.. -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-

.. meta::
   :PG.Id: 48032
   :PG.Title: The Magic Ring and Other Stories
   :PG.Released: 2015-01-19
   :PG.Rights: Public Domain
   :PG.Producer: Al Haines
   :DC.Creator: Various
   :MARCREL.edt: Andrew Lang
   :MARCREL.ill: Henry \J. Ford
   :DC.Title: The Magic Ring and Other Stories
              From the Yellow and Crimson Fairy Books
   :DC.Language: en
   :DC.Created: 1906
   :coverpage: images/img-cover.jpg

================================
THE MAGIC RING AND OTHER STORIES
================================

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   .. _`ILONKA LEFT WITH THE SWINEHERD`:

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      :alt: ILONKA LEFT WITH THE SWINEHERD

      ILONKA LEFT WITH THE SWINEHERD

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      THE MAGIC RING

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      AND OTHER STORIES

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      FROM THE YELLOW AND CRIMSON FAIRY BOOKS

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      EDITED BY

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      ANDREW LANG

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      WITH A COLOURED FRONTISPIECE AND
      NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY
      HENRY J. FORD

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      *NEW IMPRESSION*

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      LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
      39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
      NEW YORK AND BOMBAY
      1906

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      *All rights reserved*

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   CONTENTS

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`The Magic Ring`_
`The White Duck`_
`Lovely Ilonka`_
`Clever Maria`_
`The Language of Beasts`_
`The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership`_
`The Six Swans`_
`The Story of the Emperor's New Clothes`_
`The Golden Crab`_
`The Iron Stove`_
`The Dragon and his Grandmother`_
`The Donkey Cabbage`_
`Lucky Luck`_
`To Your Good Health!`_

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   ILLUSTRATIONS

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   COLOURED PLATE

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`Ilonka left with the Swineherd`_ . . . . . . *Frontispiece*

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   FULL-PAGE PLATES

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`Martin extinguishes the Flames`_
`The Witch persuades the Queen to bathe`_
`The First Bulrush Maiden flies away`_
`Clever Maria.`_
`Maria and the King`_
`The Shepherd comes to the Arch of Snakes`_
`The Six Brothers changed into Swans by their Stepmother`_
`The Prince throws the Apple to the Princess`_
`The Iron Stove.`_
`The Faithful Servant and the Three Eagles`_
`The Faithful Servant turns into Stone`_
`The Complaint of the Three Maidens`_
`Staring-Eyes in the White Bear's Pit`_

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   IN THE TEXT

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`The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men`_
`Schurka upsets the Baker`_
`The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess`_
`The King catches the White Duck`_
`The Partnership`_
`At Home in the Church`_
`Protestation`_
`The Way of the World`_
`And then her Dress`_
`The Emperor comes to see his New Clothes`_
`Let down, let down thy Petticoat`_
`The Fisherman brings the Crab on the Golden Cushion`_
`Then She reached the three Cutting Swords`_
`The Dragon carries off the Three Soldiers`_
`The Fiend defeated`_
`The Maiden obtains the Bird-Heart`_
`The Hunter is transformed into a Donkey`_
`The Young Man gives the Donkeys to the Miller`_

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.. _`THE MAGIC RING`:

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   THE MAGIC RING

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Once upon a time there lived an old couple who
had one son called Martin.  Now when the old
man's time had come, he stretched himself out
on his bed and died.  Though all his life long
he had toiled and moiled, he only left his widow
and son two hundred florins.  The old woman
determined to put by the money for a rainy day;
but alas! the rainy day was close at hand, for
their meal was all consumed, and who is prepared
to face starvation with two hundred florins at
their disposal?  So the old woman counted out a
hundred of her florins, and giving them to Martin
told him to go into the town and lay in a store
of meal for a year.

So Martin started off for the town.  When
he reached the meat-market he found the whole
place in turmoil, and a great noise of angry
voices and barking of dogs.  Mixing in the
crowd, he noticed a stag-hound which the
butchers had caught and tied to a post, and
which was being flogged in a merciless manner.
Overcome with pity, Martin spoke to the
butchers, saying:

'Friends, why are you beating the poor dog
so cruelly?'

'We have every right to beat him,' they replied;
'he has just devoured a newly-killed pig.'

'Leave off beating him,' said Martin, 'and sell
him to me instead.'

'If you choose to buy him,' answered the
butchers derisively; 'but for such a treasure
we won't take a penny less than a hundred
florins.'

'A hundred!' exclaimed Martin.  'Well, so
be it, if you will not take less'; and, taking the
money out of his pocket, he handed it over in
exchange for the dog, whose name was Schurka.

When Martin got home, his mother met him
with the question:

'Well, what have you bought?

'Schurka, the dog,' replied Martin, pointing
to his new possession.  Whereupon his mother
became very angry, and abused him roundly.
He ought to be ashamed of himself, when there
was scarcely a handful of meal in the house, to
have spent the money on a useless brute like
that.  On the following day she sent him back
to the town, saying, 'Here, take our last hundred
florins, and buy provisions with them.  I have
just emptied the last grains of meal out of the
chest, and baked a bannock; but it won't last
over to-morrow.'

Just as Martin was entering the town he met
a rough-looking peasant who was dragging a cat
after him by a string which was fastened round
the poor beast's neck.

'Stop,' cried Martin; 'where are you dragging
that poor cat?'

'I mean to drown him,' was the answer.

'What harm has the poor beast done?' said Martin.

'It has just killed a goose,' replied the peasant.

'Don't drown him, sell him to me instead,'
begged Martin.

'Not for a hundred florins,' was the answer.

'Surely for a hundred florins you'll sell it?'
said Martin, 'See! here is the money'; and, so
saying, he handed him the hundred florins, which
the peasant pocketed, and Martin took possession
of the cat, which was called Waska.

When he reached his home his mother greeted
him with the question:

'Well, what have you brought back?'

'I have brought this cat, Waska,' answered
Martin.

'And what besides?'

'I had no money over to buy anything else
with,' replied Martin.

'You useless ne'er-do-weel!' exclaimed his
mother in a great passion.  'Leave the house
at once, and go and beg your bread among
strangers'; and as Martin did not dare
contradict her, he called Schurka and Waska and
started off with them to the nearest village in
search of work.  On the way he met a rich
peasant who asked him where he was going.

'I want to get work as a day labourer,' he
answered.

'Come along with me, then.  But I must tell
you I engage my labourers without wages.  If
you serve me faithfully for a year, I promise you
it shall be for your advantage.'

So Martin consented, and for a year he worked
diligently, and served his master faithfully, not
sparing himself in any way.  When the day of
reckoning had come the peasant led him into
a barn, and pointing to two full sacks, said:
'Take whichever of these you choose.'

Martin examined the contents of the sacks,
and seeing that one was full of silver and the
other of sand, he said to himself:

'There must be some trick about this; I had
better take the sand.'  And throwing the sack
over his shoulders he started out into the world,
in search of fresh work.  On and on he walked,
and at last he reached a great gloomy wood.  In
the middle of the wood he came upon a meadow,
where a fire was burning, and in the midst of the
fire, surrounded by flames, was a lovely damsel,
more beautiful than anything that Martin had
ever seen, and when she saw him she called
to him:

'Martin, if you would win happiness, save
my life.  Extinguish the flames with the sand
that you earned in payment of your faithful
service.'

'Truly,' thought Martin to himself, 'it would
be more sensible to save a fellow-being's life with
this sand than to drag it about on one's back,
seeing what a weight it is.'  And forthwith he
lowered the sack from his shoulders and emptied
its contents on the flames, and instantly the
fire was extinguished; but at the same moment
lo! and behold the lovely damsel turned into
a Serpent, and, darting upon him, coiled itself
round his neck, and whispered lovingly in his ear:

'Do not be afraid of me, Martin; I love you,
and will go with you through the world.  But
first you must follow me boldly into my Father's
Kingdom, underneath the earth; and when we
get there, remember this--he will offer you gold
and silver, and dazzling gems, but do not touch
them.  Ask him, instead, for the ring which he
wears on his little finger, for in that ring lies
a magic power; you have only to throw it from
one hand to the other, and at once twelve young
men will appear, who will do your bidding, no
matter how difficult, in a single night.'

.. _`Martin extinguishes the flames`:

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   :alt: Martin extinguishes the flames.

   Martin extinguishes the flames.

So they started on their way, and after much
wandering they reached a spot where a great
rock rose straight up in the middle of the road.
Instantly the Serpent uncoiled itself from his
neck, and, as it touched the damp earth, it
resumed the shape of the lovely damsel.  Pointing
to the rock, she showed him an opening just big
enough for a man to wriggle through.  Passing
into it, they entered a long underground passage,
which led out on to a wide field, above which
spread a blue sky.  In the middle of the field
stood a magnificent castle, built out of porphyry,
with a roof of gold and with glittering
battlements.  And his beautiful guide told him that
this was the palace in which her father lived
and reigned over his kingdom in the Underworld.

Together they entered the palace, and were
received by the King with great kindness.
Turning to his daughter, he said:

'My child, I had almost given up the hope of
ever seeing you again.  Where have you been
all these years?'

'My father,' she replied, 'I owe my life to
this youth, who saved me from a terrible death.'

Upon which the King turned to Martin with
a gracious smile, saying: 'I will reward your
courage by granting you whatever your heart
desires.  Take as much gold, silver, and precious
stones as you choose.'

'I thank you, mighty King, for your gracious
offer,' answered Martin, 'but I do not covet
either gold, silver, or precious stones; yet if you
will grant me a favour, give me, I beg, the ring
from off the little finger of your royal hand.
Every time my eye falls on it I shall think of
your gracious Majesty, and when I marry I
shall present it to my bride.'

So the King took the ring from his finger and
gave it to Martin, saying: 'Take it, good youth;
but with it I make one condition--you are never
to confide to anyone that this is a magic ring.
If you do, you will straightway bring misfortune
on yourself.'

Martin took the ring, and, having thanked
the King, he set out on the same road by which
he had come down into the Under-world.
When he had regained the upper air he started
for his old home, and having found his mother
still living in the old house where he had left
her, they settled down together very happily.
So uneventful was their life that it almost
seemed as if it would go on in this way always,
without let or hindrance.  But one day it
suddenly came into his mind that he would like
to get married, and, moreover, that he would
choose a very grand wife--a King's daughter,
in short.  But as he did not trust himself as a
wooer, he determined to send his old mother on
the mission.

'You must go to the King,' he said to her,
'and demand the hand of his lovely daughter
in marriage for me.'

'What are you thinking of, my son?' answered
the old woman, aghast at the idea.  'Why
cannot you marry someone in your own rank?
That would be far more fitting than to send a
poor old woman like me a-wooing to the King's
Court for the hand of a Princess.  Why, it is
as much as our heads are worth.  Neither my
life nor yours would be worth anything if I
went on such a fool's errand.'

'Never fear, little mother,' answered Martin.
'Trust me; all will be well.  But see that you
do not come back without an answer of some kind.'

And so, obedient to her son's behest, the old
woman hobbled off to the palace, and, without
being hindered, reached the courtyard, and began
to mount the flight of steps leading to the royal
presence chamber.  At the head of the landing
rows of courtiers were collected in magnificent
attire, who stared at the queer old figure, and
called to her, and explained to her, with every
kind of sign, that it was strictly forbidden to
mount those steps.  But their stern words and
forbidding gestures made no impression
whatever on the old woman, and, she resolutely
continued to climb the stairs, bent on carrying out
her son's orders.  Upon this some of the courtiers
seized her by the arms, and held her back by
sheer force, at which she set up such a yell that
the King himself heard it, and stepped out on to
the balcony to see what was the matter.  When
he beheld the old woman flinging her arms wildly
about, and heard her scream that she would not
leave the place till she had laid her case before
the King, he ordered that she should be brought
into his presence.  And forthwith she was
conducted into the golden presence chamber, where,
leaning back amongst cushions of royal purple,
the King sat, surrounded by his counsellors and
courtiers.  Courtesying low, the old woman
stood silent before him.  'Well, my good old
dame, what can I do for you?' asked the King.

'I have come,' replied Martin's mother--'and
your Majesty must not be angry with me--I
have come a-wooing.'

'Is the woman out of her mind?' said the
King, with an angry frown.

But Martin's mother answered boldly: 'If the
King will only listen patiently to me, and give
me a straightforward answer, he will see that I
am not out of my mind.  You, O King, have
a lovely daughter to give in marriage.  I have
a son--a wooer--as clever a youth and as good
a son-in-law as you will find in your whole
kingdom.  There is nothing that he cannot do.  Now
tell me, O King, plump and plain, will you give
your daughter to my son as wife?'  The King
listened to the end of the old woman's strange
request, but every moment his face grew blacker,
and his features sterner; till all at once he thought
to himself, 'Is it worth while that I, the King,
should be angry with this poor old fool?'  And
all the courtiers and counsellors were amazed
when they saw the hard lines round his mouth
and the frown on his brow grow smooth, and
heard the mild but mocking tones in which he
answered the old woman, saying:

'If your son is as wonderfully clever as you
say, and if there is nothing in the world that he
cannot do, let him build a magnificent castle,
just opposite my palace windows, in four and
twenty hours.  The palace must be joined
together by a bridge of pure crystal.  On each
side of the bridge there must be growing trees,
having golden and silver apples, and with birds
of paradise among the branches.  At the right
of the bridge there must be a church, with five
golden cupolas; in this church your son shall be
wedded to my daughter, and we will keep the
wedding festivities in the new castle.  But if he
fails to execute this my royal command, then, as
a just but mild monarch, I shall give orders that
you and he are taken, and first dipped in tar and
then in feathers, and you shall be executed in
the market-place for the entertainment of my
courtiers.'

And a smile played round the King's lips as
he finished speaking, and his courtiers and
counsellors shook with laughter when they thought
of the old woman's folly, and praised the King's
wise device, and said to each other, 'What a joke
it will be when we see the pair of them tarred
and feathered!  The son is just as able to grow
a beard on the palm of his hand as to execute
such a task in twenty-four hours.'

Now the poor old woman was mortally afraid,
and in a trembling voice she asked:

'Is that really your royal will, O King?  Must
I take this order to my poor son?'

'Yes, old dame; such is my command.  If
your son carries out my order, he shall be
rewarded with my daughter; but if he fails,
away to the tar-barrel and the stake with you both!'

On her way home the poor old woman shed
bitter tears, and when she saw Martin she
told him what the King had said, and sobbed out:

'Didn't I tell you, my son, that you should
marry someone of your own rank?  It would
have been better for us this day if you had.  As
I told you, my going to Court has been as much
as our lives are worth, and now we will both be
tarred and feathered, and burnt in the public
market-place.  It is terrible!' and she moaned
and cried.

'Never fear, little mother,' answered Martin;
'trust me, and you will see all will be well.  You
may go to sleep with a quiet mind.'

And, stepping to the front of the hut, Martin
threw his ring from the palm of one hand into
the other, upon which twelve youths instantly
appeared, and demanded what he wanted them
to do.  Then he told them the King's commands,
and they answered that by the next morning all
should be accomplished exactly as the King had
ordered.

Next morning when the King awoke, and
looked out of his window, to his amazement he
beheld a magnificent castle, just opposite his
own palace, and joined to it a bridge of pure
crystal.

At each side of the bridge trees were growing,
from whose branches hung golden and silver
apples, among which birds of paradise perched.
At the right, gleaming in the sun, were the five
golden cupolas of a splendid church, whose bells
rang out, as if they would summon people from
all corners of the earth to come and behold the
wonder.  Now, though the King would much
rather have seen his future son-in-law tarred,
feathered, and burnt at the stake, he
remembered his royal oath, and had to make the best
of a bad business.  So he took heart of grace,
and made Martin a Duke, and gave his daughter
a rich dowry, and prepared the grandest wedding-feast
that had ever been seen, so that to this
day the old people in the country still talk of it.

