When they had gone, the poor girl began to weep, reflecting, "As to
the dinner I can easily prepare it, but how can I possibly gather
up all this millet?" But that very moment she recalled the words of
the cow, that, if she ever should be struck by misfortune, she need
but walk to the grave behind the house, when she would find instant
help there. Immediately she ran out, and, when she approached the
grave, lo! a chest was lying on the grave wide open, and inside were
beautiful dresses and everything necessary for a lady's toilet. Two
doves were sitting on the lid of the chest, and as the girl drew near,
they said to her: "Marra, take from the chest the dress you like the
best, clothe yourself and go to church; as to the millet and other
work, we ourselves will attend to that and see that everything is in
good order!"

Marra goes to Church

Marra needed no second invitation; she took the first silk dress
she touched, made her toilet and went to church, where her entrance
created quite a sensation. Everybody, men and women, greatly admired
her beauty and her costly attire, but they were puzzled as to who
she was, and whence she came. A prince happened to be in the church
on that day, and he, too, admired the beautiful maiden.

Just before the service ended, the girl stole from the church, went
hurriedly home, took off her beautiful clothes and placed them back in
the chest, which instantly shut and became invisible. She then rushed
to the kitchen, where she discovered that the dinner was quite ready,
and that the millet was gathered into the basket. Soon the stepmother
came back with her daughter and they were astounded to find the millet
gathered up, dinner prepared, and everything else in order. A desire
to learn the secret now began to torment the stepmother mightily.

Next Sunday everything happened as before, except that the girl
found in the chest a silver dress, and that the prince felt a greater
admiration for her, so much so that he was unable, even for a moment,
to take his eyes from her.

On the third Sunday, the mother and daughter again prepared to go to
church, and, having scattered the millet as before, she repeated her
previous threats. As soon as they disappeared, the girl ran straight
to her mother's grave, where she found, as on the previous occasions,
the open chest and the same two doves. This time she found a dress made
of gold lace, and she hastily clad herself in it and went to church,
where she was admired by all, even more than before. As for the tsar's
son, he had come with the intention not to let her this time out of
his sight, but to follow and see whither she went. Accordingly, as
the service drew near to its close, and the maiden withdrew quietly
as before, the enamoured prince followed after her. Marra hurried
along, for she had none too much time, and, as she went, one of her
golden slippers came off, and she was too agitated to stop and pick
it up. The prince, however, who had lost sight of the maiden, saw
the slipper and put it in his pocket. Reaching home, Marra took off
her golden dress, laid it in the chest, and rushed back to the house.

The Prince's Quest

The prince now resolved to go from house to house throughout his
father's realm in search of the owner of the slipper, inviting all
fair maidens to try on the golden slipper. But, alas! his efforts
seemed to be doomed to failure; for some girls the slipper was too
long, for others too short, for others, again, too narrow. There was
no one whom it would fit.

Wandering from door to door, the sad prince at length came to the
house of Marra's father. The stepmother was expecting him, and she had
hidden her stepdaughter under a large trough in the courtyard. When the
prince asked whether she had any daughters, the stepmother answered
that she had but one, and she presented the girl to him. The prince
requested the girl to try on the slipper, but, squeeze as she would,
there was not room in it even for her toes! Thereupon the prince
asked whether it was true that there were no other girls in the house,
and the stepmother replied that indeed it was quite true.

That very moment a cock flew on to the trough and crowed out lustily:
"Kook-oo-ryeh-koooo! Here she is under this very trough!"

The stepmother, enraged, exclaimed: "Sh----! Go away! May an eagle
seize you and fly off with you!" The curiosity of the prince was
aroused; he approached the trough, lifted it up, and, to his great
surprise, there was the maiden whom he had seen thrice in church,
clad in the very same golden dress she had last worn, and having only
one golden slipper.

When the prince recognized the maiden he was overcome with joy. Quickly
he tried the slipper on her dainty foot; it not only fitted her
admirably, but it exactly matched the one she already wore on her left
foot. He lifted her up tenderly and escorted her to his palace. Later
he won her love, and they were happily married.

IV. ANIMALS' LANGUAGE

The universality of folk-lore is curiously illustrated in the
following tale which is strikingly like a story native to the negroes
of Western Africa. In this the hero is granted, as a boon by the
King of the Animals, the gift of understanding animal language; he
is warned that if he divulges to any that he possesses this gift he
will die on the instant; he is made rich by the possession of it;
he laughs at a conversation between animals which he overhears;
his wife demands to know the cause of his laughter. To this point
the two stories are identical, but in the West African tale the man
divulges the secret and pays the penalty with his life, whereas the
Serbian conclusion is very much less tame, as will be seen.

A wealthy peasant had a shepherd, who served him for a great number
of years most honestly and faithfully. One day, as he drove his
sheep through a forest to the pasture, he heard a hissing sound,
and wondered what it could be. Listening carefully he went nearer
and nearer to the spot whence the sound came, and he saw that the
forest was on fire and that the hissing proceeded from a snake that
was surrounded by flames. The shepherd watched to see what the poor
creature would do in its trouble: and when the snake saw the shepherd,
it exclaimed from the midst of the flames: "O shepherd, I pray of you,
save me from this fire!" Then the shepherd reached out his crook and
the snake entwined itself swiftly round the stick, round his arm,
on to his shoulders and round his neck.

When the shepherd realized what was happening he was seized with
horror, and cried out: "What are you about to do, ungrateful
creature! Did I save your life only to lose my own?" And the snake
answered him: "Have no fear, my saviour! But take me to my father's
house! My father is the king of the snake-world."

The shepherd endeavoured to move the snake to pity and prayed it to
excuse him, for he could not leave his sheep. Thereupon the snake said
to him: "Be comforted, my friend! Do not trouble about your sheep;
nothing amiss will happen to them, but now do hasten to my father's
house!" So the shepherd went with the snake round his neck through
the forest, till he came at length to a doorway constructed entirely
of serpents. When they came near the gate, the shepherd's guide
hissed to its servants, whereupon all the snakes instantly untwined
themselves, leaving a way open for the shepherd, who passed through
unmolested. Then the snake said to its preserver: "When we come before
my father he will surely give you, as reward for your kindness to me,
whatever you may wish: gold, silver and precious stones; but you should
not accept anything of that kind. I would advise you to ask for the
language of animals. He will undoubtedly be opposed to your wish,
but finally he will yield."

They now entered the apartments of the king, who, with evident relief,
inquired: "My son, where have you been all this time?" The reptile
then told all about the fire in the forest and of the kindness
of the shepherd, who had saved his life. At this the snake-king
turned with emotion to the shepherd: "What reward can I give you for
having saved the life of my son?" he said. The shepherd answered:
"I desire nothing but the power of understanding and speaking the
language of animals." But the monarch said: "That is not for you,
for if I give you that power, and you should impart the secret
to another, you will instantly die. Therefore choose some other
gift." But the shepherd insisted: "If you wish to reward me, give
me the language of animals: if you do not care to gratify my wish,
no more need be said; I bid you farewell!" And indeed he turned to
go, but the king, seeing his determination, stopped him, exclaiming:
"Come here, my friend! Since you so strongly desire the language
of animals, the gift shall not be withheld; open your mouth!" The
shepherd obeyed, and the snake-king blew into his mouth, and said:
"Now, blow into my mouth!" The shepherd did as he was told, and the
snake-king blew a second time in the shepherd's mouth, and then said:
"Now you have the language of animals. Go in peace; but be sure not
to impart your secret to another, else you will die that very moment!"

The shepherd took leave of his friends and as he returned through
the woods he heard and understood everything the birds, plants and
other living creatures were saying to each other. When he reached
his flock and found all his sheep safe as had been promised, he lay
on the grass to rest.

The Buried Treasure

Hardly had he settled himself, than two ravens alighted on a tree
near by and began to converse: "If this shepherd knew what is under
the spot where that black lamb is lying, he would surely dig in the
earth; he would discover a cave full of silver and gold."

The shepherd at once went to his master and told him of the buried
treasure. The latter drove a cart to the place indicated, dug deeply
in the earth and lo! he found a cave full of silver and gold, the
contents of which he placed in his cart and carried home. This master
was an honest and generous man, and he gave the entire treasure to
his shepherd, saying: "Take this, my son; it was to you that God gave
it! I would advise you to build a house, to marry and start some good
business with this gold."

The shepherd did as his kindly master advised him, and, little by
little he multiplied his wealth and became the richest man, not
only in his village, but in the whole district. He now hired his own
shepherds, cattle-drivers and swineherds to keep his great property
in good order. One day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife:
"Prepare wine and food, for to-morrow we will go to our farms and
feast our servants." His wife did as he bade, and the next morning
they went to their farms, and the master said to his men: "Now come
one and all, eat and drink together; as for the sheep I will myself
watch them to-night."

So the kind man went to guard his sheep. About midnight, wolves began
to howl and his dogs barked a defiance. Said the wolves in their own
language to the dogs: "Can we come and kill the sheep? There will be
enough for you also." Thereupon the dogs answered in their own tongue:
"O come by all means, we also would like to have a feast!" But amongst
the dogs there was a very old one who had only two teeth left. That
faithful animal barked furiously at the wolves: "To the devil with
you all! So long as I have these two teeth, you shall not touch my
master's sheep!" And the master heard and understood every word they
uttered. Next morning he ordered his servants to kill all his dogs,
except the old one. The servants began to implore their master, saying:
"Dear master, it is a pity to kill them!" But the master would not
suffer any remonstrance, and sternly ordered: "Do as I bid you!" Then
he and his wife mounted their horses and started for home, he on a
horse and she on a mare. As they journeyed, the horse left the mare
a little behind and he neighed, saying: "Hurry up, why do you dawdle
behind?" And the mare answered: "Eh, it is not hard for you--you are
carrying only your master, and I am carrying a despotic woman whose
rules are a burden to the whole household."

The Importunate Wife

Hearing this, the master turned his head and burst into laughter. His
wife noticing his sudden mirth, spurred on her mare, and when she
reached her husband she asked him why he had laughed. He answered:
"There is no reason, I just laughed." But the woman was not satisfied
with this reply and would not give her husband any peace. He
endeavoured in vain to excuse himself, saying: "Don't keep on asking
me; if I tell you the true reason why I laughed, I shall instantly
die!" But she did not believe her husband, and the more he refused
to tell her, the more she insisted that he should do so, until at
last the poor man was worn out by her persistence.

Directly they arrived home, therefore, the man ordered a coffin to
be made, and, when it was ready and he had it placed in front of the
house-door, he said to his wife: "I shall lie down in this coffin,
for the moment I tell you why I laughed, I shall die." So he laid
himself in the coffin, and as he took a last look around, he saw his
faithful old dog, coming from the fields. The poor animal approached
his master's coffin and sat near his head howling with grief. When
the master saw this, he requested his wife to give it food. The
woman brought bread and gave it to the dog, who would not even look
at it, still less eat it. The piece of bread attracted a cock, which
came forward and began to peck at it; the dog reproached him saying:
"You insatiable creature! You think of nothing but food, and you fail
to see that our dear master is about to die!"

To this reprimand the cock retorted: "Let him die, since he is such
a foolish man! I have a hundred wives, and I gather them all round a
grain of corn, which I happen to find; and then, when they have all
assembled, I swallow it myself! If any of them should protest, I just
peck at them; but he, the fool, is not able to rule a single wife."

At this the man jumped out of the coffin, took a stick and called
to his wife: "Come in the house, wife, and I shall tell you why
I laughed!"

Seeing the obvious intention of her husband, the woman begged him to
desist, and promised that nevermore would she be curious, or try to
pry into his affairs.

V. THE STEPMOTHER AND HER STEPDAUGHTER

Once upon a time there was a girl who lived with her stepmother. The
woman hated her stepdaughter exceedingly, because she was more
beautiful than her own daughter, whom she had brought with her to the
house. She did her utmost to turn the poor girl's own father against
her, and with such success that he soon began to scold and even to
hate his own child.

One day the woman said to her husband: "We must send your daughter
away. She must go into the world to seek her fortune!" And he answered:
"How can we send the poor girl away? Where could she go alone?" But
the wicked stepmother replied: "To-morrow you must take her far into
the woods, leave her there and hurry home, or I will no longer live
with you."

The unfortunate father at length gave way, and said: "At least
prepare the girl something for her journey, that she may not die
of hunger." The stepmother therefore made a cake, and gave it to
the girl next morning as she was leaving the house. The man and his
daughter trudged on until they were right in the depth of the woods,
and then the father stole away and returned home.

The girl, alone in the woods, wandered all the rest of that day in
search of a path, but could not find one. Meanwhile it grew darker
and darker, and at length she climbed a tree, fearing lest some
wild beast should devour her if she remained through the night on
the ground. And indeed, all night long the wolves howled under the
tree so ravenously that the poor girl, in her nervous terror, could
hardly keep from falling.

