saw him, it spoke: 'Be a brother to me; in God's name,\nset me free, and one day I will help you. Only take a hair from me,\nand when you need me, rub it gently.' So he took a hair, and let the\nwolf free. After that, the king's son travelled about a very long\ntime, till one day he met a man, to whom he said, 'For God's sake,\nbrother, have you ever heard any one say where is the palace of the\ndragon king?' The man gave him very particular directions which way to\ntake, and in what length of time he could get there. Then the king's\nson thanked him and continued his journey until he came to the city\nwhere the dragon lived. When there, he went into the palace and found\ntherein his wife, and both of them were exceedingly pleased to meet\neach other, and began to take counsel how they could escape. They\nresolved to run away, and prepared hastily for the journey. When all\nwas ready they mounted on horseback and galloped away. As soon as they\nwere gone the dragon came home, also on horseback, and, entering his\npalace, found that the queen had gone away. Then he said to his horse,\n'What shall we do now? Shall we eat and drink, or go at once after\nthem?' The horse answered, 'Let us eat and drink first, we shall\nanyway catch them; do not be anxious.'\n\nAfter the dragon had dined he mounted his horse, and in a few moments\ncame up with the runaways. Then he took the queen from the king's son\nand said to him, 'Go now, in God's name! This time I forgive you\nbecause you gave me water in the cellar; but if your life is dear to\nyou do not come back here any more!' The unhappy young prince went on\nhis way a little, but could not long resist, so he came back next day\nto the dragon's palace, and found the queen sitting alone and weeping.\nThen they began again to consult how they could get away. And the\nprince said, 'When the dragon comes, ask him where he got that horse,\nand then you will tell me so that I can look for such another one;\nperhaps in this way we can escape.' He then went away, lest the dragon\nshould come and find him with the queen.\n\nBy-and-by the dragon came home, and the queen began to pet him, and\nspeak lovingly to him about many things, till at last she said, 'Ah!\nwhat a fine horse you have! where did you get such a splendid horse?'\nAnd he answered, 'Eh! where I got it every one cannot get one! In such\nand such a mountain lives an old woman who has twelve horses in her\nstable, and no one can say which is the finest, they are all so\nbeautiful. But in one corner of the stable stands a horse which looks\nas if he were leprous, but, in truth, he is the very best horse in the\nwhole world. He is the brother of my horse, and whoever gets him may\nride to the sky. But whoever wishes to get a horse from that old\nwoman, must serve her three days and three nights. She has a mare\nwith a foal, and whoever during three nights guards and keeps for her\nthis mare and this foal, has a right to claim the best horse from the\nold woman's stable. But whoever engages to keep watch over the mare\nand does not, must lose his head!'\n\nNext day, when the dragon went out, the king's son came, and the queen\ntold him all she had learned from the dragon. Then the king's son went\naway to the mountain and found the old woman, and entered her house\ngreeting: 'God help you, grandmother!' And she answered, 'God help\nyou, too, my son! what do you wish?' 'I should like to serve you,'\nsaid the king's son. Then the old woman said, 'Well, my son, if you\nkeep my mare safe for three days and three nights I will give you the\nbest horse, and you can choose him yourself; but if you do not keep\nthe mare safe you shall lose your head.'\n\nThen she led him into the courtyard, where all around stakes were\nranged. Each of them had on it a man's head, except one stake, which\nhad no head on it, and shouted incessantly, 'Oh, grandmother, give me\na head!' The old woman showed all this to the prince, and said, 'Look\nhere! all these were heads of those who tried to keep my mare, and\nthey have lost their heads for their pains!'\n\nBut the prince was not a bit afraid, so he stayed to serve the old\nwoman. When the evening came he mounted the mare and rode her into the\nfield, and the foal followed. He sat still on her back, having made up\nhis mind not to dismount, that he might be sure of her. But before\nmidnight he slumbered a little, and when he awoke he found himself\nsitting on a rail and holding the bridle in his hand. Then he was\ngreatly alarmed, and went instantly to look about to find the mare,\nand whilst looking for her, he came to a piece of water. When he saw\nthe water he remembered the little fish, and took the scale from the\nhandkerchief and rubbed it a little. Then immediately the little fish\nappeared and said, 'What is the matter, my half-brother?' And he\nreplied, 'The mare of the old woman ran away whilst under my charge,\nand now I do not know where she is!' And the fish answered, 'Here she\nis, turned to a fish, and the foal to a smaller one. But strike once\nupon the water with the bridle and cry out, \"Heigh! mare of the old\nwoman!\"' The prince did as he was told, and immediately the mare came,\nwith the foal, out of the water to the shore. Then he put on her the\nbridle and mounted and rode away to the old woman's house, and the\nfoal followed. When he got there the old woman gave him his breakfast;\nshe, however, took the mare into the stable and beat her with a poker,\nsaying, 'Why did you not go down among the fishes, you cursed mare?'\nAnd the mare answered, 'I have been down to the fishes, but the fish\nare his friends and they told him about me.' Then the old woman said,\n'Then go among the foxes!'\n\nWhen evening came the king's son mounted the mare and rode to the\nfield, and the foal followed the mare. Again he sat on the mare's back\nuntil near midnight, when he fell asleep as before. When he awoke, he\nfound himself riding on the rail and holding the bridle in his hand.\nSo he was much frightened, and went to look after the mare. As he went\nhe remembered the words the old woman had said to the mare, and he\ntook from the handkerchief the fox's hair and rubbed it a little\nbetween his fingers. All at once the fox stood before him, and asked,\n'What is the matter, half-brother?' And he said, 'The old woman's mare\nhas run away, and I do not know where she can be.' Then the fox\nanswered, 'Here she is with us; she has turned into a fox, and the\nfoal into a cub; but strike once with the bridle on the earth and cry\nout, \"Heigh! you old woman's mare!\"' So the king's son struck with the\nbridle on the earth and cried, 'Heigh! old woman's mare!' and the mare\ncame and stood, with her foal, near him. He put on the bridle, and\nmounted and rode off home, and the foal followed the mare. When he\narrived the old woman gave him his breakfast, but took the mare into\nthe stable and beat her with the poker, crying, 'To the foxes, cursed\none! to the foxes!' And the mare answered, 'I have been with the\nfoxes, but they are his friends, and told him I was there!' Then the\nold woman cried, 'If that is so, you must go among the wolves!'\n\nWhen it grew dark again the king's son mounted the mare and rode out\nto the field, and the foal galloped by the side of the mare. Again he\nsat still on the mare's back till about midnight, when he grew very\nsleepy and fell into a slumber, as on the former evenings, and when he\nawoke he found himself riding on the rail, holding the bridle in his\nhand, just as before. Then, as before, he went in a hurry to look\nafter the mare. As he went he remembered the words the old woman had\nsaid to the mare, and took the wolf's hair from the handkerchief and\nrubbed it a little. Then the wolf came up to him and asked, 'What is\nthe matter, half-brother?' And he answered, 'The old woman's mare has\nrun away, and I cannot tell where she is.' The wolf said, 'Here she is\nwith us; she has turned herself into a wolf, and the foal into a\nwolf's cub. Strike once with the bridle on the earth and cry out,\n\"Heigh! old woman's mare!\"' And the king's son did so, and instantly\nthe mare came again and stood with the foal beside him. So he bridled\nher, and galloped home, and the foal followed. When he arrived the old\nwoman gave him his breakfast, but she led the mare into the stable and\nbeat her with the poker, crying, 'To the wolves, I said, miserable\none!' Then the mare answered, 'I have been to the wolves; but they are\nhis friends, and told him all about me!' Then the old woman came out\nof the stable, and the king's son said to her, 'Eh! grandmother, I\nhave served you honestly; now give me what you promised me.' And the\nold woman answered, 'My son, what is promised must be fulfilled. So\nlook here: here are the twelve horses, choose which you like!' And the\nprince said, 'Why should I be too particular? Give me only that\nleprous horse in the corner! fine horses are not fitting for me!' But\nthe old woman tried to persuade him to choose another horse, saying,\n'How can you be so foolish as to choose that leprous thing whilst\nthere are such very fine horses here?' But he remained firm by his\nfirst choice, and said to the old woman, 'You ought to give me which I\nchoose, for so you promised.' So, when the old woman found she could\nnot make him change his mind, she gave him the scabby horse, and he\ntook leave of her, and went away, leading the horse by the halter.\n\nWhen he came to a forest he curried and rubbed down the horse, when it\nshone as bright as gold. He then mounted, and the horse flew as\nquickly as a bird, and in a few seconds brought him to the dragon's\npalace. The king's son went in and said to the queen, 'Get ready as\nsoon as possible!' She was soon ready, when they both mounted the\nhorse, and began their journey home. Soon after the dragon came home,\nand when he saw the queen had disappeared, said to his horse, 'What\nshall we do? Shall we eat and drink first, or shall we pursue them at\nonce?' The horse answered, 'Whether we eat and drink or not it is all\none, we shall never reach them.'\n\nWhen the dragon heard that, he got quickly on his horse and galloped\nafter them. When they saw the dragon following them they pushed on\nquicker, but their horse said, 'Do not be afraid! there is no need to\nrun away.' In a very few moments the dragon came very near to them,\nand his horse said to their horse, 'For God's sake, my brother, wait a\nmoment! I shall kill myself running after you!' Their horse answered,\n'Why are you so stupid as to carry that monster. Fling your heels up\nand throw him off, and come along with me!' When the dragon's horse\nheard that he shook his head angrily and flung his feet high in the\nair, so that the dragon fell off and brake in pieces, and his horse\ncame up to them. Then the queen mounted him and returned with the\nking's son happily to her kingdom, where they reigned together in\ngreat prosperity until the day of their death.\n\n\n\n\nPAPALLUGA;[30] OR, THE GOLDEN SLIPPER.\n\n    [30] Servian name for \"Cinderella.\"\n\n\nAs some village girls were spinning whilst they tended the cattle\ngrazing in the neighbourhood of a ravine, an old man with a long white\nbeard--so long a beard that it reached to his girdle--approached them,\nand said, 'Girls, girls, take care of that ravine! If one of you\nshould drop her spindle down the cliff, her mother will be turned into\na cow that very moment!'\n\nHaving warned them thus, the old man went away again. The girls,\nwondering very much at what he had told them, came nearer and nearer\nto the ravine, and leant over to look in; whilst doing so one of the\ngirls--and she the most beautiful of them all--let her spindle fall\nfrom her hand, and it fell to the bottom of the ravine.\n\nWhen she went home in the evening she found her mother, changed into a\ncow, standing before the house; and from that time forth she had to\ndrive this cow to the pasture with the other cattle.\n\nIn a little time the father of the girl married a widow, who brought\nwith her into the house her own daughter. The stepmother immediately\nbegan to hate the step-daughter, because the girl was incomparably\nmore beautiful than her own daughter. She forbade her to wash herself,\nto comb her hair, or to change her clothes, and sought by every\npossible way to torment and scold her. One day she gave her a bag full\nof hemp, and said, 'If you do not spin all this well and wind it, you\nneed not return home, for if you do I shall kill you.'\n\nThe poor girl walked behind the cattle and spun as fast as possible;\nbut at mid-day, seeing how very little she had been able to spin, she\nbegan to weep. When the cow, her mother, saw her weeping, she asked\nher what was the matter, and the girl told her all about it. Then the\ncow consoled her, and told her not to be anxious. 'I will take the\nhemp in my mouth and chew it,' she said, 'and it will come out of my\near as thread, so that you can draw it out and wind it at once upon\nthe stick;' and so it happened. The cow began to chew the hemp and the\ngirl drew the thread from her ear and wound it, so that very soon they\nhad quite finished the task.\n\nWhen the girl went home in the evening, and took all the hemp, worked\nup, to her stepmother, she was greatly astonished, and next morning\ngave her yet more hemp to spin and wind. When at night she brought\nthat home ready the stepmother thought she must be helped by some\nother girls, her friends; therefore the third day she gave her much\nmore hemp than before. But when the girl had gone with the cow to the\npasture, the woman sent her own daughter after her to find out who\nwas helping her. This girl went quietly towards her step-sister so as\nnot to be heard, and saw the cow chewing the hemp and the girl drawing\nthe thread from her ear and winding it, so she hastened home and told\nall to her mother. Then the stepmother urged the husband to kill the\ncow. At first he resisted; but, seeing his wife would give him no\npeace, he at last consented to do as she wished, and fixed the day on\nwhich he would kill it. As soon as the step-daughter heard this she\nbegan to weep, and when the cow asked her why she wept she told her\nall about it. But the cow said, 'Be quiet! do not cry! Only when they\nkill me take care not to eat any of the meat, and be sure to gather\nall my bones and bury them behind the house, and whenever you need\nanything come to my grave and you will find help.' So when they killed\nthe cow the girl refused to eat any of the flesh, saying she was not\nhungry, and afterwards carefully gathered all the bones and buried\nthem behind the house, on the spot the cow had told her.\n\nThe real name of this girl was Mary, but as she had worked so much in\nthe house, carrying water, cooking, washing dishes, sweeping the\nhouse, and doing all sorts of house-work, and had very much to do\nabout the fire and cinders, her stepmother and half-sister called her\n'Papalluga' (Cinderella).\n\nOne day the stepmother got ready to go with her own daughter to\nchurch, but before she went she spread over the house a basketful of\nmillet, and said to her step-daughter, 'You Papalluga! If you do not\ngather up all this millet and get the dinner ready before we come back\nfrom church, I will kill you!'\n\nWhen they had gone to church the poor girl began to weep, saying to\nherself: 'It is easy to see after the dinner; I shall soon have that\nready; but who can gather up all this quantity of millet!' At that\nmoment she remembered what the cow had told her, that in case of need\nshe should go to her grave and would there find help, so she ran\nquickly to the spot, and what do you think she saw there? On the grave\nstood a large box full of valuable clothes of different kinds, and on\nthe top of the box sat two white doves, who said, 'Mary, take out of\nthis box the clothes which you like best and put them on, and then go\nto church; meanwhile we will pick up the millet seeds and put\neverything in order.' The girl was greatly pleased, and took the first\nclothes which came to hand. These were all of silk, and having put\nthem on she went away to church. In the church every one, men and\nwomen, wondered much at her beauty and her splendid clothes, but no\none knew who she was or whence she came. The king's son, who happened\nto be there, looked at her all the time and admired her greatly.\nBefore the service was ended she stood up and quietly left the church.\nShe then ran away home, and as soon as she got there took off her fine\nclothes and again laid them in the box, which instantly shut itself\nand disappeared.\n\nThen she hurried to the hearth and found the dinner quite ready, all\nthe millet gathered up, and everything in very good order. Soon after\nthe stepmother came back with her daughter from the church, and was\nextremely surprised to find all the millet picked up and everything so\nwell arranged.\n\nNext Sunday the stepmother and her daughter again dressed themselves\nto go to church, and, before she went away, the stepmother threw much\nmore millet about the floor, and said to her step-daughter, 'If you do\nnot gather up all this millet, prepare the dinner, and get everything\ninto the best order, I shall kill you.' When they were gone, the girl\ninstantly ran to her mother's grave, and there found the box open as\nbefore, with the two doves sitting on its lid. The doves said to her,\n'Dress yourself, Mary, and go to church; we will pick up all the\nmillet and arrange everything.' Then she took from the box silver\nclothes, and having dressed herself, went to church. In the church\neveryone, as before, admired her very much, and the king's son never\nmoved his eyes from her. Just before the end of the service the girl\nagain got up very quietly and stole through the crowd. When she got\nout of church she ran away very quickly, took off the clothes, laid\nthem in the box, and went into the kitchen. When the stepmother and\nher daughter came home, they were more surprised than before; the\nmillet was gathered up, dinner was ready, and everything in the very\nbest order. They wondered very much how it was all done.\n\nOn the third Sunday the stepmother dressed herself to go with her\ndaughter to church, and again scattered millet about on the ground,\nbut this time far more than on the other Sundays. Before she went out\nshe said to her step-daughter, 'If you do not gather up all this\nmillet, prepare the dinner, and have everything in order when I come\nfrom church, I will kill you!' The instant they were gone, the girl\nran to her mother's grave, and found the box open with the two white\ndoves sitting on the lid. The doves told her to dress herself and go\nto church, and to have no care about the millet or dinner.\n\nThis time she took clothes of all real gold out of the box, and,\nhaving put them on, went away to the church. In the church all the\npeople looked at her and admired her exceedingly. Now the king's son\nhad resolved not to let her slip away as before, but to watch where\nshe went. So, when the service was nearly ended, and she stood up to\nleave the church, the king's son followed her, but was not able to\nreach her. In pushing through the crowd, however, Mary somehow in her\nhurry lost the slipper from her right foot and had no time to look for\nit. This slipper the king's son found, and took care of it. When the\ngirl got home she took off the golden clothes and laid them in the\nbox, and went immediately to the fire in the kitchen.\n\nThe king's son, having determined to find the maiden, went all over\nthe kingdom, and tried the slipper on every girl, but in some cases it\nwas too long, in others too short, and, in fact, it did not fit any of\nthem. As he was thus going about from one house to the other, the\nking's son came at last to the house of the girl's father, and the\nstepmother, seeing the king's son coming, hid her step-daughter in a\nwash-trough before the house. When the king's son came in with the\nslipper and asked if there were any girl in the house, the woman\nanswered 'Yes,' and brought out her own daughter. But when the slipper\nwas tried it was found it would not go even over the girl's toes. Then\nthe king's son asked if no other girl was there, and the stepmother\nsaid, 'No, there is no other in the house.' At that moment the cock\nsprung upon the wash-trough, and crowed out 'Cock-a-doodle-do!--here\nshe is under the wash-trough!'\n\nThe stepmother shouted, 'Go away! may the eagle fly away with you!'\nBut the king's son, hearing that, hurried to the wash-trough, and\nlifted it up, and what did he see there! The same girl who had been in\nthe church, in the same golden clothes in which she had appeared the\nthird time there, but lying under the trough, and with only one\nslipper on. When the king's son saw her, he nearly lost his senses for\nthe moment, he was so very glad. Then he quickly tried to place the\nslipper he carried on her right foot, and it fitted her exactly,\nbesides perfectly matching with the other slipper on her left foot.\nThen he took her away with him to his palace and married her.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN-FLEECED RAM.\n\n\nOnce upon a time a hunter went to the mountains to hunt, and met there\na golden-fleeced ram. The moment he saw it he took up his rifle to\nshoot it; before, however, he could do so, the ram rushed at him and\nkilled him with its horns. His friends found him lying dead, and took\nhim home and buried him, without knowing how he had been killed. The\nhunter's wife hung up his rifle on a nail. When her son grew old\nenough, he one day asked his mother for the rifle, that he might go\nhunting. The mother, however, refused to give it him. 'Nothing in the\nworld, my son,' cried she, 'shall induce me to do so. Your father lost\nhis life through that gun, and do you wish, also, to lose your life\nbecause of it?'\n\nHowever the youth managed to steal the rifle one day, and went away to\nthe mountains to hunt. When he came to the forest, the golden-fleeced\nram appeared also to him, and said, 'I killed your father, and I will\nkill you!' The son was shocked, and said, 'God help me!' Then he\nlevelled at the ram with the rifle and killed it.\n\nGreatly rejoiced that he had killed the golden-fleeced ram, (for\nthere was not another like it in all the kingdom) he now took the\nfleece home. In a very short time the news of this spread all over the\ncountry, and reached even the king's ears. Then the king ordered the\nyoung lad to bring the ram's fleece to him, that he might see what\ndifferent animals lived in his kingdom. When the young lad took it to\nthe king, and exhibited it, the king asked, 'How much money do you\nwant for that fleece?' To which the young man answered, 'I will not\nsell it for any money.'\n\nNow the king's first minister happened to be the uncle of the young\nman; instead, however, of being his friend, he was his greatest enemy.\nSo the minister said to the king, 'If he will not give you the fleece,\nset him something to do which will cost him his life. The best plan\nwould be to order him to do something which it is impossible for him\nto do.' Accordingly he advised the king to order the young man to\nplant a vineyard, and to bring him, within seven days, new wine from\nit. The young man hearing this, began to weep, and begged to be\nexcused from such a task as he could not work a miracle. But the king\nsaid, 'If you don't do that in seven days, you shall lose your life.'\n\nThen the youth returned weeping to his mother, and told her about it.\nAnd the mother said, 'Did I not tell you, my son, that the golden\nfleece would cost you your life as it cost your father his?' Weeping\nand wondering what to do, since he got no rest at home, he thus walked\nout of the village a good distance, when, suddenly, a little girl\nappeared before him and said, 'Why are you weeping, my brother?' He\nanswered, somewhat angrily, 'Go your way, in God's name! you cannot\nhelp me.' He then went on his way, but the little girl followed him,\nand begged much that he would tell her why he wept, 'for, perhaps,'\nsaid she, 'I may be able to help you.' 'Well, then, I will tell you,'\nsaid he, 'though I am sure no one except God can help me.' So he told\nher all that had happened to him, and what the king had ordered him to\ndo. When she had heard all, she said, 'Be not tearful, my brother, but\ngo and demand from the king that he should appoint the place where the\nvineyard shall be planted, and order it to be dug in straight lines;\nthen go yourself, and take a sack, with a branch of basilicum in it,\nand lie down to sleep in the place where the vineyard has been marked\nout. Take courage! Don't be afraid! In seven days you will have ripe\ngrapes.'\n\nThereupon he returned home and told his mother how he had met the\nlittle girl, and what she had told him; not, however, as having any\nbelief in what she had said. The mother, however, when she had heard\nhis words, said, 'Go, my son, and try; anyhow you are a lost man. You\ncan but try.'\n\nHe went then to the king and demanded land for the vineyard, and\nbegged that it should be dug in straight rows. The king ordered\neverything to be done as the young man demanded, who forthwith took a\nsack on his shoulder, and a sprig of basilicum, and went full of fear\nand sorrow to lie down in the place. When he awoke next morning the\nvines were already planted; the second morning the leaves were on the\nvines; and, in short, on the seventh day there were ripe grapes, and\nthat, too, in a season when grapes were to be found nowhere else.\n\nHe gathered some grapes, and made sweet wine; and took also a cluster\nof grapes in a handkerchief, and went to the king.\n\nThe king and the whole court were exceedingly surprised, but the young\nman's uncle said, 'Now we will order him to do something which it is\nquite impossible that he should do.' He then advised the king to call\nthe young man, and order him to make a palace of elephants' tusks.\n\nThe young man heard the king's order, and went home weeping. He told\nhis mother the order which the king had given him, and said, 'Mother,\nthis is a task which neither I nor any one else can fulfil.' Then the\nmother advised him to take a walk beyond the village. 'Perhaps,' said\nshe, 'you will again meet the little girl.' Accordingly he went; and\nwhen he reached the place where he had before seen the maiden, she\nagain appeared to him, and said, 'You are sad and troubled as before,\nmy brother.' Then he told her what a task the king had set him to\nperform. She, however, no sooner heard this than she said, 'This will\nalso be easy; but first go to the king, and demand from him a ship\nwith three hundred barrels of wine, and three hundred barrels of\nbrandy, and twenty carpenters. Then, when you arrive at a place which\nyou will find between the mountains, dam up the water there, and pour\ninto it the wine and the brandy. The elephants will soon come there to\ndrink water, and will get drunk and fall down. Then your twenty\ncarpenters must cut off their tusks, and carry them to the spot where\nthe king desires to have the palace built. Then lie down there to\nsleep, and in seven days the palace will be ready.'\n\nThe young man returned home and told his mother what the young maiden\nhad said to him. The mother advised him to follow the girl's counsel.\n'Go, my son,' she said, 'perhaps God will again help you.' So the\nyoung man went to the king, and demanded the barrels of wine and\nbrandy, and the twenty carpenters. The king furnished him with all he\ndesired; and he went immediately where the girl had told him, and did\nas she had ordered. And, even as she had foretold, the elephants came\nto drink, and got tipsy, and fell down; and the carpenters sawed their\ntusks, and carried them to the spot where the palace was to be built.\nThen, at evening, the young man took his sack and a branch of\nbasilicum, and went and lay down to sleep in the place.\n\nAnd on the seventh day the palace was ready. When the king saw it, he\nmarvelled, and said to his first minister, the uncle of the young man,\n'Now what shall we do with him? Indeed he is not a man; God knows only\nwhat he is.'\n\nTo this, the minister answered, 'Yet one thing you ought to order him\nto do, and if he fulfils that, also, indeed he must be something more\nthan man.' So, in accordance with the advice of his minister, the\nking called the young man again, and said, 'Now, go and bring me the\nking's daughter from such and such a kingdom, and out of such a city.\nIf you should fail to bring her, you will lose your head.'\n\nThe young man went home and told his mother the new task which the\nking had set him to do, and the mother said, 'Go, my son, and look for\nthat young maiden. Perhaps God will grant that she may save you a\nthird time!'\n\nSo, as before, he went outside the village, and met the young maiden,\nand told her what he had now to do.\n\nThe girl listened to him, and then said, 'Go and demand from the king\na ship; in the ship must be made twenty shops, and in each shop must\nbe a different kind of ware, each one better than the other. Then\ndemand that the twenty handsomest young men should be chosen, and\nfinely dressed, and put one in each shop as salesman. Then sail\nyourself with the ship, and you will first meet a man who carries a\nlarge eagle. You must ask him if he will sell it you, and he will\nanswer \"Yes.\" Then give him anything he demands in return for the\neagle. After that you will meet a man carrying in his fishing-net a\ncarp with golden scales; you must buy the carp, whatever it may cost\nyou. Thirdly, you will meet a man carrying a live dove, and this dove\nyou must also buy, whatever the price may be. Then, take a feather\nfrom the eagle's tail, a scale from the carp, and a little feather\nfrom the left wing of the dove, and let the eagle, carp, and dove go\naway free. When you arrive in the kingdom, and at the city where the\nprincess resides, you must open all the twenty shops, and order each\nyoung man to stand before his shop-door. Then the citizens will come\nand admire the wares; and the maidens, who come to fetch water, will\ngo back into the city and say, \"Such a ship and such wares were never\nbefore seen since this was a city!\" This news will reach the ears of\nthe king's daughter, and she will beg permission from her father to go\nand see the ship herself. When she comes, with her friends, on board,\nyou must lead her from one shop to the other, and bring out and show\nher the finest wares which you have. Thus you must contrive to engage\nher attention and to keep her on board till it gets dusk, and then let\nthe ship sail. In that moment it will be so dark that nothing can be\nseen. The girl will have a bird on her shoulder, and, when she sees\nthe ship is sailing away, she will let the bird fly to take tiding to\nthe palace of what has happened to her. Then you must burn the eagle's\nplume, and the old eagle will instantly come to you. You must order\nhim to catch the bird, and he will quickly do so. Then the girl will\nthrow a small stone into the water, and the ship will at once stand\nstill; but you will immediately burn the carp's scale, and the carp\nwill come to you. You must order him to find and swallow that little\nwater of life, and when he does so the ship will sail on. After\nsailing some time you will arrive between two mountains; there the\nship will turn to stone and you will be greatly terrified. The girl\nwill urge you to fetch some water of life, and you must then burn the\ndove's feather, and the bird will immediately appear. You will give\nhim a little bottle that he may bring you some water of life, and when\nhe does so the ship will sail on again, and you will come happily home\nwith the king's daughter.'\n\nThe young man listened to the advice of the maiden, and then returned\nhome and told all to his mother. After that he went to the king and\ndemanded all the things that the maiden had counselled him to procure.\nThe king could not refuse, so all that he asked was given him, and he\nsailed away.\n\nAll things happened exactly as the young maiden had foretold, and the\nyoung man came back with the king's daughter happily to his own\ncountry.\n\nThe king and his first minister, the uncle of the young man, saw, from\nthe windows of the palace, the ship whilst yet it was far from the\ncity; and the minister said to the king, 'Now there is nothing left to\ndo but to kill him as he comes out of the ship!' When the ship reached\nthe port, the king's daughter first came ashore with her companions;\nthen the handsome young shopmen, and, lastly, the young man alone. But\nthe king had had the headsman placed there, and when the young man\nstepped on the shore the executioner cut his head off. The king\nintended to marry the king's daughter; accordingly, as soon as she\ncame on land he ran to her, and began to caress her, but she turned\naway her head from him, and said, 'Where is he who has been working\nfor me?' And when she saw that his head was cut off she rushed to the\nbody, took out some water of life and poured over it, so he arose\nalive and well as ever. When the king and his minister saw this\nwonder, the minister said to the king, 'This man will know now more\nthan ever he did, since he has been dead and is come back to life!'\nThen the king began to wonder if it were true that a man who has been\ndead knows more when he returns to life, and, in order to satisfy his\ncuriosity, he ordered the headsman to cut off his head, and directed\nthat the girl with the water of life should bring him again to life.\nBut, after the king's head was cut off, the girl refused to restore\nhim to life. Instead of doing so, she wrote a letter to her father,\ntold him all that had happened, and told him her wish to marry the\nyoung man. So the king, her father, sent forth a proclamation that the\npeople should take the young man for their king, and threatened to\ndeclare war against them if they refused to do so. The people\nrecognised immediately the merits of the young man, and owned that he\ndeserved to be their king, and to marry the king's daughter.\nAccordingly they made him king, and he married the king's daughter.\nThen the handsome young men, who had sailed with him in the ship as\nshopmen, married the companions of the king's daughter who was now\nqueen, and thus all of them became great dignitaries in the kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nWHO ASKS LITTLE, GETS MUCH.\n\n\nOnce on a time there lived three brothers, who had no property except\none pear-tree. This they watched carefully, each of them in turn\nguarding it, whilst the other two worked for wages away from home. One\nday God sent an angel to see how these brothers were living; and\nordered the angel, if they lived very poorly, to give them better\nfood. When the angel came down to the earth, he changed himself into\nthe form of a beggar; and when he saw one of the brothers watching the\npear-tree, asked him to give him a pear. Then the brother plucked some\npears, and gave them to the beggar, and said, 'Here, take these from\nmy share of the pears; I cannot give you any of those which belong to\nmy brothers.' So the angel thanked the man and went away.\n\nNext morning the second brother remained to guard the pear-tree; and\nthe angel came again, and begged him to give him a pear. The man took\nsome of the pears and gave them to the angel, saying, 'Take these\nfrom my pears; but from the pears of my brothers I dare not give you\nany.'\n\nThe third day the third brother stayed at home to watch the pear-tree,\nand the angel came as before, and asked only for one pear. And this\nbrother said also, 'Here are some of my pears; from the pears of my\nbrothers I cannot give you any.'\n\nThe day after, the angel changed himself into a monk, and came very\nearly, so that he found all three brothers at home, and said to them,\n'Come with me; I will give you better nourishment than you have at\npresent.'\n\nThe three brothers followed him without saying a word. At last they\ncame to a large torrent, where the water flowed in great streams, and\nmade a loud noise. Then the angel asked the eldest brother, 'What\nwould you like?' And the man answered, 'I should like all this water\nto be changed into wine, and to belong to me.'\n\nThen the angel made the sign of the cross in the air with his stick,\nand, in a moment, wine was flowing instead of water. On the banks of\nthe river heaps of barrels were being made, and men were working very\ndiligently--in short, there was quite a village. The angel then left\nthe eldest brother there, saying, 'Here is all you wished! now keep\nyourself!' and he continued his journey with the other two brothers.\nThen they came to a field covered over with a multitude of doves, and\nthe angel asked the second brother, 'What would you like?' 'I should\nlike all these doves to be sheep, and to belong to me!' replied the\nman. The angel again made the sign of the cross in the air with his\nstick, and, instantly, sheep were there instead of doves. There were\ndairies also, and women milking the sheep; some were pouring out the\nmilk, and others collecting the cream; some were making cheese, others\nchurning butter. There was also a slaughter-house, with men cutting\nthe meat into joints, whilst others were weighing it, and others\nreceiving money as they sold the meat.\n\nThen the angel said to the second brother, 'Here is what you wished\nfor; now live.' The angel now took with him the youngest brother,\nwalked with him across the field, and then asked, 'And what would\n_you_ like?' The man answered, 'I wish for nothing, except that God\nmay give me a wife of pure Christian blood!' Then the angel said, 'Oh,\nthat is difficult to find! In the whole world there are but three\nsuch, and two of them are already married. The third is a maid still,\nbut she is asked in marriage by two wooers.'\n\nSo the angel and the young man set out, and, having journeyed a long\nway, at length came to the city where the king dwelt whose daughter\nwas of pure Christian blood.\n\nAs soon as they arrived, they went to the palace to ask for the girl.\nWhen they entered the palace, they found two kings already there, and\ntheir wedding gifts laid out upon a table. Then they also placed there\nthe presents they had brought. When the king saw them, he said to all\nthose who were standing before him, 'What shall we do now? Those are\nthe presents of kings, but these look, in comparison, like the gifts\nof a beggar!' Then the angel said, 'I will tell you what to do. Let\nthe matter be decided in this way--the maid shall take three vines,\nand plant them in the garden, dedicating each of them to one of the\nthree wooers. The man on whose vine grapes are found next day is the\none the girl ought to marry.' So all agreed to this, and the maid\nplanted three vines in the garden, dedicating each of them to one of\nher three wooers.\n\nThe next morning, when they looked, grapes were found on the vine\ndedicated to the poor man. So the king could not help himself, and was\nobliged to give his daughter to the youngest brother, and let them at\nonce be married in the church. After the wedding, the angel took them\nto a forest, and left them there, where they lived for a whole year.\n\nAt the end of a year, God again sent the angel, saying, 'Go down and\nsee how those poor men are living. If their food be scanty, give them\nbetter nourishment.'\n\nThe angel came down to earth as before, in the likeness of a beggar,\nand went first to the brother who had the torrent overflowing with\nwine. The beggar asked for a cup of wine, but the man refused, saying,\n'If I were to give every one who asks a cup of wine, I should have\nnone for myself!' When the angel heard this, he made the sign of the\ncross with his stick, and the torrent began to flow with water as at\nfirst. Then the angel said to the eldest brother, 'That was not for\nthee! go back under the pear-tree and guard it!'\n\nAfter that the angel went to the second brother who had the field\nquite covered with sheep, and begged him to give him a morsel of\ncheese; but he refused, saying, 'If I were to give every one a little\nbit of cheese, I should have none left!' When the angel heard this, he\nmade the sign of the cross in the air, and the sheep turned in an\ninstant into doves, and flew away.\n\nThen the angel said to the second brother, 'That was not for thee! go\nback under the pear-tree and guard it!'\n\nAt last the angel went to see how the youngest brother was living, and\nfound him with his wife in the forest, dwelling in a little hut, and\nliving poorly. He begged to be allowed to sleep there that night, and\nthey received him with great willingness, only excusing themselves\nthat they could not serve him as they would. 'We are only poor\npeople,' they said. The angel answered, 'Do not speak about that! I\nshall be quite content with what you have for yourselves.' Then these\npoor people asked themselves what they must do. They had no corn to\nmake real bread; for they usually ground the bark of certain trees,\nand made bread from it. Such bread, therefore, the wife made now for\ntheir guest, and put it to the fire to bake. Whilst it baked, they\ntalked with him. In a little while, when they looked to see whether\nthe cake was baked, they found that there was a loaf of real bread\nquite ready for the table, and very large. When they saw that, they\nlifted up their hands and thanked God, saying, 'Thank thee, O God!\nthat we are now able to give food to our guest.'\n\nSo they placed the bread before the angel, and also filled a vessel\nwith water, and when they came to drink they found it was wine. Then\nthe angel made a sign of the cross with his staff over the hut, and on\nthat spot rose a royal palace, filled with abundance of everything.\nAnd the angel blessed the youngest brother and his wife, and left\nthem, and they lived there long and very happily.\n\n\n\n\nJUSTICE OR INJUSTICE? WHICH IS BEST.\n\n\nA king had two sons; of these, one was cunning and unjust, the other,\njust and gentle. After the death of the father the elder son said to\nthe younger, 'Depart; I will not live with you any longer. Here are\nthree hundred zechins and a horse; this is your portion of our\nfather's property. Take it, for I owe you nothing more than this.' The\nyounger son took the money and the horse which were offered him, and\nsaid, 'Thank God! See only how much of the kingdom has fallen to me!'\n\nSome time afterwards the two brothers, both of whom were riding, met\nby chance in a road. The younger brother greeted the elder one,\nsaying, 'God help thee, brother!' and the elder answered, 'Why do you\nspeak always about God? Nowadays, injustice is better than justice.'\nThe younger brother, however, said to him, 'I will wager with you that\ninjustice is not, as you say, better than justice.' So they betted one\nhundred golden zechins, and it was arranged that they should leave the\ndecision to the first man they met in the road. Riding together a\nlittle farther they met with Satan, who had disguised himself as a\nmonk, and they asked him to decide which was better, justice or\ninjustice? Satan answered, 'Injustice!' And the good brother paid the\nbad one the hundred golden zechins which he had wagered.\n\nThen they betted for another hundred zechins, and again a third time\nfor a third hundred, and each time Satan--who managed to disguise\nhimself in different ways and meet them--decided that injustice was\nbetter than justice.\n\nThus the younger brother lost all his money, and his horse into the\nbargain. Then he said, 'Thank God! I have no more money, but I have\neyes, and I wager my eyes that justice is better than injustice.'\n\nThereupon the unjust brother, without waiting for any one's decision,\ndrew his knife and cut both his brother's eyes out, saying, 'Now you\nhave no eyes, let justice help you.' But the younger brother in his\ntrouble only thanked God and said, 'I have lost my eyes for the sake\nof God's justice, but I pray you, my brother, give me a little water\nin some vessel to wash my wounds and wet my mouth, and bring me away\nfrom this place to the pine-tree just about the spring, before you\nleave me.' The unjust brother did so, gave him water, and left him\nalone under the pine-tree near the spring of water.\n\nThere the unfortunate remained, sitting on the ground. Late, however,\nin the night, some fairies came to the spring to bathe, and one of\nthem said to the others, 'Do you know, my sisters, that the king's\ndaughter has got the leprosy? The king has summoned all the\nphysicians, but no one can possibly help her. But if the king only\nknew, he would take a little of this water in which we are bathing,\nand wash his daughter therewith! and then in a day and a night she\nwould recover completely from her leprosy. Just as any one deaf, or\ndumb, or blind, could be cured by this same water.'\n\nThen, as the cocks began to crow, the fairies hurried away. As soon as\nthey were gone, the unfortunate man felt his way slowly with his\noutstretched hands till he came to the spring of water. There he\nbathed his eyes, and in an instant recovered his sight. After that he\nfilled the vessel with water, and hurried away to the king, whose\ndaughter was leprous, and said to the servants, 'I am come to cure the\nking's daughter, if he will only let me try. I guarantee that she will\nbecome healthy in a day and night.'\n\nWhen the king heard that, he ordered him to be led into the room where\nthe girl was, and made her immediately bathe in the water. After a day\nand a night the the girl came out pure and healthy.