GIFT OF 
 Ella Sterling Mighels 
 

THE 
 
 YELLOW 
 FAIRY BOOK 
 
 by 
 
 AUDREW LANG 
 
 GOSSET & DUNLAP 
 

DEDICATION 
 
 TO 
 
 JOAN, TODDLES, AND TINY. 
 
 Books Yellow, Bed, and Green, and Blue^ 
 All true, or just aB good as true, 
 And here's the Yellow Book for you! 
 
 Hard is the path from A to Z, 
 And puzzling to a curly head, 
 Yet leads to Books Green, Blue, and Keel, 
 
 For every child should understand 
 That Letters from the first were planned 
 To guide us into Fairy Land. 
 
 So labor at your Alphabet, 
 
 For by that learning shall you get 
 
 To lands where Fairies may be met. 
 
 And going where this pathway goes, 
 You too, at last, may find who knows ? 
 The Garden of the Singing Rose. 
 
137 
 
 *..^ I $ [ 7 
 
 / ' '^nMLbA 
 
 TlTLt, : i, ' : ' v S4UPOOW4, 
 
 X ' 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The editor thinks that children will readily forgive him 
 for publishing another fairy book. We have had the Blue, 
 the Red, the Green, and here is the Yellow. If children are 
 pleased, the editor does not care very much for what other 
 people may say. Now, there is one gentleman who seems to 
 think that it is not quite right to print so many fairy tales, 
 with pictures, and to publish them in red and blue covers. 
 He is named Mr. G. Laurence Gomme, and he is president of 
 a learned body called the Folk Lore Society. Once a year 
 he makes his address to his subjects, of whom the editor is 
 one, and Mr. Joseph Jacobs (who has published many de- 
 lightful fairy tales with pretty pictures) is another. Fancy, 
 then, the dismay of Mr. Jacobs and of the editor when they 
 heard their president say that he did not think it very nice 
 in them to publish fairy books, above all, red, green, and blue 
 fairy books ! They said that they did not see any harm in it, 
 and they were ready to " put themselves on their country " 
 and be tried by a jury of children. And, indeed, they still 
 see no harm in what they have done; nay, like Father Wil- 
 liam in the poem, they are ready " to do it again and again." 
 
 Where is the harm? The truth is that the Folk Lore So- 
 ciety made up of the most clever, learned, and beautiful 
 men and women of the country is fond of studying the 
 history and geography of Fairyland. This is contained in 
 very old tales, such as country people tell, and savages : 
 
 "Little Sioux and little Crow, 
 Little frosty Eskimo." 
 
 These people are thought to know most about Fairyland 
 and its inhabitants. But in the " Yellow Fairy IJook " and 
 the rest are many tales by persons who are neither savages 
 nor rustics, such as Madame D'Aulnoy and Herr Hans 
 Christian Andersen. The Folk Lore Society, or its presi- 
 dent, say that their tales are not so true as the rest and 
 should not be published with the rest. But we say that all 
 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 the stories which are pleasant to read are quite true enough 
 for us ; so here they are, with pictures by Mr. Ford, and we 
 do not think that either the pictures or the stories are likely 
 to mislead children. 
 
 As to whether there are really any fairies or not, that w 
 a difficult question. Professor Huxley thinks there arei 
 none. The editor never saw any himself, but he knows 
 several people who have seen them in the Highlands and 
 heard their music. If ever you are in Nether Lochaber 
 go to the Fairy Hill and you may hear the music yourself, 
 as grown-up people have done, but you must go on a fine day. 
 Again, if there are really no fairies, why do people believe 
 in them all over the world? The ancient Greeks believed, 
 so did the old Egyptians, and the Hindoos, and the red 
 Indians; and is it likely, if there are no fairies, that so 
 many different peoples would have seen and heard them? 
 The Rev. Mr. Baring-Gould saw several fairies when he was 
 a boy and was traveling in the land of the Troubadours. 
 For these reasons the editor thinks that there are certainly 
 fairies, but they never do anyone any harm; and in England 
 they have been frightened away by smoke and schoolmasters. 
 As to giants, they have died out, but real dwarfs are common 
 in the forests of Africa. Probably a good many stories 
 not perfectly true have been told about fairies, but such 
 stories have also been told about Napoleon, Claverhouse, 
 Julius Csesar, and Joan of Arc, all of whom certainly ex- 
 isted. A wise child will, therefore, remember that if he 
 grows up and becomes a member of the Folk Lore Society, 
 all the tales in this book were not offered to him as abso- 
 lutely truthful, but were printed merely for his entertain- 
 ment. The exact facts he can learn later or he can leave 
 them alone. 
 
 Mr. Ford did the pictures, and it is hoped that children 
 will find the book not less pleasing than those which have 
 already been submitted. The editor cannot say "good- 
 by" without advising them, as they pursue their studies, 
 to read < J U T^ ^fW grir> tft* 31 -- J***^ " by the late Mr. ThacJ&a. 
 eray, with pictures by the,author. This book he tKmSs quite 
 indisp^s^Meiiae^ery'cnild's library, and parents should be 
 urged to purchase it at the first opportunity, as without it 
 no education is complete. A. LANG. 
 
* /- 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP, ... 1 
 
 THE Six SWANS 
 
 THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH, 10 
 
 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, 24 
 
 THE GOLDEN CRAB, 28 
 
 THE IRON STOVE, , 36 
 
 THE DRAGON AND His GRANDMOTHER. .... e 42 
 
 THE DONKEY CABBAGS, 46 
 
 THE LITTLE GREEN FROG, 54 
 
 THE SEVEN-HEADED SERPENT, 65 
 
 THE GRATEFUL BEASTS, ..70 
 
 THE GIANTS AND THE HERD-BOY 81 
 
 XHK INVISIBT,F. F RTWJF.,. 84 
 
 THE CROW, ........... 101 
 
 Ho\v Six MEN TRAVELED THROUGH THE WIDE WORLD, . 104 
 
 THE WIZARD KING, . 109 
 
 THE NIXY, 117 
 
 THE GLASS MOUNTAIN 122 
 
 ALPMEGE ; OR, THE GREEN MONKEY, 127 
 
 FAIREU-THAN-A-FAIRY, , 133 
 
 THE THREE BROTHERS, . . . . . . . 141 
 
 THE BOY AND THE WOLVES ; OR, THE BROKEN PROMISE, . 145 
 
 THE GLASS Ax, . 148 
 
 THE DEAD WIFE 157 
 
 Ix THE LAND OF SOULS, . 159 
 
 THE WHITE DUCK, . 162 
 
 is. 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 THE WITCH AND HER SERVANTS, 168 
 
 THE MAGIC RING, ..,...,.. 188 
 
 THE FLOWER QUEEN'S DAUGHTER, * .... 202 
 
 THE FLYING SHIP, 209 
 
 THE SNOW-DAUGHTER AND THE FIRE-SON, .... 218 
 
 THE STORY OF KING FROST, 222 
 
 THE DEATH OP THE SUN-HERO, 225 
 
 THE WITCH 229 
 
 THE HAZEL-NUT CHILD, 234 
 
 BIG KLAUS AND LITTLE KLAUS, 237 
 
 PRINCE RING, 250 
 
 THE SWINEHERD, 263 
 
 How TO TELL A TRUE PRINCESS, 268 
 
 THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, 270 
 
 THE TINDER-BOX, 281 
 
 THE WITCH IN THE STONE BOAT, 289 
 
 THUMBELINA,. 296 
 
 THE NIGHTINGALE, 308 
 
 HERMOD AND HADVOR, . > . . . . .317 
 
 THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER, 325 
 
 BLOCKHEAD HANS, 330 
 
 A STORY ABOUT A DARNING NEEDLE, . . . 336 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 THE CAT AND THE MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP. 
 
 A cat had made acquaintance with a mouse, and had 
 spoken so much of the great love and friendship she felt for 
 her that at last the mouse consented to live in the same 
 house with her and to go shares in the housekeeping. 
 
 " But we must provide for the winter or else we shall 
 suffer hunger," said the cat. 
 " You, little mouse, cannot ven- 
 ture everywhere in case you run 
 at last into a trap." 
 
 This good counsel was followed, 
 and a little pot of fat was bought. 
 But they did not know where to 
 put it. At length, after long con- 
 sultation, the cat said: 
 
 " I know of no place where it 
 could be better put than in the 
 church. No one will trouble to take it away from there. We 
 will hide it in a corner, and we won't touch it till we are 
 in want." 
 
 So the little pot was placed in safety; but it was not 
 long before the cat had a great longing for it and said to 
 the mouse: 
 
 "I wanted to tell you, little mouse, that rny cousin has 
 a little son, white with brown spots, and she wants me to 
 be godmother of it. Let me go out to-day, and do you take 
 care of the house alone." 
 
 "Yes, go certainly," replied the mouse; "and when you 
 eat anything good, think of me. I should very much like 
 a drop of the red christening wine." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 Ent it V7#$ alj imtrue. The cat had no cousin and had not 
 been asked to ' be ' godmother. She went straight to the 
 church, slunk to the little pot of fat, began to lick it, and 
 licked the top off. Then she took a walk on the roofs of 
 the town, looked at the view, stretched herself out in the 
 sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the little 
 pot of fat. As soon as it was evening she went home again. 
 "Ah, here you are again!" said the mouse; "you must 
 certainly nave had an enjoyable day." 
 
 "It went off very well," 
 answered the cat. 
 
 "What was the child's 
 name ? " asked the mouse. 
 "Top Off," said the cat 
 dryly. 
 
 "Topoff!" echoed the 
 mouse; ,"it is indeed a 
 wonderful and curious 
 Is it in your fam- 
 
 name. 
 ily?" 
 
 "What is there odd 
 about it?" said the cat. 
 "It is not worse than Breadthief, as your godchild is 
 called." 
 
 It was not long after this that another great longing came 
 over the cat. So she said to the mouse: 
 
 " You must again be kind enough to look after the house 
 alone, for I have been asked a second time to stand god- 
 mother, and as this child has a white ring round its neck 
 I cannot refuse." 
 
 The kind mouse agreed ; but the cat slunk under the town 
 wall to the church and ate up half of the pot of fat. 
 
 " Nothing tastes better," said she, " than what one eats 
 by one's self," and she was very much pleased with her day's 
 work. When she came home the mouse asked: 
 
 "What was this child called?" 
 
 "Half Gone," answered the cat. 
 
 "Half gone! what a name! I have never heard it in my 
 life. I don't believe it is in the calendar." 
 
 Soon the cat's mouth began to water once more after her 
 licking business. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 3 
 
 " All good things in threes," she said to the mouse. " I 
 have again to stand godmother. The child is quite black 
 and has very white paws, but not a single white hair on its 
 body. This only happens once in two years, so you will let 
 me go out ? " 
 
 " Topoff ! Half gone ! " repeated the mouse ; " they are 
 such curious names; they make me very thoughtful." 
 
 " Oh, you sit at home in your dark gray coat and your 
 long tail," said the cat, " and you get fanciful. That comes 
 of not going out in the day." 
 
 The mouse had a good cleaning out while the cat was 
 
 gone, and made the house tidy; but the greedy cat ate the 
 fat every bit up. 
 
 " When it is all gone one can be at rest," she said to her- 
 self, and at night she came home sleek and satisfied. The 
 mouse asked at once after the third child's name. 
 
 "It won't please you any better," said the cat; "he was 
 called Clean Gone." 
 
 " Cleangone ! " repeated the mouse. " I do not believe 
 that name has been printed any more than the others. 
 Cleangone! What can it mean?" She shook her head, 
 curled herself up, and went to sleep. 
 
 From this time on no asked the cat to stand godmother; 
 but when the winter came and there was nothing to be got 
 outside, the mouse remembered their provision and said: 
 
 " Come, cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have 
 stored away; it will taste very good." 
 
 "Yes, indeed," answered the cat; "it will taste as good 
 
4 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 to you as if you stretched your thin tongue out of the 
 window." 
 
 They started off, and when they reached it they found the 
 pot in its place, but quite empty! 
 
 " Ah," said the mouse, " now I know what has happened ! 
 It has all come out! You are a true friend to me! You 
 have eaten it all when you stood godmother; first the top 
 
 off, then half of it gone, then " 
 
 " " Will you be quiet ! " screamed the cat. " Another word 
 and I will eat you up." 
 
 " Cleangone " was already on the poor mouse's tongue, 
 and scarcely was it out than the cat made a spring at her, 
 seized and swallowed her. 
 
 You see that is the way of the world. 
 
 THE SIX SWANS. 
 
 A king was once hunting in a great wood, and he hunted 
 the game so eagerly that none of his courtiers could follow 
 him. When evening came on he stood still and looked round 
 him, and he saw that he had quite lost himself. He 
 sought a way out, but could find none. Then he saw an 
 old woman with a shaking head coming toward him; but 
 she was a witch. 
 
 " Good woman," he said to her, " can you not show me 
 the way out of the wood ? " 
 
 " Oh, certainly, Sir King," she replied, " I can quite well 
 do that, but on one condition, which if you do not fulfill 
 you will never get out of the wood and will die of hunger." 
 
 " What is the condition ? " asked the king. 
 
 "I have a daughter," said the old woman, "who is so 
 beautiful that she has not her equal in the world, and is 
 well fitted to be your wife. If you will make her lady- 
 queen I will show you the way out of the wood." 
 
 The king in his anguish of mind consented, and the old 
 woman led him to her little house, where her daughter was 
 sitting by the fire. She received the king as if she were 
 expecting him, and he law that she was certainly very 
 beautiful; but she did not please him, and he could not 
 look at her without a secret feeling of horror. As soon as 
 he had lifted the maiden on to his horse the old woman 
 
6 THE YELLOW FAlBY BOOK. 
 
 showed him the way, and the king reached his palace, where 
 the wedding was celebrated. 
 
 The king had already been married once, and had by his 
 first wife seven children, six boys and one girl; whom he 
 loved more than anything in the world. And now, because 
 he was afraid that their stepmother might not treat them 
 well and might do them harm, he put them in a lonely 
 castle that stood in the middle of a wood. It lay so hidden, 
 and the way to it was so hard to find, that he himself could 
 not have found it out had not a wise woman given him a 
 reel of thread which possessed a marvelous property: 
 when he threw it before him it unwound itself and showed 
 him the way. But the king went so often to his dear chil- 
 dren that the queen was offended at his dbsence. She grew 
 curious and wanted to know what he had to do quite alone 
 in the wood. She gave his servants a great deal of money, 
 and they betrayed his secret to her, and also told her of the 
 reel which alone could point out the way. She had no rest 
 now till she had found out where the king guarded the reel, 
 and then she made some little white shirts and, as she had 
 learned from her witch mother, sewed an enchantment in 
 each of them. 
 
 And when the king had ridden off she took the little 
 shirts and went into the wood, and the reel showed her the 
 way. The children, who saw someone coming in the dis- 
 tance, thought it was their dear father coming to them, and 
 sprang to meet him very joyfully. Then she threw over 
 each one a little shirt, which when it had touched their 
 bodies changed them into swans, and they flew away over 
 the forests. The queen went home quite satisfied and 
 thought she had got rid of her stepchildren; but the girl 
 had not run to meet her with her brothers; and she knew 
 nothing of her. 
 
 The next day the king came to visit his children, but he 
 found no one but the girL 
 
 " Where are your brothers ? " asked the king. 
 
 " Alas ! dear father," she answered, " they have gone away 
 and left me all alone." 
 
 And she told him that looking out of her little window 
 she had seen her brothers flying over the wood in the shape 
 of swans, and she showed him the feathers which they 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 had let fall in the yard and which she had collected. 
 The king mourned, but he did not think that the queen 
 had done the wicked deed, and as he was afraid the maiden 
 would also be taken from him, he wanted to take her with 
 him. But she was afraid of her stepmother, and begged the 
 king to let her stay just one night more in the castle in the 
 wood. The poor maiden thought, " My home is no longer 
 
 here. I will go and 
 seek my brother s." 
 And when night came 
 she fled away into the 
 forest. She ran all 
 through the night and 
 the next day, till she 
 could go no further 
 for weariness. Then 
 she saw a little hut, 
 went in, and found a 
 room with six little 
 beds. She was afraid 
 to lie down on one, so 
 she crept under one of 
 them, lay on the hard 
 floor, and was going to 
 spend the night there. 
 But when the sun 
 had set she heard a 
 noise and saw six 
 swans flying in at the 
 window. They stood 
 on the floor and blew 
 at one another, and 
 blew all their feathers 
 off, and their swan- 
 skin came off like a 
 shirt. Then the 
 maiden recognized her 
 And then her dress. brothers, and o v e r- 
 
 joyed she crept out from under the bed. Her brothers were 
 not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, 
 but their joy did not last long. 
 
8 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " You cannot stay here," they said to her. " This a den 
 of robbers. If they were to come here and find you they 
 would kill you." 
 
 " Could you not protect me ? " asked the little sister. 
 
 " No," they answered, " for we can only lay aside our 
 swan-skins for a quarter of an hour every evening. For this 
 time we regain our human forms, but then we axe changed 
 into swans again." 
 
 Then the little sister cried and said : " Can you not be 
 freed?" 
 
 " Oh, no," they said, " the conditions are too hard. You 
 must not speak or laugh for six years, and must make in 
 that time six shirts for us out of star-flowers. If a single 
 word comes out of your mouth, all your labor is vain." And 
 when the brothers had said this the quarter of an hour came 
 to an end, and they flew away out of the window as swans. 
 
 But the maiden had determined to free her brothers even 
 if it should cost her her life. She left the hut, went into 
 the forest, climbed a tree, and spent the night there. The 
 next morning she went out, collected star-flowers, and 
 began to sew. She could speak to no one, and she had no 
 wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only at her work. 
 
 When she had lived there some time, it happened that the 
 king of the country was hunting in the forest, and his 
 hunters came to the tree on which the maiden sat. They 
 called to her and said: 
 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 But she gave no answer. 
 
 " Come down to us," they said. "We'll do you no harm." 
 
 But she shook her head silently. As they pressed her 
 further with questions, she threw them the golden chain 
 from her neck. But they did not leave off, and she threw 
 them her girdle, and when this was no use, her garters, and 
 then her dress. The huntsmen would not leave her alone, 
 but climbed the tree, lifted the maiden down, and led her 
 to the king. The king asked: 
 
 " Who are you ? What are you doing up that tree ? " 
 
 But she answered nothing. 
 
 He asked her in all the languages he knew, but she 
 remained as dumb as a fish. Because she was so beautiful, 
 kowever, the king's heart was touched and he was seized 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. V 
 
 with a great love for her. He wrapped her up in his cloak, 
 placed her before him on his horse, and brought her to his 
 castle. There he had* her dressed in rich clothes, and her 
 beauty shone out as bright as day, but not a word could be 
 drawn from her. He sat her at table by his side, and her 
 modest ways and behavior pleased him so much that he 
 said, " I jvill marry this maiden and none other in the 
 world," and after some days he married her. But the king 
 had a wicked mother who was displeased with the marriage 
 and said wicked things of the young queen. 
 
 " Who knows who this girl is ? " she said. " She cannot 
 speak and is not worthy of a king." 
 
 After a year, when the queen had her first child, the 
 old mother took it away from her. Then she went to the 
 king and said that the queen had killed it. The king 
 would not believe it and would not allow any harm to bo 
 be done her. But she sat quietly sewing at the shirts and 
 troubling herself about nothing. The next time she had 
 a child the wicked mother did the same thing, but the 
 king could not make up his mind to believe her. He said: 
 
 " She is too sweet and good to do such a thing as that. 
 If she were not dumb and could defend herself, her inno- 
 cence would be proved." 
 
 But when the third child was taken away and the queen 
 was again accused and could not utter a word in her own 
 defense, the king was obliged to give her ovej* to the law, 
 which decreed that she must be burned to death. When 
 the day came on which the sentence was to be executed, 
 it was the last day of the six years in which she must not 
 speak or laugh, and now she had freed her dear brothers 
 from the power of the enchantment. The six shirts were 
 done ; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last. 
 
 When she was led to the stake she laid the shirts on her 
 arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about 
 to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans 
 flying through the air. Then she knew that her release 
 was at hand and her heart danced for joy. The swans 
 fluttered round her and hovered low so that she could 
 throw the shirts over them. When they had touched 
 them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before 
 her living, well and beautiful. Only the youngest had a 
 
10 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 swan's wing instead of his left arm. They embraced and 
 kissed each other, and the queen went to the king, who was 
 standing by in great astonishment, and began to speak to 
 him, saying: 
 
 "Dearest husband, now I can speak and tell you openly 
 that I am innocent and have been falsely accused." 
 
 She told him of the old woman's deceit, and how she 
 had taken the three children away and hidden them. Then, 
 they were fetched, to the great joy of the king, and the 
 wicked mother came to no good end. 
 
 But the king and queen with their six brothers lived 
 many years in happiness and peace. 
 
 THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH* 
 
 Very long ago, as old people have told me, there lived 
 a terrible monster who came out of the North and laid 
 waste whole tracts of country, devouring both men and 
 beasts; and this monster was so destructive that it was 
 feared that unless help came no living creature would 
 be left on the face of the earth. It had a body like an ox 
 and legs like a frog, two short fore legs and two long ones 
 behind, and besides that it had a tail like a serpent ten 
 fathoms in length. When it moved it jumped like a frog, 
 and with every spring it covered half a mile of ground. 
 Fortunately its habit was to remain for several years in 
 the same place, and not to move on till the whole neighbor- 
 hood was eaten up. Nothing could hurt it, because its 
 whole body was covered with scales which were harder 
 than stone or metal; its two great eyes shone by night, 
 and even by day, like the brightest lamps, and anyone who 
 had the ill-luck to look into those eyes became as it 
 were bewitched and was obliged to rush of his own accord 
 into the monster's jaws. In this way the dragon was able 
 to feed upon both men and beasts without the least trouble 
 to itself, as it needed not to move from the spot where it 
 was lying. All the neighboring kings had offered rich, 
 rewards to anyone who should be able to destroy the 
 monster, either by force or enchantment, and many had 
 
 * "Der Norlands Drache," from "Esthnische Mahrchen." Kreutzwald. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 11 
 
 tried tLeir luck, and all had miserably failed. Once a 
 great forest in which the dragon lay had been set on fire;, 
 the forest was burned down, but the fire did not do the 
 monster the least harm. However, there was a tradition 
 among the wise men of the country that the dragon might 
 be overcome by one who possessed King Solomon's signet- 
 ring, upon which a secret writing was engraved. This 
 inscription would enable anyone who was wise enough to 
 interpret it to find out how the dragon could be destroyed. 
 Only no one knew where the ring was hidden, nor was 
 there any sorcerer or learned man to be found who would 
 be able to explain the inscription. 
 
 At last a young man, with a good heart and plenty of 
 courage, set out to search for the ring. He took his way 
 toward the sun-rising, because he knew that all the wis- 
 dom of old times comes from the East. After some years 
 he met with a famous Eastern magician and asked for his 
 advice in the matter. The magician answered : 
 
 " Mortal men have but little wisdom and can give you 
 no help, but the birds of the air would be better guides to 
 you, if you could learn their language. I can help you to 
 understand it if you will stay with me a few days." 
 
 The youth thankfully accepted the magician's offer and 
 said : " I cannot now offer you any reward for your kind- 
 ness, but should my undertaking succeed your trouble shall 
 be richly repaid." 
 
 Then the magician brewed a powerful potion out of nine 
 sorts of herbs which he had gathered himself all alone by 
 moonlight, and gave the youth nine spoonfuls of it daily 
 for three days, which made him able to understand the 
 language of birds. 
 
 At parting the magician said to him: "If you ever find 
 Solomon's ring and get possession of it, then come back 
 to me, that I may explain the inscription on the ring to you, 
 for there is no one else in the world who can do this." 
 
 From that time the youth never felt lonely as he walked 
 along; he always had company, because he understood the 
 language of birds; and in this way he learned many things 
 which mere human knowledge could never have taught 
 him. But time went on and he heard nothing about the 
 ring. It happened one evening, when he was hot and 
 
12 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 tired with walking and had sat down under a tree in a 
 forest to eat his supper, that he saw two gayly plumaged 
 birds that were strange to him sitting at the top of the tree, 
 talking to one another about him. The first bird said : 
 
 " I know that wandering fool under the tree there, who 
 has come so far without finding what he seeks. He is try- 
 ing to find King Solomon's lost ring." 
 
 The old bird answered: "He will have to seek help 
 from the witch-maiden,* who will doubtless be able to put 
 him on the right track. If she has not got the ring herself, 
 she knows well enough who has it." 
 
 " But where is he to find the witch-maiden ? " said the 
 first bird. " She has 110 settled dwelling, but is here to- 
 day and gone to-morrow. He might as well try to catch the 
 wind." 
 
 The other replied : "I do not know, certainly, where 
 she is at present, but in three nights from now she will 
 come to the spring to wash her face, as she does every 
 month when the moon is full, in order that she may never 
 grow old nor wrinkled, but may always keep the bloom of 
 youth." 
 
 " Well," said the first bird, " the spring is not far from 
 here. Shall we go and see how it is she does it? " 
 
 " Willingly, if you like," said the other. 
 
 The youth immediately resolved to follow the birds to 
 the spring, only two things made him uneasy, first, lest 
 he might be asleep when the birds went, and secondly, lest 
 he might lose sight of them, since he had not wings to carry 
 him along so swiftly. He was too tired to keep awake 
 all night, yet his anxiety prevented him from sleeping 
 soundly, and when with the earliest dawn he looked up to 
 the tree-top, he was glad to see his feathered companions 
 still asleep with their heads under their wings. He ate his 
 breakfast and waited until the birds should start, but they 
 did not leave the place all day. They hopped about from 
 one tree to another looking for food all day long until the 
 evening, when they went back to their old perch to sleep. 
 The next day the same thing happened, but on the third 
 morning one bird said to the other : " To-day we must go 
 to the spring to see the witch-maiden wash her face." They 
 remained on the tree till noon; then they flew away and 
 * Hollenmadchen. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 13 
 
 went toward the south. The young man's heart beat with 
 anxiety lest he should lose sight of his guides, but he 
 managed to keep the birds in view until they again perched 
 upon a tree. The young man ran after them until he was 
 quite exhausted and out of breath, and after three short 
 rests the birds a.t length reached a small open space in the 
 forest, on the edge of which they placed themselves on the 
 top of a high tree. When the youth had overtaken them 
 he saw that there was a clear spring in the middle of the 
 space. He sat down at the foot of the tree upon which 
 the birds were perched, and listened attentively to what they 
 were saying to each other. 
 
 "The sun is not down yet," said the first bird. "We 
 must wait yet awhile till the moon rises and the maiden 
 comes to the spring. Do you think she will see that young 
 man sitting near the tree ? " 
 
 " Nothing is likely to escape her eyes, certainly not a 
 young man," said the other bird. "Will the youth have 
 the sense not to let himself be caught in her toils ? " 
 
 " We will wait," said the first bird, " and see how they 
 get on together." 
 
 The evening light had quite faded and the full moon 
 was already shining down upon the forest when the young 
 man heard a slight rustling sound. After a few moments 
 there came out of the forest a maiden, gliding over the 
 grass so lightly that her feet seemed scarcely to touch the 
 ground, and stood beside the spring. The youth could not 
 turn away his eyes from the maiden, for he had never 
 in his life seen a woman so beautiful. Without seeming 
 to notice anything, she went to the spring, looked up to 
 the full moon, then knelt down and bathed her face nine 
 times, then looked up to the moon again and walked nine 
 times round the well, and as she walked she sang this 
 song: 
 
 "Full-faced moon with light unshaded, 
 
 Let my beauty ne'er be faded. 
 
 Never let my cheek grow pale ! 
 
 While the moon is waning nightly, 
 
 May the maiden bloom more brightly, 
 
 May her freshness never fail ! " 
 
 Then she dried her face with her long hair and was about 
 to go away, when her eye suddenly fell upon the spot where 
 
14 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 the young man was sitting, and she turned toward the 
 tree. The youth rose and stood waiting. Then the maiden 
 said: 
 
 "You ought to have a heavy punishment because you 
 have presumed to watch my secret doings in the moonlight. 
 But I will forgive you this time, because you are a stranger 
 and knew no better. But you must tell me truly who you 
 are and how you came to this place, where no mortal has 
 ever set foot before." 
 
 The youth answered humbly : " Forgive me, beautiful 
 maiden, if I have unintentionally offended you. I chanced 
 to come here after long wandering, and found a good place 
 to sleep under this tree. At your coming I did not know 
 what to do, but stayed where I was, because I thought my 
 silent watching could not offend you." 
 
 The maiden answered kindly : " Come and spend this 
 night with us. You will sleep better on a pillow than on 
 damp moss." 
 
 The youth hesitated for a little, but presently he heard 
 the birds saying from the top of the tree : " Go where she 
 calls you, but take care to give no blood, or you will sell 
 your soul." So the youth went with her, and soon they 
 reached a beautiful garden, where stood a splendid house, 
 which glittered in the moonlight as if it was all built out 
 of gold and silver. When the youth entered he found 
 many splendid chambers, each one finer than the last. 
 Hundreds of tapers burned upon golden candlesticks and 
 shed a light like the brightest day. At length they reached 
 a chamber where a table was spread with the most 
 costly dishes. At the table were placed two chairs, one of 
 silver, the other of gold. The maiden seated herself upon 
 the golden chair and offered the silver one to her com- 
 panion. They were served by maidens dressed in white, 
 whose feet made no sound as they moved about, and not 
 a word was spoken during the meal. Afterward the youth 
 and the witch-maiden conversed pleasantly together until 
 a woman dressed in red came in to remind them that it 
 was bedtime. The youth was now shown into another 
 room containing a silken bed with down cushions, where 
 he slept delightfully, yet he seemed to hear a voice near 
 his bed which to him : " Kemember to give no blood ! " 
 
Tho Witch Maiden Sees the Young Man Under a Tree. 
 
16 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The next morning the maiden asked him whether he would 
 not like to stay with her always in this beautiful place, 
 and as he did not answer immediately she continued: 
 " You see how I always remain young and beautiful, and 
 I am under no one's orders, but can do just what I like, 
 so that I have never thought of marrying before. But from 
 the moment I saw you I took a fancy to you, so, if 
 you agree, we might be married and might live together 
 like princes, because I have great riches." 
 
 The youth could not but be tempted with the beautiful 
 maiden's offer, but he remembered how the birds had 
 called her the witch, and their warning always sounded in 
 his ears. Therefore he answered cautiously : " Do not be 
 angry, dear maiden, if I do not decide immediately on this 
 important matter. Give me a few days to consider before 
 we come to an understanding." 
 
 " Why not ? " answered the maiden. " Take some weeks 
 to consider, if you like, and take counsel with your own 
 heart." And to make the time pass pleasantly, she took 
 the youth over every part of her beautiful dwelling and 
 showed him all her splendid treasures. But these treasures 
 were all produced by enchantment, for the maiden could 
 make anything she wished appear by the help of King Solo- 
 mon's signet-ring ; only none of these things remained fixed ; 
 they passed away like the wind without leaving a trace 
 behind. But the youth did not know this; he thought they 
 were all real. 
 
 One day the maiden took him into a secret chamber, 
 where a little gold box was standing on a silver table. 
 Pointing to the box she said : " Here is my greatest treas- 
 ure, whose like is not to be found in the whole world. 
 It is a precious gold ring. When you marry me I will 
 give you this ring as a marriage gift, and it will make you 
 the happiest of mortal men. But in order that our love 
 may last forever, you must give me for the ring three drops 
 of blood from the little finger of your left hand." 
 
 When the youth heard these words a cold shudder ran 
 over him, for he remembered that his soul was at stake. 
 He was cunning enough, however, to conceal his feelings 
 and to make no direct answer, but he asked the maiden, 
 as if carelessly, what was remarkable about the ring. 
 
THE YELLOW FATRY BOOK. 17 
 
 She answered : " No mortal is able entirely to under- 
 stand the power of this ring, because no one thoroughly 
 understands the secret signs engraved upon it. But even 
 with my half-knowledge I can work great wonders. If I 
 put the ring upon the little finger of my left hand, then I 
 can fly like a bird through the air wherever I wish to go. 
 If I put it on the third finger of my left hand I am in- 
 visible, and I can see everything that passes around me, 
 though no one can see me. If I put the ring upon the 
 middle finger of my left hand, then neither fire nor water 
 nor any sharp weapon can hurt me. If I put it on the 
 forefinger of my left hand, then I can with its help pro- 
 duce whatever I wish. I can in a single moment build 
 houses or anything I desire. Finally, as long as I wear 
 the ring on the thumb of my left hand, that hand is so 
 strong that it can break down rocks and walls. Besides 
 these, the ring has other secret signs which, as I said, no 
 one can understand. No doubt it contains secrets of great 
 importance. The ring formerly belonged to King Solo- 
 mon, the wisest of kings, during whose reign the wisest 
 men lived. But it is not known whether this ring was 
 ever made by mortal hands; it is supposed that an angel 
 gave it to the wise king." 
 
 When the youth heard all this he determined to try and 
 get possession of the ring, though he did not quite believe 
 in all its wonderful gifts. He wished the maiden would 
 let him have it in his hand, but he did quite not like to 
 ask her to do so, and after awhile she put it back into the 
 box. A few days after they were again speaking of the 
 magic ring, and the youth said : " I do not think it pos- 
 sible that the ring can have all the power you say it has." 
 
 Then the maiden opened the box and took the ring out, 
 and it glittered, as she held it, like the clearest sunbeam. 
 She put it on the middle finger of her left hand, and told 
 the youth to take a knife and try as hard as he could to 
 out her with it, for he would not be able to hurt her. He 
 was unwilling at first, but the maiden insisted. Then he 
 tried, at first only in play, and then seriously, to strike 
 her with the knife, but an invisible wall of iron seemed 
 to be between them, and the maiden stood before him laugh- 
 ing and unhurt. Then she put the ring on her third finger 
 
18 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 and in an instant she had vanished from his eyes. Pres- 
 ently she was beside him again, laughing and holding the 
 ring between her fingers. 
 
 " Do let me try," said the youth, " whether I can do these 
 wonderful things." 
 
 The maiden, suspecting no treachery, gave him the magic 
 ring. 
 
 The youth pretended to have forgotten what to do, and 
 asked what finger he must put the ring on so that no sharp 
 weapon could hurt him. 
 
 " Oh, the middle finger of your left hand," the maiden 
 answered, laughing. 
 
 She took the knife and tried to strike the youth, and he 
 even tried to cut himself with it, but found it impossible. 
 Then he asked the maiden to show him how to split 
 stones and rocks with the help of the ring. So she led 
 him into a court-yard where stood a great bowlder. 
 "JSTow," she said, "put the ring upon the thumb of your 
 left hand, and you will see how strong that hand has 
 become." The youth did so, and found to his astonish- 
 ment that with a single blow of his fist the stone flew into 
 a thousand pieces. Then the youth bethought him that 
 he who does not use his luck when he has it is a fool, and 
 that this was a chance which, once lost, might never return. 
 So while they stood laughing at the shattered stone he 
 placed the ring, as if in play, upon the third finger of his 
 left hand. 
 
 " Now," said the maiden, " you are invisible to me until 
 you take the ring off again." 
 
 But the youth had no mind to do that. On the contrary, 
 he went further off, then put the ring on the little finger 
 of his left hand, and soared into the air like a bird. 
 
 When the maiden saw him flying away she thought at 
 first that he was still in play and cried : " Come back, 
 friend, for now you see I have told you the truth." But 
 the young man never came back. 
 
 Then the maiden saw she was deceived, and bitterly re- 
 pented that she had ever trusted him with the ring. 
 
 The young man never halted in his flight until he reached 
 the dwelling of the wise magician who had taught him the 
 speech of birds. The magician was delighted to find that 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 19 
 
 his search had been successful, and at once set to work to 
 interpret the secret signs engraved upon the ring, but it 
 took him seven weeks to make them out clearly. Then he 
 gave the youth the following instructions how to overcome 
 the dragon of the North: 
 
 " You must have an iron horse cast, which must have 
 little wheels under each foot. You must also be armed 
 with a spear two fathoms long, which you will be able to 
 wield by means of the magic ring upon your left thumb. 
 The spear must be as thick in the middle as a large tree, 
 and both its ends must be sharp. In the middle of the spear 
 you must have two strong chains ten fathoms in length. 
 As soon as the dragon has made himself fast to the spear, 
 which you must thrust through his jaws, you must spring 
 quickly from the iron horse and fasten the ends of the chains 
 firmly to the ground with iron stakes, so that he cannot 
 get away from them. After two or three days the monster's 
 strength will be so far exhausted that you will be able to 
 come near him. Then you can put Solomon's ring upon 
 your left thumb and give him the finishing stroke, but keep 
 the ring on your third finger until you have come close to 
 him, so that the monster cannot see you, else he might strike 
 you dead with his long tail. But when all is done, take care 
 you do not lose the ring and that no one takes it from you 
 by cunning." 
 
 The young man thanked the magician for his direc- 
 tions and promised, should they succeed, to reward him. 
 But the magician answered : " I have profited so much by 
 the wisdom the ring has taught me that I desire no other 
 reward." Then they parted, and the youth quickly flew 
 home through the air. After remaining in his own home 
 for some weeks he heard people say that the terrible 
 dragon of the North was not far off and might shortly be 
 expected in the country. The king announced publicly 
 that he would give his daughter in marriage, as well as 
 a large part of his kingdom, to whosoever should free the 
 country from the monster. The youth then went to the 
 king and told him that he had good hopes of subduing the 
 dragon if the king would grant him all he desired for that 
 purpose. The king willingly agreed, and the iron horse, 
 the great spear, and the chains were all prepared as the 
 
20 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 youth requested. When all was ready, it was found that 
 the iron horse was so heavy that a hundred men could not 
 move it from the spot, so the youth found there was noth- 
 ing for it but to move it with his own strength by means 
 of the magic ring. The dragon was now so near that in a 
 couple of springs he would be over the frontier. The 
 youth now began to consider how he should act, for if he 
 had to push the iron horse from behind he could not ride 
 upon it, as the sorcerer had said he must. But a raven 
 unexpectedly gave him this advice : " Ride upon the horse 
 and push the spear against the ground, as if you were 
 pushing off a boat from the land." The youth did so, 
 and found that in this way he could easily move forward. 
 The dragon had his monstrous jaws wide open, all ready 
 for his expected prey. A few paces nearer, and man and 
 horse would have been swallowed up by them! The 
 youth trembled with horror and his blood ran cold, yet he 
 did not lose his courage; but holding the iron spear upright 
 in his hand, he brought it down with all his might right 
 through the monster's lower jaw. Then quick as light- 
 ning he sprang from his horse before the dragon had time 
 to shut his mouth. A fearful clap of thunder, which could 
 be heard for miles around, now warned him that the 
 dragon's jaws had closed upon the spear. When the 
 youth turned round he saw the point of the spear sticking 
 up high above the dragon's upper jaw, and knew that the 
 other end must be fastened firmly to the ground; but the 
 dragon had got his teeth fixed in the iron horse, which 
 was now useless. The youth now hastened to fasten 
 down the chains to the ground by means of the enormous 
 iron pegs which he had provided. The death-struggle of 
 the monster lasted three days and three nights; in his 
 writhing he beat his tail so violently against the ground 
 that at ten miles' distant the earth trembled as if with 
 an earthquake. When he at length lost power to move 
 his tail, the youth with the help of the ring took up a 
 stone which twenty ordinary men could not have moved, 
 and beat the dragon so hard about the head with it that very 
 soon the monster lay lifeless before him. 
 
 You can fancy how great was the rejoicing when the 
 new* was spread abroad that the terrible monster was dead. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 21 
 
 His conqueror was received into the city with as much 
 pomp as if he had been the mightiest of kings. The old 
 king did not need to urge his daughter to marry the slayer 
 of the 'dragon; he found her already willing to bestow her 
 hand upon this hero, who had done all alone what whole 
 
 The Youth Secures the Dragon. 
 
 armies had tried in vp.in to do. In a few days a magnifi- 
 cent wedding was celebrated, at which the rejoicings lasted 
 four whole weeks, for all the neighboring kings had met 
 together to thank the man who had freed the world from 
 their common enemy. But everyone forgot amid the 
 general joy that they ought to have buried the dragon's 
 monstrous body, for it began now to have such a bad smell 
 that no one could live in the neighborhood, and before 
 
22 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 long the whole air was poisoned and pestilence broke out 
 which destroyed many hundreds of people. In this dis- 
 tress the king's son-in-law resolved to seek help once more 
 from the Eastern magician, to whom he at once traveled 
 through the air like a bird by the help of the ring. But 
 there is a proverb which says that ill-gotten gains never 
 prosper, and the prince found that the stolen ring brought 
 him ill-luck after all. The witch-maiden had never rested 
 night nor day until she had found out where the ring was. 
 As soon as she had discovered by means of magical arts 
 that the prince in the form of a bird was on his way to the 
 Eastern magician, she changed herself into an eagle and 
 watched in the air until the bird she was waiting for came 
 in sight, for she knew him at once by the ring, which was 
 hung round his neck by a ribbon. Then the eagle pounced 
 upon the bird, and the moment she seized him in her 
 talons she tore the ring from his neck before the man in 
 bird's shape had time to prevent her. Then the eagle flew 
 down to the earth with her prey, and the two stood face to 
 face once more in human form. 
 
 "Now, villain, you are in my power!" cried the witch- 
 maiden. "I favored you with my love, and you repaid 
 me with treachery and theft. You stole my most precious 
 jewel from me, and do you expect to live happily as the 
 king's son-in-law? Now the tables are turned; you are in 
 my power, and I will be revenged on you for your crimes." 
 
 " Forgive me ! forgive me ! " cried the prince. " I know 
 too well how deeply I have wronged you, and most heartily 
 do I repent it." 
 
 The maiden answered: "Your prayers and your repent- 
 ance come too late, and, if I were to spare you, everyone 
 would think me a fool. You have doubly wronged me; first 
 you scorned my love and then you stole my ring, and you 
 must bear the punishment." 
 
 With these words she put the ring upon her left thumb, 
 lifted the young man with one hand, and walked away 
 with him under her arm. This time she did not take him 
 to a splendid palace, but to a deep cave in a rock, where 
 there were chains hanging from the wall. The maiden 
 now chained the young man's hands and feet so that he 
 could not escape; then she said in an angry voice: "Here 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 23 
 
 you shall remain chained up until you die. I will bring 
 you every day enough food to prevent you dying of hunger, 
 but you need never hope for freedom any more." With 
 these words she left him. 
 
 The old king and his daughter waited anxiously for 
 many weeks for the prince's return, but no news of him 
 arrived. The king's daughter often dreamed that her 
 husband was going through some great suffering. She 
 therefore begged her father to summon all the encnanters 
 and magicians, that they might try to find out where the 
 prince was and how he could be set free. But the magi- 
 cians, with all their arts, could find out nothing, except that 
 he was still living and undergoing great suffering, but none 
 could tell where he was to be found. At last a celebrated 
 magician from Finland was brought before the king, who 
 had found out that the king's son-in-law was imprisoned in 
 the East, not by men, but by some more powerful being. 
 The king now sent messengers to the East to look for his 
 son-in-law, and they by good luck met with the old magi- 
 cian who had interpreted the signs on King Solomon's ring, 
 and thus was possessed of more wisdom than anyone else 
 in the world. The magician soon found out what he wished 
 to know, and pointed out the place where the prince was 
 imprisoned, but said: "He is kept there by enchantment 
 and cannot be set free without my help. I will therefore go 
 with you myself." 
 
 So they all set out, guided by birds, and after some days 
 came to the cave where the unfortunate prince had been 
 chained up for nearly seven years. He recognized the 
 magician immediately, but the old man did not know him, 
 he had grown so thin. However, he undid the chains by 
 the help of magic and took care of the prince until he 
 recovered and became strong enough to travel. When he 
 reached home he found that the old king had died that 
 morning, so that he was now raised to the throne. And 
 now after his long suffering came prosperity, which lasted 
 to the end of his life ; but he never got back the magic ring, 
 nor has it ever again been seen by mortal eyes. 
 
 ]STow, if you had been the prince, would you not rather 
 have stayed with the pretty witch-maiden ? 
 
24 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 THE EMPEKOE'S NEW CLOTHES* 
 
 Many years ago there lived an emperor who was so fond 
 of new clothes that he spent all his money on them in order 
 to be beautifully dressed. He did not care about his 
 soldiers, he did not care about the theater; he only liked 
 to go out walking to show off his new clothes. He had a 
 coat for every hour of the day; and just as they say of a 
 king, " He is in the council-chamber," they always said 
 here, " The emperor is in the wardrobe." 
 
 In the great city in which he lived there was always 
 something going on; every day many strangers came there. 
 One day two impostors arrived, who gave themselves out as 
 weavers, and said that they knew how to manufacture the 
 most beautiful cloth imaginable. Not only were the texture 
 and pattern uncommonly beautiful, but the clothes which 
 were made of the stuff possessed the wonderful property 
 that they were invisible to anyone who was not unfit for his 
 office or who was unpardonably stupid. 
 
 " Those must indeed be splendid clothes," thought the 
 emperor. " If I had them on I could find out which men 
 in my kingdom are unfit for the offices they hold. I could 
 distinguish the wise from the stupid! Yes, this cloth 
 must be woven for me at once." And he gave both the im- 
 postors much money, so that they might begin their work. 
 
 They placed two weaving-looms and began to do as if 
 they were working, but they had not the least thing on the 
 looms. They also demanded the finest silk and the best 
 gold, which they put in their pockets, and worked at the 
 empty looms till late into the night. 
 
 " I should like very much to know how far they have 
 got on with the cloth," thought the emperor. But he 
 remembered, when he thought about it, that whoever was 
 stupid or not fit for his office would not be able to see it. 
 Now he certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for 
 himself, but he wanted first to send somebody else in order 
 to see how he stood with regard to his office. Everybody 
 in the whole town knew what a wonderful power the cloth 
 had, and they were all curious to see how bad or how stupid 
 their neighbor was. 
 
 * Andersen. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 25 
 
 " I will send my old and honored minister to the weavers," 
 thought the emperor. " He can judge best what the cloth 
 is like, for he has intellect, and no one understands his office 
 better than he." 
 
 Now, the good old minister went into the hall where the 
 two impostors sat working at the empty weaving-looms. 
 " Dear me ! " thought the old minister, opening his eyes 
 wide, " I can see nothing ! " But he did not say so. 
 
 Both the impostors begged him to be so kind as to step 
 closer, and asked him if it were not a beautiful texture and 
 lovely colors. They pointed to the empty loom, and the 
 poor old minister went forward rubbing his eyes ; but he 
 could see nothing, for there was nothing there. 
 
 " Dear, dear ! " thought he, " can I be stupid ? I have 
 never thought that, and nobody must know it! Can I be 
 not fit for my office? No, I must certainly not say that I 
 cannot see the cloth ! " 
 
 "Have you nothing to say about it?" asked one of the 
 men who was weaving. 
 
 " Oh, it is lovely, most lovely ! " answered the old min- 
 ister, looking through his spectacles. " What a texture ! 
 What colors ! Yes, I will tell the emperor that it pleases me 
 very much." 
 
 " Now we are delighted at that," said both the weavers, 
 and thereupon they named the colors and explained the 
 make of the texture. 
 
 The old minister paid great attention, so that he could 
 tell the same to the emperor when he came back to him, 
 which he did. 
 
 . The impostors now wanted more money, more silk, and 
 more gold to use in their weaving. They put it all in their 
 own pockets, and there came no threads on the loom, but 
 they went on as they had done before, working at the empty 
 loom. The emperor soon sent another worthy statesman to 
 see how the weaving was getting on and whether the cloth 
 would soon be finished. It was the same with him as the 
 first one; he looked and looked, but because there was 
 nothing on the empty loom he could see nothing. 
 
 " Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth ? " asked the two 
 impostors, and they pointed to and described the splendid 
 material which was not there. 
 
26 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " Stupid I am not," thought the man, " so it must be 
 my good office for which I am not fitted. 3t is strange, 
 certainly, but no one must be allowed to notice it." And 
 so he praised the cloth which he did not see, and expressed 
 to them his delight at the beautiful colors and the splendid 
 texture. " Yes, it is quite beautiful," he said to the emperor. 
 
 Everybody in the town was talking of the magnificent 
 cloth. 
 
 ISTow the emperor wanted to see it himself while it was 
 still on the loom. With a great crowd of select followers, 
 among whom were both the worthy statesmen who had 
 already been there before, he went to the cunning impostors, 
 who were now weaving with all their might, but without 
 fiber or thread. 
 
 " Is it not splendid ? " said both the old statesmen who 
 had already been there. " See, your majesty, what a tex- 
 ture ! What colors ! " And then they pointed to the empty 
 loom, for they believed that the others could see the cloth. 
 
 " What ! " thought the emperor, " I can see nothing ! This 
 is indeed horrible ! Am I stupid ? Am I not fit to be em- 
 peror? That were the most dreadful thing that could hap- 
 pen to me. Oh ! it is very beautiful ! " he said. " It has 
 my gracious approval." And then he nodded pleasantly and 
 examined the empty loom, for he would not say that he could 
 see nothing. 
 
 His whole court round him looked and looked and saw 
 no more than the others, but they said like the emperor, 
 " Oh ! it is beautiful ! " And they advised him to wear these 
 new and magnificent clothes for the first time at the great 
 procession which was soon to take place. " Splendid ! 
 Lovely ! Most beautiful ! " went from mouth to mouth ; 
 everyone seemed delighted over them, and the emperor gave 
 to the impostors the title of court weavers to the emperor. 
 
 Throughout the whole of the night before the morning 
 on which the procession was to take place the impostors 
 were up and were working by the light of over sixteen 
 candles. The people could see that they were very busy 
 making the emperor's new clothes ready. They pretended 
 they were taking the cloth from the loom, cut with huge 
 scissors in the air, sewed with needles without thread, and 
 then said at last, " ISTow the clothes are finished ! " 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 27 
 
 The emperor came himself with his most distinguished 
 knights, and each impostor held up his arm just as if he 
 were holding something and said, " See ! here are the 
 breeches ! Here is the coat ! Here the cloak ! " and so on. 
 
 The Emperor Comes to See His New Clothes. 
 
 " Spun clothes are so comfortable that one would imagine 
 one had nothing on at all ; but that is the beauty of it ! " 
 
 " Yes," said all the knights, but they could see nothing, 
 for there was nothing there. 
 
 " Will it please your majesty graciously to take off your 
 clothes ? " said the impostors ; " then we will put on new 
 clothes here before the mirror." 
 
 The emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors 
 placed themselves before him as if they were putting on 
 each part of his new clothes which was ready, and the 
 emperor turned and bent himself in front of the mirror. 
 
28 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 "How beautifully they fit! How well they sit!" said 
 everybody. "What material! What colors! It is a gor- 
 geous suit ! " 
 
 "They are waiting outside with the canopy which your 
 majesty is wont to have borne over you in the procession," 
 announced the master of the ceremonies. 
 
 " Look, I am ready," said the emperor. " Doesn't it sit 
 well ? " And he turned himself again to the mirror to see 
 if his finery was on all right. 
 
 The chamberlains who were used to carry the train put 
 their hands near the floor as if they were lifting up the 
 train; then they did as if they were holding something in 
 the air. They would not have it noticed that they could 
 see nothing. 
 
 So the emperor went along in the procession under the 
 splendid canopy, and all the people in the streets and at the 
 windows said, "How matchless are the emperor's new 
 clothes! That train fastened to his dress, how beautifully 
 it hangs!" 
 
 No one wished it to be noticed that he could see nothing, 
 for then he would have been unfit for his office or else very 
 stupid. None of the emperor's clothes had met with such 
 approval as these had. 
 
 " But he has nothing on ! " said a little child at last. 
 
 " Just listen to the innocent child ! " said the father, and 
 one whispered to his neighbor what the child had said. 
 
 " But he has nothing on ! " the people called out at last. 
 
 This struck the emperor, for it seemed to him as if they 
 were right ; but he thought to himself, " I must go on with 
 the procession now." And the chamberlains walked along 
 still more uprightly, holding up the train which was not 
 there at all. 
 
 THE GOLDEN CKAB * 
 
 Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had a wife 
 and three children. Every morning he used to go out fish- 
 ing, and whatever fish he caught he sold to the king. One 
 day, among the other fishes, he caught a golden crab. 
 When he came home he put all the fishes together into a 
 
 * " Prinz Krebs," from " G-riechische Mahrchen." Schmidt. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 29 
 
 great dish, but tie kept the crab separate because it shone 
 so beautifully, and placed it upon a high shelf in the cup- 
 board. Now, while the old woman, his wife, was cleaning 
 the fish, and had tucked up her gown so that her feet were 
 visible, she suddenly heard a voice, which said: 
 
 " Let down, let down thy petticoat 
 That lets thy feet be seen." 
 
 She turned round in surprise, and then she saw the little 
 creature, the golden crab. 
 
 " What ! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous crab ? " 
 she said, for she was not quite pleased at the crab's remark. 
 Then she took him up and placed him on a dish. 
 
 When her husband came home and they sat down to 
 dinner, they presently heard the crab's little voice saying, 
 " Give me some too." They were all very much surprised, 
 but they gave him something to 'eat. When the old man 
 came to take away the plate which had contained the crab's 
 dinner he found it full of gold, and as the same thing hap- 
 pened every day he soon became very fond of the crab. 
 
 One day the crab said to the fisherman's wife : " Go to 
 the king and tell him I wish to marry his younger 
 daughter." 
 
 The old woman went accordingly and laid the matter 
 before the king, who laughed a little at the notion of his 
 daughter marrying a crab, but did not decline the proposal 
 altogether, because he was a prudent monarch and knew 
 that the crab was likely to be a prince in disguise. He 
 said, therefore, to the fisherman's wife : " Go, old woman, 
 and tell the crab I will give him my daughter if by to-mor- 
 row morning he can build a wall in front of my castle much 
 higher than my tower, upon which all the flowers of the 
 world must grow and bloom." 
 
 The fisherman's wife went home and gave this message. 
 
 Then the crab gave her a golden rod and said : " Go and 
 strike with this rod three times upon the ground on the 
 place which the king showed you, and to-morrow morning 
 the wall will be there." 
 
 The old woman did so and went away again. 
 
 The next morning, when the king awoke, what do you 
 think he saw ? The wall stood there before his eyes, exactly 
 as he had bespoken it! 
 
30 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 Then the old woman went back to the king and said to 
 him: "Your majesty's orders have been fulfilled." 
 
 " That is all very well," said the king, " but I cannot give 
 away my daughter until there stands in front of my palace 
 a garden in which there are three fountains, of which the 
 first must play gold, the second diamonds, and the third 
 brilliants." 
 
 So the old woman had to strike again three times upon 
 
 the ground with the rod, and the next morning the garden 
 was there. The king now gave his consent, and the wed- 
 ding was fixed for the very next day. 
 
 Then the crab said to the fisherman: 
 
 "Now take this rod: go and knock with it on a certain 
 mountain ; then a black man * will come out and ask you 
 what you wish for. Answer him thus : ' Your master the 
 king has sent me to tell you that you must send him his 
 
 * Ein Mohr. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 31 
 
 golden garment that is like the sun.' Make him give you, 
 besides, the queenly robes of gold and precious stones which 
 are like the flowery meadows, and bring them both to me, 
 and bring me also the golden cushion." 
 
 The old man went and did his errand. When he had 
 brought the precious robes the crab put on the golden gar- 
 ment and then crept upon the golden cushion, and in this 
 way the fisherman carried him to the castle, where the crab 
 presented the other garment to his bride. Now the cere- 
 mony took place, and when the married pair were alone 
 together the crab made himself known to his young wife, 
 and told her how he was the son of the greatest king in the 
 world, and how he was enchanted, so that he became a crab 
 by day and was a man only at nights, and he could also 
 change himself into an eagle as often as he wished. No 
 sooner had he said this than he shook himself and immedi- 
 ately became a handsome youth, but the next morning he 
 was forced to creep back again into his crab-shell. And 
 the same thing happened every day. But the princess' 
 affection for the crab and the polite attention with which 
 she behaved to him surprised the royal family very much. 
 They suspected some secret, but though they spied and 
 spied, they could not discover it. Thus a year passed away 
 and the princess had a son, whom she called Benjamin. 
 But her mother still thought the whole matter very strange. 
 At last she said to the king that he ought to ask his daugh- 
 ter whether she would not like to have another husband 
 instead of the crab. But when the daughter was questioned 
 she only answered: 
 
 " I am married to the crab, and him only will I have." 
 
 Then the king said to her : " I will appoint a tournament 
 in your honor and I will invite all the princes in the world 
 to it, and if any one of them pleases you, you shall marry 
 him." 
 
 In the evening the princess told this to the crab, who 
 said to her: "Take this rod; go to the garden gate and 
 knock with it ; then a black man will come out and say to 
 you, ' Why have you called me and what do you require of 
 me ? ' Answer him thus : l Your master the king has sent 
 me hither to tell you to send him his golden armor and his 
 steed and the silver apple.' And bring them to me." 
 
32 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The princess did so and brought him what he desired. 
 The following evening the prince dressed himself for the 
 tournament. Before he went he said to his wife: "Now 
 mind you do not say \vhen you see me that I am the crab. 
 For if you do this evil will come of it. Place yourself at the 
 window with your sisters; I will ride by and throw you the 
 silver apple. Take it in your hand, but if they ask who I 
 am, say that, you do not know." So saying, he kissed her, 
 repeated his warning once more, and went away. 
 
 The princess went with 
 her sisters to the window 
 and looked on at the tour- 
 nament. Presently her 
 husband rode by and threw 
 the apple up to her. She 
 caught it in her hand and 
 went with it to her own 
 room, and by and by her 
 husband came back to her. 
 But her father was much 
 surprised that she did not 
 seem to care about any of 
 the princes; he therefore 
 appointed a second tourna- 
 ment. 
 
 The crab then gave his 
 wife the same directions as 
 before, only this time the 
 apple which she received 
 from the black man was of 
 gold. But before the 
 prince went to the tourna- 
 ment he said to his wife: 
 " Now I know you will be- 
 tray me to-day." 
 
 But she swore to him that she would not tell who he was. 
 He then repeated his warning and went away. 
 
 In the evening, while the princess, with her mother and 
 
 sisters, was standing at the window, the prince suddenly 
 
 galloped past on his steed and threw her the golden apple. 
 
 Then her mother flew into a passion, gave her a box on 
 
 'The Fisherman Brings the Crab on 
 the Golden Cushion. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 33 
 
 the ear, and cried out : " Does not even that prince please 
 you, you fool ? " 
 
 The princess in her fright exclaimed : " That is the crab 
 himself!" 
 