Next morning she descended the tree and wandered on again in search
of some way out, but the more she walked the denser grew the forest,
and there seemed to be no end to it. When it grew dark again, she
looked about for another suitable tree in the branches of which
she might safely pass the night, but suddenly she noticed something
shining through the darkness. She thought it might, perhaps, be a
dwelling, and she went toward it. And indeed, she came soon to a large
fine house, the doors of which were open. She entered, and saw many
elegant rooms, in one of which was a large table with lights burning
on it. She thought this must be the dwelling of brigands, but she had
no fear at all, for she reasoned with herself: "Only rich people need
fear robbers; I, a poor simple girl, have nothing to be afraid of;
I shall tell them that I am ready to work for them gladly if they
will give me something to eat."

A Strange Dwelling

Then she took the cake from her bag, made the sign of the cross
[80] and began her meal. No sooner had she begun to eat than a cock
appeared and flew near her as if begging for a share. The good girl
crumbled a piece of her cake and fed him. Shortly afterward a little
dog came and began in his own way to express friendly feeling toward
her. The girl broke another piece of her cake, gently took the little
dog in her lap, and began feeding and caressing it. After that a cat
came in too, and she did the same with her.

Suddenly she heard a loud growling, and she was terrified to see
a lion coming toward her. The great beast waved his tail in such a
friendly manner, and looked so very kind, however, that her courage
revived, and she gave him a piece of her cake, which the lion ate;
and then he began to lick her hand. This proof of gratitude reassured
the girl completely, and she stroked the lion gently, and gave him
more of the cake.

All at once the girl heard a great clashing of weapons, and nearly
swooned as a creature in a bear-skin entered the room. The cock, the
dog, the cat and the lion all ran to meet it, and frisked about it
affectionately, showing many signs of pleasure and rejoicing. She,
poor creature, did not think this strange being could be anything
but cruel, and expected it would spring upon her and devour her. But
the seeming monster threw the bear-skin from its head and shoulders,
and at once the whole room gleamed with the magnificence of its
golden garments. The girl almost lost her senses when she saw before
her a handsome man of noble appearance. He approached her and said:
"Do not fear! I am not a lawless man, I am the tsar's son; and when
I wish to hunt, I usually come here, disguised in this bear-skin,
lest the people should recognize me. Save you, no one knows that I
am a man; people think I am an apparition, and flee from me. No one
dares to pass near this house, still less to enter it, for it is known
that I dwell in it. You are the first who has ventured to come in;
probably you knew that I was not a ghost?"

Thereupon the girl told the prince all about her wicked stepmother,
and declared that she knew nothing of this dwelling or who lived in
it. When the young prince heard her story, moved with indignation and
pity, he said: "Your stepmother hated you, but God loved you. I love
you very much, too, and if you feel you could return my love, I would
like to marry you--will you be my wife?" "Yes," replied the maiden.

Next morning the prince took the girl to his father's palace and they
were married. After some time the prince's bride begged to be allowed
to go and pay a visit to her father. The prince gladly allowed her
to do as she wished, and donning a fine robe embroidered with gold
she went to her old home. Her father happened to be absent, and her
stepmother, seeing her coming, feared that she had come to revenge
herself; therefore she hurried out to meet her, saying: "You see now
that I sent you on the road of happiness?" The stepdaughter embraced
the woman and kissed her; she also embraced her stepsister. Then she
sat down to await her father's return, but at length, as he did not
come, she was compelled reluctantly to leave without seeing him. On
going away she gave much money to her stepmother, nevertheless when
she had got some distance from the house, the ungrateful woman
steathily shook her fist at her, muttering: "Wait a little, you
accursed creature, you shall certainly not be the only one so elegantly
dressed; to-morrow I shall send my own daughter the same way!"

The Envy of the Stepmother

The husband did not return until late in the evening, when his wife
met him, saying: "Listen, husband! I propose that my own daughter
should be sent out into the world that she may also seek her fortune;
for your girl came back to visit us to-day and lo! she was glittering
in gold." The man sighed and agreed.

Next morning the woman prepared for her daughter several cakes and
some roast meat and sent her with the father into the forest. The
unfortunate man guided her as he had led his own daughter, into the
heart of the forest, and then stole off leaving her alone. When the
girl saw that her father had disappeared she walked on slowly through
the woods, till she came to the gates of the same house in which
her stepsister had found happiness. She entered, closed the door
and resolved not to open it for anybody. Then she took a cake out
of her bag and began her meal. Meanwhile the cock, the dog and the
cat came in, and began to frisk about her playfully expecting that
she would give them something to eat, but she exclaimed angrily:
"Get away, you ugly creatures! I have hardly enough for myself;
I will not give you any!" Then she began to beat them; whereat the
dog howled, and the lion, hearing his friend's lamentation, rushed
in furiously and killed the unkind girl.

Next morning the prince rode out with his wife to hunt. They came to
the house, and saw what had happened, and when the princess recognized
her stepsister's dress, she gathered up the torn garment and carried it
to her father's house. This time she found her father at home, and he
was indeed very happy to learn that his dear daughter was married to a
handsome prince. When, however, he heard what had befallen his wife's
daughter he was sad indeed, and exclaimed: "Her mother has deserved
this punishment from the hand of God, because she hated you without
reason. She is at the well, I will go and tell her the sad news."

When his wife heard what had happened, she said: "O husband! I cannot
bear the sight of your daughter; let us kill both her and the tsar's
son! Do this thing or I will jump at once into the well." The man
indignantly answered: "Well then, jump! I shall not murder my own
child!"

And the wicked woman said: "If you cannot kill her, I cannot bear to
look at her!" Thereupon she jumped into the well and was killed.

VI. JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE

There was a king who had two sons, one of whom was cunning and
unjust, and the other good and just. In due time the king died,
and the unjust son said to his brother: "As you are younger than I,
you cannot expect me to share the throne with you, so you had better
go away from the palace. Take these three hundred tzechins [81] and
a horse to ride: this is to be your share of the inheritance." The
younger brother took the gold and his horse, and reflecting he said:
"God be praised! How much of the entire kingdom has fallen to me!"

Some time later the two brothers met by chance on a road, and the
younger saluted the elder thus: "God help you, brother!" And the elder
answered: "May God send you a misfortune! Why do you for ever mention
the name of God to me? Injustice is better than justice." Thereupon the
good brother said: "I wager that injustice is not better than justice!"

So they laid as a wager one hundred tzechins and agreed to accept the
decision of the first passer-by whom they should happen to meet. Riding
on a little farther they met Satan, who had disguised himself as a
monk, and they requested him to decide their contest. Satan immediately
answered that injustice is better than justice; so the just brother
lost one hundred tzechins. Then they made another wager in the same
sum, and again a third; and each time the Devil--differently disguised
on each occasion--pronounced for injustice. Finally the good brother
lost even his horse; but he was quite unconvinced and he reflected:
"Ah, well! I have lost all my tzechins, it is true, but I have still my
eyes, and I shall wager my eyes this time." So they made the bet once
more, but the unjust brother did not even wait anybody's arbitration,
he took out his poniard and pierced his brother's eyes, saying:
"Now, let justice help you, when you have no eyes!"

The poor youth said to his cruel brother: "I have lost my eyes for the
sake of God's justice, but I pray you, my brother, give me a little
water in a vessel that I may wash my wounds and take me under the
pine-tree, near the spring!" The unjust brother did as he was asked
and then departed.

The Healing Water

The unfortunate youth sat without moving until late in the night,
when some veele came to the spring to bathe, and he heard one of them
say to her sisters: "Do you know, O sisters, that the royal princess
suffers from leprosy, and the king, her father, has consulted all
the famous physicians, but no one can cure her? But if the king knew
the healing qualities of this water, he would surely take a little and
bathe his daughter with it, and she would recover perfect health." When
the cocks began to crow, the veele disappeared and the prince crept
to the spring to test its wonderful properties. He bathed his eyes,
and lo! his sight was instantly restored; then he filled his vessel
with the water, and hurried to the king, whose daughter was suffering
from leprosy. Arriving at the palace he told the officers on guard
that he could cure the princess in a day and a night. The officers
informed the king, who at once allowed him to try his method and the
suffering princess was restored. This pleased the king so much that he
gave the young prince half of his kingdom, as well as his daughter
for his wife. So the just brother became the king's son-in-law,
and a Councillor of State.

The tidings of this great event spread all over the kingdom, and
finally came to the ears of the unjust prince. He thought that
his brother must have found his good fortune under the pine-tree,
so he went there himself to try his luck. Arrived there, he pierced
his own eyes. Late in the night, the veele came to bathe, and the
prince heard them discuss with astonishment the recovery of the
royal princess. "Some one must have spied upon us," said one of them,
"when we discussed about the qualities which this water possesses;
perhaps somebody is watching us even now. Let us look around us!" When
they came under the pine-tree, they found there the young man who
had come seeking good fortune, and they immediately tore him into four.

And thus was the wicked prince recompensed for his injustice.

VII. HE WHO ASKS LITTLE RECEIVES MUCH

Once upon a time there lived three brothers, who instead of much
property had only a pear-tree. Each would watch that tree in turn,
whilst the other two went away from home to work for hire. One night
God sent His angel to see how the brothers lived, and, should they
be in misery, to improve their position. The angel came disguised as
a beggar, and when he found one of the brothers watching the tree,
he went forward and asked him for a pear. The youth plucked some of
the fruit from his own part of the tree, handed them to the beggar,
and said: "Accept these pears from my share of the tree, but I cannot
give you those belonging to my brothers." The angel took the fruit,
thanked the youth, and disappeared.

The next day it was the turn of the second brother to watch the fruit,
and the angel, again in the semblance of a beggar, came and asked for a
pear. This brother likewise gave from his own part of the tree, saying:
"Take these, they are my own; but of those belonging to my brothers I
dare not offer you." The angel took the fruit gratefully and departed.

The third brother had a similar experience.

When the fourth day came, the angel disguised himself as a monk,
and came very early so that he could find all three brothers at home,
and he said to the youths: "Come with me, I shall improve your state
of life," whereupon they obeyed without question.

Soon they arrived at a river where the water was flowing in torrents,
and the angel asked the eldest brother: "What would you like to
have?" He answered: "I should like all this water to be changed into
wine and to belong to me." The angel made the sign of the cross with
his stick, and lo! wine was flowing instead of water, and that very
moment there appeared on the banks of the streamlet many barrels,
and men filling them with wine; in one word, there was a whole
village. Then the angel turned again to the young man and said:
"Here is what you wished; farewell!" and he continued his journey
with the others.

The three went on till they came to a field where they saw numbers of
doves, and the angel asked the second brother: "Now, what is it that
you would like?" And he answered: "I should like all these doves
to be changed into sheep, and to be mine!" The angel again made
the sign of the cross in the air, and lo! sheep instead of doves
covered the field. Suddenly there appeared many dairies; maidens
were busy milking the sheep, others pouring out the milk, others
again making cream. There was also a slaughter-house, and men busy,
some cutting the meat into joints, others weighing it, others again
selling the meat and receiving the money for it. Then the angel said:
"Here is all you wished for; farewell!"

The angel now proceeded with the youngest brother, and having
crossed the field he asked him what he would like to have. The
young man answered: "I should consider myself the happiest of men
if God were graciously pleased to grant me a wife of pure Christian
blood!" Thereupon the angel replied: "Oh, that is rather difficult to
find; in the whole world there are but three such women, two of whom
are married. The youngest is a maid, it is true, but she is already
sought in marriage by two wooers."

Journeying on, they came to a city where a mighty tsar dwelt with his
daughter. She, indeed, was of pure Christian blood. The travellers
entered the palace and found two princes already there with their
wedding apples [82] laid upon a table. Then the young man also
placed his apple on the table. When the tsar saw the newcomers he
said to those around him: "What shall we do now? Those are imperial
princes, and these men look like beggars!" Thereupon the angel said:
"Let the contest be decided thus: the princess shall plant three
vines in the garden, dedicating one to each of the three wooers;
and he on whose vine grapes are found next morning, is to be the
one whom the princess shall marry!" This plan was agreed to by all,
and the princess accordingly planted three vines.

When the next morning dawned, lo! grapes hung in clusters on the vine
dedicated to the poor man. So the tsar could not refuse his daughter
to the youngest brother. After the marriage, the angel led the young
couple to the forest, where he left them for a full year.

The Angel Returns

Then God sent again His angel, saying: "Go down to earth and see how
those poor ones are living now: if they are in misery, it may be you
will be able to improve their condition!" The angel obeyed immediately,
and disguising himself again as a beggar, he went first to the eldest
brother and asked him for a glass of wine. But the rich man refused,
saying: "If I were to give every one a glass of wine, there would be
none left for myself!" Upon this the angel made the sign of the cross
with his stick, and the stream began instantly to flow with water as
before. Then he turned to the man and said: "This was not for you;
go back under the pear-tree and continue to guard it!"

Then the angel went on to the second brother, whose fields were
covered with sheep, and asked him for a slice of cheese; but the rich
man refused, saying: "If I were to give everybody a slice of cheese,
there would be none left for myself!" Again the angel made the sign
of the cross with his stick, and lo! all the sheep turned instantly
into doves, who flew away. Then he said to the second brother: "Of
a surety that was not for you, go under the pear-tree and watch it!"