\n\nThen the king was greatly pleased, and gave the young prince the half\nof his kingdom, and also his daughter for a wife, so that he became\nthe king's son-in-law, and the first man after him in the kingdom.\n\nThe tidings of this great event spread all over the world, and so came\nto the ears of the unjust brother. He guessed directly that his blind\nbrother must have met with good fortune under the pine-tree, so he\nwent himself to try to find it also. He carried with him a vessel full\nof water, and then carved out his own eyes with his knife. When it was\ndark the fairies came again, and, as they bathed, spoke about the\nrecovery of the king's daughter. 'It cannot be otherwise,' they said,\n'someone must have been listening to our last conversation here.\nPerhaps someone is listening now. Let us see.'\n\nSo they searched all around, and when they came to the pine-tree they\nfound there the unjust brother who had come to seek after good\nfortune, and who declared always that injustice was better than\njustice. They immediately caught him, and tore him into four parts.\n\nAnd so, at the last, his wickedness did not help him, and he found to\nhis cost that justice is better than injustice.\n\n\n\n\nSATAN'S JUGGLINGS AND GOD'S MIGHT.\n\n\nOne morning the son of the king went out to hunt. Whilst walking\nthrough the snow he cut himself a little, and the drops of blood fell\non the snow. When he saw how pretty the red blood looked on the white\nsnow, he thought, 'Oh, if I could only marry a girl as white as snow\nand as rosy red as this blood!' Whilst he was thus thinking, he met an\nold woman and asked her if there were such maidens anywhere to be\nfound. The old woman told him that on the mountain he saw before him\nhe would find a house without doors, and the only entrance and outlet\nof this house was a single window. And she added, 'In that house, my\nson, there is living a girl such as you desire; but of the young men\nwho have gone to ask her to be their wife none have returned.'\n\n'That may all be as you say,' answered the prince, 'I will go,\nnevertheless! Only tell me the way that I must take to get to the\nhouse.' When the old woman heard this resolve, she was sorry for the\nyoung man, and, taking a piece of bread from her pouch, she gave it\nto him, saying, 'Take this bread and keep it safe as the apple of your\neye!' The prince took the bread, and continued his journey. Very soon\nafterwards he met another old woman, and she asked him where he was\ngoing. He told her he was going to demand the girl who lived in the\ndoorless house on the mountain. Then the old woman tried to dissuade\nhim, telling him just the same things as the former one had done. He\nsaid, however, 'That may be quite true, nevertheless I will go, even\nif I never return.' Then the old woman gave to the prince a little\nnut, saying, 'Keep this nut always by you; it may help you some time\nor other!'\n\nThe prince took the nut and went on his way, till he came to where an\nold woman was sitting by the roadside. She asked him, 'Where are you\ngoing?' Then he told her he was going to demand the girl who lived in\nthe house on the mountain before him. Upon this the old woman wept,\nand prayed him to give up all thoughts of the girl, and she gave him\nthe very same warnings as the other old women had done. All this\nhowever was of no use, the prince was resolved to go on, so the old\nwoman gave him a walnut, saying, 'Take this walnut, and keep it\ncarefully until you want it.'\n\nHe wondered at these presents, and asked her to tell him why the first\nold woman had given him a piece of bread, the second a nut, and she\nherself now a walnut. The old woman answered, 'The bread is to throw\nto the beasts before the house, that they may not eat you; and, when\nyou find yourself in the greatest danger, ask counsel, first from the\nnut, and then from the walnut.'\n\nThen the king's son continued his wandering, till he came at last to\na thick forest, in the midst of which he saw the house with only a\nsingle window. When he came near it he was attacked by a multitude of\nbeasts of all kinds, and, following the advice of the old woman, he\nthrew the bit of bread towards them. Then the beasts came and smelt at\nthe bread one after the other, and, upon doing so, each drew his tail\nbetween his legs and lay down quietly.\n\nThe house had no door, and but one window, which was very high above\nthe ground, so high that do what he could he was not able to reach it.\nSuddenly he saw a woman letting down her golden hair; so he rushed and\ncaught hold of it, and she drew him up thereby into the house. Then he\nsaw that the woman was she for whose sake he had come to this place.\nThe prince and the girl were equally pleased to see each other, and\nshe said, 'Thank God that my mother happened to be from home! She is\ngone into the forest to gather the plants by the aid of which she\ntransforms into beasts all the young men who venture here to ask me to\nbe their wife. Those are the beasts who would have killed you, if God\nhad not helped you. But let us fly away from this place.' So they fled\naway through the forest as quickly as they could. As they happened to\nlook back, however, they saw that the girl's mother was pursuing them,\nand they became frightened. The old woman was already very near them\nbefore the prince remembered his nut. He took it out quickly and\nasked, 'For God's sake! tell me what we must do now?' The nut\nreplied, 'Open me!' The prince opened it, and from the little nut\nflowed out a large river, which stopped the way, so that for a time\nthe girl's mother could not pass. However, she touched the waters with\nher staff, and they immediately divided and left her a dry path, so\nthat she could run on quickly after the prince and the girl.\n\nWhen the prince saw she would soon come up with them, he took out the\nwalnut and asked, 'Tell me, what we must do now?' And the walnut\nreplied, 'Break me!' The king's son broke the walnut, and a great fire\nflamed out from it--so great a fire that the whole forest barely\nescaped being consumed by it. But the girl's mother spat on the fire,\nand it extinguished itself in a moment. Then the king's son saw that\nthese were nothing but the jugglings of the devil, so he turned\neastward, made the sign of the cross, and called on the mighty God to\nhelp him. Then it suddenly thundered and lightened, and from heaven\nflashed a thunderbolt which struck the mother of the girl, and she\nfell dead upon the ground.\n\nThus at length the king's son arrived safely at home, and when the\ngirl had been made a Christian, he married her.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WISE GIRL.\n\n\nOnce upon a time a poor man lived in a small and mean cottage. He\npossessed nothing in the world except a daughter who was very wise\nindeed. She taught her father how to beg, and how to speak wisely. One\nday the poor man went to the king to beg, and the king asked him\nwhence he came, and who had taught him to speak so well.\n\nHe told the king where he lived, and that he had a daughter who told\nhim what to say.\n\n'And who taught your daughter all this wisdom?' demanded the king. The\npoor man answered, 'God and our poverty have made her wise.'\n\nThen the king gave him thirty eggs and said, 'Take these eggs to your\ndaughter, and tell her that if she bring forth chickens from the eggs,\nI will make her rich presents; but if she fails, then I will have you\ntortured.'\n\nThe poor man went back to his cottage weeping, and told all this to\nhis daughter. The girl saw at once that the eggs which the king had\nsent had been boiled, but she told her father to go to sleep quietly,\nand she would take care for everything. The father did as she said,\nand, whilst he slept, she took a pot, filled it with water and beans,\nand boiled them.\n\nNext morning she told her father to take a plough and oxen, and go to\nplough in a wood near to which the king would pass. 'When you see the\nking coming,' said she, 'take a handful of beans, and begin to sow,\nshouting, \"Go on, my oxen, and God grant that the boiled beans may\nbear fruit!\" When the king asks you, \"How can you expect boiled beans\nto grow?\" answer him, \"Just as much as from boiled eggs to hatch\nchickens!\"'\n\nThe poor man listened to his daughter, and went to plough. When the\nking came near, he began to shout, 'Ho ho, my oxen! go on! and God\ngrant that these boiled beans may bring me a good crop!'\n\nThe king, hearing these words, stopped his carriage, and said to the\npoor man, 'Poor fellow, how can boiled beans bear a crop?'\n\n'Just as well as boiled eggs can bring forth chickens,' answered the\nman.\n\nThe king saw that his daughter had taught him what to say, and he\nordered his servants to bring the man before him. Then the king gave\nhim a bunch of flax, saying, 'Take this, and make from it all the\nsails a ship needs. If you do not, you shall lose your life.'\n\nThe poor man took the bunch of flax with great fear, and returned\nweeping to the cottage to tell his daughter, who bade him go to sleep\nquietly. Next morning she gave him a small piece of wood, and told him\nto take it to the king and demand that, from this piece of wood, all\nthe tools needful for spinning and weaving should be made. 'Then,'\ncontinued she, 'I will make all that he has ordered me.'\n\nThe king was surprised, and considered a moment what to do. At last he\nsaid, 'Take this little glass to your daughter, and tell her she must\nempty the sea with it, so that dry land shall be where the water now\nis.'\n\nThe poor man took the little cup to his daughter, and, weeping, told\nher all the king required. The girl bade him be quiet till morning,\nand then she would do all that was needed. Next morning she called her\nfather, gave him a pound of tow, and said, 'Take this to the king, and\ntell him that with this tow he must first stop all the sources of the\nrivers and lakes, and then I will dry up the sea.'\n\nSo the poor man went to the king and told him what his daughter had\nsaid.\n\nThe king, seeing that the girl was wiser than himself, ordered that\nshe should be brought before him. When she bent before the king, he\nsaid, 'Guess, maiden! what can be heard at the greatest distance?'\n\nThe girl answered, 'Your majesty, the thunder and the lie can be heard\nat the greatest distance.'\n\nThen the king grasped his beard, and, turning to his courtiers, put to\nthem the question, 'Guess what my beard is worth?' Some of them said\nso much, others again so much; but the girl observed to the king that\nnone of the courtiers had guessed right, and said, 'The king's beard\nis worth as much as three summer rains.' The king, greatly astonished,\nsaid, 'It is so; the girl has guessed rightly!' Then he asked her if\nshe were willing to be his wife; and added that, if she were willing,\nhe would marry her.\n\nThe girl bent low and said, 'Let it be as your majesty commands! But I\npray you write with your hand on a scrap of paper this promise, that\nif you should ever be displeased with me, and should send me away from\nyou, I shall be allowed to take with me from the palace any one thing\nwhich I like best.'\n\nThe king consented, and gave the promise.\n\nAfter they had lived happily together for some time, one day the king\nwas angry, and said to his wife, 'I will not have you any longer for\nmy wife, and I bid you leave the palace!'\n\nThe queen answered, 'I will obey your majesty, but permit me to pass\none night more in the palace. To-morrow I will go.'\n\nThis, the king could not well refuse.\n\nThat evening, at supper, the queen mixed something with the wine, and\noffered it to the king to drink, saying, 'Be of good cheer, O king!\nTo-morrow we shall separate and, believe me, I shall be happier than I\nwas when I first met you.'\n\nThe king drank, and soon after fell asleep. Then the queen ordered her\ncarriage, and carried the king away with her to the cottage.\n\nNext morning, when the king awoke in the cottage and saw where he\nwas, he exclaimed, 'Who brought me here?'\n\nThe queen answered, 'I brought you.'\n\nThen the king asked, 'How have you dared to do so? Did I not tell you\nI will not have you any longer for my wife?'\n\nBut the queen took out the king's written promise, and said, 'Yes,\nindeed, you told me so; but see, you have written and promised that I\n\"shall be allowed to take with me from the palace that which I like\nbest, whenever I must leave the court.\"'\n\nThe king, seeing the paper, kissed his wife, and returned with her to\nthe palace.\n\n\n\n\nGOOD DEEDS ARE NEVER LOST.\n\n\nIn days gone by there lived a married couple who had one only son.\nWhen he grew up they made him learn something which would be of use to\nhim in after-life. He was a kind, quiet boy, and feared God greatly.\nAfter his schooling was finished his father gave him a ship, freighted\nwith various sorts of merchandise, so that he might go and trade about\nthe world, and grow rich, and become a help to his parents in their\nold age. The son put to sea, and one day the ship he was in met with a\nTurkish vessel in which he heard great weeping and wailing. So he\ndemanded of the Turkish sailors, 'Pray, tell me why there is so much\nwailing on board your ship?' and they answered, 'We are carrying\nslaves which we have captured in different countries, and those who\nare chained are weeping.'\n\nThen he said, 'Please, brothers, ask your captain if he would give me\nthe slaves for ready cash?'\n\nThe captain gladly agreed to the proposal, and after much bargaining\nthe young man gave to the captain his vessel full of merchandise, and\nreceived in exchange the ship full of slaves.\n\nThen he called the slaves before him, and demanded of each whence he\ncame, and told them all they were free to return to their own\ncountries. At last he came to an old woman who held close to her side\na very beautiful girl, and he asked them from what country they came.\nThe old woman told him, weeping, that they came from a very distant\nland, saying, 'This young girl is the only daughter of the king, and I\nam her nurse, and have taken care of her from her childhood. One day,\nunhappily, she went to walk in a garden far away from the palace, and\nthese wicked Turks saw her and caught her. Luckily I happened to be\nnear, and, hearing her scream, ran to her help, and so the Turks\ncaught me too, and brought us both on board of this ship.' Then the\nold woman and the beautiful girl, being so far from their own country,\nand having no means of getting there, begged him that he would take\nthem with him. So he married the girl, took her with him, and returned\nhome.\n\nWhen he arrived his father asked him about his ship and merchandise,\nand he told him what had happened, how he had given his vessel with\nits cargo, and had bought the slaves and set them free. 'This girl,'\ncontinued he, 'is a king's daughter, and the old woman her nurse; as\nthey could not get back to their country, they prayed to remain with\nme, so I married the girl.'\n\nThereupon the father was very angry, and said, 'My foolish son! what\nhave you done? Why have you made away with my property without cause\nand of your own will?' and he drove him out of the house.\n\nThen the son lived with his wife and her old nurse a long time in the\nsame village, trying always, through the good offices of his mother\nand other friends, to obtain his father's forgiveness, and, begging\nhim to let him have a second ship full of merchandise, promised to be\nwiser in future. After some time the father took pity on him, and\nreceived him again into his house, with his wife and her old nurse.\nShortly after he fitted him out another ship, larger than the first\none, and filled with more valuable merchandise. In this he sailed,\nleaving his wife and her nurse in the house of his parents. He came\none day to a city where he found the soldiers very busy carrying some\nunlucky villagers away to prison. So he asked them, 'Why are you doing\nthis my brethren? Why are you driving these poor people to prison?'\nand the soldiers answered:\n\n'They have not paid the king's taxes, that is why we take them to\nprison.'\n\nThen he went to the magistrate and asked, 'Please tell me how much\nthese poor prisoners owe?'\n\nWhen the magistrate told him he sold his goods and ship, and paid the\ndebts of all the prisoners, and returned home without anything.\nFalling at the feet of his father, he told him what he had done, and\nbegged him to forgive him. But the father was exceedingly angry, more\nso than before, and drove him away from his presence. What could the\nunhappy son do in this great strait? How could he go begging, he whose\nparents were so rich? After some time his friends again prevailed upon\nthe father to receive him back, because, as they urged, so much\nsuffering had made him wiser. At last the father yielded, took him\nagain into his house, and prepared a ship for him finer and richer\nthan the two former ones. Then the son had the portrait of his wife\npainted on the helm, and that of the old nurse on the stern, and,\nafter taking leave of his father and mother, and wife, he sailed away\nthe third time.\n\nAfter sailing for some days he came near a large city, in which there\nlived a king, and, dropping anchor, he fired a salute to the city. All\nthe citizens wondered, as did also their king, and no one could say\nwho the captain of the strange ship might be. In the afternoon the\nking sent one of his ministers to ask who he was, and why he came; and\nthe minister brought a message that the king himself would come at\nnine o'clock the next morning to see the ship. When the minister came\nhe saw on the helm the portrait of the king's daughter, and on the\nstern that of her old nurse, and in his surprise and joy dared not\nbelieve his own eyes. For the princess had been promised to him in\nmarriage while she was yet a child, and long before she was captured\nby the Turks.\n\nBut the minister did not tell any one what he had seen.\n\nNext morning, at nine o'clock, the king came with his ministers on\nboard the ship, and asked the captain who he was, and whence he came?\n\nWhilst walking about the vessel he saw there the portrait of the girl\non the helm and that of the old woman on the stern, and recognised the\nfeatures of his own daughter and her old nurse who had been captured\nby the Turks. But his joy was so great, he dared not believe his eyes,\nso he invited the captain to come that afternoon to his palace to\nrelate his adventures, hoping thus to find out if his hopes were well\nfounded.\n\nIn the afternoon, in obedience to the king's wish, he went to the\npalace, and the king at once began to inquire why the figure of the\ngirl was painted on the helm and that of the old woman on the stern.\nThe captain guessed at once that this king must be his wife's father,\nso he told him everything that had happened--how he had met the\nTurkish ship filled with slaves, and had ransomed them and set them\nfree. 'This girl, alone,' he continued, 'with her old nurse, had\nnowhere to go, as her country was so far off, so they asked to remain\nwith me, and I married the girl.'\n\nWhen the king heard this he exclaimed, 'That girl is my only child,\nand the accursed Turks took her and her old nurse. You, since you are\nher husband, will be the heir to my crown. But go--go at once to your\nhome and bring me your wife that I may see her--my only daughter,\nbefore I die. Bring your father, your mother, bring all your family.\nLet your property be all sold in that country, and come all of you\nhere. Your father shall be my brother, and your mother my sister, as\nyou are my son and the heir to my crown. We will all live together\nhere in one palace.' Then he called the queen, and all his ministers,\nand told them all about his daughter. And there was great rejoicing\nand festivity in the whole court.\n\nAfter this the king gave his son-in-law his own large ship to bring\nback the princess and the whole family. So the captain left his own\nship there, but he asked the king to send one of his ministers with\nhim, 'Lest they should not believe me,' he said; and the king gave him\nas a companion for his voyage the same minister to whom he had\nformerly promised the princess in marriage. They arrived safely in\nport, and the captain's father was surprised to see his son return so\nsoon, and with such a splendid vessel.\n\nThen he told all that had happened and his mother and wife, and\nespecially the old nurse, rejoiced greatly when they heard the good\nnews. As the king's minister was there to witness the truth of this\nstrange news, no one could doubt it. So the father and mother\nconsented to sell all their property and go to live in the king's\npalace.\n\nBut the minister resolved to kill this new heir to the king and\nhusband of the princess who had been promised to him for wife; so,\nwhen they had sailed a long distance, he called him on deck to confer\nwith him. The captain had a quiet conscience, and did not suspect any\nevil, so he came up at once, and the minister caught him quickly and\nthrew him overboard.\n\nThe ship was sailing fast, and it was rather dark, so the captain\ncould not overtake her, but was left behind in the deep waters. The\nminister, however, went quietly to sleep.\n\nFortunately the waves carried the king's young heir to a rock near the\nshore; it was, however, a desert country, and no one was near to help\nhim. Those he had left on board the ship, seeing next morning that he\nhad disappeared, began to weep and wail, thinking he had fallen\noverboard in the night and been drowned. His wife especially lamented\nhim, because they had loved each other very much. When the ship\narrived at the king's city, and reported to him the great disaster\nthat had befallen them, the king was troubled, and the whole court\nmourned greatly. The king kept the parents and family of the young man\nby him as he had engaged to do, but they could not console themselves\nfor their great loss.\n\nMeanwhile, the king's unhappy son-in-law sat on the rock, and lived on\nthe moss which grew there, and was scorched by the hot sun, from which\nhe had no shelter; his garments were soiled and torn, and no one would\nhave recognised him. Still not a living soul was to be seen anywhere\nto help him. At last, after fifteen days and fifteen nights, he\nnoticed an old man on the shore, leaning on a staff, and engaged in\nfishing. Then the king's heir shouted to the old man, and begged him\nto help him off the rock. The old fisherman consented--\n\n'If you will pay me for it,' said he.\n\n'How can I pay you when, as you see, I have nothing, and even my\nclothes are only rags?' answered the young man sadly.\n\n'Oh, that matters nothing,' exclaimed the old man; 'I have here pen\nand paper, so, if you know how to use them, write a promise to give me\nhalf of everything you may ever possess, and then sign the paper.'\n\nTo that the young man gladly consented; so the old man walked through\nthe water to him, and he signed the paper, and then the old man took\nhim over to the shore. After that he journeyed from village to\nvillage, barefoot, hungry, and sorrowful, and begged some garments to\ncover him.\n\nAfter thirty days' wandering, his good luck led him to the city of the\nking, and he went and sat at the door of the palace, wearing on his\nfinger his wedding-ring, on which was his own name and the name of his\nwife. At eventide, the king's servants took him into the courtyard,\nand gave him to eat what remained of their supper. Next morning he\ntook his stand by the garden-door, but the gardener came and drove him\naway, saying that the king and his family were soon coming that way.\nSo he moved away a little, and sat down near a corner of the garden\nand shortly afterward he saw the king walking with his mother, his\nfather leading the queen, and his wife walking with the minister, his\ngreat enemy. He did not yet desire to show himself to them, but as\nthey passed near him and gave him alms, his wife saw the wedding-ring\non a finger of the hand which he held out to take the money. Still she\ncould not think the beggar could be her husband, so she said--\n\n'Let me see the ring you have on your finger.'\n\nThe minister, who was walking by her, was a little frightened, and\nsaid--\n\n'Go on, how can you speak to that ragged beggar?'\n\nBut she would not hear him. She took the ring, and read thereon her\nown and her husband's names. Her heart was greatly troubled by the\nsight of the ring, but she controlled her feelings and said nothing.\nAs soon as they returned to the palace, she told the king, her father,\nthat she had recognised her husband's ring on the hand of the beggar\nwho sat by the side of the garden. 'So please send for him,' said she,\n'that we may find out how the ring came into his hands.'\n\nThen the king sent his servants to find the beggar, and they brought\nhim to the palace. And the king asked him whence he came, and how he\ngot that ring. Then he could no longer restrain himself, but told them\nhow he had been thrown overboard by the treacherous minister, and\nspent fifteen days and nights on the naked rock, and how he had been\nsaved.\n\n'You see now how God and my right-dealing have brought me back to my\nparents and my wife.'\n\nWhen they heard that, they could hardly speak, so rejoiced were they.\nThen the king summoned the father and mother, and related what had\nhappened to their son.\n\nThe servants quickly brought him fine new garments, and bathed and\nclothed him. Then for many days there was great rejoicings, not only\nin the palace, but also in all the city, and he was crowned as king.\nThe minister was seized by the king's order, and given up to the\nking's son-in-law, that he might punish him after his own will. But\nthe young king would not permit him to be put to death, but forgave\nhim, on condition that he left the kingdom instantly.\n\nA few days after, the old man who had saved the young king came,\nbringing with him his written promise. The young king took the paper,\nand reading it, said--\n\n'My old man, sit down. To-day I am king, but if I were a beggar I\nwould fulfil my word, and acknowledge my signature. Therefore we will\ndivide all that I have.'\n\nSo he took out the book and began to divide the cities.\n\n'This is for me--that is for you.' So saying, he wrote all on a chart,\ntill all were divided between them, from the greatest city to the\npoorest barrack.\n\nThe old man accepted his half, but immediately made a present of it\nagain to the young king, saying--\n\n'Take it! I am not an old man, but an angel from God! I was sent by\nGod to save thee, for the sake of thy good deeds. Now reign and be\nhappy, and may thy prosperity last long.'\n\nThe angel disappeared; and the king reigned there in great happiness.\n\n\n\n\nLYING FOR A WAGER.\n\n\nOne day a father sent his son to the mill with corn to grind; but\nbefore he went he recommended him not to grind it in the mill in which\nhe should happen to meet with a man named 'Beardless.'[31] The boy\ncame to a mill, but there he found Beardless.\n\n    [31] The 'Beardless,' in Serbian national tales, is the\n    personification of craft and sharpness.\n\n'God bless you, Beardless,' said he.\n\n'God bless you too, my son,' replied the man.\n\n'Can I grind my corn here?' asked the boy.\n\n'Why not?' responded Beardless; 'my corn will be soon ready, and you\ncan grind yours as long as you like.'\n\nBut the boy recollected his father's advice, and left the mill and\nwent to another. But Beardless took some corn, and hurried by a\nshorter way, to the mill towards which the boy had gone, and reached\nthere before him, and put some of his corn into the mill to be ground.\nWhen the boy arrived, he was greatly surprised to find Beardless\nthere, and so he went away from this and approached a third mill. But\nBeardless hurried by a short cut, and reached this mill also before\nthe boy, and gave some of his corn to be ground. He did the same at a\nfourth mill; so the boy got tired, and, thinking that he should find\nBeardless in every mill, put down his sack, and resolved to grind in\nthis mill, although Beardless was there.\n\nWhen the boy's corn came to be ground, Beardless said to him,\n'Hearken, my son. Let us make a cake of your flour.'\n\nThe boy was thinking all the time of his father's words, but he could\nnot help himself. So he said, 'Very good, we will make one.'\n\nBeardless got up and began to mix the flour with water, which the boy\nbrought him, and he kept mixing till all the corn was ground, and all\nthe flour made into a very large loaf. Then they made a fire, put the\nbread to bake, and, when it was baked, took it and placed it against a\nwall.\n\nThen Beardless said, 'My son, listen to me. If we were to divide the\nloaf between us, it would not be enough for either of us, so let us\ntell each other some lies, and whoever tells the greatest lie shall\nhave the whole loaf for himself.'\n\nThe boy thought, 'I cannot now draw back, so I may as well do my best\nand go on.' So he said aloud to Beardless, 'Very well, but you must\nbegin.'\n\nThen Beardless told many different lies, and when he got quite tired\nof lying, the boy said to him, 'Eh! my dear Beardless, if that is all\nyou know, it is not much. Only listen, and have patience a little,\nwhilst I tell you a real truth. In my _young_ days, when I was an\n_old_ man, we had very many beehives, and it was my business every\nmorning to count them. Now I always counted the bees easily enough,\nbut I never could count the beehives. One morning, whilst counting the\nbees, I saw that the best bee was missing, so I put a saddle on the\ncock and mounted, and started in search of my bee. I traced it to the\nsea-shore, and saw that it had gone over the sea, so I followed it.\nWhen I got over, I saw that a man had caught my bee, and was ploughing\na field with it in which he was about to sow millet. I called to him,\n\"That is my bee! How did you get her?\" And the man said, \"Well,\nbrother, if it is yours, take it.\" And he gave me back my bee, and\nalso a sack full of millet. Then I put the sack on my back, and moved\nthe saddle from the cock to the bee. Then I mounted it, and led the\ncock behind me, that he might rest a little. Whilst I was crossing the\nsea, somehow one of the strings of the sack broke, and all the millet\nfell into the water.\n\n'When I had got over it was already night, so I dismounted and let the\nbee loose to graze. The cock I fastened near me, and gave him some\nhay; after that I lay down to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, I\nfound the wolves had killed my bee and eaten it up; and the honey was\nlying all about the valley ankle-deep; and on the hills it lay\nknee-deep. Then I began to think in what I could gather up all the\nhoney. I remembered I had a little axe by me, so I went into the\nforest to try to kill some beast, in order to make a sack from its\nskin. In the forest I saw two deer dancing on one leg; so I broke the\nleg with my little axe and caught them both. From the two deer I drew\nthree skins and made three bags, wherein I gathered up all the honey.\nI put the sacks full of honey on the cock's back, and hastened home.\nWhen I reached home I found that my father had just been born, and\nthey sent me to heaven to bring some holy water. Whilst I was thinking\nhow I should go up to heaven, I remembered the millet which had fallen\ninto the sea. When I reached the sea I found the millet had grown up\nquite to heaven, so I climbed it and reached the sky. And on getting\ninto heaven I saw the millet was quite ripe, and that one whom I met\nthere had reaped it, and had already made a loaf from it, and had\nbroken some pieces into warm milk, which he was eating. I greeted him,\nsaying, \"God help you!\" and he answered, \"God help thee also!\" and\nthen he gave me holy water and I returned. But I found that meanwhile\nthere had been a great rain, so that the sea had risen and carried\naway my millet. Then I grew very anxious as to how I should get down\nagain to earth. At last I remembered that I have long hair, so long\nthat when I stand upright it reaches down to the ground, and when I\nsit it reaches to my ears; so I took my knife and cut one hair after\nanother, and tied them together as I went down them. Meanwhile it grew\ndark, so I tied a knot in the hair, and resolved to rest on that knot\nthrough the night. But how should I do without a fire? The tinder-box\nI had by me, but I had no wood! Then I remembered I had somewhere in\nmy overcoat a sewing-needle, so I found it, cut it in pieces and made\na great fire, and when I was well warmed laid myself down near the\nfire to sleep. I slept soundly, but, unfortunately, a spark of fire\nburnt the hair through, and so head over heels I fell to the ground,\nand sank into the earth up to my girdle. I looked about to see how I\ncould get out, and, seeing no help near, I hurried home for a spade\nand came back and dug myself out. Then I took the holy water to my\nfather. When I arrived at home I found the reapers working in the\ncorn-field. The corn was so high, that the reapers were almost burnt\nup. Then I shouted to them, \"Why do you not bring our mare here which\nis two days' long and a day and a half broad, and on whose back large\ntrees are growing? Bring her that she may make a little shadow on the\nfield!\" My father quickly brought the mare, and the reapers worked on\nquite pleasantly in her shadow. Then I took a vessel to bring some\nwater. But the water was frozen, so I took my head and broke the ice\nwith it. Then I filled the vessel with water, and carried it to the\nreapers. When they saw me they all shouted, \"But where is your head?\"\nI put up my hand to feel for my head, and found, alas, that I had no\nhead on my shoulders. I had forgotten it, and had left it by the\nwater. So I returned quickly, but a fox had got there before me, and\nwas drawing the brains from my head to eat. Then I approached slowly\nand struck the fox furiously, and he began to run, and, in running,\ndropped a little book from his pocket. I opened the book, and there I\nread, \"The whole loaf is for me, and Beardless is to get nothing!\"' So\nthe boy caught up the loaf and ran off home, and Beardless remained\nlooking after him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WICKED STEPMOTHER.\n\n\nThere was once on a time a stepmother who hated her step-daughter\nexceedingly, because she was more beautiful than her own daughter whom\nshe had brought with her into the house. By-and-by, the father learned\nalso to hate his own child: he scolded her, and beat her, in order to\nplease his wife. One day his wife said to him, 'Let us send your\ndaughter away! Let her look out for herself in the world!' Upon this\nthe man asked, 'Where can we send her? Where can the poor girl go\nalone?' To this the wife answered, 'If you will not do this, husband,\nI will no longer live with you. You had better take her to-morrow out\nof the house. You can lead her into the forest, and then steal away\nfrom her and hurry home!' She repeated this so often that at length he\nconsented, but said, 'At least prepare the girl something for her\njourney, that she may not die the first day of hunger.'\n\nThe stepmother thereupon made a cake, and, the next morning early, the\nfather led the girl far away into the very heart of the forest, and\nthere left her and went back home.\n\nThe poor girl, thus left alone, wandered all day about the wood\nseeking for a path, but could find no way out of it. When it grew dark\nshe got up into a tree to pass the night, fearing lest some wild\nbeasts would eat her if she remained on the ground. And, indeed, all\nnight long the wolves were howling under the tree, so that the poor\ngirl trembled so much that she could hardly keep her herself from\nfalling. When day dawned she descended from the tree and walked on\nagain, hoping to find some way out of the forest. But the wood grew\nthicker and thicker, and seemed to have no end. In the evening whilst\nshe was looking for a tree in which she might remain safely over the\nnight, all at once she saw something shining in the forest. So she\nwent on, hoping to find some shelter, and at length came to a fine\nlarge house. The gates were open, so she went in, and walked through a\ngreat many rooms, each one more beautiful than the other. On a table\nin one room she found a candle burning. She thought this must be the\nhouse of some robbers; but she was not afraid, for she reasoned with\nherself, 'Rich men have reason to fear robbers, but I have none--I\nwill tell them that I will serve them gladly for a piece of bread.'\n\nShe then took the cake from her bag, said grace, and began to eat.\nJust as she had begun to eat a cock came into the room, and sprung\nupon the table to reach the cake, so the girl crumbled some of it for\nhim. Then a little dog came in and jumped quite friendly upon her, so\nshe broke a piece from her cake for the little dog, and took him on\nher knee, and petted and fed him. After that came in a cat also, and\nthe girl fed her too.\n\nAt length the girl heard a loud noise as if some great beast was\ncoming, and was greatly frightened when a lion came into the room. But\nthe lion moved his tail in such a friendly way, and looked so very\nkindly, that she took heart, and offered him a piece of her cake. The\nlion took it and began to lick her hand, and the girl had no longer\nany fear of him, so she stroked him gently and fed him with the rest\nof the cake. Suddenly she heard a great noise of weapons, and almost\nswooned as a creature in a bear-skin entered the room. The cock, the\ndog, the cat, and the lion, all ran to it, and jumped about it\naffectionately, showing in all possible ways their great joy. The poor\ngirl thought it a very strange beast, and expected it would jump upon\nher and kill her. But the fearful thing threw the bear-skin from its\nhead and shoulders, and all the room shone and glittered with its\ngolden garments. The poor girl almost lost her senses when she saw\nbefore her a handsome man, beautifully dressed. But he came up to her\nand said, 'Don't be afraid, my dear! I am not a bad man, I am the son\nof the king, and when I wish to hunt I come here and use this\nbear-skin as a disguise lest the people should recognise me. Those who\nsee me believe that I am a ghost and run away from me. No one dares to\ncome into this house, knowing that I often come here. You are the only\nperson who has ventured in. How did you know that I am not a ghost?'\n\nThen she told him she had never heard of him nor of the house, but\nthat her stepmother had driven her away from home, and she told him\nall that had happened to her. When he heard this, he was very sorry,\nand said, 'Your stepmother hated you, but God has been kind to you. I\nwill marry you if you are willing to be my wife--will you consent?'\n'Yes!' she replied. Next day he took her to his father's palace and\nmarried her. After some time she begged to be allowed to go to see her\nfather. So her husband allowed her to go, and she dressed herself all\nin gold and went to her father's house. The father happened to be away\nfrom home, and the stepmother, seeing her coming, was afraid lest she\nhad come to revenge herself. So she hurried to meet her and said, 'You\nsee that it was I who sent you on the road to happiness.' The\nstep-daughter kissed her, and embraced her step-sister. Then the girl\nsaid she was very sorry that she had not found her father at home,\nand, on her going away, she gave plenty of money to her stepmother.\nWhen, however, she had gone away the stepmother shook her fist after\nher and cried, 'Wait a little, you shall not be the only one so\ndressed out; to-morrow I will send my own daughter after you the same\nway!'\n\nWhen her husband came home at night she told him all that had\nhappened, and said, 'What do you think, husband? would it not be a\ngood thing to send my girl also into the wood to try her fortune; for\nyour girl, whom we sent there, never came back until now, and now she\nhas come glittering in gold?'\n\nThe man sighed and agreed to the proposal. Next day the stepmother\nprepared for her daughter plenty of cakes and roasted meats, and then\nsent her with the father into the forest. The man led her deep into\nthe forest, as he had done his own daughter, and there left her.\nFinding the father did not return, she began to seek a way to get\nhome, and soon came in sight of the house in the forest. She entered\nit, and seeing no one, fastened the door inside, saying as she did so,\n'If God himself comes I will not open to Him.' Then she took out of\nher bag the baked meats and cakes and began to eat. Whilst she was\neating, the cock, the dog, and the cat came in suddenly, and began to\nplay about her affectionately, hoping she would give them something;\nbut she became quite angry, and exclaimed, 'The devil take you! I have\nhardly enough for myself: do you think I will give any to you?' Then\nshe began to beat them; whereat the dog howled, and the lion hearing\nit rushed in furiously, caught the girl and killed her.\n\nNext day the king's son came with his wife to hunt. She immediately\nrecognised her sister's dress, and gathered together the fragments of\nthe body, which she took to her stepmother. She found her father at\nhome this time, and he was greatly pleased to hear that his daughter\nwas married to the king's son. When, however, he heard what had\nhappened with the daughter of his wife, he was very sorry, but said,\n'Her mother has deserved this from the hand of God, because she hated\nyou without a cause. There she is at the well, I will go and tell\nher.'\n\nWhen the stepmother heard what had happened to her daughter, she said\nto her husband, 'I cannot bear your daughter! I cannot bear to look at\nher! Let us kill her and her husband. If you will not consent, I will\njump down into this well!' 'I cannot kill my own child,' returned he.\n'Well, then,' cried she, 'if _you_ will not kill her, _I_ cannot\nendure her!' and so she jumped down into the well.\n\n\n\n\nBIRD GIRL.\n\n\nOnce upon a time lived a king, who had only one son; and when this son\ngrew up, his father sent him to travel about the world, in order that\nhe might find a maiden who would make him a suitable wife.\n\nThe king's son started on his journey, and travelled through the whole\nworld without finding anywhere a maiden whom he loved well enough to\nmarry. Seeing then that he had taken so much trouble, and had spent so\nmuch time and money, and all to no purpose, he resolved to kill\nhimself. With this intention, he climbed to the top of a high\nmountain, that he might throw himself from its summit; for he wished\nthat even his bones might never be found. Having arrived at the top of\nthe mountain, he saw a sharp rock jutting out from one side of it, and\nwas climbing up to throw himself from it, when he heard a voice behind\nhim calling, 'Stop! stop! O man! Stop for the sake of three hundred\nand sixty-five which are in the year!' He looked back, and seeing no\none, asked, 'Who are you that speak to me? Let me see you? When you\nknow how miserable I am, you will not prevent me killing myself!'\n\nHe had scarcely said these words when there appeared to him an old\nman, with hair as white as wool, who said, 'I know all about you. But\nlisten! Do you see that high hill?' 'Yes, I do,' said the prince. 'And\ndo you see the multitude of marble blocks which are on it?' said the\nold man. 'Yes, I do,' rejoined the prince. 'Well, then,' continued the\nold man, 'on the summit of that hill there is an old woman with golden\nhair, who sits night and day on that very spot, and holds a bird in\nher bosom. Whoever can get this bird into his hands, will be the\nhappiest man in the world. But, be careful. If you are willing to try\nand get the bird, you must take the old woman by her hair before she\nsees you. If she sees you before you catch her by her hair, you will\nbe changed into a stone on the spot. Thus it happened to all those\nyoung men you see standing there, as if they were blocks of marble.'\n\nWhen the king's son heard this, he thought, 'It is all one to me\nwhether I die here or there. If I succeed, so much the better for me;\nif I fail, I can but die as I had resolved.' So he went up the hill.\nWhen he arrived near the old woman, he walked very cautiously towards\nher, hoping to reach her unseen; for, luckily, the old woman was lying\nwith her back towards him, sunning herself, and playing with the bird.\n\nWhen near enough, he sprang suddenly and caught her by the hair. Then\nthe old woman cried out, so that the whole hill shook as with a great\nearthquake; but the king's son held fast by her hair, and when she\nfound that she could not escape she said, 'What do you desire from\nme?' He replied, 'That you should give me the bird in your bosom, and\nthat you call back to life all these Christian souls!' The old woman\nconsented, and gave him the bird. Then from her mouth she breathed a\nblue wind towards the men of stone, and immediately they again became\nalive. The king's son, having the bird in his hands, was so rejoiced,\nthat he began to kiss it; and, as he kissed it, the bird was\ntransformed into a most beautiful maiden.\n\nThis girl the enchantress had turned into a bird, in order that she\nmight allure the young men to her. The girl pleased the king's son\nexceedingly, and he took her with him, and prepared to return home. As\nhe was going down the hill, the girl gave him a stick, and told him\nthe stick would do everything that he desired of it. So the king's son\nstruck with it once upon the rock, and in a moment there came out a\nmass of golden coin, of which they took plenty for use on their\njourney. As they were travelling they came to a great river, and could\nfind no place by which they could pass over; so the king's son touched\nthe surface of the river with his stick, and the water divided, so\nthat a dry path lay before them, and they were able to cross over the\nriver dryshod. A little farther they came to a herd of wolves, and the\nwolves attacked them, and seemed about to tear them to pieces; but the\nprince struck at them with his stick, and one by one the wolves were\nturned into ants. Thus, at length, the king's son reached home safely\nwith his beloved, and they were shortly after married, and lived long\nand happily together.