 Her mother was still more angry because she had not been 
 told sooner, ran into her daughter's room where the crab- 
 shell was still lying, took it up and threw it into the fire. 
 Then the poor princess cried bitterly, but it was of no use; 
 her husband did not come back. 
 
 Now we must leave the princess and turn to the other 
 persons in the story. One day an old man went to a stream 
 to dip in a crust of bread which he was going to eat, when 
 a dog came out of the water, snatched the bread from his 
 hand, and ran away. The old man ran after him, but the 
 dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man 
 following him. He did not overtake the dog, but found 
 himself above a staircase, which he descended. Then he 
 saw before him a stately palace, and entering, he found in 
 a large hall a table set for twelve persons. He hid himself 
 in the hall behind a great picture, that he might see what 
 would happen. At noon he heard a great noise, so that he 
 trembled with fear. When he took courage to look out 
 from behind the picture he saw twelve eagles flying in. 
 At this sight his fear became still greater. The eagles flew 
 to the basin of a fountain that was there and bathed them- 
 selves, when suddenly they were changed in to twelve hand- 
 some youths. Now they seated themselves at the table, 
 and of them took up a goblet filled with wine and said 
 "A health to my father!" And another said, "A health 
 to my mother ! " and so the healths went round. Then one 
 of them said: 
 
 "A health to my dearest lady, 
 
 Long may she live and well ! 
 But a curse on the cruel mother 
 That burned my golden shell ! " 
 
 And so saying he wept bitterly. Then the youths rose from 
 the table, went back to the great stone fountain, turned 
 themselves into eagles again, and flew away. 
 
 Then the old man went away too, returned to the light 
 of day, and went home. Soon after he heard that the 
 princess was ill, and that the only thing that did her good 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK> 35 
 
 was having stories told to her. He therefore went to the 
 royal castle, obtained an audience of the princess, and told 
 her about the strange things he had seen in the underground 
 palace. No sooner had he finished than the princess asked 
 him whether he could find the way to that palace. 
 
 " Yes," he answered, " certainly." 
 
 And now she desired him to guide her thither at once. 
 The old man did so, and when they came to the palace he 
 hid her behind the great picture and advised her to keep 
 quite still, and he placed himself behind the picture also. 
 Presently the eagles came flying in and changed themselves 
 into young men, and in a moment the princess recognized 
 her husband among them all and tried to come out of her 
 hiding-place ; but the old man held her back. The youths 
 seated themselves at the table; and now the prince said 
 again, while he took up the cup of wine: 
 
 "A health to my dearest lady, 
 
 Long may she live and well ! 
 But a curse on the cruel mother 
 That burned my golden shell ! " 
 
 Then the princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran 
 forward and threw her arms round her husband. And 
 immediately he knew her again and said: 
 
 "Do you remember how I told you that day that you 
 would betray me? Now you see that I spoke the truth. 
 But all that bad time is past. Now listen to me: I must 
 still remain enchanted for three months. Will you stay 
 here with me till that time is over ? " 
 
 So the princess stayed with him and said to the old man : 
 " Go back to the castle and tell my parents that I am stay- 
 ing here." 
 
 Her parents were very much vexed when the old man 
 came back and told them this, but as soon as the three 
 months of the prince's enchantment were over he ceased to 
 be an eagle and became once more a man, and they returned 
 home together. And then they lived happily, and we who 
 hear the story are happier still. 
 
 s 
 
36 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 THE IKON STOVE* 
 
 Once upon a time, when wishes came true, there was a 
 king's son who was enchanted by an old witch, so that he 
 was obliged to sit in a large iron stove in a wood. There 
 he lived for many years, and no one could free him. At 
 last a king's daughter came into the wood; ske had lost 
 her way and could not find her father's kingdom again. 
 She had been wandering round and round for nine days, 
 and she came at last to the iron case. A voice came from 
 within and asked her : " Where do you come from and 
 where do you want to go ? " She answered : " I have lost 
 my way to, my father's kingdom, and I shall never get 
 home again." Then the voice from the iron stove said: 
 " I will help you to find your home again, and that in a 
 very short time, if you will promise to do what I ask you. 
 I am a greater prince than you are a princess, and I will 
 marry you." Then she grew frightened and thought, 
 " What can a young lassie do with an iron stove ? " But 
 as she wanted very much to go home to her father, she 
 promised to do what he wished. He said : " You must 
 come again, and bring a knife with you to scrape a hole in 
 the iron." 
 
 Then he gave her someone for a guide, who walked near 
 her and said nothing, but he brought her in two hours to 
 her house. There was great joy in the castle when the 
 princess came back, and the old king fell on her neck and 
 kissed her. But she was very much troubled and said: 
 " Dear father, listen to what has befallen me. I should 
 never have come home again out of the great wildwood if 
 I had not come to an iron stove, to whom I have had to 
 promise that I will go back to free him and marry him ! " 
 The old king was so frightened that he nearly fainted, for 
 she was his only daughter. So they consulted together, and 
 determined that the miller's daughter, who was very beau- 
 tiful, should take her place. They took her there, gave 
 her a knife, and said she must scrape at the iron stove. 
 She scraped for twenty-four hours, but did not make the 
 least impression. When the day broke a voice called from 
 
 * Grimm. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 37 
 
 the iron stove : " It seems to me that it is day outside." 
 Then she answered : " It seems so to me ; I think I hear my 
 father's mill rattling." 
 
 " So you are a miller's daughter ! Then go away at once 
 and tell the king's daughter to come." 
 
 Then she went away and told the old king that the thing 
 inside the iron stove would not have her, but wanted the 
 princess. The old king was frightened, and his daughter 
 wept. But they had a swineherd's daughter, who was even 
 more beautiful than the miller's daughter, and they gave 
 her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove instead of the 
 princess. Then she was taken out and had to scrape for 
 twenty-four hours, but she could make no impression. As 
 soon as the day broke the voice from the stove called out: 
 " It seems to be daylight outside." Then she answered : 
 " It seems so to me too ; I think I hear my father blowing 
 his horn." " So you are a swineherd's daughter! Go away 
 at once and let the king's daughter come. And say to her 
 that what I foretell shall come to pass, and if she does not 
 come everything in the kingdom shall fall into ruin, and not 
 one stone shall be left upon another." When the princess 
 heard this she began to cry, but it was no good ; she had to 
 keep her word. She took leave of her father, put a knife 
 in her belt, and went to the iron stove in the wood. As 
 soon as she reached it she began to scrape and the iron gave 
 way, and before two hours had passed she had made a little 
 hole. Then she peeped in and saw such a beautiful youth, 
 all shining with gold and precious stones, that she fell in 
 love with him on the spot. So she scraped away harder 
 than ever, and made the hole so large that he could get 
 out. Then he said : " You are mine and I am thine : you are 
 my bride and have set me free ! " He wanted to take her 
 with him to his kingdom, but she begged him just to let her 
 go cnce more to her father; and the prince let her go, but 
 told her not to say more than three words to her father, then 
 to come back again. So she went home, but, alas ! she said 
 more than three words; and immediately the iron stove 
 vanished and went away over a mountain of glass and 
 sharp swords. But the prince was free and was no longer 
 shut up in it. Then she said good-by to her father, and 
 took a little money with her and went again into the great 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 39 
 
 wood to look for the iron stove; but she could not find it. 
 She sought it for nine days, and then her hunger became 
 so great that she did not know how she could live any 
 longer. And when it was evening she climbed a little tree 
 and wished that the night would not come, because she 
 was afraid of the wild beasts. When midnight came she 
 saw afar off a little light and thought, " Ah ! if only I 
 could reach that ! " Then she got down from the tree and 
 went toward the light. She came to a little old house with 
 a great deal of grass growing round, and stood in front of 
 a little heap of wood. She thought, " Alas ! what am I 
 coming to ? " and peeped through the window ; but she 
 saw nothing inside except big and little toads and a table 
 beautifully spread with roast meats and wine, and all the 
 dishes and drinking-cups were of silver. Then she took 
 heart and knocked. Then a fat toad called out: 
 
 " Little green toad with leg like crook, 
 Open wide the door, and look 
 Who it was the latch that shook." 
 
 And a little toad came forward and let her in. When she 
 entered they all bade her welcome and made her sit down. 
 They asked her how she came there and what she wanted. 
 Then she told eve^thing that had happened to her, and 
 how, because she had exceeded her permission only to speak 
 three words, the stove had disappeared with the prince; 
 and how she had searched a very long time, and must 
 wander over mountain and valley till she found him. 
 Then the old toad said: 
 
 "Little green toad whose leg doth twist, 
 Go to the corner of which you wist, 
 And bring to me the large old kist." 
 
 And the little toad went and brought out a great chest. 
 Then they gave her food and drink and led her to a beauti- 
 fully made bed of silk and samite, on which she lay down 
 and slept soundly. When the day dawned she arose, and 
 the old toad gave her three things out of the huge chest 
 to take with her. She would have need of them, for she 
 had to cross a high glass mountain, three cutting swords, 
 and a great lake. When she had passed these she would 
 find her lover again. So she was given three large needles, 
 
40 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 a plow-wheel, and three nuts, which she was to take great 
 care of. She set out with these things, and when she came 
 to the glass mountain which was so slippery she stuck the 
 three needles behind her feet and then in front, and so got 
 over it, and when she was on the other side put them care- 
 fully away. 
 
 Then she reached the three cutting swords and got on 
 her plow-wheel and rolled over them. At last she came to 
 
 Then she reached the three cutting swords and got on her 
 plow-wheel and rolled over them. 
 
 a great lake, and when she had crossed that arrived at a 
 beautiful castle. She went in and gave herself out as a 
 servant, a poor maid who would gladly be engaged. But 
 she knew that the prince whom she had freed from the iron 
 stove in the great wood was in the castle. So she was taken 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 41 
 
 on as a kitchen-maid, for very smaL wages. Now the 
 prince was about to marry another princess, for he thought 
 she was dead long ago. 
 
 In the evening, when she had washed up and was ready, 
 she felt in her pocket and found the three nuts which the 
 old toad had given her. She cracked one and was going 
 to eat the kernel, when behold! there w y as a beautiful royal 
 dress inside it ! When the bride heard of this she came and 
 begged for the dress and wanted to buy it, saying that it 
 was not a dress for a serving-maid. Then she said she 
 would not sell it unless she was granted one favor namely, 
 to sleep by the prince's door. The bride granted her this, 
 because the dress was so beautiful and she had so few like 
 it. When it was evening she said to her bridegroom : " That 
 I stupid maid wants to sleep by your door." 
 
 """"^ If you are contented, I am," he said. But she gave 
 him a glass of wine in which she had poured a sleeping- 
 draught. Then they both went to his room, but he slept 
 so soundly that she could not ^ake him. The maid wept 
 all night long and said: "I f 3ed you in the wildwood out 
 of the iron stove. I have sought you and have crossed a 
 glassy mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake be- 
 fore I found you, and you will not hear me now ! " The 
 servants outside heard how she cried the whole night, and 
 they told their master in the morning. 
 
 When she had washed up the next evening she bit 
 the second nut, and there was a still more beautiful dress 
 inside. When the bride saw it she wanted to buy it also. 
 But the maid did not want money and asked that she should 
 sleep again by the prince's door. The bride, however, gave 
 him a sleeping-draught, and he slept so soundly that he 
 heard nothing. But the kitchen-maid wept the whole night 
 long and said: "I have freed you in a wood and from 
 an iron stove; I sought you and have crossed a glassy 
 mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake to find you, 
 and now you will not hear me ! " The servants outside 
 heard how she cried the whole night, and in the morning 
 they told their master. And when she had washed up on 
 the third night she bit the third nut, and there was a 
 still more beautiful dress inside that was made of pure gold. 
 When the bride saw it she wanted to have it, but the maid 
 
42 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 would only give it to her on condition that she should sleep 
 for the third time by the prince's door. But the prince took 
 care not to drink the sleeping-draught. When she began 
 to weep and to say, " Dearest sweetheart, I freed you in the 
 horrible wildwood and from an iron stove," he jumped up 
 and said : " You are right. You are mine and I am thine." 
 Though it was still night, he got into a carriage with 
 her, and they took the false bride's clothes away, so 
 that she could not follow them. When they came to 
 the great lake they rowed across, and when they reached 
 the three sharp swords they sat on the plow-wheel, and on 
 the glassy mountain they stuck the three needles in. So 
 they arrived at last at the little old house, but when they 
 stepped inside it turned into a large castle. The toads were 
 all freed and were beautiful king's children, running about 
 for joy. There they were married, and they remained 
 in the castle, which was much larger than that of the 
 prince's father. But because the old man did not like being 
 left alone they went and fetched him. So they had two 
 kingdoms and lived in grt * wealth. 
 
 "A mouse has run, 
 My story's done. 
 
 THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER 
 
 There was once a great war, and the king had a great 
 many soldiers, but he gave them so little pay that they 
 could not live upon it. Then three of them took counsel 
 together and determined to desert. 
 
 One of them said to the others : " If we are caught we 
 shall be hanged on the gallows. How shall we set about 
 it ? " The other said : " Do you see that large corn-field 
 there? If we were to hide ourselves in that no one could 
 find us. The army cannot come into it, and to-morrow it 
 is to march on." 
 
 They crept into the corn, but the army did not march on, 
 "but remained encamped close around them. They sat for 
 two days and two nights in the corn, and grew so hungry 
 that they nearly died; but if they were to venture out it 
 was certain death. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 43 
 
 They said at last : " What use was it our deserting ? We 
 must perish here miserably." 
 
 While they were speaking a fiery dragon came flying 
 through the air. It hovered near them and asked why 
 they were hidden there. They answered : " We are three 
 soldiers and have deserted because our pay was so small. 
 Now, if we remain here we shall die of hunger, and if we 
 move out we shall be strung up on the gallows." " If you 
 will serve me for seven years," said the dragon, " I 
 will lead you through the midst of the army so that no one 
 shall catch you." " We have no choice and must take your 
 
 The Dragon Carries off the Three Soldiers. 
 
 offer," said they. Then the dragon seized them in his claws, 
 took them through the air over the army, and set them down 
 on the earth a long way from it. 
 
 He gave them a little whip, saying : " Whip and slash 
 with this, and as much money as you want will jump up 
 before you. You can then live as great lords, keep horses, 
 and drive about in carriages. But after seven years you are 
 mine." Then he put a book before them, which he made 
 
4i THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 all three of them sign. " I will then give you a riddle," he 
 said; "if you guess it, you shall be free and out of my 
 power." The dragon then flew away, and they journeyed 
 on with their little whip. They had as much money as 
 they wanted, wore grand clothes, and made their way into 
 the world. Wherever they went they lived in merry-mak- 
 ing and splendor, drove about with horses and carriages, 
 ate and drank, but did nothing wrong. 
 
 The time passed quickly away, and when the seven years 
 were nearly ended two of them grew terribly anxious and 
 frightened, but the third made light of it, saying : " Don't 
 be afraid, brothers. I wasn't born yesterday. I will guess 
 the riddle." 
 
 They went into a field, sat down, and the two pulled 
 long faces. An old woman passed by and asked them why 
 they were so sad. " Alas ! what have you to do with it ? 
 You cannot help us." " Who knows ? " she answered. " Only 
 confide your trouble in me." 
 
 Then they told her that they had become the servants of 
 the dragon for seven long years, and how he had given 
 them .money as plentifully as blackberries ; but as they had 
 signed their names they were his, unless when the seven 
 years had passed, they could guess a riddle. The old woman 
 said : " If you would help yourselves, one of you must go 
 into the wood, and there he will come upon a tumble-down 
 building of rocks which looks like a little house. He must 
 go in, and there he will find help." 
 
 The two melancholy ones thought, " That won't save 
 us ! " and they remained where they were. But the third 
 and merry one jumped up and went into the wood till 
 he found the rock hut. In the hut sat a very old woman, 
 who was the dragon's grandmother. She asked him how 
 he came and what his business was there. He told her all 
 that happened, and because she was pleased with him she 
 took compassion on him and said she would help him. 
 
 She lifted up a large stone which lay over the cellar, 
 saying : " Hide yourself there ; you can hear all that is 
 spoken in this room. Only sit still and don't stir. When 
 the dragon comes I will ask him what the riddle is, for he 
 tells me everything; then listen carefully what he answers." 
 
 At midnight the dragon flew in and asked for his supper. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 45 
 
 His grandmother laid the table and brought out food and 
 drink till he was satisfied, and they ate and drank together. 
 Then in the course of the conversation she asked him what 
 he had done in the day and how many souls he had con- 
 quered. 
 
 "I haven't had much luck to-day," he said, "but I have 
 a tight hold on three soldiers." 
 
 " Indeed ! three soldiers ! " said she. " Who cannot escape 
 you?" 
 
 " They are mine," answered the dragon scornfully, " for 
 I shall only give them one riddle which they will never be 
 able to guess." 
 
 " What sort of a riddle is it ? " she asked. 
 
 "I will tell you this. In the North Sea lies a dead sea- 
 cat that shall be their roast meat; and the rib of a whale 
 that shall be their silver spoon; and the hollow foot of a 
 dead horse that shall be their wine-glass." 
 
 When the dragon had gone to bed his old grandmother 
 pulled up the stone and let out the soldier. 
 
 " Did you pay attention to everything ? " 
 
 " Yes," he replied, " I know enough and can help myself 
 splendidly." 
 
 Then he went by another way through the window 
 secretly and in all haste back to his comrades. He told 
 them how the dragon had been outwitted by his grand- 
 mother and how he had heard from his own lips the answer 
 to the riddle. 
 
 Then they were all delighted and in high spirits, took out 
 their whip, and cracked so much money that it came 
 jumping up from the ground. When the seven years had 
 quite gone the fiend came with his book, and pointing at the 
 signatures said: "I will take you underground with 
 me; you shall have a meal there. If you can tell me what 
 you will get for your roast meat you shall be free and shall 
 also keep the whip." 
 
 Then said the first soldier : " In the North Sea lies a dead 
 sea-cat; that shall be the roast meat." 
 
 The dragon was much annoyed and hummed and hawed 
 a good deal, and asked the second : " But what shall be 
 your spoon ? " 
 
 " The rib of a whale shall be our silver spoon/' 
 
46 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The dragon made a face and growled again three times, 
 "Hum, hum, hum," and said to the third: "Do you 
 know what your wine-glass shall be ? " 
 
 " An old horse's hoof shall be our wine-glass." 
 Then the dragon flew away with a loud shriek and had no 
 more power over them. But the three soldiers took the 
 little whip, whipped as much money as they wanted, and 
 lived happily to their lives' end. 
 
 The Fiend Defeated. 
 
 
 
 THE DOKKEY CABBAGE. 
 
 There was once a young hunter who went boldly into the 
 the forest. He had a merry and light heart, and as 
 he went whistling along there came an ugly old woman 
 who said to him : " Good-day, dear hunter ! You are very 
 merry and contented, but I suffer hunger and thirst, so 
 give fee a trifle." The hunter was sorry for the poor old 
 woman, and he felt in his pocket and gave her all he could 
 spare. He was going on then, but the old woman stopped 
 him and said: "Listen, dear hunter, to what I say. Be- 
 cause of your kind heart I will make you a present. Go on 
 your way, and in a short time you will come to a tree 
 on which sit nine birds who have a cloak in their claws and 
 are quarreling over it. Then take aim with your gun and 
 shoot in the middle of them; they will let the cloak fall, 
 but one of the birds will be hit and will drop down dead. 
 Take the cloafc with you. It is a wishing-cloak, and when 
 you throw it on your shoulders you have only to wish your- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK, 47 
 
 aelf at a, certain place, and in the twinkling of an eye you are 
 there. Take the heart out of the dead bird and swallow it 
 whole, and early every morning, when you get up, you will 
 find a gold-piece under your pillow." 
 
 The hunter thanked the wise woman and thought to 
 himself, " These are splendid things she has promised me, 
 if only they come to pass ! " So he walked on about a hun- 
 dred yards, and then he heard above him in the branches 
 such a screaming and chirping that he looked up, and there 
 he saw a heap of birds tearing a cloth with their beaks and 
 feet, shrieking, tugging, and fighting, as if each wanted it 
 for himself. "Well," said the hunter, "this is wonderful! 
 It is just as the old woman said " ; and he put his gun to his 
 shoulder, pulled the trigger, and shot into the midst of 
 them, so that their feathers flew about. Then the flock 
 took flight with much screaming, but one fell dead and 
 the cloak fluttered down. Then the hunter did as the old 
 woman had told him; he cut open the bird, found its 
 heart, swallowed it, and took the cloak home with him. 
 The next morning when he awoke he remembered the 
 promise and wanted to see if it had come true. But when 
 he lifted up his pillow there sparkled the gold-piece, and 
 the next morning he found another, and so on every time 
 he got up. He collected a heap of gold, but at last he 
 thought to himself, " What good is all my gold to me if I 
 stay at home? I will travel and look a bit about me in the 
 world." So he took leave of his parents, slung his hunting 
 knapsack and his gun around him, and journeyed into the 
 world. 
 
 It happened that one day he went through a thick^vood, 
 and when he came to the end of it there lay in the plain 
 before him a large castle. At one of the windows in it 
 stood an old woman with a most beautiful maiden by her 
 side, looking out. But the old woman was a witch and she 
 .said to the girl; "There comes one out of the wood who 
 has a wonderful treasure in his body which we must 
 manage to possess ourselves of, darling daughter; we have 
 more right to it than he. He has a bird's heart in him, 
 and so every morning there lies a gold-piece under his 
 pillow." 
 
 She told her how they oould get hold of it and how she 
 
48 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 was to coax it from him, and at last threatened her angrily, 
 saying : " And if you do not obey me you shall repent of it ! " 
 
 When the hunter came nearer he saw the maiden and 
 said to himself : " I have traveled so far now that I will 
 rest and turn into this beautiful castle. Money I have in 
 plenty. " But the real reason was that he had caught sight 
 of the lovely face. 
 
 He went into the house and was kindly received and 
 hospitably entertained. It was not long before he was so 
 much in love with the witch-maiden that he thought of 
 nothing else and only looked into her eyes, and whatever she 
 wanted that he gladly did. Then the old witch said : " Now 
 we must have the bird-heart; he will not feel when it is 
 gone." She prepared a drink, and when it was ready she 
 poured it into a goblet and gave it to the maiden, who had 
 to hand it to the hunter. 
 
 "Drink to me now, my dearest," she said. Then he 
 took the goblet, and when he had swallowed the drink the 
 bird-heart came out of his mouth. The maiden had to 
 get hold of it secretly and then swallow it herself, for 
 the old witch wanted to have it. Thenceforward he found 
 no more gold under his pillow, and it lay under the 
 maiden's: but he was so much in love and so much 
 bewitched that he thought of nothing except spending all 
 his time with the maiden. 
 
 Then the old witch said: "We have the bird-heart, but 
 we -must also get the wishing-cloak from him." 
 
 The maiden answered : " We will leave him that. He has- 
 already lost his wealth ! " 
 
 The old witch grew angry and said : " Such a cloak is a 
 wonderful thing. It is seldom to be had in the world, 
 and have it I must and will." She beat the maiden, and 
 said that if she did not obey it would go ill with her. 
 
 So she did her mother's bidding, and standing one day 
 by the window, she looked away into the far distance as if 
 she were very sad. 
 
 " Why are you standing there, looking so sad ? " asked the 
 hunter. 
 
 "Alas! my love," she replied, "over there lies the 
 granite mountain where the costly precious stones grow. 
 I have a great longing to go there, so that when I think of 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 49 
 
 it I am very sad. For who can fetch them? Only the 
 hirds who fly; a man, never." 
 
 " If you have no other trouble," said the hunter, " that 
 one I can easily remove from your heart." 
 
 So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished them- 
 selves to the granite mountain, and in an instant there 
 they were, sitting on it! The precious stones sparkled so 
 brightly on all sides that it was a pleasure to see them, and 
 they collected the most beautiful and costly together. 
 
 But now the old witch had through her witchcraft caused 
 the hunter's eyes to become heavy. 
 
 He said to the maiden: "We will sit down for a little 
 while and rest. I am so tired I can hardly stand on my 
 feet." 
 
 So they sat down and he laid his head on her lap and 
 fell asleep. As soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened 
 
50 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 the cloak from his shoulders, threw it on her own, left the 
 granite and stones, and wished herself home again. 
 
 But when the hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, 
 he found that his love had betrayed him and left him alone 
 on the wild mountain. " Oh," said he, " why is faithless- 
 ness so great in the world ? " and he sat down in sorrow 
 and trouble, not knowing what to do. 
 
 But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge giants, 
 who lived on it and traded there, and he had not sat long 
 before he saw three of them striding toward him. So he 
 lay down as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. 
 
 The giants came up, and the first pushed him with 
 his foot and said : " What sort of an earth-worm 
 is that?" 
 
 The second said : " Crush him dead." 
 
 But the third said contemptuously: "It is not worth 
 the trouble. Let him live. He cannot remain here, and 
 if he goes higher up the mountain the clouds will take him 
 and carry him off." 
 
 Talking thus, they went away. But the hunter had lis- 
 tened to their talk, and as soon as they had gone he rose 
 and climbed to the summit. When he had sat there a little 
 while a cloud swept by and, seizing him, carried him 
 away. It traveled for a time in the sky, and then it sank 
 down and hovered over a large vegetable garden sur- 
 rounded, by walls, so that he came safely to the ground 
 amid cabbages and vegetables. The hunter then looked 
 about him, saying: "If only I had something to eat! I 
 am so hungry, and it will go badly with me in the future, 
 for I see here not an apple or pear or fruit of any kini 
 nothing but vegetables everywhere." At last he thought, 
 "At a pinch I can eat a salad. It does not taste particu- 
 larly nice, but it will refresh me." So he looked about 
 for a good head and ate it, but no sooner had he swallowed 
 a couple of mouthfuls than he felt very strange and found 
 himself wonderfully changed. Four legs began to grow 
 on him, a thick head and two long ears, and he saw with 
 horror that he had changed into a donkey. But as he was 
 still very hungry and this juicy salad tasted very good to 
 his present nature, he went on eating with a still greater 
 appetite. At last he got hold of another kind of cabbage, 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 51 
 
 but scarcely had swallowed it when he felt another change, 
 and he once more regained his human form. 
 
 The hunter now lay down and slept off his weariness. 
 When he awoke the next morning he broke off a head of 
 the bad and a head of the good cabbage, thinking, " This 
 will help me to regain my own and to punish faithless- 
 ness." Then he put the heads in his pockets, climbed 
 the wall, and started off to seek the castle of his love. 
 When he had wandered about for a couple of days he 
 
 
 
 The Hunter is Transformed into a Donkey. 
 
 found it quite easily. He then browned his face quickly, 
 so that his own mother would not have known him, and 
 went into the castle, where he begged for a lodging. 
 " I am so tired," he said, " I can go no further." 
 The witch asked : " Countryman, who are you and what 
 is your business ? " 
 
 He answered : " I am a messenger of the king and have 
 l>een sent to seek the finest salad that grows under the sun. 
 I have been so lucky as to find it and am bringing it with 
 me; but the heat of the suri is so great that the tender 
 cabbage threatens to grow soft, and I do not know if I shall 
 be able to bring it any further." 
 
52 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 When the old witch heard of the fine salad she wanted 
 to eat it and said : " Dear countryman, just let me taste 
 the wonderful salad." 
 
 " Why not ? " he answered. " I have brought two heads 
 with me and will give you one." 
 
 So saying, he opened his sack and gave her the bad one. 
 The witch suspected no evil, and her mouth watered to 
 taste the new dish, so that she went into the kitchen to 
 prepare it herself. When it was ready she could not wait 
 till it was served at the table, but she immediately took 
 a couple of leaves and put them into her mouth. JSTo sooner, 
 however, had she swallowed them than she lost human 
 form and ran into the court-yard in the shape of a donkey. 
 
 Now the servant came into the kitchen, and when she 
 saw the salad standing there ready cooked she was about 
 to carry it up, but on the way, according to her old habit, 
 she tasted it and ate a couple of leaves. Immediately the 
 charm worked, and she became a donkey and ran out to 
 join the old witch, and the dish with the salad in it fell 
 to the ground. In the meantime the messenger was sitting 
 with the lovely maiden, and as no one came with the salad 
 and she wanted very much to taste it, she said : " I don't 
 know where the salad is." 
 
 Then thought the hunter, " The cabbage must have al- 
 ready begun to work." And he said : " I will go to the 
 kitchen and fetch it myself." 
 
 When he came there he saw the two donkeys running 
 about in the courtyard, but the salad was lying on the 
 ground. 
 
 "That's all right," said he; "two have had their share!" 
 And lifting the remaining leaves up, he -laid them on the 
 dish and brought them to the maiden. 
 
 "I am bringing you the delicious food my own self," he 
 said, " so that you need not wait any longer." 
 
 Then she ate, and as the others had done, she at once 
 lost her human form and ran as a donkey into the yard. 
 
 When the hunter had washed his face, so that the 
 changed ones might know him, he went into the yard 
 saying : " Now you shall receive a reward for your faith- 
 lessness." 
 
 He tied them all three with a rope and drove them away 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 53 
 
 till he came to a mill. He knocked at the window, and 
 the miller put his head out and asked what he wanted. 
 
 " I have three tiresome animals," he answered, " which 
 I don't want to keep any longer. If you will take them, 
 give them food and stabling, and do as I tell you with them, 
 I will pay you as much as you want." 
 
 The miller replied: "Why not? What shall I do with 
 them?" 
 
 Then the hunter assigned to the old donkey, which was 
 the witch, three beatings and one meal; to the younger 
 one, which was the servant, one beating and three meals; 
 and to the youngest one, which was the maiden, no beat- 
 ing and three meals : for he 
 could not find it in his heart 
 to let the maiden be beaten. 
 
 Then he went back into 
 the castle, and he found 
 there all that he wanted. 
 After a couple of days the 
 
 miller came and said that he must tell him that the old don- 
 key which was to have three beatings and only one meal had 
 died. " The two others," he added, " are certainly not 
 dead and get their three meals every day, but they are so 
 sad that they cannot last much longer." 
 
 Then the hunter took pity 011 them, laid aside his anger, 
 and told the miller to drive them back again. And when 
 they came he gave them some of the good cabbage to eat, 
 so that they became human again. Then the beautiful 
 maiden fell on her knees before him, saying : " Oh, my 
 
54 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 dearest, forgive me the ill I have done you! My mother 
 compelled me to do it; it was against my will, for I love 
 you dearly. Your wishing-cloak is hanging in a cupboard, 
 and as for the bird-heart, I will make a drink and give it 
 back to you." 
 
 But he changed his mind and said : " Keep it. It makes 
 no difference, for I will take you to be my own dear true 
 wife." 
 
 And the wedding was celebrated and they lived happy 
 together till death. 
 
 THE LITTLE GKEEN FKOG.* 
 
 In a part of the world whose name I forget lived once 
 upon a time two kings, called Peridor and Diamantino, 
 They were cousins as well as Neighbors, and both were 
 under the protection of the fairies; though it is only fail 
 to say that the fairies did not love them half so well as their 
 wives did. 
 
 Now, it often happens that as princes can generally 
 manage to get their own way, it is harder for them to be 
 good than it is for common people. So it was with Peridot 
 and Diamantino; but of the two, the fairies declared thai 
 Diamantino was much the worst; indeed, he behaved so 
 badly to his wife Aglantine that the fairies would not allo^ 
 him to live any longer; and he died, leaving behind him a 
 little daughter. As she was an only child, of course this 
 little girl was the heiress of the kingdom, but, being still 
 only a baby, her mother, the widow of Diamantino, was pro- 
 claimed regent. The queen-dowager was wise and good and 
 tried her best to make her people happy. The only thing 
 she had to vex her was the absence of her daughter ; for the 
 fairies, for reasons of their own, determined to bring up the 
 little Princess Serpentine among themselves. 
 
 As for the other king, he was really fond of his wife, 
 Queen Constance, but he often grieved her by his thought- 
 less ways, and in order to punish him for his carelessness, 
 the fairies caused her to die quite suddenly. When she 
 was gone the king felt how much he had loved her and 
 * " Cabinet des F(5es." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 55 
 
 his grief was so great (though he never neglected his 
 duties) that his subjects called him Peridor the Sorrowful. 
 It seems hardly possible 
 
 man should 
 
 Peridor for 
 
 that any 
 
 live like 
 
 fifteen years plunged in 
 
 such depth of grief, and 
 
 most likely he would 
 
 have died too if it had 
 
 not been for the fairies. 
 
 The one comfort the 
 poor king had was his 
 son, Prince Saphir, who* 
 was only three years old 
 at the time of his 
 mother's death, and 
 great care was given to 
 his education. By the 
 time he was fifteen 
 Saphir had learned 
 everything that aprince 
 should know, and he 
 was, besides, charming 
 and agreeable. 
 
 It was about this 
 time that the fairies 
 suddenly took fright 
 lest his love for his 
 father should interfere 
 with the plans they had 
 made for the young 
 prince. So to prevent 
 this they placed in a 
 pretty little room of which Saphir was very fond a little 
 mirror in a black frame, such as were often brought 
 from Venice. The young prince did not notice for some 
 days that there was anything new in the room, but at last 
 he perceived it and went up to look at it more closely. 
 What was his surprise to see reflected in the mirror, not 
 his own face, but that of a young girl as lovely as the morn- 
 ing! And, better still, every movement of the girl, just 
 
56 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 growing oat of childhood, was also reflected in the wonderful 
 glass. 
 
 As might have been expected, the young prince lost 
 his heart completely to the beautiful image, and it was 
 impossible to get him out of the room, so busy was he in 
 watching the lovely unknown. Certainly it was very 
 delightful to be able to see her whom he loved at any 
 moment he chose, but his spirits sometimes sank when he 
 wondered what was to be the end of this adventure. 
 
 The magic mirror had been for about a year in the 
 prince's possession, when one day a new subject of disquiet 
 seized upon him. As usual, he was engaged in looking at 
 the girl, when suddenly he thought he saw a second mirror 
 reflected in the first, exactly like his own and with the 
 same power. And in this he was perfectly right. The 
 young girl had only possessed it for a short time, and 
 neglected all her duties for the sake of the mirror. Now, 
 it was not difficult for Saphir to guess the reason of the 
 change in her, nor why the new mirror was consulted so 
 often; but try as he would he could never see the face of 
 the person who was reflected in it, for the young girl's figure 
 always came between. All he knew was that the face 
 was that of a man, and this was quite enough to make him 
 madly jealous. This was the doing of the fairies, and we 
 must suppose that they had their reasons for acting as they 
 did. 
 
 When these things happened Saphir was about eighteen 
 years old, and fifteen years had passed away since the death 
 of his mother. King Peridor had grown more and more 
 unhappy as time went on, and at last he fell so ill that it 
 seemed as if his days were numbered. He was so much 
 beloved by his subjects that this sad news was heard with 
 despair by the nation, and more than all by the prince. 
 
 During his whole illness the king never spoke of any- 
 thing but the queen, his sorrow at having grieved her, and 
 his hope of one day seeing her again. All the doctors and 
 all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and noth- 
 ing would do him any good. At last he persuaded them to 
 let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble 
 him. 
 
 Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 57 
 
 weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to 
 breathe. So he commanded his servants to leave the win- 
 dows open in order that he might get more air. One day, 
 when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with 
 brilliant plumage came and fluttered around the window 
 and finally rested on the sill. His feathers were sky-blue 
 ar.d gold, his feet and his beak of such glittering rubies 
 that no one could bear to look at them, his eyes made the 
 brightest diamonds look dull, and on his head he wore a 
 crown. I cannot tell you what the crown was made of, 
 but I am quite certain that it was still more splendid than 
 all the rest. As to his voice, I can say nothing about that, 
 for the bird never sang at all. In fact, he did nothing but 
 gaze steadily at the king, and as he gazed the king felt his 
 strength come back to him. In a little while the bird flew 
 into the room, still with his eyes fixed on the king, and at 
 every glance the strength of the sick man became greater, 
 till he was once more as well as he used to be before the 
 queen died. Filled with joy at his cure, he tried to seize 
 the bird to whom he owed it all, but, swifter than a swallow, 
 it managed to avoid him. In vain he described the bird to 
 his attendants, who rushed in at his first call; in vain they 
 sought the wonderful creature both on horse and foot and 
 summoned the fowlers to their aid: the bird could nowhere 
 be found. The love the people bore King Peridor was so 
 strong and the reward he promised was so large that in the 
 twinkling of an eye every man, woman, and child had fled 
 into the fields, and the towns were quite empty. 
 
 All this bustle, however, ended in nothing but confusion, 
 and, what was worse, the king soon fell back into the same 
 condition as he was in before. Prince Saphir, who loved 
 his father very dearly, was so unhappy at this that he per- 
 suaded himself that he might succeed where the others had 
 failed, and at once prepared himself for a more distant 
 search. In spite of the opposition he met with he rode 
 away, followed by his household, trusting to chance to 
 help him. He had formed no plan, and there was no rea- 
 son that he should choose one path more than another. 
 His only idea was to make straight for those spots which 
 were the favorite haunts of birds. But in vain he exam- 
 ined all the hedges and all the thickets; in vain he ques- 
 
08 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 tioned everyone he met along the road. The more he sought 
 the less he found. 
 
 At last he came to one of the largest forests in all the 
 world, composed entirely of cedars. But in spite of the 
 deep shadows cast by the wide spreading branches of the 
 trees, the grass underneath was soft and green and covered 
 with the rarest flowers. It seemed to Saphir that this was 
 exactly the place where the birds would choose to live, and 
 he determined not to quit the wood until he had examined 
 it from end to end. And he did more. He ordered some 
 nets to be prepared and painted of the same colors as the 
 bird's plumage, thinking that we are all easily caught by 
 what is like ourselves. In this he had to help him not only 
 the fowlers by profession, but also his attendants, who ex- 
 celled in this art. For a man is not a courtier unless he can 
 do everything. 
 
 After searching as usual for nearly a whole day Prince 
 Saphir began to feel overcome with thirst. He was too 
 tired to go any further, when happily he discovered a little 
 way off a bubbling fountain of the clearest water. Being 
 an experienced traveler, he drew from his pocket a little 
 cup (without which no one should ever take a journey), 
 and was just about to dip it in the water, when a lovely 
 little green frog, much prettier than frogs generally are, 
 jumped into the cup. Far from admiring its beauty, 
 Saphir shook it impatiently off; but it was no good, for 
 quick as lightning the frog jumped back again. Saphir, 
 who was raging with thirst, was just about to shake it off 
 anew, when the little creature fixed upon him the most 
 beautiful eyes in the world and said : " I am a friend of the 
 bird you are seeking, and when you have quenched your 
 thirst listen to me." 
 
 So the prince drank his fill, and then, by the command 
 of the little green frog, he lay down on the grass to rest 
 himself. 
 
 "Now," she began, "be sure you do exactly in every 
 respect what I tell you. First you must call together your 
 attendants and order them to remain in a little hamlet close 
 by until you want them. Then go, quite alone, down a 
 road that you will find on your right hand, looking south- 
 ward. This road is planted all the way with cedars of 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 59 
 
 Lebanon; and after going down it a long way you will 
 come at last to a magnificent castle. And now," she went 
 on, " attend carefully to what I am going to say. Take 
 this tiny grain of sand and put it into the ground as close 
 as you can to the gate of the castle. It has the virtue both 
 of opening the gate and also of sending to sleep all the 
 inhabitants. Then go at once to the stable, and pay no 
 heed to anything except what I tell you. Choose the hand- 
 somest of all the horses, leap quickly on its back, and come to 
 me as fast as you can. Farewell, prince; I wish you good 
 
 Prince Saphir Steals the Horse and Harness. 
 
 luck," and with these words the little frog plunged into the 
 water and disappeared. 
 
 The prince, who had felt more hopeful than he had done 
 since he left home, did precisely as he had been ordered. 
 He left his attendants in the hamlet, found the road the 
 frog had described to him, and followed it all alone, and at 
 last he arrived at the gate of the castle, which was even 
 more splendid than he had expected, for it was built of 
 crystal and all its ornaments were of massive gold. How- 
 
60 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 ever, he had no thoughts to spare for its beauty, and 
 quickly buried his grain of sand in the earth. In one in- 
 stant the gates flew open and all the dwellers inside fell 
 sound asleep. Saphir flew straight to the stable, and al- 
 ready had his hand on the finest horse it contained, when 
 his eye was caught by a suit of magnificent hamess hang- 
 ing up close by. It occurred to him directly that the har- 
 ness belonged to the horse, and without ever thinking of 
 harm (for, indeed, he who steals a horse can hardly be blamed 
 for taking his saddle), he hastily placed it on the animal's 
 back. Suddenly the people in the castle became broad 
 awake and rushed to the stable. They flung themselves 
 on the prince, seized him, and dragged him before their 
 lord; but, luckily for the prince-, who could only find very 
 lame excuses for his conduct, the lord of the castle took a 
 fancy to his face and let him depart without further ques- 
 tions. 
 
 Very sad and very much ashamed of himself poor Saphir 
 crept back to the fountain, where the frog was awaiting 
 him with a good scolding. 
 
 " Whom do you take me for ? " she exclaimed angrily. 
 " Do you really believe that rt was just for the pleasure of 
 talking that I gave you the- advice that you have neglected 
 so abominably ? " 
 
 But the prince was so deeply grieved and apologized so 
 very humbly that after some time the heart of the good 
 little frog was softened, and she gave him another tiny 
 little grain, but instead of being sand it was now a grain of 
 gold. She directed him to do just as he had done before, 
 with only this difference, that instead of going to the stable 
 which had been the ruin, of nis hopes, he was to enter right 
 into the castle itself, and to glide as fast as he could down 
 the passages until he came to a room filled with perfume, 
 where he would find a beautiful maiden asleep on a bed. 
 He was to wake the maiden, instantly and carry her off, 
 and to be sure not to pay any heed to whatever resistance 
 she might make. The prince obeyed the frog's orders one 
 by one, and all went well for this second time also. The 
 gate opened, the inhabitants fell sound asleep, and he 
 walked down the passage till he found the girl on her bed, 
 exactly as he had been told he would. He woke her and 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 61 
 
 begged her firmly, but politely, to follow him quickly. 
 After a little persuasion the maiden consented, but only on 
 condition that she was allowed first to put on her dress. 
 This sounded so reasonable and natural that it did not 
 enter the prince's head to refuse her request. 
 
 But the maiden's hand had hardly touched the dress 
 when the palace suddenly awoke from its sleep and the 
 prince was seized and bound. He was so vexed with his 
 own folly and so taken back with the disaster that he did 
 not attempt to explain his conduct, and things would have 
 gone badly with him if his friends the fairies had not 
 softened the hearts of his captors, so that they once more 
 allowed him to leave quietly. However, what troubled 
 him most was the idea of having to meet the frog who had 
 been his benefactress. How was he ever to appear before 
 her with this tale ? Still, after a long struggle with himself, 
 he made up his mind that there was nothing else to be 
 done, and that he deserved whatever she might say to him. 
 And she said a great deal, for she had worked herself into 
 a terrible passion; but the prince humbly implored her 
 pardon, and ventured to point out that it would have been 
 very hard to refuse the young lady's reasonable request. 
 " You must learn to do as you are told," was all the frog 
 would reply. 
 
 But poor Saphir was so unhappy and begged so hard for 
 forgiveness that at last the frog's anger gave way, and she 
 held up to him a tiny diamond stone. " Go back," she 
 said, " to the castle and bury this little diamond close to 
 the door. But be careful not to return to the stable or to 
 the bedroom; they have proved too fatal for you. Walk 
 straight to the garden and enter through a portico into a 
 small green wood, in the midst of which is a tree with a 
 trunk of gold and leaves of emeralds. Perched on this 
 tree you will see the beautiful bird you have been seeking 
 so long. You must cut the branch on which it is sitting 
 and bring it back to me without delay. But I warn you 
 solemnly that if you disobey my directions, as you have 
 done twice before, you have nothing more to expect either 
 of me or anyone else." 
 
 With these words she jumped into the water, and the 
 prince, who had taken her threats much to heart, took his 
 
62 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 departure, firmly resolved not to deserve them. He found 
 it all just as he had been told; the portico, the wood, the 
 magnificent tree, and the beautiful bird, which was sleep- 
 ing soundly on one of the branches. He speedily lopped 
 off the branch, and though he noticed a splendid golden 
 cage hanging close by, which would have been very useful 
 for the bird to travel in, he left it alone and came back to 
 the fountain, holding his breath and walking on tip-toe all 
 the way, for fear lest he should awake his prize. But what 
 was his surprise when, instead of finding the fountain in 
 the spot where he had left it, he saw in its place a little 
 rustic palace built in the best taste, and standing in the 
 doorway a charming maiden, at whose sight his mind seemed 
 to give way. 
 
 " What ! Madam ! " he cried, hardly knowing what he 
 said. "What! Is it you?" 
 
 The maiden blushed and answered : " Ah, my lord, it is 
 long since I first beheld your face, but I did not think you 
 had ever seen mine." 
 
 " Oh, madam," replied he, " you can never guess the 
 days and the hours I have passed lost in admiration of you." 
 
 And after these words they each related all the strange 
 things that had happened, and the more they talked the 
 more they felt convinced of the truth of the images they 
 had seen in their mirrors. After some time spent in the 
 most tender, conversation, the prince could not restrain 
 himself from asking the lovely unknown by what lucky 
 chance she was wandering in the forest; where the foun- 
 tain had gone ; and if she knew anything of the frog to 
 whom he owed all his happiness and to whom he must give 
 up the bird, which, somehow or other, was still sound asleep. 
 
 " Ah, my lord," she replied, with rather an awkward 
 air, "as to the frog, she stands before you. Let me tell 
 you my story; it is not a long one. I know neither my 
 country nor my parents, and the only thing I can say for 
 certain is that I am called Serpentine. The fairies, who 
 have taken care of me ever since I was born, wished me to 
 be in ignorance as to my family, but they have looked 
 after my education and have bestowed on me endless kind- 
 ness. I have always lived in seclusion, and for the last 
 two years I have wished for nothing better. I had a 
 
" Standing in the doorway a charming maiden, at whose sight hia 
 mind seemed to give way." 
 
64 THE YELLOW FALRY BOOK. 
 
 mirror " Here shyness and embarrassment choked her 
 
 words, but regaining her self-control she added : " You 
 know that fairies insist on being obeyed without question- 
 ing. It was they who changed the little house you saw 
 before you into the fountain for which you are now asking, 
 and having turned me into a frog, they ordered me to say 
 to the first person who came to the fountain exactly what 
 I repeated to you. But, my lord, when you stood before 
 me it was agony to my heart, filled as it was with thoughts 
 of you, to appear to your eyes under so monstrous a form. 
 However, there was no help for it, and painful as it was, I 
 had to submit. I desired your success with all my soul, 
 not only for your own sake, but also for my own, because 
 I could not get back my proper shape till you had become 
 master of the beautiful bird, though I am quite ignorant 
 as to your reason for seeking it." 
 
 On this Saphir explained about the state of his father's 
 health and all that has been told before. 
 
 On hearing this story Serpentine grew very sad, and her 
 lovely eyes filled with tears. 
 
 " Ah, my lord," she said, " you know nothing of me but 
 what you have seen in the mirror; and I, who cannot even 
 name my parents, learn that you are a king's son." 
 
 In vain Saphir declared that love made them equal; Ser- 
 pentine would only reply : " I love you too much to allow 
 you to marry beneath your rank. I shall be very unhappy, 
 of course, but I shall never alter my mind. If I do not find 
 from the fairies that my birth is worthy of you, then, what- 
 ever be my feelings, I will never accept your hand." 
 
 The conversation was at this point, and bid fair to last 
 some time longer, when one of the fairies appeared in her 
 ivory car, accompanied by a beautiful woman past her early 
 youth. At this moment the bird suddenly awakened and, 
 flying on to Saphir's shoulder (which it never afterward 
 left), began fondling him as well as a bird can do. The 
 fairy told Serpentine that she was quite satisfied with her 
 conduct and made herself very agreeable to Saphir, whom 
 she presented to the lady she had brought with her, explain- 
 ing that the lady was no other than his Aunt Aglantine, 
 widow of Diamantino. 
 
 Then they all fell into each other's arms, till the fairy 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 65 
 
 mounted her chariot, placed Aglantine by her side, and 
 Saphir and Serpentine on the front seat. She also sent a 
 message to the prince's attendants that they might travel 
 slowly back to the court of King Peridor, and that the 
 beautiful bird had really been found. This matter being 
 comfortably arranged, she started off her chariot. But in 
 spite of the swiftness with which they flew through the air, 
 the time passed even quicker for Saphir and Serpentine, 
 who had so much to think about. 
 
 They were still quite confused with the pleasure of see- 
 ing each other when the chariot arrived at King Peridor's 
 palace. He had had himself carried to a room on the roof, 
 where his nurses thought that he would die at any moment. 
 Directly the chariot drew within sight of the castle the 
 beautiful bird took flight, and making straight for the 
 dying king at once cured him of his sickness. Then she 
 resumed her natural shape, and he found that the bird was 
 no other than the Queen Constance, whom he had long 
 believed to be dead. Peridor was rejoiced to embrace his 
 wife and his son once more, and with the help of the fairies 
 began to make preparations for the marriage of Saphir and 
 Serpentine, who turned out to be the daughter of Aglantine 
 and Diamantino, and as much a princess as he was a prince. 
 The people of the kingdom were delighted, and everybody 
 lived happy and contented to the end of their lives. 
 
 THE SEVEN-HEADED SEKPENT.* 
 
 Once upon a time there was a king who determined to 
 take a long voyage. He assembled his fleet and all the sea- 
 men and set out. They went straight on, night and day, 
 until they came to an island which was covered with large 
 trees, and under every tree lay a lion. As soon as the king 
 had landed his men the lions all rose up together and tried, 
 to devour them. After a long battle they managed to over- 
 come the wild beasts, but the greater number of the men 
 were killed. Those who remained alive now went on 
 through the forest and found on the other side of it a 
 
 *"Die Siebenkopfige Schlange," from Schmidt's " Gfriechische 
 
 Marchen. ' 
 
66 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 beautiful garden, in which all the plants of the world 
 flourished together. There were also in the garden three 
 springs: the first flowed with silver, the second with gold, 
 and the third with pearls. The men unbuckled their 
 knapsacks and filled them with those precious things. In 
 the middle of the garden they found a large lake, and when 
 they reached the edge of it the lake began to speak and said 
 to them : " What men are you and what brings you here ? 
 Are you come to visit our king ? " But they were too much 
 frightened to answer. 
 
 Then the lake said : " You do well to be afraid, for it is 
 at your peril that you are come hither. Our king, who has 
 seven heads, is now asleep, but in a few minutes he will 
 wake up and come to me to take his bath! Woe to anyone 
 who meets him in the garden, for it is impossible to escape 
 from him. This is what you must do if you wish to save 
 your lives. Take off your clothes and spread them on the 
 path which leads from here to the castle. The king will 
 then glide over something soft, which he likes very much, 
 and he will be so pleased with that that he will not devour 
 you. He will give you some punishment, but then he will 
 let you go." 
 
 The men did as the lake advised them and waited for a 
 time. At noon the earth began to quake and open in many 
 places, and out of the openings appeared lions, tigers, and 
 other wild beasts, which surrounded the castle, and thou- 
 sands and thousands of beasts came out of the castle follow- 
 ing their king, the seven-headed serpent. The serpent 
 glided over the clothes which were spread for him, came 
 to the lake, and asked it who had strewed those soft things 
 on the path. The lake answered that it had been done by 
 people who had come to do him homage. The king com- 
 manded that the men should be brought before him. 
 They came humbly on their knees, and in a few words 
 told him their story. Then he spoke to them with a 
 mighty and terrible voice and said: "Because you have 
 dared to come here, I lay upon you the punishment. 
 Every year you must bring me from among your people 
 twelve youths and twelve maidens, that I may devour 
 them. If you do not do this, I will devour your whole 
 nation." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 67 
 
 Then lie desired one of his beasts to show the men the 
 out of the garden and dismissed them. They then 
 
 -S even-headed. .Serbent 
 
 left the island and went back to their own country, where 
 they related what had happened to them. Soon the time 
 came round when the king of the beasts would expect the 
 youths and maidens to be brought to him. The king 
 
68 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 therefore issued a proclamation inviting twelve youths and 
 twelve maidens to offer themselves up to save their coun- 
 try; and immediately many young people, far more than 
 enough, hastened to do so. A new ship was built and set 
 with black sails, and in it the youths and maidens who 
 were appointed for the king of the beasts embarked and 
 set out for his country. When they arrived there they 
 went at once to the lake, and this time the lions did not 
 stir, nor did the springs flow, and neither did the lake 
 speak. So they waited then, and it was not long before 
 the earth quaked even more terribly than the first time. 
 The seven-headed serpent came without his train of beasts, 
 saw his prey waiting for him, and devoured it at one 
 mouthful. Then the ship's crew returned home, and the 
 same thing happened yearly until many years had passed. 
 Now, the king of this unhappy country was growing old, 
 and so was the queen, and they had no children. One day 
 the queen was sitting at the window weeping bitterly 
 because she was childless, and knew that the crown would 
 therefore pass to strangers af^ter the king's death. Sud- 
 denly a little old woman appeared before her, holding an 
 apple in her hand, and said : " Why do you weep, my 
 queen, and what makes you so unhappy ? " 
 
 "Alas! good mother," answered the queen, "I am un- 
 happy because I have no children." 
 
 " Is that what vexes you ? " said the old woman. " Listen 
 to me. I am a nun from the spinning convent,* and my 
 mother, when she died, left me this apple. Whoever eats 
 this apple shall have a child." 
 
 The queen gave money to the old woman and bought 
 the apple from her. Then she peeled it, ate it, and threw, 
 the rind out of the window, and it so happened that a mare 
 that was running loose in the court below ate up the rind. 
 After a time the queen had a little boy and the mare also 
 had a male foal. The boy and the foal grew up together 
 and loved each other like brothers. In the course of time the 
 king died, and so did the queen, and their son, who was 
 now nineteen years old, was left alone. One day, when he 
 and his horse were talking together, the horse said to him: 
 
 * Convent Gnothi. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. o 
 
 " Listen to me, for I love you and wish for your good and 
 that of the country. If you go on every year sending 
 twelve youths and twelve maidens to the king of the 
 beasts, your country will very soon be ruined. Mount 
 upon my back. I will take you to a woman who can di- 
 rect you how to kill the seven-headed serpent." 
 
 Then the youth mounted his horse, who carried him far 
 away to a mountain which was hollow, for in its side was 
 a great underground cavern. In the cavern sat an old 
 woman spinning. This was the cloister of the nuns, and 
 the old woman was the abbess. They all spent their time 
 in spinning, and that is why the convent has this name. 
 All round the walls of the cavern there were beds cut out of 
 the solid rock upon which the nuns slept, and in the middle 
 a light was burning. It was the duty of the nuns to watch 
 the light in turns, that it might never go out, and if anyone 
 of them let it go out the others put her to death. 
 
 As soon as the king's son saw the old abbess spinning he 
 threw himself at her feet and entreated her to tell him how 
 he could kill the seven-headed serpent. 
 
 She made the youth rise, embraced him, and said: 
 " Know, my son, that it is I who sent the nun to your 
 mother and caused you to be born, and with you the 
 horse, with whose help you will be able to free the 
 world from the monster. I will tell you what you have to 
 do. Load your horse with cotton and go by a secret 
 passage which I will show you, which is hidden from the 
 wild beasts, to the serpent's palace. You will find the 
 king asleep upon his bed, which is all hung around with 
 bells, and over his bed you will see a sword hanging. 
 With this sword only is it possible to kill the serpent, be- 
 cause, even if its blade breaks, a new one will grow again 
 for every head the monster has. Thus you will be able to 
 cut off all his seven heads. And this you must also do in 
 order to deceive the king: you must slip into his bed- 
 chamber very softly and stop up all the bells which are 
 round his bed with cotton. Then take down the sword 
 gently, and quickly give the monster a blow on his tail 
 with it. This will make him waken up, and if he catches 
 sight of you he will seize you. But you must quickly cut 
 off his first head and then wait until the next one comes up. 
 
70 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 Then strike it off also, and so go on until you have cut off 
 all his seven heads." 
 
 The old abbess then gave the prince her blessing, and he 
 set out upon his enterprise, arrived at the serpent's castle 
 by following the secret passage which she had shown him, 
 and by carefully attending to all her directions he happily 
 succeeded in killing the monster. As soon as the wild 
 beasts heard of their king's death they all hastened to the 
 castle, but the youth had long since mounted his horse and 
 was already far out of their reach. They pursued him as 
 fast as they could, but they found it impossible to overtake 
 him, and he reached home in safety. Thus he freed his 
 country from this terrible oppression. 
 
 THE GEATEFUL BEASTS * 
 
 There were once upon a time a man and woman, who 
 had three fine-looking sons, but they were so poor that 
 they had hardly enough food for themselves, let alone their 
 children. So the sons determined to set out into the world 
 and try their luck. Before starting their mother gave them 
 each a loaf of bread and her blessing, and having taken a 
 tender farewell of her and their father, the three set forth 
 on their travels. 
 
 The youngest of the three brothers, whose name was 
 Ferko, was a beautiful youth, with a splendid figure, blue 
 eyes, fair hair, and a complexion like milk and roses. His 
 two brothers were as jealous of him as they could be, for 
 they thought that with his good looks he would be sure to 
 be more fortunate than they would ever be. 
 
 One day all the three were sitting resting under a tree, 
 for the sun was hot and they were tired of walking. 
 Ferko fell fast asleep, but the other two remained awake, 
 and the eldest said to the second brother: "What do you 
 say to doing our brother Ferko some harm? He is so 
 beautiful that everyone takes a fancy to him, which is 
 more than they do to us. If we could get him out of the 
 way we might succeed better." 
 
 * From the Hungariaa. Kletke. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 71 
 
 "I quite agree with you," answered the second brother, 
 " and my advice is to eat up his loaf of bread, and then 
 refuse to give him. a bit of ours until he has promised to 
 let us put out his eyes or break his legs." 
 
 His eldest brother was delighted with his proposal, and 
 the two wicked wretches seized Ferko's loaf and ate it all 
 up while the poor boy was still asleep. 
 
 When he did awake he felt very hungry and turned to 
 eat his bread, but his brothers cried out : " You ate your 
 loaf in your sleep, you glutton, and you may starve as 
 long as you like, but you won't get a scrap of ours." 
 