Finally the angel went to the youngest brother in order to see how
he was living, and found him with his wife in the forest, dwelling
as a poor man in a hut. He begged to be admitted into their hut, and
to pass the night there. They welcomed him very cordially, but they
explained that they could not entertain him as well as they would like
to do. "We are," they added, "very poor people." To which the angel
answered: "Do not speak so, I shall be quite content with what you
have!" They wondered then what to do, for there was no corn in their
hut to make real bread; they usually ground the bark of certain trees
and made bread from it. Such bread the wife now made for their guest,
and placed it in the oven to bake. When she came later to inspect her
baking, she was pleasantly surprised to find a fine loaf of real bread.

When the couple saw this wonder they lifted their hands toward
heaven and gave thanks: "We thank thee, O God! that we are now able
to entertain our guest!" After they had placed the bread before their
guest, they brought a vessel of water, and lo! when they came to drink,
they found it was wine.

Then the angel once more made the sign of the cross with his stick
over the hut, and on that spot instantly rose a beautiful palace,
containing an abundance of everything. Then the angel blessed the
couple and disappeared. The modest and pious man and woman lived
there happily ever after.

VIII. BASH TCHELIK OR REAL STEEL

There lived once a tsar who had three sons and three daughters. When
old age overtook him and the hour came for him to die he called his
children to him, and desired his sons to give their sisters to the
first wooers who might ask them in marriage. "Do as I tell you,"
added the dying tsar, "or dread my curse!"

Shortly after the tsar had passed away there came one night a fearful
knocking at the palace gate, so that the whole building shook, and
a great roaring, screaming, and blowing was heard; it seemed as if
the palace was assailed by some awful tempest. All the courtiers
were seized with unspeakable fear, and suddenly a voice from outside
was heard: "O princes, open the door!" Thereupon the eldest brother
exclaimed: "Do not open!" The second brother added: "Do not open for
anything!" But the youngest brother said: "I must open the door!" and
he sprang to the door and flung it open. As he did so something came
in, but the brothers could see only a bright light, out of which
proceeded these urgent words: "I have come to ask your eldest sister
in marriage, and to take her away this moment; for I have no time to
lose, neither shall I come a second time to demand her! Answer quickly,
will you give her or not? That is what I must know."

The eldest brother answered: "I will not give her. I cannot see you,
and do not know who you are or even whence you came. To-night is
the first time I have heard your voice, and you insist upon taking
my sister away at once. Should I not know where I could visit my
sister sometimes?"

The second brother also said: "I will not consent that my sister
should be taken away to-night!"

But the youngest brother protested, saying: "If you will not give her,
I will. Do you not remember our father's words?" Thereupon he took
his sister by the hand, [83] and presented her to the invisible wooer,
saying: "May she be a loyal and dutiful wife!"

The moment the princess passed over the threshold every one in the
palace fell to the ground in terror, so fearsome was the lightning
and so loud the peals of thunder. The whole building shook as if
about to fall. The storm, however, passed and daybreak came. That
morning close search was made to see if any trace could be found of
the strange visitant or the way it had gone; but, alas! all their
efforts were vain.

The second night, about the same time, a similar noise was heard
again round the palace, and a voice at the door exclaimed: "O princes,
open the door!"

Seized with fear they dared not disobey. Then the pitiless voice
spake again: "Give me your second sister; I have come to ask her
in marriage!"

The eldest brother protested: "I will not consent!" The second brother
said: "I will not give away our sister!" But the youngest brother was
willing. "I will give her!" said he; "have you already forgotten what
our father commanded at the hour of his death?"

Thereupon the youngest prince took his sister by the hand and presented
her to the unseen visitor, saying: "Take her, may she be loyal and
dutiful to you!" So the visitant departed with the princess, and next
morning no trace of him could be found.

The third night at the same hour the earth quaked and the palace rocked
on its foundations, so mighty was the tumult around it. And again a
mysterious voice was heard from without. The princes opened the door,
and the unseen presence entered and said: "I come to ask your youngest
sister in marriage!" The two elder brothers exclaimed simultaneously:
"We will not give our sister by night; we must know to whom we are
giving her, so that we may visit her when we wish to do so!" But
once more the youngest brother exclaimed: "I will give her, if you
will not! Have you, then, forgotten what our father told us? It is
not so very long ago!" So saying, he took the maiden and presented
her to the invisible power, saying: "Take her with you! And may she
bring you joy and happiness!"

The Princes set Out

Next morning the brothers debated the fate of their sisters, and
sorrow filled their hearts. "Great Heaven!" they said, "what a mighty
wonder! We know not what has befallen our sisters; neither do we
know where they have gone nor whom they have married!" At length
they decided to go in search of their beloved sisters, and making
the necessary preparations for their journey they set out on the quest.

They journeyed for some time and then lost their way in a dense
forest, in which they wandered for a whole day. When darkness fell,
they agreed that they must pass the night at some place where they
could find water, so when they came to a lake, they decided to pass
the night there, and sat down to eat. When they were ready to compose
themselves to sleep, the eldest proposed to his brothers that they
should sleep while he kept guard. So the two younger brothers went
to sleep, and the eldest watched.

About midnight the lake became agitated, and the watcher was seized
with horror when he saw in the middle of it something moving straight
toward him. As it came nearer, he saw clearly that it was a monstrous
alligator with two huge ears. The monster attacked the prince with
all its strength, but the gallant young man received it on the point
of his sword and swiftly cleft its head asunder. Then he cut off the
ears, placed them in his bag, but threw the carcass back into the
lake. Soon after this, morning broke; but the two younger brothers
slept quietly on, unconscious of their brother's exploit.

In due time the prince awakened the young men and, without mentioning
what had happened, he recommended that they should continue their
journey. They travelled the whole day long and, having again lost
their way in another dense forest, they decided to pass the coming
night by a small lake, and they quickly made a fire. After they had
eaten, the second brother said: "To-night you two sleep, and I shall
watch." And so the eldest and the youngest brothers slept, while the
second kept guard.

Suddenly the water of the lake began to stir, and lo! an alligator with
two heads appeared and rushed furiously upon the three brothers. But
the second brother was no coward; he gave the monster a fearful blow
with his gleaming sabre and the alligator fell dead. Then the prince
cut off its four ears, placed them in his bag, and threw the horrible
carcass into the lake. The two sleeping brothers knew nothing of all
this and slept till sun-rise. Then the gallant prince exclaimed:
"Get up, my brothers, it is high time!" And they instantly arose,
and prepared to continue their journey, without knowing whither they
should go.

A great fear seized their hearts when they found themselves in a
horrible desert; they wandered in this for three long days, and, as
their food was consumed, they feared now lest they should die of hunger
in this strange land, which seemed to have no end. Then they addressed
their fervent prayers to the Almighty that He might be pleased to
afford them some guidance, and lo! they saw at length a large sheet
of water. Great was now their joy, and they took counsel with each
other and agreed to pass the night on the shores of that lake.

Having quenched their thirst, they made a bright fire, and when the
hour for sleep approached, the youngest brother proposed: "To-night
it is my turn; you two go to sleep and I shall watch!" So the two
elder brothers went to sleep, and the youngest brother kept awake,
looking sharply about him, often casting his eyes over the lake. Toward
midnight he noticed a disturbance in the water, and as he looked in
wonder the lake grew so agitated that a wave overflowed the shore and
nearly extinguished the fire. The next moment a horrible alligator
with three heads appeared and rushed furiously on the brothers,
obviously intending to devour them. But the youngest prince was no
less brave than his two brothers; he unsheathed his sword, and as
the monster came on with jaws wide agape, he gave it three fearful
blows in rapid succession, slashing off its three heads. Then he cut
off the six ears and placed them in his bag, and threw the body and
the heads back into the lake.

The Nine Giants

Meantime the fire had smouldered out, and having no materials with
which to make a fresh fire, and not wishing to awake his brothers,
the prince went a short distance into the desert in the hope of
finding some fuel, but without success. He climbed upon a rock, and
looking around he saw at length the glare of a fire. As it seemed
that the fire was not very far off, he decided to go and get brands
with which to relight his own fire. So he descended from the rock and
hastening for some time through the desert, he came at last to a cave
in which he saw nine giants sitting round a big fire and roasting on
spits two men, one on each side. Upon the fire there stood a caldron
full of the limbs of men.

When the prince saw all this, he was seized with horror, and would
readily have gone back, but it was too late. So he saluted the giants
thus: "Good evening, my comrades, I have been in search of you for a
long time!" They welcomed him in a friendly manner and returned the
greeting, saying: "May God favour you, since you are one of us!" The
wily prince added: "Why, I shall remain one of your faithful friends
for ever, and would give my life for your sake!" "Eh!" exclaimed
the giants, "since you intend to join us, no doubt you are ready
to eat man's flesh, and to join our company when we go in search of
prey?" Thereupon the tsar's son answered: "Most decidedly! I shall
do willingly everything that you, yourselves, do." Hearing this the
giants retorted: "That is well for you then! Come and sit here with
us!" Then the whole company, sitting round the fire, and taking the
meat out of the caldron, began to eat. The tsar's son pretended to
eat, but he deceived them cleverly, for instead of eating he threw
the meat behind him.

After supper the giants exclaimed: "Now let us go to hunt, for we
must have something to eat to-morrow!" So they started out, all nine
of them, the prince being the tenth of the party. "Come with us,"
said the giants to the prince, "we will go to a neighbouring city
in which lives a tsar: for from that city we have been supplying
ourselves with food for many years!" When they arrived at that
place, the giants uprooted two fir-trees, and, reaching the walls
of the city, they placed one tree against it and ordered the prince:
"Go up to the top of the wall, and we will hand you the second tree,
which you will fix on the other side of the wall, so that we can climb
down the stem of it into the city." The prince obeyed, and, when he
was on the top of the wall, he said: "I do not know how to do it,
I am not familiar with this place, and I cannot manage to throw the
tree over the wall; please come up, one of you, and show me how to do
it!" Thereupon one of the giants climbed up, took the top of the tree
and threw the stem over the wall, holding fast the highest branch in
his hands. The prince utilised this opportunity to draw his sword,
and, unseen by those below, with one stroke he cut off the giant's
head, and pushed his body over the wall. Then he said to the others:
"Now come up one by one, so that I can let you down into the city as
I did our first comrade." The giants, suspecting nothing, climbed up
one after the other; and the prince cut off their heads till he had
killed the whole nine. Then he slowly descended the pine-tree and
reached the ground within the city walls.

Walking through the streets he was surprised to see no living soul
there, and the whole city seemed to be deserted! So he reasoned to
himself: "Those ugly giants must have annihilated all the inhabitants
of this city!"

The Sleeping Princess

He continued wandering about till he saw at length a very tall tower,
through one of the vent-holes of which shone a light. He opened the
door and went straight to the room from which he judged the light
to have come. It was magnificently decorated with gold and velvet,
and lying on a resplendent couch, was a maiden sleeping. The girl was
exceedingly beautiful, and as the prince devoured her with his eyes
he was horrified to see a snake on the wall; it poised its hideous
head with the obvious intention of striking the girl on her forehead
between the eyes, but the prince rushed swiftly forward with drawn
poniard and pierced the serpent's head so that it was nailed to the
wall, exclaiming as he did so: "May God grant that my poniard cannot
be drawn out of the wall by any hand but mine!" He then hurried away,
climbing the city wall by the same way as he had come. When he arrived
at the giants' cave, he took a brand from the fire, and hastened to the
place where he had left his brothers, and found them still sleeping. He
made a fresh fire, and, as meantime the sun had risen, he now awoke his
brothers and they immediately continued their journey. That same day
they came to a road which led to the city of which we have heard. It
was the custom of the tsar who lived in that city to walk abroad
every morning and to lament the great destruction of his people by
the giants. His greatest anxiety was lest his only daughter would one
day be their prey. On this particular morning he walked unusually
early through the streets, which were all empty. After a time he
came to a part of the city wall against which the tall pine-tree
of the giants leaned. He approached closely and found the bodies of
the nine giants, the terrible enemies of his people, lying upon the
ground with their heads cut off. When the tsar saw this wonder he
rejoiced exceedingly, and the people soon gathered around him and
prayed that God might grant happiness and long life to the hero who
had killed the giants. At that very moment servants came hurriedly
from the palace and informed the tsar that a snake had very nearly
caused the death of his daughter. Hearing this the tsar ran to his
daughter, and entering her room he was amazed to see a large, hideous
serpent nailed to the wall. He tried at once to pluck out the poniard,
but was not able to do so.

Then the tsar issued a proclamation throughout his vast empire to the
effect that if the hero who had killed the nine giants and pierced
the snake would come to court he should receive great gifts and the
hand of the tsar's daughter in marriage. This proclamation spread
quickly all over the land, and by the tsar's orders, in every inn
on the principal roads an official was stationed whose duty it was
to ask every traveller if he had heard of the hero who had killed
the nine giants. If any man should know anything about the matter,
he was at once to come before the tsar and tell what he knew, and
was to be rewarded. And the tsar's commands were strictly carried out.