After the wedding Martin and his royal bride
went to dwell in the magnificent new palace,
and here Martin lived in the greatest comfort
and luxury, such luxury as he had never imagined.
But though he was as happy as the day was
long, and as merry as a grig, the King's daughter
fretted all day, thinking of the indignity that
had been done her in making her marry Martin,
the poor widow's son, instead of a rich young
Prince from a foreign country.  So unhappy was
she that she spent all her time wondering how
she should get rid of her undesirable husband.
And first she determined to learn the secret of
his power, and, with flattering, caressing words,
she tried to coax him to tell her how he was
so clever that there was nothing in the world
that he could not do.  At first he would tell her
nothing; but once, when he was in a yielding
mood, she approached him with a winning smile
on her lovely face, and, speaking flattering words
to him, she gave him a potion to drink, with a
sweet, strong taste.  And when he had drunk
it Martin's lips were unsealed, and he told her
that all his power lay in the magic ring that he
wore on his finger, and he described to her how
to use it, and, still speaking, he fell into a deep
sleep.  And when she saw that the potion had
worked, and that he was sound asleep, the
Princess took the magic ring from his finger,
and, going into the courtyard, she threw it from
the palm of one hand into the other.  On the
instant the twelve youths appeared, and asked
her what she commanded them to do.  Then
she told them that by the next morning they
were to do away with the castle, and the bridge,
and the church, and put in their stead the
humble hut in which Martin used to live with
his mother, and that while he slept her husband
was to be carried to his old lowly room; and
that they were to bear her away to the utmost
ends of the earth, where an old King lived who
would make her welcome in his palace, and
surround her with the state that befitted a royal
Princess.

.. _`The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men`:

.. figure:: images/img-027.jpg
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   :alt: The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men

   The Princess summons the Twelve Young Men

'You shall be obeyed,' answered the twelve
youths at the same moment.  And lo and behold! the
following morning, when the King awoke
and looked out of his window, he beheld to his
amazement that the palace, bridge, church, and
trees had all vanished, and there was nothing
in their place but a bare, miserable-looking hut.

Immediately the King sent for his son-in-law,
and commanded him to explain what had
happened.  But Martin looked at his royal
father-in-law, and answered never a word.  Then the
King was very angry, and, calling a council
together, he charged Martin with having been
guilty of witchcraft, and of having deceived the
King, and having made away with the Princess;
and he was condemned to imprisonment in a
high stone tower, with neither meat nor drink,
till he should die of starvation.

.. _`Schurka upsets the baker`:

.. figure:: images/img-029.jpg
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   :alt: Schurka upsets the baker.

   Schurka upsets the baker.

Then, in the hour of his dire necessity, his old
friends Schurka (the dog) and Waska (the cat)
remembered how Martin had once saved them
from a cruel death; and they took counsel
together as to how they should help him.  And
Schurka growled, and was of opinion that he
would like to tear everyone in pieces; but
Waska purred meditatively, and scratched the
back of her ear with a velvet paw, and remained
lost in thought.  At the end of a few minutes
she had made up her mind, and, turning to
Schurka, said: 'Let us go together into the
town, and the moment we meet a baker you
must make a rush between his legs and upset
the tray from off his head; I will lay hold of
the rolls, and will carry them off to our
master.'  No sooner said than done.  Together the two
faithful creatures trotted off into the town, and
very soon they met a baker bearing a tray on
his head, and looking round on all sides, while
he cried:

   |  'Fresh rolls, sweet cake,
   |    Fancy bread of every kind.
   |  Come and buy, come and take.
   |    Sure you'll find it to your mind.'


At that moment Schurka made a rush between
his legs--the baker stumbled, the tray was
upset, the rolls fell to the ground, and, while the
man angrily pursued Schurka, Waska managed
to drag the rolls out of sight behind a bush.
And when a moment later Schurka joined her,
they set off at full tilt to the stone tower where
Martin was a prisoner, taking the rolls with them.

Waska, being very agile, climbed up by the
outside to the grated window, and called in an
anxious voice:

'Are you alive, master?'

'Scarcely alive--almost starved to death,'
answered Martin in a weak voice.  'I little
thought it would come to this, that I should
die of hunger.'

'Never fear, dear master.  Schurka and I will
look after you,' said Waska.  And in another
moment she had climbed down and brought him
back a roll, and then another, and another, till
she had brought him the whole tray-load.  Upon
which she said: 'Dear master, Schurka and I
are going off to a distant kingdom at the
utmost ends of the earth to fetch you back your
magic ring.  You must be careful that the rolls
last till our return.'

And Waska took leave of her beloved master,
and set off with Schurka on their journey.
On and on they travelled, looking always to
right and left for traces of the Princess,
following up every track, making inquiries
of every cat and dog they met, listening to
the talk of every wayfarer they passed; and
at last they heard that the kingdom at the
utmost ends of the earth where the twelve
youths had borne the Princess was not very far
off.  And at last one day they reached that
distant kingdom, and, going at once to the
palace, they began to make friends with all the
dogs and cats in the place, and to question them
about the Princess and the magic ring; but no
one could tell them much about either.  Now
one day it chanced that Waska had gone down
to the palace cellar to hunt for mice and rats,
and seeing an especially fat, well-fed mouse, she
pounced upon it, buried her claws in its soft fur,
and was just going to gobble it up, when she
was stopped by the pleading tones of the little
creature, saying, 'If you will only spare my life
I may be of great service to you.  I will do
everything in my power for you; for I am the
King of the Mice, and if I perish the whole race
will die out.'

'So be it,' said Waska.  'I will spare your life;
but in return you must do something for me.  In
this castle there lives a Princess, the wicked wife
of my dear master.  She has stolen away his
magic ring.  You must get it away from her
at whatever cost; do you hear?  Till you have
done this I won't take my claws out of your fur.'

'Good!' replied the mouse; 'I will do what
you ask.'  And, so saying, he summoned all the
mice in his kingdom together.  A countless
number of mice, small and big, brown and grey,
assembled, and formed a circle round their king,
who was a prisoner under Waska's claws.
Turning to them he said: 'Dear and faithful
subjects, whoever among you will steal the
magic ring from the strange Princess will release
me from a cruel death; and I shall honour him
above all the other mice in the kingdom.'

Instantly a tiny mouse stepped forward and
said: 'I often creep about the Princess's
bedroom at night, and I have noticed that she has a
ring which she treasures as the apple of her eye.
All day she wears it on her finger, and at night
she keeps it in her mouth.  I will undertake,
sire, to steal away the ring for you.'

.. _`The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess`:

.. figure:: images/img-033.jpg
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   :align: center
   :alt: The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess

   The Mouse steals the Ring from the Princess

And the tiny mouse tripped away into the
bedroom of the Princess, and waited for
night-fall; then, when the Princess had fallen asleep,
it crept up on to her bed, and gnawed a hole in
the pillow, through which it dragged one by one
little down feathers, and threw them under the
Princess's nose.  And the fluff flew into the
Princess's nose, and into her mouth, and starting
up she sneezed and coughed, and the ring fell
out of her mouth on to the coverlet.  In a flash
the tiny mouse had seized it and brought it to
Waska as a ransom for the King of the Mice.
Thereupon Waska and Schurka started off, and
travelled night and day till they reached the
stone tower where Martin was imprisoned; and
the cat climbed up the window, and called out
to him:

'Martin, dear master, are you still alive?'

'Ah!  Waska, my faithful little cat, is that
you?' replied a weak voice.  'I am dying of
hunger.  For three days I have not tasted food.'

'Be of good heart, dear master,' replied Waska;
'from this day forth you will know nothing but
happiness and prosperity.  If this were a moment
to trouble you with riddles, I would make you
guess what Schurka and I have brought you
back.  Only think, we have got you your ring!'

At these words Martin's joy knew no bounds,
and he stroked her fondly, and she rubbed up
against him and purred happily, while below
Schurka bounded in the air, and barked joyfully.
Then Martin took the ring, and threw it from
one hand into the other, and instantly the twelve
youths appeared and asked what they were to do.

'Fetch me first something to eat and drink, as
quickly as possible; and after that bring musicians
hither, and let us have music all day long.'

Now when the people in the town and palace
heard music coming from the tower they were
filled with amazement, and came to the King
with the news that witchcraft must be going on
in Martin's Tower, for, instead of dying of
starvation, he was seemingly making merry to
the sound of music, and to the clatter of plates,
and glass, and knives and forks; and the music
was so enchantingly sweet that all the passers-by
stood still to listen to it.  On this the King sent
at once a messenger to the Starvation Tower,
and he was so astonished with what he saw that
he remained rooted to the spot.  Then the King
sent his chief counsellors, and they too were
transfixed with wonder.  At last the King came
himself, and he likewise was spellbound by the
beauty of the music.

Then Martin summoned the twelve youths,
spoke to them, saying, 'Build up my castle
again, and join it to the King's palace with a
crystal bridge; do not forget the trees with the
golden and silver apples, and with the birds of
paradise in the branches; and put back the
church with the five cupolas, and let the bells
ring out, summoning the people from the four
corners of the kingdom.  And one thing more:
bring back my faithless wife, and lead her into
the women's chamber.'

And it was all done as he commanded, and,
leaving the Starvation Tower, he took the King,
his father-in-law, by the arm, and led him into
the new palace, where the Princess sat in fear
and trembling, awaiting her death.  And Martin
spoke to the King, saying, 'King and royal
father, I have suffered much at the hands of
your daughter.  What punishment shall be
dealt to her?'

Then the mild King answered: 'Beloved Prince
and son-in-law, if you love me, let your anger be
turned to grace--forgive my daughter, and
restore her to your heart and favour.'

And Martin's heart was softened and he
forgave his wife, and they lived happily together
ever after.  And his old mother came and lived
with him, and he never parted with Schurka and
Waska; and I need hardly tell you that he
never again let the ring out of his possession.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE WHITE DUCK`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE WHITE DUCK

.. vspace:: 2

Once upon a time a great and powerful King
married a lovely Princess.  No couple were ever
so happy; but before their honeymoon was over
they were forced to part, for the King had to go
on a warlike expedition to a far country, and
leave his young wife alone at home.  Bitter were
the tears she shed, while her husband sought in
vain to soothe her with words of comfort and
counsel, warning her, above all things, never to
leave the castle, to hold no intercourse with
strangers, to beware of evil counsellors, and
especially to be on her guard against strange
women.  And the Queen promised faithfully to
obey her royal lord and master in these four
matters.

.. _`The witch persuades the Queen to bathe`:

.. figure:: images/img-039.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The witch persuades the Queen to bathe.

   The witch persuades the Queen to bathe.

So when the King set out on his expedition
she shut herself up with her ladies in her own
apartments, and spent her time in spinning and
weaving, and in thinking of her royal husband.
Often she was very sad and lonely, and it
happened that one day while she was seated at
the window, letting salt tears drop on her work,
an old woman, a kind, homely-looking old body,
stepped up to the window, and, leaning upon her
crutch, addressed the Queen in friendly,
flattering tones, saying:

'Why are you sad and cast down, fair Queen?
You should not mope all day in your rooms, but
should come out into the green garden, and hear
the birds sing with joy among the trees, and see
the butterflies fluttering above the flowers, and
hear the bees and insects hum, and watch the
sunbeams chase the dew-drops through the rose-leaves
and in the lily-cups.  All the brightness
outside would help to drive away your cares, O
Queen.'

For long the Queen resisted her coaxing
words, remembering the promise she had given
the King, her husband; but at last she thought
to herself: After all, what harm would it do if I
were to go into the garden for a short time and
enjoy myself among the trees and flowers, and
the singing birds and fluttering butterflies and
humming insects, and look at the dew-drops
hiding from the sunbeams in the hearts of the
roses and lilies, and wander about in the
sunshine instead of remaining all day in this room?
For she had no idea that the kind-looking
old woman leaning on her crutch was in reality
a wicked witch, who envied the Queen her
good fortune, and was determined to ruin her.
And so, in all ignorance, the Queen followed
her out into the garden and listened to her
smooth, flattering words.  Now, in the middle
of the garden there was a pond of water,
clear as crystal, and the old woman said to the
Queen:

'The day is so warm, and the sun's rays so
scorching, that the water in the pond looks very
cool and inviting.  Would you not like to bathe
in it, fair Queen?'

'No, I think not,' answered the Queen; but
the next moment she regretted her words, and
thought to herself: Why shouldn't I bathe in
that cool, fresh water?  No harm could come
of it.  And, so saying, she slipped off her robes
and stepped into the water.  But scarcely had
her tender feet touched the cool ripples when she
felt a great shove on her shoulders, and the
wicked witch had pushed her into the deep
water, exclaiming:

'Swim henceforth, White Duck!'

And the witch herself assumed the form of
the Queen, and decked herself out in the royal
robes, and sat among the Court ladies, awaiting
the King's return.  And suddenly the tramp of
horses' hoofs was heard, and the barking of dogs,
and the witch hastened forward to meet the
royal carriages, and throwing her arms round the
King's neck, kissed him.  And in his great joy
the King did not know that the woman he held
in his arms was not his own dear wife, but a
wicked witch.

In the meantime, outside the palace walls, the
poor White Duck swam up and down the pond;
and near it laid three eggs, out of which there
came one morning two little fluffy ducklings and
a little ugly drake.  And the White Duck brought
the little creatures up, and they paddled after her
in the pond, and caught gold-fish, and hopped
upon the bank and waddled about, ruffling their
feathers and saying 'Quack, quack' as they
strutted about on the green banks of the pond.
But their mother used to warn them not to stray
too far, telling them that a wicked witch lived in
the castle beyond the garden, adding, 'She has
ruined me, and she will do her best to ruin you.'  But
the young ones did not listen to their mother,
and playing about the garden one day, they
strayed close up to the castle windows.  The
witch at once recognised them by their smell,
and ground her teeth with anger; but she hid
her feelings, and, pretending to be very kind, she
called them to her and joked with them, and led
them into a beautiful room, where she gave them
food to eat, and showed them a soft cushion on
which they might sleep.  Then she left them and
went down into the palace kitchens, where she
told the servants to sharpen the knives, and to
make a great fire ready, and hang a large
kettleful of water over it.

In the meantime the two little ducklings had
fallen asleep, and the little drake lay between
them, covered up by their wings, to be kept warm
under their feathers.  But the little drake could
not go to sleep, and as he lay there wide awake
in the night he heard the witch come to the door
and say:

'Little ones, are you asleep?'

And the little drake answered for the other two:

   |  'We cannot sleep, we wake and weep.
   |  Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
   |  The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
   |  And so we wake, and lie and quake.'


'They are not asleep yet,' muttered the witch
to herself; and she walked up and down in the
passage, and then came back to the door, and said:

'Little ones, are you asleep?'

And again the little drake answered for his
sisters:

   |  'We cannot sleep, we wake and weep,
   |  Sharp is the knife, to take our life;
   |  The fire is hot, now boils the pot,
   |  And so we wake, and lie and quake.'


'Just the same answer,' muttered the witch;
'I think I'll go in and see.'  So she opened
the door gently, and seeing the two little
ducklings sound asleep, she there and then
killed them.

The next morning the White Duck wandered
round the pond in a distracted manner, looking
for her little ones; she called and she searched,
but could find no trace of them.  And in her
heart she had a foreboding that evil had befallen
them, and she fluttered up out of the water and
flew to the palace.  And there, laid out on the
marble floor of the court, dead and stone cold,
were her three children.  The White Duck threw
herself upon them, and, covering up their little
bodies with her wings, she cried:

   |  'Quack, quack--my little loves!
   |  Quack, quack--my turtle doves!
   |  I brought you up with grief and pain,
   |  And now before my eyes you're slain.
   |  I gave you always of the best;
   |  I kept you warm in my soft nest.
   |  I loved and watched you day and night--
   |  You were my joy, my one delight.'


The King heard the sad complaint of the
White Duck, and called to the witch: 'Wife,
what a wonder is this?  Listen to that White
Duck.'

But the witch answered, 'My dear husband,
what do you mean?  There is nothing wonderful
in a duck's quacking.  Here, servants!  Chase
that duck out of the courtyard.'  But though
the servants chased and chevied, they could not
get rid of the duck; for she circled round and
round, and always came back to the spot where
her children lay, crying:

   |  'Quack, quack--my little loves!
   |  Quack, quack--my turtle-doves!
   |  The wicked witch your lives did take--
   |  The wicked witch, the cunning snake.
   |  First she stole my King away,
   |  Then my children did she slay.
   |  Changed me, from a happy wife,
   |  To a duck for all my life.
   |  Would I were the Queen again;
   |  Would that you had ne'er been slain.'


And as the King heard her words he began to
suspect that he had been deceived, and he called
out to the servants, 'Catch that duck, and bring
it here.'  But, though they ran to and fro, the
duck always fled past them, and would not let
herself be caught.  So the King himself stepped
down amongst them, and instantly the duck
fluttered down into his hands.  And as he
stroked her wings she was changed into a
beautiful woman, and he recognised his dear
wife.  And she told him that a bottle would be
found in her nest in the garden, containing some
drops from the spring of healing.  And it was
brought to her; and the ducklings and little
drake were sprinkled with the water, and from
the little dead bodies three lovely children arose.
And the King and Queen were overjoyed when
they saw the children, and they all lived happily
together in the beautiful palace.  But the wicked
witch was taken by the King's command, and
she came to no good end.