 Ferko was at a loss to understand how he could have 
 eaten in his sleep, but he said nothing, and fasted all that 
 day and the next night. But on the following morning he 
 was so hungry that he burst into tears and implored his 
 brothers to give him a little bit of their bread. Then the 
 cruel creatures laughed and repeated what they had said 
 the day before; but when Ferko continued to beg and 
 beseech them the eldest said at last: "If you will let us 
 put out one of your eyes and break one of your legs, then 
 we will give you a bit of our bread." 
 
 At these words poor Ferko wept more bitterly than 
 before, and bore the torments of hunger till the sun was 
 high in the heavens; then he could stand it no longer, and 
 he consented to allow his left eye to be put out and his left 
 leg to be broken. When this was done he stretched out his 
 hand eagerly for the piece of bread, but his brothers gave 
 him such a tiny scrap that the starving youth finished it in 
 a moment and besought them for a second bit. 
 
 But the more Ferko wept and told his brothers that he 
 was dying of hunger, the more they laughed and scolded 
 him for his greed. So he endured the pangs of starvation 
 all that day, but when night came his endurance gave way, 
 and he let his right eye be put out and his right leg broken 
 for a second piece of bread. 
 
 After his brothers had thus successfully maimed and dis- 
 figured him for life, they left him groaning on the ground 
 and continued their journey without him. 
 
 Poor Ferko ate up the scrap of bread they had left him 
 and wept bitterly, but no one heard him or came to his 
 kelp. Night came on, and the poor blind youth had no 
 
72 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 eyes to close, and could only crawl along the ground, not 
 knowing in the least where he was going. But when the 
 sun was once more high in the heavens, Ferko felt the 
 blazing heat scorch him and sought for some cool, shady 
 place to rest his aching limbs. He climbed to the top of 
 a hill and lay down in the grass, and, as he thought, under 
 the shadow of a big tree. But it was no tree he leaned 
 against, but a gallows on which two ravens were seated. 
 The one was saying to the other as the weary youth lay 
 down: 
 
 "Is there anything the least wonderful or remarkable 
 about this neighborhood ? " 
 
 " I should just think there was," replied the other ; 
 "many things that don't exist anywhere else in the world. 
 There is a lake down there below us, and anyone who 
 bathes in it, though he were at death's door, becomes 
 sound and well on the spot, and those who wash their eyes 
 with the dew on this hill become as sharp-sighted as the 
 eagle, even if they have been blind from their youth." 
 
 " Well," answered the raven, " my eyes are in no want 
 of this healing bath, for, Heaven be praised, they are 
 as good as ever they were; but my wing has been very 
 feeble and weak ever since it was shot by an arrow many 
 years ago, so let us fly at once to the lake that I may be 
 restored to health and strength again." And so they flew 
 away. 
 
 Their words rejoiced Ferko's heart, and he waited 
 impatiently till evening should come and he could rub the 
 precious dew on his sightless eyes. 
 
 At last it began to grow dusk and the sun sank behind 
 the mountains; gradually it became cooler on the hill and 
 the grass grew wet with dew. Then Ferko buried his 
 face in the ground till his eyes were damp with dew drops, 
 and in a moment he saw clearer than he had ever done in 
 his life before. The moon was shining brightly and lighted 
 him to the lake where he could bathe his poor broken legs. 
 
 Then Ferko crawled to the edge of the lake and dipped 
 his limbs in the water. No sooner had he done so than his 
 legs felt as sound and strong as they had done before, and 
 Ferko thanked the kind fate that had led him to the hill 
 where he had overheard the ravens' conversation. He filled 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 7d 
 
 a bottle with the healing water and then continued his 
 journey in the best of spirits. \ 
 
 He had not gone far before he met a wolf who was limp- 
 ing disconsolately along on three legs, and who, on perceiv- 
 ing Ferko, be^an to howl dismally. 
 
 "My good friend," said the youth, "be of good cheer, 
 for I can soon heal your leg," and with these words he 
 
 poured some of the precious water over the wolf's paw, 
 and in a minute the animal was springing about, sound and 
 well, on all fours. The grateful creature thanked his 
 benefactor warmly and promised Ferko to do him a good 
 turn if he should ever need it. 
 
 Ferko continued his way till he came to a plowed field. 
 Here he noticed a little mouse creeping wearily along on its 
 hind paws, for its front paws had both been broken in a trap. 
 
 Ferko felt so sorry for the little beast that he spoke to it 
 in the most friendly manner and washed its small paws 
 with the healing water. In a moment the mouse was 
 
74 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 sound and whole, and after thanking the kind physician it 
 scampered away over the plowed furrows. 
 
 Ferko again proceeded on his journey, but he hadn't 
 gone far before a queen bee flew against him, trailing one 
 wing behind her, which had been cruelly torn in two by a 
 big bird. Ferko was no less willing to help her than he 
 had been to help the wolf and the mouse, so he poured 
 some healing drops over the wounded wing. On the spot 
 the queen bee was cured, and turning to Ferko she said: 
 " I am most grateful for your kindness and shall reward 
 you some day." And with these words she flew away, hum- 
 ming gayly. 
 
 Then Ferko wandered on for many a long day and at 
 length reached a strange kingdom. Here, he thought to 
 himself, he might as well go straight to the palace and 
 offer his services to the king of the country, for he had 
 heard that the king's daughter was as beautiful as the day. 
 
 So he went to the royal palace, and as he entered the door 
 the first people he saw were his two brothers who had so 
 shamefully ill-treated him. They had managed to obtain 
 places in the king's service, and when they recognized 
 Ferko with his eyes and legs sound and well they were 
 frightened to death, for they feared he would tell the king 
 of their conduct and that they would be hung. 
 
 "No sooner had Ferko entered the palace than all eyes were 
 turned on the handsome youth, and the king's daughter her- 
 self was lost in admiration, for she had never seen anyone 
 so handsome in her life before. His brothers noticed this, 
 and envy and jealousy were added to their fear, so much so 
 that they determined once more to destroy him. They 
 went to the king and told him that Ferko was a wicked 
 magician, who had come to the palace with the intention of 
 carrying off the princess. 
 
 Then the king had Ferko brought before him and said: 
 "You are accused of being a magician who wishes to rob 
 me of my daughter, and I condemn you to death; but if 
 you can fulfill three tasks which I shall set you to do your 
 life shall be spared, on condition you leave the country; but 
 if you cannot perform what I demand you shall be hung on 
 the nearest tree." 
 
 And turning to the two wicked brothers he said : " Sug- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIET BOOK. 
 
 75 
 
 gest something for him to do. No matter how difficult, he 
 must succeed in it or die." 
 
 They did not think long, but replied: "Let him build 
 your majesty in one day a more beautiful palace than this, 
 and if he fails in the attempt let him be hung." 
 
 The king was pleased with this proposal and commanded 
 
 Ferko to set to work on the following day. The two 
 brothers were delighted, for they thought they had now got 
 rid of Ferko forever. The poor youth himself was heart- 
 broken and cursed the hour he had crossed the boundary of 
 the king's domain. As he was wandering disconsolately 
 about the meadows round the palace, wondering how he 
 could escape being put to death, a little bee flew past, and 
 settling on his shoulder whispered in his ear : " What is 
 troubling you, my kind benefactor? Can I be of any help 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 to you? I am the bee whose wing you healed, and I would 
 like to show my gratitude in some way." 
 
 Ferko recognized the queen bee and said : " Alas ! how 
 could you help me? for I have been set to do a task which 
 no one in the whole world could do, let him be ever such a 
 genius! To-morrow I must build a palace more beautiful 
 than the king's, and it must be finished before evening." 
 
 " Is that all ? " answered the bee. " Then you may com- 
 fort yourself, for before the sun goes down to-morrow 
 night a palace shall be built unlike any that king has 
 dwelt in before. Just stay here until I come again and tell 
 you that it is finished." Having said this she flew merrily 
 away, and Ferko, reassured by her words, lay down on the 
 grass and slept peacefully till the next morning. 
 
 Early on the following day the whole town was on its 
 feet, and everyone wondered how and where the stranger 
 would build the wonderful palace. The princess alone was 
 silent and sorrowful, and had cried all night till her pillow 
 was wet, so much did she take the fate of the beautiful 
 youth to heart. 
 
 Ferko spent the whole day in the meadows, awaiting the 
 return of the bee. And when evening was come the queen 
 bee flew by, and perching on his shoulder she said: "The 
 wonderful palace is ready. Be of good cheer and lead the 
 king to the hill just outside the city walls." And hum- 
 ming gayly, she flew away again. 
 
 Ferko went at once to the king and told him the palace 
 was finished. The whole court went out to see the won- 
 der, and their astonishment was great at the sight which 
 met their eyes. A splendid palace reared itself on the hill 
 just outside the walls of the city, made of the most 
 exquisite flowers that ever grew in mortal garden. The 
 roof was all of crimson roses, the windows of lilies, the 
 walls of white carnations, the floors of glowing auriculas 
 and violets, the doors of gorgeous tulips and narcissi with 
 sunflowers for knockers, and all round hyacinths and other 
 sweet-smelling flowers bloomed in masses, so that the air 
 was perfumed, and enchanted all who were present. 
 
 This splendid palace had been built by the grateful queen 
 bee, who had summoned all the other bees in the kingdom 
 to help her. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 77 
 
 The king's amazement knew no bounds, but the prin- 
 cess' eyes beamed with delight as she turned them from the 
 wonderful building on the delighted Ferko. But the two 
 brothers had grown quite green with envy, and only de- 
 clared the more that Ferko was nothing but a wicked ma- 
 gician. 
 
 The king, although he had been surprised and astonished 
 at the way his commands had been carried out, was very 
 vexed that the stranger should escape with his life, and 
 turning to the two brothers he said : " He has certainly 
 accomplished the first task, with the aid, no doubt, of his 
 diabolical magic; but what shall we give him to do now? 
 Let us make it as difficult as possible, and if he fails he shall 
 die." 
 
 Then the eldest brother replied : " The corn has all been 
 cut, but it has not yet been put into barns. Let the knave 
 collect all the grain in the kingdom into one big heap 
 before to-morrow night, and if so much as a stalk of corn 
 is left let him be put to death." 
 
 The princess grew white with terror when she heard 
 these words; but Ferko felt much more cheerful than he 
 had done the first time, and wandered out into the meadows 
 again, wondering how he was to get out of the difficulty. 
 But he could think of no way of escape. The sun sank to 
 rest and night came on, when a little mouse started out of 
 the grass at Ferko's feet and said to him: "I'm delighted 
 to see you, my kind benefactor; but why are you looking 
 so sad? Can I be of any help to you, and thus repay your 
 great kindness to me ? " 
 
 Then Ferko recognized the mouse whose front paws he 
 had healed and replied : " Alas ! how can you help me in a 
 matter that is beyond any human power? Before to-mor- 
 row night all the grain in the kingdom has to be gathered 
 into one big heap, and if as much as a stalk of corn is want- 
 ing I must pay for it with my life." 
 
 "Is that all?" answered the mouse. "That needn't dis- 
 tress you much. Just trust in me, and before the sun sets 
 again you shall hear that your task is done." And with 
 these words the little creature scampered away into the 
 fields. 
 
 Ferko, who never doubted that the mouse would be as 
 
78 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 good as its word, lay down comforted on the soft grass and 
 slept soundly till next morning. The day passed slowly, 
 and with the evening came the little mouse and said : " Now 
 there is not a single stalk of corn left in any field; they are 
 all collected in one big heap on the hill out there." 
 
 Then Ferko went joyfully to the king and told him that 
 all he demanded had been done. And the whole court went 
 out to see the wonder, and were no less astonished than they 
 had been the first time. For in a heap higher than the 
 king's palace lay all the grain of the country, and not a 
 single stalk of corn had been left behind in any of the fields. 
 And how had all this been done? The little mouse had 
 summoned every other mouse in the land to its help, and 
 together they had collected all the grain in the kingdom. 
 
 The king could not hide his amazement, but at the same 
 time his wrath increased, and he was more ready than ever 
 to believe the two brothers, who kept on repeating that 
 Ferko was nothing more nor less than a wicked magician. 
 Only the beautiful princess rejoiced over Ferko's success 
 and looked on him with friendly glances, which the youth 
 returned. 
 
 The more the cruel king gazed on the wonder before him, 
 the more angry he became, for he could not, in the face of 
 his promise, put the stranger to death. He turned once 
 more to the two brothers and said: "His diabolical magic 
 has helped him again; but now what third task shall we set 
 him to do? No matter how impossible it is, he must do it 
 or die." 
 
 The eldest answered quickly: "Let him drive all the 
 wolves of the kingdom on this hill before to-morrow night. 
 If he does this he may go free ; if not, he shall be hung as 
 you have said." 
 
 At these words the princess burst into tears, and when 
 the king saw this he ordered her to be shut up in a high 
 tower and carefully guarded till the dangerous magician 
 should have either have left the kingdom or been hung on the 
 nearest tree. 
 
 Ferko wandered out into the fields again and sat down 
 on the stump of a tree, wondering what he should do next. 
 Suddenly a big wolf ran up to him, and standing still said: 
 "I'm very glad to see you again, my kind benefactor. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 79 
 
 What are you thinking about, all alone by yourself? If I 
 can help you in any way only say the word, for I would 
 like to give you a proof of my gratitude." 
 
 Ferko at once recognized the wolf whose broken leg he 
 had healed and told him what he had to do the following 
 day if he wished to escape with his life. " But how in the 
 world," he added, " am I to collect all the wolves of the 
 kingdom on to that hill over there ? " 
 
 " If that is all you want done," answered the wolf, " you 
 needn't worry yourself. I'll undertake the task, and you'll 
 hear from me again before sunset to-morrow. Keep your 
 spirits up." And with these words he trotted quickly away. 
 
 Then the youth rejoiced greatly, for now he felt that his 
 life was safe; but he grew very sad when he thought of the 
 beautiful princess, and that he would never see her again if 
 he left the country. He lay down once more on the grass 
 and soon fell fast asleep. 
 
 All the next day he spent wandering about the fields, and 
 toward evening the wolf came running to him in a great 
 hurry 4 and said: "I have collected together all the wolves 
 in the kingdom, and they are waiting for you in the wood. 
 Go quickly to the king and tell him to go to the hill that 
 he may see the wonder you have done with his own 
 eyes. Then return at once to me and get on my back, and 
 I will help you to drive all of the wolves together." 
 
 Then Ferko went straight to the palace and told the king 
 that he was ready to perform the third task, if he would 
 come to the hill and see it done. Ferko himself returned 
 to the fields, and mounting on the wolf's back he rode to 
 the wood, close by. 
 
 Quick as lightning the wolf flew round the wood, and in 
 a minute many hundred wolves rose up before him, 
 increasing in number every moment till they could be 
 counted by thousands. He drove them all before him on 
 to the hill where the king and his whole court and Ferko's 
 two brothers were standing. Only the lovely princess was 
 not present, for she was shut up in her tower, weeping bit- 
 terly. 
 
 The wicked brothers stamped and foamed with rage 
 when they saw the failure of their wicked designs. But 
 the king was overcome by a sudden terror when he saw the 
 
80 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 enormous pack of wolves approaching nearer and nearer, 
 and calling out to Ferko lie said : " Enougfc, enough, we 
 don't want any more." 
 
 But the wolf on whose back Ferko sat said to its rider, 
 " Go on ! go on ! " and at the same moment many more 
 
 Ferko leads the Wolves on. 
 
 wolves ran up the hill, howling horribly and showing their 
 white teeth. 
 
 The king in his terror called out : " Stop a moment ! I 
 will give you half my kingdom if you will drive all the 
 wolves away." But Ferko pretended not to hear and drove 
 some more thousands before tim, so that everyone quaked 
 with horror and fear. 
 
 Then the king raised his voice again and called out: 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 81 
 
 " Stop ! You shall I have my whole kingdom if you will only 
 drive these wolves back to the places they came from." 
 
 But the wolf kept on encouraging Ferko and said : " Go 
 on ! go on ! " So he led the wolves on, till at Jast they fell 
 on the king and on the wicked brothers and ate them and 
 the whole court up in a moment. 
 
 Then Ferko went straight to the palace and set the 
 princess free, and on the same day he married her and was 
 crowned king of the country. And the wolves all went 
 peacefully back to their own homes, and Ferko and his 
 bride lived for many years in peace and happiness together 
 and were much beloved by great and small in the land. 
 
 THE GIANTS AND THE HERD-BOY.* 
 
 There was once upon a time a poor boy who had neither 
 father nor mother. In order to gain a living he looked 
 after the sheep of a great lord. Day and night he spent 
 out in the open fields, and only when it was very wet and 
 stormy did he take refuge in a little hut on the edge of a 
 big forest. Now, one night, when he was sitting on the 
 grass beside his flocks, he heard not very far from him the 
 sound as of someone crying. He rose up and followed the 
 direction of the noise. To his dismay and astonishment 
 he found a giant lying at the entrance of the wood. He 
 was about to run off as fast as his legs could carry him, 
 when the giant called out: "Don't be afraid I won't 
 harm you. On the contrary, I will reward you handsomely 
 if you will bind up my foot. I hurt it when I was trying 
 to root up an oak tree." The herd-boy took off his shirt 
 and bound up the giant's wounded foot with it. Then the 
 giant rose up and said: "Now come and I will reward 
 you. We are going to celebrate a marriage to-day, and I 
 promise you we shall have plenty of fun. Come and enjoy 
 yourself, but in order that my brothers mayn't see you, 
 put this band round your waist and then you'll be invisible." 
 With these words he handed the herd-boy a belt, and walk- 
 ing on in front he led him to a fountain, where hundreds of 
 giants and giantesses were assembled, preparing to hold a 
 * From the " Buckowniaer." Von Wliolocki. 
 
82 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 wedding. They danced and played different games till 
 midnight; then one of the giants tore up a plant by its 
 roots, and all the giants and giantesses made themselves so 
 thin that they disappeared into the earth through the hole 
 made by the uprooting of the plant. The wounded giant 
 remained behind to the last and called out : " Herd-boy, 
 where are you ? " " Here I am, close to you," was the 
 reply. " Touch me," said the giant, " so that you too may 
 come with us underground." The herd-boy did as he was 
 told, nd before he could have believed it possible he found 
 
 The Herd-boy Binds up the Giant's Foot. 
 
 himself in a big hall, where even the walls were made of 
 pure gold. Then to his astonishment he saw that the hall 
 was furnished with the tables and chairs that belonged to 
 his master. In a few minutes the company began to eat 
 and drink. The banquet was a very gorgeous one, and 
 the poor youth fell to and ate and drank lustily. When he 
 had eaten and drunk as much as he could he thought to 
 himself, "Why shouldn't I put a loaf of bread in my 
 pocket? I shall be glad of it to-morrow." So he seized a 
 loaf when no one was looking and stowed it away under 
 his tunic. No sooner had he done so than the wounded 
 giant limped up to him and whispered softly: "Herd-boy, 
 where are you?" "Here I am," replied the youth. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 83 
 
 " Then hold on to me," said the giant, " so that I may lead 
 you up above again." So the herd-boy held on to the giant, 
 and in a few minutes he found himself on the earth once 
 more, but the giant had vanished. The herd-boy returned 
 to his sheep and took off the invisible belt, which he hid 
 carefully in his bag. 
 
 The next morning the lad felt hungry and thought he 
 would cut off a piece of the loaf he had carried away from 
 the giant's wedding-feast and eat it. But although he 
 tried with all his might, he couldn't cut off the smallest 
 piece. Then in despair he bit the loaf, and what was his 
 astonishment when a piece of gold fell out of his mouth, 
 and rolled at his feet. He bit the bread a second and third 
 time, and each time a piece of gold fell out of his mouth; 
 but the bread remained untouched. The herd-boy was 
 very much delighted over his stroke of good fortune, and 
 hiding the magic loaf in his bag, he hurried off to the 
 nearest village to buy himself something to eat and then 
 returned to his sheep. 
 
 I^ow, the lord whose sheep the herd-boy looked after had 
 a very lovely daughter, who always smiled and nodded to 
 the youth when she walked with her father in his fields. 
 For a long time the herd-boy had made up his mind to 
 prepare a surprise for this beautiful creature on her birth- 
 day. So when the day approached he put on his invisible 
 belt, took a sack of gold pieces with him, and slipping into 
 her room in the middle of the night, he placed the bag of 
 gold beside her bed and returned to his sheep. The girl's 
 joy was great, and so was her parents' next day when they 
 found the sackful of gold-pieces. The herd-boy was so 
 pleased to think what pleasure he had given that the next 
 night he placed another bag of gold beside the girl's bed. 
 And this he continued to do for seven nights, and the girl 
 and her parents made up their minds that it must be a good 
 fairy who brought the gold every night. But one night 
 they determined to watch and see from their hiding-place 
 who the bringer of the sack of gold really was. 
 
 On the eighth night a fearful storm of wind and rain 
 came on while the herd-boy was on his way to bring the 
 beautiful girl another bag of gold. Then for the first 
 time he noticed, just as he reached his master's house, that 
 
84 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 lie had forgotten the belt which made him invisible. He 
 didn't like the idea of going back to his hut in the wind 
 and wet, so he just stepped as he was into the girl's room, 
 laid the sack of gold beside her, and was turning to leave 
 the room, when his master confronted him and said : " You 
 young rogue, so you were going to steal the gold that a 
 good fairy brings every night, were you ? " The herd-boy 
 was so taken aback by his words that he stood trembling 
 before him. and did not dare to explain his presence. Then 
 his master spoke. " As you have hitherto always behaved 
 well in my service I will not send you to prison; but leave 
 your place instantly and never let me see your face again." 
 So the herd-boy went back to his hut, and taking his loaf 
 and belt with him, he went to the nearest town. There he 
 bought himself some fine clothes and a beautiful coach with 
 four horses, hired two servants, and drove back to his 
 master. You may imagine how astonished he was to see 
 his herd-boy returning to him in this manner ! Then the 
 youth told him of the piece of good luck that had befallen 
 him and asked him for the hand of his beautiful daughter. 
 This was readily granted, and the two lived in peace and 
 happiness to the end of their lives. 
 
 THE INVISIBLE PEINCE. 
 
 Once upon a time there lived a fairy who had power 
 over the earth, the sea, fire, and the air; and this fairy had 
 four sons. The eldest, who was quick and lively, with a 
 vivid imagination, she made lord of fire, which was in her 
 opinion the noblest of all the elements. To the second son, 
 whose wisdom and prudence made amends for his being 
 rather dull, she gave the government of $ie earth. The 
 third was wild and savage and of monstrous stature; and 
 the fairy, his mother, who was ashamed of his defects, 
 hoped to hide them by creating him king of the seas. The 
 youngest, who was the slave of his passions and of a very 
 uncertain temper, became prince of the air. 
 
 Being the youngest, he was naturally his mother's 
 favorite; but this did not blind her to his weaknesses, and 
 she foresaw that some day he would suffer much paia 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 85 
 
 through falling in love. So she thought the best thing she 
 could do was to bring him up with a horror of women, and, 
 to her great delight, she saw this dislike only increased as 
 he grew older. From his earliest childhood he heard noth- 
 ing but stories of princes who had fallen into all sorts of 
 troubles through love, and she drew such terrible pictures 
 of poor little Cupid that the young man had no difficulty in 
 believing that he was the root of all evil. 
 
 All the time that this wise mother could spare from fill- 
 ing her son with hatred for all womankind she passed in 
 giving him a love of the pleasures of the chase, which 
 henceforth became his chief joy. For his amusement she 
 had made a new forest, planted with the most splendid 
 trees, and turned loose in it every animal that could be 
 found in any of the four quarters of the globe. In the 
 midst of this forest she built a palace which had not its 
 equal for beauty in the whole world, and then she con- 
 sidered that she had done enough to make any prince 
 happy. 
 
 Now, it is all very well to abuse the God of Love, but a 
 man cannot struggle against his fate. In his secret heart 
 the prince got tired of his mother's constant talk on this 
 subject, and when one day she quitted the palace to attend 
 to some business, begging him never to go beyond the 
 grounds, he at once jumped at the chance of disobeying her. 
 
 Left to himself the prince soon forgot the wise counsels 
 of his mother, and feeling very much bored with his own 
 company, he ordered some of the spirits of the air to carry 
 him to the court of a neighboring sovereign. This king- 
 dom was situated in the Island of Roses, where the climate 
 is so delicious that the grass is always green and the flowers 
 always sweet. The waves, instead of beating on the rocks, 
 seemed to die gently on the shore; clusters of golden 
 bushes covered the land, and the vines were bent low with 
 grapes. 
 
 The king of this island had a daughter named Rosalie, 
 who was more lovely than any girl in the whole world. 
 No sooner had the eyes of the prince of the air rested on 
 her than he forgot all the terrible woes which had been 
 prophesied to him ever since he was born, for in one single 
 moment the plans of years are often upset. He instantly 
 
86 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 began to think how best to make himself happy, and the 
 shortest way that occurred to him was to have Rosalie 
 carried off by his attendant spirits. 
 
 It is easy to imagine the feelings of the king when he 
 found that his daughter had vanished. He wept her loss 
 night and day, and his only comfort was to talk over it with 
 a young and unknown prince who had just arrived at the 
 court. Alas! he did not know what a deep interest the 
 stranger had in Rosalie, for he too had seen her and had 
 fallen a victim to her charms. 
 
 One day the king, more sorrowful than usual, was walk- 
 ing sadly along the seashore, when after a long silence 
 the unknown prince, who was his only companion, sud- 
 denly spoke. " There is no evil without a remedy," he 
 said to the unhappy father ; " and if you will promise 
 me your daughter in marriage I will undertake to bring her 
 back to you." 
 
 "You are trying to soothe me by vain promises," an- 
 swered the king. " Did I not see her caught up into the 
 air, in spite of cries which would have softened the heart 
 of anyone but the barbarian who has robbed me of her? 
 The unfortunate girl is pining away in some unknown land, 
 where perhaps no foot of man has ever trod, and I shall 
 see her no more. But go, generous stranger; bring back 
 Rosalie if you can, and live happy with her ever after in % 
 this country, of which I now declare you heir." 
 
 Although the stranger's name and rank were unknown 
 to Rosalie's father, he was really the son of the king of the 
 Golden Isle, which had for capital a city that extended 
 from one sea to another. The walls, washed by the quiet 
 waters, were covered with gold, which made one think of 
 the yellow sands. Above them was a rampart of orange 
 and lemon trees, and all the streets were paved with gold. 
 The king of this beautiful island had one son, for whom a 
 life of adventure had been foretold at his birth. This so 
 frightened his father and mother that in order to comfort 
 them a fairy, who happened to be present at the time, pro- 
 duced a little pebble which she told them to keep for the 
 prince till he grew up, as by putting it in his mouth he 
 would become invisible as long as he did not try to speak, 
 for if he did the stone would lose all its virtue. In this way 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 87 
 
 the good fairy hoped that the prince would be protected 
 against all dangers. 
 
 No sooner did the prince begin to grow out of boyhood 
 than he longed to see if the other countries of the world 
 were as splendid as the one in which he lived. So, under 
 pretense of visiting some small islands that belonged to his 
 father, he set out. But a frightful storm drove his ship on 
 to unknown shores, where most of his followers were put 
 to death by the savages, and the prince himself only 
 managed to escape by making use of his magic pebble. By 
 this means he passed through the midst of them unseen and 
 wandered on till he reached the coast, where he re-embarked 
 on board his ship. 
 
 The first land he sighted was the Island of Roses, and he 
 went at once to the court of the king, Rosalie's father. The 
 moment his eyes beheld the princess he fell in love with her, 
 like everyone else. 
 
 He had already spent several months in this condition 
 when the prince of the air whirled her away, to the grief 
 and despair of every man on the island. But sad though 
 everybody was, the Prince of the Golden Isle was perfectly 
 inconsolable, and he passed both days and nights in be- 
 moaning his loss. 
 
 " Alas ! " he cried ; " shall I never see my lovely princess 
 again? Who knows where she may be and what fairy may 
 have her in his keeping? I am only a man, but I am strong 
 in my love, and I will seek the whole world through till I 
 find her." 
 
 So saying, he left the court and made ready for his journey. 
 
 He traveled many weary days without hearing a single 
 word of the lost princess, till one morning, as he was walk- 
 ing through a thick forest, he suddenly perceived a mag- 
 nificent palace standing at the end of a pine avenue, and his 
 heart bounded to think that he might be gazing on Rosalie's 
 prison. He hastened his steps and quickly arrived at the 
 gate of the palace, which was formed of a single agate. 
 The gate swung open to let him through, and he next 
 passed successively three courts, surrounded by deep ditches 
 filled with running water, with birds of brilliant plumage 
 flying about the banks. Everything around was rare and 
 beautiful, but the prince scarcely raised his eyes to all these 
 
88 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 wonders. He thought only of the princess and where 
 he should find her, but in vain he opened every door 
 and searched in every corner; he neither saw Rosalie nor 
 anyone else. At last there was no place left for him to 
 search but a little wood, which contained in the center a 
 sort of hall built entirely of orange-trees, with four small 
 rooms opening out of the corners. Three of these were 
 empty except for statues and wonderful things, but in the 
 fourth the invisible prince caught sight of Rosalie. His 
 joy at beholding her again was, however, somewhat les- 
 sened by seeing that the prince of the air was kneeling at 
 her feet and pleading his own cause. But it was in vain 
 that he implored her to listen; she only shook her head. 
 " No," was all she would say ; " you snatched me from my 
 father, whom I loved, and all the splendor in the world 
 can never console me. Go! I can never feel anything 
 toward you but hate and contempt." With these words 
 she turned away and entered her own apartments. 
 
 Unknown to herself the invisible prince had followed 
 her, but fearing to be discovered by the princess in the 
 presence of others, he made up his mind to wait quietly till 
 dark, and employed the long hours in writing a poem to the 
 princess, which he laid on the bed beside her. This done, 
 he thought of nothing but how best to deliver Rosalie, and 
 he resolved to take advantage of a visit which the prince of 
 the air paid every year to his mother and brothers in order 
 to strike the blow. 
 
 One day Rosalie was sitting alone in her room thinking 
 of her troubles, when she suddenly saw a pen get up from 
 off the desk and begin to write all by itself on a sheet of 
 white paper. As she did not know that it was guided by 
 an invisible hand she was very much astonished, and the 
 moment that the pen had ceased to move she instantly went 
 over to the table, where she found some lovely verses, tell- 
 ing her that another shared her distresses, whatever they 
 might be, and loved her with all his heart; and that he 
 would never rest until he had delivered her from the hands 
 of the man she hated. Thus encouraged, she told him all 
 her story and of the arrival of a young stranger in her 
 father's palace, whose looks had so charmed her that since 
 that day she had thought of no one else. At these words the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 89 
 
 prince could contain himself no longer. He took the peb- 
 ble from his mouth and flung KTmself at Rosalie's feet. 
 
 When they had got over the first rapture jof meeting they 
 began to make plans to escape from the power of the prince 
 
 of the air. But this did not prove easy, for the magic stone 
 would only serve for one person at a time, and in order to 
 save Rosalie the Prince of the Golden Isle would have to 
 expose himself to the fury of his enemy. But Rosalie 
 Would not hear of this. 
 
 " No, prince," she said. " Since you are here this island 
 no longer feels a prison. Besides, you are under the pro- 
 
90 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 tection of a fairy, who always visits your father's court at 
 this season. Go instantly and seek her, and when she is 
 found implore the gift of another stone with similar powers. 
 Once you have that, there will be no further difficulty in 
 the way of escape." 
 
 The prince of the air returned a few days later from his 
 mother's palace, but the invisible prince had already set* 
 out. He had, however, entirely forgotten the road by 
 which he had come, and lost himself for so long in the 
 forest that when at last he reached home the fairy had 
 already left, and in spite of all his grief there was nothing 
 for it but to wait till the fairy's next visit and allow Rosalie 
 to suffer three months longer. This thought drove him 
 to despair, and he had almost made up his mind to return 
 to the place of her captivity, when one day, as he was 
 strolling along an alley in the woods, he saw a huge oak 
 open its trunk and out of it step two princes in earnest con- 
 versation. As our hero had the magic stone in his mouth 
 they imagined themselves alone and did not lower their 
 voices. 
 
 " What ! " said one, " are you always going to allow 
 yourself to be tormented by a passion which can never end 
 happily, and in your whole kingdom can you find nothing 
 else to satisfy you ? " 
 
 "What is the use," replied the other, "of being prince 
 of the gnomes and having a mother who is queen over all 
 the four elements, if I cannot win the love of the Princess 
 Argentine? From the moment that I saw her sitting in the 
 forest surrounded by flowers, I have never ceased to think 
 of her night and day, and although I love her I am quite 
 convinced that she will never care for me. You know that 
 I have in my palace the cabinets of the years. In the first, 
 great mirrors reflect the past; in the second, we contem- 
 plate the present; in the third, the future can be read. It 
 was here that I fled after I had gazed on the Princess 
 Argentine, but instead of love I only saw scorn and con- 
 tempt. Think how great must be my devotion when, in 
 spite of my fate, I still love on ! " 
 
 Now the Prince of the Golden Isle was enchanted with 
 this conversation, for the Princess Argentine was his sister, 
 and he hoped, by means of her influence over the prince of 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 91 
 
 the gnomes, to obtain from his brother the release of 
 Kosalie. So he joyfully returned to his father's palace, 
 
 where he found his friend the fairy, who at once presented 
 him with a magic pebble like his own. As may be im- 
 agined, he lost no time in setting out to deliver Rosalie, 
 and traveled so fast that he soon arrived at the forest in the 
 
92 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 midst of which, she lay a captive. But though he found the 
 palace he did not find Rosalie. He hunted high and low, 
 but there was no sign of her, and his despair was so great 
 that he was ready, a thousand times over, to take his own 
 life. At last he remembered the conversation of the two 
 princes about the cabinets of the years, and that if he could 
 manage to reach the oak tree he would be certain to dis- 
 cover what had become of Rosalie. Happily he soon 
 found out the secret of the passage and entered the cabinet 
 of the present, where he saw reflected in the mirrors the 
 unfortunate Rosalie, sitting on the floor, weeping bitterly, 
 and surrounded with genii, who never left her night or day. 
 This sight only increased the misery of the prince, for he 
 did not know where the castle was nor how to set about 
 finding it. However, he resolved to seek the whole world 
 through till he came to the right place. He began by 
 setting sail in a favorable wind, but his bad luck followed 
 him even on the sea. He had scarcely lost sight of the 
 land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of 
 beating about the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on 
 which it dashed itself to bits. The prince was fortunate 
 enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar and con- 
 trived to keep himself afloat; and after a long struggle 
 with the winds and waves he was cast upon a strange island. 
 But what was his surprise on reaching the shore to hear 
 sounds of the most heart-rending distress, mingled with the 
 sweetest songs that had ever charmed him. His curiosity 
 was instantly roused, and he advanced cautiously till he saw 
 two huge dragons guarding the gate of a wood. They 
 were terrible indeed to look upon. Their bodies were 
 covered with glittering scales; their curly tails extended 
 far over the land; flames darted from their mouths and 
 noses, and their eyes would have made the bravest shudder; 
 but as the prince was invisible and they did not see him, he 
 slipped past them into the wood. He found himself at 
 once in a labyrinth, and wandered about for a long time 
 without meeting anyone; in fact the only sight he saw was 
 a circle of human hands sticking out of the ground above the 
 wrist, each with a bracelet of gold, on which a name was 
 written. The further he advanced in the labyrinth the 
 more curious he became, till he was stopped by two corpses 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 93 
 
 lying in the midst of a cypress alley, each with a scarlet 
 cord round its neck and a bracelet on its arm, on which were 
 engraved their own names and those of two princesses. 
 
 The invisible prince recognized these dead men as kings 
 of two large islands near his own home, but the names of 
 
 the princesses were unknown to him. He grieved for their 
 unhappy fate and at once proceeded to bury them; but no 
 sooner had he laid them in their graves than their hands 
 
94 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 started up through the earth and remained sticking up, like 
 those of their fellows. 
 
 The prince went on his way, thinking about this strange 
 adventure, when suddenly at the turn of the walk he per- 
 ceived a tall man, whose face was the picture of misery, 
 holding in his hands a silken cord of the exact color 
 of those round the necks of the dead men. A few steps 
 further this man came up with another as miserable to the 
 full as he himself. They silently embraced, and then with- 
 out a word passed the cords round their throats and fell 
 dead side by side. In vain the prince rushed to their assist- 
 ance and strove to undo the cord. He could not loosen it: 
 so he buried them like the others and continued his path. 
 
 He felt, however, that great prudence was necessary, or 
 he himself might become the victim of some enchantment; 
 and he was thankful to slip past the dragons and enter a 
 beautiful park, with clear streams and sweet flowers and a 
 crowd of men and maidens. But he could not forget the 
 terrible things he had seen and hoped eagerly for a clew to 
 the mystery. Noticing two young people talking together 
 he drew near, thinking that he might get some explanation 
 of what puzzled him. And so he did. 
 
 " You swear," said the prince, " that you will love me 
 till you die, but I fear your faithless heart, and I feel that 
 I shall soon have to seek the Fairy Despair, ruler of half 
 this island. She carries off the lovers who have been cast 
 away by their mistresses and wish to have done with life. 
 She places them in a labyrinth where they are condemned 
 to walk forever, with a bracelet on their arms and a cord 
 round their necks, unless they meet another as miserable as 
 themselves. Then the cord is pulled and they lie where 
 they fall till they are buried by the first passer-by. Terri- 
 bfe as this death would be," added the prince, " it would be 
 sweeter than life if I had lost your love." 
 
 The sight of all these happy lovers only made the prince 
 grieve the more, and he wandered along the seashore spend- 
 ing his days; but one day he was sitting on a rock, 
 bewailing his fate and the impossibility of leaving the 
 island, when all in a moment the sea appeared to raise 
 itself nearly to the skies and the caves echoed with hideous 
 screams. As he looked a woman rose from the depths of 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 95 
 
 the sea, flying madly before a furious giant. The cries she 
 uttered softened the heart of the prince. He took the stone 
 from his mouth and drawing his sword he rushed after the 
 giant, so as to give the lady time to escape. But hardly 
 had he come within reach of the enemy than the giant 
 touched him with a ring that he held in his hand, and the 
 prince remained immovable where he stood. The giant 
 then hastily rejoined his prey, and seizing her in his arms 
 he plunged with her into the sea. Then he sent some 
 tritons to bind chains about the Prince of the Golden Isle, 
 and he too felt himself borne to the depths of the ocean 
 and without the hope of ever again seeing the princess. 
 
 Now, the giant whom the invisible prince had so rashly 
 attacked was lord of the sea and third son of the queen of 
 the elements, and he had touched the youth with a magic 
 ring which enabled a mortal to live under water. So the 
 Prince of the Golden Isle found, when bound in chains by 
 the tritons, that he was carried through the homes of 
 strange monsters and past immense seaweed forests till he 
 reached a vast sandy space surrounded by huge rocks. On 
 the tallest of the rocks sat the giant as on a throne. 
 
 "Hash mortal," said he when the prince was dragged 
 before him, " you have deserved death, but you shall live 
 only to suffer more cruelly. Go, and add to the number of 
 those whom it is my pleasure to torture." 
 
 At these words the unhappy prince found himself tied to 
 a rock; but he was not alone in his misfortunes, for all 
 round him were chained princes and princesses whom the 
 giant had led captive. Indeed, it was his chief delight to 
 create a storm in order to add to the list of his prisoners. 
 
 As his hands were fastened, it was impossible for the 
 Prince of the Golden Isle to make use of his magic stone, 
 and he passed his nights and days dreaming of Rosalie. 
 But at last the time came when the giant took it into his 
 head to amuse himself by arranging fights between some 
 of his captives. Lots were drawn, and one fell upon our 
 prince, whose chains were immediately loosened. The 
 moment he was set free he snatched up his stone and be- 
 came invisible. 
 
 The astonishment of the giant at the sudden disappear- 
 ance of the prince may well be imagined. He ordered all 
 
Here you shall remain chained until you die." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 97 
 
 the passages to be watched, but it was too late, for the 
 prince had already glided between two rocks. He wan- 
 dered for a long while through the forests, where he met 
 nothing but fearful monsters. He climbed rock after rock, 
 steered his way from tree to tree, till at length he arrived 
 at the edge of the sea, at the foot of a mountain that he re- 
 membered to have seen in the cabinet of the present where 
 Rosalie was held captive. 
 
 Filled with joy, he made his way to the top of the moun- 
 tain, which pierced the clouds, and there found a palace. 
 He entered, and in the middle of a long gallery he discov- 
 ered a crystal room, in the midst of which sat Rosalie, 
 guarded night and day by genii. There was no door any- 
 where, nor any window. At this sight the prince became 
 more puzzled than ever, for he did not know how he was 
 to warn Rosalie of his return. Yet it broke his heart to 
 see her weeping from dawn till dark. 
 
 One day as Rosalie was walking up and down her room, 
 she was surprised to see that the crystal which served for 
 a wall had grown cloudy, as if someone had breathed on 
 it, and what was more, wherever she moved the bright- 
 ness of the crystal always became clouded. This was 
 enough to cause the Princess to suspect that her lover had 
 returned. In order to set the prince of the air's mind at 
 rest she began by being very gracious to him, so that when 
 she begged that her captivity might be a little lightened 
 she should not be refused. At first the only favor she 
 asked was to be allowed to walk for one hour every day 
 up and down the long gallery. This was granted, and 
 the invisible prince speedily took the opportunity of hand- 
 ing her the stone, which she at once slipped into her 
 mouth. No words can paint the fury of her captor at her 
 disappearance. He ordered the spirits of the air to fly 
 through all space and to bring back Rosalie wherever she 
 might be. They instantly flew off to obey his commands 
 and spread themselves over the whole earth. 
 
 Meantime Rosalie and the invisible prince had reached, 
 hand in hand, a door of the gallery which led through a 
 terrace into the gardens. In silence they glided along and 
 thought themselves already safe, when a furious monster 
 dashed itself by accident against Rosalie and the invisible 
 
98 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 prince, and in her fright she let go his hand. "No one can 
 speak as long as he is invisible, and besides, they knew 
 that the spirits were all around them and at the slightest 
 sound they would be recognized; so all they could do was 
 to feel about in the hope that their hands might once more 
 meet. 
 
 But, alas ! the joy of liberty lasted but a short time. 
 The princess, having wandered in vain up and down the 
 forests, stopped at last on the edge of a fountain. As she 
 walked she wrote on the trees : " If ever the prince, my 
 lover, comes this way, let him know that it is here I dwell, 
 and that I sit daily on the edge of this fountain, mingling 
 my tears with its waters." 
 
 These words were read by one of the genii, who re- 
 peated them to his master. The prince of the air, in his 
 turn making himself invisible, was led to the fountain and 
 waited for Rosalie. When she drew near he held out his 
 hand, which she grasped eagerly, taking it for that of her 
 lover; and seizing his opportunity the prince passed a cord 
 round her arms, and throwing off his invisibility cried to his 
 spirits to drag her to the lowest pit. 
 
 It was at this moment that the invisible prince appeared, 
 and at the sight of the prince of the genii mounting into 
 the air, holding a silken cord, he guessed instantly that he 
 was carrying off Rosalie. He felt so overwhelmed by de- 
 spair that he thought for an instant of putting an end to 
 his life. 
 
 " Can I survive my misfortunes ? " he cried. " I fancied 
 I had come to an end of my troubles, and now they are 
 worse than ever. What will become of me? Never can I 
 discover the place where this monster will hide Rosalie ! " 
 
 The unhappy youth had determined to let himself die, 
 and indeed his sorrow alone was enough to kill him, when 
 the thought that by means of the cabinets of the years 
 he might find out where the princess was imprisoned gave 
 him a little ray of comfort. So he continued to walk on 
 through the forest, and after some hours he arrived at the 
 gate of a temple guarded by two huge lions. Being invis- 
 ible, he was able to enter unharmed. In the middle of 
 the temple was an altar, on which lay a book, and behind 
 the altar hung a great curtain. The prince approached the 
 
THE YELLOW FALRY BOOK. 99 
 
 altar and opened the book, which contained the names of 
 all the lovers in the world; and in it he read that Rosalie 
 had been carried off by the prince of the air to an abyss 
 which had no entrance except the one that lay by way of 
 the Golden Fountain. 
 
 Now as the prince had not the smallest idea where this 
 fountain was to be found, it might be thought that he was 
 not much nearer Rosalie than before. This was not, how- 
 ever, the view taken by the prince. 
 
 " Though every step that I take may perhaps lead me 
 further from her," he said to himself, " I am still thank- 
 ful to know that she is alive somewhere." 
 
 On leaving the temple the invisible prince saw six paths 
 lying before him, each of which led through the wood. 
 He was hesitating which to choose when he suddenly be- 
 held two people coming toward him down the track which 
 lay most to the right. They turned out to be the Prince 
 Gnome and his friend, and the sudden desire to get 
 some news of his sister, Princess Argentine, caused the 
 invisible prince to follow them and to listen to their conver- 
 sation. 
 
 "Do you think," the Prince Gnome was saying, "do 
 you think that I would not break my chains if I could? 
 I know that the Princess Argentine will never love me, 
 yet each day I feel her dearer still. And as if this were 
 not enough, I have the horror of feeling that she probably 
 loves another. So I have resolved to put myself out of my 
 pain by means of the Golden Fountain. A single drop of 
 its water, falling on the sand around, will trace the name of 
 my rival in her heart. I dread the test, and yet this very 
 dread convinces me of my misfortune." 
 
 It may be imagined that after listening to these words 
 the invisible prince followed Prince Gnome like his shadow, 
 and after walking some time they arrived at the Golden 
 Fountain. The unhappy lover stooped down with a sigh, 
 and dipping his finger in the water let fall a drop on the 
 sand. It instantly wrote the name of Prince Flame, his 
 brother. The" shock of this discovery was so real that 
 Prince Gnome sank fainting into the arms of his friend. 
 
 Meanwhile the invisible prince was turning over in his 
 mind, how he could best deliver Rosalie. As, since he had 
 
100 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 been touched by the giant's ring, he had the power to live 
 in the water as well as on land, he at once dived into the 
 fountain. He perceived in one corner a door leading into 
 
 Prince Gnome Learns the Name of His Rival at the 
 Golden Fountain. 
 
 the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain was a high 
 rock on which was fixed an iron ring with a cord attached. 
 The prince promptly guessed that the cord was used to chain 
 the princess, and drew his sword and cut it. In a moment 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. , ; 101 
 
 he felt the princess' hand in his, for she had always, 
 
 her magic pebble in her mouth, in spite of' the, prayers^ afcfl' 
 
 entreaties of the prince of the air to make herself visible. 
 
 So, hand in hand, the invisible prince and Rosalie crossed 
 the mountain; but as the princess had no power of living 
 under water, she could not pass the Golden Fountain. 
 Speechless and invisible they clung together on the brink, 
 trembling at the frightful tempest the prince of the air had 
 raised in his fury. The storm had already lasted many days, 
 when tremendous heat began to make itself felt. The light- 
 ning flashed, the thunder rattled, fire-bolts fell from heaven, 
 burning up the forests and even the fields of corn. In one 
 instant the very streams were dried up, and the prince, 
 seizing his opportunity, carried the princess over the 
 Golden Fountain. 
 
 It took them a longer time still to reach the Golden Isle, 
 but at last they got there, and we may be quite sure they 
 never wanted to leave it any more. 
 
 THE CROW* 
 
 Once upon a time there were three princesses who were 
 all three young and beautiful; but the youngest, although 
 she was not fairer than the other two, was the most lovable 
 of them all. 
 
 About half a mile from the castle in which they lived 
 there stood a castle, which was uninhabited and almost a 
 ruin, but the garden which surrounded it was a mass of 
 blooming flowers^ and in this garden the youngest prin- 
 cess used often to walk. 
 
 One day, when she was pacing to and fro under the lime- 
 trees, a black crow hopped out of a rose-bush in front of 
 her. The poor beast was all torn and bleeding, and the 
 kind little princess was quite unhappy about it. When the 
 crow saw this it turned to her and said: 
 
 " I am not really a black crow, but an enchanted prince 
 
 who has been doomed to spend his youth in misery. If 
 
 you only liked, princess, you could save me. But you 
 
 would have to say good-by to all your own people and 
 
 * From the Polish. Kletke. 
 
102 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 corce to be my. constant companion in this ruined castle, 
 There is ., ^ne; Jiabitable room in it, in which there is a 
 golden bed. There you will have to live all by yourself, 
 and don't forget that whatever you may i jee or hear in the 
 night you must not scream out, for if you give as much as 
 a single cry my sufferings will be doubled." 
 
 The good-natured princess at once left her home and her 
 family, hurried to the ruined castle, and took possession of 
 the room with the golden bed. 
 
 When night approached she lay down, but though she 
 shut her eyes tight sleep would not come. At midnight 
 she heard to her great horror someone coming along the 
 passage, and in a minute her door was flung wide open, 
 and a troop of strange beings entered the room. They 
 at once proceeded to light a fire in the huge fireplace; 
 
 The Evil Spirits Drag the Girl to the Caldron. 
 
 then they placed a great caldron of boiling water on it. 
 When they had done this they approached the bed on 
 which the trembling girl lay and, screaming and yelling 
 all the time, dragged her toward the caldron. She 
 nearly died with fright, but she never uttered a sound. 
 Then of a sudden a cock crew and all the evil spirits 
 vanished. 
 
 At the same moment the crow appeared and hopped all 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 103 
 
 i-ound the room with joy. It thanked the princess most 
 heartily for her goodness, and said that its sufferings had 
 already been greatly lessened. 
 
 Now, one of the princess' elder sisters, who was very 
 inquisitive, had found out about everything and went to 
 pay her younger sister a visit in the ruined castle. She 
 implored her so urgently to let her spend the night with 
 her in the golden bed that at last the good-natured little 
 princess consented. But at midnight, when the odd folk 
 appeared, the elder sister screamed with terror, and from 
 this time on the youngest princess insisted always on keep- 
 ing watch alone. 
 
 So she lived in solitude all the day-time, and at night 
 nhe would have been frightened had she not been so brave; 
 but every day the crow came and thanked her for her en- 
 durance and assured her that his sufferings were far less 
 than they had been. 
 
 And so two years passed away, when one day the crow 
 came to the princess and said: 
 
 " In another year I shall be free from the spell I am 
 under at present, because then the seven years will be 
 over. But before I can resume my natural form and take 
 possession of the belongings of my forefathers, you must 
 go out into the world and take service as a maid-servant." 
 
 The young princess consented at once, and for a whole 
 year she served as a maid; but in spite of her youth and 
 beauty she was very badly treated and suffered many 
 things. One evening, when she was spinning flax and had 
 worked her little white hands weary, she heard a rustling 
 beside her and a cry of joy. Then she saw a handsome 
 youth standing beside her, who knelt down at her feet and 
 kissed the little weary white hands. 
 
 " I am the prince," he said, " whom you in your good- 
 ness, when I was wandering about in the shape of a black 
 crow, freed from the most awful torments. Come now 
 to my castle with me and let us live there happily together." 
 
 So they went to the castle where they had both endured 
 so much. But when they reached it it was difficult to 
 believe that it was the same, for it had all been rebuilt and 
 done up again. And there they lived for a hundred years 
 a hundred years of joy and happiness. 
 
104 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 HOW SIX MEJST TKAVELED THKOUGH THE WIDE 
 WORLD. 
 
 There was once upon a time a man who understood all 
 :sorts of arts. He served in the war and bore himself 
 bravely and well; but when the war was over he got his 
 discharge and set out on his travels with three farthings of 
 his pay in his pocket. " Wait," he said ; " that does not 
 please me; only let me find the right people, and the king 
 shall yet give me all the treasures of his kingdom." He 
 strode angrily into the forest, and there he saw a man 
 standing who had uprooted six trees as if they were straws. 
 He said to him : " Will you be my servant and travel with 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes," he answered ; " but first of all I will take this 
 little bundle of sticks home to my mother," and he took 
 one of the trees and wound it round the other five, raised 
 the bundle on his shoulders, and bore it off. Then he 
 came back and went with his master, who said: "We two 
 ought to be able to travel through the wide world ! " And 
 when they had gone a little way they came upon a hunter, 
 who was on his knees, his gun to his shoulder, aiming at 
 something. The master said to him : " Hunter, what are you 
 aiming at ? " 
 
 He answered : " Two miles from this place sits a fly on a 
 branch of an oak. I want to shoot out its left eye." 
 
 " Oh, go with me," said the man. " If we three are to- 
 gether we shall easily travel through the wide world." 
 
 The hunter agreed and went with him, and they came to 
 seven windmills whose sails were going round quite fast, 
 and yet there was not a breath of wind nor was a leaf 
 moving. The man said : " I don't know what is turning 
 those windmills; there is not the slightest breeze blowing." 
 So he walked on with his servants, and when they had gone 
 two miles they saw a man sitting on a tree holding one 
 of his nostrils and blowing out of the other. 
 
 "Fellow, what are you puffing at up there?" asked the 
 man. 
 
 He replied : " Two miles from this place are standing 
 seven windmills. See, I am blowing to drive them round." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 105 
 
 " Oh, go with me ! " said the man. " If we four are to- 
 gether we shall easily travel through the wide world." 
 
 So the blower got down and went with him, and after a 
 time they saw a man who was standing on one leg and had 
 unstrapped the other and laid it near him. Then said the 
 master : " You have made yourself very comfortable to 
 rest ! " 
 
 " I am a runner," answered he, " and so that I shall not 
 go too quickly I have unstrapped one leg. When I run 
 with two legs I go faster than a bird flies." 
 
 " Oh, go with me ! If we five are together we shall 
 easily travel through the wide world." So he went with 
 him, and not long afterward they met a man who wore a 
 little hat, but he had it slouched over one ear. 
 
 " Manners, manners ! " said the master to him. " Don't 
 hang your hat over one ear. You look like a madman ! " 
 
 " I dare not," said the other, " for if I were to put my 
 hat on straight there would come such a frost that the very 
 birds in the sky would freeze and fall dead on the earth." 
 
 " Oh, go with me ! " said the master. " If we six are 
 together we shall easily travel through the wide world." 
 
 Now, the six came to a town in which the king had pro- 
 claimed that whoever should run with his daughter in a 
 race and win, should become her husband; but if he lost 
 he must lose his head. This was reported to the man, who 
 declared he would compete. " But," he said, " I shall let 
 my servant run for me." 
 
 The king replied : " Then both your heads must be 
 staked, and your heads must be guaranteed for the winner." 
 
 When this was agreed upon and settled the man strapped 
 on the runner's other leg, saying to him : " Now be nimble 
 and see that we win ! " It was arranged that whoever 
 should first bring water out of a stream a long way off 
 should be the victor. Then the runner got a pitcher and 
 the king's daughter another, and they began to run at the 
 same time; but in a moment, when the king's daughter 
 was only just a little way off, no spectator could see the 
 runner, and it seemed as if the wind had whistled past. In 
 a short time he reached the stream, filled his pitcher with 
 water, and turned round again. But halfway home a great 
 drowsiness came over him; he put down his pitcher, lay 
 
106 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 down, and fell asleep. He had, however, put a horse's skull 
 which was lying on the ground for his pillow, so that he 
 should not be too comfortable and might soon wake up. 
 
 In the meantime the king's daughter, who could also run 
 well, as well as an ordinary man could, reached the stream 
 and hastened back with her pitcher full of water. When 
 she saw the runner lying there asleep she was delighted and 
 
 said : " My enemy is given into my hands ! " She emptied 
 his pitcher and ran on. 
 
 Everything now would have been lost if by good luck the 
 hunter had not been standing on the castle tower and had 
 seen everything with his sharp eyes. 
 
 " Ah," said he, " the king's daughter shall not over- 
 reach us." And loading his gun he shot so cleverly that 
 he shot away the horse's skull from under the runner's 
 head without its hurting him. Then the runner awoke, 
 jumped up, and saw that his pitcher was empty and the 
 king's daughter far ahead. But he did not lose courage, 
 and ran back to the stream with his pitcher, filled it once 
 more with water, and was home ten minutes before the 
 king's daughter arrived. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 10? 
 
 " Look," said he, " I have only just exercised my legs. 
 That was nothing of a run." 
 
 But the king was angry, and his daughter even more so, 
 that she should be carried away by a common discharged 
 soldier. They consulted together how they could destroy 
 both him and his companions. 
 
 " Then," said the king to her, " I have found a way. 
 Don't be frightened. They shall not come home again." 
 He said to them : " You must now make merry together 
 and eat and drink," and he led them into a room which had 
 a floor of iron; the doors were also of iron and the windows 
 were barred with iron. In the room was a table spread 
 with delicious food. The king said to them, " Go in and 
 enjoy yourselves," and as soon as they were inside he had 
 the doors shut and bolted. Then he made the cook come 
 and ordered him to keep up a large fire under the room un- 
 til the iron was red-hot. The cook did so, and the six 
 sitting round the table felt it grow very warm, and they 
 thought this was because of their good fare; but when the 
 heat became still greater and they wanted to go out, but 
 found the doors and windows fastened, then they knew 
 that the king meant them harm and was trying to suffocate 
 them. 
 
 " But he shall not succeed," cried he of the little hat. 
 " I will make a frost come which shall make the fire 
 ashamed and die out ! " So he put his hat on straight, and 
 at once there came such a frost that all the heat disappeared 
 and the food on the dishes began to freeze. When a couple 
 of hours had passed and the king thought they must be 
 quite dead from the heat, he had the doors opened and went 
 in himself to see. 
 
 But when the doors were opened there stood all six, alive 
 and well, saying they were glad they could come out to 
 warm themselves, for the great cold in the room had frozen 
 all the food hard in the dishes. Then the king went angrily 
 to the cook and scolded him, and asked him why he had 
 not done what he was told. 
 
 But the cook answered : " There is heat enough there ; 
 see for yourself." Then the king saw a huge fire burning 
 under the iron room and understood that he could do no 
 harm to the six in this way. The king now began to think 
 
108 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 Low he could free himself from his unwelcome guests. He 
 commanded the master to come before him and said : " If 
 you will take gold and give up your right to my daughter, 
 you shall have as much as you like." 
 
 " Oh, yes, your majesty ! " answered he. " Give me as 
 much as my servant can carry and I will give up your 
 daughter." 
 
 The king was delighted and the man said : " I will come 
 and fetch it in fourteen days." 
 