After some time the three princes in search of their sisters came
to pass the night at one of the inns of that country, and, after
supper, they began an animated conversation with the inn-keeper,
in the course of which the witty host boasted of his exploits, and
at length asked the princes: "Tell me now, what heroic deeds have
you young men performed?"

Thereupon the eldest brother started thus: "When my brothers and I set
out on our expedition in search of our sisters, we decided to pass
the first night on the shores of a lake in the midst of a deserted
forest. There I proposed that my brothers should go to sleep while
I remained to keep watch. As soon as they fell asleep, a terrible
alligator rose from the lake to devour my brothers, but I received
it on the point of my sword and cleft its hideous head asunder: if
you do not believe, here are the ears of the monster!" Saying this,
the eldest brother took out of his bag the ears of the alligator and
placed them on the table.

When the second brother heard this, he said: "And I was on guard,
my brothers, while you were sleeping the second night; and from the
lake appeared an alligator with two heads. I rushed at it with my
sword and cut off both its heads: if you do not believe me, see! here
are the four ears of the monster!" Saying this, he produced the ears
from his bag and placed them on the table to the great astonishment
of the listeners.

The Hero Found

But the youngest brother kept silent. And the inn-keeper asked him:
"By my faith, young man, your brothers are veritable heroes, let us
hear whether you have performed any heroic exploit?" Then the youngest
brother began to relate: "I have also done a little. When we arrived
at the shores of a lake on the third night in that desert to pass the
night, you, my brothers, went to rest, and I remained awake to keep
watch. About midnight, the lake was greatly agitated and an alligator
with three heads rushed out with the intention of swallowing you, but I
received it on the point of my sword and successfully cleft its three
heads asunder: if you do not believe me, see! here are the six ears
of the monster!" This astounded even his brothers, and the young man
continued: "Meantime our fire was extinguished, and I went in search
of fuel. Wandering over the desert, I came across nine giants ..." and
so he proceeded to relate to them all his surprising deeds. When the
story came to an end the inn-keeper hurried off and told everything to
the tsar, who gave him money and ordered that the brothers should be
brought to him. When they appeared the tsar asked the youngest prince:
"Is it really you who have done all those wonders in my city, and
saved the life of my only daughter?" "Yes, your Majesty!" answered
the prince. Thereupon the tsar moved with great joy and gratitude,
gave his daughter in marriage to the gallant prince and appointed
him his prime minister. As to his brothers, the tsar said: "If you
wish to remain with your brother, I shall find you wives and shall
order castles to be built for you!" But the two princes thanked his
Majesty and declared that they were already married and that they
wished to continue their search for their lost sisters.

The tsar approved of this resolution, and having been supplied with
two mules loaded with gold the two brothers said their farewells
and departed. The youngest brother soon began to think of his three
sisters; he would have been sorry to leave his wife to go in search of
them, and in any case the tsar, his father-in-law, would not permit
him to leave the court. Nevertheless the prince wasted away slowly
in grief for his sisters.

One day the tsar went forth to hunt, and said to the prince:
"Remain in the palace, and take these nine keys and keep them in
your pocket. You can open three or four rooms with those keys, there
you will find unbounded gold, silver and precious stones. In fact,
if you wish to do so, you can open even the eight rooms, but do not
dare to open the ninth. Ill indeed will be your fate if you do!"

Bash Tchelik

As soon as the tsar had left the palace, the young prince began
to open the doors, one after the other, of all the eight rooms,
and truly he saw much gold, silver and other precious things. At
length he came to the ninth room, and reasoned to himself: "I have
survived many extraordinary adventures, nothing ever surprised me;
why should I now be afraid to venture into this room?" Saying this,
he opened the door, and what do you think he saw there? In the middle
of the room stood a strange man, whose legs were bound in iron up to
the knees and his arms up to the elbows; in the four corners of the
room there were chains fastened to thick beams, and all the chains
met in a ring round the man's neck, so that he could not make the
slightest movement. In front of him was a fountain from which the water
streamed through a golden pipe into a golden basin. Near him stood a
golden mug, incrusted with precious stones. Despite his longing to
drink the water, the man could not move to reach the mug. When the
prince saw all this, he was indeed astounded, and drew back, but the
man groaned: "For heaven's sake, come to me!" The prince approached
him and the man said: "Do a good deed! Give me now a cup of water,
and know for certain, that I will reward you with another life!"

The prince thought within himself: "Is there anything better than
to possess two lives?" So he took the mug, filled it with water, and
handed it to the man, who drank eagerly. Then the prince asked him:
"Tell me now, what is your name?" The man answered: "My name is Bash
Tchelik (Real Steel)." The prince made a movement toward the door,
but the man again implored him: "Give me another mug of water, and
I shall give you a second life!" The prince thought: "Now, if he
gives me a second life, I shall have, together with my own, three
lives! This will be quite wonderful!" So he again filled the mug
and handed it to the strange prisoner, who emptied it greedily. The
prince turned toward the door, but the man exclaimed: "O hero, do not
go! Come back a moment! Since you have done two good deeds, do yet
a third, and I will give you a third life as reward. Take this mug,
fill it with water, and pour it over my head!"

The prince had no desire to refuse; he filled the cup with water,
and poured it over the man's head. No sooner had he done this than
Bash Tchelik broke the iron chains around his neck, jumped up with
the speed of lightning, and, lo! he had wings. He rushed through the
door before the surprised prince could make a movement, and, having
snatched up the daughter of the tsar, the wife of his deliverer,
he flew into the air and disappeared.

When the tsar returned from the hunt, his son-in-law told him all
that had happened, and the tsar was indeed greatly saddened, and
exclaimed: "Why did you do this? Did I not tell you not to open the
ninth room?" The prince humbly answered: "Do not be angry, I shall
go in search of Bash Tchelik, for I must fetch my wife." But the
tsar tried to dissuade him, saying: "Do not go, for anything in the
world! You do not yet know this man; it cost me many an army before
I succeeded in taking him prisoner. Remain in peace where you are,
and I will find for you a still better wife than my daughter was, and
rest assured that I shall continue to love you as my own son!" However,
the young prince would not listen to his father-in-law's advice, but
took money for his travelling expenses, saddled a horse and went in
search of Bash Tchelik.

The Prince finds his Sister

Some time later the young man came to a city. From the window of
a castle a girl cried out: "O prince, alight from your charger and
come into our courtyard!" The prince did as he was invited; the girl
met him in the courtyard, and he was greatly astonished to recognize
in her his eldest sister. They embraced and kissed each other, and
his sister said: "Come within, my brother." When they were inside,
the prince asked his sister who her husband was, and she answered:
"I have married the king of dragons, and he has sworn that he will
kill my brothers the first time he comes across them. Therefore,
I will hide you, and shall ask him first what he would do to you
if you appeared. Should he declare that he would do you no harm,
I would tell him of your presence." So she hid both her brother and
his horse. Toward evening the dragon flew home, and the whole castle
shone. As soon as he entered, he called his wife: "My dear, there is
a smell of human bones! Tell me at once who is here!" She answered:
"There is nobody!" But the dragon added: "That cannot be!" Then his
wife asked him: "Please answer truly, would you harm my brothers if
one of them should come here to see me?" And the king of dragons said:
"Your eldest and your second brother I would slaughter and roast, but
your youngest brother I would not harm." Then she said: "My youngest
brother, and your brother-in-law, is here." Thereupon the king said:
"Let him come in." And when the prince appeared, the king of dragons
stretched forth his arms, embraced his brother-in-law, and said:
"Welcome, O brother!" And the prince answered: "I hope you are
well?" Then they related to each other all their adventures from
beginning to end, and sat down to supper.

At length the prince told his brother-in-law that he was searching
for Bash Tchelik, and the dragon advised him, saying, "Do not go any
further! I will tell you all about him; the very day when he escaped
from his prison, I met him with five thousand of my dragons, and,
after a severe battle, he escaped victorious. So you see, there is
slender hope for you, alone, to overpower him. Therefore I advise you,
as a friend, to abandon your plan, and return home in peace; and if
you are in need of money I will give you any amount of it." But the
prince answered: "I thank you very much for all your good wishes
and advice, but I cannot do otherwise than go in search of Bash
Tchelik!" And he thought: "Why should I not do so, since I have three
superfluous lives?"

When the king of dragons saw that he could not dissuade the prince,
he handed a feather he was wearing to him, and said: "Take this, and if
you are ever in need of my help, you have only to burn it, and I will
come at once to your aid with all my forces." The prince thankfully
took the feather and started once more in pursuit of Bash Tchelik.

The Second Sister

Wandering for some time he came at length to another city, and,
as he was riding under the tower of a magnificent castle, a window
opened and he heard a voice calling him: "Alight from your steed, O
prince, and come into our courtyard!" The prince complied immediately,
and when he entered the courtyard, he was greatly surprised to see
his second sister, who threw herself into his arms, weeping for
joy. Then she showed her brother into her private apartment, and
he asked: "To whom are you married, sister dear?" And she answered:
"My husband is the king of the eagles." When the king returned home
his loving wife welcomed him, but he exclaimed at once: "Who is the
daring man now in my castle? Tell me directly!" She lied and said:
"No one!" Then they began their supper, and the princess asked her
husband: "Tell me truly, would you do any harm to my brothers if
one of them should dare to come here to see me?" And the eagle-king
answered: "As to your eldest and your second brother, I declare that
I would kill them; but your third brother I would welcome and help
as much as I could." Then she took heart and told him: "Here is
my youngest brother, and your brother-in-law, who has come to see
us!" Then the king ordered his servants to bring the prince before
him, and when the servants obeyed and the prince appeared, he stood
up and embraced and kissed his brother-in-law, saying: "Welcome,
my dear brother-in-law!" And the prince, touched by his kindness,
answered most courteously: "Thank you, my brother! I hope you are
well!" The king at once bade him be seated at table, and after supper
the prince related his wonderful adventures, and finished by telling
them about his search for Bash Tchelik. Hearing this, the eagle-king
counselled his brother-in-law most urgently to give up his hazardous
plan, adding: "Leave that fiend alone, O dear brother-in-law! I would
advise you to remain here; you will find everything you desire in my
castle." But the adventurous prince would not listen to this advice
for a moment, and on the morrow he prepared to resume his search for
Bash Tchelik. Then the eagle-king, seeing that the prince's resolution
was unshakable, plucked out of his garment a beautiful feather, handed
it to his brother-in-law, and said: "Take this feather, O brother,
and if you ever should need my help you will have but to burn it,
and I will at once come to your aid with the whole of my army." The
prince accepted the feather most gratefully, took his leave, and went
away in pursuit of his enemy.

The Third Sister

After some time he came to a third city, in which he found in the
same manner his youngest sister. She was married to the king of the
falcons, who also welcomed him in a friendly manner, and gave him a
feather to burn in case of need.

The Prince finds his Wife

After wandering from one place to another, he finally found his wife in
a cave. When his wife saw him she exclaimed: "How in the world did you
come here, my dear husband?" And he told her all about his adventures
and said: "Let us flee together, my wife!" But she replied: "How could
we flee, when Bash Tchelik will surely overtake us: he would kill you,
and he would take me back and punish me." Nevertheless, the prince,
knowing well that he had three additional lives, persuaded his wife
to go with him.

No sooner had they left the cavern than Bash Tchelik heard of their
departure and hurried after them. In a short time he reached them,
took back the princess, and reproached the prince; "O prince, you have
stolen your wife! This time I forgive you, because I recollect having
granted you three lives. So you can go, but if you dare come again
for your wife I shall kill you!" Thereupon Bash Tchelik disappeared
with the princess, and her husband remained to wonder what he should
do next. At length he decided to try his luck again, and when he
was near the cave he chose a moment when Bash Tchelik was absent,
and again took away his wife. But Bash Tchelik again learnt of their
departure quickly, and in a short time reached them again. Now he drew
his bow at the prince, saying: "Do you prefer to be shot by this arrow,
or to be beheaded by my sabre?" The prince asked to be pardoned again,
and Bash Tchelik forgave him, saying: "I pardon you this time also,
but know surely that should you dare come again to take away your
wife I shall kill you without mercy."

The prince tried his luck yet a third time, and, being again caught
by Bash Tchelik, once more implored to be pardoned. Because he had
given him of his own free will three lives, Bash Tchelik listened to
his plea, but said: "Be warned; do not risk losing the one life God
gave you!"

The prince, seeing that against such a power he could do nothing,
started homeward, pondering in his mind, however, how he could
free his wife from Bash Tchelik. Suddenly an idea came to him: he
recalled what his brothers-in-law had said when giving him a feather
from their garments. So he thought: "I must go once more and try to
rescue my wife; if I come to any harm I will burn the feathers and
my brothers-in-law will come to my aid."