.. _`The King catches the White Duck`:

.. figure:: images/img-048.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The King catches the White Duck.

   The King catches the White Duck.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`LOVELY ILONKA`:

.. class:: center large bold

   LOVELY ILONKA

.. vspace:: 2

There was once a King's son who told his father
that he wished to marry.

'No, no!' said the King; 'you must not be in
such a hurry.  Wait till you have done some
great deed.  My father did not let me marry till
I had won the golden sword you see me wear.'

The Prince was much disappointed, but he
never dreamed of disobeying his father, and he
began to think with all his might what he could
do.  It was no use staying at home, so one day
he wandered out into the world to try his luck,
and as he walked along he came to a little hut in
which he found an old woman crouching over
the fire.

'Good evening, mother.  I see you have lived
long in this world; do you know anything about
the three bulrushes?'

'Yes, indeed, I've lived long and been much
about in the world, but I have never seen or
heard anything of what you ask.  Still, if you
will wait till to-morrow I may be able to tell you
something.'

Well, he waited till the morning, and quite
early the old woman appeared and took out a
little pipe and blew in it, and in a moment all the
crows in the world were flying about her.  Not
one was missing.  Then she asked if they knew
anything about the three bulrushes, but not one
of them did.

The Prince went on his way, and a little further
on he found another hut in which lived an old
man.  On being questioned the old man said he
knew nothing, but begged the Prince to stay
overnight, and the next morning the old man
called all the ravens together, but they too had
nothing to tell.

The Prince bade him farewell and set out.  He
wandered so far that he crossed seven kingdoms,
and at last, one evening, he came to a little house
in which was an old woman.

'Good evening, dear mother,' said he politely.

'Good evening to you, my dear son,' answered
the old woman.  'It is lucky for you that you
spoke to me or you would have met with a
horrible death.  But may I ask where are you
going?'

'I am seeking the three bulrushes.  Do you
know anything about them?'

'I don't know anything myself, but wait till
to-morrow.  Perhaps I can tell you then.'  So
the next morning she blew on her pipe, and
lo! and behold every magpie in the world flew up.
That is to say, all the magpies except one who
had broken a leg and a wing.  The old woman
sent after it at once, and when she questioned
the magpies the crippled one was the only one
who knew where the three bulrushes were.

Then the Prince started off with the lame
magpie.  They went on and on till they reached
a great stone wall, many, many feet high.

'Now, Prince,' said the Magpie, 'the three
bulrushes are behind that wall.'

.. _`THE FIRST BULRUSH MAIDEN FLIES AWAY`:

.. figure:: images/img-053.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE FIRST BULRUSH MAIDEN FLIES AWAY

   THE FIRST BULRUSH MAIDEN FLIES AWAY

The Prince wasted no time.  He set his horse
at the wall and leaped over it.  Then he looked
about for the three bulrushes, pulled them up
and set off with them on his way home.  As he
rode along one of the bulrushes happened to
knock against something.  It split open and,
only think! out sprang a lovely girl, who said:
'My heart's love, you are mine and I am yours;
do give me a glass of water.'

But how could the Prince give it her when
there was no water at hand?  So the lovely
maiden flew away.  He split the second bulrush
as an experiment and just the same thing
happened.

How careful he was of the third bulrush!  He
waited till he came to a well, and there he split
it open, and out sprang a maiden seven times
lovelier than either of the others, and she too
said: 'My heart's love, I am yours and you are
mine; do give me a glass of water.'

This time the water was ready and the girl
did not fly away, but she and the Prince promised
to love each other always.  Then they set out
for home.

They soon reached the Prince's country, and
as he wished to bring his promised bride back in
a fine coach he went on to the town to fetch
one.  In the field where the well was, the King's
swineherds and cowherds were feeding their
droves, and the Prince left Ilonka (for that was
her name) in their care.

Unluckily the chief swineherd had an ugly old
daughter, and whilst the Prince was away he
dressed her up in fine clothes, and threw Ilonka
into the well.

The Prince returned before long, bringing with
him his father and mother and a great train of
courtiers to escort Ilonka home.  But how they
all stared when they saw the swineherd's ugly
daughter!  However, there was nothing for it
but to take her home; and, two days later, the
Prince married her, and his father gave up the
crown to him.

But he had no peace!  He knew very well he
had been cheated, though he could not think
how.  Once he desired to have some water
brought him from the well into which Ilonka
had been thrown.  The coachman went for it
and, in the bucket he pulled up, a pretty little
duck was swimming.  He looked wonderingly
at it, and all of a sudden it disappeared and he
found a dirty-looking girl standing near him.
The girl returned with him and managed to get
a place as housemaid in the palace.

Of course she was very busy all day long, but
whenever she had a little spare time she sat down
to spin.  Her distaff turned of itself and her
spindle span by itself and the flax wound itself
off; and however much she might use there was
always plenty left.

When the Queen--or, rather, the swineherd's
daughter--heard of this, she very much wished
to have the distaff, but the girl flatly refused to
give it to her.  However, at last she consented
on condition that she might sleep one night in
the King's room.  The Queen was very angry,
and scolded her well; but as she longed to have
the distaff she consented, though she gave the
King a sleeping draught at supper.

Then the girl went to the King's room looking
seven times lovelier than ever.  She bent over
the sleeper and said: 'My heart's love, I am
yours and you are mine.  Speak to me but once;
I am your Ilonka.'  But the King was so sound
asleep he neither heard nor spoke, and Ilonka left
the room, sadly thinking he was ashamed to
own her.

Soon after the Queen again sent to say that
she wanted to buy the spindle.  The girl agreed
to let her have it on the same conditions as
before; but this time, also, the Queen took care to
give the King a sleeping draught.  And once
more Ilonka went to the King's room and spoke
to him; whisper as sweetly as she might she
could get no answer.

Now some of the King's servants had taken
note of the matter, and warned their master not
to eat and drink anything that the Queen offered
him, as for two nights running she had given
him a sleeping draught.  The Queen had no
idea that her doings had been discovered; and
when, a few days later, she wanted the flax, and
had to pay the same price for it, she felt no fears
at all.

At supper that night the Queen offered the
King all sorts of nice things to eat and drink, but
he declared he was not hungry, and went early
to bed.

The Queen repented bitterly her promise to
the girl, but it was too late to recall it; for
Ilonka had already entered the King's room,
where he lay anxiously waiting for something,
he knew not what.  All of a sudden he saw a
lovely maiden who bent over him and said: 'My
dearest love, I am yours and you are mine.
Speak to me, for I am your Ilonka.'

At these words the King's heart bounded
within him.  He sprang up and embraced and
kissed her, and she told him all her adventures
since the moment he had left her.  And when
he heard all that Ilonka had suffered, and how
he had been deceived, he vowed he would be
revenged; so he gave orders that the swineherd,
his wife and daughter should all be hanged; and
so they were.

The next day the King was married, with great
rejoicings, to the fair Ilonka; and if they are not
yet dead--why, they are still living.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`CLEVER MARIA`:

.. class:: center large bold

   CLEVER MARIA

.. vspace:: 2

There was once a merchant who lived close to
the royal palace, and had three daughters.  They
were all pretty, but Maria, the youngest, was the
prettiest of the three.  One day the King sent
for the merchant, who was a widower, to give
him directions about a journey he wished the
good man to take.  The merchant would rather
not have gone, as he did not like leaving his
daughters at home, but he could not refuse to
obey the King's commands, and with a heavy
heart he returned home to say farewell to them.
Before he left, he took three pots of basil, and
gave one to each girl, saying, 'I am going a
journey, but I leave these pots.  You must let
nobody into the house.  When I come back,
they will tell me what has happened.'  'Nothing
will have happened,' said the girls.

.. _`CLEVER MARIA.`:

.. figure:: images/img-061.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: CLEVER MARIA

   CLEVER MARIA

The father went away, and the following day
the King, accompanied by two friends, paid a
visit to the three girls, who were sitting at
supper.  When they saw who was there, Maria
said, 'Let us go and get a bottle of wine from
the cellar.  I will carry the key, my eldest sister
can take the light, while the other brings the
bottle.'  But the King replied, 'Oh, do not
trouble; we are not thirsty.'  'Very well, we
will not go,' answered the two elder girls; but
Maria merely said, 'I shall go, anyhow.'  She
left the room, and went to the hall where she
put out the light, and putting down the key and
the bottle, ran to the house of a neighbour, and
knocked at the door.  'Who is there so late?'
asked the old woman, thrusting her head out of
the window.

'Oh, let me in,' answered Maria.  'I have
quarrelled with my eldest sister, and as I do not
want to fight any more, I have come to beg you
to allow me to sleep with you.'

So the old woman opened the door and Maria
slept in her house.  The King was very angry at
her for playing truant, but when she returned
home the next day, she found the plants of her
sisters withered away, because they had
disobeyed their father.  Now the window in the
room of the eldest overlooked the gardens of
the King, and when she saw how fine and ripe
the medlars were on the trees, she longed to eat
some, and begged Maria to scramble down by a
rope and pick her a few, and she would draw her
up again.  Maria, who was good-natured, swung
herself into the garden by the rope, and got the
medlars, and was just making the rope fast under
her arms so as to be hauled up, when her sister
cried: 'Oh, there are such delicious lemons a
little farther on.  You might bring me one or
two.'  Maria turned round to pluck them, and
found herself face to face with the gardener, who
caught hold of her, exclaiming, 'What are you
doing here, you little thief?'  'Don't call me
names,' she said, 'or you will get the worst of it,'
giving him as she spoke such a violent push that
he fell panting into the lemon bushes.  Then
she seized the cord and clambered up to the
window.

The next day the second sister had a fancy for
bananas and begged so hard, that, though Maria
had declared she would never do such a thing
again, at last she consented, and went down the
rope into the King's garden.  This time she met
the King, who said to her, 'Ah, here you are
again, cunning one!  Now you shall pay for
your misdeeds.'

And he began to cross-question her about
what she had done.  Maria denied nothing, and
when she had finished, the King said again,
'Follow me to the house, and there you shall pay
the penalty.'  As he spoke, he started for the
house, looking back from time to time to make
sure that Maria had not run away.  All of a
sudden, when he glanced round, he found she
had vanished completely, without leaving a trace
of where she had gone.  Search was made all
through the town, and there was not a hole or
corner which was not ransacked, but there was
no sign of her anywhere.  This so enraged the
King that he became quite ill, and for many
months his life was despaired of.

Meanwhile the two elder sisters had married
the two friends of the King, and were the
mothers of little daughters.  Now one day
Maria stole secretly to the house where her
elder sister lived, and snatching up the children
put them into a beautiful basket she had with
her, covered with flowers inside and out, so that
no one would ever guess it held two babies.
Then she dressed herself as a boy, and placing
the basket on her head she walked slowly past
the palace, crying as she went:

'Who will carry these flowers to the King,
who lies sick of love?'

And the King in his bed heard what she said,
and ordered one of his attendants to go out and
buy the basket.  It was brought to his bedside,
and as he raised the lid cries were heard, and
peeping in he saw two little children.  He was
furious at this new trick which he felt had been
played on him by Maria, and was still looking
at them, wondering how he should pay her out,
when he was told that the merchant, Maria's
father, had finished the business on which he had
been sent and returned home.  Then the King
remembered how Maria had refused to receive
his visit, and how she had stolen his fruit, and he
determined to be revenged on her.  So he sent a
message by one of his pages that the merchant
was to come to see him the next day, and bring
with him a coat made of stone, or else he would
be punished.  Now the poor man had been very
sad since he got home the evening before, for
though his daughters had promised that nothing
should happen while he was away, he had found
the two elder ones married without asking his
leave.  And now there was this fresh misfortune,
for how was he to make a coat of stone?  He
wrung his hands and declared that the King
would be the ruin of him, when Maria suddenly
entered.  'Do not grieve about the coat of stone,
dear father; but take this bit of chalk, and go
to the palace and say you have come to measure
the King.'  The old man did not see the use of
this, but Maria had so often helped him before
that he had confidence in her, so he put the chalk
in his pocket and went to the palace.

'That is no good,' said the King when the
merchant had told him what he had come for.

'Well, I can't make the coat you want,' replied he.

'Then if you would save your head, hand over
to me your daughter Maria.'

The merchant did not reply, but went sorrowfully
back to his house, where Maria sat waiting
for him.

'Oh, my dear child, why was I born?  The
King says that, instead of the coat, I must deliver
you up to him.'

'Do not be unhappy, dear father, but get a
doll made, exactly like me, with a string attached
to its head, which I can pull for "Yes" and "No."'

So the old man went out at once to see about it.

The King remained patiently in his palace,
feeling sure that this time Maria could not
escape him; and he said to his pages, 'If a
gentleman should come here with his daughter
and ask to be allowed to speak with me, put the
young lady in my room and see she does not
leave it.'

When the door was shut on Maria, who had
concealed the doll under her cloak, she hid
herself under the couch, keeping fast hold of the
string which was fastened to its head.

.. _`MARIA AND THE KING`:

.. figure:: images/img-069.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: MARIA & THE KING

   MARIA & THE KING

'Senhora Maria, I hope you are well,' said the
King when he entered the room.  The doll
nodded.  'Now we will reckon up accounts,'
continued he, and he began at the beginning, and
ended up with the flower-basket, and at each
fresh misdeed Maria pulled the string, so that
the doll's head nodded assent.  'Whoso mocks
at me merits death,' declared the King when he
had ended, and drawing his sword, cut off the
doll's head.  It fell towards him, and as he felt
the touch of a kiss, he exclaimed, 'Ah, Maria,
Maria, so sweet in death, so hard to me in life!
The man who could kill you deserves to die!'  And
he was about to turn his sword on himself,
when the true Maria sprang out from under the
bed, and flung herself into his arms.  And the
next day they were married and lived happily for
many years.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE LANGUAGE OF BEASTS`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE LANGUAGE OF BEASTS

.. vspace:: 2

Once upon a time a man had a shepherd who
served him many years faithfully and honestly.
One day, whilst herding his flock, this shepherd
heard a hissing sound, coming out of a forest
near by, which he could not account for.  So he
went into the wood in the direction of the noise
to try to discover the cause.  When he
approached the place he found that the dry
grass and leaves were on fire, and on a tree,
surrounded by flames, a snake was coiled, hissing
with terror.

The shepherd stood wondering how the poor
snake could escape, for the wind was blowing the
flames that way, and soon that tree would be
burning like the rest.  Suddenly the snake cried:
'O shepherd! for the love of heaven save me
from this fire!'

.. _`THE SHEPHERD COMES TO THE ARCH OF SNAKES`:

.. figure:: images/img-073.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE SHEPHERD COMES TO THE ARCH OF SNAKES

   THE SHEPHERD COMES TO THE ARCH OF SNAKES

Then the shepherd stretched his staff out over
the flames and the snake wound itself round the
staff and up to his hand, and from his hand it
crept up his arm, and twined itself about his
neck.  The shepherd trembled with fright,
expecting every instant to be stung to death, and
said: 'What an unlucky man I am!  Did I
rescue you only to be destroyed myself?'  But
the snake answered: 'Have no fear; only carry
me home to my father who is the King of the
Snakes.'  The shepherd, however, was much too
frightened to listen, and said that he could not
go away and leave his flock alone; but the snake
said: 'You need not be afraid to leave your
flock, no evil shall befall them; but make all the
haste you can.'

So he set off through the wood carrying the
snake, and after a time he came to a great
gateway, made entirely of snakes intertwined
one with another.  The shepherd stood still
with surprise, but the snake round his neck
whistled, and immediately all the arch unwound
itself.

'When we are come to my father's house,'
said his own snake to him, 'he will reward you
with anything you like to ask--silver, gold,
jewels, or whatever on this earth is most precious:
but take none of all these things, ask rather to
understand the language of beasts.  He will
refuse it to you a long time, but in the end he
will grant it to you.'

Soon after that they arrived at the house of
the King of the Snakes, who burst into tears of
joy at the sight of his daughter, as he had given
her up for dead.  'Where have you been all this
time?' he asked, directly he could speak, and
she told him that she had been caught in a forest
fire, and had been rescued from the flames by the
shepherd.  The King of the Snakes, then turning
to the shepherd, said to him: 'What reward will
you choose for saving my child?'