\n\n\n\n\nSIR PEPPERCORN.\n\n\nThree brothers once upon a time went out into the neighbouring forest\nto choose some trees fit for building. Before going, however, they\ntold their mother not to forget to send their sister into the wood\nafter them with their dinners. The mother sent the girl as she had\nbeen told to do; but as the girl was on her way a giant met her in the\nwood, and carried her off to a cave, where he lived.\n\nAll day long the brothers waited, expecting their sister, and\nwondering why their mother had forgotten to send them food. At length,\nafter remaining two days in the forest, and becoming anxious and angry\nat the delay, they went home. When they arrived there they asked their\nmother why she had not sent their sister with their food, as she had\npromised to do; she replied that she had sent the girl three days ago,\nand had been wondering greatly why she had not come back.\n\nWhen the three brothers heard this they were exceedingly troubled, and\nthe eldest said, 'I will go back into the forest and look for my\nsister.' Accordingly he went. After wandering about some time he came\nto a shepherdess, who was minding a flock of sheep. He asked her\nanxiously if she had seen his sister in the wood, or whether she could\ntell him anything about her. The shepherdess replied that she had\nindeed seen a girl carrying food, but a giant had met her and carried\nher off to his cave. Then the young man asked her to tell him the way\nto the giant's cave; which she did. The cave was hidden in a deep\nravine. The brother at once went down, and called aloud on his sister\nby name. In a short time the girl came to the mouth of the cave, and,\nseeing her eldest brother, invited him to come in. This he did, and\nwas exceedingly surprised to see that the seeming cave was in reality\na magnificent palace. Whilst he stood there, talking to his sister,\nand inquiring how she liked her new home, he heard a loud whirring in\nthe air overhead, and, immediately afterwards, saw a heavy mace fall\non the ground just in front of the cave. Greatly terrified and\nastonished, he asked his sister what this meant, and she told him not\nto be afraid, for it was only the way the giant let her know of his\nreturn three hours before he came, that she might begin to prepare his\nsupper.\n\nWhen it grew dark the giant came home, and was at once aware that a\nstranger was in his place. In reply to his angry questions, his wife\ntold him it was 'only her brother, who had come to visit them.' When\nthe giant heard this he went to the mouth of the cave, and calling a\nshepherd, ordered him to kill the largest sheep in his flock and roast\nit.\n\nWhen the meat was ready the giant called his brother-in-law, and\nsaid, as he cut the sheep in two equal parts, 'My dear brother-in-law,\nlisten well to what I say; if you eat your half of the meat sooner\nthan I eat mine, I will give you leave to kill me; but if I eat my\nhalf quicker than you eat yours, I shall certainly kill you.'\n\nThereupon the poor brother-in-law began to shake all over with fright;\nand, fearing the worst, tried to eat as fast as he could. But he had\nhardly swallowed three mouthfuls before the giant finished his share\nof the sheep, and killed him, according to his threat.\n\nFor some time the other two brothers and their old mother waited\nimpatiently to see if the elder brother would come back. At last,\nhearing nothing either of the brother or of the sister, the second son\nsaid, 'I will go and look after them.' So he went into the same forest\nwhere his brother had gone, and, meeting there the same shepherdess\nminding her sheep, he inquired if he had seen his brother or sister.\nThe shepherdess answered him as she had answered the elder brother,\nand he, too, asked the way to the giant's cave, and, on being told,\nwent down the ravine until he reached the place. There he called on\nhis sister by name, and she came out and invited him to enter the\ncave. This he did, and shared the fate of his brother; for, being\nunable to eat his part of the sheep as quickly as the giant ate his,\nhe was also killed.\n\nNot long after, the third brother went forth the same road, to look\nafter his two elder brothers and sister, and, having found the giant's\ncave, was likewise invited to eat half a sheep, or be put to death.\nHe, however, failed like his brothers had done before him, and being\nunable to eat his part of the sheep as quickly as the giant ate his,\nhe was also killed.\n\nNow the parents being alone in their house, prayed that God would give\nthem another son, even were he no bigger than a peppercorn. As they\nprayed so it came to pass, and not very long after a little boy was\nborn to them, who was so extremely small that they christened him\n'Peppercorn.'\n\nWhen the boy was old enough he went out to play with other boys; and\none day, in a quarrel, one of these said to him, 'May you share the\nfate of your three elder brothers!' Hearing this, Peppercorn ran off\nhome at once, and asked his mother what these words meant. So the\nmother was forced to tell him how his three brothers had gone into the\nforest to look after their lost sister, and had never come back again.\nAs soon as he heard this, Peppercorn began to search the house for\npieces of old iron, and, having found some scraps, carried them off in\nthe evening to a blacksmith, that with them he might make him a mace.\nNext morning, Peppercorn went to the smith to ask for his mace, which\nthe man gave him, saying at the same time, 'Now, pay me for making\nit.' To this, Peppercorn replied, 'First, let me see if it is strong\nenough;' and he threw it up in the air and held his head so that the\nmace might fall upon it. As soon as the mace struck his head, it broke\ninto pieces; and Peppercorn, seeing how badly it was made, fell into a\npassion and killed the smith. Then he gathered up the pieces of iron,\nand went off to look for a better workman. He soon found another\nblacksmith who was willing to make him a mace, but demanded a ducat\nfor the work. Peppercorn said he would willingly pay the ducat if the\nsmith made him a really strong serviceable mace. So next morning he\nwent to ask if it was ready, and the smith said 'Yes; but you must\nfirst pay me the ducat, and then I will give it you.' Peppercorn,\nhowever, answered, 'The ducat is ready in my pocket, but I must first\nsee if the mace is good before I pay for it.' Thereupon he caught it,\nflung it up in the air, and held his head under it as it fell. As soon\nas the mace struck his head it broke into pieces; and he, again\nfalling into a great passion, killed this smith also.\n\nGathering up the pieces of iron, he now carried them to a third smith,\nwho undertook to make him a good strong mace, and demanded a ducat for\ndoing so. Next morning Peppercorn went for the mace, and, after trying\nit three times, each time throwing it up higher in the air and letting\nit fall on his head, where it raised great bumps, he owned that he was\nsatisfied with it, and accordingly paid the smith the ducat as he had\npromised.\n\nHaving now a good strong mace, Peppercorn started off at once for the\nforest, in which his three elder brothers and his sister had been\nlost. After wandering about for some time, he came to the place where\nthe shepherdess sat watching her sheep, and, in reply to his\nquestions, she told him that she had seen his three brothers go down\nthe ravine in search of their sister, but had never seen them come up\nagain.\n\nNotwithstanding this, Peppercorn went resolutely down the ravine,\ncalling aloud upon his sister by name. When she heard this she was\nexceedingly surprised, and said to herself, 'Who can this be calling\nme by name, now that all my brothers are killed? I have no other\nrelations to come and look for me!' Then she went to the entrance of\nthe cave and called out, 'Who is it that calls me; I have no longer\nany brothers?'\n\nPeppercorn said to her, 'I am your brother who was born after you left\nhome, and my name is Peppercorn!'\n\nOn hearing this, his sister led him into the palace, but he had hardly\nhad time to say a few words to her before a loud whirring was heard in\nthe air, and the giant's mace fell to the ground. For a moment\nPeppercorn was terrified at this, but he recovered himself quickly,\nand, pulling the mace out of the ground, flung it back to the giant,\nwho, in astonishment, said to himself, 'Who is this who throws my mace\nback to me? Methinks I have at last found someone able to fight with\nme!'\n\nWhen the giant came home, he immediately asked his wife who had been\nin the cave, and she answered him, 'It is my youngest brother!'\nThereupon the giant ordered the shepherd to bring the largest sheep in\nhis flock. When this was brought, the giant killed it himself, and,\nwhilst preparing it for roasting, said to Peppercorn, 'Will you turn\nthe meat, or will you take care of the fire?' Peppercorn said he\nwould rather gather wood and make the fire; so he went out and tumbled\ndown some large trees with his mace. These he carried to the mouth of\nthe cave, and made a large fire ready for the meat.\n\nWhen the sheep was roasted, the giant cut it in two parts, and gave\none half to Peppercorn, saying, 'Take this half, and if you eat it\nbefore I eat my half you are free to kill me; but if you don't, I\nshall surely kill you!' So Peppercorn and the giant began to eat as\nfast as they could, swallowing down large pieces of meat, and, in\ntheir haste, almost choking themselves. At last, Peppercorn, by\ntrickery, managed to get rid of his share of the sheep, and, according\nto the arrangement, killed the giant. This done, with the help of his\nsister, he collected all the treasures the giant had heaped up in his\npalace, and, taking them with him, returned home with his sister, to\nthe great joy of their parents.\n\nPeppercorn remained some time after this with his father, mother, and\nsister, and they lived very merrily on the treasures he had brought\nfrom the giant's cave. At length, however, he saw that the riches were\ncoming to an end, so he resolved to go into the world to seek his\nfortune.\n\nAfter travelling about a good while he came one day to a large city\nwhere he saw a great crowd gathered about a man who held an iron pike\nin his hand, and every now and then squeezed drops of water out of the\niron. Whilst the people watched, wondering and admiring his great\nstrength, Peppercorn went up and asked him, 'Do you think there is any\nman in the world stronger than yourself?'\n\n'There is only one man alive who is stronger than myself, and that one\nis a certain person called Peppercorn,' answered he. 'Peppercorn can\nreceive a mace on his head without being hurt!'\n\nThereupon Peppercorn told the man who he was, and proposed to him that\nthey should travel about the world together.\n\n'That will I right gladly,' said the Pikeman. 'How can I help being\nglad to go with a trusty fellow like you!'\n\nTravelling together they came one day to a certain city, and, finding\na concourse of people assembled, they went to see what was the matter.\nThey found a man sitting on the bank of a river turning the wheels of\nnine mills with his little finger. So they said to him, 'Is there any\none stronger than you in the world?'\n\nAnd he answered them, 'There are only two men stronger than I am--a\ncertain person named Peppercorn and a certain Pikeman.' Hearing this,\nPeppercorn and the Pikeman told him who they were, and proposed that\nhe should join them in their travels about the world.\n\nThe Mill-turner very gladly accepted the offer, and so all three\ncontinued their journey together.\n\nAfter travelling some time they came to a city where they found all\nthe people greatly excited because some one had stolen the three\ndaughters of the king, and, notwithstanding the immense rewards his\nmajesty had offered, no one had as yet dared to go out to look for the\nprincesses. As soon as Peppercorn and his two comrades heard this they\nwent to the king and offered to search for his three daughters. But in\norder to accomplish the task they demanded that the king should give\nthem a hundred thousand loads of wood. The king gave them what they\nwanted, and they made a fence all around the city with the timber.\nThis done they began to watch.\n\nThe first morning they prepared a whole ox for their dinners, and\ndiscussed the question which of the three should stay behind to mind\nthe meat whilst the other two watched the fence. The Pikeman said, 'I\nthink I will stay here and take care of the meat, and I will have\ndinner ready for you when you come back from looking after the fence.'\nSo it was thus settled. Just, however, as the Pikeman thought the ox\nwas well roasted he was frightened by the sudden approach of a man\nwith a forehead a yard high and a beard a span long. This man said to\nthe Pikeman, 'Good morning!' but the latter ran away instead of\nanswering, he was so shocked by the strange appearance of the man.\n\nYard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard was quite content at this, and,\nsitting down, soon finished the whole ox. When he had ended his dinner\nhe got up and went away.\n\nShortly afterwards Sir Peppercorn and the Mill-turner came for their\ndinners, and, being very hungry, shouted from afar to the Pikeman,\n'Let us dine at once!' But the Pikeman, keeping himself hidden among\nthe bushes, called out to them, 'There is nothing left for us to eat!\nA little while ago Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard came up and\nate up the whole ox to the very last morsel! I was afraid of him, and\nso I did not say one word against it.'\n\nPeppercorn and the Mill-turner reproached their companion bitterly for\nallowing all their dinner to be stolen without once trying to prevent\nit, and the Mill-turner said scornfully, 'Well, I will stop to-morrow\nand look after the meat, and Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard\nmay come if he likes!'\n\nSo the next day the Mill-turner stayed to roast the ox, and his two\ncomrades went to look after the fence they had built round about the\ncity.\n\nJust before dinner-time Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard came\nout of the forest and walked straight up to the ox, and stretched his\nhands out greedily to grasp it. The Mill-turner was so frightened by\nhis strange appearance that he ran off as hard as he could to look for\na place to hide in.\n\nBy-and-by Peppercorn and the Pikeman came for their dinners and\nasked angrily where the meat was. Whereupon the Mill-turner\nanswered, 'There is no meat! It has all been eaten by that horrible\nYard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard, and his looks frightened me\nso that I dared not say a single word to him.'\n\nIt was no use complaining, so Peppercorn only said, 'To-morrow I will\nstay to mind the ox, and you two shall go and look after the fence. I\nwill see if we are to remain the third day without dinner.'\n\nThe next morning the Pikeman and the Mill-turner went to see if all\nwas right round about the city, and Peppercorn remained to roast the\nox. Exactly as on the two former days, just before dinner was ready,\nYard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard made his appearance, and went\nup to seize the meat. But Peppercorn pushed him roughly back, saying,\n'Two days I have been dinnerless on your account, but the third day I\nwill not be so, as long as my head stands on my shoulders!'\n\nMuch astonished at his boldness, Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard\nexclaimed, 'Take care you don't begin to quarrel with me. There is no one\nin all the world who can conquer me, except a fellow called Peppercorn!'\n\nPeppercorn was very pleased to hear this, and, without more\nhesitation, sprang at once on Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard,\nand, after some struggling, pulled him down to the earth and bound\nhim. This done, he tied him fast to a tall pine-tree. Now the Pikeman\nand Mill-turner came up and were exceedingly glad to find their\ndinners safe. Just as they were in the middle of their dinners,\nhowever, Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard, with a sudden jerk,\npulled up the pine-tree by the roots and ran off with tree and all,\nmaking furrows in the earth with it just as if three ploughs had been\npassing over the ground.\n\nSeeing him run off, the Pikeman and Mill-turner jumped up quickly and\nran after him, but Peppercorn called them back and told them to finish\ntheir dinners first, for there would be plenty of time to catch him after\nthey had dined! So they all three went on eating, and when they had done\nthey followed the furrows which Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard\nhad made in the ground. After a while they came to a deep dark hole in\nthe earth, and when they had examined it all round and tried in vain on\naccount of the darkness to look down into it, they returned to the king\nand asked him to give them a thousand miles of strong rope so that they\ncould go down into the pit.\n\nThe king at once ordered his servants to give them what they required,\nand when they had got the great cable they went back to the hole. On\nthe way, as they were going, they discussed which of the three should\nventure down first, and it was at last settled that the Pikeman should\nbe let down. However, he made them solemnly promise him that they\nshould pull him up again the instant he shook the rope.\n\nHe had been let down but a very little way before he shook the rope,\nand so they pulled him up as they had promised.\n\nThen the Mill-turner said, 'Let _me_ go down.' And so the other two\nlowered him, but in a moment or two he shook the rope violently; and\nso he, too, was pulled up.\n\nNow Peppercorn grew angry, and exclaimed, 'I did not think you were\nsuch cowards as to be afraid of a dark hole! Now let _me_ down!' So\nthey let him down and down until his foot touched solid ground.\nFinding that he had reached the bottom, he looked round him, and saw\nthat he stood just in the very middle of a most beautiful green\nplain--a plain so beautiful that it was a real pleasure to look on it.\n\nAt one end of the plain stood a large handsome palace, and Peppercorn\nwent nearer to look at it. There, in the gardens, walking, he met two\nyoung girls, and asked them if they were not the daughters of the\nking? When they said that they were, he inquired what had become of\nthe other sister; and the princesses told him that their youngest\nsister was in the palace very busy binding up the wounds that\nYard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard had lately received from a\ncertain knight called Peppercorn.\n\nThen Peppercorn told them who he was, and that he had come down on\npurpose to release them, and to take them back to the king, their father.\nOn hearing this good news, the two princesses rejoiced greatly, and told\nPeppercorn where he would find Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard and\ntheir youngest sister. But they warned him not to rush in on the giant,\nbut rather to go softly, and first try to get hold of the sabre which\nhung on the wall over his bed, for this sabre possessed the wonderful\npower of killing a man when he was a whole day's journey from it.\n\nPeppercorn took care to do as the princesses had told him. He stole\nvery quietly into the room where Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard\nwas lying, and when he was near the bed he sprang up suddenly and\nseized the sword. The moment the wounded giant saw his sabre in the\nhands of Peppercorn he jumped up quickly and ran out of the palace.\nPeppercorn followed him some time before he remembered what the two\nprincesses had told him of the wonderful properties of the sword, but\nas soon as he recollected this he made a sharp cut with it in the air,\nas if he were cutting off a man's head, and the moment he did so\nYard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard fell down dead.\n\nThen Peppercorn went back to the palace, and, taking with him the\nthree princesses, prepared to return to the upper world.\n\nWhen he came to the place where the rope was hanging he took a large\nbasket, and, placing the eldest princess in it, fastened it to the\nrope, then, giving her a note, in which he said that he sent her for\nthe Pikeman, he made the signal agreed upon for the rope to be drawn\nup. So his comrades pulled up the rope, and when it came down again\nwith the empty basket, Peppercorn sent up the second princess, after\ngiving her a paper, in which he had written, 'This one is for the\nMill-turner.'\n\nWhen the rope descended the third time he sent up the youngest\nprincess, who was by far the most beautiful of the three. He gave her\na paper which said that this one he meant to keep for himself. Just as\nthe Pikeman and the Mill-turner began to pull up the rope the princess\ngave Peppercorn a little box, saying, 'Open it when you have need of\nanything!'\n\nNow, when the Pikeman and Mill-turner drew up the youngest princess,\nand saw how very beautiful she was, they determined to leave\nPeppercorn down in the pit, and go back without delay to the king's\npalace, and there see which of them could get the youngest princess\nfor his wife.\n\nPeppercorn waited patiently some time for the rope to be let down that\nhe might be drawn up but no rope appeared. At last he was obliged to\nown to himself that his two comrades had deceived and deserted him,\nand, seeing how useless it was to remain standing still any longer, he\nwalked off without knowing where the road would take him. Walking on,\nafter a long time, he came to the shore of a large lake, and heard a\ngreat noise of crying and shouting. Very soon a multitude of people,\nlooking like a wedding party, made their appearance. After placing a\nyoung girl in bridal attire on the shore of the lake, the people left\nher there alone and went away.\n\nPeppercorn, seeing the girl left by herself, and noticing how sad she\nlooked, went up to her, and asked her why her friends had left her\nthere, and why she was so sad? The girl answered, 'In this lake is a\ndragon who, every year, swallows up a young girl. It is now my turn;\nand our people have brought me as a bride to the dragon, and left me\nto be swallowed up.'\n\nPeppercorn, on hearing this, asked her to let him rest near her a\nlittle, because he was very tired, but she answered, 'You had far\nbetter fly away, my good knight; if it is necessary that I should die,\nit is not needful that you should die also.'\n\nBut Peppercorn said to her, 'Don't trouble yourself about me, only\nlet me rest near you a little, for I am very tired. It will be time\nenough for me to run away when the dragon comes.' Having said this he\nsat down near the girl, and in a little while fell asleep. He had not\nslept long before the surface of the lake became agitated, and the\nwater rose up in large waves; presently the dragon lifted its head,\nand swam straight to the shore where the girl sat, evidently intending\nto swallow her at once. The maiden cried bitterly, and a tear falling\non Peppercorn's face, awakened him. He sprang up quickly, grasped his\nsword, and, smiting fiercely, with one stroke, cut off the dragon's\nhead.\n\nThen he took the girl by the hand, and led her back to the city, where\nhe found that she was the only daughter of the king of that country.\nThe king was overjoyed at hearing that the dragon was killed, and also\nat seeing his daughter brought back to him safe and sound. So he\ninsisted that Peppercorn should marry the princess, which he did, and\nthey all lived together very happily for a long time.\n\nAfter a while, however, Peppercorn began to long greatly for the other\nworld, and grew sadder and sadder every day. When his wife noticed\nthis change in his appearance she asked him very often what ailed him,\nbut he would not tell her for a long time, because he did not wish to\ntrouble her. At last, however, he could keep his secret no longer, and\nconfessed to the princess how much he longed to go back to the upper\nworld. Though she was very sorry to hear this, she promised him that\nshe herself would beg the king to let him go, since he so greatly\nwished it. This she did; and when the king objected, not wishing to\nlose so good a son-in-law, the princess said, 'Let him go; he has\nsaved my life, and why should we keep him against his will? My three\nsons will still remain to comfort us!'\n\nThen the king consented, saying, 'Very well; let it be as he wishes,\nsince you have nothing to say against it. Tell your benefactor to go\nto the lake-shore, and to say to the giant-bird he will find there,\nthat the king sends her his greetings, and desires her to take the\nbearer of them up to the other world.'\n\nThe princess returned to her husband and told him what her father had\nsaid, and then began to prepare some provisions for the journey. When\nthese were ready, and the king had sent the letter for the bird,\nPeppercorn took a kind leave of his wife, and went down to the\nlake-shore, where he soon found the nest of the giant-bird and her\nlittle ones in it, though she herself was not there. So he sat down to\nwait under the tree where the nest was. As he sat there, he heard the\nlittle birds chirping very restlessly and anxiously. Then he saw that\nthe lake was beginning to throw up high waves, and soon a monster came\nout of the water and made straight for the nest to swallow the young\nbirds.\n\nPeppercorn, however, did not stop long to think about the matter, but\nquickly drew his wonderful sword and killed the monster. It happened\nthat the giant-bird was just coming back, and when she saw Peppercorn\nunder the tree, she shrieked as she ran up to kill him, 'Now I have\ncaught you--you who have been killing all my little ones for so many\nyears! Now you shall pay me for it, for I will kill you!' But the\nlittle birds from their nest high in the tree, cried out to her,\n'Don't do him any harm! he has saved us from being swallowed by a\nmonster who came out of the lake to kill us.'\n\nMeanwhile, Peppercorn went to her, and presented the king's letter.\nThe giant-bird read it through carefully, and then said to him, 'Go\nhome and kill twelve sheep. Fill their skins with water, and bring\nthem here, together with the flesh of the sheep.'\n\nPeppercorn went back to the king, who at once ordered that he should\nbe supplied with the flesh of twelve sheep, as well as with twelve\nsheep-skins full of fresh water. With this provision Peppercorn\nreturned to the shore of the lake.\n\nThen the giant-bird placed the twelve skins full of water under her\nleft wing, and the flesh of the twelve sheep under her right, and\ntook Peppercorn on her back. This done, she told him that he must\nwatch well her movements, and when she turned her beak to the left\nside, he must give her water, and when she turned it to the right he\nmust give her meat. After impressing these directions upon Peppercorn,\nthe giant-bird rose with her triple load in the air, and flew straight\nup towards the other world. As she flew she turned, from time to time,\nher beak, now to the left and then to the right, and Peppercorn gave\nher water or meat, as she had directed him to do. At last, however,\nall the meat disappeared. So, when the giant-bird turned her beak\nonce more to the right, Sir Peppercorn, having no more meat to give\nher, and fearing some evil might happen if he did not satisfy her,\ntook out his knife, and, cutting a piece of flesh from the sole of his\nright foot, gave it to her.\n\nBut the bird knew by the taste that he had cut it from his own foot,\nso she did not swallow it, but hid it under her tongue, and held it\nthere until she reached the other world.\n\nThen she set Peppercorn down on the earth and told him to walk, and\nwhen he tried to do so he was forced to limp, because of the loss of\npart of his foot. When the giant-bird noticed this, she asked him,\n'Why do you limp so?' To this Peppercorn answered, 'Oh, it is nothing!\nDo not trouble yourself about it!' But the bird told him to lift his\nright foot, and when he did so, she took the piece of flesh she had\nkept hidden under her tongue, and laid it on the place where he had\ncut it from. Then she tapped it two or three times with her beak to\nmake it grow to the rest of the foot.\n\nPeppercorn walked on some time before he remembered the little box\nwhich the youngest of the three daughters of the king had given him.\nNow, however, he opened it, and a bee and a fly flew out and asked him\nwhat he desired. He said, 'I want a good horse to carry me to the\nking's residence, and a decent suit of clothes to wear.' Next moment a\nsuit of good clothes lay before him, and a handsome horse stood ready\nsaddled for him to mount. Then he took the clothes, and, mounting the\nhorse, rode off to the city where the king dwelt. Before entering the\ncity, however, he opened his little box, and said to the fly and the\nbee, 'I do not want the horse any more at present.' Accordingly they\ntook it with them into their little box.\n\nPeppercorn went to live in the house of an old woman in the city. Next\nmorning he heard the public crier shouting in the street, 'Is there\nany one bold enough to fight with the mighty Pikeman, the king's\nson-in-law?'\n\nPeppercorn was very pleased to hear this challenge, and, opening his\nbox without delay, told the bee and fly, who flew out to receive his\norders, that he wanted at once a fine suit of clothes and a strong\ncharger, so that he might go to fight with the Pikeman. The bee and\nfly instantly gave him what he required, and he dressed himself and\nrode off to the field, where he found the Pikeman proudly awaiting any\none who might presume to accept his challenge.\n\nSo Peppercorn and the Pikeman fought, and before very long the first\nson-in-law of the king was slain. Then Peppercorn returned home\nquickly, and opening his box, bade the bee and fly take away the horse\nand the fine clothes.\n\nThe king sought everywhere for the stranger who had killed his\nson-in-law, but no one knew anything about him. So, after some days,\nthe city crier went round again, proclaiming that the Mill-turner, the\nsecond son-in-law of the king, would fight any one who dared to meet\nhim.\n\nPeppercorn again let out his bee and his fly, and asked for a finer\nhorse and handsomer clothes than the last. So they brought him a very\ngorgeous suit, and a most beautiful coal-black charger, and with these\nhe went on the field to meet the Mill-turner. They fought, but\nPeppercorn soon killed the king's second son-in-law, and again went to\nhis lodgings, where he ordered the bee and fly to take the horse and\nclothes with them into their little box.\n\nNow, not only the king, but all his people were very much puzzled as\nto who the powerful knight could be, who had killed the two valiant\nsons-in-law of the king. So a strict search was made, and he was\nsought everywhere. But no one could tell anything about him; while\nsuch horses as he rode, and such clothes as he wore were not to be\nfound in the whole kingdom.\n\nSome time had passed since the king's sons-in-law had been killed, and\npeople had begun to be a little quieter and had given up all hope of\nfinding out who the stronger knight might be. Then Peppercorn wrote a\nletter to the king's youngest daughter, and sent it to her by the old\nwoman in whose house he lived. In the letter he told the princess\neverything that had happened to him since he had sent up in the basket\nto his false comrades, and told her also that he himself had slain\nboth of the traitors in fair fight.\n\nThe young princess, as soon as she had read the letter, quickly ran to\nher father and begged him to pardon Peppercorn. The king saw he could\nnot justly deny her this favour, since the two men who had been killed\nhad deceived and deserted their friend, without whose superior\ncourage they would never have been themselves his sons-in-law, seeing\nthat all the three princesses, but for Peppercorn, must have remained\nin the other world where Yard-high-forehead-and-span-long-beard had\ncarried them.\n\nSo, after thinking all this over in his mind, the king told his\ndaughter that he willingly forgave Peppercorn, and that she might\ninvite him to the palace. This the princess did at once, and very soon\nafter Peppercorn made his appearance before the king in splendid\nattire, and was received very kindly.\n\nNot long afterwards, the marriage of Peppercorn with the beautiful\nprincess, the king's youngest daughter, was celebrated with great\nrejoicings, and the king built them a fine house near his palace to\nlive in.\n\nThere Peppercorn and his princess lived long and happily, and he never\nhad any wish to wander again about the world.\n\n\n\n\nBASH-CHALEK; OR, TRUE STEEL.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king who had three sons and three\ndaughters. At length old age overtook him, and the hour came for him\nto die. While dying he called to him his three sons and three\ndaughters, and told his sons to let their sisters marry the very first\nmen who came to ask them in marriage. 'Do this, or dread my curse!'\nsaid he, and soon after expired.\n\nSome time after his death there came one night a great knocking at the\ngate; the whole palace shook, and outside was heard a great noise of\nsqueaking, singing, and shouting, whilst lightnings played round the\nwhole court of the palace. The people in the palace were very much\nfrightened, so that they shook for fear, when all at once some one\nshouted from the outside, 'O princes! open the door!' Thereupon the\nking's eldest son said, 'Do not open!' The second son added, 'Do not\nopen, for anything in the world!' But the youngest son said, 'I will\nopen the door!' and he jumped up and opened it.\n\nThe moment he had opened the door something came in, but the brother\ncould see nothing except a bright light in one part of the room; out\nof this light came these words: 'I have come to demand your eldest\nsister for wife, and I shall take her away this moment, without any\ndelay; for I wait for nothing, neither will I come a second time to\nask her! Therefore answer me quickly--will you give her or not?'\n\nThe eldest brother said, 'I will not give her. How can I give her when\nI cannot see you, and do not know who you are, nor whence you come?\nYou come to-night for the first time, and wish to take her away\ninstantly! Should I not know where I can visit my sister sometimes?'\n\nThe second said, 'I will not give my sister to-night to be taken\naway!'\n\nBut the youngest said, 'I will give her if you will not. Have you\nforgotten what our father commanded us?' and, with these words, taking\nhis sister by the hand, he gave her away, saying, 'May she be to you a\nhappy and honest wife!'\n\nAs the sister passed over the threshold every one in the palace fell\nto the ground from fear, so vivid was the lightning and loud the claps\nof thunder. The heavens seemed to be on fire and the whole sky\nrumbled, so that the whole palace shook as if about to fall. All this\nhowever passed over, and soon after the day dawned; when it grew light\nenough, the brothers went to see if any trace was left of the mighty\npower, to whom they had given their sister, so that they might be able\nto trace the road by which it had gone. There was, however, nothing\nwhich they could either see or hear.\n\nThe second night, about the same time, there was heard again round\nthe whole palace a great noise, as if an army was whistling and\nhissing, and at length some one at the door cried out, 'Open the door,\nO princes!' They were afraid to disobey, and opened the door, and some\ndreadful power began to speak, 'Give here the girl, your second\nsister! I am come to demand her!' The eldest brother answered, 'I will\nnot give her away!' The second brother said, 'I will not give you my\nsister!' But the youngest said, 'I will give her! Have you forgotten\nwhat our father told us to do?' So he took his sister by the hand and\ngave her over, saying, 'Take her! may she be honest and bring you\nhappiness!' Then the unseen noises departed with the girl. Next day,\nas soon as it dawned, all three brothers walked round the palace, and\nfor some distance beyond, looking everywhere for some trace where the\npower had gone, but nothing could be seen nor heard.\n\nThe third night, at the same hour as before, again the palace rocked\nfrom its very foundations, and there was a mighty uproar outside. Then\na voice shouted, 'Open the door!' The sons of the king arose and\nopened the door, and a great power passed by them and said, 'I am come\nto demand your youngest sister!' The eldest and the second son\nshouted, 'No! we will not give our sister this third night! At any\nrate, we will know before our youngest sister goes away from our house\nto whom we are giving her, and where she is going, so that we can come\nto visit her whenever we wish to do so!' Thereupon the youngest\nbrother said, 'Then I will give her! Have you forgotten what our\nfather on his death-bed recommended us? It is not so very long ago!'\nThen he took the girl by the hand and said, 'Here she is! Take her!\nand may she bring you happiness and be happy herself!' Then instantly\nthe power went away with a great noise. When the day dawned the\nbrothers were very anxious about the fate of their sister, but could\nfind no trace of the way in which she had gone.\n\nSome time after the brothers, speaking together, said, 'Good God! it\nis really very wonderful what has happened to our sisters! We have no\nnews--no trace of them! We do not know where they are gone, nor whom\nthey have married!' At last they said to each other, 'Let us go and\ntry to find our sisters!' So they prepared immediately for their\njourney, took money for their travelling expenses, and went away in\nsearch of their three sisters.\n\nThey had travelled some time when they lost their way in a forest, and\nwandered about a whole day. When it grew dark they thought they would\nstop for the night at some place where they could find water. So,\nhaving come to a lake, they decided to sleep near it, and sat down to\ntake some supper. When the time for sleep came the eldest brother\nsaid, 'I will keep watch while you sleep!' and so the two younger\nbrothers went to sleep and the eldest watched. In the middle of the\nnight the lake began to be greatly agitated, and the brother who was\nwatching grew quite frightened, especially when he saw something was\ncoming towards him from the middle of the lake. When it came near he\nsaw that it was a terrific alligator with two ears, and it ran at\nhim; but he drew his knife and struck it, and cut off its head. When\nhe had done this he cut off the ears also, and put them in his pocket,\nthe body and the head, however, he threw back into the lake. Meanwhile\nthe day began to dawn, but the two brothers slept on and knew nothing\nof what their eldest brother had done. At length he awakened them, but\ntold them nothing, so they went on their travels together. When the\nnext day was closing, and it began again to grow dark, they took\ncounsel with each other where they should rest for the night, and\nwhere they should find water. They felt also afraid, because they were\napproaching some dangerous mountains.\n\nComing to a small lake they resolved to rest there that night; and\nhaving made a fire they placed their things near it, and prepared to\nsleep. Then the second brother said, 'This night I will keep guard\nwhilst you sleep!' So the two others fell asleep, and the second\nbrother remained watching.\n\nAll at once the lake began to move, and lo! an alligator, with two\nheads, came running to swallow up the three. But the brother who\nwatched grasped his knife, felled the alligator to the ground with one\nblow, and cut off both the heads. Having done this he cut off the two\npairs of ears, put them in his pocket, and threw the body into the\nwater, and the two heads after it. The other brothers, however, knew\nnothing about the danger which they had escaped, and continued to\nsleep very soundly till the morning dawned.\n\nThen the second brother awoke them, saying, 'Arise, my brothers! It\nis day!' and they instantly jumped up, and prepared to continue their\njourney. But they knew not in what country they now were, and as they\nhad eaten up nearly all their food, they feared greatly lest they\nshould die of hunger in that unknown land. So they prayed God to give\nthem sight of some city or village or, at least, that they might meet\nsome one to guide them, for they had already been wandering three days\nup and down in a wilderness, and could see no end to it. Pretty early\nin the morning they came to a large lake and resolved to go no\nfurther, but remain there all the day, and also to spend the night\nthere. 'For if we go on,' said they, 'we are not sure that we shall\nfind any more water near which we can rest.' So they remained there.\n\nWhen evening came they made a great fire, took their frugal supper,\nand prepared to sleep. Then the youngest brother said, 'This night I\nwill keep guard whilst you sleep;' and so the other two went to sleep,\nand the youngest brother kept awake, looking sharply about him, his\neyes being turned often towards the lake. Part of the night had\nalready passed, when suddenly the whole lake began to move, the waves\ndashed over the fire and half quenched it. Then he drew his sword and\nplaced himself near the fire, as there appeared a great alligator with\nthree heads, which rushed upon the brothers as if about to swallow\nthem all three.\n\nBut the youngest brother had a brave heart, and would not awaken his\nbrothers, so he met the alligator, and gave him three blows in\nsuccession, and at each blow he cut off one of the three heads. Then\nhe cut off the six ears and put them in his pocket, and threw the body\nand the three heads into the lake. Whilst he was thus busy the fire\nhad quite gone out, so he--having nothing there with which he could\nlight the fire, and not wishing to awaken his brothers from their deep\nslumbers--stepped a little way into the forest, with the hope of\nseeing something with which he might rekindle the fire.\n\nThere was, however, no trace of any fire anywhere. At last, in his\nsearch, he climbed up a very high tree, and, having reached the top,\nlooked about on all sides. After much looking he thought he saw the\nglare of a fire not very far off. So he came down from the tree and\nwent in the direction in which he had seen the fire, in order to get\nsome brand with which he might again light the fire. He walked very\nfar on this errand, and though the glare seemed always near him, it\nwas a very long time before he reached it. Suddenly, however, he came\nupon a cave, and in the cave a great fire was burning. Round it sat\nnine giants, and two men were being roasted, one on each side of the\nfire. Besides that, there stood upon the fire a great kettle full of\nthe limbs of men ready to be cooked. When the king's son saw that, he\nwas terrified and would gladly have gone back, but it was no longer\npossible.\n\nThen he shouted as loud and cheerfully as he could, 'Good evening, my\ndear comrades! I have been a very long time in search of you!'\n\nThey received him well, saying, 'Welcome! if thou art of our\ncompany!'\n\nHe answered, 'I shall remain yours for ever, and would give my life\nfor your sake!'\n\n'Eh!' said they, 'if you intend to be one of us, you know, you must\nalso eat man's flesh, and go out with us in search of prey?'\n\nThe king's son answered, 'Certainly; I shall do everything that you\ndo!'\n\n'Then come and sit with us!' cried the giants; and the whole company,\nsitting round the fire, took meat out of the kettle and began to eat.\nThe king's son pretended to eat, also, but instead of eating he always\nthrew the meat behind him, and thus deceived them.\n\nWhen they had eaten up the whole of the roasted meat, the giants got\nup and said, 'Let us now go to hunt, that we may have meat for\nto-morrow.' So they went away, all nine of them, the king's son making\nthe tenth. 'Come along!' they said to him, 'there is a city near in\nwhich a great king lives. We have been supplying ourselves with food\nfrom that city a great many years.' As they came near the city they\npulled two tall pine-trees up by the roots, and carried them along\nwith them. Having come to the city wall, they reared one pine-tree up\nagainst it, and said to the king's son, 'Go up, now, to the top of the\nwall, so that we may be able to give you the other pine-tree, which\nyou must take by the top and throw down into the city. Take care,\nhowever,' they said, 'to keep the top of the tree in your hands, so\nthat we can go down the stem of it into the city.' Thereupon the\nking's son climbed up on the wall and then cried out to them, 'I don't\nknow what to do; I am not acquainted with this place, and I don't\nunderstand how to throw the tree over the wall; please one of you come\nup and show me what I must do.' Then one of the giants climbed up the\ntree placed against the wall, caught the top of the other pine-tree,\nand threw it over the wall, keeping the top all the time safe in his\nhand. Whilst he was thus standing, the king's son drew his sword,\nstruck him on the neck, and cut his head off, so that the giant fell\ndown into the city.