Thereupon the prince returned to the cave of Bash Tchelik, and his
wife was greatly surprised to see him and exclaimed: "So, you are
tired of life, since you have come back a fourth time for me!" But
the prince showed his wife the feathers and explained their uses, and
prevailed upon her to try once more to escape. No sooner had they left
the cavern, however, than Bash Tchelik rushed after them shouting:
"Stop, prince! You cannot escape me!" The prince, seeing that they
were in imminent peril, hastily burnt all three feathers, and when Bash
Tchelik came up with drawn sabre ready to kill him, oh! what a mighty
wonder! At the same moment came flying to the rescue the dragon-king
with his host of dragons, the eagle-king with all his fierce eagles,
and the falcon-king with all his falcons. One and all fell furiously
upon Bash Tchelik, but despite the shedding of much blood Bash Tchelik
seemed to be invincible, and at length he seized the princess and fled.

After the battle the three brothers-in-law found the prince dead,
and immediately decided to recall him to life. They asked three
dragons which of them could bring, in the shortest possible time,
some water from the Jordan. The first said: "I could bring it in half
an hour!" The second declared: "I will bring it in ten minutes!" The
third asserted: "I can bring it in nine seconds!" Thereupon the king
dispatched the third dragon, and, indeed, he used all his fiery might
and returned in nine seconds. The king took the healing water, poured
it upon the gaping wounds of their brother-in-law, and, as they did
so, the wounds were healed up and the prince sprang to his feet alive.

Then the kings counselled him: "Since you have been saved from death go
home in peace." But the prince declared that he would once more try to
regain his beloved wife. The kings endeavoured to dissuade him, saying:
"Do not go, for you will be lost if you do! You know well that you
have now only the one life which God gave you." But the prince would
not listen. Thereupon the kings said: "Since it cannot be otherwise,
then go! But do not vainly think to flee with your wife! Request your
wife to ask Bash Tchelik where his strength lies, and then come and
tell us, in order that we may help you to conquer him."

The Secret of Strength

This time the prince went stealthily to the cavern and, as
counselled by the kings, told his wife to inquire from Bash Tchelik
wherein lay his strength. When Bash Tchelik returned home that
evening, the princess asked: "I pray you, tell me where lies your
strength?" Bash Tchelik, hearing this laughed and said: "My strength
is in my sabre!" The princess knelt before the sabre and began to
pray. Thereupon Bash Tchelik burst into louder laughter, exclaiming:
"O foolish woman! My strength is not in my sabre, but in my bow and
my arrows!" Then the princess knelt before the bow and the arrows,
and Bash Tchelik, shouting with laughter, said: "O foolish woman! My
strength is neither in my bow nor in my arrows! But tell me who
instructed you to ask me where my force lies? If your husband were
alive I could guess it was he who demanded it!" But the princess
protested that no one urged her, and he believed what she said.

After some time the prince came, and when his wife told him that she
could not learn anything from Bash Tchelik, he said: "Try again!" and
went away.

When Bash Tchelik returned home the princess began again to ask him to
tell the secret of his strength. Then he answered: "Since you esteem
my heroism so much, I will tell you the truth about it." And he began:
"Far away from here is a high mountain, in that mountain there lives a
fox, in the fox is a heart, in that heart there lives a bird: in that
bird lies my whole strength. But it is very hard to catch that fox,
for it can turn itself into anything!"

Next morning, when Bash Tchelik left the cave, the prince came
and learned the secret from his wife. Then he went straight to his
brothers-in-law who, upon hearing his tale, went at once with him
to find the mountain. This they were not long in doing, and they
loosed eagles to chase the fox, whereat the fox quickly ran into a
lake and there it transformed itself into a six-winged duck. Then the
falcons flew to the duck and it mounted into the clouds. Seeing this,
the dragons pursued it; the duck changed again into a fox; the other
eagles surrounded it, and at length it was caught.

Then the three kings ordered the fox to be cut open and its heart
taken out. This done, they made a great fire and from the fox's
heart took a bird which they threw into the fire, and it was burnt
to death. So perished Bash Tchelik, and thus did the prince finally
regain his beloved and loyal wife.

IX. THE GOLDEN APPLE-TREE AND THE NINE PEAHENS

Once there was a king who had three sons. In the garden of the palace
grew a golden apple-tree, which, in one and the same night would
blossom and bear ripe fruit. But during the night a thief would come
and pluck the golden apples, and none could detect him. One day the
king deliberating with his sons, said: "I would give much to know
what happens to the fruit of our apple-tree!" Thereupon the eldest
son answered: "I will mount guard to-night under the apple-tree,
and we will see who gathers the fruit."

When evening came, the prince laid himself under the apple-tree to
watch; but as the apples ripened, he fell asleep and did not wake until
next morning, when the apples had vanished. He told his father what
had happened, and his brother, the second son, then offered to keep
guard that night. But he had no more success than his elder brother.

It was now the turn of the youngest son to try his luck, and, when
night came on, he placed a bed under the tree, and lay down and went
to sleep. About midnight he awoke and glanced at the apple-tree. And
lo! the apples were just ripening and the whole castle was lit up
with their shining. At that moment nine peahens flew to the tree and
settled on its branches, where eight remained to pluck the fruit. The
ninth, however, flew to the ground and was instantly transformed into
a maiden so beautiful that one might in vain search for her equal
throughout the kingdom.

The prince immediately fell madly in love with his visitor and the
fair maiden was not at all unwilling to stay and converse with the
young man. An hour or two soon passed but at last the maiden said
that she might stay no longer. She thanked the prince for the apples
which her sisters had plucked, but he asked that they would give him
at least one to carry home.

The maiden smiled sweetly and handed the young man two apples, one
for himself, the other for his father, the king. She then turned
again into a peahen, joined her sisters and all flew away.

Next morning the prince carried the two apples to his father. The king,
very pleased, praised his son, and on the following night, the happy
prince placed himself under the tree, as before, next morning again
bringing two apples to his father. After this had happened for several
nights, his two brothers grew envious, because they had not been able
to do what he had done. Then a wicked old woman offered her services
to the malcontent princes, promising that she would reveal the secret
to them. So on the next evening the old woman stole softly under the
bed of the young prince and hid herself there. Soon afterward the
prince came and at once went to sleep just as before. When midnight
came, lo! the peahens flew down as usual; eight of them settling on
the branches of the apple-tree, but the ninth, descending on the bed
of the prince, instantly turned into a maiden. The old woman, seeing
this strange metamorphosis, crept softly near and cut off a lock of
the maiden's hair, whereupon the girl immediately arose, changed again
into a peahen, and disappeared together with her sisters.  Then the
young prince jumped up and wondering what had been the reason for the
sudden departure of his beloved began to look around. He then saw the
old woman, dragged her from under his bed, and ordered his servants
to fasten her to the tails of four horses and so to destroy her.

But the peahens never came again, to the great sorrow of the prince,
and for all that he mourned and wept.

Weeping will not move any mountain, and at length the prince resolved
to go through the wide world in search of his sweetheart and not
return home until he had found her. As a good son, he asked leave
of his father who tried hard to make him give up such a hazardous
scheme and promised him a much more beautiful bride in his own vast
kingdom--for he was very sure that any maiden would be glad to marry
such a valiant prince.

The Prince's Quest

But all his fatherly advice was vain, so the king finally allowed
his son to do what his heart bade, and the sorrowful prince departed
with only one servant to seek his love. Journeying on for a long
time, he came at length to the shore of a large lake, near which
was a magnificent castle in which there lived a very old woman, a
queen, with her only daughter. The prince implored the aged queen,
"I pray thee, grandmother, tell me what you can about the nine golden
peahens?" The queen answered: "O, my son, I know those peahens well,
for they come every day at noon to this lake and bathe. But had you
not better forget the peahens, and rather consider this beautiful
girl, she is my daughter and will inherit my wealth and treasures,
and you can share all with her." But the prince, impatient to find the
peahens, did not even listen to what the queen was saying. Seeing his
indifference, the old lady bribed his servant and gave him a pair of
bellows, saying: "Do you see this? When you go to-morrow to the lake,
blow secretly behind your master's neck, and he will fall asleep and
will not be able to speak to the peahens."

The faithless servant agreed to do exactly as the queen bade, and when
they went to the lake, he used the first favourable occasion and blew
with the bellows behind his poor master's neck, whereupon the prince
fell so soundly asleep that he resembled a dead man. Soon after, the
eight peahens flew to the lake, and the ninth alighted on the prince's
horse and began to embrace him, saying: "Arise, sweetheart! Arise,
beloved one! Ah, do!" Alas! the poor prince remained as if dead. Then
after the peahens had bathed, all disappeared.

Shortly after their departure the prince woke up and asked his servant:
"What has happened? Have they been here?" The servant answered that
they had indeed been there; that eight of them bathed in the lake,
while the ninth caressed and kissed him, trying to arouse him from
slumber. Hearing this, the poor prince was so angry that he was almost
ready to kill himself.

Next morning the same thing happened. But on this occasion the
peahen bade the servant tell the prince that she would come again the
following day for the last time. When the third day dawned the prince
went again to the lake, and fearing to fall asleep he decided to gallop
along the marge instead of pacing slowly as before. His deceitful
servant, however, pursuing him closely, again found an opportunity
for using the bellows, and yet again the prince fell asleep.

Shortly afterward the peahens came; eight of them went as usual to
bathe, and the ninth alighted on the prince's horse and tried to awaken
him. She embraced him and spoke thus: "Awake, my darling! Sweetheart,
arise! Ah, my soul!" But her efforts were futile; the prince was
sleeping as if he were dead. Then she said to the servant: "When thy
master awakes tell him to cut off the head of the nail; then only he
may be able to find me again."

Saying this the peahen disappeared with her sisters, and they had
hardly disappeared when the prince awoke and asked his servant:
"Have they been here?" And the malicious fellow answered: "Yes;
the one who alighted on your horse ordered me to tell you that, if
you wish to find her again, you must first cut off the head of the
nail." Hearing this the prince unsheathed his sword and struck off
his faithless servant's head.

The Quest Resumed

The prince now resumed his pilgrimage alone, and after long journeying
he came to a mountain where he met a hermit, who offered hospitality
to him. In the course of conversation the prince asked his host
whether he knew anything about the nine peahens; the hermit replied:
"O my son, you are really fortunate! God himself has shown you the
right way. From here to their dwelling is but half a day's walk;
to-morrow I will point you the way."

The prince rose very early the next morning, prepared himself for the
journey, thanked the hermit for giving him shelter, and went on as
he was directed. He came to a large gate, and, passing through it,
he turned to the right; toward noon he observed some white walls,
the sight of which rejoiced him very much. Arriving at this castle
he asked the way to the palace of the nine peahens, and proceeding
he soon came to it. He was, of course, challenged by the guards,
who asked his name and whence he came. When the queen heard that he
had arrived, she was overwhelmed with joy, and turning into a maiden
she ran swiftly to the gate and led the prince into the palace.

There was great feasting and rejoicing when, later, their nuptials
were solemnized, and after the wedding the prince remained within
the palace and lived in peace.

Now one day the queen went for a walk in the palace grounds accompanied
by an attendant, the prince remaining in the palace. Before starting
the queen gave her spouse the keys of twelve cellars, saying: "You
may go into the cellars, all but one; do not on any account go into
the twelfth; you must not even open the door!"

The prince soon began to speculate upon what there could possibly be
in the twelfth cellar; and having opened one cellar after the other,
he stood hesitatingly at the door of the twelfth. He who hesitates
is lost, and so the prince finally inserted the key in the lock and
the next moment had passed into the forbidden place. In the middle of
the floor was a huge cask bound tightly round with three strong iron
hoops. The bung-hole was open and from within the cask came a muffled
voice which said: "I pray thee, brother, give me a drink of water,
else I shall die of thirst!" The prince took a glass of water and
poured it through the bung-hole; immediately one hoop burst. Then
the voice spake again: "O brother give me more water lest I should
die of thirst!" The good-hearted prince emptied a second glass into
the cask, and a second hoop instantly came asunder. Again the voice
implored: "O brother, give me yet a third glass! I am still consumed by
thirst!" The prince made haste to gratify the unseen speaker, and as
he poured in the water the third hoop burst, the cask fell in pieces,
and a great dragon struggled out from the wreck, rushed through the
door and flew into the open. Very soon he fell in with the queen,
who was on her way back to the palace, and carried her off. Her
attendant, affrighted, rushed to the prince with the intelligence,
and the news came as a thunderbolt.

For a time the prince was as one distraught, but then he became
more calm and he resolved to set out again in search of his beloved
queen. In his wanderings he came to a river, and, walking along
its bank, he noticed in a little hole a small fish leaping and
struggling. When the fish saw the prince it began to beseech him
piteously: "Be my brother-in-God! Throw me back into the stream; some
day I may, perhaps, be useful to you! But be sure to take a scale from
me, and when you are in need of help rub it gently." The prince picked
up the fish, took a scale from it, and threw the poor creature into
the water; then he carefully wrapped the scale in his handkerchief.