 Then he called all the tailors in the kingdom together and 
 made them sit down for fourteen days sewing at a sack. 
 When it was finished he made the strong man who had 
 uprooted the trees take the sack on his shoulder and go 
 with him to the king. Then the king said: "What a 
 powerful fellow that is, carrying that bale of linen as large 
 as a house on his shoulder ! " And he was much frightened 
 and thought, " What a lot of gold he will make away 
 with ! " Then he had a ton of gold brought, which sixteen 
 of the strongest men had to carry; but the strong man 
 seized it with one hand and put it in the sack, saying: 
 " Why don't you bring me more ? That scarcely covers the 
 bottom ! " Then the king had to send again and again to 
 fetch his treasures, which the strong man shoved into the 
 sack, and the sack was only half -full. 
 
 "Bring more!" he cried. "These crumbs don't fill it." 
 So seven thousand wagons of the gold of the whole king- 
 dom were driven up. These the strong men shoved into 
 the sack, oxen and all. 
 
 " I will no longer be particular," he said, " and will take 
 what comes, so that the sack shall be full." 
 
 When everything was put in and there was not yet 
 enough he said: "I will make an end of this. It is easy 
 to fasten a sack when it is not full." Then he threw it on 
 Ms back and went with his companions. 
 
 Now, when the king saw how a single man was carrying 
 away the wealth of the whole country he was very angry, 
 and made his cavalry mount and pursue the six and bring 
 back the strong man with the sack. Two regiments soon 
 overtook them and called to them: "You are prisoners! 
 Lay down the sack of gold or you shall be cut down." 
 
 "What do you say?" said the blower. "We are pris- 
 

 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 10& 
 
 oners ? Before that you shall dance in the air ! " And he 
 held one nostril and blew with the other at the two regi- 
 ments. They were separated and blown away in the blue 
 sky over the mountains, one this way and the other that. 
 A sergeant-major cried for mercy, saying he had nine 
 wounds and was a brave fellow, and did not deserve this 
 disgrace. So the blower let him off and he came down 
 without hurt. Then he said to him: "Now go home to 
 the king and say that if he sends any more cavalry I will 
 blow them all into the air." 
 
 When the king received the message he said: "Let the 
 fellows go; they are bewitched." Then the six brought 
 the treasure home, shared it among themselves, and lived con- 
 tentedly till the end of their days. 
 
 THE WIZAKD KING:* 
 
 In very ancient times there lived a king whose power lay 
 not only in the vast extent of his dominions, but also in 
 the magic secrets of which he was master. After spending 
 the greater part of his early youth in pleasure, he met a 
 princess of such remarkable beauty that he at once asked 
 her hand in marriage, and having obtained it considered 
 himself the happiest of men. 
 
 After a year's time a son was born, worthy in every way 
 of such distinguished parents and much admired by the 
 whole court. As soon as the queen thought him strong 
 enough for a journey she set out with him secretly to visit 
 her fairy godmother. I said secretly, because the fairy had 
 warned the queen that the king was a magician; and as 
 from time immemorial there had been a standing feud 
 between the fairies and the wizards, he might not have ap- 
 proved of his wife's visit. 
 
 The fairy godmother, who took the deepest interest in all 
 the queen's concerns and who was much pleased with the 
 little prince, endowed him with the power of pleasing 
 everybody from his cradle, as well as with a wonderful ease 
 in learning everything which could help to make him a per- 
 
 * From " Les Fdes illustre." 
 
110 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 fectly accomplished prince. Accordingly, to the delight 
 of his teachers, he made the most rapid progress in his 
 education, constantly surpassing everyone's expectations. 
 Before he was many years old, however, he had the great 
 sorrow of losing his mother, whose last words were to ad- 
 vise him never to undertake anything of importance with- 
 out consulting the fairy under whose protection she had 
 placed him. 
 
 The prince's grief at the death of his mother was great, 
 but it was nothing compared to that of the king his father, 
 who was quite inconsolable for the loss of his dear wife. 
 Neither time nor reason seemed to lighten his sorrow, and 
 the sight of all the familiar faces and things about him only 
 served to remind him of his loss. lie therefore resolved to 
 travel for change, and by means of his magic art was able 
 to visit every country he came to see under different shapes, 
 returning every few weeks to the place where he had left a 
 few followers. 
 
 Having traveled from land to land in this fashion with- 
 out finding anything to rivet his attention, it occurred to 
 him to take the form of an eagle, and in this shape he flew 
 across many countries and arrived at length in a new and 
 lovely -spot, where the air seemed filled with the scent of 
 jessamine and orange-flowers with which the ground was 
 thickly planted. Attracted by the perfume he flew lower, 
 and perceived some large and beautiful gardens filled with 
 the rarest of flowers and with fountains throwing up their 
 clear waters into the air in a hundred different shapes. A 
 wide stream flowed through the garden, and on it floated 
 richly ornamented barges and gondolas filled with people 
 dressed in the most elegant manner and covered with jewels. 
 
 In one of these barges sat the queen of that country with 
 her only daughter, a maiden more beautiful than the day- 
 star, and attended by the ladies of the court. No more ex- 
 quisitely lovely mortal was ever seen than this princess, and 
 it needed all an eagle's strength of sight to prevent the king 
 being hopelessly dazzled. He perched on the top of a large 
 orange tree, whence he was able to survey the scene and to 
 gaze at pleasure on the princess' charms. 
 
 Now, an eagle with a king's heart in his breast is apt to 
 be bold, and accordingly he instantly made up his mind to 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 Ill 
 
 carry off the lovely damsel, feeling sure that having once 
 seen her he could not live without her. 
 
 He waited till he saw her in the act of stepping ashore, 
 when, suddenly swooping down, he carried her off before her 
 equerry in attendance had advanced to offer her his hand. 
 The princess, on finding herself in an eagle's talons, uttered 
 the most heart-breaking shrieks and cries; but her captor, 
 though touched by her distress, would not abandon his lovely 
 prey, and continued to fly through the air too fast to allow 
 of his saying anything to comfort her. 
 
 At length, when he thought they had reached a safe dis- 
 
 The Princess and the Eagle in the Flowery Meadow. 
 
 tance, he began to lower his flight, and gradually descend- 
 ing to earth, deposited his burden in a flowery meadow. 
 He then entreated her pardon for his violence, and told her 
 that he was about to carry her to a great kingdom over 
 which he ruled, and where he desired she should rule with 
 him, adding many tender and consoling expressions. 
 
 For some time the princess remained speechless, but re- 
 covering herself a little she burst into a flood of tears. The 
 king, much moved, said : " Adorable princess, dry your tears, 
 
112 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 I implore you. My only wish is to make you the happiest: 
 person in the world." 
 
 " If you speak truth, my lord," replied the princess, " re- 
 store to me the liberty you have deprived me of. Other- 
 wise I can only look on you as my worst enemy." 
 
 The king retorted that her opposition filled him with de- 
 spair, but that he hoped to carry her to a place where all 
 around would respect her and where every pleasure would 
 surround her. So saying he seized her once more, and in 
 spite of all her cries he rapidly bore her off to the neighbor- 
 hood of his capital. Here he gently placed her on a lawn, 
 and as he did so she saw a magnificent palace spring up at 
 her feet. The architecture was imposing, and in the in- 
 terior the rooms were furnished in the best possible taste. 
 
 The princess, who expected to be quite alone, was pleased 
 at finding herself surrounded by a number of pretty girls, 
 all anxious to wait on her, while a brilliantly colored parrot 
 said the most agreeable things in the world. 
 
 On arriving at this palace the king had resumed his own 
 form, and though no longer young, he might well have 
 pleased any other than this princess, who had been so 
 prejudiced against him by his violence that she could only 
 regard him with feelings of hatred, which she was at no 
 pains to conceal. The king hoped, however, that time might 
 not only soften her anger, but accustom her to his sight. 
 He took the precaution of surrounding the palace with a 
 dense cloud, and then hastened to his court, where his pro- 
 longed absence was causing much anxiety. 
 
 The prince and all his courtiers were delighted to see their 
 beloved king again, but they had to submit themselves to 
 more frequent absences than ever on his part. He made 
 business a pretext for shutting himself up in his study, but 
 it was really in order to spend the time with the princess, 
 who remained inflexible. 
 
 Not being able to imagine what could be the cause of so 
 much obstinacy, the king began to fear lest, in spite of all 
 his precautions, she might have heard of the charms of the 
 prince his son, whose goodness, youth, and beauty made him 
 adored at court. This idea made him horribly uneasy, and 
 he resolved to remove the cause of his feaxs by sending the 
 prince on his travels, escorted by a magnificent retinue. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 113 
 
 The prince, after visiting several courts, arrived at the 
 one where the lost princess was still deeply mourned. The 
 king and queen received him most graciously, and some fes- 
 tivities were revived to do him honor. 
 
 One day, when the prince was visiting the queen in her 
 own apartments, he was much struck by a most beautiful 
 portrait. He eagerly inquired whose it was, and the queen, 
 with many tears, told him it was all that was left her of her 
 beloved daughter, who had suddenly been carried off, she 
 knew neither where nor how. 
 
 The prince was deeply moved and vowed that he would 
 search the world for the princess and take no rest till he 
 had found and restored her to her mother's arms. The 
 queen assured him of her eternal gratitude, and promised, 
 should he succeed, to give him her daughter in marriage, 
 together with all the estates she herself owned. 
 
 The prince, far more attracted by the thoughts of pos- 
 sessing the princess than her promised dower, set forth ia 
 his quest after taking leave of the king and queen, the lat- 
 ter giving him a miniature of her daughter which she was 
 in the habit of wearing. His first act was to seek the fairy 
 under whose protection he had been placed, and he implored 
 her to give him all the assistance of her art and counsel in 
 this important matter. 
 
 After listening attentively to the whole adventure, the 
 fairy asked for time to consult her books. After due con- 
 sideration she informed the prince that the object of his 
 search was not far distant, but that it was too difficult for 
 him to attempt to enter the enchanted palace where she 
 was, as the king his father had surrounded it with a thick 
 cloud, and that the only expedient she could think of 
 would be to gain possession of the princess' parrot. This, 
 she added, would not appear impossible, as it often flew 
 about to some distance in the neighborhood. 
 
 Having told the prince all this, the fairy went out in 
 hopes of seeing the parrot, and soon returned with the 
 bird in her hand. She promptly shut it up in a cage, and 
 touching the prince with her wand transformed him into 
 an exactly similar parrot; after which she instructed him 
 how to reach the princess. 
 
 The prince reached the place in safety, but was so 
 
114 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 dazzled at first by the princess' beauty, which far surpassed 
 his expectations, that he was quite dumb for a time. The 
 princess was surprised and anxious, and fearing the parrot, 
 who was her greatest comfort, had fallen ill, she took him 
 in her hand and caressed him. This soon reassured the 
 prince and encouraged him to play his part well, and he 
 began to say a thousand agreeable things which charmed 
 the princess. 
 
 Presently the king appeared, and the parrot noticed 
 with joy how much he was disliked. As soon as the king 
 left the princess retired to her dressing room. The parrot 
 flew after her and overheard her lamentations at the con- 
 tinued persecutions of the king, who had pressed her to 
 consent to their marriage. The parrot said so many clever 
 and tender things to comfort her that she began to doubt 
 whether this could indeed be her own parrot. 
 
 When he saw her well disposed toward him he ex- 
 claimed : " Madam, I have a most important secret to 
 confide to you, and I beg you not to be alarmed by what 
 I am about to say. I am here on behalf of the queen your 
 mother, with the object of delivering your highness; to 
 prove which, behold this portrait which she gave me her- 
 self." So saying, he drew forth the miniature from under 
 his wing. The princess' surprise was great, but after what 
 she had seen and heard it was impossible not to indulge 
 in hope, for she had recognized the likeness of herself 
 which her mother always wore. 
 
 The parrot, finding she was not much alarmed, told her 
 who he was, all that her mother had promised him, and 
 the help he had already received from a fairy who had 
 assured him that she would give him means to transport 
 the princess to her mother's arms. 
 
 When he found her listening attentively to him, he 
 implored the princess to allow him to resume his natural 
 shape. She did not speak, so he drew a feather from his 
 wing, and she beheld before her a prince of such surpass- 
 ing beauty that it was impossible not to hope that she 
 might owe her liberty to so charming a person. 
 
 Meantime the fairy had, prepared a chariot, to which she 
 harnessed two powerful eagles; then placing the cage with 
 the parrot in it, she charged the bird to conduct it to the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 115 
 
 window of the princess' dressing room. This was done 
 in a few minutes, and the princess, stepping into the 
 chariot with the prince, was delighted to find her parrot 
 again. 
 
 As they rose through the air the princess remarked a 
 
 The Wizard King Pays a Visit to the Princess. 
 
 figure mounted on an eagle's back flying in front of the 
 chariot. She was rather alarmed, but the prince reassured 
 her, telling her it was the good fairy to whom she owed so 
 much and who was now conducting her in safety to her 
 mother. 
 
116 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 That same morning the king woke suddenly from a 
 troubled sleep. He had dreamed that the princess was 
 being carried off from him, and transforming himself into 
 an eagle he flew to the palace. When he failed to find 
 her he flew into a terrible rage and hastened home to con- 
 sult his books, by which means he discovered that it was 
 his son who had deprived him of his precious treasure. 
 Immediately, he took the shape of a harpy, and,, filled with 
 rage, was determined to devour his son, and even the 
 princess too, if only he could overtake them. 
 
 He set out at full speed, but he started too late, and was 
 further delayed by a strong wind which the fairy raised 
 behind the young couple so as to baffle any pursuit. 
 
 You may imagine the rapture with which the queen 
 received the daughter she had given up for lost, as well as 
 the amiable prince who had rescued her. The fairy en- 
 tered with them and warned the queen that the wizard 
 king would shortly arrive, infuriated by his loss, and that 
 nothing could preserve the prince and princess from his 
 rage and magic unless they were actually married. 
 
 The queen hastened to inform the king her husband, 
 and the wedding took place on the spot. 
 
 As the ceremony was completed the wizard king arrived. 
 His despair at being so late bewildered him so entirely 
 that he appeared in his natural form and attempted to 
 sprinkle some black liquid over the bride and bridegroom, 
 which was intended to kill them, but the fairy stretched out 
 her wand and the liquid dropped on the magician himself. 
 He fell down senseless, and the princess' father, deeply 
 offended at the cruel revenge which had been attempted, 
 ordered him to be removed and locked up in prison. 
 
 Now, as magicians lose all their power as soon as they 
 are in prison, the king felt himself much embarrassed at 
 being thus at the mercy of those he had so greatly 
 offended. The prince implored and obtained his father's 
 pardon, and the prison doors were opened. 
 
 ~No sooner was this done than the wizard king was seen 
 in the air in the form of some unknown bird, exclaiming 
 as he flew off that he would never forgive either his son or 
 the fairy the cruel wrong they had done him. 
 
 Everyone entreated the fairy to settle in the kingdom 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 117 
 
 where she now was, to which she consented. She built 
 herself a magnificent palace, ' to which she transported her 
 books and fairy secrets, and where she enjoyed the sight 
 of the perfect happiness she had helped to bestow on the 
 entire royal family. 
 
 THE KEXY * 
 
 There was once upon a time a miller who Avas very well 
 toff and had as much money and as many goods as he knew 
 what to do with. But sorrow comes in the night, and the 
 miller all of a sudden became so poor that at last ho could 
 hardly call the mill in which he sat his own. He. wan- 
 dered about all day full of despair and misery, and when 
 he lay down at night he could get no rest, but lay awake 
 all night sunk in sorrowful thoughts. 
 
 One morning he rose up before dawn and went outside, 
 for he thought his heart would be lighter in the open air. 
 As he wandered up and down on the banks of the mill- 
 pond he heard a rustling in the water, and when he looked 
 near he saw a white woman rising up from the waves. 
 
 He realized at once that this could be none other than 
 the nixy of the mill-pond, and in his terror he didn't 
 Tmow if he should fly away or remain where he was. 
 While he hesitated the nixy spoke, called him by his name, 
 and asked him why he was so sad. 
 
 When the miller heard how friendly her tone was, he 
 plucked up heart and told her how rich and prosperous 
 he had been all his life up till now, when he didn't know 
 what he was to do for want and misery. 
 
 Then the nixy spoke comforting words to him, and 
 promised that she would make him richer and more pros- 
 perous than he had ever been in his life before if he would 
 give her in return the youngest thing in his house. 
 
 The miller thought she must mean one of his puppies 
 or kittens, so promised the nixy at once what she asked 
 and returned to his mill full of hope. On the threshold 
 he was greeted by a servant with the news that his wife 
 iad just given birth to a boy. 
 
 * From the German. Kletke. 
 
118 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The poor miller was much horrified by these tidings, 
 and went in to his wife with a heavy heart to tell her and 
 his relations of the fatal bargain he had just struck with 
 the nixy. " I would gladly give up all the good fortune 
 she promised me," he said, " if I could only save my 
 child." But no one could think of any advice to give 
 him, beyond taking care that the child never went near 
 the mill-pond. 
 
 So the boy throve and grew big, and in the meantime all 
 prospered with the miller, and in a few years he was richer 
 than he had ever been before. But, all the same, he did 
 not enjoy his good fortune, for he could not forget his 
 compact with the nixy, and he knew that sooner or later 
 she would demand his fulfillment of it. But year after 
 year went by, and the boy grew up and became a great 
 hunter, and the lord of the land took him into his service, 
 for he was as smart and bold a hunter as you would wish 
 to see. In a short time he married a pretty young wife 
 and lived with her in great peace and happiness. 
 
 One day when he was out hunting a hare sprang up at 
 his feet and ran for some way in front of him in the open 
 field. The hunter pursued it/ hotly for some time and at 
 last shot it dead. Then he proceeded to skin it, never 
 noticing that he was close to the mill-pond, which from 
 childhood up he had been taught to avoid. He soon 
 finished the skinning and went to the water to wash the 
 blood off his hands. He had hardly dipped them in the 
 pond when the nixy rose up in the water, and seizing him in 
 her wet arms she dragged him down with her under the 
 waves. 
 
 When the hunter did not come home in the evening his 
 wife grew very anxious, and when his game-bag was 
 found close to the mill-pond she guessed at once what had 
 befallen him. She was nearly beside herself with grief, 
 and roamed round and round the pond, calling on her 
 husband without ceasing. At last, worn out with sorrow 
 and fatigue, she fell asleep and dreamed that she was 
 wandering along a flowery meadow, when she came to a 
 hut where she found an old witch, who promised to restore 
 her husband to her. 
 
 When she awoke next morning she determined to set 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 119 
 
 out and find the witch; so she wandered on for many a 
 day, and at last she reached the flowery meadow and 
 found the hut where the old witch lived. The poor wife 
 
 The Miller Sees the Nixy of the Mill-Pond. 
 
 told her all that had kappened and how she had been told 
 in a dream of the witch's power to help her. 
 
 The witch counseled her to go to the pond the first 
 time there was a full moon, and to comb her black hair 
 with a golden comb, and tlien to place the comb on the 
 
120 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 bank. The hunter's wife gave the witch a handsome pres- 
 ent, thanked her heartily, and returned home. 
 
 Time dragged heavily till the time of the full moon, 
 hut it passed at last, and as soon as it rose the young wife 
 went to the pond, combed her black hair with a golden 
 comb, and when she had finished placed the comb on the 
 bank; then she watched the water impatiently. Soon she 
 heard a rushing sound, and a big wave rose suddenly 
 and swept the comb off the bank, and a minute after the 
 head of her husband rose from the pond and gazed sadly 
 at her. But immediately another wave came, and the 
 head sank back into the water without having said a word. 
 The pond lay still and motionless, glittering in the moon- 
 shine, and the hunter's wife wag not a bit better off than 
 she had been before. 
 
 In despair she wandered about for days and nights, and 
 at last, worn out by fatigue, she sank once more into a 
 deep sleep and dreamed exactly the same dream about the 
 old witch. So next morning she went again to the flowery 
 meadow, sought the witch in her hut, and told her of her 
 grief. The old woman counseled her to go to the mill-pond 
 the next moon and play upon a golden flute, and then 
 to lay the flute on the bank. 
 
 As soon as the next moon was full the hunter's wife 
 went to the mill-pond, played on a golden flute, and when 
 she had finished placed it on the bank. Then a rushing 
 sound was heard and a wave swept the flute off the bank, 
 and soon the head of the hunter appeared and rose up 
 higher and higher till he was half out of the water. Then 
 he gazed sadly at his wife and stretched out his arms 
 toward her. But another rushing wave arose and dragged 
 him under once more. The hunter's wife, who had stood 
 on the bank full of joy and hope, sank into despair when 
 she saw her husband snatched away again before her eyes. 
 
 But for her comfort she dreamed the same dream a third 
 time, and betook herself once more to the old witch's hut 
 in the flowery meadow. This time the old woman told her 
 to go the next full moon to the mill-pond and to spin there 
 with a golden spinning-wheel, and then to leare the spin- 
 ning-wheel on the bank. 
 
 The hunter's wife did as she was advised, and the first 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 121 
 
 night the moon was full she sat and spun with a golden 
 spinning-wheel, and then left the wheel on the bank. In 
 a few minutes a rushing sound was heard in the waters and 
 a wave swept the spinning-wheel from the bank. Imme- 
 diately the head of the hunter rose up from the pond, 
 getting higher and higher each moment, till at length he 
 stepped on to the bank and fell on his wife's neck. 
 
 But the waters of the pond rose up suddenly, over- 
 flowed the bank where the couple stood, and dragged them 
 under the flood. In her despair the young wife called on 
 the old witch to help her, and in a moment the hunter was 
 
 "A wave swept the spinning-wheel from the bank." 
 
 turned into a frog and his wife into a toad. But they 
 were not able to remain together, for the water tore them, 
 apart, and when the flood was over they both resumed their 
 own shapes again, but the hunter and the hunter's wife 
 found themselves each in a strange country, and neither 
 knew what had become of the other. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The hunter determined to become a shepherd, and his 
 wife too became a shepherdess. So they herded their sheep 
 for many years in solitude and sadness. 
 
 Now, it happened once that the shepherd came to the 
 country where the shepherdess lived. The neighborhood 
 pleased him, and he saw that the pasture was rich and 
 suitable, for his flocks. So he brought his sheep there and 
 herded them as before. The shepherd and shepherdess 
 became great friends, but they did not recognize each other 
 in the least. 
 
 But one evening when the moon was full they sat 
 together watching their flocks, and the shepherd played 
 upon his flute. Then the shepherdess thought of that 
 evening when she sat at the full moon by the mill-pond 
 and had played on the golden flute; the recollection was 
 too much for her and she burst into tears. The shepherd 
 asked her why she was crying and left her no peace till she 
 told him all her story. Then the scales fell from the 
 shepherd's eyes, and he recognized his wife and she him. 
 So they returned joyfully to their own home and lived in 
 peace and happiness ever after. 
 
 THE GLASS MOUNTAIN* 
 
 Once upon a time there was a glass mountain at the top 
 of which stood a castle made of pure gold, and in front of 
 the castle there grew an apple-tree on which there were 
 golden apples. 
 
 Anyone who picked an apple gained admittance into the 
 golden castle, and there in a silver room sat an enchanted 
 princess of surpassing fairness and beauty. She was as 
 rich, too, as she was beautiful, for the cellars of the castle 
 were full of precious stones, and great chests of the finest 
 gold stood round the walls of all the rooms. 
 
 Many knights had come from afar to try their luck, but 
 it was in vain they attempted to climb the mountain. In. 
 spite of having their horses shod with sharp nails, no one 
 managed to get more than halfway up, and then they all 
 fell back right down to the bottom of the steep, slippery hill. 
 * From the Polish. Kletke. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 123 
 
 Sometimes they broke an arm, sometimes a leg, and many 
 a brave man had broken his neck even. 
 
 The beautiful princess sat at her window and watched the 
 bold knights trying to reach her on their splendid horses. 
 The sight of her always gave men fresh courage, and they 
 nocked from the four quarters of the globe to attempt the 
 work of rescuing her. But all in vain, and for seven years 
 the princess had sat now and waited for someone to scale 
 the glass mountain. 
 
 A heap of corpses both of riders and horses lay around the 
 mountain, and many dying men lay groaning there, unable 
 to go any further with their wounded limbs. The whole 
 neighborhood had the appearance of a vast churchyard. 
 In three more days the seven years would be at an end, 
 when a knight in golden armor and mounted on a spirited 
 steed was seen making his way toward the fatal hill. 
 
 Sticking his spurs into his horse he made a rush at the 
 mountain and got up halfway; then he calmly turned his 
 horse's head and came down again without a slip or 
 stumble. The following day he started in the same way; 
 the horse trod on the glass as if it had been level earth, and 
 sparks of fire flew from its hoofs. All the other knights 
 gazed in astonishment, for he had almost gained the sum- 
 mit, and in another moment he would have reached the 
 apple-tree; but of a sudden a huge eagle rose up and spread 
 its mighty wings, hitting as it did so the knight's horse in 
 the eye. The beast shied, opened its wide nostrils and 
 tossed its mane, then rearing high up in the air, its hind 
 feet slipped and it fell with its rider down the steep moun- 
 tain side. Nothing was left of either of them except their 
 bones, which rattled in the battered golden armor like dry 
 peas in a pod. 
 
 And now there was only one more day before the close 
 of the seven years. Then there arrived on the scene a mere 
 school-boy a merry, happy-hearted youth, but at the same 
 time strong and well grown. He saw how many knights 
 had broken their necks in vain, but undaunted he ap- 
 proached the steep mountain on foot and began the ascent. 
 
 For long he had heard his parents speak of the beautiful 
 princess who sat in the golden castle at the top of the glass 
 mountain. He listened to all he heard, and determined that 
 
124 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 he too would try his luck. But first he went to the forest 
 and caught a lynx, and cutting off the creature's sharp 
 claws, he fastened them on to his own hands and feet. 
 
 Armed with these weapons he boldly started up the glass 
 mountain. The sun was nearly going down, and the youth 
 had not got more than halfway up. He could hardly draw 
 breath he was so worn out, and his mouth was parched by 
 thirst. A huge black cloud passed over his head, but in 
 vain did he beg and beseech her to let a drop of water fall 
 on him. He opened his mouth, but the black cloud sailed 
 past, and not as much as a drop of dew moistened his dry 
 lips. 
 
 His feet were torn and bleeding, and he could only hold 
 on now with his hands. Evening closed in, and he strained 
 his eyes to see if he could behold the top of the mountain. 
 Then he gazed beneath him, and what a sight met his eyes ! 
 A yawning abyss, with certain and terrible death at the 
 bottom, reeking with half-decayed bodies of horses and 
 riders! And this had been the end of all the other brave 
 men who like himself had attempted the ascent. 
 
 It was almost pitch-dark now, and only the stars lit up 
 the glass mountain. The poor boy still clung on as if 
 glued to the glass by his blood-stained hands. He made 
 no struggle to get higher, for all his strength had left him, 
 and seeing no hope he calmly awaited death. Then all of 
 a sudden he fell into a deep sleep, and forgetful of his 
 dangerous position he slumbered sweetly. But all the 
 same, although he slept, he had stuck his sharp claws so 
 firmly into the glass that he was quite safe not to fall. 
 
 Now, the golden apple-tree was guarded by the eagle 
 which had overthrown the golden knight and his horse. 
 Every night it flew round the glass mountain keeping a 
 careful lookout, and no sooner had the moon emerged from 
 the clouds than the bird rose up from the apple-tree, and 
 circling round in the air caught sight of the sleeping youth. 
 
 Greedy for carrion, and sure that this must be a fresh 
 corpse, the bird swooped down upon the boy. But he was 
 awake now, and perceiving the eagle, he determined by its 
 help to save himself. 
 
 The eagle dug its sharp claws into the tender flesh of the 
 youth, but he bore the pain without a sound and seized the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 125 
 
 bird's two feet with his hands. The creature in terror 
 lifted him high up into the air and began to circle round 
 the tower of the castle. The youth held on bravely. He 
 saw the glittering palace, which by the pale rays of the 
 
 The Boy Attacked by the Eagle on the Glass Mountain. 
 
 moon looked like a dim lamp; and he saw the high win- 
 dows, and round one of them a balcony in which the 
 beautiful princess sat, lost in sad thoughts. Then the boy 
 saw that he was close to the apple-tree, and drawing a 
 small knife from his belt he cut off both the eagle's feet. 
 The bird rose up in the air in its agony and vanished into 
 
126 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 the clouds, and the youth fell on to the broad branches of 
 the apple-tree. 
 
 Then he drew out the claws of the eagle's feet that had 
 remained in his flesh and put the peel of one of the golden 
 apples on the wound, and in one moment it was healed 
 and well again. He pulled several of the beautiful apples 
 and put them in his pocket; then he entered the castle. 
 The door was guarded by a great dragon, but as soon as he 
 threw an apple at it the beast vanished. 
 
 At the same moment a gate opened, and the youth per- 
 aeived a court-yard full of flowers and beautiful trees, and 
 on a balcony sat the lovely enchanted princess with her 
 retinue. 
 
 As soon as she saw the youth she ran toward him and 
 greeted him as her husband and master. She gave him 
 all her treasures, and the youth became a rich and mighty 
 ruler. But he never returned to the earth, for only the 
 mighty eagle, who had been the guardian of the princess 
 and of the castle, could have carried on his wings the 
 enormous treasure down to the world. But as the eagle had 
 lost its feet it died, and its body was found in a wood on the 
 glass mountain. 
 
 One day when the youth was strolling about the palace 
 garden with the princess his wife, he looked down over 
 the edge of the glass mountain and saw to his astonishment 
 a great number of people gathered there. He blew his 
 silver whistle, and the swallow who acted as messenger in 
 the golden castle flew past. 
 
 " Fly down and ask what the matter is," he said to the 
 little bird, who sped off like lightning and soon returned, 
 saying : 
 
 " The blood of the eagle has restored all the people below 
 to life. All those who have perished on this mountain are 
 awakening up to-day, as it were from a sleep, and are 
 mounting their horses, and the whole population are gazing 
 on this unheard-of wonder with joy and amazement." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 127 
 
 ALPHEGE; OK, THE GKEEN MONKEY. 
 
 Many years ago there lived a king who was twice mar- 
 ried. His first wife, a good and faithful woman, died at 
 the birth of her little son, and the king her husband was so 
 overwhelmed with grief at her loss that his only comfort 
 was in the sight of his heir. 
 
 When the time for the young prince's christening came 
 the king chose as godmother a neighboring princess, so 
 celebrated for her wisdom and goodness that she was com- 
 monly called " the good queen." She named the baby 
 Alphege and from that moment took him to her heart. 
 
 Time wipes away the greatest griefs, and after two or 
 three years the king married again. His second wife was 
 a princess of undeniable beauty, but by no means of so 
 amiable a disposition as the first queen. In due time a sec- 
 ond prince was born, and the queen was devoured with 
 rage at the thought that Prince Alphege came between her 
 son and the throne. She took care, however, to conceal 
 her jealous feelings from the king. 
 
 At length she could control herself no longer, so she sent 
 a trusty servant to her old and faithful friend the fairy of 
 the mountain, to beg her to devise some means by which 
 .she might get rid of her stepson. 
 
 The fairy replied that much as she desired to be agree- 
 able to the queen in every way, it was impossible for her 
 to attempt anything against the young prince, who was 
 under the protection of some greater power than her own. 
 
 The " good queen " on her aide watched carefully over 
 lier godson. She was obliged to do so from a distance, her 
 own country being a remote one, but she was well informed 
 of all that went on and knew all about the queen's wicked 
 designs. She therefore sent the prince a large and splendid 
 ruby, with injunctions to wear it night and day, as it 
 would protect him from all attacks, but added that the 
 talisman only retained its power as long as the prince re- 
 mained within his father's dominions. The wicked queen, 
 knowing this, made every attempt to get the prince out of 
 the country, but her efforts failed, till one day accident did 
 -what she was unable to accomplish. 
 
128 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The king had an only sister who was greatly attached to 
 him and who was married to the sovereign of a distant 
 country. She had always kept up a close correspondence 
 with her brother, and the accounts she heard of Prince 
 Alphege made her long to become acquainted with so 
 charming a nephew*. She entreated the king to allow the 
 prince to visit her, and after some hesitation, which was 
 overruled by his wife, he finally consented. 
 
 Prince Alphege was at this time fourteen years old and 
 the handsomest and most engaging youth imaginable. In 
 his infancy he had been placed in the charge of one of the 
 great ladies of the court, who, according to the prevailing 
 custom, acted first as his head nurse and then as his gov- 
 erness. When he outgrew her care her husband was ap- 
 pointed as his tutor and governor, so that he had never 
 been separated from this excellent couple, who loved him 
 as tenderly as they did their only daughter Zayda, and 
 were warmly loved by him in return. 
 
 When the prince set forth on his travels it was but 
 natural that this devoted couple should accompany him, 
 and accordingly Jie started with them and attended by a 
 numerous retinue. 
 
 For some time he traveled through his father's dominions 
 and all went well; but soon after passing the frontier they 
 had to cross a desert plain under a burning sun. They 
 were glad to take shelter under a group of trees near, and 
 here the prince complained of burning thirst. Luckily a 
 tiny stream ran close by and some water was soon pro- 
 cured, but no sooner had he tasted it than he sprang from 
 his carriage and disappeared in a moment. In vain did his 
 anxious followers seek for him he was nowhere to be 
 found. 
 
 As they were hunting and shouting through the trees a 
 great black monkey suddenly appeared on a point of rock 
 and said: "Poor sorrowing people, you are seeking your 
 prince in vain. Return to your own country and know 
 that he will not be restored to you till you have for some 
 time failed to recognize him." 
 
 With these words he vanished, leaving the courtiers 
 sadly perplexed; but as all their efforts to find the prince 
 were useless they had no choice but to go home, bringing 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 129 
 
 with them the sad news, which so greatly distressed the 
 king that he fell ill and died not long after. 
 
 The queen, whose ambition was boundless, was delighted 
 to see the crown on her son's head and to have the power 
 in her own hands. Her hard rule made her very unpopu- 
 lar, and it was commonly believed that she had made away 
 with Prince Alphege. Indeed, had the king her son not 
 been deservedly beloved a revolution would certainly have 
 arisen. 
 
 Meantime the former governess of the unfortunate 
 Alphege, who had lost her husband soon after the king's 
 
 The King Makes Friends with the Green Monkey. 
 
 death, retired to her own house with her daughter, who 
 grew up a lovely and most lovable girl, and both continued 
 to mourn the loss of their dear prince. 
 
 The young king was devoted to hunting and often in- 
 dulged in his favorite pastime, attended by the noblest 
 youths in his kingdom. One day, after a long morning's 
 chase, he stopped to rest near a brook in the shade of a 
 little wood, where a splendid tent had been prepared for 
 him. While at luncheon he suddenly spied a little monkey 
 of the brightest green sitting on a tree and gazing so ten- 
 
130 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 derly at him that he felt quite moved. He forbade his 
 courtiers to frighten it, and the monkey, noticing how 
 much attention was being paid him, sprang from bough to 
 bough and at length gradually approached the king, who 
 offered him some food. The monkey took it very daintily 
 and finally came to the table. The king took him on his 
 knees and, delighted with his capture, brought him home 
 with him. He would trust no one else with his care, and 
 the whole court soon talked of nothing but the pretty green 
 monkey. 
 
 One morning, as Prince Alphege's governess and her 
 daughter were alone together, the little monkey sprang in 
 through an open window. He had escaped from the 
 palace, and his manners were so gentle and caressing that 
 Zayda and her mother soon got over the first fright he had 
 given them. He had spent some time with them and 
 quite won their hearts by his insinuating ways, when the 
 king discovered where he was and sent to fetch him back. 
 But the monkey made such piteous cries, and seemed so 
 unhappy when anyone attempted to catch him, that the 
 two ladies begged the king to leave him a little longer with 
 them, to which he consented. 
 
 One evening, as they sat by the fountain in the garden, 
 the little monkey kept gazing at Zayda with such sad and 
 loving eyes that she and her mother could not think what 
 to make of it, and they were still more surprised when they 
 saw big tears rolling down his cheeks. 
 
 Next day both mother and daughter were sitting in a 
 jessamine bower in the garden, and they began to talk of 
 the green monkey and his strange ways. The mother said: 
 " My dear child, I can no longer hide my feelings from 
 you. I cannot get the thought out of my mind that the 
 green monkey is no other than our beloved Prince Alphege, 
 transformed in this strange fashion. I know the idea 
 sounds wild, but I cannot get it out of my heart, and it 
 leaves me no peace." 
 
 As she spoke she glanced up, and there sat the little 
 monkey, whose tears and gestures seemed to confirm her 
 words. 
 
 The following night the elder lady dreamed that she saw 
 the good queen, who said : " Do not weep any longer, but 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 131 
 
 follow my directions. Go into your garden and lift up the 
 little marble slab at the foot of the great myrtle tree. You 
 will find beneath it a crystal vase filled with a bright green 
 liquid. Take it with you and place the thing which is at 
 present most in your thoughts into a bath filled with roses, 
 and rub it well with the green liquid." 
 
 At these words the sleeper awoke and lost no time in 
 rising and hurrying to the garden, where she found all as 
 the good queen had described. Then she hastened to arouse 
 her daughter, and together they prepared the bath, for they 
 would not let their women know what they were about. 
 Zayda gathered quantities of roses, and when all was ready 
 they put the monkey into a lar^e jasflgr hath, where the 
 mother rubbed him all over with the "green liquid. 
 
 Their suspense was not long, for suddenly the monkey 
 skin dropped off, and there stood Prince Alphege, the 
 handsomest and most charming of men. The joy of such 
 a meeting was beyond words. After a time the ladies 
 begged the prince to relate his adventures, and he told 
 them of all his sufferings in the desert when he was first 
 transformed. His only comfort had been in visits from 
 the good queen, who had at length put him in the way of 
 meeting his brother. 
 
 Several days were spent in these interesting conversations, 
 but at length Zayda's mother began to think of the best 
 means for placing the prince on the throne, which was his 
 by right. 
 
 The queen on her side was feeling very anxious. She 
 had felt sure from the first that her son's pet monkey was 
 no other than Prince Alphege, and she longed to put an 
 end to him. Her suspicions were confirmed by the fairy of 
 the mountain, and she hastened in tears to the king her son. 
 
 " I am informed," she cried, " that some ill-disposed 
 people have raised up an impostor in the hopes of dethron- 
 ing you. You must at once have him put to death." 
 
 The king, who was very brave, assured the queen that 
 he would soon punish the conspirators. He made careful 
 inquiries into the matter, and thought it hardly probable 
 that a quiet widow and a young girl would think of at- 
 tempting anything of the nature of a revolution. 
 
 He determined to go and see them and to find out the 
 
132 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 truth for himself; so one night, without saying anything 
 to the queen or his ministers, he set out for the palace 
 where the two ladies lived, attended only by a small band 
 of followers. 
 
 The two ladies were at the moment deep in conversation 
 
 with Prince Alphege, and hearing a knocking so late at 
 night begged him to keep out of sight for a time. What 
 was their surprise when the door was opened to see the 
 king and his suite. 
 
 " I know," said the king, " that you are plotting against 
 my crown and person, and I have come to have an explanation 
 with you." 
 
 As she was about to answer, Prince Alphege, who had 
 heard all, came forward and said: "It is from me you 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 133 
 
 must ask an explanation, brother." He spoke with such 
 grace and dignity 'that everyone gazed at him with mute 
 surprise. 
 
 At length the king, recovering from his astonishment at 
 recognizing the brother who had been lost some years 
 before, exclaimed: "Yes, you are indeed my brother, and 
 now that I have found you, take the throne to which I have 
 no longer a right." So saying, he respectfully kissed the 
 prince's hand. 
 
 Alphege threw himself into his arms, and the brothers 
 hastened to the royal palace, where in the presence of the 
 entire court he received the crown from his brother's hand. 
 To clear away any possible doubt, he showed the ruby 
 which the good queen had given him in his childhood. As 
 they were gazing at it, it suddenly split with a loud noise, 
 and at the same moment the wicked queen expired. 
 
 King Alphege lost no time in marrying his dear and 
 lovely Zayda, and his joy was complete when the good 
 queen appeared at his wedding. She assured him that the 
 fairy of the mountain had henceforth lost all power over 
 him, and after spending some time with the young couple 
 and bestowing the most costly presents on them, she retired 
 to her own country. 
 
 King Alphege insisted on his brother sharing his throne, 
 and they nil lived to a good old age, universally beloved 
 and admired. 
 
 FAIKEK-THAN-A-FAIRY. 
 
 Once there lived a king who had no children for many 
 years after his marriage. At length Heaven granted him a 
 daughter of such remarkable beauty that he could think 
 of no name so appropriate for her as Fairer-than-a-fairy. 
 
 It never occurred to the good-natured monarch that such 
 a name was certain to call down the hatred and jealousy of 
 the fairies in a body on the child, but this was what hap- 
 pened. ~No sooner had they heard of this presumptuous 
 name than they resolved to gain possession of her who bore 
 it, and either to torment her cruelly or at least to conceal 
 her from the eyes of all men. 
 
134 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 The eldest of their tribe was entrusted to carry out their 
 revenge. This fairy was named Lagree. She was so old 
 that she only had one eye and one tooth left, and even, 
 these poor remains she had to keep all night in a strength- 
 ening liquid. She was also so spiteful that she gladly 
 devoted all her time to carrying out all the mean or ill- 
 natured tricks of the whole body of fairies. 
 
 With her large experience, added to her native spite, she 
 found but little difficulty in carrying off Fairer-than-a-fairy 
 The poor child, who was only seven years old, nearly died 
 of fear on finding herself in the power of this hideous 
 creature. However, when after an hour's journey under- 
 ground she found herself in a splendid palace with lovely 
 gardens, she felt a little reassured, and was further cheered 
 when she discovered that her pet cat and dog had followed 
 her. 
 
 The old fairy led her to a pretty room which she said 
 should be hers, at the same time giving her the strictest 
 orders never to let out the fire which was burning brightly 
 in the grate. She then gave two glass bottles into the 
 princess' charge, desiring her to take the greatest care of 
 them, and having enforced her orders with the most awful 
 threats in case of disobedience, she vanished, leaving the 
 little girl at liberty to explore the palace and grounds and 
 a good deal relieved at having only two apparently easy 
 tasks set her. 
 
 Several years passed, during which time the princess 
 grew accustomed to her lonely life, obeyed the fairy's 
 orders, and by degrees forgot all about the court of the 
 king her father. 
 
 One day, while passing near a fountain in the garden,, 
 she noticed that the sun's rays fell on the water in such a 
 manner as to produce a brilliant rainbow. She stood still 
 to admire it, when, to her great surprise, she heard a voice 
 addressing her which seemed to come from the center of its 
 rays. The voice was that of a young man, and its sweet- 
 ness of tone and the agreeable things it uttered led one to- 
 infer that its owner must be equally charming; but this 
 had to be a mere matter of fancy, for no one was visible. 
 
 The beautiful rainbow informed Fairer-than-a-fairy that 
 he was young, the son of a powerful king, and that the 
 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 135 
 
 fairy Lagree, who owed his parents a grudge, had revenged 
 herself by depriving him of his natural shape for some 
 years; that she had imprisoned him in the palace, where 
 he had found his confinement hard to bear for some time, 
 but now, he owned, he no longer sighed for freedom since 
 he had seen and learned to love Fairer-than-a-fairy. 
 
 He added many other tender speeches to this declaration, 
 
 and the princess, to whom such remarks we~e a new experi- 
 ence, could not help feeling pleased and touched by his at- 
 tentions. 
 
 The prince could only appear or speak under the form 
 of a rainbow, and it was therefore necessary that the sun 
 should shine on water so as to enable the rays to form 
 themselves. 
 
 Fairer-than-a-fairy lost no' moment in which she could 
 meet her lover, and they enjoyed many long and interest- 
 ing interviews. One day, however, their conversation be- 
 came so absorbing and time passed so quickly that the 
 
136 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 princess forgot to attend to the fire, and it went out. 
 Lagree, on her return, soon found out the neglect, and 
 seemed only to pleased to have the opportunity of show- 
 ing her spite to her lovely prisoner. She ordered Fairer- 
 than-a-fairy to start next day at dawn to ask Locrinos for 
 fire with which to relight the one she had allowed to go 
 out. 
 
 Now, this Locrinos was a cruel monster who devoured 
 everyone he came across, and especially enjoyed a chance 
 of catching and eating any young girl. Our heroine 
 obeyed with great sweetness, and without having been able 
 to take leave of her lover she set off to go to Locrinos as to 
 certain death. As she was crossing a wood a bird sang to 
 her to pick up a shining pebble which she would find in a 
 fountain close by, and to use it when needed. She took the 
 bird's advice, and in due time arrived at the house of 
 Locrinos. Luckily she only found his wife home, who 
 was much struck by the princess' youth and beauty and 
 sweet, gentle manners, and still further impressed by the 
 present of the shining pebble. 
 
 She readily let Fairer-than-a-fairy have the fire, and in 
 return for the stone she gave her another, which, she said, 
 might prove useful some day. Then she sent her away 
 without doing her any harm. 
 
 Lagree was as much surprised as displeased at the happy 
 result of this expedition, and Fairer-than-a-fairy waited 
 anxiously for an opportunity of meeting Prince Rainbow 
 and telling him her adventures. She found, however, that 
 he had already been told all about them by a fairy who 
 protected him and to whom he was related. 
 
 The dread of fresh dangers to his beloved princess made 
 him devise some more convenient way of meeting than by 
 the garden fountain, and Fairer-than-a-fairy carried out his 
 plan daily with entire success. Every morning she placed 
 a large basin full of water on her window-sill, and as soon 
 as the sun's rays fell on the water the rainbow appeared as 
 clearly as it had ever done in the fountain. By this means 
 they were able to meet without losing sight of the fire or 
 of the two bottles in which the old fairy kept her eye and 
 her tooth at night, and for some time the lovers enjoyed 
 every hour of sunshine together. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 137 
 
 One day Prince Eainbow appeared in the depths of woe. 
 He had just heard that he was to be banished from this 
 lovely spot, but he had no idea where he was to go. The 
 poor young couple were in despair, and only parted with 
 the last ray of sunshine, and in hopes of meeting next 
 morning. Alas! next day was dark and gloomy, and it 
 was only late in the afternoon that the sun broke through 
 the clouds for a few minutes. 
 
 Fairer-than-a-fairy eagerly ran to the window, but in 
 her haste she upset the basin and spilled all the water with 
 which she had carefully filled it overnight. No other 
 water was at hand except that in the two bottles. It was 
 the only chance of seeing her lover before they were 
 separated, and she did not hesitate to break the bottles and 
 pour their contents into the basin, when the rainbow 
 appeared at once. Their farewells were full of tenderness. 
 The prince made the most ardent and sincere protestations, 
 and promised to neglect nothing which might help to de- 
 liver his dear Fairer-than-a-fairy from her captivity, and 
 implored her to consent to their marriage as soon as they 
 should both be free. The princess, on her side, vowed to 
 have no other husband, and declared herself willing to brave 
 death itself in order to rejoin him. 
 
 They were not allowed much time for their adieus. 
 The rainbow vanished, and the princess, resolved to run 
 all risks, started off at once, taking nothing with her but 
 her dog, her cat, a sprig of myrtle, and the stone which the 
 wife of Locrinos gave her. 
 
 When Lagree became aware of her prisoner's flight she 
 was furious and set off at full speed in pursuit. She over- 
 took her just as the poor girl, overcome by fatigue, had 
 lain down to rest in a cave which the stone had formed 
 itself into to shelter her. The little dog, who was watching 
 her mistress, 'promptly flew at Lagree and bit her so severely 
 that she stumbled against a corner of the cave and broke 
 off her only tooth. Before she had recovered from the 
 pain and rage this caused her, the princess had time to 
 escape, and was some way on her road. Fear gave her 
 strength for some time, but at last she could go no further 
 and sank down to rest. As she did so the sprig of myrtle 
 she carried touched the ground, and immediately a green 
 
138 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK, 
 
 and shady bower sprang up round her, in which she hoped 
 to sleep in peace. But Lagree had not given up her pur- 
 suit, and arrived just as Fairer-than-a-fairy had fallen fast 
 
 This time she made sure of catching her victim, 
 but the cat spied her out, and springing from one of the 
 boughs of the arbor she flew at Lagree's face and tore out 
 her only eye, thus delivering the princess forever from her 
 persecutor. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 139 
 
 One might have thought that all would now be well, but 
 no sooner had Lagree been put to flight than our heroine 
 was overwhelmed with hunger and thirst. She felt as 
 though she should certainly expire, and it was with some 
 difficulty that she dragged herself as far as a pretty little 
 green- and -white house which stood at no great distance. 
 Here she was received by a beautiful lady dressed in green 
 and white to match the house, which apparently belonged 
 to her and of which she seemed the only inhabitant. 
 
 She greeted the fainting princess most kindly, gave her 
 an excellent supper, and after a long night's rest in a 
 delightful bed told her that after many troubles she should 
 finally attain her desire. 
 
 As the green-and-white lady took leave of the princess 
 she gave her a nut, desiring her only to open it in the most 
 urgent need. 
 
 After a long and tiring journey Fairer-than-a-fairy was 
 once more received in a house, and by a lady exactly like 
 the one she had quitted. Here again she received a present 
 with the same injunctions, but instead of a nut this lady 
 gave her a golden pomegranate. The mournful princess had 
 to continue her weary way, and after many troubles and 
 hardships she again found rest and shelter in a third house 
 exactly similar to the two others. 
 
 These houses belonged to three sisters, all endowed with. 
 fairy gifts, and all so alike in mind and person that they 
 wished their houses and garments to be equally alike. 
 Their occupation consisted in helping those in misfortune, 
 and they were as gentle and benevolent as Lagree had been 
 cruel and spiteful. 
 
 The third fairy comforted the poor traveler, begged her 
 not to lose heart, and assured her that her troubles should be 
 rewarded. She accompanied her advice by the gift of a crys- 
 tal smelling-bottle, with strict orders only to open it in case 
 of urgent need. Fairer-than-a-fairy thanked her warmly 
 and again resumed her way cheered by the most pleasant 
 thoughts. 
 
 After a time her road led her through a wood full of soft 
 airs and sweet odors, and before she had gone a hundred 
 yards she saw a wonderful silver castle suspended by strong 
 silver chains to four of the largest trees. It was so per- 
 
140 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 fectly hung that a gentle breeze rocked it sufficiently to 
 send you pleasantly to sleep. 
 
 Fairer-than-a-f airy felt a strong desire to enter this castle, 
 but besides being hung a little above the ground there 
 seemed to be neither doors nor windows. She had 110 
 doubt (though really I cannot think why) that the mo- 
 ment had come in which to use the nut which had been 
 given her. She opened it, and out came a diminutive hall 
 porter at whose belt hung a tiny chain, at the end of which 
 was a golden key half as long as the smallest pin you ever 
 
 The princess climbed up one of the silver chains, hold- 
 ing in her hand the little porter, who, in spite of his 
 minute size, opened a secret door with his golden key and 
 let her in. She entered a magnificent room which appeared 
 to occupy the entire castle, and which was lighted by gold 
 and jeweled stars in the ceiling. In the midst of this 
 room stood a couch, draped with curtains of all the colors of 
 the rainbow, and suspended by golden cords, so that it 
 swayed with the castle in a manner which rocked its occu- 
 pant delightfully to sleep. 
 
 On this elegant couch lay Prince Rainbow, looking 
 more beautiful than ever and sunk in profound slumber, 
 in which he had been held ever since his disappearance. 
 
 Fairer-than-a-fairy, who now saw him for the first time 
 in his real shape, hardly dared to gaze at him, fearing lest 
 his appearance might not be in keeping with the voice and 
 language which had won her heart. At the same time she 
 could not help feeling rather hurt at the apparent indiffer- 
 ence with which she was received. 
 
 She related all the dangers and difficulties she had gone 
 through, and though she repeated the story twenty times 
 in a loud, clear voice, the prince slept on and took no heed. 
 She then had recourse to the golden pomegranate, and on 
 opening it found that all the seeds were as many little 
 violins, which flew up in the vaulted roof and at once 
 began playing melodiously. 
 
 The prince was not completely roused, but he opened 
 his eyes a little and looked all the handsomer. 
 
 Impatient at not being recognized, Fairer-than-a-fairy 
 now drew out her third present, and on opening the crystal 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 141 
 
 scent-bottle a little siren flew out, who silenced the violins 
 and then sang close to the prince's ear the story of all his 
 lady-love had suffered in her search for him. She added 
 some gentle reproaches to her tale, but before she had got 
 far he was wide awake, and transported with joy threw 
 himself at the princess' feet. At the same moment the 
 walls of the room expanded and opened out, revealing a 
 golden throne covered with jewels. A magnificent court 
 now began to assemble, and at the same time several 
 elegant carriages filled with ladies in magnificent dresses 
 drove up. In the first and most splendid of these carriages 
 sat Prince Rainbow's mother. She fondly embraced her 
 son, after which she informed him that his father had been 
 dead for some years, that the anger of the fairies was at 
 length appeased, and that he might return in peace to 
 reign over his people, who were longing for his presence. 
 
 The court received the new king with joyful acclama- 
 tions which would have delighted him at any other time, 
 but all his thoughts were full of Fairer-than-a-fairy. He 
 was just about to present her to his mother and the court, 
 feeling sure that her charms would win all hearts, when 
 the three green-and-white sisters appeared. 
 
 They declared the secret of Fairer-than-a-fairy's royal 
 birth, and the queen, taking the two lovers in her carriage, 
 set off with them for the capital of the kingdom. 
 
 Here they were received with tumultuous joy. The wed- 
 ding was celebrated without delay, and succeeding years 
 diminished neither the virtues, beauty, nor the mutual affec- 
 tion of King Rainbow and his queen, Fairer-than-a-fairy. 
 
 THE THREE BROTHERS* 
 
 There was once upon a time a witch who in the 
 of a hawk used every night to break the windows of a cer- 
 tain village church. In the same village there lived three 
 brothers, who were all determined to kill the mischievous 
 hawk. But in vain did the two eldest mount guard in 
 the church with their guns; as soon as the bird appeared 
 
 * From the Polish. Kletke. 
 
142 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 high above their heads sleep overpowered them, and they 
 only awoke to hear the windows crashing in. 
 
 Then the youngest brother took his turn at guarding the 
 windows, and to prevent his being overcome by sleep he 
 placed a lot of thorns under his chin, so that, if he felt 
 drowsy and nodded his head, they would prick him and 
 keep him awake. 
 
 The moon was already risen and it was as light as day, 
 when suddenly he heard a fearful noise, and at the same 
 time a terrible desire to sleep overpowered him. 
 
 His eyelids closed -and his head sank upon his shoulders, 
 but the thorns ran into him and were so painful that he 
 awoke at once. He saw the hawk swooping down upon 
 the church, and in a moment he had seized his gun and 
 shot at the bird. The hawk fell heavily under a big stone, 
 severely wounded in its right wing. The youth ran to look 
 at it and saw that a huge abyss had opened below the 
 stone. He went at once to fetch his brothers, and with 
 their help dragged a lot of pine wood and ropes to the spot. 
 They fastened some of the burning pine wood to the end 
 of the rope and let it slowly down to the bottom of the 
 abyss. At first it was quite dark, and the flaming torch 
 only lit up dirty gray stone walls. But the youngest 
 brother determined to explore the abyss, and letting him- 
 self down by the rope he reached the bottom. Here he 
 found a lovely meadow full of green trees and exquisite 
 flowers. 
 
 In the middle of the meadow stood a huge stone castle, 
 with an iron gate leading to it which was wide open. 
 Everything in the castle seemed to be made of copper, and 
 the only inhabitant he could discover was a lovely girl, 
 who was combing her golden hair; and he noticed that 
 whenever one of her hairs fell on the ground it rang out 
 like pure metal. The youth lodged at her more closely 
 and saw that her skin was smooth and fair, her blue eyes 
 bright and sparkling, and her hair as golden as the sun. 
 He fell in love with her on the spot, and kneeling at her 
 feet he implored her to become his wife. 
 
 The lovely girl accepted his proposal gladly; but at the 
 same time she warned him that she could never come up 
 to the world above until her mother^ the old witch, was dead. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 143 
 
 And she went on to tell him that the only way in which 
 the old creature could be killed was with the sword that 
 hung up in the castle; but the sword was so heavy that 
 no one could lift it. 
 
 Then the youth went into a room in the castle where 
 everything was made of silver, and here he found another 
 beautiful girl, the sister of his bride. She was combing 
 her silver hair, and every hair that fell on the ground rang 
 out like pure metal. The second girl handed him the 
 sword, but though he tried with all his strength he could 
 not lift it. At last a third sister came to him and gave 
 him a drop of something to drink, which she said would 
 give him the needful strength. He drank one drop, but 
 still he could not lift the sword; then he drank a second 
 and the sword began to move; but only after he had drunk 
 a third drop was he able to swing the sword over his head. 
 
 Then he hid himself in the castle and awaited the old 
 witch's arrival. At last, as it was beginning to grow dark, 
 she appeared. She swooped down upon a big apple-tree, 
 and after shaking some golden apples from it she pounced 
 down upon the earth. As soon as her feet touched the 
 ground she became transformed from a hawk into a woman. 
 This was the moment the youth was waiting for, and he 
 swung his mighty sword in the air with all his strength 
 and the witch's head fell off, and her blood spurted up on 
 the walls. 
 
 Without fear of any further danger, he packed up all the 
 treasures of the castle into great chests and gave his 
 brothers a signal to pull them up out of the abyss. First 
 the treasures were attached to the rope, and then the three 
 lovely girls. And now everything was up above and only 
 he himself remained below. But as he was a little sus- 
 picious of his brothers, he fastened a heavy stone on to the 
 rope and let them pull it up. At first they heaved with a 
 will, but when the stone was halfway up they let it drop 
 suddenly, and it fell to the bottom broken into a hundred 
 pieces. 
 
 " So that's what would have happened to my bones had 
 I trusted myself to them," said the youth sadly; and he 
 cried bitterly, not because of the treasures, but because of 
 the lovely girl with her swanlike neck and golden hair. 
 
144 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 For a long time he wandered sadly all through the beau- 
 tiful underworld, and one day he met a magician who 
 asked him the cause of his tears. The youth told him all 
 that had befallen him, and the magician said : 
 
 " Do not grieve, young man ! If you will guard the 
 children who are hidden in the golden apple-tree, I will 
 bring you at once up to the earth. Another magician who 
 lives in this land always eats my children up. It is in vain 
 that I have hidden them under the earth and locked them 
 into the castle. Now I have hidden them in the apple- 
 
 "Then the youth swung his mighty sword in the air, and with 
 one blow cut off the serpent's head." 
 
 tree; hide yourself there too, and at midnight you will see 
 my enemy." 
 
 The youth climbed up the tree and picked some of the 
 beautiful golden apples, which he ate for his supper. 
 