\n\nThen he called to the other eight giants, 'Your brother is in the\ncity; come, one after the other, so that I can let you also down into\nthe city!' And the giants, not knowing what had happened to the first\none, climbed up one after the other, and thus the king's son cut off\ntheir heads till he had killed all the nine.\n\nAfter that, he himself slowly descended the pine-tree and went into\nthe city, walking through all the streets, but there was not one\nliving creature to be seen. The city seemed quite deserted. Then he\nsaid to himself, 'Surely those giants have made this great devastation\nand carried all the people away.'\n\nAfter walking about a very long time, he came to a tall tower, and,\nlooking up, he saw a light in one of the rooms. So he opened the door,\nand went up the steps, into the room. And what a beautiful room it was\nin which he had entered! It was decorated with gold and silk and\nvelvet, and there was no one there except a girl lying on a couch,\nsleeping. As soon as the king's son entered, his eyes fell upon the\ngirl, who was exceedingly beautiful. Just then he saw a large serpent\ncoming down the wall, and it had stretched out its head and was ready\nto strike the girl on the forehead, between the eyes. So he drew his\ndagger very quickly, and nailed the snake's head to the wall,\nexclaiming, 'God grant that my dagger may not be taken out of the wall\nby any hand but my own!' and thereupon he hurried away, and passed\nover the city wall, climbing up and going down the pine-trees. When he\ngot back to the cavern where the giants had been, he plucked a brand\nfrom the fire, and ran away very quickly to the spot where he had left\nhis two brothers, and found them still sleeping.\n\nHe soon lighted the fire again, and meanwhile the sun having arisen he\nawoke his brothers, and they arose and all three continued their\njourney. The same day they came to the road leading to the city. In\nthat city lived a mighty king, who used to walk about the streets\nevery morning, weeping over the great destruction of his people by the\ngiants. The king feared greatly that one day his own daughter might\nalso be eaten up by one of them. That morning he rose very early, and\nwent to look about the city; the streets were all empty, because most\nof the people of the city had been eaten up by the giants. Walking\nabout, at last he observed a tall pine-tree, pulled up quite by the\nroots, and leaning against the city wall. He drew near, and saw a\ngreat wonder. Nine giants, the frightful enemies of his people, were\nlying there with their heads off. When the king saw that he rejoiced\nexceedingly, and all the people who were left, gathered round and\npraised God, and prayed for good health and good luck to those who had\nkilled the giants. At that moment a servant came running, to tell the\nking that a serpent had very nearly killed his daughter. So the king\nhurried back to the palace, and went quickly to the room wherein his\ndaughter was, and there he saw the snake pinned to the wall, with a\ndagger through its head. He tried to draw the knife out, but he was\nnot able to do so.\n\nThen the king sent a proclamation to all the corners of the kingdom,\nannouncing that whoever had killed the nine giants and nailed the\nsnake to the wall, should come to the king, who would make him great\npresents and give him his daughter for a wife. This was proclaimed\nthroughout the whole kingdom. The king ordered, moreover, that large\ninns should be built on all the principal roads, and that every\ntraveller who passed by should be asked if he had ever heard of the\nman who had killed the nine giants, and any traveller who knew\nanything about the matter should come and tell what he knew to the\nking, when he should be well rewarded.\n\nAfter some time the three brothers, travelling in search of their\nsisters, came one night to sleep at one of those inns. After supper\nthe master of the inn came in to speak to them, and, after boasting\nvery much what great things he had himself done, he asked them if they\nthemselves had ever done any great thing?\n\nThen the eldest brother began to speak, and said, 'After I started\nwith my brothers on this journey, one night we stopped to sleep by a\nlake in the midst of a great forest; whilst my two brothers slept I\nwatched, and, suddenly, an alligator came out of the lake to swallow\nus, but I took my knife and cut off its head; if you don't believe me,\nsee! here are the two ears from his head!' And he took the ears from\nhis pocket and threw them on the table.\n\nWhen the second brother heard that, he said, 'I kept guard the second\nnight, and I killed an alligator with two heads; if you do not believe\nme, look! here are its four ears!' and he took the ears out of his\npocket and showed them.\n\nBut the youngest brother kept silence. The master of the inn began\nthen to speak, to him, saying, 'Well, my boy, your brothers are brave\nmen; let us hear if you have not done some bold deed.'\n\nThen the youngest brother began, 'I have also done something, though\nit may not be a great thing. When we stayed to rest the third night in\nthe great wilderness on the shore of the lake, my brothers lay down to\nsleep, for it was my turn to keep guard. In the middle of the night\nthe water stirred mightily, and a three-headed alligator came out and\nwished to swallow us, but I drew my sword and cut off all the three\nheads; if you do not believe, see! here are the six ears of the\nalligator!' The brothers themselves were greatly surprised, and he\ncontinued: 'Meanwhile the fire had gone out, and I went in search of\nfire. Wandering about the mountain I met nine giants in one cave;' and\nso he went on, telling all that had happened and what he had done.\n\nWhen the innkeeper heard that he hurried off and told everything to\nthe king. The king gave him plenty of money, and sent some of his men\nto bring the three brothers to him. When they came to the king, he\nasked the youngest, 'Have you really done all these wonders in this\ncity--killed the giants and saved my daughter from death?' 'Yes, your\nmajesty,' answered the king's son. Then the king gave him his daughter\nto wife, and allowed him to take the first place after him in the\nkingdom. After that he said to the two elder brothers, 'If you like I\nwill also find wives for you two, and build palaces for you.' But they\nthanked him, saying they were already married, and so told him how\nthey had left home to search for their sisters. When the king heard\nthat, he kept by him only the youngest brother, his son-in-law, and\ngave the other two each a mule loaded with sacks full of money; and so\nthe two elder brothers went back to their kingdom. All the time,\nhowever, the youngest brother was thinking of his three sisters, and\nmany a time he wished to go in search of them again, though he was\nalso sorry to leave his wife. The king would never consent to his\ngoing, so the prince wasted away slowly without speaking about his\ngrief.\n\nOne day the king went out hunting, and said to his son-in-law, 'Remain\nhere in the palace, and take these nine keys, and keep them carefully.\nIf you wish, however,' added he, 'you can open three or four rooms,\nwherein you will see plenty of gold and silver, and other precious\nthings. Indeed, if you much wish to do so, you can open eight of the\nrooms, but let nothing in the world tempt you to open the ninth. If\nyou open that, woe to you!'\n\nThe king went away, leaving his son-in-law in the palace, who\nimmediately began to open one room after another, till he had opened\nthe whole eight, and he saw in all masses of all sorts of precious\nthings. When he stood before the door of the ninth room, he said to\nhimself, 'I have passed luckily through all kinds of adventures, and\nnow I must not dare to open this door!' thereupon he opened it. And\nwhat did he see? In the room was a man, whose legs were bound in iron\nup to the knees, and his arms to the elbows; in the four corners of\nthe chamber there were four columns, and from each an iron chain, and\nall the chains met in a ring round the man's neck. So fast was he\nbound that he could not move at all any way. In the front of him was a\nreservoir, and from it water was streaming through a golden pipe into\na golden basin, just before him. Near him stood, also, a golden mug,\nall covered with precious stones. The man looked at the water and\nlonged to drink, but he could not move to reach the cup. When the\nking's son saw that, he was greatly surprised, and stepped back; but\nthe man cried, 'Come in, I conjure you in the name of the living God!'\nThen the prince again approached, and the man said, 'Do a good deed\nfor the sake of the life hereafter. Give me a cup of water to drink,\nand be assured you will receive, as a recompense from me, another\nlife.' The king's son thought, 'It is well, after all, to have two\nlives,' so he took the mug and filled it, and gave it to the man, who\nemptied it at once. Then the prince asked him, 'Now tell me, what is\nyour name?' And the man answered, 'My name is True Steel.' The king's\nson moved to go away, but the man begged again, 'Give me yet one cup\nof water, and I will give you in addition a second life.' The prince\nsaid to himself, 'One life is mine already, and he offers to give me\nanother--that is, indeed, wonderful!' So he took the mug and gave it\nto him, and the man drank it up. The prince began already to fasten\nthe door, while the man called to him, 'Oh, my brave one, come back a\nmoment! You have done two good deeds, do yet a third one, and I will\ngive you a third life. Take the mug, fill it with water, and pour the\nwater on my head, and for that I will give you a third life.' When the\nking's son heard that, he turned, filled the beaker with water, and\npoured it over the man's head, the moment the water met his head all\nthe fastenings around the man's neck broke, all the iron chains burst\nasunder. True Steel jumped up like lightning, spread his wings, and\nstarted to fly, taking with him the king's daughter, the wife of his\ndeliverer, with whom he disappeared. What was to be done now? The\nprince was afraid of the king's anger.\n\nWhen the king returned from the chase, his son-in-law told him all\nthat had happened, and the king was very sorry and said to him, 'Why\ndid you do this? I told you not to open the ninth room!' The king's\nson answered, 'Don't be angry with me! I will go and find True Steel\nand bring my wife back!' Then the king attempted to persuade him not\nto go away: 'Do not go, for anything in the world!' he said; 'you do\nnot know True Steel. It cost me very many soldiers and much money to\ncatch him! Better remain here, and I will find you some other maiden\nfor a wife; do not fear, for I love you as my own son, notwithstanding\nall that has happened!' The prince, however, would not hear of\nremaining there, so taking some money for his journey he saddled and\nbridled his horse, and started on his travels in search of True Steel.\n\nAfter travelling a long time, he one day entered a strange city, and,\nas he was looking about, a girl called to him from a kiosk, 'O son of\nthe king, dismount from your horse and come into the forecourt.' When\nhe entered the courtyard the girl met him, and on looking at her he\nrecognised his eldest sister. They greeted each other, and the sister\nsaid to him, 'Come, my brother--come with me into the kiosk.'\n\nWhen they came into the kiosk, he asked her who her husband was, and\nshe answered, 'I am married to the King of Dragons, who is also a\ndragon. I must hide you well, my dear brother, for my husband has\noften said that he would kill his brothers-in-law if he could only\nmeet them. I will try him first, and if he will promise not to injure\nyou, I will tell him you are here.' So she hid her brother and his\nhorse as well as she could. At night, supper was prepared in readiness\nfor her husband, and at last he came. When he came flying into the\ncourtyard, the whole palace shone. The moment he came in, he called\nhis wife and said, 'Wife, there is a smell of human bones here! Tell\nme directly what it is!'\n\n'There is no one here!' said she. But he exclaimed, 'That is not\ntrue!'\n\nThen his wife said, 'My dear, will you answer me truly what I am going\nto ask you? Would you do any harm to my brothers, if one of them came\nhere to see me?' And the dragon answered, 'Your eldest and your second\nbrother I would kill and roast, but I would do no harm to the\nyoungest.' Then his wife said, 'Well, then, I will tell you that my\nyoungest brother, and your brother-in-law, is here.' When the Dragon\nKing heard that he said, 'Let him come to me!' So the sister led the\nbrother before the king, her husband, and he embraced him. They kissed\neach other, and the king exclaimed: 'Welcome, brother-in-law!' 'I hope\nI find you well?' returned the prince courteously, and he told the\nDragon King all his adventures from the beginning to the end.\n\nThen the Dragon King cried out, 'And where are you going, my poor\nfellow? The day before yesterday True Steel passed here carrying away\nyour wife. I assailed him with seven thousand dragons, yet could do\nhim no harm. Leave the devil in peace; I will give you as much money\nas you like and then go home quietly.' But the king's son would not\nhear of going back, and proposed next morning to continue his journey.\nWhen the Dragon King saw that he could not change his intention, he\ntook one of his feathers, and gave it into his hand, saying,\n'Remember what I now say to you. Here you have one of my feathers, and\nif you find True Steel and are greatly pressed, burn this feather, and\nI will come in an instant to your help with all my forces.' The king's\nson took the feather and continued his journey.\n\nAfter long travelling about the world he arrived at a great city, and,\nas he rode through the streets, a girl called to him from a kiosk:\n'Here, son of the king! Dismount and come into the courtyard!' The\nprince led his horse into the yard, and behold! the second sister came\nto meet him. They embraced and kissed each other, and the sister led\nthe brother up into the kiosk, and had his horse taken to a stable.\nWhen they were in the kiosk, the sister asked her brother how he came\nthere, and he told her all his adventures. He then asked her who her\nhusband was. 'I am married to the King of the Falcons,' she said, 'and\nhe will come home to-night, so I must hide you somewhere, for he often\nthreatens my brothers.'\n\nShortly after she had concealed her brother, the Falcon King came\nhome. As soon as he alighted all the house shook. Immediately his\nsupper was set before him, but he said to his wife, 'There are human\nbones somewhere!' The wife answered, 'No, my husband, there is\nnothing;' after long talking, however, she asked him, 'Would you harm\nmy brothers if they came to see me?' The Falcon King answered, 'The\neldest brother and the second I would delight in torturing, but to the\nyoungest I would do no harm.' So she told him about her brother. Then\nhe ordered that they should bring him immediately; and when he saw\nhim, he rose up and they embraced and kissed each other. 'Welcome,\nbrother-in-law!' said the King of Falcons. 'I hope you are happy,\nbrother?' returned the prince, and then they sat down to sup together.\nAfter supper, the Falcon King asked his brother-in-law where he was\ntravelling. He replied that he was going in search of True Steel, and\ntold the king all that had happened.\n\nOn hearing this the Falcon King began to advise him to go no farther.\n'It is no use going on,' said he. 'I will tell you something of True\nSteel. The day he stole your wife, I assaulted him with four thousand\nfalcons. We had a terrible battle with him, blood was shed till it\nreached the knees, but yet we could do him no harm! Do you think now,\nthat you alone could do anything with him? I advise you to return\nhome. Here is my treasure: take with you as much as you like.' But the\nking's son answered, 'I thank you for all your kindness, but I cannot\nreturn. I shall go at all events in search of True Steel!' For he\nthought to himself, 'Why should I not go, seeing I have three lives?'\nWhen the Falcon King saw that he could not persuade him to go back, he\ntook a little feather and gave it him, saying, 'Take this feather, and\nwhen you find yourself in great need, burn it and I will instantly\ncome with all my powers to help you!' So the king's son took the\nfeather and continued his journey, hoping to find True Steel.\n\nAfter travelling for a long time about the world he came to a third\ncity. As he entered, a girl called to him from a kiosk, 'Dismount, and\ncome into the courtyard.' The king's son went into the yard, and was\nsurprised to find his youngest sister, who came to meet him. When they\nhad embraced and kissed each other, the sister led her brother to the\nkiosk and sent his horse to the stables. The brother asked her, 'Dear\nsister, whom have you married? What is your husband?' She answered,\n'My husband is the King of Eagles.' When the Eagle King returned home\nin the evening his wife received him, but he exclaimed immediately,\n'What man has come into my palace? Tell me the truth instantly!' She\nanswered, 'No one is here;' and they began their supper. By-and-by the\nwife said, 'Tell me truly: would you do any harm to my brothers if\nthey came here?' The Eagle King answered, 'The eldest and second\nbrother I would kill, but to the youngest I would do no harm! I would\nhelp him whenever I could!' Then the wife said, 'My youngest brother,\nand your brother-in-law, is here; he came to see me.' The Eagle King\nordered that they should bring the prince instantly, received him\nstanding, kissed him, and said, 'Welcome, brother-in-law!' and the\nking's son answered, 'I hope you are well?' They then sat down to\ntheir supper. During the repast they conversed about many things, and\nat last the prince told the king he was travelling in search of True\nSteel. When the Eagle King heard that, he tried to dissuade him from\ngoing on, adding, 'Leave the devil in peace, my brother-in-law; give\nup that journey and stay with me! I will do everything to satisfy\nyou!' The king's son however, would not hear of remaining, but next\nday, as soon as it dawned, prepared to set out in search of True\nSteel. Then the Eagle King, seeing that he could not persuade him to\ngive up his journey, plucked out one of his feathers and gave it him,\nsaying, 'If you find yourself in great danger, my brother, make a fire\nand burn this feather; I will then come to your help immediately with\nall my eagles.' So the prince took the feather and went away.\n\nAfter travelling for a very long time about the world, roaming from\none city to another, and always going farther and farther from his\nhome, he found his wife in a cavern.\n\nWhen the wife saw him she was greatly astonished, and cried, 'In God's\nname, my husband, how did you come here?' He told her how it all\nhappened, and then added, 'Now let us fly!' 'How can we fly,' she\nasked, 'when True Steel will reach us instantly? and when he does he\nwill kill you, and carry me back.' But the prince, knowing he had\nthree other lives to live, persuaded his wife to flee, and so they\ndid. As soon, however, as they started, True Steel heard it, and\nfollowed immediately. When he reached them, he shouted to the king's\nson, 'So, prince, you have stolen your wife!' Then, after taking the\nwife back, he added, 'Now, I forgive you this life, because I\nrecollect that I promised to give you three lives; but go away\ndirectly, and never come here again after your wife, else you will be\nlost!' Thus saying, he carried the wife away, and the prince remained\nalone on the spot, not knowing what to do.\n\nAt length the prince resolved to go back to his wife. When he came\nnear the cave he found an opportunity when True Steel was absent, and\ntook his wife again and tried to escape with her.\n\nBut True Steel learned their flight directly, and ran after them. When\nhe reached them, he fixed an arrow to his bow, and cried to the king's\nson, 'Do you prefer to die by the arrow or by the sword?' The king's\nson asked pardon, and True Steel said, 'I pardon you also the second\nlife; but I warn you! never come here again after your wife, for I\nwill not pardon you any more! I shall kill you on the spot!' Saying\nthat, he carried the wife back to the cave, and the prince remained\nthinking all the time how he could save her.\n\nAt last he said to himself, 'Why should I fear True Steel, when I have\nyet two lives? One of which he has made me a present, and one which is\nmy own?' So he decided to return again to the cave next morning, when\nTrue Steel was absent. He saw his wife, and said to her, 'Let us fly!'\nShe objected, saying, 'It is of no use to fly, when True Steel would\ncertainly overtake us.' However, her husband forced her to go with\nhim, and they went away. True Steel, however, overtook them quickly,\nand shouted, 'Wait a bit! This time I will not pardon you!' The prince\nbecame afraid, and begged him to pardon him also this time, and True\nSteel said to him, 'You know I promised to give you three lives, so\nnow I give you this one, but it is the third and last. Now you have\nonly one life, so go home, and do not risk losing the one life God\ngave you!'\n\nThen the prince, seeing he could do nothing against this great power,\nturned back, reflecting, however, all the time, as to the best way of\ngetting his wife back from True Steel.\n\nAt last, he remembered what his brothers-in-law had said to him when\nthey gave him their feathers. Then he said to himself, 'I will try\nthis fourth time to get my wife back; if I come to trouble, I will\nburn the feathers, and see if my brothers-in-law will come to help\nme.'\n\nHereupon he went back once more towards the cavern wherein his wife\nwas kept, and, as he saw from a distance that True Steel was just\nleaving the cave, he went near and showed himself to his wife. She was\nsurprised and terrified, and exclaimed, 'Are you so tired of your life\nthat you come back again to me?' Then he told her about his\nbrothers-in-law, and how each of them had given him one of their\nfeathers, and had promised to come to help him whenever he needed\ntheir assistance. 'Therefore,' added he, 'I am come once more to take\nyou away; let us start at once.'\n\nThis they did. The same moment, however, True Steel heard of it, and\nshouted from afar, 'Stop, prince! You cannot run away!' And then the\nking's son, seeing True Steel so near him, quickly took out a flint\nand tinder-box, struck some sparks, and burned all three feathers.\nWhilst he was doing this, however, True Steel reached him, and, with\nhis sword, cut the prince in two parts. That moment came the King of\nDragons, rushing with his whole army of dragons, the King of Falcons,\nwith all his falcons, and the King of Eagles, with his mighty host of\neagles, and they all attacked True Steel. Torrents of blood were shed,\nbut after all True Steel caught up the woman and fled away.\n\nThen the three kings gave all their attention to their brother-in-law,\nand determined to bring him back to life. Thereupon they asked three\nof the most active dragons which of them could bring them, in the\nshortest time, some water from the river Jordan.\n\nOne said, 'I could bring it in half an hour.' The second said, 'I can\ngo and return in ten minutes.' The third dragon said, 'I can bring it\nin nine seconds.' Then the three kings said to the last one, 'Go,\ndragon; and make haste!' Then this dragon exhibited all his fiery\nmight, and in nine seconds, as he had promised, he came back with\nwater from the Jordan.\n\nThe kings took the water and poured it on the places where the prince\nwas wounded, and, as they did so, the wound closed up, the body joined\ntogether, and the king's son sprang up alive.\n\nThen the three kings counselled him: 'Now that you are saved from\ndeath, go home!' But the prince answered, he would at all events yet\nonce more try to get his wife back. The kings, his brothers-in-law,\nagain spoke, 'Do not try again! Indeed, you will be lost if you go,\nfor now you have only one life which God gave you!'\n\nThe king's son, however, would not listen to their advice. So the\nkings told him, 'Well then, if you are still determined to go, at\nleast do not take your wife away immediately, but tell her to ask True\nSteel where his strength lies, and then come and tell us, in order\nthat we may help you to conquer him!'\n\nSo the prince went secretly and saw his wife, and told her how she\ncould persuade True Steel to tell her where his strength was. He then\nleft her and went away.\n\nWhen True Steel came home, the wife of the king's son asked him, 'Tell\nme, now, where is your great strength?' He answered, 'My wife, my\nstrength is in my sword!' Then she began to pray, and turned to his\nsword. When True Steel saw that, he burst out laughing, and said, 'O\nfoolish woman! my strength is not in my sword, but in my bow and\narrows!' Then she turned towards the bow and arrows and prayed.\n\nThen True Steel said, 'I see, my wife, you have a clever teacher who\nhas taught you to find out where my strength lies! I could almost say\nthat your husband is living, and it is he who teaches you!'\n\nBut she assured him that no one taught her, for she had no longer any\none to do so.\n\nAfter some days her husband came, and when she told him she could not\nlearn anything from True Steel, he said, 'Try again!' and went away.\n\nWhen True Steel came home she began again to ask him the secret of his\nstrength. Then he answered her, 'Since you think so much of my\nstrength, I will tell you truly where it is.' And he continued, 'Far\naway from this place there is a very high mountain; in the mountain\nthere is a fox; in the fox there is a heart; in the heart there is a\nbird, and in this bird is my strength. It is no easy task, however, to\ncatch that fox, for she can transform herself into a multitude of\ncreatures.'\n\nNext day, as soon as True Steel left the cave, the king's son came to\nhis wife, and she told him all she had learned. Then the prince\nhurried away to his brothers-in-law, who waited, all three impatient\nto see him, and to hear where was the strength of True Steel. When\nthey heard, all three went away at once with the prince to find the\nmountain. Having got there, they set the eagles to chase the fox, but\nthe fox ran to a lake, which was in the midst of the mountain, and\nchanged herself into a six-winged golden bird. Then the falcons\npursued her, and drove her out of the lake, and she flew into the\nclouds, but there the dragons hurried after her. So she changed\nherself again into a fox, and began to run along the earth, but the\nrest of the eagles stopped her, surrounded, and caught her.\n\nThe three kings then ordered the fox to be killed, and her heart to be\ntaken out. A great fire was made, and the bird was taken out of the\nheart and burnt. That very moment True Steel fell down dead, and the\nprince took his wife and returned home with her.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD AND THE KING'S DAUGHTER.\n\n\nA long time ago there lived a poor woman who possessed nothing in the\nworld except one son and four lambs. The boy took the lambs out to\ngraze every morning, and brought them home every night. One day it\nhappened that the lambs were grazing in a field not far from the\nsummer palace of the king, and the king's daughter came out to the\nyoung shepherd and asked him to give her one of them. The boy refused,\nsaying, 'I cannot give you one, for my mother will scold me if I do,\nas we have nothing in the world except these four lambs.' The\nprincess, however, had taken so great a fancy for a lamb that she\nwould not be refused, and at last said, 'Only let me have this one and\nI will give you any price you like to ask.'\n\nThe boy, seeing that the princess would not go away without a lamb,\nconsidered a little how he could get rid of her, and then he told her\nthat he would give her one if she would show him one of her shoulders.\nTo his great surprise the princess, without any hesitation, pushed her\nmantle aside and showed him her bare white arm, and he noticed that on\nthe shoulder there was a mark like a star. He was obliged now to give\nher one of his lambs, and when he went home in the evening he told his\nmother that he had fallen asleep at noon, and that when he awoke, one\nof the lambs had vanished, and he could not find it anywhere.\n\nThen his mother scolded him very much, saying, 'I see you will bring\nme to the beggar's staff with your carelessness! To-morrow you must\ntake these three lambs out to graze very early, and look well about\nfor the lost one. And if you don't find it you had better never let me\nset eyes on you again.'\n\nAt dawn the next day the boy took the three lambs to graze in the same\nfield, and sat down to consider how he could get back the lamb he had\nlost. At noon, when no one was about, the king's daughter came out of\nthe palace and said to him, 'Young shepherd, give me another lamb, and\nask what you please in return.' But the boy answered, 'No! I dare not\ngive you another; I have suffered enough for the one I gave you\nyesterday! So please go and bring me my lamb back.'\n\nThis the princess refused to do, and said, 'It is quite useless to\nspeak of such a thing. But tell me, did you notice anything particular\non my shoulder?'\n\nThe youth answered, 'Yes, I saw a star!'\n\n'Ah!' exclaimed the princess; 'for that you can never pay me enough,\nand yet you want your lamb back!' So they almost quarrelled, for the\nking's daughter persisted in begging him to give her another lamb, and\nthe young shepherd insisted that she should bring him the first one\nback again.\n\nAt last, seeing there was no end to her begging, the boy said, 'Well!\nI will give you one if you uncover before me your other shoulder.'\nThis the princess did instantly, and he remarked that she had the mark\nof a star on that arm also. In this way he lost a second lamb; and\nwhen the evening came he went home very sadly, feeling sure his mother\nwould scold him. And so she did, far more than at the first time,\ncalling him ill names and threatening to beat him. The boy was really\nsorry that he had given way to the princess's prayers, but he could\nnot help it now. Next day, again, the princess came to him and begged\nso hard and so long for a third lamb that he became impatient, and,\nthinking to shame her, said he would give her one if she showed him\nher neck. To his great surprise, however, the king's daughter at once\nlet her mantle fall, and he saw that she had the mark of a crescent on\nher throat. So the poor boy lost a third lamb, and hardly dared go\nhome to his mother at night with the one lamb left them. Indeed the\npoor old woman was so angry at her son's carelessness in losing one\nlamb after another whilst he slept--for he did not dare to tell her\nthe truth about the princess--that she cursed him as 'a\ngood-for-nothing who would bring her to beggary.'\n\nNotwithstanding all his mother's reproaches and threats the boy could\nnot refuse the princess the next day when she came out to ask for the\nfourth lamb. However, he tried to get her to go away a long time, and\nnot until quite tired out with her begging, did he exclaim, 'Well, I\nwill give you the lamb if you will show me your breast!' Then the\nprincess pushed her robe aside, and the boy noticed that she had the\nmark of a sun on her bosom.\n\nIn this way the young shepherd lost all the four lambs, and he lived a\nlong time with his mother in great poverty.\n\nA long, long time afterwards the king sent out a proclamation that he\nintended to let his daughter marry, and would give her to that man who\ncould tell him what particular birth-marks she had about her. The\nyoung shepherd heard this proclamation, and when he went home in the\nevening he said to his mother, 'Mother, I intend to go to the king's\npalace to-morrow, so get me my best linen ready.'\n\n'And what do _you_ want in the king's palace?' asked the poor old\nwoman wondering.\n\n'I intend, God helping me, to marry the king's daughter,' replied the\nyoung man boldly.\n\n'Oh! you had better give up that fancy,' cried the mother. 'It will be\nbetter for you to go and work and gain a piaster than to go, like a\nfly without a head, dreaming about things that are as high as the sky\nabove you.'\n\nBut the young man would not be persuaded, and went the next day to the\nking's palace. Before going out of the hut, however, he said to his\nanxious old mother, 'Good-bye, mother.'\n\nHe had not walked very far before a gipsy met him, and asked, 'Where\nare you going, my young man?'\n\n'I am going to the king's palace,' answered the youth, 'and I mean,\nGod helping me, to marry the king's daughter.'\n\n'But, my dear comrade,' said the gipsy, keeping near him, 'how can you\nreally expect that she will marry you, when you are so poor? Only a\nshepherd!'\n\n'Eh!' returned the young man; 'but I know what birth-marks she has,\nand the king has sent out a proclamation that whoever guesses these\nshall have her for his wife.'\n\n'If it is so,' rejoined the cunning gipsy, 'I myself will also go to\nthe palace with you.'\n\nThe young man was glad to have company on the road, and so he and the\ngipsy travelled on together until they came to the residence of the\nking.\n\nWhen they came to the palace they found a large number of people who\nhad come to 'try their luck,' and guess what birth-marks the princess\nhad. But it was lost time, for every one of them, after going past the\nking and guessing 'by good luck' at the marks of the princess, was\nobliged to go away, having lost his time and gained nothing. At length\nthe turn came for the young shepherd to pass before the king, and the\ngipsy kept close to him to hear what he would say.\n\nSo the youth stepped before the king and said, 'The princess has a\nstar on each shoulder, and a crescent on the throat----'\n\nAt this moment the gipsy shouted loudly, 'Look there! that is just\nwhat I was going to say!'\n\n'Be quiet!' said the young shepherd; 'or, if you really know what\nother marks she has, speak out.'\n\n'No, no!' cried the gipsy, 'go on, go on! When _you_ have done, _I_\nwill speak what I know!'\n\nThen the youth turned again to the king and continued, 'The princess\nhas the mark of a sun on her bosom----'\n\n'That is exactly what I was going to say!' cried the gipsy, coming up\nquickly; 'she has the mark of a sun on her breast.'\n\nNow the king was exceeding surprised, and confessed to his counsellors\nthat the young shepherd had really guessed the truth. But as neither\nthe king nor the counsellors at all liked the idea of the princess\nmarrying a poor shepherd, they consulted how they could get rid of him\nwithout giving the lie to the king's proclamation. At length it was\ndecided that his Majesty should say, 'As both the shepherd and the\ngipsy have guessed the princess's birth-marks, I cannot justly decide\nwhich of them should marry her. But I will give to each of them\nseventy piasters, and they must both go and trade with this money for\na year. At the end of the year, that one which brings back the most\nmoney shall have the princess for his wife.'\n\nThe young shepherd and the gipsy, having received the money, went off\nin opposite directions to seek their fortunes.\n\nAfter having travelled about some time, like a fly without a head, not\nknowing where--the shepherd stopped one night to rest in the hut of an\nold woman, who was even poorer than his own mother.\n\nAs he sat with the old woman in the hut that evening, the lad thought\nhe might just as well ask her advice as to the best way to invest his\ncapital of seventy piasters, so he said: 'I have seventy piasters to\ntrade with, can you tell me some good way in which I may employ them\nprofitably?'\n\nThe old woman considered the matter for some time before she answered,\nand then said, 'To-morrow is market-day in the next city; go there\nyourself, and when a man brings a very poor cow for sale, go up and\ntry to buy it. The cow will be of many different colours, but very\nthin and ill fed, but you must buy her at whatever price the man asks\nfor her. When you have bought her, bring her here at once.'\n\nThe young man agreed to follow the old woman's counsel, and so next\nday he went to the city and really found there a man who had brought a\npoor, but variously coloured, cow to sell. Many people wished to buy\nthe cow, but the young man outbid them all, and at length offered all\nhis seventy piasters for her. So he got the cow, and drove it to the\nhut where he had passed the night. When the old woman came out to see\nwho was coming, he called out to her, 'Now, my old mother, I have\nbought the cow, and what shall we do with her? She has cost me all my\ncapital!'\n\nThe old woman answered at once, 'Kill the cow, my son, and cut it in\npieces.'\n\n'But how will that bring me back my money with profit?' asked the\nyoung shepherd, hesitating whether he should follow her advice or no.\n\n'Don't be afraid, my son, but do as I say,' returned the old woman.\nAccordingly he did as she advised him, killed the cow and cut her into\npieces. This done, he asked again, 'And now, what shall I do?' The old\nwoman said quietly, 'Well, now we will eat the meat, and the suet we\nwill melt down and put into a pot to keep for some other occasion.'\n\nThe shepherd did not at all like this proposal, for he could not see\nwhat return he could hope to get for such an investment of his\ncapital. However, he thought within himself, 'Well, since I have been\nfoolish enough to follow her counsel on the two former occasions, I\nmay as well follow it also this third time.' So he remained with the\nold woman many days, until the last piece of meat had been eaten up.\nWhen, however, he thought over all that had happened, he grew very\nsad, and, seeing no sign of anything better, said one morning to the\nold woman reproachfully, 'Now you see by following your counsel I have\nspent all the king's money, and am now a ruined man!'\n\n'Don't be afraid, my son,' said the old woman; 'you can now take that\npot of suet with you and go to the black world, where all the people\nare black as chimney-pots, and there you can sell for a good deal of\nmoney your suet, for it has the power to make the black skin white.'\n\nThe poor shepherd was very glad at hearing this, and next morning took\nthe pot of suet on his shoulder and started on his journey. After he\nhad travelled many, many days, he came to a strange-looking country,\nand, going a little farther, he saw a man who was quite black, just\nas the old woman had said--as black as a chimney-pot. He was\nimmediately going to offer to sell some of his fat to the black man,\nwhen the latter, frightened at the sight of a white man, ran away.\nMany other black men who saw him did the same, but after a while, when\nthey saw that he went on quietly carrying his pot on his shoulder,\nthey took courage, and came to him one by one, until at last quite a\nlarge crowd had gathered about him. At length, one of them ventured to\nsay to him, 'You strange-looking man, tell us who you are, and where\nyou come from, and why did you come here?' The shepherd answered, 'I\nam a white man from a white world, and I come to bring you some fat\nwhich will make you also white--that is, of course, if you choose to\nbuy it from me and pay me for it well.'\n\nNow the black men, though they had been quite shocked at first to see\nthe white man, began to think they also would like to be white; so\nthey said they were willing to pay him as much as he liked to ask for\nhis wonderful fat, because they were very rich.\n\nHowever, they doubted a little if the fat would really make them white\nas he said, and wished to see it tried before they bought it.\nThereupon he set the pot on the ground, and walked round and round it,\nsaying some queer words as if he were charming it. Then he took out of\nthe pot a little of the fat, and with it smeared one of the black men.\nIn a moment the black skin became quite white, and the other blacks,\nseeing that he had told them the truth, crowded eagerly round him,\nbegging that he would make them white also, and outbidding each other\nin offers of money, provided only that he made them white in a short\ntime. The young shepherd worked hard, smearing one black skin after\nthe other, until he got quite weary and had become very rich, for they\ngave him a good deal of money, and there were a great many of them who\nwished to be made white.\n\nJust as he had thus whitened the last of the black men about him, one\nof them said to him, 'Wonder-working man! We have a king who, being\nour chief, is the blackest of us all; therefore, if you think you can\nmake him white also, we are sure he will be very glad to get rid of\nhis blackness, and will pay you more money than you ever dreamt of.'\n\n'I will do it very gladly,' answered the shepherd; 'for you must know\nI am doing this not so much for the sake of money as for charity;\nonly, show me at once the way to your king.'\n\nSo they all ran off before him to show him the way, and he followed\nthem carrying his pot on his shoulder.\n\nWhen they arrived at the door of the king's palace, one of the men\nsaid to him, 'Wait a moment here, whilst I go and tell his Majesty all\nabout your wonderful fat, and ask him to receive you.' The shepherd\nwaited quietly, though crowds gathered round him to stare at him and\nhis great pot, until the man came back and said the king was waiting\nimpatiently to see him. So he lifted his pot again on his\nshoulder--for he had set it down that he might rest the better--and\nfollowed the messenger to the king's presence.\n\nNow the king of the black men was far blacker than anything the\nshepherd had ever seen in his life; he had no doubt, however, after\nall he had seen, but that his fat would whiten him also. So he said\ncheerfully, 'Good morning, your Majesty!' 'Good morning, my dear\nfellow,' returned the black king; 'I have heard that you can do\nwonders, and I have seen that you have already whitened many of my\nsubjects, so, for Heaven's sake, deliver me also from this my\nblackness, and ask in return whatever you like, even the half of my\nkingdom!'\n\n'What your Majesty has heard is quite true,' said the shepherd; 'and I\nwill very gladly try to make you also white!' and he took a great lump\nof fat and rubbed it well all over the king's face and neck. In a\nmoment the king became as white as snow, to the great rejoicings of\nall his people. But no one was so pleased as the king himself, so he\nsaid again, 'Only ask! I will give you whatever you wish, even if it\nbe my throne!'\n\n'I thank your Majesty very humbly for offering me your throne, but I\ndon't want it,' replied the shepherd; 'but if you will give me three\nships full of gold and silver, and some good sailors to manage the\nships, and some good soldiers and cannons to defend them against the\npirates, I shall think myself more than repaid, and I will send you\nback the ships and cannons when the gold and silver are landed safely\nin my country.'\n\nThen the king at once gave the necessary orders, and in a very few\ndays his servants came to report to him, that the ships were then\nfilled with gold and silver, and that the cannons were ready loaded\nand posted for action, and all the sailors and soldiers prepared to\nfight if any sea-robber came in their way.\n\nThen the young shepherd took a courteous leave of the king, and of all\nthose other people who were so thankful to him for having changed them\nfrom black men into white ones. He now went on board one of the ships,\nvery glad to go back to his own country, and the two other ships full\nof gold and silver followed the first one across the seas.\n\nAfter having sailed a long time the three ships reached at last the\ncoast of the kingdom where the king was waiting, daily expecting the\nreturn of the gipsy and shepherd to claim his daughter. The shepherd\nlet his ships lay quietly in the harbour one day, and then, noticing\nmuch tumult and disturbance in the city, went ashore to see what had\nhappened. There he found a great crowd, and on asking some of the\npeople what they were going to do, they told him that they were going\nto hang a gipsy who had come to the city with seventy piasters\ncapital, and who had not only spent all his money in drinking and\nrevellings, but had even got into debt for seventy other piasters,\nwhich he was quite unable to pay, and that this was the reason they\nwere about to hang him. In a few moments the hangman appeared, leading\nthe gipsy, who was no other than the very man who had tried to cheat\nthe shepherd out of the princess.\n\nThe young shepherd recognised his rival at once, and, going near him,\nsaid, 'What is this, my old friend? Have you really come to this?'\nThe instant the gipsy saw the shepherd he stopped and began to whine\nand wail, begging him to save him from the gibbet, and he would be his\nfaithful servant all his life. 'As for the princess,' he added\ncunningly, 'I have given her up a long time ago, and don't care for\nanything if only my life is spared.'\n\nThen the young shepherd was sorry for the poor trembling, whining\nwretch, and offered to pay the debt for the gipsy if the people would\nlet him off. So they agreed to this, and the young man not only paid\nthe seventy piasters the gipsy owed, but bought him besides a suit of\ngood clothes as well as a carriage and a pair of fine horses. Then he\nleft him and went back to his ships, and they sailed on slowly along\nthe coast towards the king's residence.