Continuing his wanderings, he came to a place where he saw a fox
caught in an iron trap, and the animal addressed him, saying: "Be my
brother-in-God! Release me, I pray, from this cruel trap; and some day,
perhaps, I may be helpful to you. Only take a hair from my brush,
and, if you are in need, rub it gently!" The prince took a hair
from the fox's tail and set him free. Journeying on, he came upon
a wolf caught in a trap. And the wolf besought him in these words:
"Be my brother-in-God, and release me! One day you may need my help,
therefore, take just one hair from my coat, and if you should ever
need my assistance, you will have but to rub it a little!" This
likewise the prince did.

Some days elapsed and then, as the prince went wearily on his way, he
met a man in the mountains, to whom he said: "O my brother-in-God! Can
you direct me to the castle of the king of the dragons?" Luckily the
man knew of this castle and was able to tell the way to it; he also
informed the prince exactly how long the journey would take.

The Prince finds his Wife

The prince thanked the stranger and continued his journey with fresh
vigour until he came to where the king of the dragons lived. He entered
the castle boldly and found his wife there; after their first joy
of meeting, they began to consider how they could escape. Finally,
they took swift horses from the stables, but they had hardly set out
before the dragon came back. When he found that the queen had escaped,
he took counsel with his courser: "What do you advise? Shall we first
eat and drink, or shall we pursue at once!" The horse answered: "Let
us first refresh ourselves, for we shall surely catch them." After
the meal, the dragon mounted his horse and in a very few minutes they
reached the fugitives. Then he seized the queen and said to the prince:
"Go in peace! I pardon you this time, because you released me from
that cellar: but do not venture to cross my path again, for you will
not be forgiven a second time."

The poor prince started sadly on his way, but he soon found that he
could not abandon his wife. Whatever the cost he must make another
attempt to rescue her, and so he retraced his steps, and on the
following day entered the castle again and found his wife in tears. It
was evident that they must use guile if they were to elude the magical
powers of the dragon-king, and after they had thought upon the matter,
the prince said: "When the dragon comes home to-night, ask where he
got his horse; perchance I may be able to procure a steed that is
equally swift: only then could we hopefully make another attempt to
escape." Saying this he left his wife for a time. When the dragon-king
returned, the queen began to caress him and to pleasantly converse;
at length she said: "How I admire your fine horse! Certainly he is of
no ordinary breed! Where did you find such a swift courser?" And the
dragon-king replied: "Ah! his like is not to be got by every one! In
a certain mountain lives an old woman, who has in her stables twelve
wondrous horses; none could easily tell which is the finest! But
in a corner stands one that is apparently leprous; he is, in fact,
the best of the stable, and whoever becomes his master, may ride
even higher than the clouds. My steed is a brother of those horses,
and if anyone would get a horse from that old woman he must serve her
for three days. She has a mare and a foal, and he who is her servant
must tend them for three days and three nights; if he succeeds in
guarding them and returns them to the old woman, he is entitled to
choose a horse from her stable. But, if the servant does not watch
well over the mare and its foal, he will indeed lose his life."

The old Woman and her Horses

Next morning, when the dragon had left the castle, the prince came
and the queen told him what she had heard. Hastily bidding his
wife farewell, he went with all speed to the mountain, and finding
the old woman, he said to her: "God help you, grandmother!" And she
returned the greeting: "May God help you also, my son! What good wind
brought you here, and what do you wish?" He answered: "I should like
to serve you." Thereupon the old woman said: "Very well, my son! If
you successfully watch my mare and its foal for three days, I shall
reward you with a horse which you yourself are at liberty to choose
from my stable; but if you do not keep them safe, you must die."

Then she led the prince into her courtyard, where he saw stakes
all around placed close together, and on each save one was stuck
a human head. The one stake kept shouting out to the old woman:
"Give me a head, O grandmother! Give me a head!" The old woman said:
"All these are heads of those who once served me; they did not succeed
in keeping my mare and its foal safe, so they had to pay with their
heads!" But the prince was not to be frightened at what he saw,
and he readily accepted the old woman's conditions.

When evening came, he mounted the mare and rode it to pasture, the
foal following. He remained seated on the mare, but, toward midnight,
he dozed a little and finally fell fast asleep. When he awoke he saw,
to his great consternation, that he was sitting upon the trunk of a
tree holding the mare's bridle in his hand. He sprang down and went
immediately in search of the tricky animal. Soon he came to a river,
the sight of which reminded him of the little fish, and taking the
scale from his handkerchief, he rubbed it gently between his fingers,
when lo! the fish instantly appeared and asked: "What is the matter,
my brother-in-God?" The prince answered: "My mare has fled, and I do
not know where to look for her!" And the fish answered: "Here she is
with us, turned into a fish, and her foal into a small one! Strike
once upon the water with the bridle and shout: 'Doora! Mare of the
old woman!'"

The prince did as the fish told him; at once the mare and her foal
came out of the water; he bridled the mare, mounted and rode home; the
young foal trotting after. The old woman brought the prince some food
without a word; then she took the mare into the stable, beat her with
a poker, and said: "Did I not tell you to go down among the fish?" The
mare answered: "I have been down to the fish, but the fish are his
friends and they betrayed me to him." Thereupon the old woman said:
"To-night you go among the foxes!"

When evening came, the prince mounted the mare again and rode to
the field, the foal following its mother. He determined again to
remain in the saddle and to keep watch, but, toward midnight, he was
again overcome by drowsiness and became unconscious. When he awoke
next morning, lo! he was seated on a tree-trunk holding fast the
bridle. This alarmed him greatly, and he looked here and he looked
there. But search as he would, he could find no trace of the mare
and her foal. Then he remembered his friend the fox, and taking the
hair from the fox's tail out of his handkerchief, he rubbed it gently
between his fingers, and the fox instantly stood before him. "What
is the matter, my brother-in-God?" said he. The prince complained of
his misfortune, saying that he had hopelessly lost his mare. The fox
soon reassured him: "The mare is with us, changed to a fox, and her
foal into a cub; just strike once with the bridle on the earth, and
shout out 'Doora, the old woman's mare!'" He did so, and sure enough
the mare at once appeared before him with the foal. So he bridled her
and mounted, and when he reached home the old woman gave him food,
and took the mare to the stable and beat her with a poker, saying:
"Why did you not turn into a fox, you disobedient creature?" And
the mare protested: "I did turn into a fox; but the foxes are his
friends, so they betrayed me!" At this the old woman commanded:
"Next time you go to the wolves!"

When evening came the prince set out on the mare and the same things
befell as before. He found himself, the next morning, sitting on a
tree-trunk, and this time he called the wolf, who said: "The mare of
the old woman is with us in the likeness of a she-wolf, and the foal
of a wolf's cub; strike the ground once with the bridle and exclaim:
'Doora! the mare of the old woman!'" The prince did as the wolf
counselled, and the mare reappeared with her foal standing behind her.

He mounted once again and proceeded to the old woman's house, where, on
his arrival, he found her preparing a meal. Having set food before him,
she took the mare to the stable and beat her with a poker. "Did I not
tell you to go to the wolves, you wretched creature?" she scolded. But
the mare protested again, saying: "I did go to the wolves, but they
are also his friends and they betrayed me!" Then the old woman went
back to the house and the prince said to her: "Well, grandmother,
I think I have served you honestly; now I hope you will give me what
you promised me!" The old woman replied: "O my son, verily a promise
must be fulfilled! Come to the stable; there are twelve horses;
you are at liberty to choose whichever you like best!"

The Prince's Choice

Thereupon the prince said firmly: "Well, why should I be
particular? Give me the leprous horse, standing in that corner." The
old woman tried by all means in her power to deter him from taking that
ugly horse, saying: "Why be so foolish as to take that leprous jade
when you can have a fine horse?" But the prince kept to his choice, and
said: "Give me rather the one I selected, as it was agreed between us!"

The old woman, seeing that he would not yield, gave way, and the prince
took leave of her and led away his choice. When they came to a forest
he curried and groomed the horse, and it shone as if its skin were
of pure gold. Then he mounted, and, the horse flying like a bird,
they reached the dragon-king's castle in a few seconds.

The prince immediately entered and greeted the queen with: "Hasten,
all is ready for our flight!" The queen was ready, and in a few
seconds they were speeding away, swift as the wind, on the back of
the wonderful horse.

Shortly after they had gone, the dragon-king came home, and finding
that the queen had again disappeared, he addressed the following
words to his horse: "What shall we do now? Shall we refresh ourselves,
or shall we go after the fugitives at once?" And his horse replied:
"We may do as you will, but we shall never reach them!"

Upon hearing this the dragon-king at once flung himself upon his horse
and they were gone in a flash. After a time the prince looked behind
him and saw the dragon-king in the distance. He urged his horse, but
it said: "Be not afraid! There is no need to run quicker." But the
dragon-king drew nearer, so close that his horse was able to speak thus
to its brother: "O brother dear, tarry, I beseech you! else I shall
perish in running at this speed!" But the prince's horse answered:
"Nay, why be so foolish as to carry that monster? Fling up your
hoofs and throw him against a rock, then come with me!" At these
words the dragon-king's horse shook its head, curved its back, and
kicked up its hoofs so furiously that its rider was flung on to a rock
and killed. Seeing this, the prince's horse stood still, its brother
trotted up, and the queen mounted on it. So they arrived happily in her
own land, where they lived and ruled in great prosperity ever after.

X. THE BIRD MAIDEN

There was once a king who had an only son, whom, when he had grown
up, he sent abroad to seek a suitable wife. The prince set out on
his journey, but, although he travelled over the whole world, he did
not succeed in finding a bride. Finally, after having exhausted his
patience and his purse, he decided to die, and, that there should
not remain any trace of him, he climbed a high mountain, intending
to throw himself from the summit. He was on the point of jumping
from the pinnacle, when a voice uttered these mysterious words:
"Stop! Stop! O man! Do not kill yourself, for the sake of three
hundred and sixty-five which are in the year!"

The prince endeavoured in vain to discover whence the voice came,
and, seeing no one, he asked: "Who are you that speak to me? Show
yourself! If you knew of my troubles, you would surely not hinder
me!" Thereupon an old man appeared, with hair as white as snow,
and said to the unfortunate prince: "I am well aware of all you
suffer; but listen to me. Do you see yonder high hill?" The king's
son answered: "Yes, indeed." "Very well," continued the old man,
"seated day and night in the same spot on the summit of that hill
there is an old woman with golden hair, and she holds a bird in her
lap. He who succeeds in securing that bird will be the happiest man
in the world. But if you wish to try your luck you must be cautious;
you must approach the old woman quietly, and, before she sees you, you
must take her by the hair. Should she see you before you seize her, you
will be turned to stone then and there, just as it has happened to many
young men whom you will see there in the form of blocks of marble."

The Old Witch

When the prince heard these words, he reflected: "It is all one to
me; I shall go, and, if I succeed in seizing her, so much the better
for me; but if she should see me before I catch her, I can but die,
as I had already resolved to do." So he thanked the old man, and went
cheerfully to try his luck. He soon climbed the other hill and saw the
old woman, whom he approached very warily from behind. Fortunately
the old woman was absorbed in playing with the bird, and so the
prince was able to get quite near without being perceived. Then he
sprang suddenly forward and seized the old woman by her golden hair;
whereupon she screamed so loudly that the whole hill shook as with an
earthquake. But the courageous prince held her fast. Then the old woman
exclaimed: "Release me, and ask whatever you wish!" And the prince
answered: "I will do so if you let me have that bird, and if you at
once recall to life all these young men whom you have bewitched." The
old woman was forced to consent, and she gave up the bird. Then from
her lips she breathed a blue wind toward the petrified figures, so
that instantly they became living men once more. The noble prince
expressed the joy in his heart by kissing the bird in his hands,
whereupon it was transformed into a most beautiful girl, whom, it
appeared, the enchantress had bewitched in order to lure young men to
a horrid fate. The king's son was so pleased with his companion that
he promptly fell in love with her. On their way from that place the
maiden gave him a stick, and told him that it would do everything he
might wish. Presently the prince wished that he had the wherewithal
to travel as befitted a prince and his bride; he struck a rock with
the stick, and out poured a torrent of golden coins, from which they
took all they needed for their journey. When they came to a river,
the prince touched the water with his stick, and a dry path appeared,
upon which they crossed dryshod. A little farther on they were attacked
by a pack of wolves, but the prince protected his bride with his stick,
and one by one the wolves were turned into ants.

And many other adventures they had, but in the end they arrived
safely at the prince's home. Then they married and they lived happily
ever after.

XI. LYING FOR A WAGER

One day a father sent his boy to the mill with corn to be ground,
and, at the moment of his departure, he warned him not to grind it
in any mill where he should happen to find a beardless man. [84]

When the boy came to a mill, he was therefore disappointed to find
that the miller was beardless.

"God bless you, Beardless!" saluted the boy.

"May God help you!" returned the miller.

"May I grind my corn here?" asked the boy.

"Yes, why not?" responded the beardless one, "my corn will be soon
ground; you can then grind yours as long as you please."