 Ajfc midnight the wind began to rise and a rustling sound 
 was heard at the foot of the tree. The youth looked down 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 145 
 
 and beheld a long thick serpent beginning to crawl up the 
 tree. It wound itself round the stem and gradually got 
 higher and higher. It stretched, its huge head, in which 
 the eyes glittered fiercely, among the branches, searching 
 for the nest in which the little children lay. They trembled 
 with terror when they saw the hideous creature and hid 
 themselves beneath the leaves. 
 
 Then the youth swung his mighty sword in the air, and 
 with one blow cut off the serpent's head. He cut up the 
 rest of the body into little bits and strewed them to the 
 four winds. 
 
 The father of the rescued children was so delighted over 
 the death of his enemy that he told the youth to get on his 
 back, and thus he carried him up to the world above. 
 
 With what joy did he hurry now to his brothers' house! 
 He burst into a room where they were all assembled, but 
 no one knew who he was. Only his bride, who was serving 
 as cook to her sisters, recognized her lover at once. 
 
 His brothers, who had quite believed he was dead, 
 yielded him up his treasures at once and flew into the 
 woods in terror. But the good youth forgave them all 
 they had done and divided his treasures with them. 
 Then he built himself a big castle with golden windows, 
 and there he lived happily with his golden-haired wife 
 till the end of their lives. 
 
 THE BOY AND THE WOLVES; OE, THE BROKEN 
 PROMISE.* 
 
 Once upon a time an Indian hunter built himself a 
 house in the middle of a great forest, far away from all 
 his tribe; for his heart was gentle and kind and he was 
 weary of the treachery and cruel deeds of those who had 
 been his friends. So he left them and took his wife and 
 three children, and they journeyed on until they found 
 a spot near to a clear stream, where they began to cut down 
 trees and to make ready their wigwam. EOT many years 
 they lived peacefully and happily in this sheltered place, 
 never leaving it except to hunt the wild animals which 
 * A North American Indian Story. 
 
146 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 served them both for food and clothes. At last, however, 
 the strong man felt sick, and before long he knew he must 
 die. So he gathered his family round him and said his 
 last words to them. 
 
 " You, my wife, the companion of my days, will follow 
 me ere many moons have waned to the island of the blessed. 
 But for you, O my children, whose lives are but newly be- 
 gun, the wickedness, unkindness, and ingratitude from 
 which I fled are before you. Yet I shall go hence in peace, 
 my children, if you will promise always to love each other 
 and never to forsake your youngest brother." 
 
 " Never ! " they replied, holding out their hands. And 
 the hunter died content. 
 
 Scarcely eight moons had passed when, just as he had 
 said, the wife went forth and followed her husband; but 
 before leaving her children she bade the two elder ones 
 think of their promise never to forsake the younger, for 
 he was a child and weak. And while the snow lay thick 
 upon the ground they tended him and cherished him; but 
 when the earth showed green again the heart of the young 
 man stirred within him, and he longed to see the wigwams 
 of the village where his father's youth was spent. 
 
 Therefore he opened all his heart to his sister, who 
 answered: "My brother, I understand your longing for 
 our fellow-men, whom here we cannot see. But remem- 
 ber our father's words. Shall we seek our own pleasures 
 and forget the little one ? " 
 
 But he would not listen, and, making no reply, he took 
 his bow and arrows and left the hut. The snows fell and 
 melted, yet he never returned, and at last the heart of the 
 girl grew cold and hard and her little boy became a burden 
 in her eyes, till one day she spoke thus to him : " See, there 
 is food for many days to come. Stay here within the shelter 
 of the hut. I go to seek our brother, and when I shall have- 
 found him I shall return hither." 
 
 But when, after hard journeying, she reached the village 
 where her brother dwelt and saw that he had a wife and 
 was happy, and when she, too, was sought by a young brave, 
 then she also forgot the boy alone in the forest and thought 
 only of her husband. 
 
 Now, as soon as the little boy had eaten all the food 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 147 
 
 which his sister had left him, he went out into the woods 
 and gathered berries and dug up roots, and while the sun 
 shone he was contented and had his fill. But when the 
 snows began and the wind howled, then his stomach felt 
 empty and his limbs cold, and he hid in the trees all the 
 night and only crept out to eat what the wolves had left 
 behind. And by and by, having no other friends, he sought 
 
 " My brother, my brother, I ain becoming a wolf ! " 
 
 their company, and sat by while they devoured their prey, 
 and they grew to know him and gave him food. And without 
 them he would have died in the snow. 
 
 But at last the snows melted and the ice upon the great 
 lake, and as the wolves went down to the shore the boy 
 went after them. And it happened one day that his big 
 brother was fishing in his canoe near the shore, and he 
 heard the voice of a child singing in the Indian tone : 
 
 " My brother, my brother ! 
 I am becoming a wolf, 
 I am becoming a wolf ! " 
 
148 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 'And when he had so sung he howled as wolves howl. Then 
 the heart of the elder sank, and he hastened toward him, 
 crying : " Brother, little brother, come to me " ; but he, be- 
 ing half a wolf, only continued his song. And the louder 
 the elder called him, " Brother, little brother, come to me," 
 the swifter he fled after his brothers the wolves and the 
 heavier grew his skin, till, with a long howl, he vanished into 
 the depths of the forest. 
 
 So, with shame and anguish in his soul, the elder brother 
 went back to his village, and with his sister mourned the 
 little boy and the broken promise till the end of his life. 
 
 THE GLASS AX* 
 
 There were once upon a time a king and queen who had 
 everything they could possibly wish for in this world except 
 a child. At last, after twelve years, the queen gave birth 
 to a son; but she did not live long to enjoy her happiness, 
 for on the following day she died. But before her death 
 she called her husband to her and said : " Never let the 
 child put his feet on the ground, for as soon as he does so 
 he will fall into the power of a wicked fairy, who will do 
 him much harm." And these were the last words the poor 
 queen spoke. 
 
 The boy throve and grew big, and when he was too heavy 
 for his nurse to carry, a chair was made for him on 
 little wheels, in which he could wander through the palace 
 gardens without help. At other times he was carried 
 about on a litter, and he was always carefully watched and 
 guarded, for fear he should at any time put his feet to the 
 ground. 
 
 But as this sort of life was bad for his health, the doctors 
 ordered him horse exercise, and he soon became a first-rate 
 rider, and used to go out for long excursions on horseback, 
 accompanied always by his father's stud-groom and a nu- 
 merous retinue. 
 
 Every day he rode through the neighboring fields and 
 woods, and always returned home in the evening safe and 
 well. In this way many years passed, and the prince grew 
 *From the Hungarian. Kletke. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 149 
 
 to manhood, and hardly anyone remembered the queen's 
 warning, though precautions were still taken, more from 
 use and wont than for any other reason. 
 
 One day the prince and his suite went out for a ride in a 
 wood where his father sometimes held a hunt. Their way 
 led through a stream whose banks were overgrown with 
 thick brushwood. Just as the horsemen were about to ford 
 the river, a hare, startled by the sound of the horses' hoofs, 
 started up from the grass and ran toward the thicket. The 
 young prince pursued the little creature and had almost 
 overtaken it, when the girth of his saddle suddenly broke 
 in two and he fell heavily to the ground. No sooner had 
 his foot touched , the earth than he disappeared before the 
 eyes of the horrified courtiers. 
 
 They sought for him far and near, but all in vain, and 
 they were forced to recognize the power of the evil fairy 
 against which the queen had warned them on her death- 
 bed. The old king was much grieved when they brought 
 him the news of his son's disappearance, but as he could 
 do nothing to free him from his fate, he gave himself up 
 to an old age of grief and loneliness, cherishing at the same 
 time the hope that some lucky chance might one day de- 
 Aiver the youth out of the hands of his enemy. 
 
 Hardly had the prince touched the ground than he felt 
 himself violently seized by an unseen power and hurried 
 away he knew not whither. A whole new world stretched 
 out before him, quite unlike the one he had left. A splen- 
 did castle surrounded by a huge lake was the abode of the 
 fairy, and the only approach to it was over a bridge of 
 clouds. On the other side of the lake high mountains rose 
 up and dark woods stretched along the banks ; over all hung 
 a thick mist, and deep silence reigned everywhere. 
 
 No sooner had the fairy reached her own domain than 
 she made herself visible, and turning to the prince she told 
 him that, unless he obeyed all her comands down to the 
 minutest detail, he would be severely punished. Then she 
 gave him an ax made of glass, and bade him cross the 
 bridge of clouds and go up into the wood beyond and cut 
 down all the trees there before sunset. At the same time 
 she .cautioned him with many angry words against speaking 
 to a black girl he would most likely meet in the wood. 
 
150 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 The prince listened to her words meekly, and when she 
 had finished took up the glass ax and set out for the forest. 
 At every step he seemed to sink into the clouds, but fear 
 gave wings to his feet, and he crossed the lake in safety 
 and set to work at once. 
 
 But no sooner had he struck the first blow with his ax 
 than it broke into a thousand pieces against a tree. The 
 poor youth was so terrified he did not know what to do, 
 for he was in mortal dread of the punishment the wicked 
 old fairy would inflict upon him. He wandered to and fro 
 in the wood, not knowing where he was going, and at last, 
 worn out by fatigue and misery, he sank on the ground and 
 fell fast asleep. 
 
 He did not know how long he had slept, when a sudden 
 sound woke him, and opening his eyes he saw a black girl 
 standing beside him. Mindful of the fairy's warning he 
 did not dare to address her, but she on her part greeted him 
 in the most friendly manner and asked him at once if he 
 were under the power of the wicked fairy. The prince 
 nodded his head silently in answer. 
 
 Then the black girl told him that she too was in the 
 power of the fairy, who had doomed her to wander about 
 in her present guise until some youth should take pity on 
 her and bear her in safety to the other side of the river 
 which they saw in the distance, and on the other side of 
 which the fairy's domain and power ended. 
 
 The girl's words so inspired the prince with confidence 
 that he told her all his tale of woe, and ended up by asking 
 her advice as to how he was to escape the punishment the 
 fairy would be sure to inflict on him when she discovered 
 that he had not cut down the trees in the wood and that he 
 had broken her ax. 
 
 "You must know," answered the black girl, "that the 
 fairy in whose power we both are is my own mother, but 
 you must not betray this secret, for it would cost me my 
 life. If you will only promise to try and free me I will 
 stand by you and will accomplish for you all the tasks which 
 my mother sets you." 
 
 The prince promised joyfully all she asked; then, having 
 once more warned him not to betray her confidence, she 
 "handed him a draught to drink, which very soon sunk his 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 151 
 
 senses in a deep slumber. His astonishment was great when 
 he awoke to find the glass ax whole and unbroken at his 
 side and all the trees of the wood lying felled around him ! 
 
 He made all haste across the bridge of clouds and told the 
 fairy that her commands were obeyed. She was much 
 amazed when she heard that all the wood was cut down and 
 saw the ax unbroken in his hand, and since she could not 
 believe that he had done all this by himself, she questioned 
 him narrowly if he had seen or spoken to the black girl. 
 But the prince lied manfully and swore he had never 
 looked up from his work for a moment. Seeing she could 
 get nothing more out of him, she gave him a little bread 
 and water, and showing him to a small dark cupboard she 
 told him he might sleep there. 
 
 Morning had hardly dawned when the fairy awoke the 
 prince, and giving him the glass ax again she told him to put 
 it in bundles ready for firewood; at the same time she 
 warned him once more against approaching or speaking a 
 word to the black girl, if he met her in the wood. 
 
 Although his task was no easier than that of the day 
 before, the youth set out much more cheerfully, because he 
 knew he could count on the help of the black girl. With 
 a quicker and lighter step he crossed the bridge of clouds, 
 and hardly had he reached the other side than his friend 
 stood before him and greeted him cheerfully. When she 
 heard what the fairy demanded this time she answered 
 smilingly : " Never fear," and handed him another draught, 
 which very soon caused the prince to sink into a deep 
 sleep. 
 
 When he awoke everything was done. All the trees of 
 the wood were cut up into firewood and arranged in bundles 
 ready for use. 
 
 He returned to the castle as quickly as he could and told 
 the fairy that her commands were obeyed. She was even 
 more amazed than she had been before, and asked him 
 again if he had either seen or spoken to the black girl; but 
 the prince knew better than to betray his word, and once 
 more lied freely. 
 
 On the following day the fairy set him a third task to do, 
 even harder than the other two. She told him he must 
 build a castle on the other side of the lake, made of nothing 
 
152 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 but gold, silver, and precious stones, and unless he could 
 accomplish this within an hour the most frightful doom 
 awaited him. 
 
 The prince heard her words without anxiety, so entirely 
 did he rely on the help of his black friend. Full of hope 
 he hurried across the bridge, and recognized at once the 
 spot where the castle was to stand, for spades, hammers, 
 axes, and every other building implement lay scattered on 
 the ground ready for the workman's hand, but of gold, 
 silver, and precious stones there was not a sign. But before 
 the prince had time to feel despondent the black girl beck- 
 oned to him in the distance from behind a rock, where she 
 had hidden herself for fear her mother should catch sight 
 of her. Full of joy the youth hurried toward her and 
 begged her aid and counsel in the new piece of work he had 
 been given to do. 
 
 But this time the fairy had watched the prince's move- 
 ments from her window, and she saw him hiding himself 
 behind the rock with her daughter. She uttered a piercing 
 shriek, so that the mountains re-echoed with the sound of it, 
 and the terrified pair had hardly dared to look out from 
 their hiding-place when the enraged woman, with her 
 dress and hair flying in the wind, hurried over the bridge 
 of clouds. The prince at once gave himself up for lost, but 
 the girl told him to be of good courage and to follow her as 
 quickly as he could. But before they left their shelter she 
 broke off a little bit of the rock, spoke some magic words 
 over it, and threw it in the direction her mother was coming 
 from. In a moment a glittering palace arose before the 
 eyes of the fairy which blinded her with its dazzling splen- 
 dor, and with its many doors and passages prevented her 
 for some time from finding her way out of it. 
 
 In the meantime the black girl hurried on with the 
 prince, hastening to reach the river, where, once on the 
 other side, they would forever be out of the wicked fairy's 
 power. But before they had accomplished half the way 
 they heard again the rustle of her garments and her mut- 
 tered curses pursuing them closely. 
 
 The prince was terrified; he dared not look back and he 
 felt his strength giving way. But before he had time to 
 despair the girl uttered some more magic words, and im- 
 
The Black Girl Stops the Witch with a Bit of Book. 
 
154 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 mediately she herself was changed into a pond and the 
 prince into a duck swimming on its surface. 
 
 When the fairy saw this her rage knew no bounds, and 
 she used all her magic wits to make the pond disappear. 
 She caused a hill of sand to rise at her feet, meaning it to 
 dry up the water at once. But the sand-hill only drove the 
 pond a little further away, and its waters seemed to increase 
 instead of diminishing. When the old woman saw that the 
 powers of her magic were of so little avail she had recourse 
 to cunning. She threw a lot of gold nuts into the pond, 
 hoping in this way to catch the duck, but all her efforts 
 were fruitless, for the little creature refused to let itself be 
 caught. 
 
 Then a new idea struck the wicked old woman, and, hid- 
 ing herself behind the rock which had sheltered the fugi- 
 tives, she waited behind it, watching carefully for the 
 moment when the prince and her daughter should resume 
 their natural forms and continue their journey. 
 
 She had not to wait long, for as soon as the girl thought 
 her mother was safely out of the way she changed herself 
 and the prince once more into their human shape and set 
 out cheerfully for the river. 
 
 But they had not gone many steps when the wicked fairy 
 hurried after them, a drawn dagger in her hand, and was 
 close upon them, when suddenly, instead of the prince and 
 her daughter, she found herself in front of a great stone 
 church, whose entrance was carefully guarded by a huge 
 monk. 
 
 Breathless with rage and passion, she tried to plunge her 
 dagger into the monk's heart, but it fell shattered in pieces 
 at her feet. In her desperation she determined to pull 
 down the church and thus to destroy her two victims for- 
 ever. She stamped three times on the ground and the earth 
 trembled, and both the church and the monk began to 
 shake. As soon as the fairy saw this she retreated to some 
 distance from the building, so as not to hurt herself by its 
 fall. But once more her scheme was doomed to failure, for 
 hardly had she gone a yard from the church than both it 
 and the monk disappeared, and she found herself in a wood 
 black as night and full of wolves and bears and wild ani- 
 mals of all sorts and descriptions. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 155 
 
 Then her wrath gave place to terror, for she feared every 
 moment to be torn to pieces by the beasts, who one and all 
 seemed to defy her power. She thought it wisest to make 
 her way as best she could out of the forest, and then to pur- 
 sue the fugitives once more and accomplish their destruction 
 either by force or cunning. 
 
 In the meantime the prince and the black girl had again 
 assumed their natural forms, and were hurrying on as fast 
 as they could to reach the river. But when they got there 
 they found that there was no way in which they could cross 
 
 
 
 " The waters seized her chariot and sunk it in the lowest depths." 
 
 it, and the girl's magic art seemed no longer to have any 
 power. Then, turning to the prince, she said : " The hour 
 for my deliverance has not yet come, but as you promised 
 to do all you could to free me, you must do exactly as I bid 
 you now. Take this bow and arrow and kill every beast 
 you see with them, and be sure you spare no living 
 creature." 
 
 With these words she disappeared, and hardly had she 
 done so than a huge wild boar started out of the thicket 
 
156 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 near and made straight for the prince. But the youth did 
 not lose his presence of mind, and drawing his bow he 
 pierced the beast with his arrow right through the skull. 
 The creature fell heavily on the ground, and out of its side 
 sprang a little hare, which ran like the wind along the river 
 bank. The prince drew his bow once more, and the hare 
 lay dead at his feet; but at the same moment a dove rose up 
 in the air and circled round the prince's head in the most 
 confiding manner. But, mindful of the black girl's com- 
 mands, he dared not spare the little creature's life, and tak- 
 ing another arrow from his quiver he laid it as dead as the 
 boar and the hare. But when he went to look at the body 
 of the bird he found, instead of the dove, a round white egg 
 lying on the ground. 
 
 While he was gazing on it and wondering what it could 
 mean he heard the sweeping of wings above him, and look- 
 ing up he saw a huge vulture with open claws swooping 
 down upon him. In a moment he seized the egg and flung 
 it at the bird with all his might, and lo and behold! instead 
 of the ugly monster the most beautiful girl he had ever 
 seen stood before the astonished eyes of the prince. 
 
 But while all .this was going on the wicked old fairy had 
 managed to make her way out of the wood, and was now 
 using the last resource in her power to overtake her daugh- 
 ter and the prince. As soon as she was in the open again 
 she mounted her chariot, which was drawn by a fiery 
 dragon, and flew through the air in it. But just as she got 
 to the river she saw the two lovers in each other's arms, 
 swimming through the water as easily as two fishes. 
 
 Quick as lightning and forgetful of every danger she flew 
 down upon them. But the waters seized her chariot and 
 sunk it in the lowest depths, and the waves bore the wicked 
 old woman down the stream till she was caught in some 
 thorn bushes, where she made a good meal for all the little 
 fishes that were swimming about. 
 
 And so at last the prince and his lovely bride were free. 
 They hurried as quickly as they could to the old king, who 
 received them with joy and gladness. On the following 
 day a most gorgeous wedding feast was held, and as far as 
 we know the prince and his bride lived happily forever 
 afterward. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 157 
 
 THE DEAD WIFE * 
 
 Once upon a time there were a man and his wife who 
 lived in the forest far from the rest of the tribe. Very often 
 they spent the day in hunting together, but after a while the 
 wife found that she had so many things to do that she was 
 obliged to stay at home; so he went alone, though he 
 found that when his wife was not with him he never had 
 any luck. One day, when he was away hunting, the 
 woman fell ill, and in a few days she died. Her husband 
 grieved bitterly, and buried her in the house where she had 
 passed her life; but as the time went on he felt so lonely 
 without her that he made a wooden doll about her height 
 and size for company and dressed it in her clothes. He 
 seated it in front of the fire and tried to think that he had his 
 wife back again. The next day he went out to hunt, and 
 when he came home the first thing he did was to go up to 
 the doll and brush off some of the ashes from the fire which 
 had fallen on its face. But he was very busy now, for he 
 had to cook and mend, besides getting food, for there was 
 no one to help him. And so a whole year passed away. 
 
 At the end of that time he came back from hunting one 
 night and found some wood by the door and a fire within. 
 The next night there was not only wood and fire, but a 
 piece of meat in the kettle, nearly ready for eating. He 
 searched all about to see who could have done this, but 
 could find no one. The next time he went to hunt he took 
 care not to go far and came in quite early. And while he 
 was still a long way off he saw a woman going into the 
 house with wood on her shoulders. So he made haste and 
 opened the door quickly, and instead of the wooden doll 
 his wife sat in front of the fire. Then she spoke to him 
 and said: 
 
 " The Great Spirit felt sorry for you because you would 
 not be comforted, so he let me come back to you, but you 
 must not stretch out your hand to touch me till we have 
 seen the rest of our people. If you do I shall die." 
 
 So the man listened to her words, and the woman dwelt 
 
 *From the Iroquois. 
 
158 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 there and brought the wood and kindled the fire, till one 
 day her husband said to her: 
 
 " It is now two years since you died. Let us now go back 
 to our tribe. Then you will be well and I can touch you." 
 
 And with that he prepared food for the journey, a string 
 
 Indian fate Xis uife sittlngbj the pre 
 
 of deer's flesh for her to carry and one for himself; and so 
 they started. Now, the camp of the tribe was distant six 
 days' journey, and when they were yet one day's journey 
 off it began to snow, and they felt weary and longed for 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 159 
 
 rest. Therefore they made a fire, cooked some food, and 
 spread out their skins to sleep. 
 
 Then the heart of the man was greatly stirred and he 
 stretched out his arms to his wife, but she waved her hands 
 and said: 
 
 " We have seen no one yet. It is too soon." 
 But he would not listen to her, and caught her to him, 
 and behold he was clasping the wooden doll. And when 
 he saw it was the doll he pushed it from him in his misery 
 and rushed away to the camp and told them all his story. 
 And some doubted, and they went back with him to the 
 place where he and his wife had stopped to rest, and there 
 lay the doll; and, besides, they saw in the snow the steps 
 of two people, and the foot of one was like the foot of the 
 doll. And the man grieved sore all the days of his life. 
 
 IN THE LAND OF SOULS * 
 
 Far away in North America, where the red Indians 
 dwell, there lived a long time ago a beautiful maiden who 
 was lovelier than any other girl in the whole tribe. Many 
 of the young braves sought her in marriage, but she would 
 listen to one only a handsome chief who had taken her 
 fancy some years before. So they were to be married, and 
 great rejoicings were made, and the two looked forward to 
 a long life of happiness together, when the very night be- 
 fore the wedding-feast a sudden illness seized the girl, and 
 without a word to her friends who were weeping round 
 her she silently passed away. 
 
 The heart of her lover had been set upon her, and the 
 thought of her remained with him night and day. He put 
 aside his bow and went neither to fight nor to hunt, but from 
 sunrise to sunset he sat by the place where she was laid, 
 thinking of his happiness that was buried there. At last, 
 after many days, a light seemed to come to him out of the 
 darkness. He remembered having heard from the old, old 
 people of the tribe that there was a path that led to the 
 Land of Souls that if you sought carefully you could 
 find it. 
 
 * From the red Indian. 
 
160 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 So the next morning he got up early and put iome food 
 in his pouch, and slung an extra skin over his shoulders, 
 for he knew not how long his journey would take nor 
 what sort of country he would have to go through. Only 
 one thing he knew, that if the path was there he would 
 find it. At first he was puzzled, as there seemed no reason 
 he should go in one direction more than another. Then 
 all at once he thought he had heard one of the old men say 
 that the Land of Souls lay to the south, and so, filled with 
 new hope and courage, he set his face southward. For 
 many, many miles the country looked the same as it 
 did round his own home. The forests, the hills, and the 
 rivers all seemed exactly like the ones he had left. The 
 only thing that was different was the snow, which had lain 
 thick upon the hills and trees when he started, but grew 
 less and less the further he went south, till it disappeared 
 altogether. Soon the trees put forth their buds, and flowers 
 sprang up under his feet, and instead of thick clouds there 
 was blue sky over his head, and everywhere the birds were 
 singing. Then he knew that he was in the right road. 
 
 The thought that he should soon behold his lost bride 
 made his heart beat with joy, and he sped along lightly and 
 swiftly. Now, his way led through a dark wood and then 
 over some steep cliffs, and on the top of these he found a 
 hut or wigwam. An old man clothed in skins and holding 
 a staff in his hand, stood in the doorway, and he said to the 
 young chief, who was beginning to tell his story: 
 
 " I was waiting for you. Wherefore you have come I 
 know. It is but a short while since she whom you seek 
 was here. Rest in my hut, as she also rested, and I will 
 tell you what you ask and whither you should go." 
 
 On hearing these words the young man entered the 
 hut, but his heart was too eager within him to suffer him 
 to rest, and when he arose the old man rose too and stood 
 with him at the door. 
 
 " Look," he said, " at the water which lies far out yonder 
 and the plains which stretch beyond. That is the Land 
 of Souls, but no man enters it without leaving his body 
 behind him. So lay down your body here, your bow and 
 arrows, your skin and your dog. They shall be kept for 
 you safely." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 161 
 
 Then he turned away, and the young chief, light as air, 
 seemed hardly to touch the ground; and as he flew along 
 the scents grew sweeter and the flowers more beautiful, 
 while the animals rubbed their noses against him, instead 
 of hiding as he approached, and birds circled round him, 
 and fishes lifted up their heads and looked as he went by. 
 Very soon he noticed with wonder that neither rocks nor 
 trees barred his path. He passed through them without 
 knowing it, for indeed they were not rocks and trees at all, 
 but only the souls of them ; for this was the Land of Shadows. 
 
 So he went on with winged feet till he came to the 
 shores of a great lake with a lovely island in the middle of 
 it; while on the bank of the lake was a canoe of glittering 
 stone, and in the canoe were two shining paddles. 
 
 The chief jumped straight into the canoe, and seizing 
 the paddles pushed off from the shore, when to his joy and 
 wonder he saw following him, in another canoe exactly like 
 his own, the maiden for whose sake he had made this long 
 journey. But they could not touch each other, for be- 
 tween them rolled great waves, which looked as if they 
 would sink the boats, yet never did. And the young man 
 and the maiden sank with fear, for down in the depths 
 of the water they saw the bones of those who had died 
 before, and in the waves themselves men and women were 
 struggling, and but few passed over. Only the children 
 had no fear and reached the other side in safety. Still, 
 though the chief and the young girl quailed in terror at 
 these horrible sights and sounds, no harm came to them, 
 for their lives had been free from evil, and the Master of 
 Life had said that no evil should happen unto them. So 
 they reached unhurt the shore of the Happy Island and 
 wandered through the flowery fields and by the banks 
 of rushing streams, and they knew not hunger nor thirst; 
 neither cold nor heat. The air fed them and the sun 
 warmed them, and they forgot the dead, for they saw no 
 graves, and the young man's thoughts turned not to wars, 
 neither to the hunting of animals. And gladly would these 
 two have walked thus forever, but in the murmur of the 
 wind he heard the Master of Life saying to him: 
 
 "Return whither you came, for I have work for you to 
 do and your people need you, and for many years you shall 
 
162 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 rule over them. At the gate my messenger awaits you, 
 and you will take again your body which you left behind, 
 and he will show you what you are to do. Listen to him 
 and have patience, and in time to come you shall rejoin 
 her whom you must now leave, for she is accepted and will 
 remain ever young and beautiful as when I called her hence 
 from the Land of Snows." 
 
 THE WHITE DUCK. 
 
 Once upon a time a great and powerful king married 
 a lovely princess. No couple were ever so happy; but be- 
 fore their honeymoon was over they were forced to part, 
 for the king had to go on a warlike expedition to a far 
 country and leave his young wife alone at home. Bitter 
 were the tears she shed, while her husband sought in vain 
 to soothe her with words of comfort and counsel, warning 
 her, above all things, never to leave the castle, to hold no 
 intercourse with strangers, to beware of evil counselors, 
 and especially to be on her guard against strange women. 
 And the queen promised faithfully to obey her royal lord 
 and master in these four matters. 
 
 So when the king set out on his expedition she shut her- 
 self up with her ladies in her own apartments, and spent 
 her time in spinning and weaving and in thinking of her 
 royal husband. Often she was very sad and lonely, and it 
 happened that one day while she was seated at the window, 
 letting salt tears drop on her work, an old woman, a kind, 
 homely looking old body, stepped up to the window and, 
 leaning upon her crutch, addressed the queen in friendly, 
 flattering tones, saying: 
 
 " Why are you sad and cast down, fair queen ? You 
 should not mope all day in your rooms, but should come 
 out into the green gardens and hear the birds sing with joy 
 among the trees, and see the butterflies fluttering above the 
 flowers, and hear the bees and insects hum, and watch the 
 sunbeams chase the dew-drops through the rose-leaves and 
 in the lily-cups. All the brightness outside would help to 
 drive away your cares, O queen." 
 
 For long the queen resisted her coaxing words, remem- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 163 
 
 bering the promise she had given the king her husband; 
 but at last she thought to herself, "After all, what harm 
 would it do if I were to go into the garden for a short time 
 and enjoy myself among the trees and flowers, and the 
 singing birds and fluttering butterflies and humming in- 
 sects, and look at the dew-drops hiding from the sun- 
 beams in the hearts of the roses and lilies, and wander 
 about in the sunshine, instead of remaining' all day in this 
 room ? " For she had no idea that the kind-looking old 
 woman leaning on her crutch was in reality a wicked witch 
 who envied the queen her good fortune and was determined 
 to ruin her. And so, in all ignorance, the queen followed 
 her out into the garden and listened to her smooth, flatter- 
 ing words. Now, in the middle of the garden there was a 
 pond of water, clear as crystal, and the old woman said to 
 the queen: 
 
 " The day is so warm and the sun's rays so scorching 
 that the water in the pond looks very cool and inviting. 
 Would you not like to bathe in it, fair queen ? " 
 
 " No, I think not," answered the queen ; but the next 
 moment she regretted her words and thought to herself, 
 " Why shouldn't I bathe in that cool fresh water ? No harm 
 could come of it." And so saying she slipped off her robes 
 and stepped into the water. But scarcely had her tender 
 feet touched the cool ripples when she felt a great shove on 
 her shoulders, and the wicked witch had pushed her into 
 the deep water, exclaiming: 
 
 " Swim henceforth, white duck ! " 
 
 And the witch herself assumed the form of the queen, 
 and decked herself out in the royal robes, and sat among 
 the court ladies awaiting the king's return. And suddenly 
 the tramp of horses' hoofs was heard and the barking of 
 dogs, and the witch hastened forward to meet the royal 
 carriage, and, throwing her arms around the king's neck, 
 kissed him. And in his great joy the king did not know 
 that the woman he held in his arms was not his own dear 
 wife, but a wicked witch. 
 
 In the meantime, outside the palace walls the poor white 
 duck swam up and down the pond; and near it laid three 
 eggs, out of which there came one morning two little fluffy 
 ducklings and a little ugly drake. And the white duck 
 
The Witch Persuades the Queen to Bathe. 
 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 165 
 
 brought the little creatures up, and they paddled after her 
 in the pond and caught gold-fish, and hopped upon the bank 
 and waddled about, ruffling their feathers and saying 
 " Quack, quack," as they strutted about on the green banks 
 of the pond. But their mother used to warn them not to 
 stray too far, telling them that a wicked witch lived in the 
 castle beyond the garden, adding : " She has ruined me and 
 she will do her best to ruin you." But the young ones did 
 not listen to their mother, and playing about the garden one 
 day they strayed close up to the castle windows. The 
 witch at once recognized them by their smell, and ground 
 her teeth with anger; but she hid her feelings, and pre- 
 tending to be very kind she called them to her and joked 
 with them, and led them into a beautiful room, where she 
 gave them food to eat and showed them a soft cushion on 
 which they might sleep. Then she left them and went down 
 into the palace kitchens, where she told the servants to 
 sharpen the knives, and to make a great fire ready and hang 
 a large kettle, full of water, over it. 
 
 In the meantime the two little ducklings had fallen 
 asleep, and the little drake lay between them, covered up 
 by their wings, to be kept warm under their feathers. But 
 the little drake could not go to sleep, and as he lay there 
 wide awake in the night he heard the witch come to the door 
 and say: 
 
 " Little ones, are you asleep ? " 
 
 And the little drake answered for the other two: 
 
 " We cannot sleep, we wake and weep ; 
 Sharp is the knife to take our life ; 
 The fire is hot, now boils the pot, 
 And so we wake and lie and quake." 
 
 " They are not asleep yet," muttered the witch to her- 
 self ; and she walked up and down in the passage, and then 
 came back to the door and said: 
 
 "Little ones, are you asleep?" 
 
 And again the little drake answered for his sisters: 
 
 " We cannot sleep, we wake and weep ; 
 Sharp is the knife to take our life ; 
 The fire is hot, now boils the pot, 
 And so we wake and lie and quake." 
 
 "Just the same answer," muttered the witch. "I think 
 
166 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 I'll go in and see." So she opened the door gently, and 
 seeing the two little ducklings sound asleep, she there and 
 then killed them. 
 
 The next morning the white duck wandered round the 
 
 The King Catches the White Duck. 
 
 pond in a distracted manner, looking for her little ones; 
 she called and she searched, but could find no trace of 
 them. And in her heart she had a foreboding that evil 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 167 
 
 had befallen them, and she fluttered up out of the water 
 and flew to the palace. And there, laid out on the marble 
 floor of the court, dead and stone-cold, were her three chil- 
 dren. The white duck threw herself upon them, and cover- 
 ing up their little bodies with her wings she cried: 
 
 " Quack, quack my little loves ! 
 Quack, quack my turtle-doves ! 
 I brought you up with grief and pain, 
 And now before my eyes you're slain. 
 I gave you always of the best ; 
 I kept you warm in my soft nest. 
 I loved and watched you day and night 
 You were my joy, my one delight." 
 
 The king heard the sad complaint of the white duck and 
 called to the witch : " Wife, what a wonder is this ? Listen 
 to that white duck." 
 
 But the witch answered : " My dear husband, what do 
 you mean? There is nothing wonderful in a duck's quack- 
 ing. Here, servants! Chase that duck out of the court- 
 yard." But though the servants chased and chivied, they 
 could not get rid of the duck; for she circled round and 
 round and always came back to the spot where her children 
 lay, crying : 
 
 " Quack, quack my little loves ! 
 Quack, quack my turtle-doves ! 
 The wicked witch your lives did take 
 The wicked witch, the cunning snake. 
 First she stole my king away, 
 Then my children did she slay. 
 Changed me from a happy wife 
 To a duck for all my life. 
 Would I were the queen again ; 
 Would that you had ne'er been slain." 
 
 And as the king heard her words he began to suspect 
 that he had been deceived, and he called out to the serv- 
 ants : " Cateh that duck and bring it here." But though 
 they ran to and fro the duck always fled past them and 
 would not let herself be caught. So the king himself 
 stepped down among them, and instantly the duck fluttered 
 down into his hands. An4 as he stroked her wings she 
 was changed into a beautiful woman, and he recognized his 
 dear wife. And she told him that a bottle would be found 
 in her nest in the garden, containing some drops from the 
 
168 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 .spring of healing. And it was brought to her, and the 
 ducklings and the little drake were sprinkled with the 
 water, and from the little dead bodies three lovely children 
 arose. And the king and queen were overjoyed when they 
 saw their children, and they all lived happily together in 
 the beautiful palace. But the wicked witch was taken by 
 the king's command, and she came to no good end. 
 
 THE WITCH AND HER SERVANTS * 
 
 A long time ago there lived a king who had three sons; 
 the eldest was called Szabo, the second Warza, and the 
 youngest Iwanich. 
 
 One beautiful spring morning the king was walking 
 through his gardens with these three sons, gazing with 
 admiration at the various fruit-trees, some of which were 
 a mass of blossom, while others were bowed to the ground 
 laden with rich fruit. During their wanderings they 
 came unperceived on a piece of waste land where three 
 splendid trees grew. The king looked on them for a mo- 
 ment, and then, shaking his head sadly, he passed on in 
 silence. 
 
 The sons, who could not understand why he did this, 
 asked him the reason of his dejection, and the king told them 
 . as follows : 
 
 " These three trees, which I cannot see without sorrow, 
 were planted by me on this spot when I was a youth of 
 twenty. A celebrated magician, who had given the seed 
 to my father, promised him that they would grow into the 
 three finest trees the world had ever seen. My father did 
 not live to see his words come true, but on his death-bed 
 he bade me transplant them here and to look after them with 
 the greatest care, which I accordingly did. At last, after 
 the lapse of five long years, I noticed some blossoms on the 
 branches, and a few days later the most exquisite fruit my 
 eyes had ever seen. 
 
 " I gave my head gardener the strictest orders to watch 
 the trees carefully, for the magician hsd warned my father 
 that if one unripe fruit were plucked from the tree all the 
 * From the Russian. Kletke, 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 169 
 
 rest would become rotten at once. When it was quite ripe 
 the fruit would become a golden yellow. 
 
 " Every day I gazed on the lovely fruit, which became 
 gradually more and more tempting-looking, and it was all 
 I could do not to break the magician's commands. 
 
 " One night I dreamed that the fruit was perfectly ripe. 
 I ate some of it, and it was more delicious than anything 
 I had ever tasted in real life. As soon as I awoke I sent 
 for the gardener and asked him if the fruit on the trees 
 had not ripened in the night to perfection. 
 
 " But instead of replying, the gardener threw himself 
 at my feet and swore that he was innocent. He said that he 
 had watched by the trees all night, but in spite of it, and 
 as if by magic, the beautiful trees had been robbed of all 
 their fruit. 
 
 " Grieved as I was over the theft, I did not punish the 
 gardener, of whose fidelity I was well assured, but I deter- 
 mined to pluck off all the fruit the following year before 
 it was ripe, as I had not much belief in the magician's 
 warning. 
 
 " I carried out my intentions and had all the fruit picked 
 off the tree, but when I tasted one of the apples it was 
 bitter and unpleasant, and the next morning the rest of the 
 fruit had all rotted away. 
 
 " After this I had the beautiful fruit of these trees care- 
 fully guarded by my most faithful servants; but every year, 
 on this very night, the fruit was plucked and stolen by an 
 invisible hand, and next morning not a single apple re- 
 mained on the trees. For some time past I have given 
 up even having the trees watched." 
 
 When the king had finished his story, Szabo, his eldest 
 son, said to him : " Forgive me, father, if I say I think 
 you are mistaken. I am sure there are many men in your 
 kingdom who could protect these trees from the cunning 
 arts of a thieving magician. I, myself, who as your eldest 
 son claim the first right to do so, will mount guard over 
 the fruit this very night." 
 
 The king consented, and as soon as evening drew on 
 Szabo climbed up on to one of the trees, determined to 
 protect the fruit even if it cost him his life. So he kept 
 watch half the night; but a little after midnight he was 
 
170 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 overcome by an irresistible drowsiness and fell fast asleep. 
 He did not awake until it was bright daylight, and all the 
 fruit on the trees had vanished. 
 
 The following year Warza, the second brother, tried his 
 luck, but with the same result. Then it came to the turn 
 of the third and youngest son. 
 
 Iwanich was not the least discouraged by the failure of 
 
 Iris elder brothers, though they were both much older and 
 stronger than he was, and when night came climbed up 
 tha tree as they had done. The moon had risen, and with 
 her soft light lit up the whole neighborhood, so that the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 171 
 
 observant prince could distinguish the smallest object dis- 
 tinctly. 
 
 At midnight a gentle west wind shook the tree, and at 
 the same moment a snow-white, swan-like bird sank down 
 gently on his breast. The prince hastily seized the bird's 
 wings in his hands, when lo! to his astonishment he found 
 he was holding in his arms not a bird, but the most beauti- 
 ful girl he had ever seen. 
 
 "You need not fear Militza," said the beautiful girl, 
 looking at the prince with friendly . eyes. " An evil 
 magician has not robbed you of your fruit, but he stole 
 the seed from my mother and thereby caused her death. 
 When she was dying she bade me take the fruit, which 
 you have no right to possess, from the trees every year as 
 soon as it was ripe. This I would have done to-night too 
 if you had not seized me with such force and so broken the 
 spell I was under." 
 
 Iwanich, who had been prepared to mefet a terrible 
 magician and not a lovely girl, fell desperately in love with 
 her. They spent the rest of the night in pleasant conversa- 
 tion, and when Militza wished to go away he begged her not 
 to leave him. 
 
 " I would gladly stay with you longer," said Militza, 
 " but a wicked witch once cut off a lock of my hair when 
 I was asleep, which has put me in her power, and if morn- 
 ing were still to find me here she would do me some harm, 
 and you too, perhaps." 
 
 Having said these words, she drew a sparkling diamond 
 ring from her finger, which she handed to the prince, 
 saying, " Keep this ring in memory of Militza, and think 
 of her sometimes if you never see her again. But if your 
 love is really true, come and find me in my own kingdom. 
 I may not show you the way there, but this ring will guide 
 you. If you have love and courage enough to undertake 
 this journey, whenever you come to a cross-road always 
 look at this diamond before you settle which way you are 
 going to take. If it sparkles as brightly as ever go 
 straight on, but if its luster is dimmed choose another 
 path." 
 
 Then Militza bent over the prince and kissed him on his 
 forehead, and before he had time to say a word she van- 
 
172 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 ished through the branches of the tree in a little white 
 cloud. 
 
 Morning broke, and the prince, still full of the won- 
 derful apparition, left his perch and returned to the palace 
 like one in a dream, without even knowing if the fruit had 
 been taken or not; for his whole mind was absorbed by 
 thoughts of Militza and how he was to find her. 
 
 As soon as the head gardener saw the prince going 
 toward the palace he ran to the trees, and when he saw 
 them laden with ripe fruit he hastened to tell the king 
 the joyful news. The king was beside himself for joy, 
 and hurried at once to the garden and made the gardener 
 pick him some of the fruit. He tasted it and found the 
 
 apple quite as luscious as it had been in his dream. He 
 went at once to his son Iwanich, and after embracing him 
 >enderly and heaping praises on him, he asked him how 
 he had succeeded in protecting the costly fruit from the 
 power of the magician. 
 
 This question placed Iwanich in a dilemma. But as h 
 did not want the real story to be known, he said that about 
 midnight a huge wasp had flown through the branches 
 and buzzed incessantly round him. He had warded it off 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 173 
 
 with his sword, and at dawn, when he was becoming quite 
 worn out, the wasp had vanished as suddenly as it had 
 appeared. 
 
 The king, who never doubted the truth of this tale, bade 
 his son go to rest at once and recover from the fatigues of 
 the night, but he himself went and ordered many feasts to 
 be held in honor of the preservation of the wonderful fruit. 
 
 The whole capital was in a stir, and everyone shared 
 in the king's joy; the prince alone took no part in the 
 festivities. ' 
 
 While the king was at a banquet Iwanich took some 
 purses of gold, and mounting the quickest horse in the 
 royal stable, he sped off like the wind without a single 
 soul being any the wiser. 
 
 It was only on the next day that they missed him. The 
 king was very distressed at his disappearance and sent 
 search-parties all over the kingdom to look for him, but 
 in vain; and after six months they gave him up as dead, 
 and in another six months they had forgotten all about 
 him. But in the meantime the prince, with the help of 
 his ring, had had a most successful journey, and no evil had 
 befallen him. 
 
 At the end of three months he came to the entrance of 
 a huge forest, which looked as if it had never been trodden, 
 by human foot before and which seemed to stretch out 
 indefinitely. The prince was about to enter the wood by 
 a little path he had discovered, when he heard a voice 
 shouting to him : " Hold, youth ! Whither are you going ? " 
 
 Iwanich turned round and saw a tall, gaunt-looking 
 man, clad in miserable rags, leaning on a crooked staff and 
 seated at the foot of an oak tree, which was so much the 
 same color as himself that it was little wonder the prince 
 had ridden past the tree without noticing him. 
 
 "Where else should I be going," he said, "than through 
 the wood?" 
 
 " Through the wood ? " said the old man in amazement. 
 " It's easily seen that you have heard nothing of this forest 
 that you rush so blindly to meet your doom. Well, listen 
 to me before you ride any further. Let me tell you that 
 this wood hides in its depths a countless number of the 
 fiercest tigers, hyenas, wolves, bears, and snakes, and all 
 
174 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 sorts of other monsters. If I were to cut you and your 
 horse up into tiny morsels and threw them to the beasts, 
 there wouldn't be one bit for each hundred of them. 
 Take my advice, therefore, and if you wish to save your 
 life follow some other path." 
 
 The prince was rather taken aback by the old man's 
 words and considered for a minute what he should do; 
 then looking at his ring, and perceiving that it sparkled 
 as brightly as ever, he called out : " If this wood held even 
 more terrible things than it does, I cannot help myself, 
 for I must go through it." 
 
 Here he spurred his horse and rode on, but the old beg- 
 gar screamed so loudly after him that the prince turned 
 round and rode back to the oak tree. 
 
 " I am really sorry for you," said the beggar, " but if you 
 are quite determined to brave the dangers of the forest, 
 let me at least give you a piece of advice which will help you 
 against these monsters. Take this bagful of bread-crumbs 
 and this live hajie. I will make you a present of them both; 
 as I am anxious to save your life; but you must leave your 
 horse behind you, for it would stumble over the fallen trees 
 or get entangled in the briars and thorns. When you have 
 gone about a hundred yards into the wood the wild Jieasts 
 will surround you. Then you must instantly seize your 
 bag and scatter the bread-crumbs among them. They will 
 rush to eat them up greedily, and when you have scattered 
 the last crumb you must lose no time in throwing the hare 
 to them. As soon as the hare feels itself on the ground it 
 will run away as quickly as possible, and the wild beasts will 
 turn to pursue it. In this way you will be able to get through 
 the wood unhurt." 
 
 Iwanich thanked the old man for his counsel, dismounted 
 from his horse, and taking the bag and the hare in his arms 
 he entered the forest. He had hardly lost sight of his 
 gaunt gray friend when he heard growls and snarls in the 
 thicket close to him, and before he had time to think he 
 found himself surrounded by the most dreadful-looking 
 creatures. On one side he saw the glittering eye of a cruel 
 tiger, on the other the gleaming teeth of a great she- wolf ; 
 here a huge bear growled fiercely, and there a horrible snake 
 coiled itself in the grass at his feet. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 175 
 
 But Iwanich did not forget the old man's advice, and 
 quickly put his hand into the bag and took out as many 
 bread-crumbs as he could hold in his hand at a time. He 
 threw them to the beasts, but soon the bag grew lighter 
 and lighter, and the prince began to feel a little frightened. 
 And now the last crumb was gone, and the hungry beasts 
 thronged round him, greedy for fresh prey. Then he seized 
 the hare and threw it to them. 
 
 No sooner did the little creature feel itself on the ground 
 than it laid back its ears and flew through the wood like an 
 arrow from a bow, closely pursued by the wild beasts, and 
 
 
 the prince was left alone. He looked at his ring, and 
 when he saw that it sparkled as brightly as ever he went 
 straight on through the forest. 
 
 He hadn't gone very far when he saw a most extraor- 
 dinary-looking man coming toward him. He was not 
 more than three feet high, his legs were quite crooked, and 
 all his body was covered with prickles like a hedge-hog. 
 Two lions walked with him, fastened to his side by the two 
 ends of his long beard. 
 
 He stopped the prince and asked him in a harsh voice: 
 " Are you the man who has just fed my bodyguard ? " 
 
 Iwanich was so startled that he could hardly reply, but 
 
176 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 the little man continued: " I am most grateful to you for 
 your kindness. What can I give you as a reward ? " 
 
 " All I ask," replied Iwanich, " is that I should be allowed 
 to go through this wood in safety." 
 
 " Most certainly," answered the little man ; " and for 
 greater security I will give you one of my lions as a pro- 
 tector. But when you leave this wood and come near a 
 palace which does not belong to my domain, let the lion 
 go, in order that he may not fall into the hands of an 
 enemy and be killed." 
 
 With these words he loosened the lion from his beard and 
 bade the beast guard the youth carefully. 
 
 With this new protector Iwanich wandered on through 
 the forest, and though he came upon a great many more 
 wolves, hyenas, leopards, and other wild beasts, they always, 
 kept at a respectful distance when they saw what sort of 
 an escort the prince had with him. 
 
 Iwanich hurried through the wood as quickly as his legs 
 would carry him, but nevertheless hour after hour went 
 by and not a trace of a green field or a human habitation 
 met his eyes. At length, toward evening, the mass of 
 trees grew more transparent, and through the interlaced 
 branches a wide plain was visible. 
 
 At the exit of the wood the lion stood still, and the prince 
 took leave of him, having first thanked him warmly for 
 his kind protection. It had become quite dark, and Iwanich 
 was forced to wait for daylight before continuing his journey. 
 
 He made himself a bed of grass and leaves, lit a fire of 
 dry branches, and slept soundly till the next morning. 
 
 Then he got up and walked toward a beautiful white 
 palace which he saw gleaming in the distance. In about 
 an hour he reached the building, and opening the door he 
 walked in. 
 
 After wandering through many marble halls, he came to 
 a huge staircase made of porphyry leading down to a lovely 
 garden. 
 
 The prince burst into a shout of joy when he suddenly 
 perceived Militza in the center of a group of girls who 
 were weaving wreaths of flowers with which to deck their 
 mistress. 
 
 As soon as Militza saw the prince she ran up to him and 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 177 
 
 embraced him tenderly, and after he had told her all his 
 adventures they went into the palace, where a sumptuous 
 meal awaited them. Then the princess called her court to- 
 gether and introduced Iwanich to them as her future 
 husband. 
 
 Preparations were at once made for the wedding, which 
 was held soon after with great pomp and magnificence. 
 
 Three months of great happiness followed, when Militza 
 received one day an invitation to visit her mother's sister. 
 
 Although the princess was very unhappy at leaving her 
 husband, she did not like to refuse the invitation, and 
 promising to return in seven days at the latest, she took a 
 tender farewell of the prince and said : " Before I go I will 
 hand you over all the keys of the castle. Go everywhere 
 and do anything you like. Only one thing I beg and be- 
 seech you, do not open the little iron door in the north 
 tower, which is closed with seven locks and seven bolts; 
 for if you do we shall both suffer for it." 
 
 Iwanich promised what she asked, and Militza departed, 
 repeating her promise to return in seven days. 
 
 When the prince found himself alone he began to be 
 tormented by pangs of curiosity as to what the room in the 
 tower contained. For two days he resisted the temptation 
 to go and look, but on the third he could stand it no longer, 
 and taking a torch in his hand he hurried to the tower and 
 unfastened one lock after the other of the little iron door 
 until it burst open. 
 
 What an unexpected sight met his gaze! The prince 
 perceived a small room black with smoke, lit up feebly by 
 a fire from which issued long blue flames. Over the fire 
 hung a huge caldron full of boiling pitch, and fastened 
 into the caldron by iron chains stood a wretched man scream- 
 ing with agony. 
 
 Iwanich was much horrified at the sight before him, and 
 asked the man what terrible crime he had committed to be 
 punished in this dreadful fashion. 
 
 " I will tell you everything," said the man in the caldron ; 
 " but first relieve my torments a little, I implore you." 
 
 " And how can I do that ? " asked the prince. 
 
 "With a little water," replied the man; "only sprinkle 
 a few drops over me and I shall feel better." 
 
her maidens ti) tbe garden 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 179 
 
 The prince, moved by pity, without thinking what he 
 was doing, ran to the court-yard of the castle and filled a 
 jug with water, which he poured over the man in the 
 caldron. 
 
 In a moment a most fearful crash was heard, as if the 
 pillars of the palace were giving way, and the palace itself, 
 with towers and doors, windows and caldron, whirled 
 round the bewildered prince's head. This continued for 
 a few minutes, and then everything vanished into thin air, 
 and Iwanich found himself suddenly alone upon a desolate 
 heath covered with rocks and stones. 
 
 The prince, who now realized what his heedlessness had 
 done, cursed too late his spirit of curiosity. In his despair 
 he wandered on over the heath, never looking where he 
 put his feet and full of sorrowful thoughts. At last he 
 saw a light in the distance, which came from a miserable- 
 looking little hut. 
 
 The owner of it was none other than the kind-hearted 
 gaunt gray beggar who had given the prince the bag of 
 bread-crumbs and the live hare. Without recognizing 
 Iwanich, he opened the door when he knocked and gave 
 him shelter for the night. 
 
 On the following morning the prince asked his host if 
 he could get him any work to do, as he was quite unknown 
 in the neighborhood and had not enough money to take 
 him home. 
 
 " My son," replied the old man, " all this country round 
 here is uninhabited. I myself have to wander to distant 
 villages for my living, and even then I do not very often 
 find enough to satisfy my hunger. But if you would like 
 to take service with the old witch Corva, go straight up 
 the little stream which flows below my hut for about three 
 hours, and you will come to a sand-hill on ihe left-hand 
 side; that is where she lives." 
 
 Iwanich thanked the gaunt gray beggar for his informa- 
 tion and went on his way. 
 
 After walking for about three hours the prince came 
 upon a dreary-looking gray stone wall; this was the back 
 of the building and did not attract him; but when he 
 came upon the front of the house he found it even less 
 inviting, for the old witch had surrounded her dwelling 
 
180 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 with a fence of spikes, on every one of which a man's 
 skull was stuck. In this horrible inclosure stood a small 
 black house, which had only two grated windows, all cov- 
 ered with cobwebs, and a battered iron door. 
 
 The prince knocked, and a rasping woman's voice told 
 him to enter. 
 
 Iwanich opened the door and found himself in a smoke- 
 begrimed kitchen, in the presence of a hideous old woman 
 who was warming her skinny hands at a fire. The prince 
 offered to become her servant, and the old hag told him she 
 was badly in want of one and he seemed to be just the per- 
 son to suit her. 
 
 When Iwanich asked what his work and how much his 
 wages would be, the witch bade him follow her, and led the 
 way through a narrow, damp passage into a vault which 
 served as a stable. Here he perceived two pitch-black 
 horses in a stall. 
 
 " You see before you," said the old woman, " a mare 
 and her foal. You have nothing to do but to lead them 
 out to the fields every day and to see that neither of them 
 runs away from you. If you look after them both for a 
 whole year I will give you anything you like to ask; but if, 
 on the other hand, you let either of the animals escape you, 
 your last hour is come and your head shall be stuck on the 
 last spike of my fence. The other spikes, as you see, are 
 already adorned, and the skulls are all those of different 
 servants I have had who have failed to do what I demanded." 
 
 Iwanich, who thought he could not be much worse off 
 than he was already, agreed to the witch's proposal. 
 
 At daybreak next morning he drove his horses to the 
 field, and brought them back in the evening without their 
 ever having attempted to break away from him. The witch 
 stood at her door and received him kindly and set a good 
 meal before him. 
 
 So it continued for some time, and all went well with the 
 prince. Early every morning he led the horses out to the 
 fields and brought them home safe and sound in the evening. 
 
 One day, while he was watching the horses, he came to 
 the banks of a river and saw a big fish, which through 
 some mischance had been cast on the land, struggling hard 
 to get back into the water. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 181 
 
 Iwanich, who felt sorry for the poor creature, seized it 
 in his arms and flung it into the stream. But no sooner 
 
 
 
 did the fish find itself in the water again than, to the prince's 
 amazement, it swam up to the bank and said : 
 
 " My kind benefactor, how can I reward you for your 
 goodness ? " 
 
182 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " I desire nothing," answered the prince. " I am quite 
 content to have been able to be of some service to you." 
 
 " You must do me the favor," replied the fish, " to take 
 a scale from my body and keep it carefully. If you should 
 ever need my help, throw it into the river and I will come 
 to your aid at once." 
 
 Iwanich bowed, loosened a scale from the body of the 
 grateful beast, put it carefully away, and returned home. 
 
 A short time after this, when he was going early one 
 morning to the usual grazing place with his horses, he 
 noticed a flock of birds assembled together, making a great 
 noise and flying wildly backward and forward. 
 
 Full of curiosity, Iwanich hurried up to the spot and 
 saw that a large number of ravens had attacked an eagle, 
 and although the eagle was big and powerful and was making 
 ing a brave fight, it was overpowered at last by numbers 
 and had to give in. 
 
 But the prince, who was sorry for the poor bird, seized 
 the branch of a tree and hit out at the ravens with it. 
 Terrified at this unexpected onslaught they flew away, leav- 
 ing many of their number dead or wounded on the battle- 
 field. 
 
 As soon as the eagle saw itself free from its tormentors 
 it plucked a feather from its wing, and, handing it to the 
 prince, said : " Here, my kind benefactor, take this feather 
 as a proof of my gratitude. Should you ever be in need 
 of my help blow this feather into the air, and I will help 
 you as much as is in my power." 
 
 Iwanich thanked the bird, and placing the feather beside 
 the scale drove the horses home. 
 
 Another day he had wandered further than usual and 
 came close to a farm-yard. The place pleased the prince, 
 and as there was plenty of good grass for the horses he 
 determined to spend the day there. Just as he was sitting 
 down under a tree he heard a cry close to him, and saw a 
 fox which had been caught in a trap placed there by the 
 farmer. 
 
 In vain did the poor beast try to free itself; then the 
 good-natured prince came once more to the rescue and let 
 the fox out of the trap. 
 
 The fox thanked him heartily, tore two hairs out of his 
 
1 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 183 
 
 bushy tail, and said : " Should you ever stand in need of 
 my help throw these two hairs into the fire, and in a 
 moment I shall be at your side, ready to obey you." 
 
 Iwanich put the fox's hairs with the scale and the feather, 
 and as it was getting dark he hastened home with his 
 horses. 
 
 In the meantime his service was drawing near to an end, 
 and in three more days the year was up and he would be 
 able to get his reward and leave the witch. 
 
 On the first evening of these last three days, when he 
 came home and was eating his supper, he noticed the old 
 woman stealing into the stables. 
 
 The prince followed her secretly, to see what she was 
 going to do. He crouched down in the doorway and heard 
 the wicked witch telling the horses to wait next morning 
 till Iwanich was asleep, and then to go and hide themselves 
 in the river and to stay there till she told them to return; 
 and if they didn't do as she told them the old woman threat- 
 ened to beat them till they bled. 
 
 When Iwanich heard all this he went back to his room, 
 determined that nothing should induce him to fall asleep 
 next day. On the following morning he led the mare and 
 foal to the field as usual, but bound a cord round them both 
 which he kept in his hand. 
 