\n\nNow when the gipsy had dressed himself out smartly in his fine new\nclothes, he got into his carriage and drove off quickly to the king's\npalace. Arrived there, he left his carriage and horses in the\ncourtyard, and went at once to the presence of the king, whom he\naddressed thus: 'Your Majesty knows it is not yet quite a year since\nyou gave me seventy piasters to trade with, and see! I come back\nalready handsomely dressed, and have a fine carriage with a pair of\nbeautiful horses below in the yard. As for the young shepherd, I have\nheard that he has not only spent all your Majesty's money in rioting,\nbut that he had also got in debt, for which he has been hung. So it is\nno use waiting for him! Let us keep my wedding at once!'\n\nThe king did not fancy the gipsy for his son-in-law, and was thinking\nwhat he could say to put him off a little time, when, looking by\nchance through his window, he saw three strange-looking ships sailing\nslowly towards the shore. At this he exclaimed, 'I see some foreign\nvisitors are coming to visit me, and I shall have enough to do to\nreceive them with due honours, so we must put off the marriage for\nsome days, at least!'\n\nBut the gipsy pressed the king more and more to let him marry the\nprincess at once; he was even bold enough to tell his Majesty that he\ncould not wait any longer, and that the wedding would be all over in\nan hour. The king, however, refused to hear anything of this; so the\ngipsy, seeing that his plan had failed, went out from the presence of\nthe king in great anger.\n\nA few hours later the three strange-looking ships dropped their\nanchors just opposite the palace, and the young shepherd, landing,\ncame into the presence of the king, who was greatly astonished to see\nhim alive, and still more astonished to hear that in return for his\nseventy piasters he had brought three vessels full of gold and silver.\n\nThe king was now very well content to accept him as his son-in-law,\nand told him, in the course of conversation, what the gipsy had said\nabout his having gone in debt and been hung. Then the young shepherd\ntold his Majesty how he had found the gipsy, and had saved his life by\npaying his debt for him. The king was exceedingly angry, and ordered\nhis servants to go after the gipsy and bring him at once into his\npresence.\n\nThe servants looked about and around the palace on all sides, but\nnowhere could they find any trace of the gipsy. Then the king\ncommanded that some of them should go in search of him without delay,\nand armed men were speedily scattered over the whole country, so that\nat last he was caught, and brought before the king, who condemned him\nto be hung for having so shamefully tried to injure the man who had\nsaved his life and treated him so generously, and for having, at the\nsame time, attempted to cheat the king.\n\nThe young shepherd spent a few days in the palace, telling the king\nall the things he had seen in the black world, and then, all\npreparations having been made, he was married to the princess, with\ngreat pomp and rejoicings.\n\nThen the king with his daughter and son-in-law lived for a great many\nyears very happily.\n\n\n\n\nONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER.\n\n\nIt happened once upon a time, many years ago, that a certain king went\ninto his forest to hunt, when instead of the usual game he caught a\nwild man. This wild man the king had taken to his castle, and locked\nup, for safety, in a dungeon. This done, he put out a proclamation\nthat whosoever should dare to set the wild man free should be put to\ndeath.\n\nAs luck would have it, the dungeon where the creature was confined was\njust below the sleeping-room of the king's youngest son. Now the wild\nman cried and groaned incessantly to be set free, and these unceasing\nlamentations at length so moved the young prince that one night he\nwent down and opened the dungeon door, and let out the prisoner.\n\nNext morning the king and all the courtiers and servants were\nexceedingly astonished to hear no longer the usual sounds of wailing\nfrom the dungeon, and the king, suspecting something amiss, went down\nhimself to see what had become of his captive. When he found the den\nempty he flew into a great passion, and demanded fiercely who had\npresumed to disobey his commands and let out the wild man. All the\ncourtiers were so terrified at the sight of the king's angry\ncountenance, that not one of them dared speak, not even to assert\ntheir innocence. However, the young prince, the king's son, went\nforward at last and confessed that the pitiful crying of the poor\ncreature had so disturbed him day and night, that at length he himself\nhad opened the door. When the king heard this, it was his turn to be\nsorry, for he found himself compelled to put his own son to death or\ngive his own proclamation the lie.\n\nHowever, some of his old counsellors, seeing how greatly the king was\nperplexed and troubled, came and assured his Majesty that the\nproclamation would in reality be carried out if the prince, instead of\nbeing put to death, was simply banished from the kingdom for ever.\n\nThe king was very glad to find this way of getting out of the dilemma,\nand so ordered his son to leave the country, and never come back to\nit, at the same time he gave him many letters of recommendation to the\nking of a very distant kingdom, and directed one of the court servants\nto go with the young prince to wait upon him. Then the unhappy young\nprince and his servant started on their long journey.\n\nAfter travelling some time, the young prince became very thirsty, and,\nseeing a well not far off, went up to it to drink. However, there\nhappened to be no bucket at the well, nor anything in which to draw\nwater, though the well was pretty full. Seeing this, the young prince\nsaid to his servant, 'Hold me fast by the heels, and let me down into\nthe pit that I may drink.' So saying, he bent over the well, and the\nservant let him down as he was directed.\n\nWhen the prince had quenched his thirst, and wished to be pulled back,\nthe servant refused, saying, 'Now I can let you fall into the pit in a\nmoment, and I shall do so unless you consent at once to change clothes\nand places with me. I will be the prince henceforth, and you shall be\nmy servant.'\n\nThe king's son, seeing that he had foolishly placed himself in the\npower of the servant, promised readily everything his servant asked,\nand begged only to be drawn up.\n\nBut the faithless servant, without noticing his master's prayers, said\nroughly, 'You must make a solemn oath that you will not speak a word\nto any one about the change we are going to make.'\n\nOf course, since the prince could not help himself, he took the oath\nat once, and then the servant drew him up, and they changed clothes.\nThen the wicked servant dressed himself in his master's fine clothes,\nmounted his master's horse, and rode forward on the journey, whilst\nthe unfortunate prince, disguised in his servant's dress, walked\nbeside him.\n\nIn this way they went on until they came to the court of the king to\nwhich the exiled son had been recommended by his father.\n\nFaithful to his promise, the unfortunate prince saw his false servant\nreceived at the court with great honours as the son of a great king,\nwhilst he himself, all unnoticed, stood in the waiting-room with the\nservants, and was treated by them with all familiarity as their equal.\n\nAfter having some time enjoyed to his heart's content the\nhospitalities the king lavished upon him, the false servant began to\nbe afraid that his master's patience might be wearied out soon, under\nall the indignities to which he was exposed, and that one day he might\nbe tempted to forget his oath and proclaim himself in his true\ncharacter. Filled with these misgivings, the wicked man thought over\nall possible ways by which he could do away with his betrayed master\nwithout any danger to himself.\n\nOne day he thought he had found out a way to do this, and took the\nfirst opportunity to carry out his cruel plan.\n\nNow you must know that the king at whose court this unhappy prince and\nthe false servant were staying, kept in his gardens a great number of\nwild beasts fastened up in large cages. One morning, as the pretended\nprince was walking in these gardens with the king, he said suddenly,\n'Your Majesty has a large number of very fine wild beasts, and I\nadmire them very much; I think, however, it is a pity that you keep\nthem always fastened up, and spend so much money over their food. Why\nnot send them under a keeper to find their own food in the forest? I\ndare say your Majesty would be very glad if I recommended a man to you\nwho could take them out in the morning and bring them back safely at\nnight?'\n\nThe king asked, 'Do you really think, prince, that you can find me\nsuch a man?'\n\n'Of course, I can,' replied unhesitatingly the cruel man; 'such a man\nis now in your Majesty's court. I mean my own servant. Only call him\nand threaten that you will have his head cut off if he does not do it,\nand compel him to accept the task. I dare say he will try to excuse\nhimself, and say the thing is impossible, but only threaten him with\nthe loss of his head whether he refuses or fails. For my part, I am\nquite willing your Majesty should have him put to death, if he\ndisobeys.'\n\nWhen the king heard this, he summoned the disguised prince before him,\nand said, 'I hear that you can do wonders: that you are able to drive\nwild beasts out like cattle to find their own food in the forest, and\nbring them back safely at night into their cages. Therefore, I order\nyou this morning to drive all my bears into the forest, and to bring\nthem back again in the evening. If you don't do this, your head will\npay for it; so beware!'\n\nThe unlucky prince answered, 'I am not able to do this thing, so your\nMajesty had better cut off my head at once.'\n\nBut the king would not listen to him, only saying, 'We will wait until\nevening; _then_ I shall surely have your head cut off unless you bring\nback all my bears safely to their cages.'\n\nNow nothing was left for the poor prince to do but open the cage-doors\nand try his luck in driving the bears to the forest. The moment he\nopened the doors all the bears rushed out wildly, and disappeared\nquickly among the trees.\n\nThe prince followed them sadly into the forest, and sat down on a\nfallen tree to think over his hard fortunes. As he sat thus, he began\nto weep bitterly, for he saw no better prospect before him than to\nlose his head at night.\n\nAs he sat thus crying, a creature in form like a man, but covered all\nover with thick hair, came out of a neighbouring thicket, and asked\nhim what he was crying for. Then the prince told him all that had\nhappened to him, and that as all the bears had run away he expected to\nbe beheaded at night when he returned without them. Hearing this, the\nwild man gave him a little bell, and said kindly, 'Don't be afraid!\nOnly take care of this bell, and when you wish the bears to return,\njust ring it gently, and they will all come back and follow you\nquietly into their cages.' And having said this he went away.\n\nWhen the sun began to go down, the prince rang the little bell gently,\nand, to his great joy, all the bears came dancing awkwardly round him,\nand let him lead them back to the gardens, following him like a flock\nof sheep, whilst he, pleased with his success, took out a flute and\nplayed little airs as he walked before them. In this way he was able\nto fasten them up again in their dens without the least trouble.\n\nEvery one at the court was astonished at this, and the false servant\nmore than all the others, though he concealed his surprise, and said\nto the king, 'Your Majesty sees now that I told you the truth. I am\nquite sure the man can manage the wolves just as well as the bears,\nif you only threaten him as before.'\n\nThereupon, the next morning the king called the poor prince, and\nordered him to lead out the wolves to find their food in the forest\nand to bring them back to their cages at night. 'Unless you do this,'\nsaid his Majesty, as before, 'you will lose your head.'\n\nThe prince pleaded vainly the impossibility of his doing such a thing;\nbut the king would not hear him, only saying, 'You may as well try,\nfor whether you refuse or fail you will certainly lose your head.'\n\nSo the prince was obliged to open the cages of the wolves, and the\nmoment he did this the wild animals sprang past him into the thickets\njust as the bears had done, and he, following them slowly, went and\nsat down to bewail his ill-luck.\n\nWhilst he sat thus weeping, the wild man came out of the wood and\nasked him, just as he had done the day before, what he was crying for.\nThe prince told him, whereupon the creature gave him another little\nbell, and said, 'When you want the wolves to come back, just ring this\nbell, and they will all come and follow you.' Having said this he went\nback into the wood, and left the prince alone.\n\nJust before it grew dark, the prince rang his bell, and to his great\njoy all the wolves came rushing up to him from all quarters of the\nforest, and followed him quietly back to their cages.\n\nSeeing this, the false servant advised the king to send out the birds\nalso, and to threaten the disguised prince with the loss of his head\nif he failed to bring them also back in the evening.\n\nAccordingly the next morning the king ordered the prince to let out\nall the wild doves, and to bring them all safely to their different\ncages before night set in.\n\nThe instant the poor young man opened the cage-doors the wild doves\nrose like a cloud into the air, and vanished over the tops of the\ntrees. So the prince went into the forest and sat down again on the\nfallen tree. As he sat there, thinking how hopeless a task he had now\nbefore him, he could not help crying aloud and bewailing all his past\nmisfortunes and present miserable fate.\n\nHardly had he begun to lament, however, before the same wild man came\nfrom the bushes near him and asked what fresh trouble had befallen\nhim. Then the prince told him. Thereupon the wild man gave him a third\nbell, saying, 'When you wish the wild doves to return to their cages\nyou have only to ring this little bell.' And so it indeed happened,\nfor the moment the prince began ringing softly, all the doves came\nflying about him, and he walked back to the palace gardens and shut\nthem up in their different cages without the least trouble.\n\nNow, happily for the prince, the king had just at this time much more\nimportant business on his hands than finding his wild beasts and birds\nin food without paying for it. No less a matter, in fact, began to\noccupy him than the finding a suitable husband for his daughter. For\nthis purpose he sent out a proclamation that he would hold races\nduring three days, and would reward the victor of each day with a\ngolden apple. Whosoever should succeed in winning all three apples\nshould have the young princess for his wife. Now this princess was far\nmore beautiful than any other princess in the world, and an exceeding\ngreat number of knights prepared to try and win her. This, the poor\nprince in his servant's dress watched with great dismay; for he had\nfallen deeply in love with the fair daughter of the king. So he\npuzzled himself day and night with plans how he, too, could try his\nluck in the great race.\n\nAt last he determined to go into the forest and ask the wild man to\nhelp him. When the wild man heard the prince calling, he came out of\nthe thicket, and listened to all he had to say about the matter.\nSeeing how much the prince was interested in the young princess, who\nwas to be the prize of the victor, the wild man brought out some\nhandsome clothes and a fine horse, and gave them to the prince,\nsaying, 'When you start in a race, do not urge your horse too much,\nbut at the end, when you are getting near the goal, spur him, and then\nyou will be sure to win. Don't forget, however, to bring me the golden\napple as soon as you receive it.'\n\nAll came to pass just as the wild man had said. The prince won the\napples the two first days; but as he disappeared as soon as he\nreceived them from the king, no one in the court recognised him in his\nfine attire, and all wondered greatly who the stranger knight might\nbe. As for the king, he was more perplexed and curious than all the\nrest, and determined not to let the stranger escape so easily the\nthird day. So he ordered a deep, wide ditch to be dug at the end of\nthe race-course, and a high wall built beyond it, thinking thus to\nstop the victor and find out who he was.\n\nThe prince, hearing of the king's orders, and guessing the reason of\nthem, went once again into the forest to ask help from his wild\nfriend. The wild man, thereupon, brought out to him a still more\nbeautiful racer, and a suit of splendid clothes; and, thus prepared,\nthe prince took his place as before among the knights who were going\nto try for the prize. He won the golden apple this third time also;\nbut, to the surprise of the king and the whole court, who hoped now to\nfind out who he was, he made his horse spring lightly over the ditch,\nand the great wall, and vanished again in the forest.\n\nThe king tried every way to find out who had won the three golden\napples, but all in vain. At last, one day, the princess, walking in\nthe gardens of the palace, met the prince disguised in his servant's\ndress, and saw the shining of the three apples which he carried\nconcealed in his bosom. Thereupon she ran at once to her father, and\ntold him what she had seen, and the king, wondering very much, called\nthe servant before him.\n\nNow the prince thought it time to put an end to all his troubles, and\ntherefore told the king frankly all his misfortunes. He related how he\nhad offended the king, his father, and been exiled for life; how his\nfalse servant had betrayed him; and how the wild man he had set free\nhad come to help him out of the fearful snares the wicked servant had\nspread for him.\n\nAfter hearing all this, the king very gladly gave him the princess for\nwife, and ordered the false servant to be put to death immediately.\n\nAs for the prince, he lived with his beautiful princess very happily\nfor many years after this, and when the king, his father-in-law, died,\nhe left to them both the kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BITER BIT.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was an old man who, whenever he heard anyone\ncomplain how many sons he had to care for, always laughed and said, 'I\nwish that it would please God to give me a hundred sons!'\n\nThis he said in jest; as time, however, went on he had, in reality,\nneither more nor less than a hundred sons.\n\nHe had trouble enough to find different trades for his sons, but when\nthey were once all started in life they worked diligently and gained\nplenty of money. Now, however, came a fresh difficulty. One day the\neldest son came in to his father and said, 'My dear father, I think it\nis quite time that I should marry.'\n\nHardly had he said these words before the second son came in, saying,\n'Dear father, I think it is already time that you were looking out for\na wife for me.'\n\nA moment later came in the third son, asking, 'Dear father, don't you\nthink it is high time that you should find me a wife?' In like manner\ncame the fourth and fifth, until the whole hundred had made a similar\nrequest. All of them wished to marry, and desired their father to find\nwives for them as soon as he could.\n\nThe old man was not a little troubled at these requests; he said,\nhowever, to his sons, 'Very well, my sons, _I_ have nothing to say\nagainst your marrying; there is, however, I foresee, one great\ndifficulty in the way. There are one hundred of you asking for wives,\nand I hardly think we can find one hundred marriageable girls in all\nthe fifteen villages which are in our neighbourhood.'\n\nTo this the sons, however, answered, 'Don't be anxious about that, but\nmount your horse and take in your sack sufficient engagement-cakes.\nYou must take, also, a stick in your hand so that you can cut a notch\nin it for every girl you see. It does not signify whether she be\nhandsome or ugly, or lame or blind, just cut a notch in your stick for\nevery one you meet with.'\n\nThe old man said, 'Very wisely spoken, my sons! I will do exactly as\nyou tell me.'\n\nAccordingly he mounted his horse, took a sack full of cakes on his\nshoulder and a long stick in his hand, and started off at once to beat\nup the neighbourhood for girls to marry his sons.\n\nThe old man had travelled from village to village during a whole\nmonth, and whenever he had seen a girl he cut a notch in his stick.\nBut he was getting pretty well tired, and he began to count how many\nnotches he had already made. When he had counted them carefully over\nand over again, to be certain that he had counted all, he could only\nmake out seventy-four, so that still twenty-six were wanting to\ncomplete the number required. He was, however, so weary with his\nmonth's ride, that he determined to return home. As he rode along, he\nsaw a priest driving oxen yoked to a plough, and seemingly very deep\nin anxious thought about something. Now the old man wondered a little\nto see the priest ploughing his own corn-fields without even a boy to\nhelp him, he therefore shouted to ask him why he drove his oxen\nhimself. The priest, however, did not even turn his head to see who\ncalled to him, so intent was he in urging on his oxen and in guiding\nhis plough.\n\nThe old man thought he had not spoken loud enough, so he shouted out\nagain as loud as he could, 'Stop your oxen a little, and tell me why\nyou are ploughing yourself without even a lad to help you, and this,\ntoo, on a holy-day?'\n\nNow the priest--who was in a perspiration with his hard work--answered\ntestily, 'I conjure you by your old age, leave me in peace! I cannot\ntell you my ill-luck.'\n\nAt this answer, however, the old man was only the more curious, and\npersisted all the more earnestly in asking questions to find out why\nthe priest ploughed on a Saint's day. At last the priest, tired with\nhis importunity, sighed deeply and said, 'Well, if you _will_ know: I\nam the only man in my household, and God has blessed me with a hundred\ndaughters!'\n\nThe old man was overjoyed at hearing this, and exclaimed cheerfully,\n'That's very good! It is just what I want, for _I_ have a hundred\nsons, and so, as you have a hundred daughters, we can be friends!'\n\nThe moment the priest heard this he became pleasant and talkative, and\ninvited the old man to pass the night in his house. Then, leaving his\nplough in the field, he drove the oxen back to the village. Just\nbefore reaching his house, however, he said to the old man, 'Go\nyourself into the house whilst I tie up my oxen.'\n\nNo sooner, however, had the old man entered the yard than the wife of\nthe priest rushed at him with a big stick, crying out, 'We have not\nbread enough for our hundred daughters, and we want neither beggars\nnor visitors,' and with these words she drove him away.\n\nShortly afterwards the priest came out of the barn, and, finding the\nold man sitting on the road before the gate, asked him why he had not\ngone into the house as he had told him to do. Whereupon the old man\nreplied, 'I went in, but your wife drove me away!'\n\nThen the priest said, 'Only wait here a moment till I come back to\nfetch you.' He then went quickly into his house and scolded his wife\nright well, saying, 'What have you done? What a fine chance you have\nspoiled! The man who came in was going to be our friend, for he has a\nhundred sons who would gladly have married our hundred daughters!'\n\nWhen the wife heard this she changed her dress hastily, and arranged\nher hair and head-dress in a different fashion. Then she smiled very\nsweetly, and welcomed with the greatest possible politeness the old\nman, when her husband led him into the house. In fact, she pretended\nthat she knew nothing at all of any one having been driven away from\ntheir door. And as the old man wanted much to find wives for his sons,\nhe also pretended that he did not know that the smiling house-mistress\nand the woman who drove him away with a stick were one and the\nself-same person.\n\nSo the old man passed the night in the house, and next morning asked\nthe priest formally to give him his hundred daughters for wives for\nhis hundred sons. Thereupon the priest answered that he was quite\nwilling, and had already spoken to his daughters about the matter, and\nthat they, too, were all quite willing. Then the old man took out his\n'engagement-cakes,' and put them on the table beside him, and gave\neach of the girls a piece of money to _mark_ them. Then each of the\nengaged girls sent a small present by him to that one of his sons to\nwhom she was thus betrothed. These gifts the old man put in the bag\nwherein he had carried the 'engagement-cakes.' He then mounted his\nhorse, and rode off merrily homewards.\n\nThere were great rejoicings in his household when he told how\nsuccessful he had been in his search, and that he really had found a\nhundred girls ready and willing to be married; and these hundred, too,\na priest's daughters.\n\nThe sons insisted that they should begin to make the wedding\npreparations without delay and commenced at once to invite the guests\nwho were to form part of the wedding procession to go to the priest's\nhouse and bring home the brides.\n\nHere, however, another difficulty occurred. The old father must find\ntwo hundred _brideleaders_ (two for each bride); one hundred _kooms_\n(first witnesses); one hundred _starisvats_ (second witnesses); one\nhundred _chaious_ (running footmen who go before the processions) and\nthree hundred _vojvodes_ (standard-bearers); and, besides these, a\nrespectable number of other non-official guests.[32]\n\n    [32] See 'Popular Customs of Serbia,' by the same author.\n\nTo find all these persons the father had to hunt throughout the\nneighbourhood for three years; at last, however, they were all found,\nand a day was appointed when they were to meet at his house and go\nthence in procession to the house of the priest.\n\nOn the appointed day all the invited guests gathered at the old man's\nhouse. With great noise and confusion, after a fair amount of\nfeasting, the wedding procession was formed properly, and set out for\nthe house of the priest where the hundred brides were already prepared\nfor their departure for their new home.\n\nSo great was the confusion, indeed, that the old man quite forgot to\ntake with him one of the hundred sons, and never missed him in the\ngreeting and talking and drinking he was obliged, as father of the\nbridegrooms, to go through. Now the young man had worked so long and\nso hard in preparing for the wedding-day that he never woke up till\nlong after the procession had started and every one had had, like his\nfather, too much to do and too many things to think of to miss him.\n\nThe wedding procession arrived in good order at the priest's house,\nwhere a feast was already spread out for them. Having done honour to\nthe various good things, and having gone through all the ceremonies\nusual on such occasions, the hundred brides were given over to their\n'leaders,' and the procession started on its return to the old man's\nhouse. But, as they did not set off until pretty late in the\nafternoon, it was decided that the night should be spent somewhere on\nthe road. When they came, therefore, to a certain river named\n'Luckless,' as it was already dark, some of the men proposed that the\nparty should pass the night by the side of the water without crossing\nover. However, some others of the chief of the party so warmly advised\nthe crossing the river and encamping on the other bank, that this\ncourse was at length, after a very lively discussion, determined on;\naccordingly the procession began to move over the bridge.\n\nJust, however, as the wedding party were half-way across the bridge\nits two sides began to draw nearer each other, and pressed the people\nso close together that they had hardly room to breathe--much less\ncould they move forwards or backwards.\n\nThey were kept for some time in this position, some shouting and\nscolding, others quiet because frightened, until at length a black\ngiant appeared, and shouted to them in a terribly loud voice, 'Who are\nyou all? Where do you come from? Where are you going?'\n\nSome of the bolder among them answered, 'We are going to our old\nfriend's house, taking home the hundred brides for his hundred sons;\nbut unluckily we ventured on this bridge after nightfall, and it has\npressed us so tightly together that we cannot move one way or the\nother.'\n\n'And where is your old friend?' inquired the black giant.\n\nNow all the wedding guests turned their eyes towards the old man.\nThereupon he turned towards the giant, who instantly said to him,\n'Listen, old man! Will you give me what you have forgotten at home, if\nI let your friends pass over the bridge?'\n\nThe old man considered some time what it might be that he had\nforgotten at home, but, at last, not being able to recollect anything\nin particular that he had left, and hearing on all sides the groans\nand moans of his guests, he replied, 'Well, I will give it you, if you\nwill only let the procession pass over.'\n\nThen the black giant said to the party, 'You all hear what he has\npromised, and are all my witnesses to the bargain. In three days I\nshall come to fetch what I have bargained for.'\n\nHaving said this, the black giant widened the bridge and the whole\nprocession passed on to the other bank in safety. The people, however,\nno longer wished to spend the night on the way, so they moved on as\nfast as they could, and early in the morning reached the old man's\nhouse.\n\nAs everybody talked of the strange adventure they had met with, the\neldest son, who had been left at home, soon began to understand how\nthe matter stood, and went to his father saying, 'O my father! you\nhave sold _me_ to the black giant!'\n\nThen the old man was very sorry, and troubled; but his friends\ncomforted him, saying, 'Don't be frightened! nothing will come of it.'\n\nThe marriage ceremonies were celebrated with great rejoicings. Just,\nhowever, as the festivities were at their height, on the third day,\nthe black giant appeared at the gate and shouted, 'Now, give me at\nonce what you have promised.'\n\nThe old man, trembling all over, went forward and asked him, 'What do\nyou want?'\n\n'Nothing but what you have promised me!' returned the black giant.\n\nAs he could not break his promise, the old man, very much distressed,\nwas then obliged to deliver up his eldest son to the giant, who\nthereupon said, 'Now I shall take your son with me, but after three\nyears have passed you can come to the Luckless River and take him\naway.'\n\nHaving said this the black giant disappeared, taking with him the\nyoung man, whom he carried off to his workshop as an apprentice to the\ntrade of witchcraft.\n\nFrom that time the poor old man had not a single moment of happiness.\nHe was always sad and anxious, and counted every year, and month, and\nweek, and even every day, until the dawn of the last day of the three\nyears. Then he took a staff in his hand and hurried off to the bank of\nthe river Luckless. As soon as he reached the river, he was met by the\nblack giant, who asked him, 'Why are you come?' The old man answered\nthat he had come to take home his son, according to his agreement.\n\nThereupon the giant brought out a tray on which stood a sparrow, a\nturtle-dove, and a quail, and said to the old man, 'Now, if you can\ntell which of these is your son, you may take him away.'\n\nThe poor old father looked intently at the three birds, one after the\nother, and over and over again, but at last he was forced to own that\nhe could not tell which of them was his son. So he was obliged to go\naway by himself, and was far more miserable than before. He had\nhardly, however, got half-way home when he thought he would go back to\nthe river and take one of the birds which he remembered had looked at\nhim intently.\n\nWhen he reached the river Luckless he was again met by the black\ngiant, who brought out the tray again, and placed on it this time a\npartridge, a tit-mouse, and a thrush, saying, 'Now, my old man, find\nout which is your son!'\n\nThe anxious father again looked at one bird after the other, but he\nfelt more uncertain than before, and so, crying bitterly, again went\naway.\n\nJust as the old man was going through a forest, which was between the\nriver Luckless and his house, an old woman met him, and said, 'Stop a\nmoment! Where are you hurrying to? And why are you in such trouble?'\nNow, the old man was so deeply musing over his great unhappiness that\nhe did not at first attend to the old woman; but she followed him,\ncalling after him, and repeating her questions with more earnestness.\nSo he stopped at last, and told her what a terrible misfortune had\nfallen upon him. When the old woman had listened to the whole story,\nshe said cheerfully, 'Don't be cast down! Don't be afraid! Go back\nagain to the river, and, when the giant brings out the three birds,\nlook into their eyes sharply. When you see that one of the birds has a\ntear in one of its eyes, seize that bird and hold it fast, for it has\na human soul.'\n\nThe old man thanked her heartily for her advice, and turned back, for\nthe third time, towards the Luckless River. Again the black giant\nappeared, and looked very merry whilst he brought out his tray and put\nupon it a sparrow, a dove, and a woodpecker, saying, 'My old man! find\nout which is your son!' Then the father looked sharply into the eyes\nof the birds, and saw that from the right eye of the dove a tear\ndropped slowly down. In a moment he grasped the bird tightly, saying,\n'This is my son!' The next moment he found himself holding fast his\neldest son by the shoulder, and so, singing and shouting in his great\njoy, took him quickly home, and gave him over to his eldest\ndaughter-in-law, the wife of his son.\n\nNow, for some time they all lived together very happily. One day,\nhowever, the young man said to his father, 'Whilst I was apprentice in\nthe workshop of the black giant, I learned a great many tricks of\nwitchcraft. Now I intend to change myself into a fine horse, and you\nshall take me to market and sell me for a good sum of money. But be\nsure not to give up the halter.'\n\nThe father did as the son had said. Next market-day he went to the\ncity with a fine horse which he offered for sale. Many buyers came\nround him, admiring the horse, and bidding large sums for it, so that\nat last the old man was able to sell it for two thousand ducats. When\nhe received the money, he took good care not to let go the halter, and\nhe returned home far richer than he ever dreamt of being.\n\nA few days later, the man who had bought the horse sent his servant\nwith it to the river to bathe, and, whilst in the water, the horse got\nloose from the servant and galloped off into the neighbouring forest.\nThere he changed himself back into his real shape, and returned to his\nfather's house.\n\nAfter some time had passed, the young man said one day to his father,\n'Now I will change myself into an ox, and you can take me to market to\nsell me; but take care not to give up the rope with which you lead\nme.'\n\nSo next market-day the old man went to the city leading a very fine\nox, and soon found a buyer, who offered him ten times the usual price\npaid for an ox. The buyer asked also for the rope to lead the animal\nhome, but the old man said, 'What do you want with such an old thing?\nYou had better buy a new one!' and he went off taking with him the\nrope.\n\nThat evening, whilst the servants of the buyer were driving the ox to\nthe field, he ran away into a wood near, and, having taken there his\nhuman shape, returned home to his father's house.\n\nOn the eve of the next market-day, the young man said to his father,\n'Now I will change myself into a cow with golden horns, and you can\nsell me as before, only take care not to give up the string.'\n\nAccordingly he changed himself next morning into a cow, and the old\nman took it to the market-place, and asked for it three hundred\ncrowns.\n\nBut the black giant had learnt that his former apprentice was making a\ngreat deal of money by practising the trade he had taught him, and,\nbeing jealous at this, he determined to put an end to the young man's\ngains.\n\nTherefore, on the third day he came to the market himself as a buyer,\nand the moment he saw the beautiful cow with golden horns he knew that\nit could be no other than his former apprentice. So he came up to the\nold man, and, having outbid all the other would-be purchasers, paid at\nonce the price he had agreed on. Having done this, he caught the\nstring in his hand, and tried to wrench it from the terrified old man,\nwho called out, 'I have not sold you the string, but the cow!' and\nheld the string as fast as he could with both hands.\n\n'Oh, no!' said the buyer, 'I have the law and custom on my side!\nWhoever buys a cow, buys also the string with which it is led!' Some\nof the amused and astonished lookers-on said that this was quite true,\ntherefore the old man was obliged to give up the string.\n\nThe black giant, well satisfied with his purchase, took the cow with\nhim to his castle, and, after having put iron chains on her legs,\nfastened her in a cellar. Every morning the giant gave the cow some\nwater and hay, but he never unchained her.\n\nOne evening, however, the cow, with incessant struggles, managed to\nget free from the chains, and immediately opened the cellar-door with\nher horns and ran away.\n\nNext morning the black giant went as usual into the cellar, carrying\nthe hay and water for the cow; but seeing she had got free and run\naway, he threw the hay down, and started off at once to pursue her.\n\nWhen he came within sight of her, he turned himself into a wolf and\nran at her with great fury; but his clever apprentice changed himself\ninstantly from a cow into a bear, whereupon the giant turned himself\nfrom a wolf into a lion; the bear then turned into a tiger, and the\nlion changed into a crocodile, whereupon the tiger turned into a\nsparrow. Upon this the giant changed from the form of a crocodile into\na hawk, and the apprentice immediately changed into a hare; on seeing\nwhich, the hawk became a greyhound. Then the apprentice changed from a\nhare into a falcon, and the greyhound into an eagle; whereupon the\napprentice changed into a fish. The giant then turned from an eagle\ninto a mouse, and immediately the apprentice, as a cat, ran after him;\nthen the giant turned himself into a heap of millet, and the\napprentice transformed himself into a hen and chickens, which very\ngreedily picked up all the millet except one single seed, in which the\nmaster was, who changed himself into a squirrel; instantly, however,\nthe apprentice became a hawk, and, pouncing on the squirrel, killed\nit.\n\nIn this way the apprentice beat his master, the black giant, and\nrevenged himself for all the sufferings he had endured whilst learning\nthe trade of witchcraft. Having killed the squirrel, the hawk took his\nproper shape again, and the young man returned joyfully to his father,\nwhom he made immensely rich.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRADE THAT NO ONE KNOWS.\n\n\nA long while ago there lived a poor old couple, who had an only son.\nThe old man and his wife worked very hard to nourish their child well\nand bring him up properly, hoping that he, in return, would take care\nof them in their old age.\n\nWhen, however, the boy had grown up, he said to his parents, 'I am a\nman now, and I intend to marry, so I wish you to go at once to the\nking and ask him to give me his daughter for wife.' The astonished\nparents rebuked him, saying, 'What can you be thinking of? We have\nonly this poor hut to shelter us, and hardly bread enough to eat, and\nwe dare not presume to go into the king's presence, much less can we\nventure to ask for his daughter to be your wife.'\n\nThe son, however, insisted that they should do as he said, threatening\nthat if they did not comply with his wishes he would leave them, and\ngo away into the world. Seeing that he was really in earnest in what\nhe said, the unhappy parents promised him they would go and ask for\nthe king's daughter. Then the old mother made a wedding cake in her\nson's presence, and, when it was ready, she put it in a bag, took her\nstaff in her hand, and went straight to the palace where the king\nlived. There the king's servants bade her come in, and led her into\nthe hall where his Majesty was accustomed to receive the poor people\nwho came to ask alms or to present petitions.\n\nThe poor old woman stood in the hall, confused and ashamed at her\nworn-out, shabby clothes, and looking as if she were made of stone,\nuntil the king said to her kindly, 'What do _you_ want from me, old\nmother?'\n\nShe dared not, however, tell his Majesty why she had come, so she\nstammered out in her confusion, 'Nothing, your Majesty.'\n\nThen the king smiled a little and said, 'Perhaps you come to ask\nalms?'\n\nThen the old woman, much abashed, replied, 'Yes, your Majesty, if you\nplease!'\n\nThereupon the king called his servants and ordered them to give the\nold woman ten crowns, which they did. Having received this money, she\nthanked his Majesty, and returned home, saying to herself, 'I dare say\nwhen my son sees all this money he will not think any more of going\naway from us.'\n\nIn this thought, however, she was quite mistaken, for no sooner had\nshe entered the hut than the son came to her and asked impatiently,\n'Well, mother, have you done as I asked you?'\n\nAt this she exclaimed, 'Do give up, once for all, this silly fancy, my\nson. How could you expect me to ask the king for his daughter to be\nyour wife? That would be a bold thing for a rich nobleman to do, how\nthen can _we_ think of such a thing? Anyhow, _I_ dared not say one\nword to the king about it. But only look what a lot of money I have\nbrought back. Now you can look for a wife suitable for you, and then\nyou will forget the king's daughter.'\n\nWhen the young man heard his mother speak thus, he grew very angry, and\nsaid to her, 'What do I want with the king's money? I don't want his\nmoney, but I _do_ want his daughter! I see you are only playing with\nme, so I shall leave you. I will go away somewhere--anywhere--wherever\nmy eyes lead me.'\n\nThen the poor old parents prayed and begged him not to go away from\nthem, and leave them alone in their old age; but they could only quiet\nhim by promising faithfully that the mother should go again next day\nto the king, and this time really ask him to give his daughter to her\nson for a wife.\n\nIn the morning, therefore, the old woman went again to the palace, and\nthe servants showed her into the same hall she had been in before. The\nking, seeing her stand there, inquired, 'What want you, my old woman,\nnow?'\n\nShe was, however, so ashamed that she could hardly stammer, 'Nothing,\nplease your Majesty.'\n\nThe king, supposing that she came again to beg, ordered his servants\nto give her this time also ten crowns.\n\nWith this money the poor woman returned to her hut, where her son met\nher, asking, 'Well, mother, _this_ time I hope you have done what I\nasked you?' But she replied, 'Now, my dear son, do leave the king's\ndaughter in peace. How can you really think of such a thing? Even if\nshe would marry you, where is the house to bring her to? So be quiet,\nand take this money which I have brought you.'\n\nAt these words the son was more angry than before, and said sharply,\n'As I see you will not let me marry the king's daughter, I will leave\nyou this moment and never come back again;' and, rushing out of the\nhut, he ran away. His parents hurried after him, and at length\nprevailed on him to return, by swearing to him that his mother should\ngo again to the king next morning, and really and in truth ask his\nMajesty this time for his daughter.\n\nSo the young man agreed to go back home and wait until the next day.\n\nOn the morrow the old woman, with a heavy heart, went to the palace,\nand was shown as before into the king's presence. Seeing her there for\nthe third time, his Majesty asked her impatiently, 'What do you want\nthis time, old woman?' And she, trembling all over, said, 'Please your\nMajesty--nothing.' Then the king exclaimed, 'But it cannot be nothing.\nSomething you must want, so tell me the truth at once, if you value\nyour life!' Thereupon the old woman was forced to tell all the story\nto the king; how her son had a great desire to marry the princess, and\nso had forced her to come and ask the king to give her to him for\nwife.\n\nWhen the king had heard everything, he said, 'Well, after all, _I_\nshall say nothing against it if my daughter will consent to it.' He\nthen told his servants to lead the princess into his presence. When\nshe came he told her all about the affair, and asked her, 'Are you\nwilling to marry the son of this old woman?'\n\nThe princess answered, 'Why not? If only he learns first the trade\nthat no one knows!' Thereupon the king bade his attendants give money\nto the poor woman, who now went back to her hut with a light heart.\n\nThe moment she entered, her son asked her, 'Have you engaged her?' And\nshe returned, 'Do let me get my breath a little! Well, _now_ I have\nreally asked the king; but it is of no use, for the princess declares\nshe will not marry you until you have learnt the trade that no one\nknows!'