RUMPELSTILTSKIN

By the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller’s house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter. She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud of her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and hunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now this king was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller’s boast his greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before him. Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw, and gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, “All this must be spun into gold before morning, as you love your life.” It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father, for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold: the chamber door was locked, and she was left alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate; when on a sudden the door opened, and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and said, “Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you weeping for?” “Alas!” said she, “I must spin this straw into gold, and I know not how.” “What will you give me,” said the hobgoblin, “to do it for you?” “My necklace,” replied the maiden. He took her at her word, and sat himself down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:

“Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!”

And round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and the straw was all spun into gold.
When the king came and saw this, he was greatly astonished and pleased; but his heart grew still more greedy of gain, and he shut up the poor miller’s daughter again with a fresh task. Then she knew not what to do, and sat down once more to weep; but the dwarf soon opened the door,
and said, “What will you give me to do your task?” “The ring on my finger,” said she. So her little friend took the ring, and began to work at the
wheel again, and whistled and sang:

“Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!”

till, long before morning, all was done again.
The king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure; but still he had not enough: so he took the miller’s daughter to a yet larger heap, and said, “All this must be spun tonight; and if it is, you shall be my queen.” As soon as she was alone that dwarf came in, and said, “What
will you give me to spin gold for you this third time?” “I have nothing left,” said she. “Then say you will give me,” said the little man, “the first little child that you may have when you are queen.” “That may never be,” thought the miller’s daughter: and as she knew no other way to get her task done, she said she would do what he asked. Round went the wheel again to the old song, and the manikin once more spun the heap into gold. The king came in the morning, and, finding all he wanted, was forced to keep his word; so he married the miller’s daughter, and she really became queen.
At the birth of her first little child she was very glad, and forgot the dwarf, and what she had said. But one day he came into her room, where she was sitting playing with her baby, and put her in mind of it. Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune, and said she would give him all the
wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off, but in vain; till at last her tears softened him, and he said, “I will give you three days” grace, and if during that time you tell me my name, you shall keep your child.”
Now the queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd names that she had ever heard; and she sent messengers all over the land to find out new ones. The next day the little man came, and she began with Timothy, emphIchabod, Benjamin, Jeremiah, and all the names she could remember; but to all and each of them he said, “Madam, that is not my name.”
The second day she began with all the comical names she could hear of, Bandy-Legs, Hunchback, Crook-Shanks, and so on; but the little gentleman still said to every one of them, “Madam, that is not my name.”
The third day one of the messengers came back, and said, “I have travelled two days without hearing of any other names; but yesterday, as I was climbing a high hill, among the trees of the forest where the fox and the hare bid each other good night, I saw a little hut; and before the hut burnt a fire; and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg, and singing:

“Merrily the feast I’ll make.
Today I’ll brew, tomorrow bake;
Merrily I’ll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring.
Little does my lady dream
Rumpelstiltskin is my name!”

When the queen heard this she jumped for joy, and as soon as her little friend came she sat down upon her throne, and called all her court round to enjoy the fun; and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms, as if it was quite ready to be given up. Then the little man began to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child, to take home with him to his hut in the woods; and he cried out, “Now, lady, what is my name?” “Is it JOHN?” asked she. “No, madam!” “Is it Tom?” “No, madam!” “Is it Jemmy?” “It is not.” “Can your name be Rumpelstiltskin?” said the lady slyly. “Some witch told you that!—some witch told you that!” cried the little man, and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor, that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out.
Then he made the best of his way off, while the nurse laughed and the baby crowed; and all the court jeered at him for having had so much trouble for nothing, and said, “We wish you a very good morning, and a merry feast, Mr Rumplestiltskin!”