 But after a few hours, by the magic arts of the old 
 witch, he was overpowered by sleep, and the mare and foal 
 escaped and did as they had been told to do. The prince 
 did not awake till late in the evening, and when he did 
 he found, to his horror, that the horses had disappeared. 
 Filled with despair, he cursed the moment when he had 
 entered the service of the cruel witch, and already he saw 
 his head sticking up on the sharp spike beside the others. 
 
 Then he suddenly remembered the fish's scale, which, 
 with the eagle's feather and the fox's hairs, he always car- 
 ried about with him. He drew the scale from his pocket, 
 and hurrying to the river he threw it in. In a minute the 
 grateful fish swam toward the bank on which Iwanich was 
 standing and said: "What do you command, my friend 
 and benefactor ? " 
 
 The prince replied: "I had to look after a mare and 
 foal, and they have run away from me and have hidden 
 
184 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 themselves in the river. If you wish to save my life drive 
 them back to the land." 
 
 " Wait a moment," answered the fish, " and I and my 
 friends will soon drive them out of the water." With 
 these words the creature disappeared into the depths of the 
 stream. 
 
 Almost immediately a rushing, hissing sound was heard 
 in the waters, the waves dashed against the banks, the 
 foam was tossed into the air, and the two horses leaped 
 suddenly on to the dry land, trembling and shaking with 
 fear. 
 
 Iwanich sprang at once on to the mare's back, seized the 
 foal by its bridle, and hastened home in the highest spirits. 
 
 When the witch saw the prince bringing the horses home 
 she could hardly conceal her wrath, and as soon as she had 
 placed Iwanich's supper before him she stole away again 
 to the stables. The prince followed her and heard her 
 scolding the beasts harshly for not having hidden them- 
 selves better. She bade them wait next morning till 
 Iwanich was asleep and then to hide themselves in the 
 clouds, and to remain there till she called. If they did not 
 do as she told them she would beat them till they bled. 
 
 The next morning, after Iwanich had led his horses to 
 the fields, he fell once more into a magic sleep. The horses 
 at once ran away and hid themselves in the clouds, which 
 hung down from the mountains in soft, billowy masses. 
 
 When the prince awoke and found that both the mare 
 and the foal had disappeared, he bethought him at once 
 of the eagle, and taking the feather out of his pocket he 
 blew it into the air. 
 
 In a moment the bird swooped down beside him and 
 asked : " What do you wish me to do ? " 
 
 " My mare and foal," replied the prince, " have run away 
 from me and have hidden themselves in the clouds. If 
 you wish to save my life, restore both animals to me." 
 
 " Wait a minute," answered the eagle. " With the help 
 of my friends I will soon drive them back to you." 
 
 With these words the bird flew up into the air and dis- 
 appeared among the clouds. 
 
 Almost dirgctly Iwanich saw his two horses being driven 
 toward him by a host of eagles of all sizes. He caught 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 185 
 
 the mare and foal, and having thanked the eagle he drove 
 them cheerfully home again. 
 
 The old witch was more disgusted than ever when she 
 saw him appearing, and having set his supper before him 
 she stole into the stable, and Iwanich heard her abusing 
 the horses for not having hidden themselves better in the 
 clouds. Then she bade them hide themselves next morn- 
 ing, as soon as Iwanich was asleep, in the king's hen-house, 
 which stood on a lonely part of the heath, and to remain 
 there till she called. If they failed to do as she told them 
 she would certainly beat them this time till they bled. 
 
 On the following morning the prince drove his horses as 
 usual to the fields. After he had been overpowered by 
 sleep, as on the former days, the mare and foal ran away 
 and hid themselves in the royal hen-house. 
 
 When the prince awoke and found the horses gone he 
 determined to appeal to the fox; so, lighting a fire, he threw 
 the two hairs into it, and in a few moments the fox stood 
 beside him and asked : " In what way can I serve you ? " 
 
 "I wish to know," replied Iwanich, "where the king's 
 hen-house is." 
 
 "Hardly an hour's walk from here," replied the fox, and 
 offered to show the prince the way to it. 
 
 While they were walking along the fox asked him what 
 he wanted to do at the royal hen-house. The prince told 
 him of the misfortune that had befallen him and of the 
 necessity of recovering the mare and foal. 
 
 " That is no easy matter," replied the fox. " But wait 
 a moment. I have an idea. Stand at the door of the 
 hen-house and wait there for your horses. In the mean- 
 time I will slip in among the hens through a hole in the 
 wall and give them a good chase, so that .the noise they 
 make will arouse the royal hen-wives, and they will come 
 to see what is the matter. When they see the horses they 
 will at once imagine them to be the cause of the disturbance 
 and will drive them out. Then you must lay hands on the 
 mare and foal and catch them." 
 
 All turned out as the sly fox had foreseen. The prince 
 swung himself on the mare, seized the foal by its bridle, and 
 hurried home. 
 
 While he was riding over the heath in the highest of 
 
186 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 spirits the mare suddenly said to Her rider: "You are the 
 first person who has ever succeeded in outwitting the old 
 witch Corva, and now you may ask what reward you like 
 for your service. If you promise never to betray me I will 
 
 *\ 
 
 Iwanich Dashes the Magician to the Ground. 
 
 give you a piece of advice which you will do well to follow, 
 as it will bring you happiness and prosperity." 
 
 The prince promised never to betray her confidence, and 
 -the mare continued : " Ask nothing else as a reward than 
 my foal, for it has not its like in the world and is not to be 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 187 
 
 bought for love or money; for it can go from one end of 
 the earth to another in a few minutes. Of course the cun- 
 ning Corva will do her best to dissuade you from taking 
 the foal and will tell you that it is both idle and sickly; but 
 do not believe her and stick to your point." 
 
 Iwanich longed to possess such an animal and promised 
 the mare to follow her advice. 
 
 This time Corva received him in the most friendly 
 manner and set a sumptuous repast before him. As soon 
 as he had finished she asked him what reward he demanded 
 for his year's service. 
 
 "Nothing more nor less," replied the prince, "than the 
 foal of your mare." 
 
 The witch pretended to be much astonished at his 
 request, and said that he deserved something much better 
 than the foal, for the beast was lazy and nervous, blind in one 
 eye, and, in short, was quite worthless. 
 
 But the prince knew what he wanted, and when the old 
 witch saw that he had made up his mind to have the foal 
 she said : " I am obliged to keep my promise and to hand 
 you over the foal; and as I know who you are and what 
 you want, I will tell you in what way the animal will be 
 useful to you. The man in the caldron of boiling pitch, 
 whom you set free, is a mighty magician. Through your 
 curiosity and thoughtlessness Militza came into his power, 
 and he has transported her and her castle and belongings 
 into a distant country. You are the only person who can 
 kill him, and in consequence he fears you to such an 
 extent that he has set spies to watch you, and they report 
 your movements to him daily. When you have reached 
 him, beware of speaking a single word to him, or you will 
 fall into the power of his friends. Seize him at once by 
 the beard and dash him to the ground." 
 
 Iwanich thanked the old witch, mounted his foal, put 
 spurs to its sides, and they flew like lightning through the 
 air. 
 
 Already it was growing dark, when Iwanich perceived 
 some figures in the distance. He soon came up to them, 
 and then the prince saw that it was the magician and his 
 friends, who were driving through the air in a carriage 
 drawn by owls. 
 
188 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 When the magician found himself face to face with 
 Iwanich, without hope of escape, he turned to him with 
 false friendliness and said : " Thrice my kind benefactor ! " 
 
 But the prince, without saying a word, seized him at once 
 by his beard and dashed him to the ground. At the same 
 moment the foal sprang on the top of the magician and 
 kicked and stamped on him with its hoofs till he died. 
 
 Then Iwanich found himself once more in the palace of 
 his bride, and Militza herself flew into his arms. 
 
 From this time forward they lived in undisturbed peace 
 and happiness till the end of their lives. 
 
 THE MAGIC KING. 
 
 Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had 
 one son called Martin. Now, when the old man's time 
 had come he stretched himself out on his bed and died. 
 Though all his long life he had toiled and moiled, he only 
 left his widow and son 200 florins. The old woman deter- 
 mined to put by the money for a rainy day, but, alas! the 
 rainy day was close at hand, for their meal was all con- 
 sumed, and who is prepared to face starvation with 200 
 florins at their disposal? So the old woman counted out 
 100 florins, and, giving them to Martin, told him to go into 
 the town and lay in a store of meal for a year. 
 
 So Martin started off for the town. When he reached the 
 meat-market he found the whole place in turmoil and a 
 great noise of angry voices and barking of dogs. Mixing 
 in the crowd, he noticed a stag-hound which the butchers 
 had caught and tied to a post, and which was being flogged 
 in a merciless manner. Overcome with pity, Martin spoke 
 to the butchers, saying: 
 
 " Friends, why are you beating the poor dog so cruelly ? " 
 
 " We have every right to beat him," they replied. " He 
 has just devoured a newly killed pig." 
 
 " Leave off beating him," said Martin, " and sell him to 
 me instead." 
 
 " If you choose to buy him," answered the butchers de- 
 risively ; " but for such a treasure we won't take a penny less 
 than 100 florins." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 189 
 
 "A hundred !" exclaimed Martin. "Well, so be it, if 
 you will not take less ; " and taking the money out of his 
 pocket he handed it over in exchange for the dog, whose 
 name was Schurka. 
 
 When Martin got home his mother met him with the 
 question : 
 
 " Well, what have you bought ? " 
 
 " Schurka the dog," replied Martin, pointing to his new 
 possession. Whereupon his mother became very angry and 
 abused him roundly. He ought to be ashamed of himself, 
 when there was scarcely a handful of meal in the house, 
 to have spent the money on a useless brute like that. On 
 the following day she sent him back to the town, saying: 
 " Here, take our last 100 florins and buy provisions with 
 them. I have just emptied the last grains of meal out of 
 the chest and baked a bannock; but it won't last over to- 
 morrow." 
 
 Just as Martin was entering the town he met a rough- 
 looking peasant who was dragging a cat after him by a 
 string which was fastened round the poor beast's neck. 
 
 " Stop ! " cried Martin. " Where are you dragging that 
 poor cat ? " 
 
 "I mean to drown him," was the answer. 
 
 " What harm has the poor beast done ? " said Martin. 
 
 " It has just killed a goose," replied the peasant. 
 
 "Don't drown him sell him to me instead," begged 
 Martin. 
 
 " Not for 100 florins," was the answer. 
 
 "Surely for 100 florins, you'll sell it?" said Martin. 
 " See ! here is the money." And so saying he handed him 
 the 100 florins, which the peasant pocketed, and Martin 
 took possession of the cat, which was called Waska. 
 
 When he reached his home his mother greeted him with 
 the question. 
 
 " Well, what have you brought back ? " 
 
 " I have brought this cat Waska," answered Martin. 
 
 "And what besides?" 
 
 "I had no money over to buy anything else with," re- 
 plied Martin. 
 
 " You useless ne'er-do-weel ! " exclaimed his mother in 
 a great passion. " Leave the house at once and go and 
 
190 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 beg your bread among strangers." And as Martin did not 
 dare to contradict her, he called Schurka and Waska and 
 started off with them to the nearest village in search of 
 work. On the way he met a rich peasant, who asked him 
 where he was going. 
 
 " I want to get work as a day laborer," he answered. 
 
 " Come along with me, then. But if I must tell you, I 
 engage my laborers without wages. If you serve me faith- 
 fully for a year I promise you it shall be for your ad- 
 vantage." 
 
 So Martin consented, and for a year he worked diligently 
 and served his master faithfully, not sparing himself 
 in any way. When the day of reckoning had come the 
 peasant led him into a barn, and pointing to two full sacks 
 said : " Take whichever of these you choose." 
 
 Martin examined the contents of the sacks, and seeing 
 that one was full of silver and the other of sand, he said to 
 himself : " There must be some trick about this. I had 
 better take the sand." And throwing the sack over his 
 shoulders he started out into the world in search of fresh 
 work. On and on he walked, and at last he reached a great 
 gloomy wood. In the middle of the wood he came upon a 
 meadow where a fire was burning, and in the midst of the 
 fire, surrounded by flames, was a lovely damsel, more beau- 
 tiful than anything that Martin had ever seen, and when 
 she saw him she called to him: 
 
 " Martin, if you would win happiness save my life. Ex- 
 tinguish the flames with the sand that you earned in pay- 
 ment of your faithful service." 
 
 "Truly," thought Martin to himself, "it would be more 
 sensible to save a fellow-being's life with this sand than to 
 drag it about on one's back, seeing what a weight it is." 
 And forthwith he lowered the sack from his shoulders and 
 emptied its contents on the flames, and instantly the fire 
 was extinguished; but at the same moment, lo and behold! 
 the lovely damsel turned into a serpent, and darting upon 
 him, coiled itself round his neck and whispered lovingly in 
 his ear: 
 
 " Do not be afraid of me, Martin. I love you and I will 
 go with you through the world. But first you must follow 
 me boldly into my father's kingdom, underneath the earth; 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 191 
 
 and when we get there remember this he will offer you 
 gold and silver and dazzling gems, but do not touch them. 
 Ask him instead for the little ring which he wears on his 
 
 Martin Extinguishes the Flames, 
 
 little finger, for in that ring lies a magic power. You have 
 only to throw it from one hand to the other, and at once 
 twelve young men will appear who will do your bidding, no 
 matter how difficult, in a single night." 
 
192 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 So they started on their way, and after much wandering 
 they reached a spot where a great rock rose straight up in 
 the middle of the road. Instantly . the serpent uncoiled it- 
 self from his neck, and as it touched the damp earth it 
 resumed the shape of the lovely damsel. Pointing to the 
 rock, she showed him an opening just big enough for a 
 man to wriggle through. Passing into it, they entered a 
 long underground passage which led out on to a wide field 
 above which spread a blue sky. In the middle of the field 
 stood a magnificent castle built out of porphyry, with 
 a roof of gold and with glittering battlements. And his 
 beautiful guide told him that this was the palace in which 
 her father lived and reigned over his kingdom in the under- 
 world. 
 
 Together they entered the palace and were received by the 
 king with great kindness. Turning to his daughter he said : 
 
 " My child, I had almost given up the hope of ever seeing 
 you again. Where have you been all these years ? " 
 
 " My father," she replied, " I owe my life to this youth, 
 who saved me from a terrible death." 
 
 Upon which the king turned to Martin with a gracious 
 smile, saying : " I will reward your courage by granting 
 you whatever your heart desires. Take as much gold, silver, 
 and precious stones as you choose." 
 
 " I thank you, mighty king, for your gracious offer," 
 answered Martin, " but I do not covet either gold, silver, 
 or precious stones; yet if you will grant me a favor, give 
 me, I beg, the ring from off the little finger of your royal 
 hand. Every time my eye falls on it I shall think of your 
 gracious majesty, and when I marry I shall present it to my 
 bride." 
 
 So the king took the ring from his finger and gave it to 
 Martin, saying : " Take it, good youth ; but with it I make 
 one condition you are never to confide to anyone that 
 this is a magic ring. If you do, you will straightway 
 bring misfortune on yourself." 
 
 Martin took the ring, and having thanked the king he 
 set out on the same road by which he had come down into 
 the underworld. When he had regained the upper air he 
 started for his old home, and having found his mother still 
 living in the old house where he had left her, they settled 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 193 
 
 down together very happily. So uneventful was their life 
 that it almost seemed as if it would go on in this way 
 always without let or hindrance. But one day it suddenly 
 came into his mind that he would like to get married, 
 and, moreover, that he would choose a very grand wife a 
 king's daughter, in short. But as he did not trust him- 
 self as a wooer, he determined to send his old mother on 
 the mission. 
 
 " You must go to the king," he said to her, " and de- 
 mand the hand of his lovely daughter in marriage for me." 
 
 " What are you thinking of, my son ? " answered the old 
 woman, aghast at the idea. " Why cannot you marry some- 
 one in your own rank? That would be far more fitting 
 than to send a poor old woman like me a-wooing to 
 the king's court for the hand of a princess. Why, it is as 
 much as our heads are worth! Neither my life nor yours 
 would be worth anything if I went on such a fool's errand." 
 
 " Never fear, little mother ! " answered Martin. " Trust 
 me; all will be well. But see that you do not come back 
 without an answer of some kind." 
 
 And so, obedient to her son's behest, the old woman hob- 
 bled off to the palace, and without being hindered reached 
 the court-yard and began to mount the flight of steps lead- 
 ing to the royal presence chamber. At the head of the 
 landing rows of courtiers were collected in magnificent 
 attire, who stared at the queer old figure, and called to her 
 and explained to her with every kind of sign that it was 
 strictly forbidden to mount those steps. But their stern 
 words and forbidding gestures made no impression what- 
 ever on the old woman, and she resolutely continued to climb 
 the stairs, bent on carrying out her son's orders. Upon this 
 some of the courtiers seized her by the arms and held her 
 back by sheer force, at which she set up such a yell that 
 the king himself heard it and stepped out on to the balcony 
 to see what was the matter. When he beheld the old woman 
 flinging her arms wildly about, and heard her scream that she 
 would not leave the place till she had laid her case before 
 the king, he ordered that she should be brought into his pres- 
 ence. And forthwith she was conducted into the golden 
 presence chamber, where, leaning back among cushions 
 of royal purple, the king sat, surrounded by his counselors 
 
194 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 and courtiers. Courtesying low, the old woman stood silent 
 before him. 
 
 " Well, my good old dame, what can I do for you ? " asked 
 the king. 
 
 " I have come," replied Martin's mother " and your ma- 
 jesty must not be angry with me I have come a-wooing." 
 
 " Is the woman out of her mind ? " said the king, with an 
 angry frown. 
 
 But Martin's mother answered boldly : " If the king will 
 only listen patiently to me and give me a straightforward 
 answer, he will see that I am not out of my mind. You, 
 O king, have a lovely daughter to give in marriage. I have 
 a son a wooer as clever a youth and as good a son-in-law 
 as you will find in your whole kingdom. There is nothing 
 that he cannot do. Now tell me, O king, plump and plain, 
 will you give your daughter to my son as wife ? " 
 
 The king listened to the end of the old woman's strange 
 request, but every moment his face grew blacker and his 
 features sterner, till all at once he thought to himself, 
 "It is worth while that I, the king, should be angry with 
 this poor old fool ? " And all the courtiers and counselors 
 were amazed when they saw the hard lines around his 
 mouth and the frown on his brow grow smooth, and heard 
 the mild, but mocking tones in which he answered the old 
 woman, saying: 
 
 " If your son is as wonderfully clever as you say, and if 
 there is nothing in the world that he cannot do, let him 
 build a magnificent castle, just opposite my palace windows, 
 in twenty-four hours. The palace must be joined together 
 by a bridge of pure crystal. On each side of the bridge 
 there must be growing trees, having golden and silver ap- 
 ples and with birds-of -paradise among the branches. At the 
 right of the bridge there must be a church with five golden 
 cupolas. In this church your son shall be wedded to my 
 daughter, and we will keep the wedding festivities in the 
 new castle. But if he fails to execute this my royal com- 
 mand, then, as a just but mild monarch, I shall give orders 
 that you and he are taken and first dipped in tar and then 
 in feathers, and you shall be executed in the market-place 
 for the entertainment of my courtiers." 
 
 And a smile played round the king's lips as he finished 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 195 
 
 speaking, and his courtiers and counselors shook with laugh- 
 ter when they thought of the old woman's folly, and praised 
 the king's wise device and said to each other: " What a joke 
 it will be when we see the pair of them tarred and feathered ! 
 The son is just as able to grow a beard on the palm of his 
 hand as to execute such a task in twenty-four hours." 
 
 Now, the poor old woman was mortally afraid, and in a 
 trembling voice she asked: 
 
 " Is that really your royal will, O king ? Must I take 
 this order to my poor son ? " 
 
 " Yes, old dame ; such is my command. If your son 
 carries out my order he shall be rewarded with my daughter ; 
 but if he fails, away to the tar-barrel and the stake with you 
 both!" 
 
 On her way home, the poor old woman shed bitter tears, 
 and when she saw Martin she told him what the king had 
 said, and sobbed out: 
 
 " Didn't I tell you, my son, that you should marry some- 
 one of your own rank? It would have been better for us 
 this day if you had. As I told you, my going to court has 
 been as much as our lives are worth, and now we will both 
 he tarred and feathered and burned in the public market- 
 place. It is terrible ! " And she moaned and cried. 
 
 " Never fear, little mother ! " answered Martin. " Trust 
 me, and you will see that all will be well. You may go to 
 sleep with a quiet mind." 
 
 And stepping to the front of the hut Martin threw his 
 ring from the palm of one hand into the other, upon which 
 twelve youths instantly appeared and demanded what he 
 wanted them to do. Then he told them the king's com- 
 mands, and they answered that by next morning all should 
 be accomplished exactly as the king had ordered. 
 
 Next morning when the king awoke and looked out of his 
 window, to his amazement he beheld a magnificent castle, 
 just opposite his own palace, and joined to it by a bridge of 
 pure crystal. 
 
 At each side of the bridge trees were growing from whose 
 branches hung golden and silver apples among which birds- 
 of-paradise perched. At the right, gleaming in the sun, 
 were the five golden cupolas of a splendid church, whose bells 
 rang out as if they would summon, people from all corners 
 
196 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 of the earth to come and behold the wonder. Now, though 
 the king would much rather have seen his future son-in-law 
 tarred, feathered, and burned at the stake, he remembered 
 his royal oath and had to make the best of a bad business. 
 So he took heart of grace and made Martin a duke, and gave 
 his daughter a rich dowry, and prepared the grandest wed- 
 ding-feast that had ever been seen, so that to this day the old 
 people in this country still talk of it. 
 
 After the wedding Martin and his royal bride went to 
 dwell in the magnificent new palace, and here Martin lived 
 in the greatest comfort and luxury, such luxury as he had 
 never imagined. But though he was as happy as the day 
 was long and as merry as a grig, the king's daughter fretted 
 all day, thinking of the indignity that had been done her 
 in making her marry Martin, the poor widow's son, instead 
 of a rich young prince from a foreign country. So unhappy 
 was she that she spent all her time wondering how she 
 should get rid of her undesirable husband. And first she 
 determined to learn the secret of his power, and with flat- 
 tering, caressing words she tried to coax him to tell her 
 how he was so clever that there was nothing in the world 
 that he could not do. At first he would tell her nothing; 
 but once, when he was in a yielding mood, she approached 
 him with a winning smile on her lovely face, and speaking 
 flattering words to him she gave him a potion to drink, 
 with a sweet, strong taste. And when he had drunk it 
 Martin's lips were unsealed, and he told her that all his 
 power lay in the magic ring that he wore on his finger, and 
 he described to her how to use it, and still speaking he fell 
 into a deep sleep. And when she saw that the potion had 
 worked and that he was sound asleep, the princess took 
 the magic ring from his finger, and going into the court- 
 yard she threw it from the palm of one hand into the other. 
 On the instant the twelve youths appeared and asked her 
 what she commanded them to do. Then she told them 
 that by the next morning they were to do away with the 
 castle, and the bridge, and the church, and put in their 
 stead the humble hut in which Martin used to live with his 
 mother, and that while he slept her husband was to 
 carried to his old lowly room; and that they were to bear 
 her away to the utmost ends of the earth, where an old 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 197 
 
 king lived who would make her welcome in his palace and 
 surround her with the state that befitted a royal princess. 
 
 " You shall be obeyed," answered the twelve youths at 
 the same moment. And, lo and behold! the following morn- 
 ing when the king woke and looked out of his window 
 he beheld to his amazement that the palace, bridge, church, 
 and trees had all vanished, and there was nothing in their 
 place but a bare, miserable-looking hut. 
 
 Immediately the king sent for his son-in-law and com- 
 manded him to explain what had happened. But Martin 
 looked at his royal father-in-law and answered never a word. 
 Then the king was very angry, and calling a council to- 
 gether, he charged Martin with having been guilty of witch- 
 
 craft and of having deceived the king, and having made 
 away with the princess ; and he was condemned to imprison- 
 ment in a high stone tower, with neither meat nor drink, 
 till he should die of starvation. 
 
 Then, in the hour of his dire necessity, his old friends 
 Schurka (the dog) and Waska (the cat) remembered how 
 Martin had once saved them from a cruel death; and they 
 took counsel together as to how they should help him. And 
 Schurka growled and was of opinion that he would like 
 to tear everyone in pieces; but Waska purred meditatively, 
 scratched the back of her ear with a velvet paw, and re- 
 mained lost in thought. At the end of a few minutes she 
 had made up her mind, and, turning to Schurka, said: 
 " Let us go together into the town, and the moment we meet 
 
198 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 a baker you must make a rush between his legs and upset 
 the tray from off his head. I will lay hold of the rolls and 
 will carry them off to our master." No sooner said than 
 done. Together the two faithful creatures trotted off into 
 the town, and very soon they met a baker bearing a tray on 
 his head and looking round on all sides while he cried: 
 
 " Fresh rolls, sweet cake, 
 
 Fancy bread of every kind. 
 Come and buy, come and take, 
 Sure you'll find it to your mind." 
 
 At that moment Schurka made a rush between his legs 
 the baker stumbled, the tray was upset, the rolls fell to the 
 ground, and while the man angrily pursued Schurka, Waska 
 managed to drag the rolls out of sight behind a bush. And 
 when a moment later Schurka joined her, they set off at full 
 tilt for the stone tower where Martin was a prisoner, tak- 
 ing the rolls with them. Waska, being very agile, climbed 
 up by the outside to the grated window and called in an 
 anxious voice: 
 
 " Are you alive, master ? " 
 
 " Scarcely alive almost starved to death," answered Mar- 
 tin in a weak voice. " I little thought it would come to this, 
 that I should die of hunger." 
 
 " Never fear, dear master. Schurka and I will look after 
 you," said Waska. And in another moment she had climbed 
 down and brought him back a roll, and then another and 
 another, till she had brought him the whole tray-load. Upon 
 which she said : " Dear master, Schurka and I are going 
 off to a distant kingdom at the utmost ends of the earth to 
 fetch you back your magic ring. You must be careful that 
 the rolls last you till our return." 
 
 And Waska toek leave of her beloved master and set off 
 with Schurka on their Journey. On and on they traveled, 
 looking always to right and left for traces of the princess, 
 following up every track, making inquiries of every cat 
 and dog they met, listening to the talk of every wayfarer 
 they passed; and at last they heard that the kingdom at 
 the utmost ends of the earth, where the twelve youths had 
 borne the princess, was not very far off. And one day they 
 reached that distant kingdom, and, going at once to the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 199 
 
 palace, they began to make friends with all the dogs and cats 
 in the place and to question them about the princess 
 and the magic ring; but no one could tell them much about 
 either. Now, one day it chanced that Waska had gone 
 down to the palace cellar to hunt for mice . and rats, and 
 seeing an especially fat, well-fed mouse, she pounced upon 
 it, buried her claws in its soft fur, and was just going to 
 gobble it up, when she was stopped by the pleading tones 
 of the little creature, saying : " If you will only spare my 
 
 Schurka Upsets the Baker. 
 
 life I will be of great service to you. I will do everything 
 in my power for you; for I am the king of the mice, and if 
 I perish the whole race will die out." 
 
 " So be it," said Waska. " I will spare your life, but in 
 return you must do something for me. In this castle there 
 lives a princess, the wicked wife of my dear master. She 
 has stolen away his magic ring. You must get it away 
 from her at whatever cost. Do you hear? Till you have 
 done this I won't take my claws out of your fur." 
 
200 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 " Good ! " replied the mouse. " I will do what you ask." 
 And so saying, he summoned all the mice in his kingdom 
 together. A countless number of mice, small and big, 
 brown and gray, assembled and formed a circle round their 
 king, who was a prisoner under Waska's claws. Turning 
 to them, he said : " Dear and faithful subjects, whoever 
 among you will steal the magic ring from the strange prin- 
 cess will release me from a cruel death, and I shall honor 
 him above all the other mice in the kingdom." 
 
 Instantly a tiny mouse stepped forward and said : " I 
 often creep about the princess' bedroom at night, and I 
 have noticed that she has a ring that she treasures as the 
 apple of her eye. All day she wears it on her finger, and 
 at night she keeps it in her mouth. I will undertake, sire, 
 to steal away the ring for you." 
 
 And the tiny mouse tripped away into the bedroom of the 
 princess and waited for nightfall; then, when the princess 
 had fallen asleep, it crept up on to her bed and gnawed a 
 hole in the pillow, through which it dragged one by one 
 little down feathers and threw them under the princess' nose. 
 And the fluff flew into the princess' nose and into her mouth, 
 and starting up she sneezed and coughed, and the ring fell 
 out of her mouth on to the coverlet. In a flash the tiny 
 mouse had seized it and brought it to Waska as a ransom 
 for the king of the mice. Thereupon Waska and Schurka 
 started off and traveled night and day till they reached the 
 stone tower where Martin was imprisoned; and the cat 
 climbed up the window and called out to him: 
 
 " Martin, dear master, are you still alive ? " 
 
 " Ah, Waska ! my faithful little cat, is that you ? " replied 
 a weak voice. " I am dying of hunger. For three days I 
 have not tasted food." 
 
 " Be of good heart, dear master," replied Waska. " From 
 this day forth you will know nothing but happiness and 
 prosperity. If this were a moment to trouble you with 
 riddles, I would make you guess what Schurka and I have 
 brought you back. Only think, we have got your ring ! " 
 
 At these words Martin's joy knew no bounds, and he 
 stroked her fondly, and she rubbed up against him and 
 purred happily, while below Schurka bounded in the air 
 and barked joyfully. Then Martin took the ring and threw 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 201 
 
 it from one hand into the other, and instantly the twelve 
 youths appeared and asked what they were to do. 
 
 "Fetch me first something to eat and drink as quickly 
 as possible ; and after that bring musicians hither and let us. 
 have music all day long." 
 
 Now, when the people in the town and palace heard 
 music coming from the tower they were filled with amaze- 
 ment, and came to the king with the news that witchcraft 
 must be going on in Martin's tower, for instead of dying of 
 
 starvation he was seemingly making merry to the sound 
 of music and to the clatter of plates and glasses and knives 
 and forks; and the music was so enchantingly sweet that 
 all the passers-by stood still to listen to it. On this the 
 king sent at once a messenger to Starvation Tower, and he 
 was so astonished with what he saw that he remained rooted 
 to the spot. Then the king sent his chief counselors, and 
 they too were transfixed with wonder. At last the king 
 
202 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 came himself, and he likewise was spellbound by the beauty 
 of the music. 
 
 Then Martin summoned the twelve youths and said to 
 them : " Build up my castle again and join it to the king's 
 palace with a crystal bridge. Do not forget the trees with 
 the golden and silver apples and with the birds-of-paradise 
 in the branches, and put back the church with the five 
 cupolas, and let the bells ring out, summoning the people 
 from the four corners of the kingdom. And one thing 
 more: bring back my faithless wife and lead her into the 
 women's chamber." 
 
 And it was all done as he commanded, and leaving Starva- 
 tion Tower he took the king, his father-in-law, by the arm 
 and led him into the new palace, where the princess sat in 
 fear and trembling, awaiting her death. And Martin spoke 
 to the king, saying : " King and royal father, I have suffered 
 much at the hands of your daughter. What punishment 
 shall be dealt to her?" 
 
 Then the mild king answered : " Beloved prince and 
 son-in-law, if you love me, let your anger be turned to 
 grace forgive my daughter and restore her to your heart 
 and favor." 
 
 And Martin's heart was softened and he forgave his 
 wife, and they lived happily together ever after. And his 
 old mother came and lived with them, and he never parted 
 with Schurka and Waska; and I need hardly tell you that 
 he never again let the ring out of his possession. 
 
 THE FLOWEK QUEEN'S DAUGHTER* 
 
 A young prince was riding one day through a meadow 
 that stretched for miles in front of him, when he came to a 
 deep, open ditch. He was turning aside to avoid it, when 
 he heard the sound of someone crying in the ditch. He 
 dismounted from his horse and stepped along in the direc- 
 tion the sound came from. To his astonishment he found 
 an old woman, who begged him to help her out of the 
 ditch. The prince bent down and lifted her out of ker lir- 
 
 *From the " Bukowinaer." Von Wliolocki. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 203 
 
 ing grave, asking her at the $ame time how she had managed 
 to get there. 
 
 "My son," answered the old woman, "I am a very poor 
 woman, and soon after midnight I set out for the neigh- 
 boring town in order to sell my eggs in the market on the 
 following morning; but I lost my way in the dark and fell 
 into this deep ditch, where I might have remained forever 
 but for your kindness." 
 
 Then the prince said to her : " You can hardly walk. I 
 will put you on my horse and lead you home. Where do 
 you live ? " 
 
 " Over there at the edge of the forest, in the little hut 
 you see in the distance," replied the old woman. 
 
 The prince lifted her onto his horse, and soon they reached 
 the hut, where the old woman got down, and, turning to 
 the prince, said : " Just wait a moment and I will give you 
 something." And she disappeared into her hut, but re- 
 turned very soon and said : " You are a mighty prince, 
 but at the same time you have a kind heart which deserves 
 to be rewarded. Would you like to have the most beautiful 
 woman in the world for your wife ? " 
 
 " Most certainly I would," replied the prince. 
 
 So the old woman continued : " The most beautiful 
 woman in the whole world is the daughter of the queen of 
 the flowers, who has been captured by a dragon. If you 
 wish to marry her you must first set her free, and this I 
 will help you to do. I will give you this little bell. If you 
 ring it once the king of the eagles will appear; if you ring 
 it twice the king of the foxes will come to you; and if you 
 ring it three times you will see the king of the fishes by your 
 side. These will help you if you are in any difficulty. Now 
 farewell, and Heaven prosper your undertaking ! " She 
 handed him the little bell, and then disappeared hut and 
 all, as though the earth had swallowed her up. 
 
 Then it dawned on the prince that he had been speaking 
 to a good fairy; and, putting the little bell carefully in his 
 pocket, he rode home and told his father that he meant to 
 set the daughter of the flower queen free, and intended 
 setting out on the following day into the wide world in 
 search of the maid. 
 
 So the next morning the prince mounted his fine horse 
 
204 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 and left his home. He had roamed round the world for a 
 whole year, and his horse had died of exhaustion, while he 
 himself had suffered much from want and misery, but still 
 he had come on no trace of her he was in search of. At 
 last one day he came to a hut, in front of which sat a very 
 old man. The prince asked him : " Do you not know where 
 the dragon lives who keeps the daughter of the flower queen 
 prisoner ? " 
 
 " No, I do not," answered the old man. " But if you go 
 straight along this road for a year you will reach a hut 
 where my father lives, and possibly he can tell you." 
 
 The prince thanked him for his information and con- 
 tinued his journey for a whole year along the same road, and 
 at the end of it came to the little hut, where he found a 
 very old man. He asked him the same question, and the 
 old man answered : " No, I do not know where the dragon 
 lives. But go straight along this road for anpther year, and 
 you will come to a hut in which my father lives. I know 
 he can tell you." 
 
 And so the prince wandered on for another year, always 
 on the same road, and at last reached the hut, where he 
 found the third old man. He put the same question to 
 him as he had put to his son and grandson; but this time 
 the old man answered : " The dragon lives up there on the 
 mountain, and he has just begun his year of sleep. For 
 one whole year he is always awake, and the next he sleeps. 
 But if you wish to see the flower queen's daughter go up 
 the second mountain. The dragon's old mother lives there, 
 and she has a ball every night, to which the flower queen's 
 daughter goes regularly." 
 
 So the prince went up the second mountain, where he 
 found a castle all made of gold with diamond windows. 
 He opened the big gate leading into the court -yard and was 
 just going to walk in, when seven dragons rushed on him 
 and asked him what he wanted. 
 
 The prince replied : " I have heard so much of the beauty 
 and kindness of the dragon's mother, and would like to enter 
 her service." 
 
 This flattering speech pleased the dragons, and the eldest 
 of them said : " Well, you may come with me and I will 
 take you to the mother dragon." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 205 
 
 They entered the castle and walked through twelve splen- 
 did halls, all made of gold and diamonds. In the twelfth 
 room they found the mother dragon seated on a diamond 
 throne. She was the ugliest woman under the sun, and, 
 added to it all, she had three heads. Her appearance was 
 a great shock to the prince, and so was her voice, which was 
 like the croaking of many ravens. She asked him : " Why 
 have you come here ? " 
 
 The prince answered at once : " I have heard so much of 
 
 The Dragon.;: PanclnS . Ji r -> * 
 
 your beauty and kindness that I would very much like to 
 enter your service." 
 
 " Very well," said the mother dragon ; " but if you wish 
 to enter my service you must first lead my mare out to the 
 meadow and look after her for three days; but if you don't 
 bring her home safely every evening we will eat you up." 
 
206 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The prince undertook the task, and led the mare out to 
 the meadow. But no sooner had they reached the grass 
 than she vanished. The prince sought for her in vain, 
 and at last in despair sat down on a big stone and con- 
 templated his sad fate. As he sat thus lost in thought he 
 noticed an eagle flying over his head. Then he suddenly 
 bethought him of his little bell, and taking it out of his 
 pocket he rang it once. In a moment he heard a rustling 
 sound in the air beside him, and the king of eagles sank 
 at his feet. 
 
 " I know what you want of me," the bird said. " You 
 are looking for the mother dragon's mare, who is galloping 
 about among the clouds. I will summon all the eagles of 
 the air together and order them to catch the mare and bring 
 her to you." And with these words the king of the eagles 
 flew away. Toward evening the prince heard a mighty 
 rushing sound in the air, and when he looked up he saw 
 thousands of eagles driving the mare before them. They 
 sank at his feet on to the ground and gave the mare over 
 to him. Then the prince rode home to the old mother 
 dragon, who was full of wonder when she saw him, and 
 said: "You have succeeded to-day in looking after my 
 mare, and as a reward you shall come to my ball to-night." 
 She gave him at the same time a cloak made of copper and 
 led him into a big room where several young he-dragons and 
 she-dragons were dancing together. Here, too, was the 
 flower queen's beautiful daughter. Her dress was woven 
 out of the most lovely flowers in the world, and her com- 
 plexion was like lilies and roses. As the prince was danc- 
 ing with her he managed to whisper in her ear : " I have 
 come to set you free ! " 
 
 Then the beautiful girl said to him : " If you succeed in 
 bringing the mare back safely the third day, ask the 
 mother dragon to give you a foal of the mare as a reward 
 for your services." 
 
 The ball came to an end at midnight, and early next 
 morning the prince again led the mother dragon's mare 
 out into the meadow. But again she vanished before his 
 eyes. Then he took out his little bell and rang it twice. 
 
 In a moment the king of the foxes stood before him and 
 said: "I know already what you want, and will summon 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 207 
 
 all the foxes of the world together to find the mare, who haa 
 hidden herself in a hill." 
 
 With these words the king of the foxes disappeared, and 
 
 
 IN-WINTEtC-WHEN-EVERyTKING-IS-DCA 
 ST-COME-AND-LIVE-WITH 
 P A LAC E * UN DC R,ROU ND -"^^ 
 
 in the evening many thousand foxes brought the mare to 
 the prince. 
 
 Then he rode home to the mother dragon, from whom he 
 received this time a cloak made of silver, and again she led 
 him to the ballroom. 
 
208 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The flower queen's daughter was delighted to see him 
 safe and sound, and when they were dancing together she 
 whispered in his ear: "If you succeed again to-morrow, 
 wait for me with the foal in the meadow,. After the ball we 
 will fly away together." 
 
 On the third day the prince led the mare to the meadow 
 again, but once more she vanished before his eyes. Then 
 the prince took out his little bell and rang it three times. 
 
 In a moment the king of the fishes appeared and said to 
 him : " I know quite well what you want me to do, and I 
 will summon all the fishes of the sea together and tell them 
 to bring you back the mare, who is hiding herself in a 
 river." 
 
 Toward evening the mare was returned to him, and when 
 he led her home to the mother dragon she said to him : 
 
 "You are a brave youth and I will make you my body- 
 servant. But what shall I give you as a reward to begin 
 with?" 
 
 The prince begged for a foal of the mare, which the 
 mother dragon at once gave to him, and, over and above, a 
 cloak made of gold, for she had fallen in love with him be- 
 cause he had praised her beauty. 
 
 So in the evening he appeared at the ball in his golden 
 cloak, but' before the entertainment was over he slipped 
 away and went straight to the stables, where he mounted 
 his foal and rode out into the meadow to wait for the 
 flower queen's daughter. Toward midnight the beautiful 
 girl appeared, and, placing her in front of him on his horse, 
 the prince and she flew like the wind till they reached the 
 flower queen's dwelling. But the dragons had noticed their 
 flight and woke their brother out of his year's sleep. He 
 flew into a terrible rage when he heard what had happened, 
 and determined to lay siege to the flower queen's palace; 
 but the queen caused a forest of flowers as high as the sky 
 to grow up round her dwelling, through which no one could 
 force a way. 
 
 When the flower queen heard that her daughter wanted 
 to marry the prince she said to him : " I will give my con- 
 sent to your marriage gladly, but my daughter can only 
 stay with you in summer. In winter, when everything is 
 dead and the ground covered with snow, she must come 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 209 
 
 and live with me in my palace underground." The prince 
 consented to this and led his beautiful bride home, where 
 the wedding was held with great pomp and magnificence, 
 the young couple lived happily together till winter came, 
 when the flower queen's daughter departed and went home 
 to her mother. In summer she returned to her husband, 
 and their life of joy and happiness began again and lasted 
 till the approach of winter, when the flower queen's daughter 
 went back again to her mother. This coming and going con- 
 tinued all her life long, and in spite of it they always lived 
 happily together. 
 
 THE FLYING SHIP * 
 
 Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had 
 three sons. The two elder were clever, but the third was a 
 regular dunce. The clever sons were very fond of their 
 mother, gave her good clothes, and always spoke pleasantly 
 to her; but the youngest was always getting in her way, and 
 ;she had no patience with him. Now, one day it was 
 announced in the village that the king had issued a decree 
 offering his daughter, the princess, in marriage to whoever 
 should build a ship that could fly. Immediately the two 
 elder brothers determined to try their luck, and asked their 
 parents' blessing. So the old mother smartened up their 
 clothes and g^ve them a store of provisions for their journey, 
 not forgetting to add a bottle of brandy. When they had 
 gone the poor simpleton began to tease his mother to smarten 
 him up and Jet him start off. 
 
 "What would become of a dolt like you?" she answered. 
 " Why, you would be eaten up by wolves." 
 
 But the foolish youth kept repeating: "I will go, I will 
 go, I will go ! " 
 
 Seeing that she could do nothing with him, the mother 
 gave him a crust of bread and a bottle of water and took no 
 further heed of him. 
 
 So the simpleton set off on his way. When he had gone 
 a short distance he met a little old manikin. They greeted 
 
 * From the Russian. 
 
210 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 one another and the manikin asked him where he was 
 going. 
 
 " I am off to the king's court," he answered. " He has 
 promised to give his daughter to whoever can make a flying 
 ship." 
 
 "And can you make such a ship?" 
 
 "Not I." 
 
 " Then why in the world are you going ? " 
 
 " Can't tell," replied the simpleton. 
 
 "Well, if that is the case," said the manikin, "sit down 
 heside me. We can rest for a little and have something to 
 eat. Give me what you have got in your satchel." 
 
 Now the poor simpleton was ashamed to show what 
 was in it. However, he thought it best not to make a fuss, 
 so he opened the satchel, and could scarcely believe his own 
 eyes, for instead of the hard crust he saw two beautiful 
 fresh rolls and some cold meat. He shared them with the 
 manikin, who licked his lips and said: 
 
 " Now, go into that wood and stop in front of the first 
 tree, bow three times, and then strike the tree with your 
 ax, fall on y.our knees on the ground, with your face on the 
 earth, and remain there till you are raised up. You will 
 then find a ship at your side. Step into it and fly to the 
 king's palace. If you meet anyone on the way, take him 
 with you." 
 
 The simpleton thanked the manikin very kindly, bade 
 him farewell, and went into the wood. When he got to 
 the first tree he stopped in front of it, did everything just 
 as he had been told, and, kneeling on the ground with his 
 face to the earth, fell asleep. After a little time he was 
 aroused. He woke and, rubbing his eyes, saw a ready- 
 made ship at his side, and at once got into it. And the 
 ship rose and rose, and in another ^ninute was flying through 
 the air, when the simpleton, who was on the lookout, cast 
 his eyes down on the earth and saw a man beneath him on 
 the road, who was kneeling with his ear upon the damp 
 ground. 
 
 "Halloo!" he called out. "What are you doing down 
 there?" 
 
 " I am listening to what is going on in the world," replied 
 the man. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 211 
 
 " Come with me in my ship," said the simpleton. 
 
 So the man was only too glad, and got in beside him; 
 
 id the ship flew, and flew, and flew through the air, till 
 again from his outlook the simpleton saw a man on the 
 road below who was hopping on one leg, while his other 
 leg was tied up behind his ear. So he hailed him, calling 
 out: 
 
 " Halloo ! What are you doing, hopping on one leg ? " 
 
 " I can't help it," replied the man. " I walk so fast that 
 
 unless I tied up one leg I should be at the end of the earth 
 in a bound." 
 
 " Come with us in my ship," he answered ; and the man 
 made no objections, but joined them. And the ship flew 
 on, and on, and on, till suddenly the simpleton, looking 
 down on the road below, beheld a man aiming with a gun 
 into the distance. 
 
 " Halloo ! " he shouted to him. " What are you aiming at ? 
 As far as eye can see, there is no bird in sight." 
 
 "What would be the good of taking a near shot?" re- 
 plied the man. " I can hit beast or bird at a hundred 
 miles' distance. That is the kind of a shot I enjoy." 
 
212 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 " Come into the ship with us," answered the simpleton ; 
 and the man was only too glad to join them, and he got in. 
 And the ship flew on, further and further, till again the 
 simpleton from his outlook saw a man on the road below, 
 carrying on his back a basket full of bread. And he 
 waved to him, calling out: 
 
 " Halloo ! Where are you going ? " 
 
 " To fetch bread for my breakfast." 
 
 "Bread? Why, you have got a whole basket-load of it 
 on your back." 
 
 " That's nothing," answered the man. " I should finish 
 that in one mouthful." 
 
 " Come along with us in my ship, then." 
 
 And so the glutton joined the party, and the ship mounted 
 again into the air and flew up and onward, till the simple- 
 ton from the outlook saw a man walking by the shore of 
 a great lake and evidently looking for something. 
 
 " Halloo ! " he cried to him. " What are you seeking ? " 
 
 " I want water to drink, I'm so thirsty," replied the man. 
 
 "Well, there's a whole lake in front of you. Why don't 
 you drink some of that ? " 
 
 " Do you call that enough ? " answered the other. " Why, 
 I should drink it up in one gulp." 
 
 "Well, come with us in the ship." 
 
 And so the mighty drinker was added to the company. 
 And the ship flew further and even further, till again the 
 simpleton looked out, and this time he saw a man dragging 
 a bundle of wood, walking through the forest beneath then. 
 
 " Halloo ! " he shouted to him. " Why are you carrying 
 wood through a forest ? " 
 
 " This is not common wood," answered the other. 
 
 " What sort of wood is it, then ? " said the simpleton. 
 
 " If you throw it upon the ground," said the man, " it 
 will be changed into an army of soldiers." 
 
 " Come into the ship with us, then." 
 
 And so he too joined them. And away the ship flew on, 
 and on, and on, and once more the simpleton looked out, 
 and this time he saw a man carrying straw upon his back. 
 
 " Halloo ! Where are you carrying that straw to ? " 
 
 " To the village," said the man. 
 
 "Do you mean to say there is no straw in the village?" 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 213 
 
 "Ah! but this is quite a peculiar straw. If you strew 
 it about, even in the hottest summer, the air at once becomes 
 cold, and the snow falls, and the people freeze." 
 
 Then the simpleton asked him also to join them. 
 
 At last the ship, with its strange crew, arrived at the 
 king's court. The king was having his dinner, but he at 
 once dispatched one of his courtiers to find out what the 
 huge strange new bird could be that had come flying through 
 the air. The courtier peeped into the ship, and, seeing what 
 it was, instantly went back to the king and told him that it 
 was a flying ship and that it was manned by a few peasants. 
 
 Then the king remembered his royal oath; but he made 
 
 The Comrades in the Flying Ship Meet the Drinker 
 
 up his mind that he would never consent to let the prin- 
 cess marry a poor peasant. So he thought and thought, 
 and then said to himself, " I will give him some impossible 
 tasks to perform; that will be the best way of getting rid 
 of him." And he then and there decided to dispatch one 
 of his courtiers to the simpleton, with the command that 
 
214 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 he was to fetch the king the healing water from the world's 
 end before he had finished his dinner. 
 
 But while the king was still instructing the courtier 
 exactly what he was to say, the first man of the ship's 
 company, the one with the miraculous power of hearing, 
 had overheard the king's words and hastily reported them 
 to the poor simpleton. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " he cried, " what am I to do now ? It would 
 take me quite a year, possibly my whole life, to find the 
 water." 
 
 " Never fear," said his fleet-footed comrade. " I will fetch 
 what the king wants." 
 
 Just then the courtier arrived,, bearing the king's com- 
 mand. 
 
 "Tell his majesty," said the simpleton, "that his orders 
 shall be obeyed." And forthwith the swift runner un- 
 bound the foot that was strung up behind his ear and 
 started off, and in less than no time had reached the world's 
 end and drawn the healing water from the well. 
 
 "Dear me," he thought to himself, "that's rather tir- 
 ing! I'll just rest for a few minutes. It will be some little 
 time yet before the king has got to dessert." So he threw 
 himself down on the grass, and as the sun was very dazzling 
 he closed his eyes, and in a few seconds had fallen sound 
 asleep. 
 
 In the meantime all the ship's crew were anxiously 
 awaiting him; the king's dinner would soon be finished, 
 and their comrade had not yet returned. So the man with 
 the marvelous quiek hearing lay down and, putting his 
 ear to the ground, listened. 
 
 " That's a nice sort of fellow ! " he suddenly exclaimed. 
 " He's lying on the ground, snoring hard ! " 
 
 At this the marksman seized his gun, took aim, and fired 
 in the direction of the world's end, in order to awaken the 
 sluggard. And a moment later the swift runner reappeared 
 and, stepping on board the ship, handed the healing water to 
 the simpleton. So, while the king was still sitting at table 
 finishing his dinner, news was brought to him that his orders 
 had been obeyed to the letter. 
 
 What was to be done now? The king determined to 
 think of a still more impossible task. So he told another 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 215 
 
 courtier to go to the simpleton with the command that he 
 and his comrades were instantly to eat up twelve oxen and 
 twelve tons of bread. Once more the sharp-eared comrade 
 overheard the king's words while he was still talking to the 
 courtier, and reported them to the simpleton. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " he sighed, " what in the world shall I do ? 
 Why, it would take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to 
 eat up twelve whole oxen and twelve tons of bread." 
 
 "Never fear," said the glutton. "It will scarcely be 
 enough for me, I'm so hungry." 
 
 So when the courtier arrived with the royal message he 
 was told to take word back to the king that his orders 
 should be obeyed. Then twelve roasted oxen and twelve 
 tons of bread were brought alongside of the ship, and at 
 one sitting the glutton had devoured it. 
 
 "I call that a small meal," he said. "I wish they'd 
 brought me some more." 
 
 Next the king ordered that forty casks of wine, contain- 
 ing forty gallons each, were to be drunk up on the spot by 
 the simpleton and his party. When these words were 
 overheard by the sharp-eared comrade and repeated to the 
 simpleton he was in despair. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " he exclaimed, " what is to be done ? It 
 would take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to drink so 
 much." 
 
 " Never fear," said his thirsty comrade. " I'll drink it all 
 up at a gulp, see if I don't." And sure enough, when the 
 forty casks of wine containing forty gallons each were 
 brought alongside of the ship, they disappeared down the 
 thirsty comrade's throat in no time; and when they were 
 empty he remarked: 
 
 "Why, I'm still thirsty. I should have been glad of two 
 more casks." 
 
 Then the king took counsel with himself and sent an 
 order to the simpleton that he was to have a bath in a 
 bath-room at the royal palace, and after that the betrothal 
 should take place. Now, the bath-room was built of iron, 
 and the king gave orders that it was to be heated to such 
 a pitch that it would suffocate the simpleton. And so 
 when the poor silly youth entered the room he discovered 
 that the iron walls were red-hot. But fortunately his 
 
216 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 comrade with the straw on his back had entered behind 
 him, and when the door was shut upon them he scattered 
 the straw about, and suddenly the red-hot walls cooled 
 down, and it became so very cold that the simpleton could 
 scarcely bear to take a bath, and all the water in the room 
 froze. So the simpleton climbed up upon the stove, and, 
 wrapping himself up in the bath blankets, lay there the 
 whole night. And in the morning when they opened the 
 door there he lay sound and safe, singing cheerfully to 
 himself. 
 
 Now when this strange tale was told to the king he 
 became quite sad, not knowing what he should do to get 
 rid of so undesirable a son-in-law, when suddenly a bril- 
 liant idea occurred to him. 
 
 " Tell the rascal to raise me an army, now at this in- 
 stant ! " he exclaimed to one of his courtiers. " Inform him 
 at once of this, my royal will." And to himself he added, 
 " I think I shall do for him this time." 
 
 As on former occasions, the quick-eared comrade had 
 overheard the king's command and repeated it to the sim- 
 pleton. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! " he groaned, " now I am quite done for." 
 
 "ISTot at all," replied one of his comrades (the one who 
 had dragged the bundle of wood through the forest). " Have 
 you quite forgotten me ? " 
 
 In the meantime the courtier, who had run all the way 
 from the palace, reached the ship, panting and breathless, 
 and delivered the king's message. 
 
 " Good ! " remarked the simpleton, " I will raise an army 
 for the king," and he drew himself up. "But if, after 
 that, the king refuses to accept me as his son-in-law, I 
 will wage war against him and carry the princess off by 
 force." 
 
 During the night the simpleton and his comrade went 
 together into a big field, not forgetting to take the bundle 
 of wood with them, which the man spread out in all di- 
 rections, and in a moment a mighty army stood upon the 
 spot, regiment on regiment of foot and horse soldiers; the 
 bugles sounded and the drums beat, the chargers neighed, 
 and their riders put their lances in rest, and the soldiers 
 presented arms. 
 
Simpleton"8 Army before the King. 
 
218 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 In the morning when the king awoke he was startled 
 by these warlike sounds, the bugles and the drums, and 
 the clatter of the horses, and the shouts of the soldiers. 
 And stepping to the window he saw the lances gleam in the 
 sunlight and the armor and weapons glitter. And the 
 proud monarch said to himself, " I am powerless in com- 
 parison with this man." So he sent him royal robes and 
 costly jewels and commanded him to come to the palace 
 to be married to the princess. And his son-in-law put on 
 the royal robes, and he looked so grand and stately that it 
 was impossible to recognize the poor simpleton, so changed 
 was he; and the princess fell in love with him as soon as 
 ever she saw him. 
 
 Never before had so grand a wedding been seen, and 
 there was so much food and wine that even the glutton and 
 the thirsty comrade had enough to eat and drink. 
 
 THE SNOW-DAUGHTER AND THE FIRE-SON * 
 
 There were once upon a time a man and his wife, and 
 they had no children, which was a great grief to them. 
 'One winter's day, when the sun was shining brightly, the 
 couple were standing outside their cottage, and the woman 
 was looking at all the little icicles which hung from the 
 roof. She sighed, and, turning to her husband, said: "I 
 wish I had as many children as there are icicles hanging 
 there." " Nothing would please me more, either," replied 
 her husband. Then a tiny icicle detached itself from the 
 roof and dropped into the woman's mouth, who swallowed 
 it with a smile and said: "Perhaps I shall give birth to 
 a snow-child now ! " Her husband laughed at his wife's 
 strange idea, and they went back into the house. 
 
 But after a short time the woman gave birth to a little 
 girl who was as white as snow and as cold as ice. If they 
 "brought the child anywhere near the fire it screamed loudly 
 till they put it back into some cool place. The little maid 
 throve wonderfully, and in a few months she could run 
 about and speak. But she was not altogether easy to bring 
 up and gave her parents much trouble and anxiety, for the 
 *From the " Bukowinaer Tales and Legends." Von Wliolocki. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 219 
 
 summer she insisted on spending in the cellar, and in the 
 winter she would sleep outside in the snow, and the colder 
 it was the happier she seemed to be. Her father and mother 
 called her simply " our snow-daughter," and this name 
 stuck to her all her life. 
 
 One day her parents sat by the fire, talking over the 
 extraordinary behavior of their daughter, who was dis- 
 porting herself in the snow-storm that raged outside. The 
 woman sighed deeply and said: "I wish I had given birth 
 to a fire-son ! " As she said these words a spark from the 
 big wood fire flew into the woman's lap, and she said with 
 a laugh : " Now perhaps I shall give birth to a fire-son ! " 
 The man laughed at his wife's words and thought it was a 
 good joke. But he ceased to think it a joke when his wife 
 shortly afterward gave birth to a boy, who screamed lustily 
 till he was put quite close to the fire and who nearly yelled 
 himself into a fit if the snow-daughter came anywhere near 
 him. The snow-daughter herself avoided him as much as 
 she could, and always crept into a corner as far away from 
 him as possible. The parents called the boy simply "our 
 fire-son," a name which stuck to him all his life. They had 
 a great deal of trouble and worry with him too ; but he throve 
 and grew very quickly, and before he was a year old he 
 could run about and talk. He was as red as fire and as hot 
 to touch, and he always sat on the hearth quite close to the 
 fire and complained of the cold. If his sister were in the 
 room he almost crept into the flames, while the girl on her 
 part always complained of the great heat if her brother 
 were anywhere near. In summer the boy always lay out in 
 the sun, while the girl hid herself in the cellar; so it hap- 
 pened that the brother and sister came very little into contact 
 with each other in fact, they carefully avoided it.^. 
 
 Just as the girl grew up into a beautiful woman, her 
 father and mother both died, one after the other. Then the 
 fire-son, who had grown up in the meantime into a fine, 
 strong young man, said to his sister: "I am going out 
 into the world, for what is the use of remaining on here ? " 
 
 " I shall go with you," she answered, " for, except you, I 
 have no one in the world, and I have a feeling that if we 
 set out together we shall be lucky." 
 
 The fire-son said : " I love you with all my heart, but at 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 221 
 
 the same time I always freeze if you are near me, and you 
 nearly die of heat if I approach you! How shall we travel 
 about together without being odious the one to the other ? " 
 
 "Don't worry about that," replied the girl, "for I've 
 thought it all over and have settled on a plan which will 
 make us each able to bear with the other! See, I have had 
 a fur cloak made for each of us, and if we put them on 
 I shall not feel the heat so much nor you the cold." So 
 they put on the fur cloaks and set out cheerfully on their 
 way, and for the first time in their lives quite happy in 
 each other's company. 
 