'Make me to know the language of beasts,'
answered the shepherd, 'that is all I desire.'

The king replied: 'Such knowledge would be
of no benefit to you, for if I granted it to you
and you told anyone of it, you would
immediately die; ask me rather for whatever else
you would most like to possess, and it shall be yours.'

But the shepherd answered him: 'Sir, if you
wish to reward me for saving your daughter,
grant me, I pray you, to know the language of
beasts.  I desire nothing else'; and he turned as
if to depart.

Then the king called him back, saying: 'If
nothing else will satisfy you, open your mouth.'  The
man obeyed, and the king spat into it, and
said: 'Now spit into my mouth.'  The shepherd
did as he was told, then the King of the Snakes
spat again into the shepherd's mouth.  When
they had spat into each other's mouths three
times, the king said:

'Now you know the language of beasts, go in
peace; but, if you value your life, beware lest
you tell anyone of it, else you will immediately die.'

So the shepherd set out for home, and on his
way through the wood he heard and understood
all that was said by the birds, and by every living
creature.  When he got back to his sheep he
found the flock grazing peacefully, and as he
was very tired he laid himself down by them to
rest a little.  Hardly had he done so when two
ravens flew down and perched on a tree near by,
and began to talk to each other in their own
language: 'If that shepherd only knew that
there is a vault full of gold and silver beneath
where that lamb is lying, what would he not
do?'  When the shepherd heard these words he
went straight to his master and told him, and
the master at once took a waggon, and broke
open the door of the vault, and they carried off
the treasure.  But instead of keeping it for
himself, the master, who was an honourable man,
gave it all up to the shepherd, saying: 'Take it,
it is yours.  The gods have given it to you.'  So
the shepherd took the treasure and built
himself a house.  He married a wife, and they
lived in great peace and happiness, and he was
acknowledged to be the richest man, not only of
his native village, but of all the country-side.
He had flocks of sheep, and cattle, and horses
without end, as well as beautiful clothes and
jewels.

One day, just before Christmas, he said to his
wife: 'Prepare everything for a great feast,
to-morrow we will take things with us to the farm
that the shepherds there may make merry.'  The
wife obeyed, and all was prepared as he
desired.  Next day they both went to the farm,
and in the evening the master said to the
shepherds: 'Now come, all of you, eat, drink, and
make merry.  I will watch the flocks myself
to-night in your stead.'  Then he went out to spend
the night with the flocks.

When midnight struck the wolves howled and
the dogs barked, and the wolves spoke in their
own tongue, saying:

'Shall we come in and work havoc, and you
too shall eat flesh?'  And the dogs answered in
their tongue: 'Come in, and for once we shall
have enough to eat.'

Now amongst the dogs there was one so old
that he had only two teeth left in his head, and
he spoke to the wolves, saying: 'So long as
I have my two teeth still in my head, I will let
no harm be done to my master.'

All this the master heard and understood, and
as soon as morning dawned he ordered all the
dogs to be killed excepting the old dog.  The
farm servants wondered at this order, and
exclaimed: 'But surely, sir, that would be a pity.'

The master answered: 'Do as I bid you';
and made ready to return home with his wife,
and they mounted their horses, her steed being
a mare.  As they went on their way, it happened
that the husband rode on ahead, while the wife
was a little way behind.  The husband's horse,
seeing this, neighed, and said to the mare: 'Come
along, make haste; why are you so slow?'  And
the mare answered: 'It is very easy for
you, you carry only your master, who is a thin
man, but I carry my mistress, who is so fat that
she weighs as much as three.'  When the
husband heard that he looked back and laughed,
which the wife perceiving, she urged on the
mare till she caught up with her husband, and
asked him why he laughed.  'For nothing at
all,' he answered; 'just because it came into my
head.'  She would not be satisfied with this
answer, and urged him more and more to tell
her why he had laughed.  But he controlled
himself and said: 'Let me be, wife; what ails
you?  I do not know myself why I laughed.'  But
the more he put her off, the more she
tormented him to tell her the cause of his
laughter.  At length he said to her: 'Know,
then, that if I tell it you I shall immediately
and surely die.'  But even this did not quiet
her; she only besought him the more to tell her.
Meanwhile they had reached home, and before
getting down from his horse the man called for
a coffin to be brought; and when it was there
he placed it in front of the house, and said to his
wife:

'See, I will lay myself down in this coffin, and
will then tell you why I laughed, for as soon as
I have told you I shall surely die.'  So he lay
down in the coffin, and while he took a last look
around him, his old dog came out from the farm
and sat down by him, and whined.  When the
master saw this, he called to his wife: 'Bring a
piece of bread to give to the dog.'  The wife
brought some bread and threw it to the dog, but
he would not look at it.  Then the farm cock
came and pecked at the bread; but the dog said
to it: 'Wretched glutton, you can eat like that
when you see that your master is dying?'  The
cock answered: 'Let him die, if he is so stupid.
I have a hundred wives, which I call together
when I find a grain of corn, and as soon as they
are there I swallow it myself; should one of
them dare to be angry, I would give her a lesson
with my beak.  He has only one wife, and he
cannot keep her in order.'

As soon as the man understood this, he got
up out of the coffin, seized a stick, and called his
wife into the room, saying: 'Come, and I will
tell you what you so much want to know'; and
then he began to beat her with the stick, saying
with each blow: 'It is that, wife, it is that!'  And
in this way he taught her never again to
ask why he had laughed.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP

.. vspace:: 2

.. _`THE PARTNERSHIP`:

.. figure:: images/img-083.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE PARTNERSHIP

   THE PARTNERSHIP

A cat had made acquaintance with a Mouse, and
had spoken so much of the great love and
friendship she felt for her, that at last the Mouse
consented to live in the same house with her, and to
go shares in the housekeeping.  'But we must
provide for the winter or else we shall suffer
hunger,' said the Cat.  'You, little Mouse,
cannot venture everywhere in case you run at last
into a trap.'  This good counsel was followed,
and a little pot of fat was bought.  But they did
not know where to put it.  At length, after
long consultation, the Cat said, 'I know of no
place where it could be better put than in the
church.  No one will trouble to take it away
from there.  We will hide it in a corner, and we
won't touch it till we are in want.'  So the little
pot was placed in safety; but it was not long
before the Cat had a great longing for it, and
said to the Mouse, 'I wanted to tell you, little
Mouse, that my cousin has a little son, white
with brown spots, and she wants me to be
godmother to it.  Let me go out to-day, and do you
take care of the house alone.'

.. _`AT HOME IN THE CHURCH`:

.. figure:: images/img-084.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: AT HOME IN THE CHURCH

   AT HOME IN THE CHURCH

'Yes, go, certainly,' replied the Mouse, 'and
when you eat anything good, think of me; I
should very much like a drop of the red
christening wine.'

But it was all untrue.  The Cat had no cousin,
and had not been asked to be godmother.  She
went straight to the church, slunk to the little
pot of fat, began to lick it, and licked the top
off.  Then she took a walk on the roofs of the
town, looked at the view, stretched herself out
in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she
thought of the little pot of fat.  As soon as it
was evening she went home again.

'Ah, here you are again!' said the Mouse;
'you must certainly have had an enjoyable day.'

'It went off very well,' answered the Cat.

'What was the child's name?' asked the Mouse.

'Top Off,' said the Cat drily.

'Topoff!' echoed the Mouse; 'it is indeed a
wonderful and curious name.  Is it in your family?'

'What is there odd about it?' said the Cat.
'It is not worse than Breadthief, as your
god-child is called.'

Not long after this another great longing
came over the Cat.  She said to the Mouse,
'You must again be kind enough to look after
the house alone, for I have been asked a second
time to stand godmother, and as this child has a
white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.'

The kind Mouse agreed, but the Cat slunk
under the town wall to the church, and ate up
half of the pot of fat.  'Nothing tastes better,'
said she, 'than what one eats by oneself,' and she
was very much pleased with her day's work.
When she came home the Mouse asked, 'What
was this child called?'

'Half Gone,' answered the Cat.

'Halfgone! what a name!  I have never
heard it in my life.  I don't believe it is in the
calendar.'

Soon the Cat's mouth began to water once
more after her licking business.  'All good
things in threes,' she said to the Mouse; 'I have
again to stand godmother.  The child is quite
black, and has very white paws, but not a single
white hair on its body.  This only happens once
in two years, so you will let me go out!'

'Topoff!  Halfgone!' repeated the Mouse;
'they are such curious names; they make me
very thoughtful.'

'Oh, you sit at home in your dark grey coat
and your long tail,' said the Cat, 'and you get
fanciful.  That comes of not going out in the day.'

The Mouse had a good cleaning out while the
Cat was gone, and made the house tidy; but the
greedy Cat ate the fat every bit up.  'When it
is all gone one can be at rest,' she said to herself,
and at night she came home sleek and satisfied.
The Mouse asked at once after the third child's
name.

'It won't please you any better,' said the Cat;
'he was called Clean Gone.'

'Cleangone!' repeated the Mouse.  'I do not
believe that name has been printed any more
than the others.  Cleangone!  What can it mean?'  She
shook her head, curled herself up, and went
to sleep.

From this time on no one asked the Cat to
stand godmother; but when the winter came
and there was nothing to be got outside, the
Mouse remembered their provision and said:
'Come, Cat, we will go to our pot of fat which
we have stored away; it will taste very good.'

'Yes, indeed,' answered the Cat; 'it will taste
as good to you as if you stretched your thin
tongue out of the window.'

They started off, and when they reached it
they found the pot in its place, but quite empty!

'Ah,' said the Mouse, 'now I know what has
happened!  It has all come out!  You are a
true friend to me!  You have eaten it all when
you stood godmother; first the top off, then
half of it gone, then----'

.. _`PROTESTATION`:

.. _`The Way of the World`:

.. figure:: images/img-088.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: PROTESTATION.  The Way of the World

   PROTESTATION.  The Way of the World

'Will you be quiet?' screamed the Cat.
'Another word and I will eat you up.'

'Cleangone' was already on the poor Mouse's
tongue, and scarcely was it out than the Cat
made a spring at her, seized and swallowed her.

You see that is the way of the world.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE SIX SWANS`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE SIX SWANS

.. vspace:: 2

A king was once hunting in a great wood, and
he hunted the game so eagerly that none of his
courtiers could follow him.  When evening
came on he stood still and looked round him,
and he saw that he had quite lost himself.
He sought a way out, but could find none.
Then he saw an old woman with a shaking
head coming towards him; but she was a witch.

'Good woman,' he said to her, 'can you not
show me the way out of the wood?'

'Oh, certainly, Sir King,' she replied, 'I can
quite well do that, but on one condition, which
if you do not fulfil you will never get out of the
wood, and will die of hunger.'

'What is the condition?' asked the King.

'I have a daughter,' said the old woman, 'who
is so beautiful that she has not her equal in the
world, and is well fitted to be your wife; if you
will make her lady-queen I will show you the
way out of the wood.'

The King in his anguish of mind consented,
and the old woman led him to her little house
where her daughter was sitting by the fire.  She
received the King as if she were expecting him,
and he saw that she was certainly very beautiful;
but she did not please him, and he could not
look at her without a secret feeling of horror.
As soon as he had lifted the maiden on to his
horse the old woman showed him the way, and
the King reached his palace, where the wedding
was celebrated.

The King had already been married once, and
had by his first wife seven children, six boys and
one girl, whom he loved more than anything in
the world.  And now, because he was afraid that
their stepmother might not treat them well and
might do them harm, he put them in a lonely
castle that stood in the middle of a wood.  It
lay so hidden, and the way to it was so hard to
find, that he himself could not have found it out
had not a wise-woman given him a reel of thread
which possessed a marvellous property: when he
threw it before him it unwound itself and
showed him the way.  But the King went so
often to his dear children that the Queen was
offended at his absence.  She grew curious, and
wanted to know what he had to do quite alone
in the wood.  She gave his servants a great deal
of money, and they betrayed the secret to her,
and also told her of the reel which alone could
point out the way.  She had no rest now till she
had found out where the King guarded the reel,
and then she made some little white shirts, and,
as she had learnt from her witch-mother, sewed
an enchantment in each of them.

And when the King had ridden off she took
the little shirts and went into the wood, and the
reel showed her the way.  The children, who
saw someone coming in the distance, thought it
was their dear father coming to them, and
sprang to meet him very joyfully.  Then she
threw over each one a little shirt, which when it
had touched their bodies changed them into
swans, and they flew away over the forest.  The
Queen went home quite satisfied, and thought
she had got rid of her step-children; but the
girl had not run to meet her with her brothers,
and she knew nothing of her.

The next day the King came to visit his
children, but he found no one but the girl.

.. _`The Six Brothers Changed Into Swans by Their Stepmother`:

.. figure:: images/img-093.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The Six Brothers Changed Into Swans by Their Stepmother

   The Six Brothers Changed Into Swans by Their Stepmother

'Where are your brothers?' asked the King.

'Alas! dear father,' she answered, 'they have
gone away and left me all alone.'  And she told
him that looking out of her little window she
had seen her brothers flying over the wood in the
shape of swans, and she showed him the feathers
which they had let fall in the yard, and which
she had collected.  The King mourned, but he
did not think that the Queen had done the
wicked deed, and as he was afraid the maiden
would also be taken from him, he wanted to take
her with him.  But she was afraid of the
stepmother, and begged the King to let her stay just
one night more in the castle in the wood.  The
poor maiden thought, 'My home is no longer
here; I will go and seek my brothers.'  And
when night came she fled away into the forest.
She ran all through the night and the next day,
till she could go no farther for weariness.  Then
she saw a little hut, went in, and found a room
with six little beds.  She was afraid to lie down
on one, so she crept under one of them, lay on
the hard floor, and was going to spend the night
there.  But when the sun had set she heard a
noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
They stood on the floor and blew at one another,
and blew all their feathers off, and their
swan-skin came off like a shirt.  Then the maiden
recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept
out from under the bed.  Her brothers were
not less delighted than she to see their little
sister again, but their joy did not last long.

'You cannot stay here,' they said to her.
'This is a den of robbers; if they were to come
here and find you they would kill you.'

Could you not protect me?' asked the little
sister.

'No,' they answered, 'for we can only lay
aside our swan-skins for a quarter of an hour
every evening.  For this time we regain our
human forms, but then we are changed into
swans again.'

Then the little sister cried and said, 'Can you
not be freed?'

'Oh, no,' they said, 'the conditions are too
hard.  You must not speak or laugh for six
years, and must make in that time six shirts for
us out of star-flowers.  If a single word comes
out of your mouth, all your labour is vain.'  And
when the brothers had said this the quarter
of an hour came to an end, and they flew away
out of the window as swans.

But the maiden had determined to free her
brothers even if it should cost her her life.  She
left the hut, went into the forest, climbed a tree,
and spent the night there.  The next morning
she went out, collected star-flowers, and began
to sew.  She could speak to no one, and she had
no wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only
at her work.

When she had lived there some time, it happened
that the King of that country was hunting
in the forest, and his hunters came to the tree on
which the maiden sat.  They called to her and
said, 'Who are you?'

But she gave no answer.

'Come down to us,' they said, 'we will do you
no harm.'

But she shook her head silently.  As they
pressed her further with questions, she threw
them the golden chain from her neck.  But they
did not leave off, and she threw them her girdle,
and when this was no use, her garters, and then
her dress.  The huntsmen would not leave her
alone, but climbed the tree, lifted the maiden
down, and led her to the King.  The King asked,
'Who are you?  What are you doing up that tree?'

.. _`And then her dress`:

.. figure:: images/img-097.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: 'And then her dress.'

   'And then her dress.'

But she answered nothing.

He asked her in all the languages he knew,
but she remained as dumb as a fish.  Because
she was so beautiful, however, the King's heart
was touched, and he was seized with a great love
for her.  He wrapped her up in his cloak, placed
her before him on his horse, and brought her to
his castle.  There he had her dressed in rich
clothes, and her beauty shone out as bright as
day, but not a word could be drawn from her.
He set her at table by his side, and her modest
ways and behaviour pleased him so much that he
said, 'I will marry this maiden and none other in
the world,' and after some days he married her.
But the King had a wicked mother who was
displeased with the marriage, and said wicked things
of the young Queen.  'Who knows who this
girl is?' she said; 'she cannot speak, and is not
worthy of a king.'