BRIAR ROSE

A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off,
where there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had
plenty of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of good
things to eat and drink, and a coach to ride out in every day: but though they had been married many years they had no children, and this grieved them very much indeed. But one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river, at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor little fish,
that had thrown itself out of the water, and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity on the little fish, and threw it back again into the river; and before it swam away it lifted its head out of the water and said, “I know what your wish is, and it shall be fulfilled, in
return for your kindness to me—you will soon have a daughter.” What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass; and the queen had a little girl, so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for joy, and said he would hold a great feast and make merry, and show the child
to all the land. So he asked his kinsmen, and nobles, and friends, and neighbours. But the queen said, “I will have the fairies also, that they might be kind and good to our little daughter.” Now there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom; but as the king and queen had only twelve golden
dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her. So twelve fairies came, each with a high red cap on her head, and red shoes with high heels on her feet, and a long white wand in her hand: and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, another beauty, another riches, and so on till she had all that was good in the world.
Just as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great noise was heard in the courtyard, and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come, with a black cap on her head, and black shoes on her feet, and a broomstick in her hand: and presently up she came into the dining-hall. Now, as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry, and scolded the king and queen very much, and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried out, “The king’s daughter shall, in her fifteenth year, be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead.” Then the twelfth of the friendly fairies, who had not yet given her gift, came forward, and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften its mischief; so her gift was, that the king’s daughter, when the spindle wounded her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for a hundred years.
However, the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil; so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were in the meantime fulfilled; for the princess was so beautiful, and well
behaved, and good, and wise, that everyone who knew her loved her.
It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king and queen were not at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase
ending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily. “Why, how now, good mother,” said the princess; “what are you doing there?” “Spinning,” said the old lady, and nodded her head, humming a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. “How prettily that little thing turns round!” said the princess, and took the spindle and began to try and spin. But scarcely had she touched it, before the fairy’s prophecy was fulfilled; the spindle wounded her, and she fell down lifeless on the ground.
However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and the king and the queen, who had just come home, and all their court, fell asleep too; and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; the jack stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king’s dinner stood still; and the cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; the butler, who was slyly tasting the ale, fell asleep with the jug at his lips: and thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.
A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace, and every year it became higher and thicker; till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose (for so the king’s daughter was called): so that, from time to time, several kings” sons came, and tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This, however, none of them could ever do; for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with hands; and there they stuck fast, and died wretchedly.
After many, many years there came a king’s son into that land: and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns; and how a beautiful palace stood behind it, and how a wonderful princess, called Briar Rose, lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had tried to break through the thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it, and died. Then the young prince said, “All this shall not frighten me; I will go and see this Briar Rose.” The old man tried to hinder him, but he was bent upon going.
Now that very day the hundred years were ended; and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which he went with ease, and they shut in after him as thick as ever. Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the court lay the dogs asleep; and the horses were standing in the stables; and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he came into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the walls; the spit was standing still; the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, going to drink a draught; the maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be plucked; and the cook in the
kitchen was still holding up her hand, as if she was going to beat the boy.
Then he went on still farther, and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower, and opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was; and there she lay, fast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he could
not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him; and they went out together; and soon the king and queen also awoke, and all the court, and gazed on each other with great wonder. And
the horses shook themselves, and the dogs jumped up and barked; the pigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed again; the fire in the kitchen blazed up; round went the jack, and round went the spit, with the
goose for the king’s dinner upon it; the butler finished his draught of ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear.
And then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast was given; and they lived happily together all their lives long.