 For a long time the fire-son and the snow-daughter wan- 
 dered through the world, and when at the beginning of 
 winter they came to a big wood, they determined to stay 
 there till spring. The fire-son built himself a hut, where 
 he always kept up a huge fire, while his sister, with very 
 few clothes on, stayed outside night and day. Now, it 
 happened one day that the king of the land held a hunt in 
 this wood and saw the snow-daughter wandering about in 
 the open air. He wondered very much who the beautiful 
 girl clad in such garments could be, and he stopped and 
 spoke to her. He soon learned that she could not stand 
 heat and that her brother could not endure cold. The 
 king was so charmed by the snow-daughter that he asked 
 her to be his wife. The girl consented, and the wedding 
 was held with much state. The king had a huge house of 
 ice made for his wife underground, so that even in summer 
 it did not melt. But for his brother-in-law he had a house 
 built with huge ovens all around it that were kept heated 
 all day and night. The fire-son was delighted, but the per- 
 petual heat in which he lived made his body so hot that it 
 was dangerous to go too close to him. 
 
 One day the king gave a great feast and asked his brother- 
 in-law among the other guests. The fire-son did not appear 
 till everyone had assembled, and when he did everyone 
 fled outside to the open air, so intense was the heat he gave 
 forth. Then the king was very angry and said : " If I had 
 known what a lot of trouble you would have been, I would 
 never have taken you into my house." Then the fire-son re- 
 plied with a laugh : " Don't be angry, dear brother ! I love 
 heat and my sister loves cold come here and let me embrace 
 
222 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 you, and then I'll go home at once." And before the king 
 had time to reply the fire-son seized him in a tight embrace. 
 The king screamed aloud in agony, and when his wife, the 
 snow-daughter, who had taken refuge from her brother in 
 the next room, hurried to him, the king lay dead on the 
 ground, burned to a cinder. When the snow-daughter saw 
 this she turned on her brother and flew at him. Then a fight 
 began, the like of which had never been seen on earth. 
 When the people, attracted by the noise, hurried to the 
 spot, they saw the snow-daughter melting into water and the 
 fire-son burning to a cinder. And so ended the unhappy 
 brother and sister. 
 
 THE' STOKY OF KING FBOST* 
 
 There was once upon a time a peasant woman who had a 
 daughter and a stepdaughter. The daughter had her own 
 way in everything, and whatever she did was right in her 
 mother's eyes; but the poor stepdaughter had a hard time. 
 Let her do what she would, she was always blamed, and got 
 small thanks for all the trouble she took; nothing was 
 right, everything wrong; and yet, if the truth were known, 
 the girl was worth her weight in gold she was so unselfish 
 and good-hearted. But her stepmother did not like her, and 
 the poor girl's days were spent in weeping; for.it was im- 
 possible to live peacefully with the woman. The wicked 
 shrew was determined to get rid of the girl by fair means 
 or foul, and kept saying to her father : " Send her away, 
 old man; send her away anywhere so that my eyes shan't 
 be plagued any longer by the sight of her or my ears tor- 
 mented by the sound of her voice. Send her out into the 
 fields and let the cutting frost do for her." 
 
 In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her 
 pity; she was firm, and he dared not gainsay her. So he 
 placed his daughter in a sledge, not even daring to give 
 her a horse-cloth to keep herself warm with, and drove 
 her out on to the bare, open fields, where he kissed her 
 and left her, driving home as fast as he could, that he 
 might not witness her miserable death. 
 * From the Bussian. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 223 
 
 Deserted by her father, the poor girl sat down under a 
 fir tree at the edge of the forest and began to weep silently. 
 Suddenly she heard a faint sound: it was King Frost 
 springing from tree to tree and cracking his fingers as he 
 went. At length he reached the fir tree beneath which 
 she was sitting, and with a crisp, crackling sound he alighted 
 beside her and looked at her lovely face. 
 
 " Well, maiden," he snapped out, " do you know who 
 I am? I am King Frost, king of the red-noses." 
 
 " All hail to you, great king ! " answered the girl in a gen- 
 tle, trembling voice. " Have you come to take me ? " 
 
 " Are you warm, maiden ? " he replied. 
 
 " Quite warm, King Frost," she answered, though she 
 shivered as she spoke. 
 
 Then King Frost stooped down and bent over the girl, 
 and the crackling sound grew louder and the air seemed 
 to be full of knives and darts; and again he asked: 
 
 " Maiden, are you warm ? Are you warm, you beautiful 
 girl?" 
 
 And though her breath was almost frozen on her lips, she 
 whispered gently : " Quite warm, King Frost." 
 
 Then King Frost gnashed his teeth and cracked his fin- 
 gers, and his eyes sparkled, and the crackling, crisp sound 
 was louder than ever, and for the last time he asked 
 her: 
 
 " Maiden, are you still warm ? Are you still warm, little 
 love?" 
 
 And the poor girl was so stiff and numb that she could 
 just gasp: " Still warm, O King! " 
 
 Now, her gentle, courteous words and her uncomplaining 
 ways touched King Frost and he had pity on her, and he 
 wrapped her up in furs and covered her with blankets, and 
 he fetched a great box, in which were beautiful jewels 
 and a rich robe embroidered in gold and silver. And she 
 put it on and looked more lovely than ever, and King Frost 
 stepped with her into his sledge with six white horses. 
 
 In the meantime the wicked stepmother was waiting at 
 home for news of the girl's death and preparing pancakes 
 for the funeral feast. And she said to her husband : " Old 
 man, you had better go out into the fields and find your 
 daughter's body and bury her." Just as the old man was 
 
224 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 leaving the house the little dog tinder the table began to 
 bark, saying: 
 
 " Your daughter shall live to be your delight ; 
 Her daughter shall die this very night." 
 
 " Hold your tongue, you foolish beast ! " scolded the 
 woman. " There's a pancake for you, but you must say : 
 
 " ' Her daughter rl<all have much silver and gold ; 
 His daughter is rrozen quite stiff and cold.' " 
 
 But the doggie ate up the pancake and barked, saying: 
 
 " His daughter shall wear a crown on her head ; 
 Her daughter shall die unwooed, unwed." 
 
 Then the old woman tried to coax the doggie with more 
 pancakes and to terrify it with blows, but he barked on, 
 
 always repeating the same words. And suddenly the door 
 creaked and flew open and a great heavy chest was pushed 
 in, and behind it came the stepdaughter, radiant and beauti- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 225 
 
 ful, in a dress all glittering with silver and gold. For a mo- 
 ment the stepmother's eyes were dazzled. Then she called 
 to her husband : " Old man, yoke the horses at once into 
 the sledge, and take my daughter to the same field and 
 leave her on the same spot exactly." And so the old man 
 took the girl and left her beneath the same tree where he 
 had parted from his daughter. In a few minutes King Frost 
 came past, and, looking at the girl, he said: 
 
 " Are you warm, maiden ? " 
 
 "What a blind old fool you must be to ask such a ques- 
 tion!" she answered angrily. "Can't you see that my 
 hands and feet are nearly frozen ? " 
 
 Then King Frost sprang to and fro in front of her, ques- 
 tioning her, and getting only rude, rough words in reply, 
 till at last he got very angry, and cracked his fingers, and 
 gnashed his teeth, and froze her to death. 
 
 But in the hut her mother was waiting for her return, 
 and as she grew impatient she said to her husband : " Get 
 out the horses, old man, to go and fetch her home; but see 
 that you are careful not to upset the sledge and lose the 
 chest." 
 
 But the doggie beneath the table began to bark, saying: 
 
 " Your daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold, 
 And shall never have a chestful of gold." 
 
 " Don't tell such wicked lies ! " scolded the woman. 
 " There's a cake for you ; now say. 
 
 " ' Her daughter shall marry a mighty king.' " 
 
 At that moment the door flew open and she rushed out 
 to meet her daughter, and as she took her frozen body ia 
 her arms she too was chilled to death. 
 
 THE DEATH OF THE SUN-HEEO* 
 
 Many, many thousand years ago there lived a mighty 
 king whom Heaven had blessed with a clever and beauti- 
 ful son. When he was only ten years old the boy was 
 
 *From the "Bukowinaer Tales and Legends." Voii Wliolocki. 
 
226 THE YELLOW FAIET BOOK. 
 
 cleverer than all the king's counselors put together, and 
 when he was twenty he was the greatest hero in the whole 
 kingdom. His father could not make enough of his son, 
 and always had him clothed in golden garments which 
 shone and sparkled like the sun; and his mother gave him 
 a white horse which never slept and which flew like the 
 wind. All the people in the land loved him dearly, and 
 called him the sun-hero, for they did not think his like 
 existed under the sun. Now, it happened one night that 
 both his parents had the same extraordinary dream. They 
 dreamed that a girl all dressed in red had come to them and 
 said : " If you wish that your son should really become the 
 sun-hero in deed and not only in name, let him go out into 
 the world and search for the tree of the sun, and when he 
 has found it, let him pluck a golden apple from it and bring 
 it home." 
 
 When the king and queen had each related their dreams 
 to the other, they were much amazed that they should both 
 have dreamed exactly the same about their son, and the 
 king said to his wife : " This is clearly a sign from Heaven 
 that we should send our son out into the world in order that 
 he may come home the great sun-hero, as the red girl said, 
 not only in name, but in deed." 
 
 The queen consented with many tears, and the king at 
 once bade his son set forth in search of the tree of the sun, 
 from which he was to pluck a golden apple. The prince 
 was delighted at the prospect, and set out on his travels that 
 very day. 
 
 For a long time he wandered all through the world, and 
 it was not until the ninety-ninth day after he started that he 
 found an old man who was able to tell him where the tree 
 of the sun grew. He followed his directions and rode on 
 his way, and after another ninety-nine days he arrived at a 
 golden castle which stood in the middle of a vast wilder- 
 ness. He knocked at the door, which was opened noise- 
 lessly and by invisible hands. Finding no one about, the 
 prince rode on and came to a great meadow, where the tree 
 of the sun grew. When he reached the tree he put out his 
 hand to pick a golden apple; but all of a sudden the tree 
 grew higher, so that he could not reach its fruit. Then he 
 heard someone behind him laughing. Turning round, he 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 227 
 
 saw the girl in red walking toward him, who addressed him 
 in these words : 
 
 " Do you really imagine, brave son of the earth, that you 
 can pluck an apple so easily from the tree of the sun? 
 Before you can do that you have a difficult task before you. 
 You must guard the tree for nine days and nine nights 
 from the ravages of two wild black wolves who will try to 
 harm it. Do you think you can undertake this ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered the sun-hero, " I will guard the tree of the 
 sun nine days and nine nights." 
 
 Then the girl continued : " Remember, though, if you do 
 not succeed the sun will kill you. Now begin your watch." 
 
 With these words the red girl went back into the golden 
 castle. She had hardly left him when the two black 
 wolves appeared; but the sun-hero beat them off with his 
 sword, and they retired only, however, to reappear in a 
 very short time. The sun-hero chased them away once 
 more, but he had hardly sat down to rest when the two 
 black wolves were on the scene again. This went on for 
 seven days and nights, when the white horse, who had 
 never done such a thing before, turned to the sun-hero and 
 said in a human voice: "Listen to what I am going to say. 
 A fairy gave me to your mother in order that I might be of 
 
228 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 service to you ; so let me tell you that if you go to sleep and 
 let the wolves harm the tree the sun will surely kill you. 
 The fairy, foreseeing this, put everyone in the world under a 
 spell, which prevents their obeying the sun's command to 
 take your life. But all the same she has forgotten one per- 
 son, who will certainly kill you if you fall asleep and let the 
 wolves damage the tree. So watch and keep the wolves 
 away." 
 
 Then the sun-hero strove with all his might and kept the 
 black wolves at bay, and conquered his desire to sleep; but 
 on the eighth night his strength failed him and he fell fast 
 asleep. When he awoke a woman in black stood beside 
 him, who said: "You have fulfilled your task very badly, 
 for you have let the two black wolves damage the tree of 
 the sun. I am the mother of the sun, and I command you 
 to ride away from here at once, and I pronounce sentence 
 of death upon you, for you proudly let yourself be called 
 the sun-hero without having done anything to deserve the 
 name." 
 
 The youth mounted his horse sadly and rode home. 
 The people all thronged around him on his return, anxious 
 to hear his adventures, but he told them nothing, and only 
 to his mother did he confide what had befallen him. But 
 the old queen laughed and said to her son : " Don't worry, 
 my child. You see, the fairy has protected you so far, and 
 the sun has found no one to kill you. So cheer up and be 
 happy." 
 
 After a time the prince forgot all about his adventure 
 and married a beautiful princess, with whom he lived very 
 happily for some time. But one day when he was out 
 hunting he felt very thirsty, and coming to a stream he 
 stooped down to drink from it, and this caused his death, 
 for a crab came swimming up and tore outg skr aat Tk. 
 for a crab came swimming up and with its claws tore out 
 his tongue. He was carried home in a dying condition, 
 and as he lay on his death-bed the black woman appeared 
 and said : " So the sun has, after all, found someone who 
 was not under the fairy's spell, who has caused your death, 
 who wrongfully assumes a title to which he has no right" 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 229 
 
 THE WITCH* 
 
 Once upon a time there was a peasant whose wife died, 
 leaving him with two children, twins, a boy and a girl. 
 For some years the poor man lived on alone with the chil- 
 dren, caring for them as best he could; but everything in 
 the house seemed to go wrong without a woman to look 
 after it, and at last he made up his mind to marry again, 
 feeling that a wife would bring peace and order to his 
 household and take care of his motherless children. So he 
 married, and in the following years several children were 
 born to him. But peace and order did not come to the 
 household, for the stepmother was very cruel to the twins, 
 and beat them, and half starved them, and constantly drove 
 them out of the house; for her one idea was to get them 
 out of the way. All day she thought of nothing but how 
 she should get rid of them, and at last an evil idea came 
 into her head, and she determined to send them out into the 
 great gloomy wood where a wicked witch lived. And so 
 one morning she spoke to them, saying : 
 
 " You have been such good children that I am going to send 
 you to visit my granny, who lives in a dear little hut in the 
 wood. You will have to wait upon her and serve her, but 
 you will be well rewarded, for she will give you the best 
 of everything.''* 
 
 So the children left the house together, and the little 
 sister, who was very wise for her years, said to the brother : 
 
 " We will first go and see our own dear grandmother and 
 tell her where our stepmother is sending us." 
 
 And when the grandmother had heard where they were 
 going she cried and said: 
 
 " You poor motherless children ! How I pity you ; and 
 yet I can do nothing to help you! Your stepmother is not 
 sending you to her granny, but to a wicked witch who 
 lives in that great gloomy wood. Now listen to me, chil- 
 dren. You must be civil and kind to everyone, and never 
 say a cross word to anyone and never touch a crumb be- 
 longing to anyone else. Who knows if, after all, help may 
 not be sent to you ? " 
 
 * From the Russian. 
 
230 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 And she gave her grandchildren a bottle of milk, and a 
 piece of ham and a loaf of bread, and they set out for the 
 great gloomy wood. When they reached it they saw ii? 
 front of them, in the thickest of the trees, a queer little hut, 
 and when they looked into it there lay the witch, with her 
 head on the threshold of the door, with one foot in one 
 corner and the other in the other corner, and her knees 
 cocked up, almost touching the ceiling. 
 
 " Who's there ? " she snarled in an awful voice when she 
 saw the children. 
 
 And they answered civilly, though they were so terrified 
 that they hid behind one another, and said : 
 
 "Good-morning, granny. Our stepmother has sent us 
 to wait upon you and serve you." 
 
 " See that you do it well, then," growled the witch. 
 
 "If I am pleased with you I'll reward you; but if I am 
 not I'll put you in a pan and fry you in the oven that's 
 what I'll do with you, my pretty dears! You have been 
 gently reared, but you'll find my work hard enough. See if 
 you don't." 
 
 And so saying, she set the girl down to spin yarn and 
 she gave the boy a sieve in which to carry water from the 
 well, and she herself went out into the wood. Now, as 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 231 
 
 the girl was sitting at her distaff, weeping bitterly because 
 she could not spin, she heard the sound of hundreds of 
 little feet, and from every hole and corner in the hut mice 
 came pattering along the floor, squeaking and saying: 
 
 " Little girl, why are your eyes so red? 
 If you want help, then give us some bread." 
 
 And the girl gave them the bread that her grandmother 
 had given her. Then the mice told her that the witch had 
 a cat, and the cat was very fond of ham; if she would give 
 the cat her ham it would show her the way out of the wood, 
 and in the meantime they would spin the yarn for her. 
 So the girl set out to look for the cat, and as she was 
 hunting about she met her brother, in great trouble because 
 he could not carry water from the well in a sieve, as it 
 came pouring out as fast as he put it in. And as she was 
 trying to comfort him they heard a rustling of wings, and 
 a flight of wrens alighted on the ground beside them. And 
 the wrens said: 
 
 Give us some crumbs, then you need not grieve, 
 ^For you'll find that water will stay in a sieve." 
 
 Then the twins crumbled their bread on the ground, and 
 the wrens pecked it and chirruped and chirped. And when 
 they had eaten the last crumb they told the boy to fill up the 
 holes of the sieve with clay and then to draw water from the 
 well. So he did what they said, and carried the sieve full 
 of water into the hut without spilling a drop. When they 
 entered the hut the cat was curled up on the floor. So they 
 stroked her, and fed her with ham, and said to her : 
 
 " Pussy, gray pussy, tell us how we are to get away from 
 the witch." 
 
 Then the cat thanked them for the ham and gave them 
 a pocket-handkerchief and a comb, and told them that when 
 the witch pursued them, as she certainly would, all they had 
 to do was to throw the handkerchief on the ground and 
 run as fast as they could. As soon as the handkerchief 
 touched the ground a deep, broad river would spring up, 
 which would hinder the witch's progress. If she managed 
 to get across it, they must throw the comb behind them and 
 run for their lives, for where the comb fell a dense forest 
 
232 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 would start up, which would delay the witch so long that 
 would be able to get safely away. 
 
 The cat had scarcely finished speaking when the witch 
 returned to see if the children had fulfilled their tasks. 
 
 " Well, you have done well enough for to-day," she 
 grumbled, " but to-morrow you'll have something more diffi- 
 cult to do, and if you don't do it well, you pampered brats, 
 .straight into the oven you go." 
 
 Half-dead with fright and trembling in every limb, the 
 poor children lay down to sleep on a heap of straw in the 
 corner of the hut; but they dared not close their eyes and 
 scarcely ventured to breathe. In the morning the witch 
 ; gave the girl two pieces of linen to weave before night and 
 the boy a pile of wood to cut into chips. Then the witch 
 left them to their tasks and went out into the wood. As 
 soon as she had gone out of sight the children took the 
 comb and the handkerchief, and taking one another by 
 the hand they started and ran, and ran, and ran. And 
 first they met the watch-dog, who was going to leap on 
 them, and tear them to pieces; but they threw the remains 
 of their bread to him, and he ate them and wagged his tail. 
 Then they were hindered by the birch trees, whose 
 branches almost put their eyes out. But the little sister tied 
 the twigs together with a piece of ribbon and they got 
 past safely, and after running through the wood came out 
 on to the open fields. 
 
 In the meantime in the hut the cat was busy weaving 
 the linen and tangling the threads as it wove. The witch 
 returned to see how the children were getting on, and she 
 crept up to the window and whispered: 
 
 " Are you weaving, my little dear ? " 
 
 "Yes, granny, I am weaving," answered the cat. 
 
 When the witch saw that the children had escaped her 
 she was furious, and hitting the cat with a porringer she 
 said : " Why did you let the children leave the hut ? Why 
 did you not scratch their eyes out ? " 
 
 But the cat curled up its tail and put its back up and 
 answered: "I have served you all these years, and you 
 never even threw me a bone, but the dear children gave 
 me their own piece of ham." 
 
 Then the witch was furious with the watch-dog and with 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 283 
 
 the birch tree because they had let the children pass. But 
 the dog answered: 
 
 "I have served you all these years and you never gave 
 me so much as a hard crust, but the dear children gave me 
 their own loaf of bread." 
 
 And the birch rustled its leaves and said : " I have served 
 you longer than I can say, and you never even tied a bit of 
 twine round my branches; and the dear children bound 
 them up with their brightest ribbons." 
 
 So the witch saw there was no help to be got from her 
 old servants, and that the best thing she could do was to 
 mount on her broom and set off in pursuit of the children. 
 
 The Comb Grows into a Forest. 
 
 And as the children ran they heard the sound of the broom 
 sweeping the ground close behind them, so instantly they 
 threw the handkerchief down over their shoulder, and in a 
 moment a deep, broad river flowed behind them. 
 
 When the witeh came up to it, it took her a long time be- 
 fore she found a place where she could ford over on her 
 broomstick; but at last she got across and continued the 
 chase faster than before. And as the children ran they 
 heard a sound, and the little sister put her ear to the 
 ground and heard the broom sweeping the earth close be- 
 hind them; so, quick as thought, she threw the comb down 
 
234 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 on the ground, and in an instant, as the cat had said, a 
 dense forest sprang up, in which the roots and branches 
 were so closely intertwined that it was impossible to force 
 a way through it. So when the witch came up to it on her 
 broom, she found there was nothing for it but to turn 
 round and go back to her hut. 
 
 But the twins ran straight on till they reached their own 
 home. Then they told their father all they had suffered, 
 and he was so angry with their stepmother that he drove 
 her out of the house and never let her return; but he and 
 the children lived happily together, and he took care of 
 them himself and never let a stranger come near them. 
 
 THE HAZEL-NUT CHILD * 
 
 There was once upon a time a couple who had no chil- 
 dren, and they prayed Heaven every day to send them 
 a child, though it were no bigger than a hazel-nut. At 
 last Heaven heard their prayer and sent them a child 
 exactly the size of a hazel-nut, and it never grew an inch. 
 The parents were very devoted to the little creature and 
 nursed and tended it carefully. Their tiny son, too, was 
 as clever as he could be, and so sharp and sensible that all 
 the neighbors marveled over the wise things he said and 
 did. 
 
 When the hazel-nut child was fifteen years old and was 
 sitting one day in an egg-shell on the table beside his 
 mother, she turned to him and said: "You are now fifteen 
 years old and nothing can be done with you. What do you 
 intend to be?" 
 
 " A messenger," answered the hazel-nut child. 
 
 Then his mother burst out laughing and said : " What 
 an idea! You a messenger! Why, your little feet would 
 take an hour to go the distance an ordinary person could 
 do in a minute ! " 
 
 But the hazel-nut child replied: "Nevertheless, I mean 
 to be a messenger ! Just send me with a message and you'll 
 see that I shall be back in next to no time." 
 
 So his mother said: "Very well. Go to your aunt in 
 * From the " Bukowinaer." Von Wliolocki. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 235 
 
 the neighboring village and fetch me a comb." The hazel- 
 nut child jumped quickly out of the egg-shell and ran out 
 into the street. Here he found a man on horseback who 
 was just setting out for the neighboring village. He crept 
 up the horse's leg, sat down under the saddle, and then 
 began to pinch the horse and to prick it with a pin. The 
 horse plunged and reared and then set off at a hard gallop, 
 which it continued in spite of its rider's efforts to stop it. 
 When they reached the village the hazel-nut child left off 
 pricking the horse, and the poor tired creature pursued its 
 way at a snail's pace. The hazel-nut child took advantage 
 of this and crept down the horse's leg; then he ran to his 
 aunt and asked her for a comb. On the way home he met 
 another rider and did the return journey in exactly the 
 same way. When he handed his mother the comb that 
 his aunt had given him she was much amazed and asked 
 him : " But how did you manage to get back so quickly ? " 
 
 " Ah, mother ! " he replied, " you see, I was quite right 
 when I said I knew a messenger was the profession for 
 me." 
 
 His father possessed a horse which he often used to take 
 out into the fields to graze. One day he took the hazel-nut 
 child with him. At midday the father turned to his small 
 son and said " Stay here and look after the horse. I must 
 go home and give your mother a message, but I shall be 
 back soon." 
 
 When his father had gone a robber passed by and saw the 
 horse grazing without anyone watching it, for of course 
 he could not see the hazel-nut child hidden in the grass. So 
 he mounted the horse and rode away. But the hazel-nut 
 child, who was the most active little creature, climbed up the 
 horse's tail and began to bite it on the back, enraging the 
 creature to such an extent that it paid no attention to the 
 direction the robber tried to make it go in, but galloped 
 straight home. The father was much astonished when he 
 saw a stranger riding his horse, but the hazel-nut child 
 climbed down quickly and to4d him all that had happened, 
 and his father had the robber arrested at once and put into 
 prison. 
 
 One autumn when the hazel-nut child was twenty years old 
 he said to his parents, " Farewell, my dear father and mother. 
 
236 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 I am going to set out into the world, and as soon as I have 
 become rich I will return home to you." 
 
 The parents laughed at the little man's words, but did not 
 believe him for a moment. In the evening the hazel-nut 
 child crept on to the roof, where some storks had built their 
 
 t be BlacH, King's Qift. 
 
 nest. The storks were fast asleep, and he climbed on to the 
 back of the father stork and bound a silk cord round the joint 
 of one of its wings; then he crept among its soft, downy 
 feathers and fell asleep. 
 
 The next morning the storks flew toward the south, for 
 winter was approaching. The hazel-nut child flew through 
 the air on the stork's back, and when he wanted to rest he 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 237 
 
 bound his silk cord on to the joint of the bird's other wing, 
 so that it could not fly any further. In this way he reached 
 the country of the black people, where the storks took up 
 their abode close to the capital. When the people saw the 
 hazel-nut child they were much astonished and took him with 
 the stork to the king of the country. The king was de- 
 lighted with the little creature and kept him always beside 
 him, and he soon grew so fond of the little man that he gave 
 him a diamond four times as big as himself. The hazel-nut 
 child fastened tbe diamond firmly under the stork's neck 
 with a ribbon, and when he saw that the other storks were 
 getting ready for their northern flight he untied the silk 
 cord from his stork's wings, and away they went, getting 
 nearer home every minute. At length the hazel-nut child 
 came to his native village; then he undid the ribbon from 
 the stork's neck and the diamond fell to the ground; he cov- 
 ered it first with sand and stones, and then ran to get 
 his parents, so that they might carry the treasure home, 
 for he himself was not able to lift the great diamond. 
 
 So the hazel-nut child and his parents lived in happinesa 
 and prosperity after this till they dred. 
 
 BIG KLAUS A1STD LITTLE KLAUS. 
 
 In a certain village there lived two people who had both 
 the same name. Both were called Klaus, but one owned 
 four horses and the other only one. In order to distinguish 
 the one from the other, the one who had four horses was 
 called Big Klaus and the one who had only one horse 
 Little Klaus. Now you shall hear what befell them both, 
 for this is a true story. 
 
 The whole week through Little Klaus had to plow for 
 Big Klaus and lend him his own horse; then Big Klaus 
 lent him his four horses, but only once a week, and that 
 was on Sunday. Hurrah! how loudly Little Klaus cracked 
 his whip over all the five horses! for indeed they were as 
 good as his own on this one day. The sun shone brightly and 
 all the bells in the church-towers were pealing; the people 
 were dressed in their best clothes and were going to church, 
 with their hymn-books under their arms, to hear the 
 
238 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 minister preach. They saw Little Klaus plowing with the 
 five horses; but he was so happy that he kept on cracking 
 his whip and calling out, " Gee-up, my five horses ! " 
 
 "You mustn't say that," said Big Klaus. "Only one 
 horse is yours." 
 
 But as soon as someone else was going by Little Klaus 
 forgot that he must not say it and called out " Gee-up, my 
 five horses ! " 
 
 "Now, you had better stop that," said Big Klaus, "for 
 if you say it once more I will give your horse such a crack 
 on the head that it will drop down dead on the spot ! " 
 
 " I really won't say it again ! " said Little Klaus. But 
 as soon as more people passed by and nodded him good- 
 morning, he became so happy in thinking how well it 
 looked to have five horses plowing his field that, cracking 
 his whip, he called out " Gee-up, my five horses ! " 
 
 " I'll see to your horses ! " said Big Klaus ; and seizing an 
 iron bar he struck Little Klaus' one horse such a blow on 
 the head that it fell down and died on the spot. 
 
 " Alas ! ISTow I have no horse ! " said Little Klaus, 
 beginning to cry. Then he flayed the skin off his horse, 
 dried it, and put it in a sack, which he threw over his 
 shoulder, and went into the town to sell it. He had a 
 long way to go and had to pass through a great dark 
 forest. A dreadful storm came on, in which he lost his 
 way, and before he could get on to the right road night 
 came on, and it was impossible to reach the town that 
 evening. 
 
 Right in front of him was a large farmhouse. The 
 window-shutters were closed, but the light came through 
 the chinks. "I should very much like to be allowed to 
 spend the night there," thought Little Klaus, and he went 
 and knocked at the door. The farmer's wife opened it, 
 but when she heard what he wanted she told him to go 
 away; her husband was not at home, and she took in no 
 strangers. 
 
 "Well, I must lie down outside," said Little Klaus; and 
 the farmer's wife shut the door in his face. Close by stood 
 a large hay-stack, and between it and the house a little out- 
 house covered with a flat thatched roof. 
 
 "I can lie down here," thought Little Klaus, looking at 
 
240 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 the roof ; " it will make a splendid bed if only the stork 
 won't fly down and bite my legs." For a live stork was 
 standing on the roof, where it had its nest. So Little Klaus 
 crept up into the outhouse where he lay down, and made 
 himself comfortable for the night. The wooden shutters 
 over the windows were not shut at the top, and he could just 
 see into the room. 
 
 There stood a large table, spread with wine and roast 
 meat and a beautiful fish. The farmer's wife and the sexton 
 sat at the table, but there was no one else. She was filling 
 up his glass, while he stuck his fork into the fish, which 
 was his favorite dish. 
 
 " If one could only get some of that ! " thought Little 
 Klaus, stretching his head toward the window. Ah, what 
 delicious cakes he saw standing there! It was a feast! 
 
 Then he heard someone riding along the road toward 
 the house. It was the farmer coming home. He was a 
 very worthy man, but he had one great peculiarity namely, 
 that he could not bear to see a sexton. If he saw one he 
 was made quite mad. That was why the sexton had gone 
 to say good-day to the farmer's wife when he knew that her 
 husband was not at home, and the good woman therefore 
 put in front of him the best food she had. But when they 
 heard the farmer coming they were frightened, and the far- 
 mer's wife begged the sexton to creep into a great empty 
 chest. He did so, as he knew the poor man could not bear 
 to see a sexton. The wife hastily hid all the beautiful food 
 and the wine in her oven, for if her husband had seen it, he 
 would have been sure to ask what it all meant. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! " groaned little Klaus up in the 
 shed when he saw the good food disappearing. 
 
 " Is anybody up there ? " asked the farmer, catching sight 
 of Little Klaus. " Why are you lying there ? Come with me 
 into the house." 
 
 Then Little Klaus told him how he had lost his way and 
 begged to be allowed to spend the night there. 
 
 "Yes, certainly," said the farmer; "but we must first 
 have something to eat ! " 
 
 The wife received them both very kindly, spread a long- 
 table, and gave them a large plate of porridge. The farmer 
 was hungry and ate with good appetite, but Little Klaus 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 241 
 
 could not help thinking of the delicious dishes of fish and 
 roast meats and cakes which he knew were in the oven. 
 Under the table at his feet he had laid the sack with the 
 horse-skin in it, for, as we know, he was going to the town 
 to sell it. The porridge did not taste good to him, so he 
 trod upon his sack, and the dry skin in the sack squeaked 
 loudly. 
 
 " Hush ! " said Little Klaus to his sack, at the same time 
 treading on it again so that it squeaked even louder than 
 before. 
 
 " Hullo ! what have you got in your sack ? " asked the 
 farmer. 
 
 " Oh, it is a wizard ! " said Little Klaus. " He says we 
 should not eat porridge, for he has conjured the whole oven 
 full of roast meats and fish and cakes." 
 
 " Goodness me ! " said the farmer ; and opening the oven 
 he saw all the delicious, tempting dishes his wife had hid- 
 den there, but which he now believed the wizard in the 
 sack had conjured up for them. The wife could say noth- 
 ing, but she put the food at once on the table, and they ate 
 the fish, the roast meat, and the cakes. Little Klaus now 
 trod again on his sack so that the skin squeaked. 
 
 " What does he say now? " asked the farmer. 
 
 "He says," replied Little Klaus, "that he has also con- 
 jured up for us three bottles of wine. They are standing in 
 the corner by the oven ! " 
 
 The wife had to fetch the wine which she had hidden, and 
 the farmer drank and grew very merry. He would very 
 much like to have had such a wizard as Little Klaus had in 
 the sack. 
 
 " Can he conjure up the devil ? " asked the farmer. " I 
 should like to see him very much, for I feel just now in very 
 good spirits ! " 
 
 " Yes," said Little Klaus ; " my wizard can do everything 
 that I ask. Isn't that true ? " he asked, treading on the sack 
 so that it squeaked. "Do you hear? He says 'Yes'; but 
 that the devil looks so ugly that we should not like to see 
 him." 
 
 "Oh! I'm not at all afraid. What does he look like?" 
 
 " He will show himself in the shape of a sexton ! " 
 
 " I say ! " said the farmer, " he must be ugly ! You must 
 
242 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 know that I can't bear to look at a sexton! But it doesn't 
 matter. I know that it is the devil and I shan't mind! I 
 feel up to it now. But he must not come too near me ! " 
 
 "I must ask my wizard," said Little Klaus, treading on 
 the sack and putting his ear to it. 
 
 "What does he say?" 
 
 " He says you can open the chest in the corner there and 
 you will see the devil squatting inside it ; but you must hold 
 the lid so that he shall not escape." 
 
 " Will you help me to hold him ? " begged the farmer, going 
 toward the chest where his wife had hidden the real sexton, 
 
 THE-FAKtlEK-THINKS-HE-SEES-THEDEVlL' 
 IN -THE, 
 
 who was sitting inside in a terrible fright. The farmer 
 opened the lid a little way and saw him inside. 
 
 " Ugh ! " he shrieked, springing back. " Yes, now I have 
 seen him; he looked just like our sexton. Oh, it was hor- 
 rid!" 
 
 So he had to drink again, and they drank till far on into 
 the night. 
 
 "You must sell me the wizard," said the farmer. "Ask 
 anything you like ! I will pay you down a bushel of money 
 on the spot." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 243 
 
 " No, I really can't," said Little Klaus. " Just think how 
 many things I can get from this wizard ! " 
 
 " Ah ! I should like to have him so much ! " said the 
 farmer, begging very hard. 
 
 " Well ! " said Little Klaus at last, " as you have been so 
 good as to give me shelter to-night I will sell him. You shall 
 have the wizard for a bushel of money, but I must have full 
 measure." 
 
 " That you shall," said the farmer. " But you must take 
 the chest with you. I won't keep it another hour in the 
 house. Who knows that he isn't in there still ? " 
 
 Little Klaus gave the farmer his sack with the dry skin 
 and got instead a good bushel of money. The farmer also 
 gave him a wheelbarrow to carry away his money and the 
 chest. "Farewell," said Little Klaus; and away he went 
 with his money and the big chest, wherein sat the sexton. 
 
 On the other side of the wood was a large deep river. The 
 water flowed so rapidly that you could scarcely swim against 
 the stream. A great new bridge had been built over it, on 
 the middle of which Little Klaus stopped and said aloud 
 so that the sexton might hear: 
 
 "Now, what am I to do with this stupid chest? It is as 
 heavy as if it were filled with stones! I shall only be tired 
 dragging it along. I will throw it into the river. If it 
 swims home to me, well and good; and if it doesn't it's no 
 matter." 
 
 Then he took the chest with one hand and lifted it up a 
 little, as if he were going to throw it into the water. 
 
 " No, don't do that ! " called out the sexton in the chest. 
 " Let me get out first ! " 
 
 " Oh, oh ! " said Little Klaus, pretending that he was 
 afraid. "He is still in there! I must throw him quickly 
 into the water to drown him ! " 
 
 " Oh ! no, no ! " cried the sexton. " I will give you a 
 bushel of money if you will let me go ! " 
 
 "Ah, that's quite another thing!" said Little Klaus, 
 opening the chest. The sexton crept out very quickly, 
 pushed the empty chest into the water, and went to his 
 house, where he gave Little Klaus a bushel of money. One 
 he had had already from the farmer, and now he had his 
 wheelbarrow full of money. 
 
244 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 " Well, I have got a good price for the horse ! " said he ta 
 himself when he shook all his money out in a heap in his 
 room. " This will put Big Klaus in a rage when he hears 
 how rich I have become through my one horse; but I won't 
 tell him just yet ! " 
 
 So he sent a boy to Big Klaus to borrow a bushel meas- 
 ure from him. 
 
 "Now what can he want with it?" thought Big Klaus; 
 and he smeared some tar at the bottom, so that of whatever 
 was measured a little should remain in it. And this is just 
 what happened; for when he got his measure back three 
 new silver five-shilling pieces were sticking to it. 
 
 "What does this mean?" said Big Klaus, and he ran off 
 at once to Little Klaus. 
 
 " Where did you get so much money from ? " 
 
 " Oh, that was from my horse-skin. I sold it yesterday 
 evening." 
 
 " That's certainly a good price ! " said Big Klaus ; and, run- 
 ning home in great haste, he took an ax, knocked all his 
 four horses on the head, skinned them, and went into the 
 town. 
 
 " Skins ! skins ! Who will buy skins ? " he cried through 
 the streets. 
 
 All the shoemakers and tanners came running to ask him 
 what he wanted for them. " A bushel of money for each," 
 said Big Klaus. 
 
 " Are you mad ? " they all exclaimed. " Do you think we 
 have money by the bushel ? " 
 
 " Skins ! skins ! Who will buy skins ? " he cried again, 
 and to all who asked him what they cost he answered : " A 
 bushel of money." 
 
 "He is making game of us," they said; and the shoe- 
 makers seized their yard measures and the tanners their 
 leathern aprons and they gave Big Klaus a good beating. 
 " Skins ! skins ! " they cried mockingly ; " yes, we will tan 
 your skin for you ! Out of the town with him ! " they 
 shouted; and Big Klaus had to hurry off as quickly as he 
 could if he wanted to save his life. 
 
 " Aha ! " said he when he came home, " Little Klaus shall 
 pay dearly for this. I will kill him ! " 
 
 Little Klaus' grandmother had just died. Though she 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 245 
 
 had been very unkind to him he was much distressed, and 
 he took the dead woman and laid her in his warm bed to 
 try if he could not bring her back to life. There she lay 
 the whole night, while he sat in a corner and slept on a 
 chair, which he had often done before. And in the night 
 as he sat there the door opened and Big Klaus came in with 
 his ax. He knew quite well where Little Klaus' bed stood, 
 and going up to it he struck the grandmother on the head 
 
 The Shoemakers and Tanners Drive Big Klaus out of the Town. 
 
 just where he thought Little Klaus would be. "There!" 
 said he. " Now you won't get the best of me again ! " And 
 he went home. 
 
 " What a very wicked man ! " thought Little Klaus. " He 
 was going to kill me! It was a good thing for my grand- 
 mother that she was dead already, or else he would have 
 killed her!" 
 
 Then he dressed his grandmother in her Sunday clothes, 
 borrowed a horse from his neighbor, harnessed the cart to 
 it, sat his grandmother on the back seat so that she could 
 not fall out when he drove, and away they went. When 
 
246 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 the sun rose they were in front of a large inn. Little Klaus 
 got down and went in to get something to drink. The host 
 was very rich. He was a very worthy but hot-tempered 
 man. 
 
 " Good-morning ! " said he to Little Klaus. " You are early 
 on the road." 
 
 " Yes," said Little Klaus. " I am going to the town with 
 my grandmother. She is sitting outside in the cart. I can- 
 not bring her in. Will you not give her a glass of mead? 
 But you will have to speak loud, for she is very hard of 
 hearing." 
 
 " Oh, yes, certainly I will ! " said the host ; and, pouring 
 out a large glass of mead, he took it out to the dead grand- 
 mother, who was sitting upright in the cart. 
 
 "Here is a glass of mead from your son," said the host. 
 But the dead woman did not answer a word and sat still. 
 " Don't you hear ? " cried the host as loud as he could. " Here 
 is a glass of mead from your son ! " 
 
 Then he shouted the same thing again, and yet again, but 
 she never moved in her place; and at last he grew angry 
 and threw the glass in her face, so that she fell back into 
 the cart, for she was not tied in her place. 
 
 " Hullo ! " cried Little Klaus, running out of the door 
 and seizing the host by the throat. " You have killed my 
 grandmother ! Look ! there is a great hole in her forehead ! " 
 
 " Oh, what a misfortune ! " cried the host, wringing his 
 hands. " It all comes from my hot temper ! Dear Little 
 Klaus, I will give you a bushel of money and will bury 
 your grandmother as if she were my own; only don't tell 
 about it, or I shall have my head cut off, and that would 
 be very uncomfortable." 
 
 So Little Klaus got a bushel of money, and the host buried 
 his grandmother as if she had been his own. 
 
 Now, when Little Klaus again reached home with so 
 much money he sent his boy to Big Klaus to borrow his 
 bushel measure. 
 
 "What's this?" said Big Klaus. "Didn't I kill him? 
 I must see to this myself ! " 
 
 So he went himself to Little Klaus with the measure. 
 
 "Well, now, where did you get all this money?" asked 
 he, opening his eyes at the heap. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 247 
 
 " You killed my grandmother not me," said Little Klaus. 
 " I sold her and got a bushel of money for her." 
 
 " That is indeed a good price ! " said Big Klaus ; and 
 hurrying home he took an ax and killed his grandmother, 
 laid her in the cart, and drove off to the apothecary's and 
 asked whether he wanted to buy a dead body. 
 
 "Who is it and how did you get it?" asked the apothe- 
 cary. 
 
 " It is my grandmother," said Big Klaus. " I killed her in 
 order to get a bushel of money." 
 
 " You are mad ! " said the apothecary. " Don't mention 
 such things or you will lose your head ! " And he began 
 to tell him what a dreadful thing he had done, and what 
 a wicked man he was, and that he ought to be punished; 
 till Big Klaus was so frightened that he jumped into the 
 cart and drove home as hard as he could. The apothecary 
 and all the people thought he must be mad, so they let him 
 go. 
 
 " You shall pay for this ! " said Big Klaus as he 
 drove home. " You shall pay for this dearly, Little 
 Klaus ! " 
 
 So as soon as he got home he took the largest sack he 
 could find and went to Little Klaus and said: "You have 
 fooled me again! First I killed my horses, then my grand- 
 mother ! It is all your fault, but you shan't do it again ! " 
 And he seized Little Klaus, pushed him in the sack, and 
 threw it over his shoulder, crying out, " Now I am going 
 to drown you ! " 
 
 He had to go a long way before he came to the river, 
 and Little Klaus was not very light. The road passed by 
 the church; the organ was sounding and the people were 
 singing most beautifully. Big Klaus put down the sack 
 with Little Klaus in it by the church door, and thought 
 that he might as well go in and hear a psalm before going 
 on further. Little Klaus could not get out, and everybody 
 was in church; so he went in. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! " groaned Little Klaus in the sack, 
 twisting and turning himself. But he could not undo the 
 string. 
 
 There came by an old, old shepherd, with snow-white 
 hair and a long staff in his hand. He was driving a herd 
 
248 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 of COTTS and oxen. These pushed against the sack so that 
 it was overturned. 
 
 " Alas ! " moaned Little Klaus ; " I am so young and yet 
 I must die ! " 
 
 "And I, poor man," said the cattle-driver, "I am so old 
 and yet I cannot die ! " 
 
 " Open the sack," called out Little Klaus ; " creep in 
 here instead of me and you will die in a moment ! " 
 
 "I will gladly do that," said the cattle-driver; and he 
 opened the sack, and Little Klaus struggled out at once. 
 
 " You will take care of the cattle, won't you ? " asked the 
 old man, creeping into the sack, which Little Klaus fastened 
 
 up and then went on with the cows and oxen. Soon after 
 Big Klaus came out of the church, and taking up the sack on 
 his shoulders it seemed to him as if it had become lighter; 
 for the old cattle-driver was not half as heavy as Little 
 Klaus. 
 
 " How easy he is to carry now ! That must be because 
 I heard part of the service." 
 

 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 249 
 
 So he went to the river, which was deep and broad, threw 
 in the sack with the old driver, and called after it, for he 
 thought Little Klaus was inside: 
 
 " Down you go ! You won't mock me any more now ! >y 
 
 Then he went home; but when he came to the cross- 
 roads, there he met Little Klaus, who was driving his cattle. 
 
 "What's this?" said Big Klaus. "Haven't I drowned 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes," replied Little Klaus. " You threw me into the river 
 a good half -hour ago ! " 
 
 " But how did you get those splendid cattle ? " asked Big 
 Klaus. 
 
 "They are sea-cattle!" said Little Klaus. "I will tell 
 you the whole story, and I thank you for having drowned 
 me, because now I am on dry land and really rich! How 
 frightened I was when I was in the sack! How the wind 
 whistled in my ears as you threw me from the bridge into 
 the cold water! I sank at once to the bottom; but I did 
 not hurt myself, for underneath was growing the most 
 beautiful soft grass. I fell on this, and immediately the 
 sack opened; the loveliest maiden in snow-white garments, 
 with a green garland round her wet hair, took me by the 
 hand and said : * Are you Little Klaus ? Here are some 
 cattle for you to begin with, and a mile further down the 
 road there is another herd, which I will give you as a pres- 
 ent ! ' Now 1 saw that the river was a great highroad for 
 the sea-people. Along it they traveled underneath from the 
 sea to the land till the river ends. It was so beautiful, full 
 of flowers and fresh grass; the fishes which were swimming 
 in the water shot past my ears as the birds do here in the 
 air. What lovely people there were, and what fine cattle 
 were grazing in the ditches and dikes ! " 
 
 "But why did you come up to us again?" asked Big 
 Klaus. " I should not have done so if it is so beautiful down 
 below ! " 
 
 " Oh ! " said Little Klaus, " that was just so politic of me, 
 You heard what I told you, that the sea-maiden said to me 
 a mile further along the road and by the road she meant 
 the river, for she can go by no other way there was another 
 herd of cattle waiting for me. But I know what windings 
 the river makee, now here, now there, so that it is a long 
 
250 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 way round. Therefore, it makes it much shorter if one comes 
 on the land and drives across the field to the river. Thus 
 I have spared myself quite half a mile and have come much 
 quicker to my sea-cattle ! " 
 
 " Oh, you're a lucky fellow ! " said Big Klaus. "Do you 
 think I should also get some cattle if I went to the bottom 
 of the river?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ! I think so," said Little Klaus. " But I can't 
 carry you in a sack to the river; you are too heavy for me! 
 If you like to go there yourself and then creep into the 
 sack, I will throw you in with the greatest pleasure." 
 
 "Thank you," said Big Klaus; "but if I don't get any 
 sea-cattle when I come there, you will have a good hiding, 
 mind!" 
 
 " Oh, no ! Don't be so hard on me ! " 
 
 Then they went to the river. When the cattle, which were 
 thirsty, caught sight of the water, they ran as quickly as 
 they could to drink. 
 
 " Look how they are running ! " said Little Klaus. " They 
 want to go to the bottom again ! " 
 
 " Yes ; but help me first," said Big Klaus, " or else you 
 shall have a beating ! " 
 
 And so he crept into the large sack, which was lying on 
 the back of one of the oxen. " Put a stone in, for I am 
 afraid I may not reach the bottom," said Big Klaus. 
 
 " It goes all right ! " said Little Klaus ; but still he laid 
 a big stone in the sack, fastened it up tight, and then pushed 
 it in. Plump ! there was Big Klaus in the water, and he sank 
 like lead to the bottom. 
 
 "I doubt if he will find any cattle! " said Little Klaus as 
 he drove his own home. 
 
 PEIISTCE RING * 
 
 Once upon a time there were a king and his queen in 
 their kingdom. They had one daughter, who was called 
 Ingiborg, and one son, whose name was Ring. He was less 
 fond of adventures than men of rank usually were in those 
 .days, and was not famous for strength or feats of arms. 
 * From the Icelandic. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 251 
 
 When lie was twelve years old, one fine winter day he rode 
 into the forest along with his men to enjoy himself. They 
 went on a long way, until they caught sight of a hind with 
 a gold ring on its horns. The prince was eager to catch it 
 if possible, so they gave chase and rode on without stopping, 
 until all the horses began to founder beneath them. At last 
 the prince's horse gave way too, and then there came over 
 them a darkness so black that they could no longer see the 
 hind. By this time they were far away from any house, 
 and thought it was high time to be making their way home 
 again, but they found they had got lost now. At first they 
 all kept together, but soon each began to think that he 
 knew the right way best; so they separated, and all went in 
 different directions. 
 
 The prince, too, had got lost like the rest, and wandered 
 on for a time until he came to a little clearing in the forest 
 not far from the sea, where he saw a woman sitting on a 
 chair and a big barrel standing beside her. The prince went 
 up to her and saluted her politely, and she received him 
 very graciously. He looked down into the barrel then and 
 saw lying at the bottom an unusually beautiful gold ring, 
 which pleased him so much that he could not take his eyes 
 off it. The woman saw this and said that he might have it 
 if he would take the trouble to get it; for which the prince 
 thanked her and said it was at least worth trying. So he 
 leaned over into the barrel, which did not seem very deep, 
 and thought he would easily reach the ring ; but the more he 
 stretched down after it the deeper grew the barrel. As he 
 was thus bending down into it the woman suddenly rose 
 up and pushed him in head first, saying that now he could 
 take up his quarters there. Then she fixed the top on the 
 barrel and threw it out into the sea. 
 
 The prince thought himself in a bad plight now as he felt 
 the barrel floating out from the land and tossing about on the 
 waves. How many days he spent thus he could not tell, but 
 at last he felt that the barrel was knocking against rocks, 
 at which he was a little cheered, thinking it was probably 
 land and not merely a reef in the sea. Being something of a 
 swimmer, he at last made up his mind to kick the bottom out 
 of the barrel, and having done so he was able to get on shore, 
 for the rocks by the sea were smooth and level ; but overhead 
 
252 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 there were high cliffs. It seemed difficult to get up these, 
 but he went along the foot of them for a little, till at last 
 he tried to climb up, which at last he did. 
 
 Having got to the top, he looked round about him and 
 saw that he was on an island, which was covered with 
 
 joushes Prince King into 
 
 forest, with apples growing, and altogether pleasant as far 
 as the land was concerned. After he had been there several 
 days he one day heard a great noise in the forest 
 which made him terribly afraid, so that he ran to hide him- 
 self among the trees. Then he saw a giant approaching, 
 dragging a sledge loaded with wood and making straight 
 
THE YELLOW FAIBY BOOK. 253 
 
 for him, so that he could see nothing for it but to lie down 
 just where he was. When the giant came across him he 
 stood still and looked at the prince for a little ; then he took 
 him up in his arms and carried him home to his house and 
 was exceedingly kind to him. He gave him to his wife, 
 saying that he had found this child in the wood, and she 
 could have it to help her in the house. The old woman was 
 greatly pleased and began to fondle the prince with the ut- 
 most delight. He stayed there with them and was very 
 willing and obedient to them in everything, while they grew 
 kinder to him every day. 
 
 One day the giant took him round and showed him all 
 his rooms except the parlor. This made the prince curious 
 to have a look into it, thinking there must be some very 
 rare treasure there. So one day, when the giant had gone 
 into the forest, he tried to get into the parlor, and managed 
 to get the door open halfway. Then he saw that some liv- 
 ing creature moved inside and ran along the floor toward 
 him and said something, which made him so frightened 
 that he sprang back from the door and shut it again. As 
 soon as the fright began to pass off he tried it again, for 
 he thought it would be interesting to hear what it said; 
 but things went just as before with him. He then got angry 
 with himself, and summoning up all his courage tried it a 
 third time, and opened the door of the room and stood firm. 
 Then he saw that it was a big dog, which spoke to him and 
 said: 
 
 " Choose me, Prince Ring." 
 
 The prince went away rather afraid, thinking with him- 
 self that it was no great treasure, after all; but, all the 
 same, what it had said to him stuck in his mind. 
 
 It is not said how long the prince stayed with the giant, 
 but one day the latter came to him and said he would now 
 take him over to the mainland out of the island, for he 
 himself had no long time to live. He also thanked him 
 for his good service, and told him to choose some one of 
 his possessions, for he would get whatever he wanted. Ring 
 thanked him heartily and said there was no need to pay 
 nim for his services, they were so little worth ; but if he did 
 wish to give him anything he would choose what was in the 
 parlor. The giant was taken by surprise and said: 
 
254 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " There, you chose my old woman's right hand ; but I must 
 not break my word." 
 
 Upon this he went to get the dog, which came running 
 with signs of great delight; but the prince was so much 
 afraid of it that it was all he could do to keep from show- 
 ing his alarm. 
 
 After this the giant accompanied him down to the 
 sea, where he saw a stone boat which was just big enough 
 to hold the two of them and the dog. On reaching the 
 mainland the giant took a friendly farewell of Ring, and 
 told him he might take possession of all that was in the 
 island after he and his wife died, which would happen 
 within two weeks from that time. The prince thanked him 
 for this and for all his other kindnesses, and the giant re- 
 turned home, while Ring went up some distance from the 
 sea; but he did not know what land he had come to and 
 was afraid to speak to the dog. After he had walked on in 
 silence for a time the dog spoke to him and said: 
 
 " You don't seem to have much curiosity, seeing you 
 never ask my name." 
 
 The prince then forced himself to ask : " What is your 
 name ? " 
 
 " You had best call me Snati-Snati," said the dog. " Now 
 we are coming to a king's seat, and you must ask the king 
 to keep us all winter and to give you a little room for both 
 of us." 
 
 The prince now began to be less afraid of the dog. 
 They came to the king and asked him to keep them all the 
 winter, to which he agreed. When the king's men saw 
 the dog they began to laugh at it and make as if they would 
 tease it; but when the prince saw this he advised them not 
 to do it, or they might have the worst of it. They replied 
 that they didn't care a bit what he thought. 
 
 After Ring had been with the king for some days the 
 latter began to think there was a great deal in him and 
 esteemed him more than the others. The king, however, 
 had a counselor called Red, who became very jealous 
 when he saw how much the king esteemed Ring; and one 
 day he talked to him and said that he could not understand 
 why he had so good an opinion of this stranger, who had 
 not yet shown himself superior to other men in anything. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 255 
 
 The king replied that it was only a short time since he 
 had come there. Red then asked him to send them both 
 to cut down wood next morning, and see which of them 
 could do most work. Snati-Snati heard this and told it 
 to Ring, advising him to ask the king for two axes, so that 
 ne might have one in reserve if the first one got broken. 
 Next morning the King asked Ring and Red to go and 
 cut down trees for him, and both agreed. Ring got the 
 two axes, and each went his own way; but when the prince 
 had got out into the wood Snati took one of the axes and 
 began to hew along with him. In the evening the king 
 came to look over their day's work, as Red had proposed, 
 and found that Ring's wood-heap was more than twice 
 as big. 
 
 " I suspected," said the king, " that Ring was not quite 
 useless. Never have I seen such a day's work." 
 
 Ring was now in far greater esteem with the king than 
 before, and Red was all the more discontented. One day 
 he came to the king and said : " If Ring is such a mighty 
 man, I think you might ask him to kill the wild oxen in 
 the wood here and flay them the same day, and bring you 
 the horns and the hides in the evening." 
 
 " Don't you think that a desperate errand," said the 
 king, " seeing they are so dangerous and no one has ever 
 yet ventured to go against them ? " 
 
 Red answered that he had only one life to lose, and it 
 would be interesting to see how brave he was; besides, the 
 king would have good reason to ennoble him if he over- 
 came them. The king at last allowed himself, though rather 
 unwillingly, to be won over by Red's persistency, and one 
 day asked Ring to go and kill the oxen that were in the 
 wood for him and bring their horns and hides to him in the 
 evening. Not knowing how dangerous the oxen were, Ring 
 was quite ready, and went off at once, to the great delight 
 of Red, w r ho was now sure of his death. 
 
 As soon as Ring came in sight of the oxen they came 
 bellowing to meet him. One of them was tremendously 
 big, the other rather less. Ring grew terribly afraid. 
 
 "How do you like them?" asked Snati. 
 
 "Not well at all," said the prince. 
 
 "We can do nothing else," said Snati, "than attack them 
 
256 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 if it is to go well. You will go against the little one and 
 I shall take the other." 
 
 With this Snati leaped at the big one and was not long 
 in bringing him down. Meanwhile the prince went against 
 the other with fear and trembling, and by the time Snati 
 came to help him the ox had nearly got him under, but 
 Snati was not slow in helnjing his master to kill it. 
 
 Each of them then began to flay his own ox, but Eing 
 was only half through by the time Snati had finished his. 
 In the evening, after they had finished their task, the 
 
 prince thought himself unfit to carry all the horns and 
 both the hides, so Snati told him to lay them all on his 
 back until they got to the palace gate. The prince agreed 
 and laid everything on the dog except the skin of the 
 smaller ox, which he staggered along with himself. At 
 the palace gate he left everything lying, went before the 
 king and asked him to come that length with him, and 
 there handed over to him the hides and horns of the oxen. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 257 
 
 The king was greatly surprised at his valor and said he 
 knew no one like him, and thanked him heartily for what 
 he had done. 
 
 After this the king set Ring next to himself, and all 
 esteemed him highly and held him to be a great hero; nor 
 could Red any longer say anything against him, though he 
 grew still more determined to destroy him. One day a good 
 idea came into his head. He came to the king and said he 
 had something to say to him. 
 
 " What is that ? " said the king. 
 
 Red said that he had just remembered the gold cloak, 
 gold chess-board, and bright gold-piece that the king had 
 lost about a year before. 
 
 " Don't remind me of them ! " said the king. 
 
 Red, however, went on to say that since Ring was such 
 a mighty man that he could do everything, it had occurred 
 to him to advise the king to ask him to search for these* 
 treasures and come back with them before Christmas; in 
 return the king should promise him his daughter. 
 
 The king replied that he thought it altogether unbecoming 
 to propose such a thing to Ring, seeing that he could not tell 
 him where the things were; but Red pretended not to hear 
 the king's excuses and went on talking about it until the 
 king gave in to him. One day, a month or so before Christ- 
 mas, the king spoke to Ring, saying that he wished to ask 
 a great favor of him. 
 