After a year, when the Queen had her first
child, the old mother took it away from her.
Then she went to the King and said that the
Queen had killed it.  The King would not
believe it, and would not allow any harm to be
done her.  But she sat quietly sewing at the
shirts and troubling herself about nothing.  The
next time she had a child the wicked mother did
the same thing, but the King could not make up
his mind to believe her.  He said, 'She is too
sweet and good to do such a thing as that.  If
she were not dumb and could defend herself, her
innocence would be proved.'  But when the
third child was taken away, and the Queen was
again accused, and could not utter a word in her
own defence, the King was obliged to give her
over to the law, which decreed that she must be
burnt to death.  When the day came on which
the sentence was to be executed, it was the last
day of the six years in which she must not
speak or laugh, and now she had freed her dear
brothers from the power of the enchantment.
The six shirts were done; there was only the
left sleeve wanting to the last.

When she was led to the stake, she laid the
shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile
and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked
around her and saw six swans flying through the
air.  Then she knew that her release was at hand
and her heart danced for joy.  The swans
fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she
could throw the shirts over them.  When they
had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and
her brothers stood before her living, well and
beautiful.  Only the youngest had a swan's wing
instead of his left arm.  They embraced and
kissed each other, and the Queen went to the
King, who was standing by in great astonishment,
and began to speak to him saying, 'Dearest
husband, now I can speak and tell you openly
that I am innocent and have been falsely
accused.'

She told him of the old woman's deceit, and
how she had taken the three children away and
hidden them.  Then they were fetched, to the
great joy of the King, and the wicked mother
came to no good end.

But the King and the Queen with their six
brothers lived many years in happiness and
peace.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE STORY OF THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES`:

.. class:: center large bold

   STORY OF THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES

.. vspace:: 2

Many years ago there lived an Emperor who
was so fond of new clothes that he spent all his
money on them in order to be beautifully
dressed.  He did not care about his soldiers, he
did not care about the theatre; he only liked to
go out walking to show off his new clothes.  He
had a coat for every hour of the day; and just
as they say of a king, 'He is in the
council-chamber,' they always said here, 'The Emperor
is in the wardrobe.'

In the great city in which he lived there was
always something going on; every day many
strangers came there.  One day two impostors
arrived who gave themselves out as weavers, and
said that they knew how to manufacture the
most beautiful cloth imaginable.  Not only were
the texture and pattern uncommonly beautiful,
but clothes which were made of the stuff possessed
this wonderful property that they were invisible
to anyone who was not fit for his office, or who
was unpardonably stupid.

'Those must indeed be splendid clothes,'
thought the Emperor.  'If I had them on I
could find out which men in my kingdom are
unfit for the offices they hold; I could distinguish
the wise from the stupid!  Yes, this cloth
must be woven for me at once.'  And he gave
both the impostors much money, so that they
might begin their work.

They placed two weaving-looms, and began to
do as if they were working, but they had not the
least thing on the looms.  They also demanded
the finest silk and the best gold, which they put
in their pockets, and worked at the empty looms
till late into the night.

'I should like very much to know how far
they have got on with the cloth,' thought the
Emperor.  But he remembered when he thought
about it that whoever was stupid or not fit for
his office would not be able to see it.  Now he
certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for
himself, but he wanted first to send somebody
else in order to see how he stood with regard to
his office.  Everybody in the whole town knew
what a wonderful power the cloth had, and they
were all curious to see how bad or how stupid
their neighbour was.

'I will send my old and honoured minister to
the weavers,' thought the Emperor.  'He can
judge best what the cloth is like, for he has
intellect, and no one understands his office better
than he.'

Now the good old minister went into the hall
where the two impostors sat working at the
empty weaving-looms.  'Dear me!' thought the
old minister, opening his eyes wide, 'I can see
nothing!'  But he did not say so.

Both the impostors begged him to be so kind
as to step closer, and asked him if it were not
a beautiful texture and lovely colours.  They
pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old
minister went forward rubbing his eyes; but he
could see nothing, for there was nothing there.

'Dear, dear!' thought he, 'can I be stupid?
I have never thought that, and nobody must
know it!  Can I be not fit for my office?  No, I
must certainly not say that I cannot see the
cloth!'

'Have you nothing to say about it?' asked
one of the men who was weaving.

'Oh, it is lovely, most lovely!' answered the
old minister, looking through his spectacles.
'What a texture!  What colours!  Yes, I will
tell the Emperor that it pleases me very much.'

'Now we are delighted at that,' said both the
weavers, and thereupon they named the colours
and explained the make of the texture.

The old minister paid great attention, so that
he could tell the same to the Emperor when he
came back to him, which he did.

The impostors now wanted more money, more
silk, and more gold to use in their weaving.
They put it all in their own pockets, and there
came no threads on the loom, but they went on
as they had done before, working at the empty
loom.  The Emperor soon sent another worthy
statesman to see how the weaving was getting
on, and whether the cloth would soon be
finished.  It was the same with him as the first
one; he looked and looked, but because there
was nothing on the empty loom he could see
nothing.

'Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?' asked
the two impostors, and they pointed to and
described the splendid material which was not
there.

'Stupid I am not!' thought the man, 'so it
must be my good office for which I am not fitted.
It is strange, certainly, but no one must be
allowed to notice it.'  And so he praised the
cloth which he did not see, and expressed to
them his delight at the beautiful colours and the
splendid texture.  'Yes, it is quite beautiful,' he
said to the Emperor.

Everybody in the town was talking of the
magnificent cloth.

Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself
while it was still on the loom.  With a great
crowd of select followers, amongst whom were
both the worthy statesmen who had already been
there before, he went to the cunning impostors,
who were now weaving with all their might,
but without fibre or thread.

'Is it not splendid!' said both the old
statesmen who had already been there.  'See, your
Majesty, what a texture!  What colours!'  And
then they pointed to the empty loom, for they
believed that the others could see the cloth quite
well.

'What!' thought the Emperor.  'I can see
nothing!  This is indeed horrible!  Am I stupid?
Am I not fit to be Emperor?  That were the
most dreadful thing that could happen to me.
Oh, it is very beautiful,' he said.  'It has my
gracious approval.'  And then he nodded
pleasantly, and examined the empty loom, for he
would not say that he could see nothing.

His whole Court round him looked and looked,
and saw no more than the others; but they said
like the Emperor, 'Oh! it is beautiful!'  And
they advised him to wear these new and magnificent
clothes for the first time at the great
procession which was soon to take place.  'Splendid!
Lovely!  Most beautiful!' went from mouth to
mouth; everyone seemed delighted over them,
and the Emperor gave to the impostors the title
of Court weavers to the Emperor.

Throughout the whole of the night before the
morning on which the procession was to take
place, the impostors were up and were working
by the light of over sixteen candles.  The people
could see that they were very busy making the
Emperor's new clothes ready.  They pretended
they were taking the cloth from the loom, cut
with huge scissors in the air, sewed with needles
without thread, and then said at last, 'Now the
clothes are finished!'

The Emperor came himself with his most
distinguished knights, and each impostor held up
his arm just as if he were holding something,
and said, 'See! here are the breeches!  Here is
the coat!  Here the cloak!' and so on.

'Spun clothes are so comfortable that one
would imagine one had nothing on at all; but
that is the beauty of it!'

'Yes,' said all the knights, but they could see
nothing, for there was nothing there.

'Will it please your Majesty graciously to take
off your clothes,' said the impostors, 'then we
will put on the new clothes, here before the
mirror.'

The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the
impostors placed themselves before him as if they
were putting on each part of his new clothes
which was ready, and the Emperor turned and
bent himself in front of the mirror.

'How beautifully they fit!  How well they
sit!' said everybody.  'What material!  What
colours!  It is a gorgeous suit!'

.. _`The Emperor comes to see his new clothes`:

.. figure:: images/img-108.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The Emperor comes to see his new clothes.

   The Emperor comes to see his new clothes.

'They are waiting outside with the canopy
which your Majesty is wont to have borne over
you in the procession,' announced the Master of
the Ceremonies.

'Look, I am ready,' said the Emperor.
'Doesn't it sit well!'  And he turned himself
again to the mirror to see if his finery was on
all right.

The chamberlains who were used to carry the
train put their hands near the floor as if they
were lifting up the train; then they did as if
they were holding something in the air.  They
would not have it noticed that they could see
nothing.

So the Emperor went along in the procession
under the splendid canopy, and all the people in
the streets and at the windows said, 'How
matchless are the Emperor's new clothes!  That train
fastened to his dress, how beautifully it hangs!'

No one wished it to be noticed that he could
see nothing, for then he would have been unfit
for his office, or else very stupid.  None of the
Emperor's clothes had met with such approval as
these had.

'But he has nothing on!' said a little child at last.

'Just listen to the innocent child!' said the
father, and each one whispered to his neighbour
what the child had said.

'But he has nothing on!' the whole of the
people called out at last.

This struck the Emperor, for it seemed to him
as if they were right; but he thought to himself,
'I must go on with the procession now.'  And
the chamberlains walked along still more uprightly,
holding up the train which was not there at all.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE GOLDEN CRAB`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE GOLDEN CRAB

.. vspace:: 2

Once upon a time there was a fisherman who
had a wife and three children.  Every morning
he used to go out fishing, and whatever fish he
caught he sold to the King.  One day, among
the other fishes, he caught a golden crab.  When
he came home he put all the fishes together into
a great dish, but he kept the Crab separate
because it shone so beautifully, and placed it upon
a high shelf in the cupboard.  Now while the
old woman, his wife, was cleaning the fish, and
had tucked up her gown so that her feet were
visible, she suddenly heard a voice, which said:

   |  'Let down, let down thy petticoat
   |    That lets thy feet be seen.'

She turned round in surprise, and then she saw
the little creature, the Golden Crab.

.. _`Let down, let down thy petticoat`:

.. figure:: images/img-112.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: "Let down thy petticoat that lets thy feet be seen"

   "Let down thy petticoat that lets thy feet be seen"

'What! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous
crab?' she said, for she was not quite
pleased at the Crab's remarks.  Then she took
him up and placed him on a dish.

When her husband came home and they sat
down to dinner, they presently heard the Crab's
little voice saying, 'Give me some too.'  They
were all very much surprised, but they gave him
something to eat.  When the old man came to
take away the plate which had contained the
Crab's dinner, he found it full of gold, and as
the same thing happened every day he soon
became very fond of the Crab.

One day the Crab said to the fisherman's wife,
'Go to the King and tell him I wish to marry
his younger daughter.'

The old woman went accordingly, and laid the
matter before the King, who laughed a little at
the notion of his daughter marrying a crab, but
did not decline the proposal altogether, because
he was a prudent monarch, and knew that the
Crab was likely to be a prince in disguise.  He
said, therefore, to the fisherman's wife, 'Go, old
woman, and tell the Crab I will give him my
daughter if by to-morrow morning he can build
a wall in front of my castle much higher than
my tower, upon which all the flowers of the
world must grow and bloom.'

The fisherman's wife went home and gave this
message.

Then the Crab gave her a golden rod, and
said, 'Go and strike with this rod three times
upon the ground on the place which the King
showed you, and to-morrow morning the wall
will be there.'

The old woman did so and went away again.

The next morning, when the King awoke,
what do you think he saw?  The wall stood
there before his eyes, exactly as he had
bespoken it!

Then the old woman went back to the King
and said to him, 'Your Majesty's orders have
been fulfilled.'

'That is all very well,' said the King, 'but
I cannot give away my daughter until there
stands in front of my palace a garden in which
there are three fountains, of which the first must
play gold, the second diamonds, and the third
brilliants.'

So the old woman had to strike again three
times upon the ground with the rod, and the
next morning the garden was there.  The King
now gave his consent, and the wedding was
fixed for the very next day.

Then the Crab said to the old fisherman, 'Now
take this rod; go and knock with it on a certain
mountain; then a black man will come out and
ask you what you wish for.  Answer him thus:
"Your master, the King, has sent me to tell you
that you must send him his golden garment that
is like the sun."  Make him give you, besides,
the queenly robes of gold and precious stones
which are like the flowery meadows and bring
them both to me.  And bring me also the
golden cushion.'

.. _`The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion`:

.. figure:: images/img-115.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion.

   The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion.

The old man went and did his errand.  When
he had brought the precious robes, the Crab put
on the golden garment and then crept upon the
golden cushion, and in this way the fisherman
carried him to the castle, where the Crab
presented the other garment to his bride.  Now the
ceremony took place, and when the married pair
were alone together the Crab made himself
known to his young wife, and told her how he
was the son of the greatest king in the world,
and how he was enchanted, so that he became
a crab by day and was a man only at night; and
he could also change himself into an eagle as
often as he wished.  No sooner had he said this
than he shook himself, and immediately became
a handsome youth, but the next morning he was
forced to creep back again into his crab-shell.
And the same thing happened every day.  But
the Princess's affection for the Crab, and the
polite attention with which she behaved to him,
surprised the royal family very much.  They
suspected some secret, but though they spied
and spied, they could not discover it.  Thus
a year passed away, and the Princess had a son,
whom she called Benjamin.  But her mother
still thought the whole matter very strange.
At last she said to the King that he ought to
ask his daughter whether she would not like to
have another husband instead of the Crab.
But when the daughter was questioned she only
answered:

'I am married to the Crab, and him only will
I have.'

Then the King said to her, 'I will appoint a
tournament in your honour, and I will invite all
the princes in the world to it, and if any one of
them pleases you, you shall marry him.'

In the evening the Princess told this to the
Crab, who said to her, 'Take this rod, go to the
garden gate and knock with it, then a black man
will come out and say to you, "Why have you
called me, and what do you require of
me?"  Answer him thus: "Your master the King has
sent me hither to tell you to send him his golden
armour and his steed and the silver apple."  And
bring them to me.'

The Princess did so, and brought him what he
desired.

The following evening the Prince dressed
himself for the tournament.  Before he went he
said to his wife, 'Now mind you do not say when
you see me that I am the Crab.  For if you do
this evil will come of it.  Place yourself at the
window with your sisters; I will ride by and
throw you the silver apple.  Take it in your
hand, but if they ask you who I am, say that
you do not know.'  So saying, he kissed her,
repeated his warning once more, and went away.

The Princess went with her sisters to the
window and looked on at the tournament.
Presently her husband rode by and threw the
apple up to her.  She caught it in her hand and
went with it to her room, and by-and-by her
husband came back to her.  But her father was
much surprised that she did not seem to care
about any of the princes; he therefore appointed
a second tournament.

The Crab then gave his wife the same directions
as before, only this time the apple which
she received from the black man was of gold.
But before the Prince went to the tournament
he said to his wife, 'Now I know you will betray
me to-day.'

But she swore to him that she would not tell
who he was.  He then repeated his warning and
went away.

.. _`The Prince throws the apple to the Princess`:

.. figure:: images/img-119.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The Prince throws the apple to the Princess

   The Prince throws the apple to the Princess

In the evening, while the Princess, with her
mother and sisters, was standing at the window,
the Prince suddenly galloped past on his steed
and threw her the golden apple.

Then her mother flew into a passion, gave her
a box on the ear, and cried out, 'Does not even
that prince please you, you fool?'

The Princess in her fright exclaimed, 'That is
the Crab himself!'

Her mother was still more angry because she
had not been told sooner, ran into her daughter's
room where the crab-shell was still lying, took it
up and threw it into the fire.  Then the poor
Princess cried bitterly, but it was of no use; her
husband did not come back.

Now we must leave the Princess and turn to
the other persons in the story.  One day an old
man went to a stream to dip in a crust of bread
which he was going to eat, when a dog came out
of the water, snatched the bread from his hand,
and ran away.  The old man ran after him, but
the dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran
in, the old man following him.  He did not
overtake the dog, but found himself above a
staircase, which he descended.  Then he saw
before him a stately palace, and, entering, he
found in a large hall a table set for twelve
persons.  He hid himself in the hall behind a
great picture, that he might see what would
happen.  At noon he heard a great noise, so
that he trembled with fear.  When he took
courage to look out from behind the picture, he
saw twelve eagles flying in.  At this sight his
fear became still greater.  The eagles flew to the
basin of a fountain that was there and bathed
themselves, when suddenly they were changed
into twelve handsome youths.  Now they seated
themselves at the table, and one of them took
up a goblet filled with wine, and said, 'A health
to my father!'  And another said, 'A health to
my mother!' and so the healths went round.
Then one of them said:

   |  'A health to my dearest lady,
   |    Long may she live and well!
   |  But a curse on the cruel mother
   |    That burnt my golden shell!'

And so saying he wept bitterly.  Then the
youths rose from the table, went back to the
great stone fountain, turned themselves into
eagles again, and flew away.