\n\n'Oh, that matters nothing!' exclaimed the son. 'Now I only know the\ncondition, it's all right!' The next morning the young man set out on\nhis travels through the world in search of a man who could teach him\nthe trade that no one knows. He wandered about a long time without\nbeing able to find out where he could learn such a trade. At length\none day, being quite tired out with walking and very sad, he sat down\non a fallen log by the wayside. After he had sat thus a little while,\nan old woman came up to him, and asked, 'Why art thou so sad, my son?'\nAnd he answered, 'What is the use of your asking, when you cannot help\nme?' But she continued, 'Only tell me what is the matter, and perhaps\nI can help you.' Then he said, 'Well, if you must know, the matter is\nthis: I have been travelling about the world a long time to find a\nmaster who can teach me the trade which no one knows.' 'Oh, if it is\nonly that,' cried the old woman, 'just listen to me! Don't be afraid,\nbut go straight into the forest which lies before you, and there you\nwill find what you want.'\n\nThe young man was very glad to hear this, and got up at once and went\nto the forest. When he had gone pretty far in the wood, he saw a large\ncastle, and, whilst he stood looking at it and wondering what it was,\nfour giants came out of it and ran up to him, shouting, 'Do you wish\nto learn the trade that no one knows?' He said, 'Yes; that is just the\nreason why I come here.' Whereupon they took him into the castle.\n\nNext morning the giants prepared to go out hunting, and, before\nleaving, they said to him, 'You must on no account go into the first\nroom by the dining-hall.' Hardly, however, were the giants well out of\nsight before the young man began to reason thus with himself: 'I see\nvery well that I have come into a place from which I shall never go\nout alive with my head, so I may as well see what is in the room, come\nwhat may afterwards.' So he went and opened the door a little and\npeeped in. There stood a golden ass, bound to a golden manger. He\nlooked at it a little, and was just going to shut the door when the\nass said, 'Come and take the halter from my head, and keep it hidden\nabout you. It will serve you well if you only understand how to use\nit.' So he took the halter, and, after fastening the room door,\nquickly concealed it under his clothes. He had not sat very long\nbefore the giants came home. They asked him at once if he had been in\nthe first room, and he, much frightened, replied, 'No, I have not been\nin.' 'But we know that you have been!' said the giants in great anger,\nand seizing some large sticks, they beat him so severely that he could\nhardly stand on his feet. It was very lucky for him that he had the\nhalter wound round his body under his clothes, or else he would\ncertainly have been killed.\n\nThe next day the giants again prepared to go out hunting, but before\nleaving him they ordered him on no account to enter the second room.\n\nAlmost as soon as the giants had gone away he became so very curious\nto see what might be in the second room, that he could not resist\ngoing to the door. He stood there a little, thinking within himself,\n'Well, I am already more dead than alive, much worse cannot happen to\nme!' and so he opened the door and looked in. There he was surprised\nto see a very beautiful girl, dressed all in gold and silver, who sat\ncombing her hair, and setting in every tress a large diamond. He stood\nadmiring her a little while, and was just going to shut the door\nagain, when she spoke, 'Wait a minute, young man. Come and take this\nkey, and mind you keep it safely. It will serve you some time, if you\nonly know how to use it.' So he went in and took the key from the\ngirl, and then, going out, fastened the door and went and sat down in\nthe same place he had sat before.\n\nHe had not remained there very long before the giants came home from\nhunting. The moment they entered the house they took up their large\nsticks to beat him, asking, at the same time, whether he had been in\nthe second room.\n\nShaking all over with fear, he answered them, 'No, I have not!'\n\n'But we know that you have been,' shouted the giants in great anger,\nand they then beat him worse than on the first day.\n\nThe next morning, as the giants went out as usual to hunt, they said\nto him, 'Do not go into the third room, for anything in the world; for\nif you do go in we shall not forgive you as we did yesterday, and the\nday before! We shall kill you outright!' No sooner, however, had the\ngiants gone out of sight, than the young man began to say to himself,\n'Most likely they will kill me, whether I go into the room or not.\nBesides, if they do not kill me, they have beaten me so badly already\nthat I am sure I cannot live long, so, anyhow, I will go and see what\nis in the third room.' Then he got up and went and opened the door.\n\nHe was quite shocked, however, when he saw that the room was full of\nhuman heads! These heads belonged to young men who had come, like\nhimself, to learn the trade that no one knows, and who, having obeyed\nfaithfully and strictly the orders of the giants, had been killed by\nthem.\n\nThe young man was turning quickly to go away, when one of the heads\ncalled out, 'Don't be afraid, but come in!' Thereupon he went into the\nroom. Then the head gave him an iron chain, and said, 'Take care of\nthis chain, for it will serve you some time if you know how to use\nit!' So he took the chain, and going out fastened the door.\n\nHe went and sat down in the usual place to wait for the coming home of\nthe giants, and, as he waited, he grew quite frightened, for he fully\nexpected that they would really kill him this time.\n\nThe instant the giants came home they took up their thick sticks and\nbegan to beat him without stopping to ask anything. They beat him so\nterribly that he was all but dead; then they threw him out of the\nhouse, saying to him, 'Go away now, since you have learnt the trade\nthat no one knows!' When he had lain a long time on the ground where\nthey had thrown him, feeling very sore and miserable, at length he\ntried to move away, saying to himself, 'Well, if they really have\ntaught me the trade that no one knows, for the sake of the king's\ndaughter I can suffer gladly all this pain, if I can only win her!'\n\nAfter travelling for a long time, the young man came at last to the\npalace of the king whose daughter he wished to marry. When he saw the\npalace, he was exceedingly sad, and remembered the words of the\nprincess; for, after all his wanderings and sufferings, he had learnt\nno trade, and had never been able to find what trade it was 'that no\none knows.' Whilst considering what he had better do, he suddenly\nrecollected the halter, the key, and the iron chain, which he had\ncarried concealed about him ever since he left the castle of the four\ngiants. He then said to himself, 'Let me see what these things can\ndo!' So he took the halter and struck the earth with it, and\nimmediately a handsome horse, beautifully caparisoned, stood before\nhim. Then he struck the ground with the iron chain, and instantly a\nhare and a greyhound appeared, and the hare began to run quickly and\nthe greyhound to follow her. In a moment the young man hardly knew\nhimself, for he found himself in a fine hunting-dress, riding on the\nhorse after the hare, which took a path that passed immediately under\nthe windows of the king's palace. Now, it happened that the king stood\nat a window looking out, and noticed at once the beautiful greyhound\nwhich was chasing the hare, and the very handsome horse which a\nhuntsman in a splendid dress was mounted on. The king was so pleased\nwith the appearance of the horse and the greyhound, that he called\ninstantly some of his servants, and, sending them after the strange\nrider, bade them invite him to come to the palace. The young man,\nhowever, hearing some people coming behind him calling and shouting,\nrode quickly behind a thick bush, and shook a little the halter and\nthe iron chain. In a moment the horse, the greyhound, and the hare had\nvanished, and he found himself sitting on the ground under the trees\ndressed in his old shabby clothes. By this time the king's servants\nhad come up, and, seeing him sit there, they asked him whether he had\nseen a fine huntsman on a beautiful horse pass that way. But he\nanswered them rudely, 'No! I have not seen anyone pass, neither do I\ncare to look to see who passes!'\n\nThen the king's servants went on and searched the forest, calling and\nshouting as loudly as they could, but it was all in vain; they could\nneither see nor hear anything of the hunter. At length they went back\nto the king, and told him that the horse the huntsman rode was so\nexceedingly quick that they could not hear anything of him in the\nforest.\n\nThe young man now resolved to go to the hut where his old parents\nlived; and they were glad to see that he had come back to them once\nmore.\n\nNext morning, the son said to his father, 'Now, father, I will show\nyou what I have learned. I will change myself into a beautiful horse,\nand you must lead me into the city and sell me, but be very careful\nnot to give away the halter, or else I shall remain always a horse!'\nAccordingly, in a moment he changed himself into a horse of\nextraordinary beauty, and the father took him to the market-place to\nsell him. Very soon a great number of people gathered round the horse,\nwondering at his unusual beauty, and very high prices were offered for\nhim; the old man, however, raised the price higher and higher at every\noffer. The news spread quickly about the city that a wonderfully\nhandsome horse was for sale in the market-place, and at length the\nking himself heard of it, and sent some servants to bring the horse,\nthat he might see it. The old man led the horse at once before the\npalace, and the king, after looking at it for some time with great\nadmiration, could not help exclaiming, 'By my word, though I am a\nking, I never yet saw, much less rode, so handsome a horse!' Then he\nasked the old man if he would sell it him. 'I will sell it to your\nMajesty, very willingly,' said the old man; 'but I will sell only the\nhorse, and not the halter.' Thereupon the king laughed, saying, 'What\nshould I want with your dirty halter? For such a horse I will have a\nhalter of gold made!' So the horse was sold to the king for a very\nhigh price, and the old man returned home with the money.\n\nNext morning, however, there was a great stir and much consternation\nin the royal stables, for the beautiful horse had vanished somehow\nduring the night. And at the time when the horse disappeared, the\nyoung man returned to his parents' hut.\n\nA day or two afterwards the young man said to his father, 'Now I will\nturn myself into a fine church not far from the king's palace, and if\nthe king wishes to buy it you may sell it him, only be sure not to\npart with the key or else I must remain always a church!'\n\nWhen the king got up that morning, and went to his window to look out,\nhe saw a beautiful church which he had never noticed before. Then he\nsent his servants out to see what it was, and soon after they came\nback saying, that 'the church belonged to an old pilgrim, who told\nthem that he was willing to sell it if the king wished to buy it.'\nThen the king sent to ask what price he would sell it for, and the\npilgrim replied, 'It is worth a great deal of money.'\n\nWhilst the servants were bargaining with the father an old woman came\nup. Now this was the same old woman who had sent the young man to the\ncastle of the four giants, and she herself had been there and had\nlearnt the trade that no one knew. As she understood at once all about\nthe church, and had no mind to have a rival in the trade, she resolved\nto put an end to the young man. For this purpose she began to outbid\nthe king, and offered, at last, so very large a sum of ready money,\nthat the old man was quite astonished and confused at seeing the money\nwhich she showed him. He accordingly accepted her offer, but whilst he\nwas counting the money, quite forgot about the key. Before long,\nhowever, he recollected what his son had said, and then, fearing some\nmischief, he ran after the old woman and demanded the key back. But\nthe old woman could not be persuaded to give back the key, and said it\nbelonged to the church which she had bought and paid for. Seeing she\nwould not give up the key, the old man grew more and more alarmed,\nlest some ill should befall his son, so he took hold of the old woman\nby the neck and forced her to drop the key. She struggled very hard to\nget it back again, and, whilst the old man and she wrestled together,\nthe key changed itself suddenly into a dove and flew away high in the\nair over the palace gardens.\n\nWhen the old woman saw this, she changed herself into a hawk and\nchased the dove. Just, however, as the hawk was about to pounce upon\nit, the dove turned itself into a beautiful bouquet, and dropped down\ninto the hand of the king's daughter who happened to be walking in the\ngarden. Then the hawk changed again into the old woman, who went to\nthe gate of the palace and begged very hard that the princess would\ngive her that bouquet, or, at least, one single flower from it.\n\nBut the princess said, 'No! not for anything in the world! These\nflowers fell to me from heaven!' The old woman, however, was\ndetermined to get one flower from the bouquet, so, seeing the princess\nwould not hear her, she went straight to the king, and begged\npiteously that he would order his daughter to give her one of the\nflowers from her bouquet. The king, thinking the old woman wanted one\nof the flowers to cure some disease, called his daughter to him, and\ntold her to give one to the beggar.\n\nBut just as the king said this, the bouquet changed itself into a heap\nof millet-seed and scattered itself all over the ground. Then the old\nwoman quickly changed herself into a hen and chickens, and began\ngreedily to pick up the seeds. Suddenly, however, the millet vanished,\nand in its place appeared a fox, which sprang on the hen and killed\nher.\n\nThen the fox changed into the young man, who explained to the\nastonished king and princess that he it was who had demanded the hand\nof the princess, and that, in order to obtain it, he had wandered all\nover the world in search of some one who could teach him 'the trade\nthat no one knows.'\n\nWhen the king and his daughter heard this, they gladly fulfilled their\npart of the bargain, seeing how well the young man had fulfilled his.\n\nThen, shortly afterwards, the king's daughter married the son of the\npoor old couple; and the king built for the princess and her husband a\npalace close to his own. There they lived long and had plenty of\nchildren, and people say that some of their descendants are living at\npresent, and that these go constantly to pray in the church, which is\nalways open because the key of it turned itself into a young man who\nmarried the king's daughter, after he had shown to her that he had\ndone as she wished, and learnt, for her sake, 'the trade that no one\nknows.'\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE SUITORS.\n\n\nIn a very remote country there formerly lived a king who had only one\nchild,--an exceedingly beautiful daughter. The princess had a great\nnumber of suitors, and amongst them were three young noblemen, whom\nthe king loved much. As, however, the king liked the three nobles\nequally well, he could not decide to which of the three he should give\nhis daughter as a wife. One day, therefore, he called the three young\nnoblemen to him, and said, 'Go all of you and travel about the world.\nThe one of you who brings home the most remarkable thing shall become\nmy son-in-law!'\n\nThe three suitors started at once on their travels, each of them\ntaking opposite ways, and going in search of remarkable things into\ndistant and different countries.\n\nA long time had not passed before one of the young nobles found a\nwonderful carpet which would carry rapidly through the air whoever sat\nupon it.\n\nAnother of them found a marvellous telescope, through which he could\nsee everybody and everything in the world, and even the many-coloured\nsands at the bottom of the great deep sea.\n\nThe third found a wonder-working ointment, which could cure every\ndisease in the world, and even bring dead people back to life again.\n\nNow the three noble travellers were far distant from each other when\nthey found these wonderful things. But when the young man who had\nfound the telescope looked through it he saw one of his former friends\nand present rivals walking with a carpet on his shoulder, and so he\nset out to join him. As he could always see, by means of his\nmarvellous telescope, where the other nobleman was, he had no great\ndifficulty in finding him, and when the two had met, they sat side by\nside on the wonderful carpet, and it carried them through the air\nuntil they had joined the third traveller.\n\nOne day, when each of them had been telling of the remarkable things\nhe had seen in his travels, one of them exclaimed suddenly, 'Now let\nus see what the beautiful princess is doing, and where she is.' Then\nthe noble who had found the telescope looked through it and saw, to\nhis great surprise and dismay, that the king's daughter was lying very\nsick, and at the point of death. He told this to his two friends and\nrivals, and they, too, were as thunderstruck at the bad news--until\nthe one who had found the wonder-working ointment, remembering it\nsuddenly, exclaimed, 'I am sure I could cure her, if I could only\nreach the palace soon enough!' On hearing this, the noble who had\nfound the wonderful carpet, cried out, 'Let us sit down on my carpet,\nand it will quickly carry us to the king's palace!'\n\nThereupon the three nobles gently placed themselves on the carpet,\nwhich rose instantly in the air, and carried them direct to the king's\npalace.\n\nThe king received them immediately; but said very sadly, 'I am sorry\nfor you; for all your travels have been in vain. My daughter is just\ndying, so she can marry none of you!'\n\nBut the nobleman who possessed the wonder-working ointment said\nrespectfully, 'Do not fear, sire, the princess will not die!' And on\nbeing permitted to enter the apartment where she lay sick, he placed\nthe ointment so that she could smell it. In a few moments the princess\nrevived, and when her waiting-women had rubbed a little of the\nointment in her skin she recovered so quickly that in a few days she\nwas better than she had been before she was taken ill.\n\nThe king was so glad to have his daughter given back to him, as he\nthought, from the grave, that he declared that she should marry no one\nbut the young nobleman whose wonderful ointment had cured her.\n\nBut now a great dispute arose between the three young nobles; the one\nwho possessed the ointment affirmed that had he not found it the\nprincess would have died, and could not, therefore, have married any\none; the noble who owned the telescope declared that had he not found\nthe wonderful telescope they would never have known that the princess\nwas dying, and so his friend would not have brought the ointment to\ncure her; whilst the third noble proved to them that had he not found\nthe wonderful carpet, neither the finding of the ointment nor the\ntelescope would have helped the princess, since they could not have\ntravelled such a great distance in time to save her.\n\nThe king, overhearing this dispute, called the young noblemen to him,\nand said to them, 'My lords, from what you have said, I see that I\ncannot, with justice, give my daughter to any of you; therefore, I\npray you to give up altogether the idea of marrying her, and that you\ncontinue friends as you always were before you became rivals.'\n\nThe three young nobles saw that the king had decided justly; so they\nall left their native country, and went into a far-off desert to live\nlike hermits. And the king gave the princess to another of his great\nnobles.\n\nMany, many years had passed away since the marriage of the princess,\nwhen her husband was sent by her father to a distant country with\nwhich the king was waging war. The nobleman took his wife, the\nprincess, with him, as he was uncertain how long he might be forced to\nremain abroad. Now it happened that a violent storm arose just as the\nvessel, in which the princess and her husband were, was approaching a\nstrange coast, and in the height of the great tempest the ship dashed\non some rocks, and went to pieces instantly. All the people on board\nperished in the waves, excepting only the princess, who clung very\nfast to a boat, and was carried by the wind and the tide to the\nsea-shore. There she found what seemed to be an uninhabited country,\nand, finding a small cave in a rock, she lived in it alone three\nyears, feeding on wild herbs and fruits. She searched every day to\nfind some way out of the forest which surrounded her cave, but could\nfind none. One day, however, when she had wandered farther than usual\nfrom the cave where she lived, she came suddenly on another cave,\nwhich had, to her great astonishment, a small door. She tried over and\nover again to open the door, thinking she would pass the night in the\ncave; but all her efforts were unavailing, it was shut so fast. At\nlength, however, a deep voice from within the cave called out, 'Who is\nat the door?'\n\nAt this the princess was so surprised that she could not answer for\nsome moments; when, however, she had recovered a little, she said,\n'Open me the door!' Immediately the door was opened from within, and\nshe saw, with sudden terror, an old man with a thick grey beard\nreaching below his waist, and long white hair flowing over his\nshoulders.\n\nWhat frightened the princess the more was her finding a man living\nhere in the same desert where she had lived herself three years\nwithout seeing a single soul.\n\nThe hermit and the princess looked at each long and earnestly without\nsaying a word. At length, however, the old man said, 'Tell me, are you\nan angel or a daughter of this world?'\n\nThen the princess answered, 'Old man, let me rest a moment, and then I\nwill tell you all about myself, and what brought me here!' So the\nhermit brought out some wild pears, and when the princess had taken\nsome of them, she began to tell him who she was, and how she came in\nthat desert. She said, 'I am a king's daughter, and once, many years\nago, three young nobles of my father's court asked the king for my\nhand in marriage. Now the king had such an equal affection for all\nthese three young men that he was unwilling to give pain to any of\nthem, so he sent them to travel into distant countries, and promised\nto decide between them when they returned.\n\n'The three noblemen remained a long time away; and whilst they were\nstill abroad somewhere, I fell dangerously ill. I was just at the\npoint of death, when they all three returned suddenly; one of them\nbringing a wonderful ointment which cured me at once; the two others\nbrought each equally remarkable things--a carpet that would carry\nwhoever sat on it through the air, and a telescope with which one\ncould see everybody and everything in the world, even to the sands at\nthe bottom of the sea.'\n\nThe princess had gone on thus far with her story, when the hermit\nsuddenly interrupted her, saying, 'All that happened afterwards I know\nas well as you can tell me. Look at me, my daughter! I am one of those\nnoblemen who sought to win your hand, and here is the wonderful\ntelescope.' And the hermit brought out the instrument from a recess in\nthe side of his cave before he continued, 'My two friends and rivals\ncame with me to this desert. We parted, however, immediately, and have\nnever met since. I know not whether they are living or dead, but I\nwill look for them.'\n\nThen the hermit looked through his telescope, and saw that the other\ntwo noblemen were living in caves like his, in different parts of the\nsame desert. Having found this out, he took the princess by the hand,\nand led her on until they found the other hermits. When all were\nre-united, the princess related her adventures since the ship, in\nwhich her husband was, had gone down, and she alone had been saved.\n\nThe three noble hermits were pleased to see her alive once again, but\nat once decided that they ought to send her back to the king, her\nfather.\n\nThen they made the princess a present of the wonderful telescope, and\nthe wonder-working ointment, and placed her on the wonderful carpet,\nwhich carried her and her treasures quickly and safely to her father's\npalace. As for the three noblemen, they remained, still living like\nhermits, in the desert, only they visited each other now and then, so\nthat the years seemed no longer so tedious to them. For they had many\nadventures to relate to each other.\n\nThe king was exceedingly glad to receive his only child back safely,\nand the princess lived with her father many years but neither the king\nnor his daughter could entirely forget the three noble friends who,\nfor her sake, lived like hermits in a wild desert in a far-off land.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN-HAIRED TWINS.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a long, long while ago, there lived a young king who\nwished very much to marry, but could not decide where he had better\nlook for a wife.\n\nOne evening as he was walking disguised through the streets of his\ncapital, as it was his frequent custom to do, he stopped to listen\nnear an open window where he heard three young girls chatting gaily\ntogether.\n\nThe girls were talking about a report which had been lately spread\nthrough the city, that the king intended soon to marry.\n\nOne of the girls exclaimed, 'If the king would marry me I would give\nhim a son who should be the greatest hero in the world.'\n\nThe second girl said, 'And if I were to be his wife I would present\nhim with two sons at once. Two twins with golden hair.'\n\nAnd the third girl declared that were the king to marry _her_ she\nwould give him a daughter so beautiful that there should not be her\nequal in the whole wide world!\n\nThe young king listened to all this, and for some time thought over\ntheir words, and tried to make up his mind which of the three girls\nhe should choose for his wife. At last he decided that he would marry\nthe one who had said she would bring him twins with golden hair.\n\nHaving once settled this in his own mind, he ordered that all\npreparations for his marriage should be made forthwith, and shortly\nafter, when all was ready, he married the second girl of the three.\n\nSeveral months after his marriage, the young king, who was at war with\none of the neighbouring princes, received tidings of the defeat of his\narmy, and heard that his presence was immediately required in the\ncamp. He accordingly left his capital and went to his army, leaving\nthe young queen in his palace to the care of his stepmother.\n\nNow the king's stepmother hated her daughter-in-law very much indeed,\nso when the young queen was near her confinement, the old queen told\nher that it was always customary in the royal family for the heirs to\nthe throne to be born in a garret.\n\nThe young queen (who knew nothing about the customs in royal families\nexcept what she had learnt from hearing or seeing since her marriage\nto the king) believed implicitly what her mother-in-law told her,\nalthough she thought it a great pity to leave her splendid apartments\nand go up into a miserable attic.\n\nNow when the golden-haired twins were born, the old queen contrived to\nsteal them out of their cradle, and put in their place two ugly little\ndogs. She then caused the two beautiful golden-haired boys to be\nburied alive in an out-of-the-way spot in the palace gardens, and then\nsent word to the king that the young queen had given him two little\ndogs instead of the heirs he was hoping for. The wicked stepmother\nsaid in her letter to the king that she herself was not surprised at\nthis, though she was very sorry for his disappointment. As to herself,\nshe had a long time suspected the young queen of having too great a\nfriendship for goblins and elves, and all kinds of evil spirits.\n\nWhen the king received this letter, he fell into a frightful rage,\nbecause he had only married the young girl in order to have the\ngolden-haired twins she had promised him as heirs to his throne.\n\nSo he sent word back to the old queen that his wife should be put at\nonce into the dampest dungeon in the castle, an order which the wicked\nwoman took good care to see carried out without delay. Accordingly the\npoor young queen was thrown into a miserably dark dungeon under the\npalace, and kept on bread and water.\n\nNow there was only a very small hole in this prison--hardly large\nenough to let in light and air--yet the old queen managed to cause a\ngreat many people to pass by this hole, and whoever passed was ordered\nto spit at and abuse the unhappy young queen, calling out to her, 'Are\nyou really the queen? Are you the girl who cheated the king in order\nto be a queen? Where are your golden-haired twins? You cheated the\nking and your friends, and now the witches have cheated you!'\n\nBut the young king, though terribly angry and mortified at his great\ndisappointment, was, at the same time, too sad and troubled to be\nwilling to return to his palace. So he remained away for fully nine\nyears. When he at last consented to return, the first thing he noticed\nin the palace gardens were two fine young trees, exactly the same size\nand the same shape.\n\nThese trees had both golden leaves and golden blossoms, and had grown\nup of themselves from the very spot where the stepmother of the king\nhad buried the two golden-haired boys she had stolen from their\ncradle.\n\nThe king admired these two trees exceedingly, and was never weary of\nlooking at them. This, however, did not at all please the old queen,\nfor she knew that the two young princes were buried just where the\ntrees grew, and she always feared that by some means what she had done\nwould come to the king's ears. She therefore pretended that she was\nvery sick, and declared that she was sure she should die unless her\nstepson, the king, ordered the two golden-leaved trees to be cut down,\nand a bed made for her out of their wood.\n\nAs the king was not willing to be the cause of her death, he ordered\nthat her wishes should be attended to, notwithstanding he was\nexceedingly sorry to lose his favourite trees.\n\nA bed was soon made from the two trees, and the seemingly sick old\nqueen was laid on it as she desired. She was quite delighted that the\ngolden-leaved trees had disappeared from the garden; but when midnight\ncame, she could not sleep a bit, for it seemed to her that she heard\nthe boards of which her bed was made in conversation with each other!\n\nAt last it seemed to her, that one board said, quite plainly, 'How\nare you, my brother?' And the other board answered, 'Thank you, I am\nvery well; how are you?' 'Oh, I am all right,' returned the first\nboard; 'but I wonder how our poor mother is in her dark dungeon!\nPerhaps she is hungry and thirsty!'\n\nThe wicked old queen could not sleep a minute all night, after hearing\nthis conversation between the boards of her new bed; so next morning\nshe got up very early and went to see the king. She thanked him for\nattending to her wish, and said she already was much better, but she\nfelt quite sure she would never recover thoroughly unless the boards\nof her new bed were cut up and thrown into a fire. The king was sorry\nto lose entirely even the boards made out of his two favourite trees,\nnevertheless he could not refuse to use the means pointed out for his\nstepmother's perfect recovery.\n\nSo the new bed was cut to pieces and thrown into the fire. But whilst\nthe boards were blazing and crackling, two sparks from the fire flew\ninto the courtyard, and in the next moment two beautiful lambs with\ngolden fleeces and golden horns were seen gambolling about the yard.\n\nThe king admired them greatly, and made many inquiries who had sent\nthem there, and to whom they belonged. He even sent the public crier\nmany times through the city, calling on the owners of the\ngolden-fleeced lambs to appear and claim them; but no one came, so at\nlength he thought he might fairly take them as his own property.\n\nThe king took very great care of these two beautiful lambs, and every\nday directed that they should be well fed and attended to; this,\nhowever, did not at all please his stepmother. She could not endure\neven to look on the lambs with their golden fleeces and golden horns,\nfor they always reminded her of the golden-haired twins. So, in a\nlittle while she pretended again to be dangerously sick, and declared\nshe felt sure she should soon die unless the two lambs were killed and\ncooked for her.\n\nThe king was even fonder of his golden-fleeced lambs than he had been\nof the golden-leaved trees, but he could not long resist the tears and\nprayers of the old queen, especially as she seemed to be very ill.\nAccordingly, the lambs were killed, and a servant was ordered to carry\ntheir golden fleeces down to the river and to wash the blood well out\nof them. But whilst the servant held them under the water, they\nslipped, in some way or another, out of his fingers, and floated down\nthe stream, which just at that place flowed very rapidly. Now it\nhappened that a hunter was passing near the river a little lower down,\nand, as he chanced to look in the water, he saw something strange in\nit. So he stepped into the stream, and soon fished out a small box\nwhich he carried to his house, and there opened it. To his unspeakably\ngreat surprise, he found in the box two golden-haired boys. Now the\nhunter had no children of his own; he therefore adopted the twins he\nhad fished out of the river, and brought them up just as if they had\nbeen his own sons. When the twins were grown up into handsome young\nmen, one of them said to his foster-father, 'Make us two suits of\nbeggar's clothes, and let us go and wander a little about the world!'\nThe hunter, however, replied and said, 'No, I will have a fine suit\nmade for each of you, such as is fitting for two such noble-looking\nyoung men.' But as the twins begged hard that he should not spend his\nmoney uselessly in buying fine clothes, telling him that they wished\nto travel about as beggars, the hunter--who always liked to do as his\ntwo handsome foster-sons wished--did as they desired, and ordered two\nsuits of clothes, like those worn by beggars, to be prepared for them.\nThe two sons then dressed themselves up as beggars, and as well as\nthey could hid their beautiful golden locks, and then set out to see\nthe world. They took with them a gusle[33] and a cymbal, and\nmaintained themselves with their singing and playing.\n\n    [33] 'Gusle,' one-stringed instrument on which the Servian\n    bards accompany their recitation of ballads.\n\nThey had wandered about in this way some time when one day they came\nto the king's palace. As the afternoon was already pretty far\nadvanced, the young musicians begged to be allowed to pass the night\nin one of the outbuildings belonging to the court, as they were poor\nmen, and quite strangers in the city. The old queen, however, who\nhappened to be just then in the courtyard saw them, and hearing their\nrequest, said sharply that beggars could not be permitted to enter any\npart of the king's palace. The two travellers said they had hoped to\npay for their night's lodging by their songs and music, as one of\nthem played and sung to the gusle, and the other to the cymbal.\n\nThe old queen, however, was not moved by this, but insisted on their\ngoing away at once. Happily for the two brothers the king himself came\nout into the courtyard just as his stepmother angrily ordered them to\ngo away, and at once directed his servants to find a place for the\nmusicians to sleep in, and ordered them to provide the brothers with a\ngood supper. After they had supped, the king commanded them to be\nbrought before him that he might judge of their skill as musicians,\nand that their singing might help him to pass the time more\npleasantly.\n\nAccordingly, after the two young men had taken the refreshment\nprovided for them, the servants took them into the king's presence,\nand they began to sing this ballad:--\n\n'The pretty bird, the swallow, built her nest with care, in the palace\nof the king. In the nest she reared up happily two of her little ones.\nA black, ugly-looking bird, however, came to the swallow's nest to mar\nher happiness, and to kill her two little ones. And the ugly black\nbird succeeded in destroying the happiness of the poor little swallow;\nthe little ones, however, although yet weak and unfledged, were saved,\nand, when they were grown up and able to fly, they came to look at the\npalace where their mother, the pretty swallow, had built her nest.'\n\nThis strange song the two minstrels sung so very sweetly that the king\nwas quite charmed, and asked them the meaning of the words.\n\nWhereupon the two meanly dressed young men took off their hats, so\nthat the rich tresses of their golden hair fell down over their\nshoulders, and the light glanced so brightly upon it that the whole\nhall was illuminated by the shining. They then stepped forward\ntogether, and told the king all that had happened to them and to their\nmother, and convinced him that they were really his own sons.\n\nThe king was exceedingly angry when he heard all the cruel things his\nstepmother had done, and he gave orders that she should be burnt to\ndeath. He then went with the two golden-haired princes to the\nmiserable dungeon wherein his unfortunate wife had been confined so\nmany years, and brought her once more into her beautiful palace.\nThere, looking on her golden-haired sons, and seeing how much the\nking, their father, loved them, she soon forgot all her long years of\nmisery. As to the king, he felt that he could never do enough to make\namends for all the misfortunes his queen had lived through, and all\nthe dangers to which his twins sons had been exposed. He felt that he\nhad too easily believed the stories of the old queen, because he would\nnot trouble himself to inquire more particularly into the truth or\nfalsehood of the strange things she had told him.\n\nAfter all this mortification, and trouble, and misery, everything came\nright at last. So the king and his wife, with their golden-haired\ntwins, lived together long and happily.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DREAM OF THE KING'S SON.\n\n\nThere was once a king who had three sons. One evening, when the young\nprinces were going to sleep, the king ordered them to take good note\nof their dreams and come and tell them to him next morning.\n\nSo, the next day the princes went to their father as soon as they\nawoke, and the moment the king saw them he asked of the eldest, 'Well,\nwhat have you dreamt?'\n\nThe prince answered, 'I dreamt that I should be the heir to your\nthrone.'\n\nAnd the second said, 'And I dreamt that I should be the first subject\nin the kingdom.'\n\nThen the youngest said, '_I_ dreamt that I was going to wash my hands,\nand that the princes, my brothers, held the basin, whilst the queen,\nmy mother, held fine towels for me to dry my hands with, and your\nmajesty's self poured water over them from a golden ewer.'\n\nThe king, hearing this last dream, became very angry, and exclaimed,\n'What! I--the king--pour water over the hands of my own son! Go away\nthis instant out of my palace, and out of my kingdom! You are no\nlonger my son.'\n\nThe poor young prince tried hard to make his peace with his father,\nsaying that he was really not to be blamed for what he had only\ndreamed; but the king grew more and more furious, and at last actually\nthrust the prince out of the palace.\n\nSo the young prince was obliged to wander up and down in different\ncountries, until one day, being in a large forest, he saw a cave, and\nentered it to rest. There, to his great surprise and joy, he found a\nlarge kettle full of Indian corn, boiling over a fire and, being\nexceedingly hungry, began to help himself to the corn. In this way he\nwent until he was shocked to see he had nearly eaten up all the maize,\nand then, being afraid some mischief would come of it, he looked about\nfor a place in which to hide himself. At this moment, however, a great\nnoise was heard at the cave-mouth, and he had only time to hide\nhimself in a dark corner before a blind old man entered, riding on a\ngreat goat and driving a number of goats before him.\n\nThe old man rode straight up to the kettle, but as soon as he found\nthat the corn was nearly all gone, he began to suspect some one was\nthere, and groped about the cave until he caught hold of the prince.\n\n'Who are you?' asked he sharply; and the prince answered, 'I am a\npoor, homeless wanderer about the world, and have come now to beg you\nto be good enough to receive me.'\n\n'Well,' said the old man, 'why not? I shall at least have some one to\nmind my corn whilst I am out with my goats in the forest.'\n\nSo they lived together for some time; the prince remaining in the\ncave to boil the maize, whilst the old man drove out his goats every\nmorning into the forest.\n\nOne day, however, the old man said to the prince, 'I think you shall\ntake out the goats to-day, and I will stay at home to mind the corn.'\n\nThis the prince consented to very gladly, as he was tired of living so\nlong quietly in the cave. But the old man added, 'Mind only one thing!\nThere are nine different mountains, and you can let the goats go\nfreely over eight of them, but you must on no account go on the ninth.\nThe Vilas (_fairies_) live there, and they will certainly put out your\neyes as they have put out mine, if you venture on their mountain.'\n\nThe prince thanked the old man for his warning, and then, mounting the\ngreat goat, drove the rest of the goats before him out of the cave.\n\nFollowing the goats, he had passed over all the mountains to the\neighth, and from this he could see the ninth mountain, and could not\nresist the temptation he felt to go upon it. So he said to himself, 'I\nwill venture up, whatever happens!'\n\nHardly had he stepped on the ninth mountain before the fairies\nsurrounded him, and prepared to put out his eyes. But, happily a\nthought came into his head, and he exclaimed, quickly, 'Dear Vilas,\nwhy take this sin on your heads? Better let us make a bargain, that if\nyou spring over a tree that I will place ready to jump over, you shall\nput out my eyes, and I will not blame you!'\n\nSo the Vilas consented to this, and the prince went and brought a\nlarge tree, which he cleft down the middle almost to the root; this\ndone, he placed a wedge to keep the two halves of the trunk open a\nlittle.\n\nWhen it was fixed upright, he himself first jumped over it, and then\nhe said to the Vilas, 'Now it is your turn. Let us see if you can\nspring over the tree!'\n\nOne Vila attempted to spring over, but the same moment the prince\nknocked the wedge out, and the trunk closing, at once held the Vila\nfast. Then all the other fairies were alarmed, and begged him to open\nthe trunk and let their sister free, promising, in return, to give him\nanything he might ask. The prince said, 'I want nothing except to keep\nmy own eyes, and to restore eyesight to that poor old man.' So the\nfairies gave him a certain herb, and told him to lay it over the old\nman's eyes, and then he would recover his sight. The prince took the\nherb, opened the tree a little so as to let the fairy free, and then\nrode back on the goat to the cave, driving the other goats before him.\nWhen he arrived there he placed at once the herb on the old man's\neyes, and in a moment his eyesight came back, to his exceeding\nsurprise and joy.\n\nNext morning the old man, before he drove out his goats, gave the\nprince the keys of eight closets in the cave, but warned him on no\naccount to open the ninth closet, although the key hung directly over\nthe door. Then he went out, telling the prince to take good care that\nthe corn was ready for their suppers.\n\nLeft alone in the cave, the young man began to wonder what might be\nin the ninth closet, and at last he could not resist the temptation to\ntake down the key and open the door to look in.\n\nWhat was his surprise to see there a golden horse, with a golden\ngreyhound beside him, and near them a golden hen and golden chickens\nwere busy picking up golden millet-seeds.\n\nThe young prince gazed at them for some time, admiring their beauty,\nand then he spoke to the golden horse, 'Friend, I think we had better\nleave this place before the old man comes back again.'\n\n'Very well,' answered the golden horse, 'I am quite willing to go\naway, only you must take heed to what I am going to tell. Go and find\nlinen cloth enough to spread over the stones at the mouth of the cave,\nfor if the old man hears the ring of my hoofs he will be certain to\nkill you. Then you must take with you a little stone, a drop of water,\nand a pair of scissors, and the moment I tell you to throw them down\nyou must obey me quickly, or you are lost.'\n\nThe prince did everything that the golden horse had ordered him, and\nthen, taking up the golden hen with her chickens in a bag, he placed\nit under his arm, and mounted the horse and rode quickly out of the\ncave, leading with him, in a leash, the golden greyhound. But the\nmoment they were in the open air the old man, although he was very far\noff, tending his goats on a distant mountain, heard the clang of the\ngolden hoofs, and cried to his great goat, 'They have run away. Let us\nfollow them at once.'