THE TRAVELLING MUSICIANS

An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some
mischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, “For there,” thought he, “I may turn musician.”
After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. “What makes you pant so, my friend?” said the ass. “Alas!” said the dog, “my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to earn my livelihood?” “Hark ye!” said the ass, “I am going to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way?” The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.
They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. “Pray, my good lady,” said the ass, “what’s the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!” “Ah, me!” said the cat, “how can one be in good spirits when one’s life is in danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.” “Oh,” said the ass, “by all means go with us to the great city; you are a good night singer,
and may make your fortune as a musician.” The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.
Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. “Bravo!” said the ass; “upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?” “Why,” said the cock, “I was just now saying that
we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook don’t thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday!” “Heaven forbid!” said the ass, “come with us Master Chanticleer;
it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.” “With all my heart,” said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.
They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, “There must be a house no
great way off, for I see a light.” “If that be the case,” said the ass, “we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the world!” “Besides,” added the dog, “I should not be the worse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.” So they walked off together towards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived.
The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in. “Well, Donkey,” said Chanticleer, “what do you see?” ’What do I see?” replied the ass. “Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.” ’That would be a noble lodging for us,” said the cock. “Yes,” said the ass, “if we could only get in”; so they consulted together how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog’s shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat’s head. When all was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken
glass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.
The coast once clear, our travelers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.
But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, “Throw the rascal up here!” After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.