Then the old man went away too, returned
to the light of day, and went home.  Soon
after he heard that the Princess was ill, and
that the only thing that did her good was having
stories told to her.  He therefore went to the
royal castle, obtained an audience of the Princess,
and told her about the strange things he had
seen in the underground palace.  No sooner had
he finished than the Princess asked him whether
he could find the way to that palace.

'Yes,' he answered, 'certainly.'

And now she desired him to guide her thither
at once.  The old man did so, and when they
came to the palace he hid her behind the great
picture and advised her to keep quite still, and
he placed himself behind the picture also.
Presently the eagles came flying in, and changed
themselves into young men, and in a moment
the Princess recognised her husband amongst
them all, and tried to come out of her
hiding-place; but the old man held her back.  The
youths seated themselves at the table; and now
the Prince said again, while he took up the cup
of wine:

   |  'A health to my dearest lady,
   |    Long may she live and well!
   |  But a curse on the cruel mother
   |    That burnt my golden shell!'

Then the Princess could restrain herself no
longer, but ran forward and threw her arms
round her husband.  And immediately he knew
her again, and said:

'Do you remember how I told you that day
that you would betray me?  Now you see that
I spoke the truth.  But all that bad time is past.
Now listen to me: I must still remain enchanted
for three months.  Will you stay here with me
till that time is over?'

So the Princess stayed with him, and said to
the old man, 'Go back to the castle and tell my
parents that I am staying here.'

Her parents were very much vexed when the
old man came back and told them this, but as
soon as the three months of the Prince's
enchantment were over, he ceased to be an eagle and
became once more a man, and they returned
home together.  And then they lived happily,
and we who hear the story are happier still.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE IRON STOVE`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE IRON STOVE

.. vspace:: 2

Once upon a time when wishes came true there
was a King's son who was enchanted by an old
witch, so that he was obliged to sit in a large
iron stove in a wood.  There he lived for many
years, and no one could free him.  At last a
King's daughter came into the wood; she had
lost her way, and could not find her father's
kingdom again.  She had been wandering round
and round for nine days, and came at last to the
iron case.  A voice came from within and asked
her, 'Where do you come from, and where do
you want to go?'  She answered, 'I have lost my
way to my father's kingdom, and I shall never
get home again.'  Then the voice from the iron
stove said, 'I will help you to find your home
again, and that in a very short time, if you will
promise to do what I ask you.  I am a greater
prince than you are a princess, and I will marry
you.'  Then she grew frightened, and thought,
'What can a young lassie do with an iron stove?'  But
as she wanted very much to go home to her
father, she promised to do what he wished.  He
said, 'You must come again, and bring a knife
with you to scrape a hole in the iron.'

Then he gave her someone for a guide, who
walked near her and said nothing, but he brought
her in two hours to her house.  There was great
joy in the castle when the Princess came back, and
the old King fell on her neck and kissed her.  But
she was very much troubled, and said, 'Dear
father, listen to what has befallen me!  I should
never have come home again out of the great
wild wood if I had not come to an iron stove, to
whom I have had to promise that I will go back
to free him and marry him!'  The old King was
so frightened that he nearly fainted, for she was
his only daughter.  So they consulted together,
and determined that the miller's daughter, who
was very beautiful, should take her place.  They
took her there, gave her a knife, and said she
must scrape at the iron stove.  She scraped for
twenty-four hours, but did not make the least
impression.  When the day broke, a voice called
from the iron stove, 'It seems to me that it is
day outside.'  Then she answered, 'It seems so
to me; I think I hear my father's mill rattling.'

'So you are a miller's daughter!  Then go
away at once, and tell the King's daughter to come.'

.. _`The iron stove.`:

.. figure:: images/img-129.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The iron stove

   The iron stove

Then she went away, and told the old King
that the thing inside the iron stove would not
have her, but wanted the Princess.  The old King
was frightened, and his daughter wept.  But they
had a swineherd's daughter who was even more
beautiful than the miller's daughter, and they
gave her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove
instead of the Princess.  Then she was taken
out, and had to scrape for four-and-twenty hours,
but she could make no impression.  As soon as
the day broke the voice from the stove called out
'It seems to be daylight outside.'  Then she
answered, 'It seems so to me too; I think I hear
my father blowing his horn.'  'So you are a
swineherd's daughter!  Go away at once, and
let the King's daughter come.  And say to her
that what I foretell shall come to pass, and if she
does not come everything in the kingdom shall
fall into ruin, and not one stone shall be left
upon another.'  When the Princess heard this
she began to cry, but it was no good; she had
to keep her word.  She took leave of her father,
put a knife in her belt, and went to the iron
stove in the wood.  As soon as she reached it
she began to scrape, and the iron gave way and
before two hours had passed she had made a
little hole.  Then she peeped in and saw such a
beautiful youth all shining with gold and precious
stones that she fell in love with him on the spot.
So she scraped away harder than ever, and made
the hole so large that he could get out.  Then he
said, 'You are mine, and I am thine; you are my
bride and have set me free!'  He wanted to take
her with him to his kingdom, but she begged him
just to let her go once more to her father; and
the Prince let her go, but told her not to say
more than three words to her father, then to
come back again.  So she went home, but alas! she
said *more than three words*; and immediately
the iron stove vanished and went away over a
mountain of glass and sharp swords.  But the
Prince was free, and was no longer shut up in it.
Then she said good-bye to her father, and took a
little money with her, and went again into the
great wood to look for the iron stove; but she
could not find it.  She sought it for nine days,
and then her hunger became so great that she
did not know how she could live any longer.
And when it was evening she climbed a little
tree and wished that the night would not come,
because she was afraid of the wild beasts.  When
midnight came she saw afar off a little light, and
thought, 'Ah! if only I could reach that!'  Then
she got down from the tree and went towards
the light.  She came to a little old house with a
great deal of grass growing round, and stood in
front of a little heap of wood.  She thought,
'Alas! what am I coming to?' and peeped
through the window; but she saw nothing
inside except big and little toads, and a table
beautifully spread with roast meats and wine,
and all the dishes and drinking-cups were of
silver.  Then she took heart and knocked.  Then
a fat toad called out:

   |  'Little green toad with leg like crook,
   |  Open wide the door, and look
   |  Who it was the latch that shook.'

And a little toad came forward and let her in.
When she entered they all bid her welcome, and
made her sit down.  They asked her how she
came there and what she wanted.  Then she
told everything that had happened to her, and
how, because she had exceeded her permission
only to speak three words, the stove had
disappeared with the Prince; and how she had
searched a very long time, and must wander
over mountain and valley till she found him.

Then the old toad said:

   |  'Little green toad whose leg doth twist,
   |  Go to the corner of which you wist,
   |  And bring to me the large old kist.'

And the little toad went and brought out a great
chest.  Then they gave her food and drink, and
led her to a beautifully made bed of silk and
samite, on which she lay down and slept soundly.
When the day dawned she arose, and the old
toad gave her three things out of the huge chest
to take with her.  She would have need of them,
for she had to cross a high glass mountain, three
cutting swords, and a great lake.  When she had
passed these she would find her lover again.  So
she was given three large needles, a plough-wheel,
and three nuts, which she was to take great care
of.  She set out with these things, and when she
came to the glass mountain which was so
slippery she stuck the three needles behind her feet
and then in front, and so got over it, and when
she was on the other side put them carefully
away.

Then she reached the three cutting swords,
and got on her plough-wheel and rolled over
them.  At last she came to a great lake, and,
when she had crossed that, arrived at a beautiful
castle.  She went in and gave herself out as a
servant, a poor maid who would gladly be
engaged.  But she knew that the Prince whom she
had freed from the iron stove in the great wood
was in the castle.  So she was taken on as
kitchen-maid for very small wages.  Now the
Prince was about to marry another princess, for
he thought she was dead long ago.

In the evening, when she had washed up and
was ready, she felt in her pocket and found the
three nuts which the old toad had given her.
She cracked one and was going to eat the kernel,
when behold! there was a beautiful royal dress
inside it!  When the bride heard of this, she
came and begged for the dress, and wanted to
buy it, saying it was not a dress for a serving-maid.
Then she said she would not sell it unless she was
granted one favour--namely, to sleep by the
Prince's door.  The bride granted her this,
because the dress was so beautiful and she had so
few like it.  When it was evening she said to her
bridegroom, 'That stupid maid wants to sleep by
your door.'

.. _`Then she reached the three cutting swords`:

.. figure:: images/img-134.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: 'Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on her plough-wheel and rolled over them.'

   'Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on her plough-wheel and rolled over them.'

'If you are contented, I am,' he said.  But
she gave him a glass of wine in which she had
poured a sleeping-draught.  Then they both went
into his room, but he slept so soundly that she
could not wake him.  The maid wept all night
long, and said, 'I freed you in the wild wood out
of the iron stove; I have sought you, and have
crossed a glassy mountain, three sharp swords,
and a great lake before I found you, and will you
not hear me now?'  The servants outside heard
how she cried the whole night, and they told
their master in the morning.

When she had washed up the next evening she
bit the second nut, and there was a still more
beautiful dress inside.  When the bride saw it
she wanted to buy it also.  But the maid did not
want money, and asked that she should sleep
again by the Prince's door.  The bride, however,
gave him a sleeping-draught, and he slept so
soundly that he heard nothing.  But the kitchen-maid
wept the whole night long, and said, 'I
have freed you in a wood and from an iron stove;
I sought you and have crossed a glassy mountain,
three sharp swords, and a great lake to find you,
and now you will not hear me!'  The servants
outside heard how she cried the whole night, and
in the morning they told their master.  And
when she had washed up on the third night she bit
the third nut, and there was a still more beautiful
dress inside that was made of pure gold.  When
the bride saw it she wanted to have it, but the
maid would only give it her on condition that
she should sleep for the third time by the Prince's
door.  But the Prince took care not to drink the
sleeping-draught.  When she began to weep and
to say, 'Dearest sweetheart, I freed you in the
horrible wild wood, and from an iron stove,' he
jumped up and said, 'You are right.  You are
mine, and I am thine.'  Though it was still night,
he got into a carriage with her and they took the
false bride's clothes away, so that she could not
follow them.  When they came to the great lake
they rowed across, and when they reached the
three sharp swords they sat on the plough-wheel,
and on the glassy mountain they stuck the three
needles in.  So they arrived at last at the little
old house, but when they stepped inside it turned
into a large castle.  The toads were all freed, and
were beautiful King's children, running about for
joy.  There they were married, and they remained
in the castle, which was much larger than that of
the Princess's father.  But because the old man
did not like being left alone, they went and
fetched him.  So they had two kingdoms and
lived in great wealth.

   |  A mouse has run,
   |  My story's done.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER

.. vspace:: 2

There was once a great war, and the King had
a great many soldiers, but he gave them so little
pay that they could not live upon it.  Then
three of them took counsel together and
determined to desert.

One of them said to the others, 'If we are
caught, we shall be hanged on the gallows; how
shall we set about it?'  The other said, 'Do you
see that large cornfield there?  If we were to
hide ourselves in that, no one could find us.  The
army cannot come into it, and to-morrow it is to
march on.'

They crept into the corn, but the army did not
march on, but remained encamped close around
them.  They sat for two days and two nights
in the corn, and grew so hungry that they nearly
died; but if they were to venture out, it was
certain death.

They said at last, 'What use was it our
deserting?  We must perish here miserably.'

Whilst they were speaking a fiery dragon came
flying through the air.  It hovered near them,
and asked why they were hidden there.  They
answered, 'We are three soldiers, and have
deserted because our pay was so small.  Now if we
remain here we shall die of hunger, and if we
move out we shall be strung up on the gallows.'  'If
you will serve me for seven years,' said
the Dragon, 'I will lead you through the midst of
the army so that no one shall catch you.'  'We
have no choice, and must take your offer,' said
they.  Then the dragon seized them in his claws,
took them through the air over the army, and set
them down on the earth a long way from it.

He gave them a little whip, saying, 'Whip
and slash with this, and as much money as you
want will jump up before you.  You can then
live as great lords, keep horses, and drive about
in carriages.  But after seven years you are
mine.'  Then he put a book before them, which
he made all three of them sign.  'I will then
give you a riddle,' he said; 'if you guess it, you
shall be free and out of my power.'  The Dragon
then flew away, and they journeyed on with their
little whip.  They had as much money as they
wanted, wore grand clothes, and made their way
into the world.  Wherever they went they lived
in merrymaking and splendour, drove about with
horses and carriages, ate and drank, but did
nothing wrong.

.. _`The Dragon carries off the three soldiers`:

.. figure:: images/img-140.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The Dragon carries off the three soldiers.

   The Dragon carries off the three soldiers.

The time passed quickly away, and when
the seven years were nearly ended two of them
grew terribly anxious and frightened, but the
third made light of it, saying, 'Don't be afraid,
brothers, I wasn't born yesterday; I will guess
the riddle.'

They went into a field, sat down, and the two
pulled long faces.  An old woman passed by,
and asked them why they were so sad.  'Alas! what
have you to do with it?  You cannot help
us.'  'Who knows?' she answered.  'Only
confide your trouble in me.'

Then they told her that they had become the
servants of the Dragon for seven long years, and
how he had given them money as plentifully as
blackberries; but as they had signed their names
they were his, unless when the seven years had
passed they could guess a riddle.  The old
woman said, 'If you would help yourselves, one
of you must go into the wood, and there he will
come upon a tumble-down building of rocks
which looks like a little house.  He must go in,
and there he will find help.'

The two melancholy ones thought, 'That
won't save us!' and they remained where they
were.  But the third and merry one jumped up
and went into the wood till he found the rock
hut.  In the hut sat a very old woman, who was
the Dragon's grandmother.  She asked him how
he came, and what was his business there.  He
told her all that had happened, and because she
was pleased with him she took compassion on
him, and said she would help him.

She lifted up a large stone which lay over the
cellar, saying, 'Hide yourself there; you can
hear all that is spoken in this room.  Only sit
still and don't stir.  When the dragon comes, I
will ask him what the riddle is, for he tells
me everything; then listen carefully what he
answers.'

At midnight the Dragon flew in, and asked
for his supper.  His grandmother laid the table,
and brought out food and drink till he was
satisfied, and they ate and drank together.  Then in
the course of the conversation she asked him
what he had done in the day, and how many
souls he had conquered.

'I haven't had much luck to-day,' he said,
'but I have a tight hold on three soldiers.'

'Indeed! three soldiers!' said she.  'Who
cannot escape you?'

'They are mine,' answered the Dragon
scornfully, 'for I shall only give them one riddle
which they will never be able to guess.'

'What sort of a riddle is it?' she asked.

'I will tell you this.  In the North Sea lies a
dead sea-cat--that shall be their roast meat;
and the rib of a whale--that shall be their silver
spoon; and the hollow foot of a dead horse--that
shall be their wineglass.'

When the Dragon had gone to bed, his old
grandmother pulled up the stone and let out
the soldier.

'Did you pay attention to everything?'

'Yes,' he replied, 'I know enough, and can
help myself splendidly.'

Then he went by another way through the
window secretly, and in all haste back to his
comrades.  He told them how the Dragon had
been outwitted by his grandmother, and how he
had heard from his own lips the answer to the
riddle.

Then they were all delighted and in high
spirits, took out their whip, and cracked so much
money that it came jumping up from the ground.
When the seven years had quite gone, the Fiend
came with his book, and, pointing at the
signatures, said, 'I will take you underground with
me; you shall have a meal there.  If you can
tell me what you will get for your roast meat,
you shall be free, and shall also keep the whip.'

Then said the first soldier, 'In the North Sea
lies a dead sea-cat; that shall be the roast
meat.'

.. _`The Fiend defeated`:

.. figure:: images/img-144.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The Fiend defeated.

   The Fiend defeated.

The Dragon was much annoyed, and hummed
and hawed a good deal, and asked the second,
'But what shall be your spoon?'

'The rib of a whale shall be our silver spoon.'

The Dragon made a face, and growled again
three times, 'Hum, hum, hum,' and said to the
third, 'Do you know what your wineglass shall be?'

'An old horse's hoof shall be our wineglass.'