\n\nIn a wonderfully short time the old man on his great goat came so\nnear the prince on his golden horse, that the latter shouted, 'Throw\nnow the little stone!'\n\nThe moment the prince had thrown it down, a high rocky mountain rose\nup between him and the old man and before the goat had climbed over\nit, the golden horse had gained much ground. Very soon, however, the\nold man was so nearly catching them that the horse shouted, 'Throw,\nnow, the drop of water!' The prince obeyed instantly, and immediately\nsaw a broad river flowing between him and his pursuer.\n\nIt took the old man on his goat so long to cross the river that the\nprince on his golden horse was far away before them; but for all that\nit was not very long before the horse heard the goat so near behind\nhim that he shouted, 'Throw the scissors.' The prince threw them, and\nthe goat, running over them, injured one of his forelegs very badly.\nWhen the old man saw this, he exclaimed, 'Now I see I cannot catch\nyou, so you may keep what you have taken. But you will do wisely to\nlisten to my counsel. People will be sure to kill you for the sake of\nyour golden horse, so you had better buy at once a donkey, and take\nthe hide to cover your horse. And do the same with your golden\ngreyhound.'\n\nHaving said this, the old man turned and rode back to his cave; and\nthe prince lost no time in attending to his advice, and covered with\ndonkey-hide his golden horse and his golden hound.\n\nAfter travelling a long time the prince came unawares to the kingdom\nof his father. There he heard that the king had had a ditch--three\nhundred yards wide and four hundred yards deep--dug, and had\nproclaimed that whosoever should leap his horse over it, should have\nthe princess, his daughter, for wife.\n\nAlmost a whole year had elapsed since the proclamation was issued, but\nas yet no one had dared to risk the leap. When the prince heard this,\nhe said, 'I will leap over it with my donkey and my dog!' and he leapt\nover it.\n\nBut the king was very angry when he heard that a poorly dressed man,\non a donkey, had dared to leap over the great ditch which had\nfrightened back his bravest knights; so he had the disguised prince\nthrown into one of his deepest dungeons, together with his donkey and\nhis dog.\n\nNext morning the king sent some of his servants to see if the man was\nstill living, and these soon ran back to him, full of wonder, and told\nhim that they had found in the dungeon, instead of a poor man and his\ndonkey, a young man, beautifully dressed, a golden horse, a golden\ngreyhound, and a golden hen, surrounded by golden chickens, which were\npicking up golden millet-seeds from the ground.\n\nThen the king said, 'That must be some powerful prince.' So he ordered\nthe queen, and the princes, his sons, to prepare all things for the\nstranger to wash his hands. Then he went down himself into the\ndungeon, and led the prince up with much courtesy, desiring to make\nthus amends for the past ill-treatment.\n\nThe king himself took a golden ewer full of water, and poured some\nover the prince's hands, whilst the two princes held the basin under\nthem, and the queen held out fine towels to dry them on.\n\nThis done, the young prince exclaimed, 'Now, my dream is fulfilled;'\nand they all at once recognised him, and were very glad to see him\nonce again amongst them.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE BROTHERS.\n\n\nThere was once upon a time an old man whose family consisted of his\nwife, three sons, and a daughter. They were exceedingly poor, and\nfinding that they could not possibly all live at home, the three sons\nand the daughter went out into the world in different directions to\nfind some means of living. Thus the old man and his wife remained\nalone.\n\nHaving neither horses nor oxen, the old man was obliged to go every\nday to the forest for fuel, and carry home the firewood on his back.\n\nOn one occasion it was nearly evening when he started to go to the\nforest, and his wife, who was afraid to remain alone in the house,\nbegged very hard to be permitted to go with him. He objected very much\nat first, but as she persisted in her entreaties, he at length\nconsented to her following him, first bidding her, however, take good\ncare to make the house-door safe, lest some one should break into the\nhouse.\n\nThe old woman thought the door would be safest if she took it off its\nhinges, and carried it away on her back. So she took it off and\nfollowed her husband as fast as she was able. The old man, however,\nwas not angry when he saw how she had mistaken his words, and the\nmanner she had chosen to make sure of the door; for, he reflected,\nthere was little or nothing at all in the house for any one to steal.\n\nWhen they had reached the forest the husband began to cut wood, and\nhis wife gathered the branches together in a heap. Meanwhile it had\ngot very late, and they were anxious as to how they should pass the\nnight, seeing their own house was so far off that they would be unable\nto reach it before morning, and there were no houses in the\nneighbourhood where they could sleep. At last they observed a very\ntall and widely spreading pine-tree, and they resolved to climb up and\npass the night on one of its branches.\n\nThe man got up first, and his wife followed him, drawing, with great\ndifficulty, the door after her. Her husband advised her to leave the\ndoor on the ground under the tree; but she would not listen to him,\nand could not be persuaded to remain in the tree without her\nhouse-door. Hardly had they settled themselves on a branch, the old\nwoman holding fast her door, before they heard a great noise, which\ncame nearer and nearer.\n\nThey were excessively frightened at the noise, and dared neither speak\nnor move.\n\nIn a short time they saw a captain of robbers followed by twelve of\nhis men, approach the tree; the robbers were dressed all alike, in\ngold and silver, and one of them carried a sheep killed and ready for\nroasting. When the old man and woman saw the band of robbers come and\nsettle under the pine-tree in which they had themselves taken refuge\nthey thought their time was come, and gave themselves up for lost.\n\nAs soon as the robbers had settled themselves, the youngest of them\nmade a fire and put the sheep down to roast, whilst the captain\nconversed with the others. The sheep was already roasted and cut up,\nand the robbers had begun with great gaiety to eat it, when the old\nwoman told her husband that she could not possibly hold the door any\nlonger, but must let it fall. The old man begged her piteously not to\nlet it go, but to hold it fast and keep quiet, lest the robbers should\ndiscover and kill them. The old woman said, however, that she was so\nexceedingly tired she could no longer by any possibility hold it. The\nold man, seeing it was no good talking about it, declared that, as he\ncould not hold his corner of the door any longer when she had let go\nher corner, it was not worth while to complain, 'since,' as he said,\n'what must be must be, and it is no use to be sorry for anything in\nthis world.' Thereupon they both loosened their holds of the door at\nonce, and it fell down, making a great noise--especially with its iron\nlock--as it fell from branch to branch.\n\nThe door made so much noise in falling, that the whole forest\nre-echoed with the sound.\n\nThe robbers, greatly astonished at the noise, and too frightened by\nthe unexpected clashing above their heads to see what was the cause,\ntook to their heels, without once thinking of the roast sheep they\nleft behind, or of any of the treasures which they had brought with\nthem. One of them alone did not run away far from the spot, but hid\nhimself behind a tree, and waited to see what might come of so much\nnoise.\n\nThe old couple, seeing the robbers did not return, came down from the\ntree, and, being exceedingly hungry, began to eat heartily; the old\nman all the time praising the wisdom of his wife in throwing down the\ndoor.\n\nThe robber who had hidden himself, seeing only the old people near the\nfire, came up to them, and begged to be allowed to share their meal,\nas he had not eaten anything for the last twenty-four hours. This they\npermitted, and spoke of all kinds of things, until the old man\nexclaimed suddenly to the robber, 'Take care! you have a hair on your\ntongue! Do not choke yourself, for I have no means to bury you here!'\n\nThe brigand took this joke in earnest, and begged the old man to take\nthe hair out of his mouth, and he would in return show him a cave\nwherein a great treasure was hidden. As he was describing the great\nheaps of gold ducats, thalers, shillings, and other coins which he\nsaid were in the cave, the old woman interrupted him, saying, 'I will\ntake the hair out of your mouth, without pay! Only put your tongue out\nand shut your eyes!' The robber very gladly did as she told him, and\nshe caught up a knife and in a moment cut off a piece of his tongue.\nThen she said, 'Well, now! I have taken the hair out!' When the robber\nfelt what had been done to him he jumped up and down in pain, and at\nlength ran away without hat or coat in the same direction as his\ncompanions had gone, shouting all the time, 'Help! help! give me some\nplaster!' His companions, hearing imperfectly these words,\nmisunderstood him, and thought he cried to them, 'Help yourselves;\nhere is the police-master!' especially as he ran as if the captain of\npolice with a large force was at his heels. Accordingly, the robbers\nthemselves ran faster and farther away.\n\nMeanwhile the old couple thought it no longer safe to stay under the\npine-tree, so they gathered up quickly all the money, whether gold or\nsilver, which they could carry, and hurried back to their home. When\nthey got there they found the hens of the neighbours had pulled off\nthe thatch of their house; they were, however, the less sorry for\nthis, since they had now money enough to build another and a better\nhome. And this they did, and continued to live in their fine new house\nwithout once remembering their sons and daughter, who had been\nwandering about the world already some nine long years.\n\nIn the meantime the sons and the daughter had been working each in a\ndifferent part of the world. When, however, they had been away from\ntheir home nine years, they all, as if by common consent, conceived an\nardent desire to go back once more to their father's house. So they\ntook the whole of the savings which they had laid up in their nine\nyears' service, and commenced their journeys homewards.\n\nOn his travels the eldest brother met with three gipsies, who were\nteaching a young bear to dance by putting him on a red-hot plate of\niron. He felt compassion for the creature in its sufferings, and asked\nthe gipsies why they were thus tormenting the animal. 'Better,' he\nsaid, 'let me have it, and I will give you three pieces of silver for\nit!' The gipsies accepted the offer eagerly, took the three pieces of\nsilver, and gave him the bear. Travelling farther on he met with some\nhuntsmen who had caught a young wolf, which they were about to kill.\nHe offered them, also, three pieces of silver for the animal, and\nthey, pleased to get so much, readily sold it. A little further still\nhe met some shepherds, who were about to hang a little dog. He was\nsorry for the poor brute, and offered to give them two pieces of\nsilver if they would give the dog to him, and this they very gladly\nagreed to.\n\nSo he travelled on homeward, attended by the young bear, the wolf-cub,\nand the little dog. As all his nine years' savings had amounted only\nto nine pieces of silver, he had now but a single piece left.\n\nBefore he reached his father's house he met some boys who were about\nto drown a cat. He offered them his last piece of money if they would\ngive him the cat, and they were content with the bargain and gave it\nup to him. So, at last, he arrived at his home without any money, but\nwith a bear, a wolf, a dog, and a cat.\n\nJust so, it had happened with the other two brothers. By their nine\nyears' work they had only saved nine pieces of silver, and on their\nway home they had spent them in ransoming animals, exactly as the\neldest brother had done.\n\nThe sister, in her nine years' service, had saved only five pieces of\nmoney. As she travelled homeward she met with a hedgehog who was\nbuying from a mouse its iron teeth, offering in exchange for them its\nbone teeth and two pieces of money besides.\n\nWhen she had listened a while to their bargaining, she said to the\nmouse, 'My dear little mouse, I offer you the hedgehog's teeth and\nthree pieces of silver besides!'\n\nThe mouse instantly agreed to this bargain. So she caught the\nhedgehog, drew its teeth, and gave them, with three pieces of silver,\nto the mouse, who gave her in return its iron teeth.\n\nAs she went on her journey she began to suspect that the mouse had\ndeceived her. To see if this was so or not she determined to make\ntrial of the teeth, and, going a little aside from the road, she found\na thick oak-tree and began to bite at it. It seemed to her that she\nhad hardly begun to gnaw at the tree when it already commenced\nshaking, and threatened to fall. Seeing this, she was satisfied that\nshe had really got the iron teeth, and so went on her journey quite\ncontented.\n\nBefore she reached her father's house she observed a mouse sharpening\nits teeth upon a stone. So she begged the mouse to lend her the stone,\nthat she might sharpen her teeth also. The mouse, however, refused to\ndo this unless she gave two pence. Without much reflection, she took\nout her last two pieces of money and handed them to the mouse, which\ngave her in return the stone to sharpen her teeth with.\n\nThen she resumed her journey homeward. As she walked, however, she\nreflected upon what she should say when her parents and brothers asked\nher where she had been, and how much she had saved during the nine\nyears she had been from home.\n\nWhen she reached home she found her three brothers already there with\ntheir treasures--that is to say, with their bears, wolves, dogs, and\ncats. Luckily for her, her brothers did not ask her how much she had\nsaved, for they felt sure that she must have made large savings. They\nasked her only about her health, and how she had travelled, and were\nall very glad that they were once again united together as a family.\n\nThis joy, however, did not last long. Soon after they had returned,\nthe old father died. Then the three brothers consulted together, and\ndecided to invest part of the money, which their father and mother had\ngot from the robbers, in the purchase of four horses and one\ngrass-field.\n\nBut their affairs did not go on very smoothly. One morning, instead of\nthree horses in the stable they found only two; the third horse had\nbeen killed. Something had bitten it, sucked its blood, and devoured\nhalf of its body! And it was the finest of the three horses which had\nbeen killed. After this, the brothers resolved for the future to keep\nwatch every night in the stable. When night came, they consulted as to\nwhich of them should first keep guard, and the youngest brother said,\n'_I_ will do so.' Accordingly, after having supped, he went to the\nstable to sleep there. Just about midnight came into the stable a\ncreature all in white, and jumped at once on the youngest horse and\nbegan to gnaw it. When the brother who was watching saw that, he was\nin a great fright; so much so, indeed, that without stopping to find\nthe doors, he got out through a hole in the roof. Whilst he was thus\nmaking his escape, the monster killed the horse, sucked its blood, and\nate up half the body.\n\nNext day, when the elder brothers saw what had happened, they made a\ngreat lamentation over their loss. At night the eldest brother said to\nthe second, 'Now do you go and keep a good watch; it is your horse that\nis in danger!' So the second brother went at once into the stable and\nlay down. Again, about midnight, the thing in white came in, and the\nwatcher, as much frightened as his younger brother had been the night\nbefore, jumped up and escaped just as he had done. The monster, having\nbitten the horse, sucked its blood, and ate up half of it.\n\nNext morning, when he saw what had happened, the eldest brother said\nthat _he_ would keep guard at night over the remaining horse. So at\nnight he went into the stable, gave his horse plenty of hay, and\nplaced himself in a corner to watch. Again, when it was about\nmidnight, the same creature in white came in. Seeing it coming he was\nfirst frightened, but soon rallied his spirits and stood, holding his\nbreath, to see what would follow.\n\nHe saw that the thing in white looked something like his sister, and\ncarried in its hand a whetstone. Coming up to the horse the monster\nbit it, sucked its blood, and, after having eaten up half the body,\nleft the stable. All that time the eldest brother had remained quiet,\nnever stirring at all. Perhaps he did this from fear; perhaps,\nhowever, because he had resolved to be quiet, whatever might happen.\n\nNext morning, when the younger brothers found that the horse had been\nkilled and half devoured, during their eldest brother's watch, they\nbegan to laugh and to tease him with his loss. He told them that _he_,\nhowever, knew what they did not--who it was that had killed and eaten\ntheir horses; but that they must not speak a word about it to any one.\nHe then told them that their own sister had slain their horse, and had\nsucked the blood. At first they refused to believe this; soon,\nhowever, they were convinced that it was true. And the proof came in\nthis way.\n\nOne morning the two elder brothers went into the fields to work, and\nthe younger remained at home. Their sister likewise remained at home,\nwithout knowing, however, that her youngest brother was also in the\nhouse. The eldest brother on going out had directed the youngest to\nplace a kettle with water on the fire to boil, and to keep stirring\nthe fire under it. In case the water should turn to blood he was\nimmediately to open the cellar, let out a little dog, and bid it\nfollow the way which they had taken when they went into the fields.\n\nWhen the two brothers were gone, the youngest went to walk in the\nyard, and on coming back heard a great noise and wailing in the\nhouse. So he went to the house-door and looked in through the keyhole;\nand what do you think he saw? His sister had cut her old mother's\nthroat, and was just about to put the body on a spit to roast. On\nseeing this, he was terribly frightened, and ran to hide himself\nbehind a large tub which stood in the kitchen. Shortly afterward his\nsister brought the spit out of doors, and put it before the fire to\nroast, speaking aloud, 'I shall do the same with my three brothers,\none after the other, and then I shall remain alone the mistress of the\nentire property.'\n\nWhen the roasting was done, she carried the spit with the body into\nthe room, and leaning it against a wall, brought out the whetstone and\nbegan to sharpen the teeth.\n\nThe moment she went inside the house, the youngest brother jumped up\nfrom his hiding-place, rushed to the door, and from the outside\nwatched what she was doing. When he had seen this, he filled the\nkettle, stirred up the fire, and then hid himself near the furnace.\nHaving sharpened her teeth, his sister ate up the body of her mother,\nall except the head. After she had finished her meal, taking the head\nin her hand, she went out to the kitchen. On seeing the fire burning\nso well, and the kettle filled with water, she became angry, and began\nto look about to discover whether any one was in the house. Suspecting\none of her brothers might be there, she shouted aloud, calling her\nbrothers by their names, and searched everywhere in the house.\nLuckily, however, she forgot to look by the side of the furnace,\nwhere her younger brother lay hidden. Not finding any one in the\nhouse, she then took her mother's head in her hand and ran out,\nfollowing the way her brothers had gone to their work in the fields.\nAs she ran she shouted, 'Wait a little! Don't think you have escaped\nme!'\n\nThe youngest brother, seeing his sister had run away, came out of his\nconcealment to look at the water in the kettle. He saw the water had\nturned to blood, so he went quickly to the cellar and let out one of\nthe little dogs which his sister feared more than all her brothers.\n\nHaving let the dog free, the youngest brother came back to the kettle,\nto see what would happen to the water on the fire. By this time all\nthe water, which had turned to blood, was boiling quickly, and\nthrowing up a great number of bubbles; these bubbles rose the quicker\nthe nearer the sister came to her two brothers in the field. When she\nwas not more than five steps from them, however, she suddenly heard a\nnoise, as if someone was running behind her; so she turned to look,\nand, seeing the dog coming, was terrified, and tried to save herself\nby climbing a tree which was close by. When, however, she caught at a\nbranch, it broke in her hand, and she fell to the ground, and the same\ninstant the dog rushed at her, and bit her into two pieces. The two\nbrothers saw all this, but they were afraid to come near her lest she\nshould again revive and attack them. Soon, however, seeing the dog was\ntearing her to pieces, they became convinced that she was really dead,\nso they came to the spot where she was, and took up her body and\nburied it, together with their mother's head, under the tree by which\nshe had fallen.\n\nAfter they had done this, the two brothers returned home, and told\ntheir youngest brother all that had happened. He, on his part, told\nthem how the boiling water had turned to blood and at first bubbled up\nquicker and quicker, but how, after some time, it grew quieter, and,\nat length, turned again to water. Then the three brothers\ncongratulated themselves at having got rid of their terrible sister. A\nfew days later they all went into the fields to bring in the hay which\nthe two elder ones had mown. They found, however, hardly the third\npart of the hay which they had left. At this they wondered greatly,\nand looked about to see who had stolen it; but, finding no one, after\na little while they took up what was left and returned home.\n\nAt length the year, on which all this had happened, passed away. The\nnext year, however, they dared not leave their mown grass unwatched.\nSo they discussed which of them should first keep guard. Each of them\noffered to do it; but, at last, they agreed that the youngest brother\nshould begin to watch. So he prepared himself, and, at night, went out\ninto the field. Having come there, he climbed up into the tree under\nwhich his sister's body and his mother's head lay buried, and resolved\nto remain there until daybreak. About midnight he heard a great noise\nand shouting, which frightened him so much that he dared not stir at\nall. Some creatures came into the field and eat up most of the hay,\nand what they did not eat they tossed about and spoiled, so that it\nwas fit for nothing. When daylight came, the youngest brother came\ndown from the tree and went home, to tell what he had seen.\n\nSo that year they had no hay.\n\nNext year, when hay harvest came, the three brothers took counsel\ntogether how to preserve their hay. The second brother now volunteered\nto watch in the field, and seemed quite sure he would be able to save\nthe hay. Accordingly he went, and climbed into the tree, just as his\nbrother had done the previous year. About midnight three winged horses\ncame into the field with a company of fairies. The winged horses began\nto eat the newly mown hay, and the fairies danced over it. After the\ngreater part of the hay had been eaten by the horses, and all the rest\nhad been spoiled by the dancing of the fairies, the whole company left\nthe field, just as day began to dawn. The watcher in the tree had\nwitnessed all this; he was, however, too frightened to do\nanything--indeed, he hardly dared to move. When he went home, he told\nhis brothers all that he had seen; at which they were sad, since this\nyear again they would have no hay.\n\nHowever, the time passed, and the third summer came on. Again the\nthree brothers cut the grass in their meadow, and consulted together\nanxiously how they should manage to keep their new hay.\n\nAt length it was settled that it was now the turn of the eldest\nbrother to keep watch. If he, also, failed to save the hay, it was\nagreed that they should divide amongst them the little property which\nthey had left, and go out again, separately, to seek their fortunes in\nthe world, seeing they had no luck in their own country.\n\nAs had been agreed upon, the eldest brother now went out into the\nfield at night; but, instead of going up into the tree as his brothers\nhad done, he lay quietly down on a heap of hay, and waited to see what\nwould happen. About midnight he heard a great noise, afar off, and,\nby-and-by, a troop of fairies, with three winged horses, came straight\ntowards the place where he lay. Having got there, the fairies began to\ndance, and the horses to eat the hay, and canter about. The eldest\nbrother looked on, and, at first, felt much afraid, and wished\nheartily the whole company would go away without seeing him. As,\nhowever, they seemed in no hurry to do this, he considered what he\nshould do, and, at length, decided that it would be worth while to try\nto catch one of the three horses. So, when they came near him, he\njumped on the back of one of them, and clung fast to it. The other two\nhorses instantly ran away, and the fairies with them.\n\nThe horse which the eldest brother had caught tried all sorts of\ntricks to throw off his unwelcome rider, but he could not succeed.\nFinding all his attempts to free himself quite useless, at last he\nsaid, 'Let me go, my good man, and I will be of use to you some other\ntime.' The man answered, 'I will set you free on one condition; that\nis, you must promise never more to come in this field; and you must\ngive me some pledge that you will keep your promise.'\n\nThe horse gladly agreed to this condition, and gave the man a hair\nfrom his tail, saying, 'Whenever you happen to be in need, hold this\nhair to a fire, and I will instantly be at your service.'\n\nThereupon the horse went off, and the eldest brother returned home.\nHis brothers had waited impatiently for his return, and, when they saw\nhim, pressed him immediately to tell them all that had happened. So he\ntold everything, except that he had got a hair from the horse's tail,\nbecause he did not believe that the horse would keep his promise and\ncome to him in his need. The two younger brothers, however, had no\nconfidence that the fairies and winged horses would fulfil their\npromise and never come again to ruin their hay-field, so they proposed\nthat the property should be at once divided, and that they should\nseparate. The eldest brother tried to persuade them to remain at least\none other year longer, to see what would happen; he was not able,\nhowever, to succeed in this. Accordingly they divided the remnant of\ntheir property, took each their animals, that is, each his bear, his\nwolf, his dog, and his cat, and left their home, for the second time,\nto seek their fortunes in the world.\n\nThe first day they travelled together, but the second day they were\nobliged to separate, because having come to a crossway, and trying to\nkeep on the same path, they found they could not take a step forward\nso long as they were together. They therefore left that path and tried\nanother; it was, however, of no use, for they could not move a step\nforward as long as they were together; and when they tried the third\npath, the same happened there also. So they tried if two of them could\ngo on in one road if one of them went before and the other behind. But\nthis also they were unable to do; they could not get on one step, try\nas hard as they would, so nothing was left them but to separate and\neach of them to go alone by a different road. They were exceedingly\nsorry to part, but could not help themselves.\n\nBefore the brothers separated, the eldest brother said, 'Now,\nbrothers, before we part, let us stick our knives in this oak-tree; as\nlong as we live our knives will remain where we stick them; when one\nof us dies, his knife will fall out. Let us, then, come here every\nthird year to see if the knives are still in their places. Thus we\nshall know something, at least, about each other.' The other two\nagreed to this, and, having stuck their knives in the oak-tree, and\nkissed each other, went, each one his own way, taking his animals with\nhim.\n\nLet us first follow the youngest brother in his wanderings. He\ntravelled, with his attendant animals, all that day and the following\nnight without stopping, and the next day saw before him a king's\npalace, and went straight towards it. Having been taken into the\npresence of the king, he begged his majesty to employ him in watching\nhis goats. The king consented to take him as goat-herd, and from that\nday he had the charge of the king's goats and lived on thus quietly\nfor a long time.\n\nOne day the new goat-herd chanced to drive his flock to a high hill,\nnot far from the king's palace. On the summit of the hill there was a\nvery tall pine-tree, and the instant he saw it he resolved to climb up\nand look about from its top on the surrounding country. Accordingly,\nhe climbed up, and enjoyed exceedingly the extensive and beautiful\nprospect. As he looked in one direction he saw, a long way off, a\ngreat smoke arising from a mountain. The moment he saw the smoke he\nfancied that one of his brothers must be there, as he thought it\nunlikely that any one else would be in such a wilderness. So he\nresolved at once to give up his place of goat-herd, and travel to the\nmountain which he had seen in the distance. Coming down from the tree,\ntherefore, he immediately collected his goats, which was a very easy\ntask for him to do, since he had such good help in his bear, his wolf,\nhis dog, and his cat.\n\nNo sooner had he reached the palace than he went straight to the king\nand said, 'Sir, I can no longer be your Majesty's goat-herd. I must go\naway, for I saw to-day a smoking mountain, and I believe that one of\nmy brothers is there, and I wish to go and see if this be so. I\ntherefore beg your Majesty to pay me what you owe me, and to let me\ngo!' All this time he thought the king knew nothing about the smoking\nmountain.\n\nWhen he had said this, however, the king immediately began to advise\nhim on no account to go to the mountain--for, as he assured him,\nwhoever went there never came back again. He told him that all who\nhad gone thither seemed at once to have sunk into the earth, for no\none ever heard anything more about them. All the king's warnings and\ncounsels, however, availed nothing; the goat-herd was bent on going to\nthe smoking mountain, and looking after his two brothers.\n\nAfter he had made all preparations for the journey he set out,\naccompanied, as usual, by his four animals. He went straight to the\nmountain; but, having got there, he could not at first find the fire.\nIndeed, he had trouble enough before he discovered it. At length,\nhowever, he found a large fire burning under a beech-tree, and went\nnear it to warm himself. At the same time he looked about on all sides\nto see who had made the fire. After looking about some time he heard a\nwoman's voice, and upon his looking up to see whence the sound came,\nhe saw an old woman sitting on one of the branches above his head. She\nsat huddled together all of a heap, and shaking with cold.\n\nNo sooner had he discovered her than the old woman begged him to allow\nher to come down to the fire and warm herself a little. So he told her\nshe might come down and warm herself as soon as she pleased. She\nanswered, however, 'Oh, my son, I dare not come down because of your\ncompany. I am afraid of the animals you have with you--your bear, and\nwolf, and dog, and cat.'\n\nAt this he tried to re-assure her and said, 'Don't be afraid! They\nwill do you no harm.' However she would not trust them, so she plucked\na hair from her head, and threw it down, saying, 'Put that hair on\ntheir necks and then I shall not be afraid to come down.'\n\nAccordingly the man took the hair and threw it over his animals, and\nin a moment the hair was turned into an iron chain which kept his\nfour-footed followers bound fast together.\n\nWhen the old woman saw that he had done as she desired, she came down\nfrom the tree and took her place by the fire. She seemed at first a\nvery little woman; as she sat by the fire, however, she began to grow\nlarger. When he saw this he was greatly astonished, and said to her,\n'But, my old woman, it seems to me that you grow bigger and bigger!'\nThereupon she answered, shivering, 'Ha! ha! no, no, my son! I am only\nwarming myself!' But, nevertheless, she continued to grow taller and\ntaller, and had already grown half as tall as the beech-tree. The\ngoat-herd watched her growing with wide-open eyes, and, beginning to\nget frightened, said again, 'But really you are getting a fearful\nsize, and are growing taller and taller every moment.'\n\n'Ha, ha, my son,' she coughed and shivered, 'I am only warming\nmyself!' Seeing, however, that she was now as tall as the tallest\nbeech-tree, and, fearing that his life was in danger, he called\nanxiously to his companions, 'Hold her fast, my bear! Hold her fast,\nmy wolf! Hold her fast, my dog! Hold her fast, my cat!' But it was all\nin vain that he called to them; none of them could move a step from\ntheir places. When he saw that, he endeavoured to run away, but found\nthat he could no more move from his place than if he were fast chained\nto it. Then the old woman, seeing everything had gone on just as she\nwished, bent down a little, and, touching him with her little finger,\nsaid, 'Go, you have lost your head!' and the self-same moment he\nturned to ashes. After that, she touched, with the little toe of her\nleft foot, all his animals, one after the other, and they also turned\nat once to ashes as their master had done.\n\nHaving collected all the ashes she buried them under an oak-tree. Then\nas soon as she took the iron chain in her hand, it turned again into a\nhair, which she put back into its place on her head.\n\nShe had before done with many young and noble knights just as she had\nnow done with this poor goat-herd.\n\nThe second brother, after serving a long time in a strange place, was\nseized with a great desire to go to the oak-tree at the cross-roads,\nwhere he had parted with his brothers, in order to see if their knives\nwere still sticking in the tree. When he got there, he found the knife\nof his eldest brother still firmly fixed in the trunk of the oak, but\nhis youngest brother's knife had fallen to the ground. Then he knew\nthat his younger brother was dead, or in great danger of death, and he\nresolved at once to follow the way he had gone and try to discover\nwhat had become of him. Going then along the same road which his\nyounger brother had travelled, he came, on the third day, to the\nking's palace, and went in and begged the king to take him into his\nservice. Whereupon the king took him as goat-herd, exactly as he had\ntaken before the youngest brother.\n\nWhen the second brother had tended the king's goats a long time, he\none day drove them up a high hill, and, finding there a very tall\npine-tree, resolved at once to climb up to its top and look about to\nsee what kind of a country lay on the other side of the hill. When he\nhad looked round a while from the tree he noticed a great volume of\nsmoke rising from a mountain afar off, and the thought came at once to\nhis mind that his brothers might be there. Accordingly, he came down\nquickly, collected his goats, and went back to the king's palace,\nfollowed by his four companions, that is to say, by his bear, his\nwolf, his dog, and his cat. When he had reached the palace he went\nstraight to the king, and begged him to pay him his wages at once, and\nto let him go to look after his brothers; for he had seen a smoke upon\na mountain, and he believed they were there. The king tried in vain to\ndissuade him by telling him that none who went there ever came back;\nbut all his Majesty's words availed nothing. Thereupon, seeing he was\ndecided on going, the king paid him what he owed him, and let him go.\n\nHe at once set out, and went straight to the mountain; but, when he\ngot there, he was a long time before he could find any fire. At last,\nhowever, he found one burning under a beech-tree, and he went up to it\nto warm himself, wondering all the time who had made it, since he saw\nno one near. As he warmed himself he heard a woman's voice in the tree\nabove his head, and, looking up, saw there an old woman huddled up on\na branch, and shaking with cold.\n\nAs soon as he saw her, the old woman asked him to let her come down\nand warm herself by the fire, and he told her she might come and warm\nherself as long as she liked.\n\nShe said, however, 'I am afraid of the company which you have with\nyou. Take this hair and lay it over your bear, and wolf, and dog, and\ncat, and then I shall be able to come down.'\n\nSo saying, she pulled a hair out of her head and threw it down. He\nlaughed at her fears, and assured her that his companions would not\nhurt her; finding, however, notwithstanding all he said, that she was\nstill afraid to come down from the tree, he, at last, took the hair\nand laid it on the beasts as she had directed. In an instant the hair\nturned into an iron chain, and bound the four animals fast together.\nThen the old woman came down, and took a place by the fire to warm\nherself. As the second brother watched her warming herself, he saw her\ngrow bigger and bigger, until she had grown half as tall as the\nbeech-tree.\n\nWondering greatly, he exclaimed, 'Old woman, you are growing bigger\nand bigger.' 'Hy, hy! my son,' said she, coughing and shivering, 'I am\nonly warming myself.' But when he saw that she was already as tall as\nthe beech-tree, he became frightened, and called to his companions,\n'Hold her, my bear! hold her, my wolf! hold her, my dog! hold her, my\ncat!' They were none of them, however, able to move, so fast were they\nheld together by the iron chain.\n\nSeeing that, the old woman stooped down and touched him with her\nlittle finger, and he fell immediately into ashes. Then she touched\nthe four animals, one after the other, with the little toe of her left\nfoot, and they, also, crumbled to ashes.\n\nNo sooner had the old woman done this than she collected all the ashes\nin a heap and buried them under an oak-tree. As she had before done\nwith the ashes of many a youthful knight and gentleman, so she did now\nwith those of this poor simple man. Pity, if they were to die, that\nsome more worthy means than one hair from the head of a miserable old\nwoman had not brought about their deaths!\n\nA very long time had passed, and yet the eldest brother never once\nthought of going back to the cross-roads where he had parted with his\nbrothers. He was engaged in the service of a good and honest master,\nand, finding himself so well off, fancied that his brothers were the\nsame. His master was an innkeeper, and the whole work of the servant\nwas to prepare, morning and evening, the beds of the guests. He did\nhis duty so well that his master thought of adopting him for his son,\nas he himself was childless.\n\nOne day a gentleman of great distinction came to pass the night at the\ninn, and the servant thought that the stranger looked remarkably like\nhis youngest brother. He wished to ask him his name, but could not for\nshame; partly because he feared his brother would reproach him for\nhaving forgotten to go to the cross-roads; partly because the guest's\nmanners were so polished and his clothes were of fine silk and\nvelvet; whereas he had left his brother very poorly clad, and of\nrustic manners.\n\nAs he thought of the likeness which the guest bore to his youngest\nbrother, he considered that, in his travels about the world, his\nbrother might have found wisdom, and by his wisdom might have\nsucceeded in some way of business, and by his business might have\ngained money; and then, having got money, that it would be easy for\nhim to get as fine clothes as the stranger wore. Reasoning thus, he\ntook courage at last to ask the gentleman about his family, and at\nlength grew bold enough to ask him plainly if he was not his brother.\n\nThis, however, the stranger quickly and positively denied, and asked,\nin return, about the servant's family. To all the particulars which\nthe servant gave him he listened with a smile.\n\nNext morning, the guest left the inn very early; and when the servant\nwent to arrange the bed in which he had slept, he found, under the\npillow, a little stone.\n\nHe thought the stone must be valuable, having been in the possession\nof so rich a man, and yet he considered its loss could hardly be felt\nby one who went clothed in silks and velvets. He lifted it to his lips\nto kiss it, before putting it in his pocket; but the moment his lips\ntouched it, two negroes started out and asked him, 'What are your\norders, sir?' He was frightened by the suddenness of their appearance,\nand answered, 'I do not order anything.' Then the negroes disappeared,\nand he put the stone in his pocket.\n\nThe more he thought of this, the more he marvelled at the wonderful\nstone, and considered what he should do with it. By-and-by, in order\nto find out what the negroes could do, he took the stone out of his\npocket, and raised it again to his lips. The moment he did so, the\nnegroes re-appeared, and asked him again, 'What do you demand, sir?'\nHe replied quickly, 'I desire to have the finest clothes prepared for\nme, of which no two pieces must be made from the same kind of stuff.'\nIn a very few moments the negroes brought him the most beautiful\nclothes possible; so fine indeed were they all, that he could not\ndecide which piece was the most beautiful. Then, dismissing the\nnegroes, who disappeared in the stone, he dressed himself. He was\nadmiring the fine fit of his clothes, when his master came to the door\nof his room, and, seeing a stranger in such an exceedingly rich dress,\nsaid humbly, 'Excuse me, sir, where do you come from?'\n\n'From not far off,' the servant answered.\n\n'Wait a moment, sir,' said the innkeeper; 'I will call my servant to\ntake your orders;' and, going outside, he called loudly for his\nservant.\n\nMeanwhile, the servant quickly threw off his fine clothes and gave\nthem back to the negroes. Dressing himself hurriedly in his old\nclothes, he rushed out of his room. Then, finding the pantry open, he\nbegan to arrange the things.\n\nHis master found him employed in this way, and ordered him at once to\nleave that business, and to go into the house to make coffee for a\ndistinguished guest who had that moment arrived.\n\nThe strange guest, however, was nowhere to be found. The innkeeper\nlooked, with his servant, into all the rooms, but there was no sign of\na guest anywhere. Then the master, greatly astonished, thought that\nsome thieves had been playing him a trick, and bid the servant in\nfuture to look more sharply who came in and who went out of the inn.\nThe servant listened quietly to his master; but, having once\nremembered his brothers, he had now an irresistible desire to look\nafter them, and so he told the innkeeper that he had resolved to go\naway, and desired that he might be paid his wages.\n\nThe innkeeper was very sad at hearing this, and offered to raise his\nwages, and tried all means to keep him; but it was of no use. Seeing\nthat the servant was resolved to go away, the master then paid him,\nand let him leave the inn. Then the eldest brother took with him his\nfour animals--his bear, wolf, dog, and cat, and went away.\n\nAfter travelling a very long time, his good fortune brought him to the\ncross-roads where he had parted with his brothers. Instantly he rushed\nto the oak to see if the knives were still sticking in it, but his own\nknife alone stood in the tree. The two others had fallen out, and he\nwas much grieved at this, believing that his brothers were dead or\nthat they were in great danger. In his trouble he had quite forgotten\nthe wonderful hair and stone which he possessed. He resolved to go\nand search after his brothers, and therefore went along the same road\nhis youngest brother had taken when they parted.\n\nAs he travelled he remembered the hair which the winged horse had\ngiven him, and the stone which he had found at the inn; but these did\nnot much console him, he was so exceedingly sorry for his brothers.\nAfter travelling some time he found himself before a large palace, the\ndoor-keepers of which asked him if he would take charge of the king's\ngoats. He said he would, if the king could only tell him something\nabout his two brothers, who had travelled that way with a similar\ncompany to that which he had. The king said that no men with such a\ncompany had passed that way during his reign; and this was quite true,\ninasmuch as he had only recently mounted the throne, the old king,\nunder whom the two brothers had served, having lately died. However,\nthough the eldest brother could learn nothing of his two younger\nbrothers, he decided to stay some time there, and so engaged himself\nto the king as goat-keeper.