But the boy, remembering his father's warning, left this mill and
went to another up the brook. But Beardless took some grain and,
hurrying by a shorter way, reached the second mill first and put some
of his corn there to be ground. When the boy arrived and saw that
the miller was again a beardless man, he hastened to a third mill;
but again Beardless hurried by a short cut, and reached it before
the boy. He did the same at a fourth mill, so that the boy concluded
that all millers are beardless men. He therefore put down his sack,
and when the corn of Beardless was ground he took his turn at the
mill. When all of his grain had been ground Beardless proposed:
"Listen, my boy! Let us make a loaf of your flour."

The boy had not forgotten his father's injunction to have nothing to
do with beardless millers, but as he saw no way out of it, he accepted
the proposal. So Beardless now took all the flour, mixed it with water,
which the boy brought him, and thus made a very large loaf. Then they
fired the oven and baked the loaf, which, when finished, they placed
against the wall.

Then the miller proposed: "Listen, my boy! If we were now to divide
this loaf between us, there would be little enough for either of
us, let us therefore tell each other stories, and whoever tells the
greatest lie shall have the whole loaf for himself."

The boy reflected a little and, seeing no way of helping himself, said:
"Very well, but you must begin."

Then Beardless told various stories till he got quite tired. Then the
boy said: "Eh, my dear Beardless, it is a pity if you do not know
any more, for what you have said is really nothing; only listen,
and I shall tell you now the real truth."

The Boy's Story

"In my young days, when I was an old man, we possessed many beehives,
and I used to count the bees every morning; I counted them easily
enough, but I could never contrive to count the beehives. Well,
one morning, as I was counting the bees, I was greatly surprised to
find that the best bee was missing, so I saddled a cock, mounted it,
and started in search of my bee. I traced it to the sea-shore, and
saw that it had gone over the sea, so I decided to follow it. When I
had crossed the water, I discovered that a peasant had caught my bee;
he was ploughing his fields with it and was about to sow millet. So
I exclaimed: 'That is my bee! How did you get it?' And the ploughman
answered: 'Brother, if this is really your bee, come here and take
it!' So I went to him and he gave me back my bee, and a sack full of
millet on account of the services my bee had rendered him. Then I
put the sack on my back, and moved the saddle from the cock to the
bee. Then I mounted, and led the cock behind me that it might rest
a little. As I was crossing the sea, one of the strings of my sack
burst, and all the millet poured into the water. When I had got across,
it was already night, so I alighted and let the bee loose to graze;
as to the cock, I fastened him near me, and gave him some hay. After
that I laid myself down to sleep. When I rose next morning, great was
my surprise to see that during the night, the wolves had slaughtered
and devoured my bee; and the honey was spread about the valley,
knee-deep and ankle-deep on the hills. Then I was puzzled to know in
what vessel I could gather up all the honey. Meantime I remembered I
had a little axe with me, so I went into the woods to catch a beast,
in order to make a bag of its skin. When I reached the forest, I saw
two deer dancing on one leg; so I threw my axe, broke their only leg
and caught them both. From those two deer I drew three skins and made a
bag of each, and in them gathered up all the honey. Then I loaded the
cock with the bags and hurried homeward. When I arrived home I found
that my father had just been born, and I was told to go to heaven
to fetch some holy water. I did not know how to get there, but as I
pondered the matter I remembered the millet which had fallen into the
sea. I went back to that place and found that the grain had grown up
quite to heaven, for the place where it had fallen was rather damp,
so I climbed up by one of the stems. Upon reaching heaven I found
that the millet had ripened, and an angel had harvested the grain
and had made a loaf of it, and was eating it with some warm milk. I
greeted him, saying: 'God bless you!' The angel responded: 'May God
help you!' and gave me some holy water. On my way back I found that
there had been a great rain, so that the sea had risen so high that my
millet was carried away! I was frightened as to how I should descend
again to earth, but at length I remembered that I had long hair--it is
so long that when I am standing upright it reaches down to the ground,
and when I sit it reaches to my ears. Well, I took out my knife and
cut off one hair after another, tying them end to end as I descended on
them. Meantime darkness overtook me before I got to the bottom, and so
I decided to make a large knot and to pass the night on it. But what
was I to do without a fire! The tinder-box I had with me, but I had
no wood. Suddenly I remembered that I had in my vest a sewing needle,
so I found it, split it and made a big fire, which warmed me nicely;
then I laid myself down to sleep. When I fell asleep, unfortunately
a flame burnt the hair through, and, head over heels, I fell to the
ground, and sank into the earth up to my girdle. I moved about to see
how I could get out, and, when I found that I was tightly interred,
I hurried home for a spade and came back and dug myself out. As soon
as I was freed, I took the holy water and started for home. When I
arrived reapers were working in the field. It was such a hot day,
that I feared the poor men would burn to death, and called to them:
'Why do you not bring here our mare which is two days' journey long
and half a day broad, and on whose back large willows are growing;
she could make some shade where you are working?' My father hearing
this, quickly brought the mare, and the reapers continued working
in the shade. Then I took a jug in which to fetch some water. When
I came to the well, I found the water was quite frozen, so I took my
head off and broke the ice with it; then I filled the jug and carried
the water to the reapers. When they saw me they asked me: 'Where is
your head?' I lifted my hand, and, to my great surprise, my head was
not upon my shoulders, and then I remembered having left it by the
well. I went back at once, but found that a fox was there before me,
and was busy devouring my head. I approached slowly and struck the
beast fiercely with my foot, so that in great fear, it dropped a little
book. This I picked up and on opening it, found written in it these
words: 'The whole loaf is for thee, and Beardless is to get nothing!'"

Saying this, the boy took hold of the loaf and made off. As for
Beardless, he was speechless, and remained gazing after the boy
in astonishment.

XII. THE MAIDEN WISER THAN THE TSAR

Long ago there lived an old man, who dwelt in a poor cottage. He
possessed one thing only in the world, and that was a daughter who
was so wise that she could teach even her old father.

One day the man went to the tsar to beg, and the tsar, astonished at
his cultivated speech, asked him whence he came and who had taught
him to converse so well. He told the tsar where he lived, and that
it was his daughter who had taught him to speak with eloquence.

"And where was your daughter taught?" asked the tsar.

"God and our poverty have made her wise," answered the poor man.

Thereupon the tsar gave him thirty eggs and said: "Take these to your
daughter, and command her in my name to bring forth chickens from
them. If she does this successfully I will give her rich presents,
but if she fails you shall be tortured."

The poor man, weeping, returned to his cottage and told all this to
his daughter. The maiden saw at once that the eggs which the tsar had
sent were boiled, and bade her father rest while she considered what
was to be done. Then while the old man was sleeping the girl filled
a pot with water and boiled some beans.

Next morning she woke her father and begged him to take a plough and
oxen and plough near the road where the tsar would pass. "When you see
him coming," said she, "take a handful of beans, and while you are
sowing them you must shout: 'Go on, my oxen, and may God grant that
the boiled beans may bear fruit!' Then," she went on, "when the tsar
asks you, 'How can you expect boiled beans to bear fruit?' answer him:
'just as from boiled eggs one can produce chicks!'"

The old man did as his daughter told him, and went forth to
plough. When he saw the tsar he took out a handful of beans, and
exclaimed: "Go on, my oxen! And may God grant that the boiled beans may
bear fruit!" Upon hearing these words the tsar stopped his carriage,
and said to the man: "My poor fellow, how can you expect boiled beans
to bear fruit?"

"Just as from boiled eggs one can produce chicks!" answered the
apparently simple old man.

The tsar laughed and passed on, but he had recognized the old man,
and guessed that his daughter had instructed him to say this. He
therefore sent officers to bring the peasant into his presence. When
the old man came, the tsar gave him a bunch of flax, saying: "Take
this, and make out of it all the sails necessary for a ship; if you
do not, you shall lose your life."

The poor man took the flax with great fear, and went home in tears
to tell his daughter of his new task. The wise maiden soothed him,
and said that if he would rest she would contrive some plan. Next
morning she gave her father a small piece of wood, and bade him take
it to the tsar with the demand that from it should be made all the
necessary tools for spinning and weaving, that he should thereby be
enabled to execute his Majesty's order. The old man obeyed, and when
the tsar heard the extraordinary request he was greatly astounded at
the astuteness of the girl, and, not to be outdone, he took a small
glass, saying: "Take this little glass to your daughter, and tell
her she must empty the sea with it, so that dry land shall be where
the ocean now is."

The old man went home heavily to tell this to his daughter. But the
girl again reassured him, and next morning she gave him a pound of
tow, saying: "Take this to the tsar and say, that when with this tow
he dams the sources of all rivers and streams I will dry up the sea."

The Tsar Sends for the Girl

The father went back to the tsar and told him what his daughter had
said, and the tsar, seeing that the girl was wiser than himself,
ordered that she should be brought before him. When she appeared the
tsar asked her: "Can you guess what it is that can be heard at the
greatest distance?" and the girl answered: "Your Majesty, there are two
things: the thunder and the lie can be heard at the greatest distance!"

The astonished tsar grasped his beard, and, turning to his attendants,
exclaimed: "Guess what my beard is worth?" Some said so much, others
again so much; but the maiden observed to the tsar that none of his
courtiers had guessed right. "His Majesty's beard is worth as much as
three summer rains," she said. The tsar, more astonished than ever,
said: "The maiden has guessed rightly!" Then he asked her to become
his wife, for "I love you," said he. The girl had become enamoured
of the tsar, and she bowed low before him and said: "Your glorious
Majesty! Let it be as you wish! But I pray that your Majesty may be
graciously pleased to write with your own hand on a piece of parchment
that should you or any of your courtiers ever be displeased with me,
and in consequence banish me from the palace, I shall be allowed to
take with me any one thing which I like best."

The tsar gladly consented, wrote out this declaration and affixed
his signature.

Some years passed by happily but there came at last a day when the
tsar was offended with the tsarina and he said angrily: "You shall
be no longer my wife, I command you to leave my palace!"

The tsarina answered dutifully: "O most glorious tsar, I will obey;
permit me to pass but one night in the palace, and to-morrow I will
depart."

To this the tsar assented.

That evening, at supper, the tsarina mixed certain herbs in wine and
gave the cup to the tsar, saying: "Drink, O most glorious tsar! And
be of good cheer! I am to go away, but, believe me, I shall be happier
than when I first met you!"

The tsar, having drunk the potion fell asleep. Then the tsarina who
had a coach in readiness, placed the tsar in it and carried him off
to her father's cottage.

When his Majesty awoke next morning and saw that he was in a cottage,
he exclaimed: "Who brought me here?"

"I did," answered the tsarina.

The tsar protested, saying: "How have you dared do so? Did I not tell
you that you are no longer my wife?"

Instead of answering the tsarina produced the parchment containing
the tsar's promise and he could not find a word to say.

Then the tsarina said: "As you see, you promised that should I be
banished from your palace I should be at liberty to take with me that
which I liked best!"

Hearing this, the tsar's love for his spouse returned, he took her
in his arms, and they returned to the palace together.

XIII. GOOD DEEDS NEVER PERISH

Once upon a time there lived a man and woman who had one son. When the
boy grew up his parents endeavoured to give him a suitable education
which would be useful in his after life. He was a good, quiet boy,
and above all he feared God. After he had completed his studies,
his father intrusted him with a galley laden with various goods,
so that he might trade with distant countries, and be the support of
his parents' old age.

The First Voyage

On his first voyage he one day met with a Turkish ship, in which he
heard weeping. So he called to the sailors on the Turkish vessel: "I
pray you, tell me why there is such sorrow on board your ship!" And
they answered: "We have many slaves whom we have captured in
various parts of the world, and those who are chained are weeping
and lamenting." Thereupon the young man said: "Pray, O brethren,
ask your captain if he will allow me to ransom the slaves for a sum
of money?" The sailors gladly called their captain, who was willing
to bargain, and in the end the young man gave his ship with all its
cargo to the Turk, in exchange for his vessel containing the slaves.

The young man asked each slave whence he came, and gave to all their
freedom, and said that each might return to his own country.

Among the slaves was an old woman who held a most beautiful maiden
by the arm. When he asked whence they came, the old woman answered
through her tears: "We come from a far-away country. This young
girl is the only daughter of the tsar, whom I have brought up from
her infancy. One unlucky day she was walking in the palace gardens,
and wandered to a lonely spot, where those accursed Turks saw her
and seized her. She began to scream, and I, who happened to be near,
ran to help her, but alas! I could not save her, and the Turks carried
us both on board this galley." Then the good nurse and the beautiful
girl, not knowing the way to their own country, and having no means of
returning thither, implored the young man to take them with him. And
this he was quite willing to do; indeed, he had immediately fallen in
love with the princess, and he now married the poor homeless maiden,
and, together with her and the old woman, returned home.