Then the Dragon flew away with a loud
shriek, and had no more power over them.  But
the three soldiers took the little whip, whipped
as much money as they wanted, and lived
happily to their lives' end.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`THE DONKEY CABBAGE`:

.. class:: center large bold

   THE DONKEY CABBAGE

.. vspace:: 2

There was once a young Hunter who went
boldly into the forest.  He had a merry and
light heart, and as he went whistling along there
came an ugly old woman, who said to him,
'Good-day, dear hunter!  You are very merry
and contented, but I suffer hunger and thirst, so
give me a trifle.'  The Hunter was sorry for the
poor old woman, and he felt in his pocket and
gave her all he could spare.  He was going on
then, but the old woman stopped him and said,
'Listen, dear hunter, to what I say.  Because of
your kind heart I will make you a present.  Go
on your way, and in a short time you will come
to a tree on which sit nine birds who have a cloak
in their claws and are quarrelling over it.  Then
take aim with your gun and shoot in the middle
of them; they will let the cloak fall, but one of
the birds will be hit and will drop down dead.
Take the cloak with you; it is a wishing-cloak,
and when you throw it on your shoulders you
have only to wish yourself at a certain place, and
in the twinkling of an eye you are there.  Take
the heart out of the dead bird and swallow it
whole, and early every morning when you get up
you will find a gold piece under your pillow.'

The Hunter thanked the wise woman, and
thought to himself, 'These are splendid things
she has promised me, if only they come to pass!'  So
he walked on about a hundred yards, and
then he heard above him in the branches such a
screaming and chirping that he looked up, and
there he saw a heap of birds tearing a cloth with
their beaks and feet, shrieking, tugging, and
fighting, as if each wanted it for himself.  'Well,'
said the Hunter, 'this is wonderful!  It is just
as the old woman said'; and he took his gun on
his shoulder, pulled the trigger, and shot into the
midst of them, so that their feathers flew about.
Then the flock took flight with much screaming,
but one fell dead, and the cloak fluttered down.
Then the Hunter did as the old woman had told
him: he cut open the bird, found its heart,
swallowed it, and took the cloak home with him.
The next morning when he awoke he remembered
the promise, and wanted to see if it had come
true.  But when he lifted up his pillow, there
sparkled the gold piece, and the next morning he
found another, and so on every time he got up.
He collected a heap of gold, but at last he
thought to himself, 'What good is all my gold to
me if I stay at home?  I will travel and look a
bit about me in the world.'  So he took leave of
his parents, slung his hunting knapsack and his
gun round him, and journeyed into the world.

It happened that one day he went through a
thick wood, and when he came to the end of it
there lay in the plain before him a large castle.
At one of the windows in it stood an old woman
with a most beautiful maiden by her side, looking
out.  But the old woman was a witch, and she
said to the girl, 'There comes one out of the
wood who has a wonderful treasure in his body
which we must manage to possess ourselves of,
darling daughter; we have more right to it than
he.  He has a bird's heart in him, and so every
morning there lies a gold piece under his pillow.'

She told her how they could get hold of it,
and how she was to coax it from him, and at last
threatened her angrily, saying, 'And if you do
not obey me, you shall repent it!'

When the Hunter came nearer he saw the
maiden, and said to himself, 'I have travelled so
far now that I will rest, and turn into this
beautiful castle; money I have in plenty.'  But
the real reason was that he had caught sight of
the lovely face.

He went into the house, and was kindly
received and hospitably entertained.  It was not
long before he was so much in love with the
witch-maiden that he thought of nothing else,
and only looked in her eyes, and whatever she
wanted, that he gladly did.  Then the old witch
said, 'Now we must have the bird-heart; he will
not feel when it is gone.'  She prepared a drink,
and when it was ready she poured it in a goblet
and gave it to the maiden, who had to hand it to
the Hunter.

'Drink to me now, my dearest,' she said.
Then he took the goblet, and when he had
swallowed the drink the bird-heart came out of
his mouth.  The maiden had to get hold of it
secretly and then swallow it herself, for the old
witch wanted to have it.  Thenceforward he
found no more gold under his pillow, and it lay
under the maiden's; but he was so much in love
and so much bewitched that he thought of
nothing except spending all his time with the
maiden.

.. _`THE MAIDEN OBTAINS THE BIRD-HEART`:

.. figure:: images/img-150.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE MAIDEN OBTAINS THE BIRD-HEART

   THE MAIDEN OBTAINS THE BIRD-HEART

Then the old witch said, 'We have the bird-heart,
but we must also get the wishing-cloak
from him.'

The maiden answered, 'We will leave him
that; he has already lost his wealth!'

The old witch grew angry, and said, 'Such a
cloak is a wonderful thing, it is seldom to be had
in the world, and have it I must and will.'  She
beat the maiden, and said that if she did not
obey it would go ill with her.

So she did her mother's bidding, and, standing
one day by the window, she looked away into
the far distance as if she were very sad.

'Why are you standing there looking so sad?'
asked the Hunter.

'Alas, my love,' she replied, 'over there lies
the granite mountain where the costly precious
stones grow.  I have a great longing to go there,
so that when I think of it I am very sad.  For
who can fetch them?  Only the birds who fly;
a man, never.'

'If you have no other trouble,' said the
Hunter, 'that one I can easily remove from
your heart.'

So he wrapped her round in his cloak and
wished themselves to the granite mountain, and
in an instant there they were, sitting on it!
The precious stones sparkled so brightly on all
sides that it was a pleasure to see them, and they
collected the most beautiful and costly together.
But now the old witch had through her witchcraft
caused the Hunter's eyes to become heavy.

He said to the maiden, 'We will sit down for
a little while and rest; I am so tired that I can
hardly stand on my feet.'

So they sat down, and he laid his head on her
lap and fell asleep.  As soon as he was sound
asleep she unfastened the cloak from his
shoulders, threw it on her own, left the granite
and stones, and wished herself home again.

But when the Hunter had finished his sleep
and awoke, he found that his love had betrayed
him and left him alone on the wild mountain.
'Oh,' said he, 'why is faithlessness so great in
the world?' and he sat down in sorrow and
trouble, not knowing what to do.

But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge
giants, who lived on it and traded there, and he
had not sat long before he saw three of them
striding towards him.  So he lay down as if he
had fallen into a deep sleep.

The giants came up, and the first pushed him
with his foot, and said, 'What sort of an
earthworm is that?'

The second said, 'Crush him dead.'

But the third said contemptuously, 'It is
not worth the trouble!  Let him live; he
cannot remain here, and if he goes higher up
the mountain the clouds will take him and
carry him off.'

Talking thus they went away.  But the
Hunter had listened to their talk, and as soon as
they had gone he rose and climbed to the
summit.  When he had sat there a little while
a cloud swept by, and, seizing him, carried him
away.  It travelled for a time in the sky.  and
then it sank down and hovered over a large
vegetable garden surrounded by walls, so that he
came safely to the ground amidst cabbage and
vegetables.  The Hunter then looked about
him, saying, 'If only I had something to eat!
I am so hungry, and it will go badly with me in
the future, for I see here not an apple or pear or
fruit of any kind--nothing but vegetables
everywhere.'  At last he thought, 'At a pinch I can
eat a salad; it does not taste particularly nice,
but it will refresh me.'  So he looked about for
a good head and ate it, but no sooner had he
swallowed a couple of mouthfuls than he felt
very strange, and found himself wonderfully
changed.  Four legs began to grow on him,
a thick head, and two long ears, and he saw with
horror that he had changed into a donkey.  But
as he was still very hungry and this juicy salad
tasted very good to his present nature, he went
on eating with a still greater appetite.  At last
he got hold of another kind of cabbage, but
scarcely had swallowed it when he felt another
change, and he once more regained his human form.

.. _`The hunter is transformed into a donkey`:

.. figure:: images/img-154.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: The hunter is transformed into a donkey.

   The hunter is transformed into a donkey.

The Hunter now lay down and slept off his
weariness.  When he awoke the next morning
he broke off a head of the bad and a head of
the good cabbage, thinking, 'This will help me
to regain my own, and to punish faithlessness.'  Then
he put the heads in his pockets, climbed
the wall, and started off to seek the castle of his
love.  When he had wandered about for a
couple of days he found it quite easily.  He then
browned his face quickly, so that his own mother
would not have known him, and went into the
castle, where he begged for a lodging.

'I am so tired,' he said, 'I can go no farther.'

The witch asked, 'Countryman, who are you,
and what is your business?'

He answered, 'I am a messenger of the King,
and have been sent to seek the finest salad that
grows under the sun.  I have been so lucky as
to find it, and am bringing it with me; but the
heat of the sun is so great that the tender
cabbage threatens to grow soft, and I do not
know if I shall be able to bring it any farther.'

When the old witch heard of the fine salad she
wanted to eat it, and said, 'Dear countryman,
just let me taste the wonderful salad.'

'Why not?' he answered; 'I have brought
two heads with me, and will give you one.'

So saying, he opened his sack and gave her the
bad one.  The witch suspected no evil, and her
mouth watered to taste the new dish, so that she
went into the kitchen to prepare it herself.
When it was ready she could not wait till it was
served at the table, but she immediately took a
couple of leaves and put them in her mouth.
No sooner, however, had she swallowed them
than she lost human form, and ran into the
courtyard in the shape of a donkey.

Now the servant came into the kitchen, and
when she saw the salad standing there ready
cooked she was about to carry it up, but on the
way, according to her old habit, she tasted it and
ate a couple of leaves.  Immediately the charm
worked, and she became a donkey, and ran out
to join the old witch, and the dish with the salad
in it fell to the ground.  In the meantime, the
messenger was sitting with the lovely maiden,
and as no one came with the salad, and she
wanted very much to taste it, she said, 'I don't
know where the salad is.'

Then thought the Hunter, 'The cabbage must
have already begun to work.'  And he said, 'I
will go to the kitchen and fetch it myself.'

When he came there he saw the two donkeys
running about in the courtyard, but the salad
was lying on the ground.

'That's all right,' said he; 'two have had their
share!'  And lifting the remaining leaves up, he
laid them on the dish and brought them to the
maiden.

'I am bringing you the delicious food my
own self,' he said, 'so that you need not wait
any longer.'

Then she ate, and as the others had done, she
at once lost her human form, and ran as a donkey
into the yard.

When the Hunter had washed his face, so that
the changed ones might know him, he went into
the yard saying, 'Now you shall receive a reward
for your faithlessness.'

He tied them all three with a rope, and drove
them away till he came to a mill.  He
knocked at the window, and the miller put his
head out and asked what he wanted.

'I have three tiresome animals,' he answered,
'which I don't want to keep any longer.  If you
will take them, give them food and stabling, and
do as I tell you with them, I will pay you as
much as you want.'

The miller replied, 'Why not?  What shall I
do with them?'

.. _`THE YOUNG MAN GIVES THE DONKEYS TO THE MILLER`:

.. figure:: images/img-158.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE YOUNG MAN GIVES THE DONKEYS TO THE MILLER

   THE YOUNG MAN GIVES THE DONKEYS TO THE MILLER

Then the Hunter said that to the old donkey
which was the witch, three beatings and one
meal; to the younger one, which was the servant,
one beating and three meals; and to the youngest
one, which was the maiden, no beating and three
meals; for he could not find it in his heart to let
the maiden be beaten.

Then he went back into the castle, and he
found there all that he wanted.  After a couple
of days the miller came and said that he must
tell him that the old donkey which was to have
three beatings and only one meal had died.
'The two others,' he added, 'are certainly not
dead, and get their three meals every day,
but they are so sad that they cannot last much
longer.'

Then the Hunter took pity on them, laid
aside his anger, and told the miller to drive them
back again.  And when they came he gave them
some of the good cabbage to eat, so that they
became human again.  Then the beautiful
maiden fell on her knees before him saying, 'Oh,
my dearest, forgive me the ill I have done you!
My mother compelled me to do it; it was against
my will, for I love you dearly.  Your
wishing-cloak is hanging in a cupboard, and as for the
bird-heart I will make a drink and give it back
to you.'

But he changed his mind, and said, 'Keep it;
it makes no difference, for I will take you to be
my own dear true wife.'

And the wedding was celebrated, and they
lived happy together till death.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`LUCKY LUCK`:

.. class:: center large bold

   LUCKY LUCK

.. vspace:: 2

Once upon a time there was a King who had an
only son.  When the lad was about eighteen
years old his father had to go to fight in a war
against a neighbouring country, and the king led
his troops in person.  He bade his son act as
Regent in his absence, but ordered him on no
account to marry till his return.

Time went by.  The Prince ruled the country
and never even thought of marrying.  But when
he reached his twenty-fifth birthday he began to
think that it might be rather nice to have a wife,
and he thought so much that at last he got quite
eager about it.  He remembered, however, what
his father had said, and waited some time longer,
till at last it was ten years since the King went
out to war.  Then the Prince called his courtiers
about him and set off with a great retinue to
seek a bride.  He hardly knew which way
to go, so he wandered about for twenty days,
when, suddenly, he found himself in his father's
camp.

The King was delighted to see his son, and had
a great many questions to ask and answer; but
when he heard that instead of quietly waiting
for him at home the Prince was starting off to
seek a wife he was very angry, and said: 'You
may go where you please, but I will not leave
any of my people with you.'

Only one faithful servant stayed with the
Prince and refused to part from him.  They
journeyed over hill and dale till they came to a
place called Goldtown.  The King of Goldtown
had a lovely daughter, and the Prince, who soon
heard about her beauty, could not rest till he
saw her.

.. _`THE FAITHFUL SERVANT AND THE THREE EAGLES`:

.. figure:: images/img-163.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE FAITHFUL SERVANT & THE THREE EAGLES

   THE FAITHFUL SERVANT & THE THREE EAGLES

He was very kindly received, for he was
extremely good-looking and had charming manners,
so he lost no time in asking for her hand
and her parents gave her to him with joy.  The
wedding took place at once, and the feasting and
rejoicings went on for a whole month.  At the
end of the month they set off for home, but as
the journey was a long one they spent the first
evening at an inn.  Everyone in the house slept,
and only the faithful servant kept watch.  About
midnight he heard three crows, who had flown
to the roof, talking together.

'That's a handsome couple which arrived here
to-night.  It seems quite a pity they should lose
their lives so soon.'

'Truly,' said the second crow; 'for to-morrow,
when midday strikes, the bridge over the Gold
Stream will break just as they are driving over it.
But, listen! whoever overhears and tells what we
have said will be turned to stone up to his knees.'

The crows had hardly done speaking when
away they flew.  And close upon them followed
three pigeons.

'Even if the Prince and Princess get safe over
the bridge they will perish,' said they; 'for the
King is going to send a carriage to meet them
which looks as new as paint.  But when they
are seated in it a raging wind will rise and whirl
the carriage away into the clouds.  Then it will
fall suddenly to earth, and they will be killed.
But anyone who hears and betrays what we have
said will be turned to stone up to his waist.'

With that the pigeons flew off and three eagles
took their places, and this is what they said:

'If the young couple does manage to escape
the dangers of the bridge and the carriage, the
King means to send them each a splendid
gold-embroidered robe.  When they put these on
they will be burnt up at once.  But whoever
hears and repeats this will turn to stone from
head to foot.'

Early next morning the travellers got up and
breakfasted.  They began to tell each other their
dreams.  At last the servant said:

'Gracious Prince, I dreamt that if your Royal
Highness would grant all I asked we should get
home safe and sound; but if you did not we
should certainly be lost.  My dreams never
deceive me, so I entreat you to follow my advice
during the rest of the journey.'

'Don't make such a fuss about a dream,' said
the Prince; 'dreams are but clouds.  Still, to
prevent your being anxious I will promise to do
as you wish.'

With that they set out on their journey.

At midday they reached the Gold Stream.
When they got to the bridge the servant said:
'Let us leave the carriage here, my Prince, and
walk a little way.  The town is not far off and
we can easily get another carriage there, for the
wheels of this one are bad and will not hold out
much longer.'

The Prince looked well at the carriage.  He
did not think it looked so unsafe as his servant
said; but he had given his word and he held to it.

They got down and loaded the horses with
the luggage.  The Prince and his bride walked
over the bridge, but the servant said he would
ride the horses through the stream so as to water
and bathe them.

They reached the other side without harm,
and bought a new carriage in the town, which
was quite near, and set off once more on their
travels; but they had not gone far when they
met a messenger from the King, who said to the
Prince: 'His Majesty has sent your Royal
Highness this beautiful carriage, so that you may
make a fitting entry into your own country and
amongst your own people.'

The Prince was so delighted that he could not
speak.  But the servant said: 'My lord, let me
examine this carriage first and then you can get
in if I find it is all right; otherwise we had
better stay in our own.'

The Prince made no objections, and after looking
the carriage well over the servant said: 'It is
as bad as it is smart'; and with that he knocked
it all to pieces, and they went on in the one that
they had bought.