\n\nAs he drove the goats out, day by day, he looked about on all sides\nfor some trace of his brothers; for, although their knives had fallen\nout of the oak-tree, he tried to believe that they were not dead.\n\nOne day, as he thus wandered about with his goats, he met an old man,\nwho was going to the forest, with his axe on his shoulder, to cut\nwood.\n\nSo he asked him if he had seen anything of his two brothers. The old\nman answered, 'Who knows? Perhaps they have been lost on that\nmountain where so many other men have lost their lives. Drive your\ngoats up that high hill; from its top you will see a much higher\nmountain, which smokes, and never ceases to smoke. On that mountain\nmany people have been lost; perhaps your brothers also have perished\nthere. I will, however, give you one piece of good advice. Do not go,\nfor anything in the world, to the place where it smokes. I am now an\nold man, but I never remember to have seen one man return who went\nthere. Therefore, if your life is dear to you, do not go up that\nmountain.' So saying the old man went off.\n\nThe goat-keeper drove his goats up the hill, and, from its top he saw,\nas he had been told, a very high mountain which smoked. He tried to\ndiscover if any living creature was thereon, but he could not see the\ntraces of a single one there. He considered within himself whether he\nshould go there or not, and, after revolving it over in his mind, he\nat length determined to go.\n\nIn the evening, when he drove the goats home, he told the king of his\nintention. The king tried hard to dissuade him, and promised to raise\nhis wages if he would stay with him; however, nothing could turn him\nfrom his resolution. So the king paid him, and he went away.\n\nHaving come to the mountain he found the fire, and wondered who lit\nit. As he thought over this he heard a woman's voice, saying, 'Hy,\nhy!' So he looked up, and was astonished at seeing, in the branches of\nthe beech-tree over his head, an old woman huddled together. Her hair\nwas longer than her body, and as white as snow. When he looked up, she\nsaid to him, 'My son, I am so cold. I should like to warm myself, but\nI am afraid of your beasts. I made that fire myself, but, seeing you\ncoming with your animals, I was frightened, and got up here to save\nmyself.'\n\n'Well, you can now come down again, and warm yourself as much as you\nplease,' said he. However, she protested, 'I dare not--your beasts\nwould bite me. But I will throw you a hair, and you shall bind them\nwith it. _Then_ I can come down.' The eldest brother thought to\nhimself: the hair must be a very singular hair indeed, if it could\nbind his bear, his wolf, his dog, and his cat. So, instead of throwing\nit over the animals, he threw it into the fire. Meanwhile the old\nwoman came down from the tree, and they both sat by the fire. But he\nnever moved his eyes from her.\n\nVery soon she began to grow, and grow, and in a short time she was ten\nyards high. Then he remembered the words of the old wood-cutter, and\ntrembled. However, he only said to her, 'How you are growing, auntie.'\n'Oh, no, my son,' she answered, 'I am only warming myself.' She still\ngrew taller and taller, and had grown as tall as the beech-tree, when\nhe again exclaimed, 'But how you _are_ growing, old woman!'\n\n'Oh, no, my son. I am only warming myself,' she repeated as before.\n\nBut he saw that she meant him mischief, so he shouted to his\ncompanions, 'Hold her, my dog! hold her, my little bear! hold her, my\nlittle wolf! hold her, my pussy!' Thereupon they all jumped on the old\nwoman, and began to tear her. Seeing she was unable to help herself,\nshe begged him to save her from her furious enemies, and promised she\nwould give him whatever he asked. 'Well,' said he, 'I demand that you\nbring back to life my two brothers, with their companions, and all\nthose you have destroyed. Besides that, I demand ten loads of ducats.\nIf you will not comply with these demands, I shall leave you to be\ntorn to pieces by my animals.' The old woman agreed to do all this,\nonly she begged hard that one man should not be brought back to life,\nbecause she had said, when she had turned him to ashes, 'When _you_\narise, may _I_ lie down in your place!' and, therefore, she was afraid\nshe should be turned to ashes herself if _he_ came back to life.\n\nAs the eldest brother, however, thought that she was trying to cheat\nhim, he would not comply with her request.\n\nFinding that she could not otherwise help herself, she at length said\nto him, 'Take some ashes from that heap under the tree, and throw them\nover yourself and your company, and whilst you do so say, \"Arise up,\ndust and ashes--what I am now may you also be!\"'\n\nWonder of wonders! The moment he did as she told him, there arose up\ncrowds of men--more than ten thousand of them. On seeing such a\nmultitude of people coming from under the tree, he was almost struck\nsenseless with astonishment. But he explained to them briefly what had\nhappened. Most of them thanked him heartily; some, however, of them\nwould not believe him, and said with anger, 'We would rather you had\nnot awakened us.' Then they went away in crowds; some took one way,\nsome another, until they were all dispersed. Only his two brothers\nremained behind; though they, too, for some time could not believe\nthat he was their brother. However, when they saw that their animals\nrecognised his, they remembered that no one but themselves had had\nsuch a strange company of beasts. Having recognised each other, the\nbrothers fell into each other's arms, and embraced affectionately.\nThen they divided the ducats which the old woman had given to the\neldest, loaded their animals with their treasures, and went straight\naway towards the place where they were born, and where their parents\nhad died.\n\nAs for the old woman, when the last man arose from the ashes under the\noak-tree, she herself crumbled into ashes under it.\n\nThe three brothers built three fine palaces for themselves, and lived\ntherein some time unmarried. At length, however, they began to think\nwhat would become of all their property after their deaths, and said\nto each other that it would be a pity for them to die without heirs.\nSo they resolved to marry, that their wealth might be left to their\nsons and daughters.\n\nThe eldest brother said, 'Let me go and find the best wives I can for\nall three of us; meantime you two will remain here, and take care of\nour property.' The others gladly agreed to this, as the eldest brother\nhad given proofs enough that he was by far the wisest of the three,\nand they felt sure that he would be able also to bring this important\nbusiness to a successful issue. So he made the needful preparations,\nand started on his journey to look out for three wives for himself and\nthe two younger brothers who remained at home.\n\nAfter long travelling he arrived at a large city, and resolved to\nremain there all night, and to continue his journey in the morning.\n\nIt happened that the king of that place had just arranged a\nhorse-race, and promised his only daughter as the prize, and, with\nher, ten loads of treasure to the winner.\n\nThe very evening the eldest brother arrived he heard the public\nbell-man proclaiming aloud through the streets, that every one who had\na horse should come to-morrow to the royal field, and whoever should\nspring first over the ditch should be rewarded with the king's\ndaughter, and should receive, with her, ten loads of gold.\n\nHe listened to the proclamation without saying anything. Next morning\nhe went out into the king's field in order to see the racing, and\nfound there already innumerable horses of all kinds.\n\nA little later came also the princess, the king's daughter, and behind\nher were brought ten loads of treasures.\n\nWhen he saw the king's daughter he thought her so exceedingly\nbeautiful that he went instantly a little aside from the crowd to get\na better sight of her. He then remembered his wonderful stone. Taking\nit out he now lifted it to his lips, and immediately the two negroes\nappeared, and said, 'Master what do you command?' He replied, 'Bring\nme clothes of silk and velvet, together with precious stones, and ten\ngood horses! and bring them as soon as possible!' He had not winked\ntwice before the negroes had placed before him everything which he had\ndemanded. Then he took out the hair, and striking fire with a flint,\nheld the hair near it. The moment he did this, the same cream-coloured\nhorse that had given him the hair stood beside him, and asked,\n'Master, what do you command?' He answered, 'I wish that to-day we\nleave all the other horses behind us in the race, so that I may gain\nthe king's daughter. Therefore prepare yourself, and let us go at\nonce, as the other horses are now ready for starting.'\n\nThe instant he had spoken these words, the cream-coloured horse stood,\npawing the earth, ready and eager to begin the race. The man then\nmounted it, and off they went. The other racers, having started a few\nmoments before, were already pretty far from the starting-point; in an\ninstant, however, he had reached them, and in another had passed and\nleft them far behind. When he reached the ditch--which was a hundred\nand five yards deep, and a hundred yards wide--the horse made so great\na spring that it touched ground some fifty yards beyond the ditch,\nbroad as it was.\n\nThen he rode back and took the maiden, the king's daughter, and,\nplacing her behind him on his horse, carried her off, together with\nthe loads of gold. All the people, seeing this, wondered greatly who\nthe strange knight could be who had left all the best horses so far\nbehind in the race, and had won the beautiful princess, with all her\nrich treasures.\n\nHe rode along until he came to a wood pretty far from the city, and\nthere he let his wonderful horse go until he should want him again. He\nthen took off all his beautiful clothes, and put on his old dress, and\nin this manner went on with the maiden and the loads of gold.\n\nAbout evening he arrived at a strange city, and decided to remain\nthere. After he had rested a little while, the people in the inn told\nhim that all day long the city bell-man had proclaimed, that whoever\nhad a good horse should go to-morrow to the horse-race, for the king\nof the palace had offered his only daughter as a prize, together with\na hundredweight of gold and jewels; but that there was a ditch to be\nsprung over which was three hundred and fifty yards deep and a hundred\nand fifty yards wide. When he heard this he was greatly pleased, for\nhe was quite sure that he should win this race also.\n\nNext morning, by the help of the little stone and the wonderful hair,\nhe was again dressed in the finest clothes, and mounted on his\ncream-coloured horse, and so took his place amongst the racers.\n\nEvery one wondered from what country this knight came, and were\ndelighted at his rich dress; as for the horse, the people were never\ntired of admiring it. When the race-horses were arranged for the start\nhe remained purposely behind. He knew well enough that this was of no\nconsequence to him, as in one moment he could reach and pass them all.\nAt length he started, and in a moment distanced the fleetest horse,\narriving at the ditch, and leaping over it as if it were nothing.\nThen, without waiting a minute, he took possession of the king's\ndaughter and her treasures, and went straight to the city where he had\nleft the first king's daughter and her loads of gold.\n\nTaking the two princesses and all the wealth with him, he now thought\nthat it was time for him to go back home. On his way, however, he had\nthe great good luck to come again to a large city, where he resolved\nto remain during the night. There, also, the public crier had been\nproclaiming all day long, that the king had determined to give his\nonly daughter and fifteen hundredweight of gold to whoever should win\nthe race which was to be run on the morrow. In this instance, however,\nthe horses would have to leap over a ditch one thousand yards deep and\nfour hundred and fifty yards wide. On hearing this proclamation, the\neldest brother became very joyful, for he knew that no racer had any\nchance of beating his wonderful horse.\n\nOn the morrow, therefore, by means of his little stone and the hair,\nhe ordered fifteen horses to be ready, to carry away the treasures he\nfelt sure of winning, and, at the same time, directed the negroes to\nbring him his fairy courser and dresses so splendid that not even a\nking could buy them.\n\nRichly dressed in this way, and mounted, as he was, on his marvellous\nhorse, all the world, who had gathered to see the great race, could\nlook at nothing except at him.\n\nWhen all the racers were arranged for the start, he lingered behind\nand let them all speed off like falcons. He wished every one to see\nthat he was the last to start, that they might not charge him\nafterwards with having in any way cheated. When they had already gone\npretty far, he started himself, and in a moment he had reached them,\npassed them, and left them all a long, long distance behind. How could\nit be otherwise? When did the crow outfly the falcon? Coming to the\nditch, he touched the bridle a little, and, in an instant, his horse\nhad leaped over the ditch, and they were safe on the other side. So,\nwithout any delay, he took away the maiden, together with all the\ngold, and went back to the city. Having collected his immense\ntreasures, he now took with him the three princesses, and went\nstraight home. As he travelled along with his company, every one who\nmet him asked him, 'Where are you going? are the girls for sale?' For\nyou see the princesses were exceedingly beautiful. But beyond all\nothers his two brothers, when he reached home, wondered and were\ndelighted at the sight of the three beautiful princesses. They did not\nrejoice half so much over the great riches he had gained for them as\nover the marvellous fairness of the kings' daughters whom he had\nbrought to be their wives.\n\nThus each of the three brothers married a beautiful princess; the\neldest brother, however, who had shown himself so much the bravest and\nwisest of them, married the youngest and most beautiful of the three.\n\n\n\n\nANIMALS AS FRIENDS AND AS ENEMIES.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a long while ago, there lived in a very far-off\ncountry, a young nobleman who was so exceedingly poor that all his\nproperty was an old castle, a handsome horse, a trusty hound, and a\ngood rifle.\n\nThis nobleman spent all his time in hunting and shooting, and lived\nentirely on the produce of the chase.\n\nOne day he mounted his well-kept horse and rode off to the\nneighbouring forest, accompanied, as usual, by his faithful hound.\nWhen he came to the forest he dismounted, fastened his horse securely\nto a young tree, and then went deep into the thicket in search of\ngame. The hound ran on at a distance before his master, and the horse\nremained all alone, grazing quietly. Now it happened that a hungry fox\ncame by that way, and seeing how well-fed and well-trimmed the horse\nwas, stopped a while to admire him. By-and-by she was so charmed with\nthe handsome horse, that she lay down in the grass near him to bear\nhim company.\n\nSome time afterwards the young nobleman came back out of the forest,\ncarrying a stag that he had killed, and was extremely surprised to\nsee the fox lying so near his horse. So he raised his rifle with the\nintention of shooting her; but the fox ran up to him quickly and said,\n'Do not kill me! Take me with you, and I will serve you faithfully. I\nwill take care of your fine horse whilst you are in the forest.'\n\nThe fox spoke so pitifully that the nobleman was sorry for her, and\nagreed to her proposal. Thereupon he mounted his horse, placed the\nstag he had shot before him, and rode back to his old castle, followed\nclosely by his hound and his new servant, the fox.\n\nWhen the young nobleman prepared his supper, he did not forget to give\nthe fox a due share, and she congratulated herself that she was never\nlikely to be hungry again, at least so long as she served so skilful a\nhunter.\n\nThe next morning the nobleman went out again to the chase, the fox\nalso accompanied him. When the young man dismounted and bound his\nhorse, as usual, to a tree, the fox lay down near it to bear it\ncompany.\n\nNow, whilst the hunter was far off in the depth of the forest looking\nfor game, a hungry bear came by the place where the horse was tied,\nand, seeing how invitingly fat it looked, ran up to kill it. The fox\nhereupon sprang up and begged the bear not to hurt the horse, telling\nhim if he was hungry he had only to wait patiently until her master\ncame back from the forest, and then she was quite sure that the good\nnobleman would take him also to his castle and feed him, and care for\nhim, as he did for his horse, his hound, and herself.\n\nThe bear pondered over the matter very wisely and deeply for some\ntime, and at length resolved to follow the fox's advice. Accordingly\nhe lay down quietly near the horse, and waited for the return of the\nhuntsman. When the young noble came out of the forest he was greatly\nsurprised to see so large a bear near his horse, and, dropping the\nstag he had shot from his shoulders, he raised his trusty rifle and\nwas about to shoot the beast. The fox, however, ran up to the huntsman\nand entreated him to spare the bear's life, and to take him, also,\ninto his service. This the nobleman agreed to do; and, mounting his\nhorse, rode back to his castle, followed by the hound, the fox, and\nthe bear.\n\nThe next morning, when the young man had gone again with his dog into\nthe forest, and the fox and the bear lay quietly near the horse, a\nhungry wolf, seeing the horse, sprang out of a thicket to kill it. The\nfox and the bear, however, jumped up quickly and begged him not to\nhurt the horse, telling him to what a good master it belonged, and\nthat they were sure, if he would only wait, he also would be taken\ninto the same service, and would be well cared for. Thereupon the\nwolf, hungry though he was, thought it best to accept their counsel,\nand he also lay down with them in the grass until their master came\nout of the forest.\n\nYou can imagine how surprised the young nobleman was when he saw a\ngreat gaunt wolf lying so near his horse! However, when the fox had\nexplained the matter to him, he consented to take the wolf, also,\ninto his service. Thus it happened this day that he rode home followed\nby the dog, the fox, the bear, and the wolf. As they were all hungry,\nthe stag he had killed was not too large to furnish their suppers that\nnight, and their breakfasts next morning.\n\nNot many days afterwards a mouse was added to the company, and after\nthat a mole begged so hard for admission that the good nobleman could\nnot find it in his heart to refuse her. Last of all came the great\nbird, the kumrekusha--so strong a bird that she can carry in her claws\na horse with his rider! Soon after a hare was added to the company,\nand the nobleman took great care of all his animals and fed them\nregularly and well, so that they were all exceedingly fond of him.\n\nOne day the fox said to the bear, 'My good Bruin, pray run into the\nforest and bring me a nice large log, on which I can sit whilst I\npreside at a very important council we are going to hold.'\n\nBruin, who had a great respect for the quick wit and good management\nof the fox, went out at once to seek the log, and soon came back\nbringing a heavy one, with which the fox expressed herself quite\nsatisfied. Then she called all the animals about her, and, having\nmounted the log, addressed them in these words:--\n\n'You know all of you, my friends, how very kind and good a master we\nhave. But, though he is very kind, he is also very lonely. I propose,\ntherefore, that we find a fitting wife for him.'\n\nThe assembly was evidently well pleased with this idea, and responded\nunanimously, 'Very good, indeed, if we only knew any girl worthy to be\nthe wife of our master; which, however, we do not.'\n\nThen the fox said, '_I_ know that the king has a most beautiful\ndaughter, and I think it will be a good thing to take her for our\nlord; and therefore I propose, further, that our friend the kumrekusha\nshould fly at once to the king's palace, and hover about there until\nthe princess comes out to take her walk. Then she must catch her up at\nonce, and bring her here.'\n\nAs the kumrekusha was glad to do anything for her kind master, she\nflew away at once, without even waiting to hear the decision of the\nassembly on this proposal.\n\nJust before evening set in, the princess came out to walk before her\nfather's palace; whereupon the great bird seized her and placed her\ngently on her outspread wings, and thus carried her off swiftly to the\nyoung nobleman's castle.\n\nThe king was exceedingly grieved when he heard that his daughter had\nbeen carried off, and sent out everywhere proclamations promising rich\nrewards to any one who should bring her back, or even tell him where\nhe might look for her. For a long time, however, all his promises were\nof no avail, for no one in the kingdom knew anything at all about the\nprincess.\n\nAt last, however, when the king was well-nigh in despair, an old gipsy\nwoman came to the palace and asked the king, 'What will you give me if\nI bring back to you your daughter, the princess?'\n\nThe king answered quickly, 'I will gladly give you whatever you like\nto ask, if only you bring me back my daughter!'\n\nThen the old gipsy went back to her hut in the forest, and tried all\nher magical spells to find out where the princess was. At last she\nfound out that she was living in an old castle, in a very distant\ncountry, with a young nobleman who had married her.\n\nThe gipsy was greatly pleased when she knew this, and taking a whip in\nher hand seated herself at once in the middle of a small carpet, and\nlashed it with her whip. Then the carpet rose up from the ground and\nbore her swiftly through the air, towards the far country where the\nyoung nobleman lived, in his lonely old castle, with his beautiful\nwife, and all his faithful company of beasts.\n\nWhen the gipsy came near the castle she made the carpet descend on the\ngrass among some trees, and leaving it there went to look about until\nshe could meet the princess walking about the grounds. By-and-by the\nbeautiful young lady came out of the castle, and immediately the ugly\nold woman went up to her, and began to fawn on her and to tell her all\nkinds of strange stories. Indeed, she was such a good story-teller\nthat the princess grew quite tired of walking before she was tired of\nlistening; so, seeing the soft carpet lying nicely on the green grass,\nshe sat down on it to rest awhile. The moment she was seated the\ncunning old gipsy sat down by her, and, seizing her whip, lashed the\ncarpet furiously. In the next minute the princess found herself borne\nupon the carpet far away from her husband's castle, and before long\nthe gipsy made it descend into the garden of the king's palace.\n\nYou can easily guess how glad he was to see his lost daughter, and how\ngenerously he gave the gipsy even more than she asked as a reward.\nThen the king made the princess live from that time in a very secluded\ntower with only two waiting-women, so afraid was he lest she would\nagain be stolen from him.\n\nMeanwhile the fox, seeing how miserable and melancholy her young\nmaster appeared after his wife had so strangely been taken from him,\nand having heard of the great precautions which the king was using in\norder to prevent the princess being carried off again, summoned once\nmore all the animals to a general council.\n\nWhen all of them were gathered about her, the fox thus began: 'You\nknow all of you, my dear friends, how happily our kind master was\nmarried; but you know, also, that his wife has been unhappily stolen\nfrom him, and that he is now far worse off than he was before we found\nthe princess for him. _Then_ he was lonely; _now_ he is more than\nlonely--he is desolate! This being the case, it is clearly our duty,\nas his faithful servants, to try in some way to bring her back to him.\nThis, however, is not a very easy matter, seeing that the king has\nplaced his daughter for safety in a strong tower. Nevertheless, I do\nnot despair, and my plan is this: I will turn myself into a beautiful\ncat, and play about in the palace gardens under the windows of the\ntower in which the princess lives. I dare say she will long for me\ngreatly the moment she sees me, and will send her waiting-women down\nto catch me and take me up to her. But I will take good care that the\nmaids do not catch me, so that, at last, the princess will forget her\nfather's orders not to leave the tower, and will come down herself\ninto the gardens to see if she may not be more successful. I will then\nmake believe to let her catch me, and at this moment our friend, the\nkumrekusha, who must be hovering over about the palace, must fly down\nquickly, seize the princess, and carry her off as before. In this way,\nmy dear friends, I hope we shall be able to bring back to our kind\nmaster his beautiful wife. Do you approve of my plan?'\n\nOf course, the assembly were only too glad to have such a wise\ncouncillor, and to be able to prove their gratitude to their\nconsiderate master. So the fox ran up to the kumrekusha, who flew away\nwith her under her wing, both being equally eager to carry out the\nproject, and thus to bring back the old cheerful look to the face of\ntheir lord.\n\nWhen the kumrekusha came to the tower wherein the princess dwelt she\nset the fox down quietly among the trees, where it at once changed\ninto a most beautiful cat, and commenced to play all sorts of graceful\nantics under the window at which the princess sat. The cat was striped\nall over the body with many different colours, and before long the\nking's daughter noticed her, and sent down her two women to catch her\nand bring her up in the tower.\n\nThe two waiting-women came down into the garden, and called, 'Pussy!\npussy!' in their sweetest voices; they offered her bread and milk,\nbut they offered it all in vain. The cat sprang merrily about the\ngarden, and ran round and round them, but would on no account consent\nto be caught.\n\nAt length the princess, who stood watching them at one of the windows\nof her tower, became impatient, and descended herself into the garden,\nsaying petulantly, 'You only frighten the cat: let me try to catch\nher!' As she approached the cat, who seemed now willing to be caught,\nthe kumrekusha darted down quickly, seized the princess by the waist,\nand carried her high up into the air.\n\nThe frightened waiting-women ran to report to the king what had\nhappened to the princess; whereupon the king immediately let loose all\nhis greyhounds to seize the cat which had been the cause of his\ndaughter being carried off a second time. The dogs followed the cat\nclosely, and were on the point of catching her, when she, just in the\nnick of time, saw a cave, with a very narrow entrance, and ran into it\nfor shelter. There the dogs tried to follow her, or to widen the mouth\nof the cave with their claws, but all in vain; so, after barking a\nlong time very furiously, they at length grew weary, and stole back\nashamed and afraid to the king's stables.\n\nWhen all the greyhounds were out of sight the cat changed herself back\ninto a fox, and ran off in a straight line towards the castle, where\nshe found her young master very joyful, for the kumrekusha had already\nbrought back to him his beautiful wife.\n\nNow the king was exceedingly angry to think that he had again lost\nhis daughter, and he was all the more angry to think that such poor\ncreatures as a bird and a cat had succeeded in carrying her off after\nall his precautions. So, in his great wrath, he resolved to make a\ngeneral war on the animals, and entirely exterminate them.\n\nTo this end he gathered together a very large army, and determined to\nbe himself their leader. The news of the king's intention spread\nswiftly over the whole kingdom, whereupon the fox called, for the\nthird time, all her friends--the bear, the wolf, the kumrekusha, the\nmouse, the mole, and the hare--together, to a general council.\n\nWhen all were assembled the fox addressed them thus: 'My friends, the\nking has declared war against us, and intends to destroy us all. Now\nit is our duty to defend ourselves in the best way we can. Let us each\nsee what number of animals we are able to muster. How many of your\nbrother bears do you think _you_ can bring to our help, my good\nBruin?'\n\nThe bear got up as quickly as he could on his hind legs, and brummed\nout, 'I am sure I can bring a hundred.'\n\n'And how many of your friends can _you_ bring, my good wolf?' asked\nthe fox anxiously.\n\n'I can bring at least five hundred wolves with me,' said the wolf with\nan air of importance.\n\nThe fox nodded her satisfaction and continued, 'And what can _you_ do\nfor us, dear master hare?'\n\n'Well, I think I can bring about eight hundred,' said the hare\ncautiously.\n\n'And what can _you_ do, you dear little mouse?'\n\n'Oh, _I_ can certainly bring three thousand mice.'\n\n'Very well, indeed!--and you, Mr. Mole?'\n\n'I am sure I can gather eight thousand.'\n\n'And now what number do you think you can bring us, my great friend,\nkumrekusha?'\n\n'I fear not more than two or three hundred, at the very best,' said\nthe kumrekusha sadly.\n\n'Very good; now all of you go at once and collect your friends; when\nyou have brought all you can, we will decide what is to be done,' said\nthe fox; whereupon the council broke up, and the animals dispersed in\ndifferent directions throughout the forest.\n\nNot very long after, very unusual noises were heard in the\nneighbourhood of the castle. There was a great shaking of trees; and\nthe growling of bears and the short sharp barking of wolves broke the\nusual quiet of the forest. The army of animals was gathering from all\nsides at the appointed place.\n\nWhen all were gathered together the fox explained to them her plans in\nthese words:--'When the king's army stops on its march to rest the\nfirst night, then you, bears and wolves, must be prepared to attack\nand kill all the horses. If, notwithstanding this, the army proceeds\nfurther, you mice must be ready to bite and destroy all the\nsaddle-straps and belts while the soldiers are resting the second\nnight, and you hares must gnaw through the ropes with which the men\ndraw the cannon. If the king still persists in his march, you moles\nmust go the third night and dig out the earth under the road they will\ntake the next day, and must make a ditch full fifteen yards in breadth\nand twenty yards in depth all round their camp. Next morning, when the\narmy begins to march over this ground which has been hollowed out, you\nkumrekushas must throw down on them from above heavy stones while the\nearth will give way under them.'\n\nThe plan was approved, and all the animals went off briskly to attend\nto their allotted duties.\n\nWhen the king's army awoke, after their first night's rest on their\nmarch, they beheld, to their great consternation, that all the horses\nwere killed. This sad news was reported at once to the king; but he\nonly sent back for more horses, and, when they came late in the day,\npursued his march.\n\nThe second night the mice crept quietly into the camp, and nibbled\ndiligently at the horses' saddles and at the soldiers' belts, while\nthe hares as busily gnawed at the ropes with which the men drew the\ncannon.\n\nNext morning the soldiers were terrified, seeing the mischief the\nanimals had done. The king, however, reassured them, and sent back to\nthe city for new saddles and belts. When they were at length brought\nhe resolutely pursued his march, only the more determined to revenge\nhimself on these presumptuous and despised enemies.\n\nOn the third night, while the soldiers were sleeping, the moles worked\nincessantly in digging round the camp a wide and deep trench\nunderground. About midnight the fox sent the bears to help the moles,\nand to carry away the loads of earth.\n\nNext morning the king's soldiers were delighted to find that no harm\nseemed to have been done on the previous night to their horses or\nstraps, and started with new courage on their march. But their march\nwas quickly arrested, for soon the heavy horsemen and artillery began\nto fall through the hollow ground, and the king, when he observed\nthat, called out, 'Let us turn back. I see God himself is against us,\nsince we have declared war against the animals. I will give up my\ndaughter.'\n\nThen the army turned back, amidst the rejoicings of the soldiers. The\nmen found, however, to their great surprise and fear, that whichever\nway they turned, they fell through the earth. To make their\nconsternation yet more complete, the kumrekushas now began to throw\ndown heavy stones on them, which crushed them completely. In this way\nthe king, as well as his whole army, perished.\n\nVery soon afterwards the young nobleman, who had married the king's\ndaughter, went to the enemy's capital and took possession of the\nking's palace, taking with him all his animals; and there they all\nlived long and happily together.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LEGEND OF ST. GEORGE.\n\n\nOnce upon a time all the saints assembled in order to divide amongst\nthemselves the treasures of the world. And, in this division, each\nsaint obtained something which satisfied him.\n\nThe beautiful summer, with all its wealth of flowers, fell to the lot\nof St. George: to St. Elias fell the clouds and the thunder; and to\nSt. Pantelija the tempest. St. Peter obtained the keys of heaven: to\nSt. Nicholas fell the seas, and the ships upon them; and to the\nArchangel Michael fell the right of gathering and guarding the souls\nof the dying. St. John was chosen to preside over friendship and\n'_koom-ship_,'[34] and to the holy Lady Mary the saints committed the\ncharge of the lawless country of the cursed Troyan,[35] in order that\nshe might bring it to a state of peace, and establish therein the\ntrue religion.\n\n    [34] The 'koom' is a sort of godfather or sponsor. See\n    'Popular Customs of Serbia.'\n\n    [35] In some versions of this poem this 'Troyan' is changed\n    into 'India.' Probably there is here a reference to the\n    theory that the Turks and Troyans were the same people.\n    Knolles, in the opening chapter of his 'General Historie of\n    the Turkes,' says, 'Some, after the manner of most nations,\n    derive them from the Troians, led thereunto by the affinity\n    of the words Turci and Teucri; supposing--but with what\n    probability I know not--the word Turci or Turks to have been\n    made of the corruption of the word Teucri, the common name of\n    the Trojans; as also for that the Turks have of long most\n    inhabited the lesser Asia, wherein the antient and most\n    famous city of Troy sometime stood.'--_Edit._\n\nAbout a year had passed away since the saints had thus divided amongst\nthemselves the treasures of the world, when one day the holy Lady Mary\nentered the assembly, evidently greatly afflicted, and with large\ntears falling over her white cheeks. She greeted '_in the name of\nGod!_' her brethren the saints, and these gave her back her greeting.\nThen St. Elias addressed her, saying, '_Our_ sister, holy Mary,\nwherefore are you grieving? Why are you shedding these tears? You are,\nperhaps, dissatisfied with the lot which fell to you when we divided\nthe treasures?'\n\nBut the holy Mary answered, 'My brethren, ye who are the righteousness\nof God, when you divided the treasures you gave me also a share\ntherein, and therewith I am satisfied. Yet I have good cause,\nnevertheless, to be sorely grieved. I come but now from the city of\nthe Troyan, and I have been unable to bring it to peace and the true\nfaith. There the young people do not reverence their elders--there the\nbrother challenges his own brother to mortal combat,--there the _koom_\nis pursuing his _koom_ in the law courts,--there the brother\nintermarries with his own sister, and the _koom_ with his\n_kooma_,--there the holy Sabbath is violated, and, worst of all, there\nthey do not pray to the true God. The people have made to themselves a\ngod of silver, and to this idol do they pray. Now, what can I do, my\ndear brethren, except to pray that the true God should send his\nlightnings from heaven to destroy the fortress and fortifications,\nand to burn down the cities and villages? Then, perhaps, the people of\nthe Troyan country may come to see the great wickedness and repent.'\n\nSt. Elias said to her these words, 'Our sister, holy Mary, do not do\nthis thing! Rather let us all pray God to allow us to give some\nwarning to the people--that He orders snow to fall on Mitrovdan, and\nremain until St. George's day;[36] and another snow to fall on St.\nGeorge's day, and lie on the earth until Mitrovdan;[37] so that no\nseeds can be sown, and no ewes can rear their lambs. In this way,\nperhaps, the pride of the earth may be subdued, and the people brought\nat last to repentance.'\n\n    [36] 'George's day,' 25th April, O. S.\n\n    [37] Mitrovdan, 25th October, O. S.\n\nAll the saints approved the proposal of St. Elias, and acted as he had\nsaid. Then a great snow fell on Mitrovdan, and remained until St.\nGeorge's day, and a second snowfall came on St. George's day, and lay\non the earth until Mitrovdan. No seed could be sown, therefore, and no\nlambs could be reared. The people suffered greatly throughout the\nyear; they would not, however, repent and mend their ways. Some of\nthem had part of last year's corn in their garners, and shiploads of\ngrain were brought from countries beyond the seas, and so they got\nsomehow through the year, and went on living just as wickedly as\nbefore.\n\nThe holy Mary, seeing this, went a second time to the assembled\nsaints weeping. After the exchange of the customary greeting, St.\nElias asked her what was the reason of her tears, and she told him\nthat she was sorely grieved because the people of the Troyan country,\nnotwithstanding the chastisement they had suffered, still continued\nliving in wickedness. Then the saints resolved to send down a second\nwarning. So they prayed God to send down the curse of the small-pox.\nThereupon the small-pox appeared amongst the Troyans, and raged in\ntheir country for three full years, carrying off all the strength and\nbeauty of the people, so that only the old remained to cough, and the\nlittle babes to cry.\n\nBut, when the children grew up, they behaved just as their parents had\ndone, and neither improved nor repented. Weeping bitter tears over her\nwhite cheeks, the holy Mary went the third time to the assembly of the\nsaints, and reported how disorderly and madly the people of the Troyan\nland were still living. She said, it was quite evident that they could\nnot be brought to repentance, and that, therefore, she intended now to\npray God to send down his lightnings and destroy the cities and\nvillages.\n\nBut St. Elias said again, 'Not so, my dear sister! not so! Let us give\nthem yet a third warning.' So the saints prayed to God for the third\nwarning, and God granted their request.\n\nNext morning, close by the king's palace in the chief city of the\nTroyans a green lake appeared, and therein was an insatiable dragon\nfeeding on young men and maidens. Every morning, for breakfast, the\nmonster required a young man who had never been wedded; and every\nevening, for supper, he demanded a youthful and blooming maiden.\n\nThis went on for seven years, until, at length, the turn came to the\nonly daughter of the king. Then the queen cried loudly and bitterly,\nand clasped her arms closely round the neck of her child. Mother and\ndaughter wept together three days, and when the fourth day dawned, the\nqueen fell into a light slumber by her daughter's side. As she slept,\nshe dreamed that a man appeared to her, and said, 'O queen of the\nTroyan city! do not send your daughter this evening to the lake; but\nsend her to-morrow, when the day dawns, and the sun shines. Tell her,\nwhen she goes to the lake, she must bathe her face, and then, turning\ntowards the east, let her call on the name of the true God. She must,\nhowever, be careful not to mention the idol of silver. This done, she\nmust wait patiently, ready to accept whatsoever the true God ordereth\nfor her.'\n\nThe queen, awakening from her sleep, related at once her dream to her\ndaughter, and impressed on her the necessity of carrying out\nfaithfully her instructions. Weeping bitterly, the king's daughter\ntook leave of her mother at daybreak, begging the queen to forgive her\nthe milk with which she had been nourished in her babyhood. Then she\nwent down to the lake shore, bathed her face, and, turning eastwards,\nprayed to the true God. This done, according to her mother's\ninstructions, she sat down and awaited whatever might happen to her.\n\nSuddenly there appeared a strange knight mounted on a magnificent\ncharger. He greeted the maiden 'in the name of God!' and she,\nspringing up quickly, returned the greeting courteously. Then the\nstrange knight, seeing she had been weeping, asked what it was that\ntroubled her, and wherefore she sat waiting there alone. In answer to\nthese questions the maiden related the whole sad story of the dragon,\nand the fearful fate which seemed to await her.\n\nWhen she had finished her narration, the knight dismounted, and,\nremoving his kalpak from his head, said, 'Now I desire to sleep a\nlittle, and I wish you to pass your hand through my hair that I may\nsleep more pleasantly.' The girl tried to dissuade him from this, lest\nthe dragon should come whilst he slept, and devour him also. She said\nit would be a pity for him to perish thus needlessly. However, she\ncould not prevail on him to abandon his purpose, and he fell at once\ninto a gentle slumber, and slept as quietly as a young lamb.\n\nVery soon, however, the waters of the lake were agitated, and the\nterrible dragon appeared coming towards them. Then the unknown knight\nsprang up quickly into his saddle, and, stretching out his arms,\nlifted the maiden up and placed her behind him on his charger. This\ndone, with one stroke of his lance, he pinned the dragon down to the\nbottom of the lake, where it remained bleeding, but not dead. Then\nthe knight took the girl back to the palace of the king, her father,\nand the queen, who had been watching anxiously everything that passed,\nmet him at the gate and delivered up to him the keys of the city.\n\nThe knight, who was no other than St. George, now walked through the\nstreets of the Troyan city, and, having gathered the people around\nhim, spoke to them thus, 'Listen to me, my children! Pray no more to\nthe idol of silver, pray only to the one true God! And you, young\npeople, reverence your elders. All of you remember that near relatives\ncannot be permitted to intermarry. Keep holy the Sabbath, as well as\nall the other holy days and saint days.' Having thus admonished them,\nthe holy knight ordered that the temple should be opened, and when his\ncommands had been obeyed, he took out of it the silver idol, and\nmelted it into a variety of ornaments. In the place of the silver idol\nhe placed a holy picture, and then consecrated the temple, and it\nbecame a church. When this was done, he turned again to the people,\nand said, 'If you will promise to do as I have told you, I will kill\nthe dragon in the lake; but if you refuse to do what I have asked of\nyou I will let him loose again, and I think he will soon make an end\nof you.'\n\nThen all the people bowed themselves to the earth before the holy\nknight, and shouted aloud, 'O good and unknown knight! our brother in\nGod! Deliver us from the dragon in the lake, and we will do and live\njust as you have counselled us!' Whereupon they received the true\nfaith. When they had so done, St. George returned to the lake, and\nmade the sign of the cross over it with a stick, and at that very\nmoment both the lake and dragon disappeared as if they had never been.\n\nHaving done all this, St. George went back to the heavenly kingdom to\nrecount to the saints there assembled the conversion of the Troyan\npeople.\n\n\nTHE END.\n\n\nThe Columbus Printing, Publishing and Advertising Company, Ltd., Amberley\nHouse, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's Note\n\nMinor punctuation errors have been repaired.\n\nHyphenation and accent usage has been made consistent.\n\nThe following amendments have been made:\n\n    Page 2--Michel amended to Michael--... widow of the late\n    Prince Michael Obrenovich III., ...\n\n    Page 5--conprehended amended to comprehended--... popular\n    tales and legends which are comprehended ...\n\n    Page 29--sisters-in-lay amended to sisters-in-law--... he\n    called to his sisters-in-law, ...\n\n    Page 29--me amended to him--Then the man told him in these\n    words: ...\n\n    Page 89--kings amended to king--When the king asks you, ...\n\n    Page 90--has amended to his--... and told him what his\n    daughter had said.\n\n    Page 156--oftens amended to often--'... for he often\n    threatens my brothers.'\n\n    Page 182--price amended to prince--Faithful to his promise,\n    the unfortunate prince ...\n\n    Page 264--beach-tree amended to beech-tree--... she was now\n    as tall as the tallest beech-tree, ...\n\n    Page 287--her-herself amended to herself--... the princess\n    found herself borne upon the carpet ...","title":"Serbian Folk-lore","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":81497}