THE GOLDEN BIRD

A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which
bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the
time when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of
them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener
to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his eldest
son to watch; but about twelve o’clock he fell asleep, and in the morning
another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to
watch; and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple
was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but the gardener
at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him: however,
at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree
to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air,
and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was snapping at
one of the apples with its beak, the gardener’s son jumped up and shot an
arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm; only it dropped a golden
feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought
to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone
agreed that it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but
the king said, “One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird.”
Then the gardener’s eldest son set out and thought to find the golden
bird very easily; and when he had gone but a little way, he came to a wood,
and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his bow and
made ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, “Do not shoot me, for I will
give you good counsel; I know what your business is, and that you want
to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in the evening; and when
you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is
very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go not in there, but rest for the night
in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean.” But
the son thought to himself, “What can such a beast as this know about the
matter?” So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its
tail above its back and ran into the wood. Then he went his way, and in the
evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of these
were people singing, and dancing, and feasting; but the other looked very
dirty, and poor. “I should be very silly,” said he, “if I went to that shabby
house, and left this charming place”; so he went into the smart house, and
ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird, and his country too.
Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings
were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened
to him. He met the fox, who gave him the good advice: but when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother was standing at the window where
the merrymaking was, and called to him to come in; and he could not
withstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden bird and his
country in the same manner.
Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into
the wide world to seek for the golden bird; but his father would not listen
to it for a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and was afraid
that some ill luck might happen to him also, and prevent his coming back.
However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at home;
and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard the same good
counsel. But he was thankful to the fox, and did not attempt his life as his
brothers had done; so the fox said, “Sit upon my tail, and you will travel
faster.” So he sat down, and the fox began to run, and away they went
over stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the wind.
When they came to the village, the son followed the fox’s counsel, and
without looking about him went to the shabby inn and rested there all
night at his ease. In the morning came the fox again and met him as he was
beginning his journey, and said, “Go straight forward, till you come to a
castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and snoring:
take no notice of them, but go into the castle and pass on and on till you
come to a room, where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage; close by
it stands a beautiful golden cage; but do not try to take the bird out of
the shabby cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise you will
repent it.” Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the young man
sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair
whistled in the wind.
Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the son went in
and found the chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage,
and below stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples that had
been lost were lying close by it. Then thought he to himself, “It will be a
very droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage”; so he
opened the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden cage. But the
bird set up such a loud scream that all the soldiers awoke, and they took
him prisoner and carried him before the king. The next morning the court
sat to judge him; and when all was heard, it sentenced him to die, unless
he should bring the king the golden horse which could run as swiftly as
the wind; and if he did this, he was to have the golden bird given him for
his own.
So he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in great despair,
when on a sudden his friend the fox met him, and said, “You see now what
has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel. I will still, however, tell you how to find the golden horse, if you will do as I bid you.
You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the horse stands
in his stall: by his side will lie the groom fast asleep and snoring: take
away the horse quietly, but be sure to put the old leathern saddle upon
him, and not the golden one that is close by it.” Then the son sat down
on the fox’s tail, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair
whistled in the wind.
All went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the
golden saddle. But when the son looked at the horse, he thought it a great
pity to put the leathern saddle upon it. “I will give him the good one,”
said he; “I am sure he deserves it.” As he took up the golden saddle the
groom awoke and cried out so loud, that all the guards ran in and took
him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court to
be judged, and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed, that, if he could
bring thither the beautiful princess, he should live, and have the bird and
the horse given him for his own.
Then he went his way very sorrowful; but the old fox came and said,
“Why did not you listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away
both the bird and the horse; yet will I once more give you counsel. Go
straight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o’clock
at night the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her and give her a
kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care you do not suffer her
to go and take leave of her father and mother.” Then the fox stretched out
his tail, and so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled
again.
As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve
o’clock the young man met the princes going to the bath and gave her the
kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears
that he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she
wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he consented; but
the moment she came to her father’s house the guards awoke and he was
taken prisoner again.
Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, “You shall
never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that
stops the view from my window.” Now this hill was so big that the whole
world could not take it away: and when he had worked for seven days,
and had done very little, the fox came and said. “Lie down and go to sleep;
I will work for you.” And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone;
so he went merrily to the king, and told him that now that it was removed
he must give him the princess.
Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man and the princess; and the fox came and said to him, “We will have all
three, the princess, the horse, and the bird.” “Ah!” said the young man,
“that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it?”
“If you will only listen,” said the fox, “it can be done. When you come
to the king, and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, ”Here
she is!” Then he will be very joyful; and you will mount the golden horse
that they are to give you, and put out your hand to take leave of them; but
shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly on to the horse
behind you; clap your spurs to his side, and gallop away as fast as you
can.”
All went right: then the fox said, “When you come to the castle where
the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will ride in
and speak to the king; and when he sees that it is the right horse, he will
bring out the bird; but you must sit still, and say that you want to look at
it, to see whether it is the true golden bird; and when you get it into your
hand, ride away.”
This, too, happened as the fox said; they carried off the bird, the princess
mounted again, and they rode on to a great wood. Then the fox came, and
said, “Pray kill me, and cut off my head and my feet.” But the young man
refused to do it: so the fox said, “I will at any rate give you good counsel:
beware of two things; ransom no one from the gallows, and sit down by
the side of no river.” Then away he went. “Well,” thought the young man,
“it is no hard matter to keep that advice.”
He rode on with the princess, till at last he came to the village where
he had left his two brothers. And there he heard a great noise and uproar;
and when he asked what was the matter, the people said, “Two men are
going to be hanged.” As he came nearer, he saw that the two men were his
brothers, who had turned robbers; so he said, “Cannot they in any way be
saved?” But the people said “No,” unless he would bestow all his money
upon the rascals and buy their liberty. Then he did not stay to think about
the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were given up, and
went on with him towards their home.
And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so
cool and pleasant that the two brothers said, “Let us sit down by the side
of the river, and rest a while, to eat and drink.” So he said, “Yes,” and
forgot the fox’s counsel, and sat down on the side of the river; and while
he suspected nothing, they came behind, and threw him down the bank,
and took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the king
their master, and said. “All this have we won by our labour.” Then there
was great rejoicing made; but the horse would not eat, the bird would not
sing, and the princess wept.
The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river’s bed: luckily it was
nearly dry, but his bones were almost broken, and the bank was so steep
that he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more,
and scolded him for not following his advice; otherwise no evil would
have befallen him: “Yet,” said he, “I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of
my tail and hold fast.” Then he pulled him out of the river, and said to
him, as he got upon the bank, “Your brothers have set watch to kill you, if
they find you in the kingdom.” So he dressed himself as a poor man, and
came secretly to the king’s court, and was scarcely within the doors when
the horse began to eat, and the bird to sing, and princess left off weeping.
Then he went to the king, and told him all his brothers” roguery; and they
were seized and punished, and he had the princess given to him again;
and after the king’s death he was heir to his kingdom.
A long while after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old
fox met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and cut
off his head and feet. And at last he did so, and in a moment the fox was
changed into a man, and turned out to be the brother of the princess, who
had been lost a great many many years.