At last they reached the frontier; there
another messenger was waiting for them, who
said that the King had sent two splendid robes
for the Prince and his bride, and begged that
they would wear them for their state entry.  But
the servant implored the Prince to have nothing
to do with them, and never gave him any peace
till he had obtained leave to destroy the robes.

.. _`THE FAITHFUL SERVANT TURNS INTO STONE`:

.. figure:: images/img-169.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE FAITHFUL SERVANT TURNS INTO STONE

   THE FAITHFUL SERVANT TURNS INTO STONE

The old King was furious when he found that
all his arts had failed; that his son still lived and
that he would have to give up the crown to him
now he was married, for that was the law of the
land.  He longed to know how the Prince had
escaped, and said: 'My dear son, I do indeed
rejoice to have you safely back, but I cannot
imagine why the beautiful carriage and the
splendid robes I sent did not please you; why
you had them destroyed.'

'Indeed, sire,' said the Prince, 'I was myself
much annoyed at their destruction; but my
servant had begged to direct everything on the
journey and I had promised him that he
should do so.  He declared that we could not
possibly get home safely unless I did as he told me.'

The old King fell into a tremendous rage.  He
called his Council together and condemned the
servant to death.

The gallows was put up in the square in front
of the palace.  The servant was led out and his
sentence read to him.

The rope was being placed round his neck,
when he begged to be allowed a few last words.
'On our journey home,' he said, 'we spent the
first night at an inn.  I did not sleep, but kept
watch all night.'  And then he went on to tell
what the crows had said, and as he spoke he
turned to stone up to his knees.  The Prince
called to him to say no more as he had proved
his innocence.  But the servant paid no heed to
him, and by the time his story was done he had
turned to stone from head to foot.

Oh! how grieved the Prince was to lose his
faithful servant!  And what pained him most
was the thought that he was lost through his
very faithfulness, and he determined to travel all
over the world and never rest till he found some
means of restoring him to life.

Now there lived at Court an old woman who
had been the Prince's nurse.  To her he confided
all his plans, and left his wife, the Princess, in her
care.  'You have a long way before you, my
son,' said the old woman; 'you must never
return till you have met with Lucky Luck.  If
he cannot help you no one on earth can.'

So the Prince set off to try to find Lucky
Luck.  He walked and walked till he got
beyond his own country, and he wandered through
a wood for three days, but did not meet a living
being in it.  At the end of the third day he
came to a river near which stood a large mill.
Here he spent the night.  When he was
leaving next morning the miller asked him:
'My gracious lord, where are you going all alone?'

And the Prince told him.

'Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky
Luck this question: Why is it that though
I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery
complete, and get plenty of grain to grind, I am
so poor that I hardly know how to live from one
day to another?'

The Prince promised to inquire, and went on
his way.  He wandered about for three days
more, and at the end of the third day saw a
little town.  It was quite late when he reached
it, but he could discover no light anywhere, and
walked almost right through it without finding
a house where he could turn in.  But far away
at the end of the town he saw a light in a
window.  He went straight to it and in the
house were three girls playing a game together.
The Prince asked for a night's lodging and they
took him in, gave him some supper and got a
room ready for him, where he slept.

Next morning when he was leaving they asked
where he was going and he told them his story.
'Gracious Prince,' said the maidens, 'do ask
Lucky Luck how it happens that here we are
over thirty years old and no lover has come to
woo us, though we are good, pretty, and very
industrious.'

The Prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.

Then he came to a great forest and wandered
about in it from morning to night and from
night to morning before he got near the other
end.  Here he found a pretty stream which was
different from other streams as, instead of flowing,
it stood still and began to talk: 'Sir Prince, tell
me what brings you into these wilds.  I must
have been flowing here a hundred years and
more and no one has ever yet come by.'

'I will tell you,' answered the Prince, 'if you
will divide yourself so that I may walk through.'

The stream parted at once, and the Prince
walked through without wetting his feet; and
directly he got to the other side he told his story
as he had promised.

'Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,' cried the brook,
'why, though I am such a clear, bright, rapid
stream, I never have a fish or any other living
creature in my waters.'

The Prince said he would do so, and continued
his journey.

When he got quite clear of the forest he
walked on through a lovely valley till he reached
a little house thatched with rushes, and he went
in to rest, for he was very tired.

.. _`THE COMPLAINT OF THE THREE MAIDENS`:

.. figure:: images/img-175.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: THE COMPLAINT OF THE THREE MAIDENS

   THE COMPLAINT OF THE THREE MAIDENS

Everything in the house was beautifully clean
and tidy, and a cheerful honest-looking old
woman was sitting by the fire.

'Good morning, mother,' said the Prince.

'May Luck be with you, my son.  What
brings you into these parts?'

'I am looking for Lucky Luck,' replied the
Prince.

'Then you have come to the right place, my
son, for I am his mother.  He is not at home
just now, he is out digging in the vineyard.  Do
you go too.  Here are two spades.  When you
find him begin to dig, but don't speak a word to
him.  It is now eleven o'clock.  When he sits
down to eat his dinner sit beside him and eat
with him.  After dinner he will question you,
and then tell him all your troubles freely.  He
will answer whatever you may ask.'

With that she showed him the way, and the
Prince went and did just as she had told him.
After dinner they lay down to rest.

All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak
and said: 'Tell me, what sort of a man are
you? for since you came here you have not
spoken a word.'

'I am not dumb,' replied the young man,
'but I am that unhappy prince whose faithful
servant has been turned to stone, and I want
to know how to help him.'

'And you do well, for he deserves everything.
Go back, and when you get home your wife will
just have had a little boy.  Take three drops of
blood from the child's little finger, rub them on
your servant's wrists with a blade of grass and
he will return to life.'

'I have another thing to ask,' said the Prince,
when he had thanked him.  'In the forest near
here is a fine stream, but not a fish or other living
creature in it.  Why is this?'

'Because no one has ever been drowned in the
stream.  But take care, in crossing, to get as
near the other side as you can before you say so,
or you may be the first victim yourself.'

'Another question, please, before I go.  On
my way here I lodged one night in the house of
three maidens.  All were well-mannered,
hard-working, and pretty, and yet none has had a
wooer.  Why was this?'

'Because they always throw out their sweepings
in the face of the sun.'

'And why is it that a miller, who has a large
mill with all the best machinery and gets plenty
of corn to grind is so poor that he can hardly
live from day to day?'

'Because the miller keeps everything for
himself, and does not give to those who need it.'

The Prince wrote down the answers to his
questions, took a friendly leave of Lucky Luck,
and set off for home.

When he reached the stream it asked if he
brought it any good news.  'When I get across
I will tell you,' said he.  So the stream parted;
he walked through and on to the highest part of
the bank.  He stopped and shouted out:

'Listen, oh stream!  Lucky Luck says you will
never have any living creature in your waters
until someone is drowned in you.'

The words were hardly out of his mouth when
the stream swelled and overflowed till it reached
the rock up which he had climbed, and dashed so
far up it that the spray flew over him.  But he
clung on tight, and after failing to reach him
three times the stream returned to its proper
course.  Then the Prince climbed down, dried
himself in the sun, and set out on his march home.

He spent the night once more at the mill and
gave the miller his answer, and by-and-by he told
the three sisters not to throw out all their
sweepings in the face of the sun.

The Prince had hardly arrived at home when
some thieves tried to ford the stream with a fine
horse they had stolen.  When they were
half-way across, the stream rose so suddenly that
it swept them all away.  From that time it
became the best fishing stream in the countryside.

The miller, too, began to give alms and
became a very good man, and in time grew
so rich that he hardly knew how much he had.

And the three sisters, now that they no longer
insulted the sun, had each a wooer within a
week.

When the Prince got home he found that his
wife had just got a fine little boy.  He did not
lose a moment in pricking the baby's finger till
the blood ran, and he brushed it on the wrists of
the stone figure, which shuddered all over and
split with a loud noise in seven parts and there
was the faithful servant alive and well.

When the old King saw this he foamed with
rage, stared wildly about, flung himself on the
ground and died.

The servant stayed on with his royal master
and served him faithfully all the rest of his life;
and, if neither of them is dead, he is serving him
still.





.. vspace:: 4

.. _`TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!`:

.. class:: center large bold

   TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!

.. vspace:: 2

Long, long ago there lived a King who was such
a mighty monarch that whenever he sneezed
everyone in the whole country had to say 'To
your good health!'  Everyone said it except the
shepherd with the staring eyes, and he would
not say it.

The King heard of this and was very angry,
and sent for the shepherd to appear before him.

The shepherd came and stood before the
throne, where the King sat looking very grand
and powerful.  But however grand or powerful
he might be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid
of him.

'Say at once: "To my good health!"' cried
the King.

'To my good health!' replied the shepherd.

'To mine--to *mine*, you rascal, you vagabond!'
stormed the King.

'To mine, to *mine*, your Majesty,' was the
answer.

'But to mine--to my own,' roared the King,
and beat on his breast in a rage.

'Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my
own,' cried the shepherd, and gently tapped
his breast.

The King was beside himself with fury and
did not know what to do, when the Lord
Chamberlain interfered:

'Say at once--say this very moment: "To
your health, your Majesty"; for if you don't say
it you'll lose your life,' whispered he.

'No, I won't say it till I get the Princess for
my wife,' was the shepherd's answer.  Now the
Princess was sitting on a little throne beside the
King, her father, and she looked as sweet and
lovely as a little golden dove.  When she heard
what the shepherd said she could not help
laughing, for there is no denying the fact that
this young shepherd with the staring eyes pleased
her very much; indeed he pleased her better than
any king's son she had yet seen.

But the King was not as pleasant as his
daughter, and he gave orders to throw the
shepherd into the white bear's pit.

The guards led him away and thrust him into
the pit with the white bear, who had had nothing
to eat for two days and was very hungry.  The
door of the pit was hardly closed when the bear
rushed at the shepherd; but when it saw his eyes
it was so frightened that it was ready to eat
itself.  It shrank away into a corner and gazed
at him from there, and, in spite of being so
famished, did not dare to touch him, but sucked
its own paws from sheer hunger.  The shepherd
felt that if he once removed his eyes off the
beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep
himself awake he made songs and sang them,
and so the night went by.

Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to
see the shepherd's bones, and was amazed to find
him alive and well.  He led him to the King,
who fell into a furious passion, and said: 'Well,
you have learned what it is to be very near death,
and *now* will you say: "To my good health"?'

But the shepherd answered: 'I am not afraid
of ten deaths!  I will only say it if I may have
the Princess for my wife.'

.. _`STARING-EYES IN THE WHITE BEAR'S PIT`:

.. figure:: images/img-185.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
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   :alt: STARING-EYES IN THE WHITE BEAR'S PIT

   STARING-EYES IN THE WHITE BEAR'S PIT

'Then go to your death,' cried the King; and
ordered him to be thrown into the den with the
wild boars.  The wild boars had not been fed for
a week, and when the shepherd was thrust into
their den they rushed at him to tear him to
pieces.  But the shepherd took a little flute out
of the sleeve of his jacket and began to play a
merry tune, on which the wild boars first of all
shrank shyly away, and then got up on their hind
legs and danced gaily.  The shepherd would
have given anything to be able to laugh, they
looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing,
for he knew well enough that the moment he
stopped they would fall upon him and tear him
to pieces.  His eyes were of no use to him here,
for he could not have stared ten wild boars in the
face at once; so he kept on playing and the wild
boars danced very slowly, as if in a minuet, then
by degrees he played faster and faster till they
could hardly twist and turn quickly enough and
ended by all falling over each other in a heap,
quite exhausted and out of breath.

Then the shepherd ventured to laugh at last;
and he laughed so long and so loud that
when the Lord Chamberlain came early in the
morning, expecting to find only his bones,
the tears were still running down his cheeks
from laughter.

As soon as the King was dressed the shepherd
was again brought before him; but he was more
angry than ever to think the wild boars had not
torn the man to bits, and he said: 'Well, you
have learned what it feels to be near ten deaths,
now say: "To my good health!"

But the shepherd broke in with, 'I do not
fear a hundred deaths, and I will only say it if I
may have the Princess for my wife.'

'Then go to a hundred deaths!' roared the
King, and ordered the shepherd to be thrown
down the deep vault of scythes.

The guards dragged him away to a dark
dungeon, in the middle of which was a deep
well with sharp scythes all round it.  At the
bottom of the well was a little light by which
one could see if anyone was thrown in whether
he had fallen to the bottom.

When the shepherd was dragged to the
dungeon he begged the guards to leave him alone
a little while that he might look down in the pit
of scythes; perhaps he might after all make up
his mind to say 'To your good health' to the
King.  So the guards left him alone and he stuck
up his long stick near the well, hung his cloak
round the stick and put his hat on the top.  He
also hung his knapsack up inside the cloak so
that it might seem to have somebody within it.
When this was done he called out to the guards
and said that he had considered the matter, but
after all he could not make up his mind to say
what the King wished.  The guards came in,
threw the hat and cloak, knapsack and stick all
down the well together, watched to see how
they put out the light at the bottom and came
away, thinking that now there really was an end
of the shepherd.  But he had hidden in a dark
corner and was laughing to himself all the time.

Quite early next morning came the Lord
Chamberlain, carrying a lamp, and he nearly fell
backwards with surprise when he saw the
shepherd alive and well.  He brought him to the
King, whose fury was greater than ever, but who
cried:

'Well, now you have been near a hundred
deaths; will you say: "To your good health"?'

But the shepherd only gave the same answer:

'I won't say it till the Princess is my wife.'

'Perhaps after all you may do it for less,' said
the King, who saw that there was no chance of
making away with the shepherd; and he ordered
the state coach to be got ready, then he made
the shepherd get in with him and sit beside him,
and ordered the coachman to drive to the silver
wood.  When they reached it he said: 'Do
you see this silver wood?  Well, if you will
say, "To your good health," I will give it to
you.'

The shepherd turned hot and cold by turns,
but he still persisted:

'I will not say it till the Princess is my wife.'

The King was much vexed; he drove further
on till they came to a splendid castle, all of gold,
and then he said:

'Do you see this golden castle?  Well, I will
give you that too, the silver wood and the
golden castle, if only you will say that one thing
to me: "To your good health."'

The shepherd gaped and wondered and was
quite dazzled, but he still said:

'No; I will *not* say it till I have the Princess
for my wife.'

This time the King was overwhelmed with
grief, and gave orders to drive on to the diamond
pond, and there he tried once more.

'Do you see this diamond pond?  I will give
you that too, the silver wood and the golden
castle and the diamond pond.  You shall have
them all--all--if you will but say: "To your
good health!"'

The shepherd had to shut his staring eyes
tight not to be dazzled with the brilliant pond,
but still he said:

'No, no; I will not say it till I have the
Princess for my wife.'

Then the King saw that all his efforts were
useless, and that he might as well give in, so he
said:

'Well, well, it's all the same to me--I will
give you my daughter to wife; but, then, you
really and truly must say to me: "To your
good health."'

'Of course I'll say it; why should I not say
it?  It stands to reason that I shall say it
then.'

At this the King was more delighted than
anyone could have believed.  He made it known all
through the country that there were to be great
rejoicings, as the Princess was going to be married.
And everyone rejoiced to think that the Princess,
who had refused so many royal suitors, should
have ended by falling in love with the
staring-eyed shepherd.

There was such a wedding as had never been
seen.  Everyone ate and drank and danced.
Even the sick were feasted, and quite tiny
new-born children had presents given them.

But the greatest merry-making was in the
King's palace; there the best bands played and
the best food was cooked; a crowd of people sat
down to table, and all was fun and merrymaking.

And when the groomsman, according to
custom, brought in the great boar's head on a
big dish and placed it before the King so that he
might carve it and give everyone a share, the
savoury smell was so strong that the King began
to sneeze with all his might.

'To your very good health!' cried the shepherd
before anyone else, and the King was so delighted
that he did not regret having given him his
daughter.

In time, when the old King died, the shepherd
succeeded him.  He made a very good king and
never expected his people to wish him well
against their wills; but, all the same, everyone
did wish him well, for they all loved him.

.. vspace:: 4

.. class:: center small

   \W. BRENDON AND SON, LIMITED, PLYMOUTH

.. vspace:: 4

.. _`End paper`:

.. figure:: images/img-endpaper.jpg
   :figclass: white-space-pre-line
   :align: center
   :alt: End paper

   End paper

.. vspace:: 6

.. pgfooter::