On their arrival, his father asked where his galley and its cargo
were, and he told him how he had ransomed the slaves and set them at
liberty. "This girl," said he, "is the daughter of a tsar, and this old
woman is her nurse; as they could not return to their country I took
them with me, and I have married the maiden." Thereupon his father
grew very angry, and said: "O foolish son, what have you done? Why
did you dispose so stupidly of my property without my permission?" and
he drove him out of the house.

Fortunately for the young man, a good neighbour offered him
hospitality, and, with his wife and her old nurse, he resided for a
long time near by, endeavouring, through the influence of his mother
and friends, to persuade his father to forgive him.

The Second Voyage

After some time the father relented, and received his son again in
his house, together with his young wife and her nurse. Soon after,
he purchased a second galley, larger and finer than the first, and
loaded it with merchandise wherewith his son might trade to great
profit, if so be that he were wise.

The young man sailed in this new vessel, leaving his wife and her nurse
in the house of his parents, and soon came to a certain city, where
he beheld a sorrowful sight. He saw soldiers busied in seizing poor
peasants and throwing them into prison, and he asked: "Why, brethren,
are you showing such cruelty to these unfortunate people?" And the
soldiers replied: "Because they have not paid the tsar's taxes." The
young man at once went to the officer and said: "I pray you, tell
me how much these poor people must pay." The officer told him the
amount due, and, without hesitation, the young man sold his galley
and the cargo, and discharged the debts of all the prisoners. He now
returned home, and, falling at the feet of his father, he told him
the story and begged that he might be forgiven. But his father grew
exceedingly angry this time, and drove him away from his house.

What could the unhappy son do in this fresh trouble? How could he beg,
he whose parents were so well-to-do? Old friends of the family again
used their influence with his father, urging that he should take pity
on his son and receive him back, "for," said they, "it is certain
that suffering has made him wiser, and that he will never again act
so foolishly." At length his father yielded, took him again into his
house, and prepared a third galley for him, much larger and finer
than the two former ones.

The Third Voyage

The young man was overjoyed at his good fortune, and he had the
portrait of his beloved wife painted on the helm, and that of the old
nurse on the stern. When all the preparations for a new voyage were
completed, he took leave of his parents, his wife, and other members of
the family, and weighed anchor. After sailing for some time he arrived
at a great city, in which there lived a tsar, and, dropping anchor,
he fired his guns as a salute to the city. Toward evening the tsar
sent one of his ministers to learn who the stranger was and whence he
came, and to inform him that his master would come at nine o'clock next
morning to visit the galley. The minister was astounded to see on the
helm the portrait of the imperial princess--whom the tsar had promised
to him in marriage when she was still a child--and on the stern that of
the old nurse; but he did not make any remark, nor did he tell anyone
at the palace what he had seen. At nine o'clock next morning the tsar
came on board the galley with his ministers, and, as he paced the deck,
conversing with the captain, he also saw the portrait of the maiden
painted on the helm and that of the old woman on the stern, and he
recognized at once the features of his only daughter and her nurse,
whom the Turks had captured. At once he conceived the hope that his
beloved child was alive and well, but he could not trust himself to
speak, so great was his emotion. Composing himself as best he could,
he invited the captain to come at two o'clock that afternoon to his
palace, intending to question him, hoping thus to confirm the hopes
of his heart.

Punctually at two o'clock the captain appeared at the palace, and the
tsar at once began to question him in a roundabout manner as to the
maiden whose portrait he had seen on the helm of his galley. Was she
one of his relations, and, if so, in what degree? He was also curious
concerning the old woman whose likeness was painted on the stern.

The young captain guessed at once that the tsar must be his wife's
father, and he related to him word by word all his adventures, not
omitting to say that, having found that the young maiden and her nurse
had forgotten the way back to their country, he had taken pity on them
and later had espoused the maiden. Hearing this the tsar exclaimed:
"That girl is my only child and the old woman is her nurse; hasten
and bring my daughter here that I may see her once more before I
die. Bring here also your parents and all your family; your father
will be my brother and your mother my sister, for you are my son and
the heir to my crown. Go and sell all your property and come that
we may live together in my palace!" Then he called the tsarina, his
wife, and all his ministers, that they might hear the joyful news,
and there was great joy in the court.

After this the tsar gave the captain a magnificent ship requesting
him to leave his own galley behind. The young man was, of course,
very grateful, but he said: "O glorious tsar! My parents will not
believe me, if you do not send one of your ministers to accompany
me." Thereupon the tsar appointed as his companion for the voyage,
the very minister to whom he had formerly promised his daughter
in marriage.

The captain's father was greatly surprised to see his son return so
soon and in such a magnificent ship. Then the young man related to his
father and others all that had happened, and the imperial minister
confirmed all his statements. When the princess saw the minister
she exclaimed joyfully: "Yes, indeed, all that he has said is true;
this is my father's minister, who was to be my betrothed." Then the
man and his family sold all their property and went on board the ship.

The Treacherous Minister

Now the minister was a wicked man, and he had formed a design to kill
the young husband of the princess that he might espouse her and one day
become tsar. Accordingly during the voyage he called the young man on
deck one night to confer with him. The captain had a quiet conscience
and did not suspect evil, wherefore he was entirely unprepared when
the minister seized him and threw him swiftly overboard. The ship
was sailing fast; it was impossible that he could reach it, so he
fell gradually behind. By great good luck he was very near to land
and soon he was cast ashore by the waves. But, alas! this land was
but a bare uninhabited rock.

Meantime the minister had stolen back to his cabin and next morning
when it was found that the captain had disappeared, all began to weep
and wail, thinking that he had fallen overboard in the night and been
drowned. His family would not be consoled, more especially his wife,
who loved him so much. When they arrived at the tsar's palace and
reported that the young man had been accidentally drowned, the entire
court mourned with them.

For fifteen days the tsar's unhappy son-in-law was condemned to a
bare subsistence upon the scanty grass which grew upon the rocky
islet. His skin was tanned by the hot sun and his garments became
soiled and torn, so that no one could have recognized him. On the
morrow of the fifteenth day, he had the good fortune to perceive an
old man on the shore, leaning on a stick, engaged in fishing. He
began at once to hail the old man and to beseech him to help him
off the rock. The old fisherman said: "I will save you, if you will
pay me!" "How can I pay you," answered the castaway, "when, as you
see, I have only these rags, and nothing more?" "Oh, as for that,"
replied the old man, "you can write and sign a promise to give me a
half of everything that you may ever possess." The young man gladly
made this promise. Then the old man produced writing materials and
the young man signed the agreement, after which they both sailed in
the old man's fishing boat to the mainland. After that the young man
wandered from house to house and from village to village, a barefoot
beggar, in rags, sunburnt, and hungry.

The Young Man's Return

After thirty days' journeying, good luck led him to the city of the
tsar and he sat him down, staff in hand, at the gates of the palace,
still wearing on his finger his wedding-ring, on which was engraved
his name and that of his wife. The servants of the tsar, pitying his
sad plight, offered him shelter for the night in the palace and gave
him to eat fragments from their own dinner. Next morning he went to
the garden of the palace, but the gardener came and drove him away,
saying that the tsar and his family were soon coming by. He moved
from that spot and sat down in a corner on the grass, when suddenly he
saw the tsar walking with his own mother and father, who had remained
at the court as the tsar's guests, and his beloved wife walking arm
in arm with his enemy, the minister. He did not yet wish to reveal
himself, but as the tsar and his train passed by and gave him alms,
he stretched out his hand to receive it and the wedding-ring upon
his finger caught the princess's eye. She recognized it at once,
but it was incredible that the beggar could be her husband, and she
said to him: "Pray, give me your hand that I may see your ring!" The
minister protested, but the princess did not pay any attention to
him, and proceeded to examine the ring, to find there her own name
and that of her husband. Her heart was greatly agitated at the sight,
but she made an effort to control her feelings and said nothing. Upon
her return to the palace she appeared before her father and told him
what she had seen. "Please send for him," said she, "and we may find
out how the ring came into his possession!" The tsar immediately sent
an attendant to fetch the beggar. The order was executed at once,
and, when the stranger appeared the tsar asked him his name, whence
he came, and in what manner he obtained the ring. The unfortunate
young man could no longer maintain his disguise, so telling the
tsar who he was, he went on to relate all his adventures since the
minister treacherously threw him into the sea. "Behold!" said he at
last, "Our gracious Lord and my right-dealing has brought me back
to my parents and my wife." Almost beside themselves for joy, the
tsar called for the young man's parents and imparted to them the
good news. Who could express the joy of the aged couple when they
identified their son? Words fail, also, to describe adequately the
rejoicing which filled the hearts of the entire court. The servants
prepared perfumed baths for the young man and brought him sumptuous
new garments. The tsar gave orders that he should be crowned as tsar,
and for several days there were wonderful festivities, in which the
whole city joined; everywhere was singing, dancing and feasting. The
old tsar summoned the wicked minister to appear before his son-in-law,
to be dealt with according to his will. But the young tsar had a kind
heart, so he forgave him upon the condition that he should leave the
tsardom without delay, and never come back during his reign.

The new tsar had hardly began to rule, when the old fisherman who had
saved him from the rocky isle came and craved audience. The tsar at
once received his deliverer who produced the written promise. "Very
well, old man," said the tsar; "to-day I am ruler, but I will as
readily fulfil my word as if I were a beggar with little to share;
so let us divide my possessions in two equal parts." Then the tsar
took the books and began to divide the cities, saying: "This is for
you--this is for me." So he marked all on a map, till the whole tsardom
was divided between them, from the greatest city to the poorest hut.

When the tsar had finished the old man said: "Take all back! I am not
a man of this world; I am an angel from God, who sent me to save you
on account of your good deeds. Now reign and be happy, and may you
live long in complete prosperity!" So saying, he vanished suddenly,
and the young tsar ruled in great happiness ever after.

XIV. HE WHOM GOD HELPS NO ONE CAN HARM

Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife, and they were
blessed with three sons. The youngest son was the most handsome,
and he possessed a better heart than his brothers, who thought him
a fool. When the three brothers had arrived at the man's estate,
they came together to their father, each of them asking permission to
marry. The father was embarrassed with this sudden wish of his sons,
and said he would first take counsel with his wife as to his answer.

The First Quest

A few days later the man called his sons together and told them to
go to the neighbouring town and seek for employment. "He who brings
me the finest rug will obtain my permission to marry first," he said.

The brothers started off to the neighbouring town together. On the
way the two elder brothers began to make fun of the youngest, mocking
his simplicity, and finally they forced him to take a different road.

Abandoned by his malicious brothers, the young man prayed God to
grant him good fortune. At length he came to a lake, on the further
shore of which was a magnificent castle. The castle belonged to the
daughter of a tyrannous and cruel prince who had died long ago. The
young princess was uncommonly beautiful, and many a suitor had come
there to ask for her hand. The suitors were always made very welcome,
but when they went to their rooms at night the late master of the
castle would invariably come as a vampire and suffocate them.

As the youngest brother stood upon the shore wondering how to cross
the lake, the princess noticed him from her window and at once gave an
order to the servants to take a boat and bring the young man before
her. When he appeared he was a little confused, but the noble maiden
reassured him with some kind words--for he had, indeed, made a good
impression upon her and she liked him at first sight. She asked him
whence he came and where he intended to go, and the young man told
her all about his father's command.

When the princess heard that, she said to the young man: "You will
remain here for the night, and to-morrow morning we will see what we
can do about your rug."

After they had supped, the princess conducted her guest to a green
room, and bidding him "good-night," said: "This is your room. Do
not be alarmed if during the night anything unusual should appear to
disturb you."

Being a simple youth, he could not even close his eyes, so deep was
the impression made by the beautiful things which surrounded him, when
suddenly, toward midnight, there was a great noise. In the midst of
the commotion he heard distinctly a mysterious voice whisper: "This
youth will inherit the princely crown, no one can do him harm!" The
young man took refuge in earnest prayer, and, when day dawned, he
arose safe and sound.

When the princess awoke, she sent a servant to summon the young man
to her presence, and he was greatly astonished to find the young man
alive; so also was the princess and every one in the castle.

After breakfast the princess gave her guest a rich rug, saying:
"Take this rug to your father, and if he desires aught else you have
only to come back." The young man thanked his fair hostess and with
a deep bow took his leave of her.

When he arrived home he found his two brothers already there; they
were showing their father the rugs they had brought. When the youngest
exhibited his they were astounded, and exclaimed: "How did you get
hold of such a costly rug? You must have stolen it!"

The Second Quest

At length the father, in order to quieten them, said: "Go once more
into the world, and he who brings back a chain long enough to encircle
our house nine times shall have my permission to marry first!" Thus
the father succeeded in pacifying his sons. The two elder brothers
went their way, and the youngest hurried back to the princess. When
he appeared she asked him: "What has your father ordered you to do
now?" And he answered: "That each of us should bring a chain long
enough to encircle our house nine times." The princess again made
him welcome and, after supper, she showed him into a yellow room,
saying: "Somebody will come again to frighten you during the night,
but you must not pay any attention to him, and to-morrow we will see
what we can do about your chain."

And sure enough, about midnight there came many ghosts dancing round