 "What is that?" said Ring. 
 
 "It is this," said the king: "that you find for me my 
 gold cloak, my gold chess-board, and my bright gold-piece 
 that were stolen from me about a year ago. If you can 
 bring them to me before Christmas I will give you my 
 daughter in marriage." 
 
 " Where am I to look for them, then ? " said Ring. 
 
 " That you must find out for yourself," said the king. 
 " I don't know." 
 
 Ring now left the king and was very silent, for he saw 
 he was in a great difficulty; but, on the other hand, he 
 thought it was excellent to have such a chance of winning 
 the king's daughter. Snati noticed that his master was at 
 a loss, and said to him that he should not disregard what 
 the king had asked him to do; but he would have to act' 
 
258 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 Upon his advice, otherwise he would get into great diffi- 
 culties. The prince assented to this and began to prepare 
 
 for the journey. 
 
 After he had taken 
 leave of the king and 
 was setting out on the 
 search Snati said to 
 him : " Now, you 
 must first of all go 
 about the neighbor- 
 hood and gather as 
 much salt as ever you 
 can." The prince did 
 so, and gathered so 
 much salt that he 
 could hardly carry it; 
 but Snati said, 
 " Throw it on my 
 back," which he ac- 
 cordingly did, and the 
 dog then ran on be- 
 fore the prince until 
 they came to the foot 
 of a steep cliff. 
 
 "We must go up 
 here," said Snati. 
 
 " I don't think that 
 will be child's play," 
 said the prince. 
 
 "Hold fast to my 
 tail," said Snati; and 
 in this way he pulled 
 Ring up on the low- 
 est shelf of the rock. 
 The prince began to 
 get giddy, but up 
 went Snati on to the 
 second shelf. Ring 
 was nearly swooning 
 by this time, but 
 Snati made a third 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 259 
 
 effort and reached the top of the cliff, where the prince fell 
 down in a faint. After a little, however, he recovered again, 
 and they went on a short distance along a level plain until 
 they came to a cave. This was on Christmas Eve. They 
 went up above the cave and found a window in it, through 
 which they looked and saw four trolls lying asleep beside 
 the fire, over which a large porridge-pot was hanging. 
 
 "Now you must empty all the salt into the porridge- 
 pot," said Snati. 
 
 Ring did so, and soon the trolls wakened up. The old 
 hag, who was the most frightful of them all, went first to 
 taste the porridge. 
 
 " How comes this ? " she said. " The porridge is salt ! 
 I got the milk by witchcraft yesterday out of four king- 
 doms, and now it is salt ! " 
 
 All the others then came to taste the porridge and thought 
 it nice, but after they had finished it the old hag grew so 
 thirsty that she could stand it no longer and asked her 
 daughter to go out and bring her some water from the river 
 that ran near by. 
 
 " I won't go," said she, " unless you lend me your bright 
 gold-piece." 
 
 " Though I should die you shan't have that," said the hag. 
 
 " Die, then ! " said the girl. 
 
 "Well, then, take it, you brat!" said the old hag; "and 
 be off with you and make haste with the water." 
 
 The girl took the gold and ran out with it, and it was so 
 bright that it shone all over the plain. As soon as she came 
 to the river she lay down to take a drink of the water, but 
 meanwhile the two of them had got down off the roof and 
 thrust her, head first, into the river. 
 
 The old hag began now to long for the water, and said 
 that the girl would be running about with the gold-piece 
 all over the plain, so she asked her son to go and get her a 
 drop of water. 
 
 "I won't go," said he, "unless I get the gold cloak." 
 
 " Though I should die you shan't have that," said the hag. 
 
 " Die, then ! " said the son. 
 
 " Well, then, take it," said the old hag, " and be off with 
 you, but you must make haste with the water." 
 
 He put on the cloak, and when he came outside it shone 
 
260 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 so bright that he could see to go with it. On reaching the 
 river he went to take a drink like his sister, but at that 
 moment Ring and Snati sprang upon him, took the cloak 
 from him, and threw him into the river. 
 
 The old hag could stand the thirst no longer and asked 
 her husband to go for a drink for her. The brats, she said, 
 were of course running about and playing themselves, just 
 as she had expected they would, little wretches that they 
 were. 
 
 " I won't go," said the old troll, " unless you lend me 
 the gold chess-board." 
 
 " Though I should die you shan't have that," said the hag. 
 
 " I think you may just as well do that," said he, " since 
 you won't grant me such a little favor." 
 
 " Take it, then, you utter disgrace ! " said the old hag ; 
 " since you are just like these two brats." 
 
 The old troll now went out with the gold chess-board 
 and down to the river, and was about to take a drink, 
 when Ring and Snati came upon him, took the chess-board 
 from him, and threw him into the river. Before they had 
 got back again, however, and up on top of the cave, they 
 saw the poor old fellow's ghost come marching up from 
 the river. Snati immediately sprang upon him and Ring 
 assisted in the attack, and after a hard struggle they mas- 
 tered him a second time. When they got back again to the 
 window they saw that the old hag was moving toward the 
 door. 
 
 " Now we must go in at once," said Snati, " and try to 
 master her there, for if she once gets out we shall have no 
 chance with her. She is the worst witch that ever lived, 
 and no iron can cut her. One of us must pour boiling 
 porridge out of the pot on her and the other punch her with 
 red-hot iron." 
 
 In they went then, and no sooner did the hag see them 
 than she said : " So you have come, Prince Ring. You 
 must have seen to my husband and children." 
 
 Snati saw that she was about to attack them and sprang 
 at her with red-hot iron from the fire, while Ring kept 
 pouring boiling porridge on her without stopping, and in 
 this way they at last got her killed. Then they burned 
 the old troll and her to ashes and explored the cave, where 
 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 261 
 
 they found plenty of gold and treasures. The most valua- 
 ble of these they carried with them as far as the cliff and 
 left them there. Then they hastened home to the king with 
 his three treasures, where they arrived late on Christmas 
 night, and Ring handed them over to him. 
 
 The king was beside himself with joy, and was aston- 
 ished at how clever a man Ring was in all kinds of feats, 
 so that he esteemed him still more highly than before and 
 betrothed his daughter to him; and the feast for this was 
 to last all through Christmastide. Ring thanked the king 
 
 courteously for this and all his other kindnesses, and, as 
 soon as he had finished eating and drinking in the hall, 
 went off to sleep in his own room. Snati, however, asked 
 permission to sleep in the prince's bed for that night, while 
 the prince would sleep where the dog usually lay. Ring 
 said he was welcome to do so, and that he deserved more 
 
262 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 from him than that came to. So Snati went up into the 
 prince's bed, but after a time he came .back and told Ring 
 he could go there himself now, but to take care not to meddle 
 with anything that was in the bed. 
 
 Now the story comes back to Red, who came into the 
 hall and showed the king his right arm wanting the hand, 
 and said that now he could see what kind of a man his in- 
 tended son-in-law was, for he had done this to him without 
 any cause whatever. The king became very angry and said 
 he would soon find out the truth about it, and if Ring 
 had cut off his hand without good cause he should be 
 hanged; but if it was otherwise, then Red should die. So 
 the king sent for Ring and asked him for what reason he 
 had done this. Snati, however, had just told Ring what 
 had happened during the night, and in . reply he asked the 
 king to go with him and he would show him something. 
 The king went with him to his sleeping-room, and saw 
 lying on the bed a man's hand holding a sword. 
 
 " This hand," said Ring, " came over the partition dur- 
 ing the night, and was about to run me through in my bed 
 if I had not defended myself." 
 
 The king answered that in that case he could not blame 
 him for protecting his own life, and that Red was well 
 worthy of death. So Red was hanged, and Ring married 
 the king's daughter. 
 
 The first night that they went to bed together, Snati 
 asked Ring to allow him to lie at their feet, and this Ring 
 allowed him to do. During the night he heard a howling 
 and outcry beside them, struck a light in a hurry, and saw 
 an ugly dogVskin lying near him and a beautiful prince in 
 the bed. Ring instantly took the skin and burned it, and 
 then shook the prince, who was lying unconscious, until 
 he woke up. The bridegroom then asked his name; he re- 
 plied that he was called Ring, and was a king's son. In 
 his youth he had lost his mother, and in her place his 
 father had married a witch, who had laid a spell on him 
 that he should turn into a dog, and never be released from 
 the spell unless a prince of the same name as himself allowed 
 him to sleep at his feet the first night after his marriage. 
 He added further : " As soon as she knew that you were 
 my namesake she tried to get you destroyed, so thai you 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 263 
 
 might not free me from the spell. She was the hind that 
 you and your companions chased; she was the woman that 
 you found in the clearing with the barrel, and the old hag 
 that we just now killed in the cave." 
 
 After the feasting was over the two namesakes, along 
 with other men, went to the cliff and brought all the treas- 
 ures home to the palace. Then they went to the island and 
 removed all that was valuable from it. King gave to his 
 namesake, whom he had freed from the spell, his sister 
 Ingiborg, and his father's kingdom to look after, but he him- 
 self stayed with his father-in-law the king, and had half the 
 kingdom while he lived and the whole of it after his death. 
 
 THE SWINEHERD. 
 
 There was once a poor prince. He possessed a kingdom 
 which, though small, was yet large enough for him to marry 
 on, and married he wished to be. 
 
 Now, it was certainly a little audacious of him to ven- 
 ture to say to the emperor's daughter: "Will you marry 
 me ? " But he did venture to say so, for his name was known 
 far and wide. There were hundreds of princesses who would 
 gladly have said " Yes," but would she say the same ? 
 
 Well, we shall see. 
 
 On the grave of the prince's father grew a rose-tree, a very 
 beautiful rose-tree. It only bloomed every five years, and 
 then bore but a single rose but, oh, such a rose! Its scent 
 was so sweet that when you smelled it you forgot all your 
 cares and troubles. And he had also a nightingale which 
 could sing as if all the beautiful melodies in the world were 
 shut up in its little throat. This rose and this nightingale 
 the princess was to have, and so they were both put into 
 silver caskets and sent to her. 
 
 The emperor had them brought to him in the great hall, 
 where the princess was playing " Here comes a duke a-rid- 
 ing " with her ladies-in-waiting. And when she caught sight 
 of the big caskets which contained the presents she clapped 
 her hands for joy. 
 
 " If only it were a little pussy-cat ! " she said. But the 
 rose-tree with the beautiful rose came out. 
 
264 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " But how prettily it is made ! " said all the ladies-in- 
 waiting. 
 
 " It is more than pretty," said the emperor ; " it ia 
 charming ! " 
 
 But the princess felt it, and then she almost began to cry. 
 
 " Ugh ! papa," she said, " it is not artificial, it is real ! " 
 
 " Ugh ! " said the ladies-in-waiting, " it is real ! " 
 
 " Let us see first what is in the other casket before we 
 begin to be angry," thought the emperor, and there came 
 out the nightingale. It sang so beautifully that one could 
 scarcely utter a word against it. 
 
 " Superbe ! charmant ! " said the ladies-in-waiting, for they 
 all chattered French, each one worse than the other. 
 
 " How much the bird reminds me of the musical snuff- 
 box of the late empress ! " said an old courtier. " Ah, yes, 
 it is the same tone, the same execution ! " 
 
 "Yes," said the emperor; and then he wept like a little 
 child. 
 
 " I hope that this, at least, is not real ? " asked the 
 princess. 
 
 " Yes, it is a real bird," said those who had brought it. 
 
 " Then let the bird fly away," said the princess ; and she 
 would not on any account allow the prince to come. 
 
 But he was nothing daunted. He painted his face brown 
 and black, drew his cap well over his face, and knocked at 
 the door. 
 
 " Good-day, emperor," he said. " Can I get a place here 
 as servant in the castle ? " 
 
 " Yes," said the emperor, " but there are so many who 
 ask for a place that I don't know whether there will be one 
 for you; but still I will think of you. Stay, it has just oc- 
 curred to me that I want someone to look after the swine, 
 for I have so very many of them." 
 
 And the prince got the situation of imperial swineherd. 
 He had a wretched little room close to the pigsties; here he 
 had to stay, but the whole day he sat working, and when 
 evening was come he had made a pretty little pot. All 
 round it were little bells, and when the pot boiled they 
 jingled most beautifully and played the old tune 
 
 " Where is Augustus dear? 
 Alas! he's not here, here, here!" 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 265 
 
 But the most wonderful thing was that when one held 
 one's finger in the steam of the pot, then at once one could 
 smell w r hat dinner was ready in any fireplace in the town. 
 That was indeed something quite different from the rose. 
 
 Now the princess came walking past with all her ladies- 
 in-waiting, and when she heard the tune she stood still and 
 her face beamed with joy, for she also could play. " Where 
 is Augustus dear ? " 
 
 It was the only tune she knew, but that she could play 
 with one finger. 
 
 "Why, that is what I play!" she said. "He must be a 
 most accomplished swineherd! Listen! Go down and ask 
 him what the instrument costs." 
 
 And one of the ladies-in-waiting had to go down; but 
 she put on wooden clogs. 
 
 " What will you take for the pot ? " asked the lady-m- 
 waiting. 
 
 "I will have ten kisses from the princess," answered the 
 swineherd. 
 
 " Heaven forbid ! " said the lady-in-waiting. 
 
 "Yes- I will sell it for nothing less," replied the swine- 
 herd. 
 
 " Well, what does he say ? " asked the princess. 
 
 "I really hardly like to tell you," answered the lady-in- 
 waiting. 
 
 " Oh, then you can whisper it to me. He is disoblig- 
 ing ! " said the princess, and went away. But she had only 
 gone a few steps when the bells rang out so prettily : 
 
 " Where is Augustus dear? 
 Alas! he's not here, here, here! " 
 
 " Listen ! " said the princess. " Ask him whether he will 
 take ten kisses from my ladies-in-waiting." 
 
 " No, thank you," said the swineherd. " Ten kisses from 
 the princess, or else I keep my pot." 
 
 " That is very tiresome ! " said the princess. " But you 
 must put yourselves in front of me, so that no one can see." 
 
 And the ladies-in-waiting placed themselves in front and 
 then spread out their dresses; so the swineherd got his ten 
 kisses and she got the pot. 
 
 What happiness that was! The whole night and the 
 
266 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK, 
 
 whole day the pot was made to boil; there was not a fire- 
 place in the whole town where they did not know what was 
 
 I, TttB SWINEHERD TAXES THE TOT KISSES 
 
 being cooked, whether it was at the chancellor's or at the 
 shoemaker's. 
 
 The ladies-in-waiting danced and clapped their hands. 
 
 "We know who is going to have soup and pancakes; we 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 267 
 
 know who is going to have porridge and sausages isn't it 
 interesting ? " 
 
 " Yes, very interesting indeed ! " said the first lady-in- 
 waiting. 
 
 " But don't say anything about it, for I am the emperor's 
 daughter." 
 
 " Oh, no, of course we won't ! " said everyone. 
 
 The swineherd that is to say, the prince (though they 
 did not know he was anything but a true swineherd) let 
 no day pass without making something, and one day he 
 made a rattle which, when it was turned round, played all 
 the waltzes, galops, and polkas which had ever been known, 
 since the world began. 
 
 " But that is superbe ! " said the princess as she passed 
 by. " I have never heard a more beautiful composition. 
 Listen ! Go down and ask him what this instrument costs ; 
 but I won't kiss him again." 
 
 "He wants a hundred kisses from the princess," said the 
 lady-in-waiting who had gone down to ask him. 
 
 " I believe he is mad ! " said the princess, and then she 
 went on ; but she had only gone a few steps when she stopped. 
 " One ought to encourage art," she said. " I am the em- 
 peror's daughter! Tell him he shall have, as before, ten 
 kisses; the rest he can take from my ladies-in-waiting." 
 
 " But we don't at all like being kissed by him," said the 
 ladies-in-waiting. 
 
 " That's nonsense," said the princess ; " and if I can kiss 
 him you can too. Besides, remember that I give you board 
 and lodging." 
 
 So the lady-in-waiting had to go down to him again. 
 
 " A hundred kisses from the princess," said he, " or each 
 keeps his own." 
 
 " Put yourselves in front of us," she said then ; and so all 
 the ladies-in-waiting put themselves in front, and he began 
 to kiss the princess. 
 
 "What can that commotion be by the pigsties?" asked 
 the emperor, who was standing on the balcony. He rubbed 
 his eyes and put on his spectacles. " Why, those are the 
 ladies-in-waiting playing their games. I must go down to 
 them." 
 
 So he took off his shoes, which were shoes though he had 
 
268 THE YELLOW FA IKY BOOK. 
 
 trodden them down into slippers. What a hurry he was in, 
 to be sure! 
 
 As soon as he came into the yard he walked very softly, 
 and the ladies-in-waiting were so busy counting the kisses 
 and seeing fair play that they never noticed the emperor. 
 He stood on tiptoe. 
 
 " What is that ? " he said when he saw the kissing ; and 
 then he threw one of his slippers at their heads just as the 
 swineherd was taking his eighty-sixth kiss. 
 
 " Be off with you ! " said the emperor, for he was very 
 angry. And the princess and the swineherd were driven 
 out of the empire. 
 
 Then she stood still and wept ; the swineherd was scolding 
 and the rain was streaming down. 
 
 " Alas ! what an unhappy creature I am ! " sobbed the 
 princess. " If I had only taken the beautiful prince ! Alas ! 
 how unfortunate I am ! " 
 
 And the swineherd went behind a tree, washed the black 
 and brown off his face, threw away his old clothes, and 
 then stepped forward in his splendid dress, looking so beau- 
 tiful that the princess was obliged to courtesy. 
 
 " I now come to this. I despise you ! " he said. " You 
 would have nothing to do with a noble prince; you did not 
 understand the rose or the nightingale, but you could kiss 
 the swineherd for the sake of a toy. This is what you get 
 for it." And he went into his kingdom and shut the door 
 in her face, and she had to stay outside singing: 
 
 41 Where is my Augustus dear? 
 Alas! he's not here, here, here! " 
 
 HOW TO TELL A TKUE PRINCESS. 
 
 There was once upon a time a prince who wanted to 
 marry a princess, but she must be a true princess. So he 
 traveled through the whole world to find one, but there was 
 always something against each. There were plenty of 
 princesses, but he could not find out if they were true prin- 
 cesses. In every case there was some little defect, which 
 showed the genuine article was not yet found. So he came 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 269 
 
 home again in very low spirits, for he had \/anted very 
 much to have a true princess. One night there was a dread- 
 ful storm; it thundered and lightened and the rain streamed 
 
 down in torrents. It was fearful! There was a knocking 
 heard at the palace gate, and the old king went to open it. 
 There stood a princess outside the gate; but, oh, in what 
 a sad plight she was from the rain and the storm! The 
 water was running down from her hair and her dress into 
 the points of her shoes and out at the heels again. And 
 yet she said she was a true princess! 
 
270 THE YELLOW FAIKY EOOK. 
 
 " Well, we shall soon find that ! " thought the old queen. 
 But she said nothing and went into the sleeping-room, took 
 off all the bedclothes, and laid a pea on the bottom of the 
 bed. Then she put twenty mattresses on top of the pea and 
 twenty eider-down quilts on the top of the mattresses. And 
 this was the bed in which the princess was to sleep. 
 
 The next morning she was asked how she had slept. 
 
 " Oh, very badly ! " said the princess. " I scarcely closed 
 my eyes all night ! I am sure I don't know what was in the 
 bed. I lay on something so hard that my whole body is 
 black and blue. It is dreadful ! " 
 
 Now they perceived that she was a true princess, because 
 she had felt the pea through the twenty mattresses and the 
 twenty eider-down quilts. 
 
 No one but a true princess could be so sensitive. 
 
 So the prince married her, for now he knew that at last 
 he had got hold of a true princess. And the pea was put 
 into the Royal Museum, where it is still to be seen if no one 
 has stolen it. Now, this is a true story. 
 
 THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 There were once a Scotsman and an Englishman and an 
 Irishman serving in the army together, who took it into 
 their heads to run away on the first opportunity they could 
 et. The chance came, and they took it. They went on 
 traveling for two days through a great forest, without food 
 or drink and without coming across a single house, and 
 every night they had to climb up into the trees through fear 
 of the wild beasts that were in the wood. On the second 
 morning the Scotsman saw from the top of his tree a great 
 castle far away. He said to himself that he would certainly 
 die if he stayed in the forest without anything to eat but 
 the roots of grass, which would not keep him alive very 
 long. As soon, then, as he got down out of the tree he set 
 off toward the castle, without so much as telling his com- 
 panions that he had seen it at all. Perhaps the hunger and 
 want they had suffered had changed their nature so much 
 that the one did not care what became of the other if he 
 could save himself. He traveled on most of the day, so 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 271 
 
 that it was quite late when he reached the castle and, to his 
 great disappointment, found nothing but closed doors and 
 no smoke rising from the chimneys. He thought there was 
 nothing for it but to die, after all, and had lain down beside 
 the wall, when he heard a window being opened high above 
 him. At this he looked up and saw the most beautiful 
 woman he had ever set eyes on. 
 
 " Oh, it is fortune that has sent you to me ! " he said. 
 
 " It is indeed," said she. " What are you in need of, or 
 what has sent you here ? " 
 
 "Necessity," said he. " I am dying for want of food and 
 drink." 
 
 " Come inside, then," she said ; " there is plenty of both 
 here." 
 
 Accordingly, he went in to where she was, and she opened 
 a large room for him, where he saw a number of men lying 
 asleep. She then set food before him, and after that showed 
 him to the room where the others were. He lay down on one 
 of the beds and fell sound asleep. And now we must go 
 back to the two that he left behind him in the wood. 
 
 When nightfall and the time of the wild beasts came upon 
 these, the Englishman happened to climb up into the very 
 same tree on which the Scotsman was when he got sight of 
 the castle; and as soon as the day began to dawn and the 
 Englishman looked to the four quarters of heaven, what did 
 he see but the castle too! Off he went without saying a 
 word to the Irishman, and everything happened to him just 
 as it had done to the Scotsman. 
 
 The poor Irishman was now left all alone, and did not 
 know where the others had gone to, so he just stayed where 
 he was, very sad and miserable. When night came he 
 climbed up into the same tree as the Englishman had done 
 on the night before. As soon as day came he also saw the 
 castle and set out toward it ; but when he reached it he could 
 see no signs of fire or living being about it. Before long, 
 however, he heard the window opened above his head, looked 
 up, and beheld the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 
 He asked if she would give him food and drink, and she an- 
 swered kindly and heartily that she would if he would only 
 come inside. This he did very willingly, and she set before 
 him food and drink that he had never seen the like of be- 
 
272 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 fore. In the room there was a bed, with diamond rings hang- 
 ing at every loop of the curtains, and everything that was in 
 the room besides astonished him so much that he actually 
 forgot that he was hungry. When she saw that he was not 
 eating at all she asked him what he wanted yet, to which 
 he replied that he would neither eat nor drink until he knew 
 who she was, or where she came from, or who had put her 
 there. 
 
 " I shall tell you that," said she. " I am an enchanted 
 princess, and my father has promised that the man who 
 releases me from the spell shall have the third of his king- 
 dom while he is alive and the whole of it after he is dead, 
 and marry me as well. If ever I saw a man who looked 
 likely to do this, you are the one. I have been here for six- 
 teen years now, and no one who ever came to the castle has 
 asked me who I was except yourself. Every other man that 
 has come, so long as I have been here, lies asleep in the big 
 room down there." 
 
 " Tell me, then," said the Irishman, " what is the spell 
 that has been laid on you and how you can be freed from 
 it." 
 
 " There is a little room there," said the princess, " and if 
 I could get a man to stay in it from ten o'clock till midnight 
 for three nights on end I should be freed from the spell." 
 
 " I am the man for you, then," said he. " I will take on 
 hand to do it." 
 
 Thereupon she brought him a pipe and tobacco, and he 
 went into the room; but before long he heard a hammering 
 and knocking on the outside of the door and was told to 
 open it. 
 
 "I 'won't," he said. 
 
 The next moment the door came flying in, and those out- 
 side along with it. They knocked him down, and kicked 
 him, and knelt on his body till it came to midnight; but as 
 soon as the cock crew they all disappeared. The Irishman 
 was little more than alive by this time. As soon as daylight 
 appeared the princess came and found him lying full length 
 on the floor, unable to speak a word. She took a bottle, 
 rubbed him from head to foot with something from it, and 
 thereupon he was as sound as ever; but after what he had 
 got that night he was very unwilling to try it a second time, 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 273 
 
 The princess, however, entreated him to stay, saying that 
 the next night would not be so bad, and in the end he gave 
 in and stayed. 
 
 When it was getting near midnight he heard them order- 
 ing him to open the door, and there were three of them for 
 every one that there had been the previous evening. He 
 did not make the slightest movement to go out to them or 
 to open the door, but before long they broke it up and were 
 
 in on top of him. They laid hold of him and kept throwing 
 him between them up to the ceiling or jumping above 
 him until the cock crew, when they all disappeared. 
 When day came the princess went to the room to see if he 
 was still alive, and taking the bottle put it to his nostrils, 
 which soon brought him to himself. The first thing he 
 said then was that he was a fool to go on getting himself 
 killed for anyone he ever saw, and was determined to be 
 
274 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 off and stay there no longer. When the princess learned 
 his intentions she entreated him to stay, reminding him that 
 another night would free her from the spell. " Besides," 
 she said, " if there is a single spark of life in you when the 
 day comes, the stuff that is in this bottle will make you as 
 sound as ever you were." 
 
 With all this the Irishman decided to stay ; but that night 
 there were three at him for every one that was there the 
 two nights before, and it looked very unlikely that he 
 would be alive in the morning after all that he got. When 
 morning dawned and the princess came to see if he was still 
 alive, she found him lying on the floor as if dead. She tried 
 to see if there was breath in him, but could not quite make 
 it out. Then she put her hand on his pulse and found a 
 faint movement in it. Accordingly, she poured what was in 
 the bottle on him, and before long he rose up on his feet 
 and was as well as ever he was. So that business was finished 
 and the princess was freed from the spelL 
 
 The princess then told the Irishman that she must go 
 away for the present, but would return for him in a few 
 days in a carriage drawn by four gray horses. He told her 
 to " be aisy " and not speak like that to him. " I have paid 
 dear for you for the last three nights," he said, " if I have 
 to part with you now"; but in the twinkling of an eye she 
 had disappeared. He did not know what to do with himself 
 when he saw that she was gone, but before she went she had 
 given him a little rod, with which he could, when he pleased, 
 waken the men who had been sleeping there, some of them 
 for sixteen years. 
 
 After being thus left alone, he went in and stretched him- 
 self on three chairs that were in the room, when what does 
 he see coming in at the door but a little fair-haired lad! 
 
 " Where did you come from, my lad ? " said the Irishman. 
 
 " I came to make ready your food for you," said he. 
 
 " Who told you to do that ? " said the Irishman. 
 
 " My mistress," answered the lad " the princess that was 
 under the spell and is now free." 
 
 By this the Irishman knew that she had sent the lad to 
 wait on him. The lad also told him that his mistress wished 
 him to be ready next morning at nine o'clock, when she 
 would come for him with the carriage, as she had promised. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 275 
 
 He was greatly pleased at this, and next morning, when the 
 time was drawing near, went out into the garden; but the 
 little fair-haired lad took a big pin out of his pocket and 
 stuck it into the back of the Irishman's coat without his 
 noticing it, whereupon he fell sound asleep. 
 
 Before long the princess came with the carriage and four 
 horses and asked the lad whether his master was awake. 
 He said that he wasn't. " It is bad for him," said she, 
 "when the night is not long enough for him to sleep. Tell 
 him that if he doesn't meet me this time to-morrow it is 
 not likely that he will ever see me again all his life." 
 
 As soon as she was gone the fair-haired lad took the pin 
 out of his master's coat, who instantly awoke. The first 
 word he said to the lad was: "Have you seen her?" 
 
 " Yes," said he, " and she bade me tell you that if you 
 don't meet her at nine o'clock to-morrow you will never see 
 her again." 
 
 He was very sorry when he heard this, and could not 
 understand why the sleep should have fallen upon him 
 just when she was coming. He decided, however, to go 
 early to bed that night, in order to rise in time next morn- 
 ing, and so he did. When it was getting near nine o'clock he 
 went out to the garden to wait till she came, and the fair- 
 haired lad along with him ; but as soon as the lad got the 
 chance he stuck the pin into his master's coat again, and he 
 fell asleep as before. Precisely at nine o'clock came the prin- 
 cess in the carriage with four horses and asked the lad if 
 his master had got up yet; but he said: " No, he is asleep, 
 just as he was the day before." 
 
 " Dear ! dear ! " said the princess. " I am sorry for him. 
 Was the sleep he had last night not enough for him? 
 Tell him that he will never see me here again; and here 
 is a sword that you will give him in my name, and my 
 blessing along with it." 
 
 With this she went off, and as soon as she had gone the 
 lad took the pin out of his master's coat. He awoke in- 
 stantly, and the first word he said was: "Have you seen 
 her ? " The lad said that he had, and there was the sword 
 she had left for him. The Irishman was ready to kill the 
 lad out of sheer vexation, but when he gave a glance over 
 
 his shoulder not a trace of the fair-haired lad was left. 
 i 
 
276 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 Eeing thus left all alone, lie thought of going into the 
 room where all the men were lying asleep, and there among 
 the rest he found his two comrades who had deserted along 
 with him. Then he remembered what the princess had told 
 him that he had only to touch them with the rod she had 
 given him and they would all awake ; and the first he touched 
 were his own comrades. They started to their feet at once, 
 and he gave them as much silver and gold as they could 
 carry when they went away. There was plenty to do before 
 he got all the others wakened, for the two doors of the castle 
 were crowded with them all the day long. 
 
 The loss of the princess kept rankling in his mind day 
 and night, till finally he thought he would go about the 
 world to see if he could find anyone to give him news of 
 her. So he -took the best horse in the stable and set out. 
 Three years he spent traveling through forests and wilder- 
 nesses; but could find no one able to tell him anything of 
 the princess. At last he fell into so great despair that he 
 thought he would put an end to his own life, and for this 
 purpose laid hold of the sword that she had given him by 
 the hands of the fair-haired lad; but on drawing it from 
 its sheath he noticed that there was some writing on one 
 side of the blade. He looked at this, and read there: 
 "You will find me in the Blue Mountains." This made 
 him take heart again, and he gave up the idea of killing 
 himself, thinking that he would go on in hope of meeting 
 someone who could tell him where the Blue Mountains 
 were. After he had gone a long way, without thinking 
 where he was going, he saw at last a light far away and 
 made straight for it. On reaching it he found it came 
 from a little house, and as soon as the man inside heard 
 the noise of the horse's feet he came out to see who was 
 there. Seeing a stranger on horseback, he asked what brought 
 him there and where he was going. 
 
 "I have lived here," said he, "for three hundred years, 
 and all that time I have not seen a single human being but 
 yourself." 
 
 "I have been going about for the last three years," said 
 the Irishman, " to see if I could find anyone who can tell 
 me where the Blue Mountains are." 
 
 " Come in," said the old man, " and stay with me all 
 

 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 27V 
 
 night. I have a book which contains the history of the 
 world, which I shall go through to-night, and if there is 
 such a place as the Blue Mountains in it we shall find it 
 out." 
 
 The Irishman stayed there all night, and as soon as morn- 
 ing came rose to go. The old man said he had not gone 
 to sleep all night for going through the book, but there was 
 not a word about the Blue Mountains in it. " But I'll tell 
 you what," he said : " if there is such a place on earth at 
 all, I have a brother who lives nine hundred miles from here, 
 and he is sure to know where they are if anyone in this* 
 world does." The Irishman answered that he could never 
 go those nine hundred miles, for his horse was giving in al- 
 ready. " That doesn't matter," said the old man. " I can 
 do better than that. I have only to blow my whistle, and 
 you will be at my brother's house before nightfall." 
 
 So he blew his whistle, and the Irishman did not know 
 where on earth he was until he found himself at the other 
 old man's door, who also told him that it was three hun- 
 dred years since he had seen anyone and asked him where 
 he was going. 
 
 " I am going to see if I can find anyone that can tell me 
 where the Blue Mountains are," he said. 
 
 " If you will stay with me to-night," said the old man, 
 " I have a book of the history of the world, and I shall 
 know where they are before daylight if there is such a 
 place in it at all." 
 
 He stayed there all night, but there was not a word in 
 the book about the Blue Mountains. Seeing that he was 
 rather cast down, the old man told him that he had a brother 
 nine hundred miles away, and that if information could 
 be got about them from anyone it would be from him ; " and 
 I will enable you," he said, " to reach the place where he lives 
 before night." So he blew his whistle, and the Irishman 
 landed at the brother's house before nightfall. When the old 
 man saw him he said he had not seen a single man for three 
 hundred years, and was very much surprised to see anyone 
 come to him now. 
 
 " Where are you going to ? " he said. 
 
 " I am going about asking for the Blue Mountains," said 
 the Irishman. 
 
278 THE YELLOW FAIRY* BOOK. 
 
 " The Blue Mountains ? " said the old man. 
 
 " Yes," said the Irishman. 
 
 "I never heard the name before; but if they do exist I 
 shall l&nd them out. I am master of all the birds in the 
 world, and have only to blow my whistle and everyone 
 will come to me. I shall then ask each of them to tell 
 where it came from, and if there is any way of finding out 
 the Blue Mountains that is it." 
 
 So he blew his whistle, and when he blew it all the birds 
 of the world began to gather. The old man questioned 
 each of them as to where they had come from, but there 
 was not one of them that had come from the Blue Moun- 
 tains. After he had run over them all, however, he missed 
 a big eagle that was wanting, and wondered that it had not 
 come. Soon afterward he saw something big coming to- 
 ward him, darkening the sky. It kept coming nearer and 
 growing bigger, and what was this, after all, but the eagle! 
 When she arrived the old man scolded her and asked what 
 had kept her so long behind. 
 
 " I couldn't help it," she said. " I had more than twenty 
 times further to come than any bird that has come here to- 
 day." 
 
 " Where have you come from, then ? " said the old man. 
 
 "From the Blue Mountains," said she. 
 
 " Indeed ! " said the old man ; " and what are they doing 
 there?" 
 
 " They are making ready this very day," said the eagle, 
 " for the marriage of the daughter of the King of the Blue 
 Mountains. For three years now she has refused to marry 
 anyone whatsoever, until she should give up all hope of 
 the coming of the man who released her from the spell. 
 Now she can wait no longer, for three years is the time 
 that she agreed with her father to remain without mar- 
 rying." 
 
 The Irishman knew that it was for himself she had 
 been waiting so long, but he was unable to make any better 
 of it, for he had no hope of reaching the Blue Mountains 
 all his life. The old man noticed how sad he grew, and 
 asked the eagle what she would take for carrying this man 
 on her back to the Blue Mountains. 
 
 "I must have threescore cattle killed," said she, "and 
 
TRe Mshmaa arrives eft the xlu.Mowitaii5 
 
280 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 cut up into quarters, and every time I look over my shoulder 
 he must throw one of them into my mouth." 
 
 As soon as the Irishman and the old man heard her 
 demand they went out hunting, and before evening they 
 had killed three score cattle. They made quarters of 
 them as the eagle told them, and then the old man asked 
 her to lie down till they would get it all heaped up on her 
 back. First of all, though, they had to get a ladder of 
 fourteen steps to enable them to get on to the eagle's 
 back, and there they piled up the meat as well as they could, 
 Then the old man told the Irishman to mount, and to remem- 
 ber to throw a quarter of beef to her every time she looked 
 round. He went up, and the old man gave the eagle the word 
 to be off, which she instantly obeyed; and every time she 
 turned her head the Irishman threw a quarter of beef into 
 her mouth. 
 
 As they came near the borders of the kingdom of the 
 Blue Mountains, however, the beef was done, and when the 
 eagle looked over her shoulder what was the Irishman at 
 but throwing the stone between her tail and her neck! 
 At this she turned a complete somersault and threw the 
 Irishman off into the sea, where he fell into the bay that 
 was right in front of the king's palace. Fortunately the 
 points of his toes just touched the bottom, and he managed 
 to get ashore. 
 
 When he went up into the town all the streets were 
 gleaming with light and the wedding of the princess was 
 just about to begin. He went into the first house he came 
 to, and this happened to be the house of the king's hen- 
 wife. He asked the old woman what was causing all the 
 noise and light in the town. 
 
 " The princess," said she, " is going to be married to- 
 night against her will, for she has been expecting every 
 day that the man who freed her from the spell would come." 
 
 " There's a guinea for you," said he. " Go and bring her 
 here." 
 
 The old woman went, and soon returned along with the 
 princess. She and the Irishman recognized each other, and 
 were married, and had a great wedding that lasted for a year 
 and a day. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 281 
 
 THE TINDER-BOX. 
 
 A soldier came inarching along the highroad left, right! 
 left, right! He had his knapsack on his back and a sword 
 by his side, for he had been to the wars and was now re- 
 turning home. 
 
 An old witch met him on the road. She was very ugly 
 to look at: her under lip hung down to her breast. 
 
 " Good-evening, soldier ! " she said. " What a fine sword 
 and knapsack you have! You are something like a soldier! 
 you ought to have as much money as you would like to 
 carry ! " 
 
 " Thank you, old witch," said the soldier. 
 
 " Do you see that great tree there ? " said the witch, point- 
 ing to a tree beside them. " It is hollow within. You must 
 climb up to the top, and then you will see a hole through 
 which you can let yourself down into the tree. I will tie a 
 rope round your waist, so that I may be able to pull you up 
 again when you call." 
 
 " What shall I do down there ? " asked the soldier. 
 
 " Get money ! " answered the witch. " Listen ! When 
 you reach the bottom of the tree you will find yourself in 
 a large hall; it is light there, for there are more than three 
 hundred lamps burning. Then you will see three doors, 
 which you can open the keys are in the locks. If you 
 go into the first room you will see a great chest in the 
 middle of the floor with a dog sitting upon it; he has eyes 
 as large as saucers, but you needn't trouble about him. 
 I will give you my blue check apron, which you must spread 
 out upon the floor and then go back quickly and fetch the dog 
 and set him upon it ; open the chest and take as much money 
 as you like. It is copper there. If you would rather have sil- 
 ver you must go into the next room, where there is a dog with 
 eyes as large as mill-wheels. But don't take any notice of 
 him; just set him upon my apron and help yourself to the 
 money. If you prefer gold you can get that too if you go in- 
 to the third room, and as much as you like to carry. But the 
 dog that guards the chest there has eyes as large as the Round 
 Tower at Copenhagen! He is a savage dog, I can tell you; 
 but you needn't be afraid of him, either. Only put him on 
 
282 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 my apron and he won't touch you, and you can take out 
 of the chest as much gold as you like ! " 
 
 " Come, this is not bad ! " said the soldier. " But what 
 am I to give you, old witch for surely you are not going 
 to do this for nothing ? " 
 
 " Yes, I am ! " replied the witch. " Not a single far- 
 thing will I take! For me you shall bring nothing but an 
 old tinder-box which my grandmother forgot last time she 
 was down there." 
 
 " Well, tie the rope round my waist ! " said the soldier. 
 
 " Here it is," said the witch, " and here is my blue-check 
 apron." 
 
 Then the soldier climbed up the tree, let himself down 
 through the hole, and found himself standing, as the witch 
 had said, underground in the large hall where the three 
 hundred lamps were burning. 
 
 Well, he opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog 
 with eyes as big as saucers glaring at him. 
 
 " You are a fine fellow ! " said the soldier, and putting 
 him on the witch's apron took as much copper as his pockets 
 could hold; then he shut the chest, put the dog on it again, 
 and went into the second room. Sure enough, there sat the 
 dog with eyes as large as mill-wheels. 
 
 " You had better not look at me so hard ! " said the soldier. 
 " Your eyes will come out of their sockets ! " 
 
 And then he set the dog on the apron. When he saw all 
 the silver in the chest he threw away the copper he had 
 taken and filled his pockets and knapsack with nothing but 
 silver. 
 
 Then he went into the third room. Horrors! the dog 
 there had two eyes, each as large as the Round Tower at 
 Copenhagen, spinning round in his head like wheels. 
 
 " Good-evening ! " said the soldier and saluted, for he 
 liad never seen a dog like this before. But when he had 
 examined him more closely he thought to himself, " Now, 
 then, I've had enough of this ! " and put him down on the 
 floor and opened the chest. Heavens! what a heap of gold 
 there was! With all that he could buy up the whole town 
 and all the sugar pigs, all the tin soldiers, whips, and rock- 
 ing-horses in the whole world. Now he threw away all the 
 silver with which he had filled his pockets and knapsack 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 283 
 
 and filled them with gold instead yes, all his pockets, his 
 knapsack, cap, and boots even, so that he could hardly walk. 
 Now he was rich indeed. He put the dog back upon the 
 chest, shut the door, and called up through the tree: 
 
 " Now pull me up again, old witch ! " 
 
 " Have you got the tinder-box also ! " asked the witch. 
 
 " Botheration ! " said the soldier, " I had clean forgotten 
 it ! " And then he went back and fetched it. 
 
 The witch pulled him up, and there he stood again on the 
 
 Ok Sadter fills his 
 
 with. Honey 
 
 highroad, with pockets, knapsack, cap, and boots filled with 
 gold. 
 
 " What do you want to do with the tinder-box ? " asked 
 the soldier. 
 
 " That doesn't matter to you," replied the witeh. " You 
 have got your money, give me my tinder-box." 
 
 "We'll see!" said the soldier. "Tell me at once what 
 you want to do with it, or I will draw my sword and cut 
 off your head ! " 
 
 " No ! " screamed the witch. 
 
 The soldier immediately cut off her head. That was the 
 end of her ! But he tied up all his gold in her apron, slung it 
 
284 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 like a bundle over his shoulder, put the tinder-box in his 
 pocket, and set cut toward the town. 
 
 It was a splendid town! He turned into the finest inn, 
 ordered the best chamber and his favorite dinner; for now 
 that he had so much money he was really rich. 
 
 It certainly occurred to the servant who had to clean his 
 boots that they were astonishingly old boots for such a rich 
 lord. But that was because he had not yet bought new 
 ones; next day he appeared in respectable boots and fine 
 clothes. Now, instead of a common soldier he had become 
 a noble lord, and the people told him about all the grand 
 doings of the town and the king, and what a beautiful prin- 
 cess his daughter was. 
 
 " How can one get to see her ? " asked the soldier. 
 
 " She is never to be seen at all," they told him. " She 
 lives in a great copper castle surrounded by many walls 
 and towers. No one except the king may go in or out, for 
 it is prophesied that she will marry a common soldier, and 
 the king cannot submit to that." 
 
 " I should very much like to see her," thought the soldier ; 
 but he could not get permission. 
 
 Now he lived very gayly, went to the theater, drove in 
 the king's garden, and gave the poor a great deal of money, 
 which was very nice of him; he had experienced in former 
 times how hard it is not to have a farthing in the world. 
 'Now he was rich, wore fine clothes, and made many friends, 
 who all said that he was an excellent man, a real nobleman. 
 And the soldier liked that. But as he was always spending 
 money and never made any more, at last the day came when 
 he had nothing left but two shillings, and he had to leave 
 the beautiful rooms in which he had been living, and go into 
 a little attic under the roof, and clean his own boots and mend 
 them with a darning-needle. None* of his friends came 
 to visit him there, for there were too many stairs to climb. 
 
 It was dark evening, and he could not even buy a light. 
 But all at once it flashed across him that there was a 
 little end of tinder in the tinder-box which he had taken 
 from the hollow tree into which the witch had helped him. 
 He found the box with the tinder in it; but just as he was 
 kindling a light and had struck a spark out of the tinder- 
 box, the door burst open, and the dog with eyes as large as 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 285 
 
 saucers, which he had seen down- in the tree, stood before 
 him and said : 
 
 " What does my lord command ? " 
 
 "What's the meaning of this?" exclaimed the soldier. 
 " This is a pretty kind of tinder-box if I can get whatever 
 I want like this ! Get me money ! " he cried to the dog, and 
 hey presto ! he was off and back again, holding a great purse 
 full of money in his mouth. 
 
 Now the soldier knew what a capital tinder-box this was. 
 If he rubbed once, the dog that sat on the chest of copper 
 appeared ; if he rubbed twice, there came the dog that watched 
 over the silver chest; and if he rubbed three times, the one 
 that guarded the gold appeared. Now, the soldier went 
 down again to the beautiful rooms and appeared once more 
 in splendid clothes. All his friends immediately recognized 
 him again and paid him great court. 
 
 One day he thought to himself, " It is very strange that 
 110 one can get to see the princess. They all say she is very 
 pretty, but what's the use of that if she has to sit forever 
 in the great copper castle with all the towers? Can I not 
 manage to see her somehow ? Where is my tinder-box ? " 
 And so he struck a spark, and, presto! there came the dog 
 with eyes as large as saucers. 
 
 " It is the middle of the night, I know," said the soldier, 
 " but I should very much like to see the princess for a mo- 
 ment." 
 
 The dog was already outside the door, and before the 
 soldier could look around in he came with the princess. 
 She was lying asleep on the dog's back, and was so beauti- 
 ful that anyone could see she was a real princess. The 
 soldier really could not refrain from kissing her he was 
 such a thorough soldier. Then the dog ran back with the 
 princess. But when it was morning and the king and 
 queen were drinking tea, the princess said that the night 
 before she had had such a strange dream about a dog and 
 a soldier: she had ridden on the dog's back and the soldier 
 had kissed her. 
 
 " That is certainly a fine story," said the queen. But 
 the next night one of the ladies-in-waiting was to watch 
 at the princess' bed, to see if it was only a dream or if it 
 had actually happened. 
 
286 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The soldier had an overpowering longing to see the prin- 
 cess again, and so the dog came in the middle of the night 
 and fetched her, running as fast as he could. But the lady- 
 in-waiting slipped on India-rubber shoes and followed them. 
 When she saw them disappear into a large house she thought 
 to herself, " Now I know where it is," and made a great 
 cross on the door with a piece of chalk. Then she went home 
 and lay down, and the dog came back with the princess. 
 But when he saw that a cross had been made on the door of 
 the house where the soldier lived, he took a piece of chalk 
 
 also and made crosses on all the doors in the town; and that 
 was very clever, for now the lady-in-waiting could not find 
 the right house, as there were crosses on all the doors. 
 
 Early the next morning the king, queen, ladies-in-waiting, 
 and officers came out to see where the princess had been. 
 
 " There it is ! " said the king, when he saw the first door 
 with a cross on it. 
 
 " No, there it is, my dear ! " said the queen when she like- 
 wise saw a door with a cross. 
 
 " But here is one and there is another ! " they all ex- 
 claimed. Wherever they looked there was a cross on the 
 door. Then they realized that the sign would not help them 
 at all. 
 
 But the queen was an extremely clever woman, who could 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 287 
 
 do a great deal more than just drive in a coach. She took 
 her great golden scissors, cut up a piece of silk, and made a 
 pretty little bag of it. This she filled with the finest buck- 
 wheat grains and tied it round the princess' neck; this done 
 she cut a little hole in the bag, so that the grains would strew 
 the whole road wherever the princess went. 
 
 In the night the dog came again, took the princess on 
 his back, and ran away with her to the soldier, who was 
 very much in love with her and would have liked to have 
 been a prince, so that he might have had her for his wife. 
 
 The dog did not notice how the grains were strewn right 
 from the castle to the soldier's window, where he ran up the 
 wall with the princess. 
 
 In the morning the king and the queen saw plainly 
 where their daughter had been, and they took the soldier 
 and put him into prison. 
 
 There he sat. Oh, how dark and dull it was there! And 
 they told him : " To-morrow you are to be hanged." Hear- 
 ing that did not exactly cheer him, and he had left his 
 tinder-box in the inn. 
 
 I^ext morning he could see through the iron grating in 
 front of his little window how the people were hurrying 
 out of the town to see him hanged. He heard the drums 
 and saw the soldiers marching ; all the people were run- 
 ning to and fro. Just below his window was a shoemaker's 
 apprentice, with leather apron and shoes. He was skipping 
 along so merrily that one of his shoes flew off and fell against 
 the wall, just where the soldier was sitting peeping through 
 the iron grating. 
 
 " Oh, shoemaker's boy, you needn't be in such a hurry ! " 
 said the soldier to him. " There's nothing going on till 
 I arrive. But if you will run back to the house where I 
 lived and fetch me my tinder-box I will give you four shill- 
 ings. But you must put your best foot foremost." 
 
 The shoemaker's boy was very willing to earn four shill- 
 ings, and fetched the tinder-box, gave it to the soldier, and 
 yes now you shall hear. 
 
 Outside the town a great scaffold had been erected, and 
 all round were standing the soldiers and hundreds of thou- 
 sands of people. The king and queen were sitting on a 
 magnificent throne opposite the judges and the whole council 
 
288 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 The soldier was already standing on the top of the ladder, 
 but when they wanted to put the rope round his neck he 
 said that the fulfillment of one innocent request was al- 
 
 " He was skipping along so merrily." 
 
 ways granted to a poor criminal before he underwent his 
 punishment. He would like so much to smoke a small 
 pipe of tobacco; it would be his last pipe in this world. 
 The king could not refuse him this, and so he took out 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 289 
 
 his tinder-box and rubbed it once, twice, three times. And, 
 lo and behold! there stood all three dogs the one with 
 eyes as large as saucers, the second with eyes as large as 
 mill-wheels, and the third with eyes each as large as the 
 Round Tower of Copenhagen. 
 
 " Help me now, so that I may not be hanged ! " cried the 
 soldier. And thereupon the dogs fell upon the judges and 
 the whole council, seized some by the legs, others by the 
 nose, and threw them so high into the air that they fell and 
 were smashed to pieces. 
 
 " I won't stand this ! " said the king ; but the largest dog 
 seized him too, and the queen as well, and threw them up 
 after the others. This frightened the soldiers, and all the 
 people cried : " Good soldier, you shall be our king and 
 many the beautiful princess ! " 
 
 Then they put the soldier into the king's coach, and the 
 three dogs danced in front, crying " Hurrah ! " And the 
 boys whistled and the soldiers presented arms. 
 
 The princess came out of the copper castle and became 
 queen; and that pleased her very much. 
 
 The wedding festivities lasted for eight days, and the 
 dogs sat at table and made eyes at everyone. 
 
 THE WITCH IN THE STONE BOAT.* 
 
 There were once a king and a queen, and they had a 
 son called Sigurd, who was very strong and active and 
 good-looking. When the king came to be bowed down 
 with the weight of years he spoke to his son, and said that 
 now it was time for him to look out for a fitting match for 
 himself, for he did not know how long he might last now, 
 and he would like to see him married before he died. 
 
 Sigurd was not averse to this, and asked his father where 
 he thought it best to look for a wife. The king answered 
 that in a certain country there was a king who -had a beau- 
 tiful daughter, and he thought it would be most desirable 
 if Sigurd could get her. So the two narted, and Sigurd 
 prepared for the journey and went to where his father had 
 directed him. 
 
 *From the Icelandic. 
 
290 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 He came to the king and asked his daughter's hand, 
 which he readily granted him, but only on the condition 
 that he should remain there as long as he could, for the 
 king himself was not strong and not very able to govern 
 his kingdom. Sigurd accepted this condition, but added 
 that he would have to get leave to go home again to his 
 own country when he heard news of his father's death. 
 After that Sigurd married the princess and helped his 
 father-in-law to govern the kingdom. He and the princess 
 loved each other dearly, and after a year a son came to 
 them, who was two years old when word came to Sigurd 
 that his father was dead. Sigurd now prepared to return 
 home with his wife and child and went on board ship to go 
 by sea. 
 
 They had sailed for several days, when the breeze sud- 
 denly fell and there came a dead calm at a time when they 
 needed only one day's voyage to reach home. Sigurd and 
 his queen were one day on deck when most of the others 
 on the ship had fallen asleep. There they sat and talked 
 for a while, and had their little son along with them. After 
 a time Sigurd became so weary with sleep that he could no 
 longer keep awake, so he went below and lay down, leav- 
 ing the queen alone on the deck playing with her son. 
 
 A good while after Sigurd had gone below the queen 
 saw something black on the sea which seemed to be com- 
 ing nearer. As it approached she could make out that it 
 was a boat, and could see the figure of someone sitting in it 
 and rowing it. At last the boat came alongside the ship, 
 and now the queen saw that it was a stone boat, out of 
 which there came up on board the ship a fearfully ugly 
 witch. The queen was more frightened than words can 
 describe, and could neither speak a word or move from 
 the place, so as to awaken the king or the sailors. The 
 witch came right up to the queen, took the child from her, 
 and laid it on the deck; then she took the queen and 
 stripped her of all her fine clothes, which she proceeded to 
 put on herself and looked then like a human being. Last 
 of all she took the queen, put her into the boat, and said : 
 
 " This spell I lay upon you, that you slacken not your 
 course until you come to my brother in the underworld." 
 
 The queen sat stunned and motionless, but the boat at 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 291 
 
 once shot away from the ship with her, and before long she 
 was out of sight. 
 
 When the boat could no longer be seen the child began 
 to cry, and though the witch tried to quiet it she could not 
 
 manage it ; so she went below to where the king was sleep- 
 ing with the child on her arm, and awakening him, scolding 
 
292 THE YELLOW FALEY BOOK. 
 
 him for leaving them alone on deck while he and all the 
 crew were asleep. It was great carelessness of him, she 
 said, to leave no one to watch the ship with her. 
 
 Sigurd was greatly surprised to hear his queen scold him 
 so much, for she had never said an angry word to him be- 
 fore; but he thought it was quite excusable in this case, 
 and tried to quiet the child along with her, but it was no 
 use. Then he went and wakened the sailors and bade them 
 hoist the sails, for a breeze had sprung up and was blowing 
 straight toward the harbor. 
 
 They soon reached the land which Sigurd was to rule 
 over, and found all the people sorrowful for the old king's 
 death, but they became glad when they got Sigurd back to 
 the court, and made him king over them. 
 
 The king's son, however, hardly ever stopped crying from 
 the time he had been taken from his mother on the deck 
 of the ship, although he had always been such a good 
 child before, so that at last the king had to get a nurse for 
 him -one of the maids of the court. As soon as the child 
 got into her charge he stopped crying, and behaved as well 
 as before. 
 
 After the sea voyage it seemed to the king that the queen 
 had altered very much in many ways, and not for the bet- 
 ter. He thought her much more haughty and stubborn and 
 difficult to deal with than she used to be. Before long others 
 began to notice this as well as the king. In the court there 
 were two young fellows, one of eighteen years old, the other 
 of nineteen, who were very fond of playing chess and often 
 sat long inside playing at it. Their room was next the 
 queen's, and often during the day they heard the queen 
 talking. 
 
 One day they paid more attention than usual when they 
 heard her talk, and put their ears close to a crack in the 
 wall between the rooms, and heard the queen say quite 
 plainly: "When I yawn a little, then I am a nice little 
 maiden; when I yawn halfway, then I am half a troll; and 
 when I yawn fully, then I am a troll altogether." 
 
 As she said this she yawned tremendously, and in a 
 moment had put on the appearance of a fearfully ugly 
 troll. Then there came up through the floor of the room 
 a three-headed giant with a trough full of meat, who 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 293 
 
 saluted her as his sister and set down the trough before 
 her. She began to eat out of it, and never stopped till she 
 had finished it. The young fellows saw all this going on, 
 but did not hear the two of them say anything to each 
 other. They were astonished, though, at how greedily the 
 queen devoured the meat and how much she ate of it, 
 and were no longer surprised that she took so little when 
 she sat at table with the king. As soon as she had finished 
 it the giant disappeared with the trough by the same way 
 as he had come, and the queen returned to her human shape. 
 
 Now we must go back to the king's son after he had been 
 put in charge of the nurse. One evening, after she had lit 
 a candle and was holding the child, several planks sprang 
 up in the floor of the room, and out at the opening came a 
 beautiful woman dressed in white, with an iron belt round 
 her waist, to which was fastened an iron chain that went 
 down into the ground. The woman came up to the nurse, 
 took the child from her, and pressed it to her breast; then 
 she gave it back to the nurse and returned by the same 
 way as she had come, and the floor closed over her again. 
 Although the woman had not spoken a single word to her, 
 the nurse was very much frightened, but told no one 
 about it. 
 
 Next evening the same thing happened again, just as 
 before, but as the woman was going away she said in a sad 
 tone, " Two are gone and one only is left," and then dis- 
 appeared as before. The nurse was still more frightened 
 when she heard the woman say this, and thought that per- 
 haps some danger was hanging over the child, though she 
 had no ill-opinion of the unknown woman, who, indeed, 
 had behaved toward the child as if it had been her own. The 
 most mysterious thing was the woman saying, " and only 
 one is left"; but the nurse guessed that this must mean 
 that only one day was left, since she had come for two days 
 already. 
 
 At last the nurse made up her mind to go to the king. 
 She told him the whole story and asked him to be present 
 in person the next day about the time when the woman usu- 
 ally came. The king promised to do so, and came to the 
 nurse's room a little before the time and sat down on a 
 chair with his drawn sword in his hand. Soon after the 
 
hews the cham asunder 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 295 
 
 planks in the floor sprang up as before, and the woman 
 came up, dressed in white, with the iron belt and chain. 
 The king saw at once that it was his own queen, and im- 
 mediately hewed asunder the iron chain that was fastened 
 to the belt. This was followed by such noises and crash- 
 ings down in the earth that all the king's palace shook, so 
 that no one expected anything else than to see every bit of 
 it shaken to pieces. At last the noises and shakings stopped, 
 and they began to come to themselves again. 
 
 The king and queen embraced each other, and she told 
 him the whole story how the witch came to the ship when 
 they were all asleep and sent her off in the boat. After 
 she had gone so far that she could not see the ship, she 
 sailed on through darkness until she landed beside a three- 
 headed giant. The giant wished her to marry him, but 
 she refused; whereupon he shut her up by herself and told 
 her she would never get free until she consented. After a 
 time she began to plan how to get her freedom, and at last 
 told him that she would consent if he would allow her to 
 visit her son on earth three days on end. This he agreed 
 to, but put on her this iron belt and chain, the other end of 
 which he fastened round his own waist, and the great noises 
 that were heard when the king cut the chain must have been 
 caused by the giant's falling down the underground passage 
 when the chain gave way so suddenly. The giant's dwelling, 
 indeed, was right under the palace, and the terrible shakings 
 must have been caused by him in his death-throes. 
 
 The king now understood how the queen he had had for 
 some time past had been so ill-tempered. He at once had a 
 sack drawn over her head and made her be stoned to death, 
 and after that torn to pieces by untamed horses. The two 
 young fellows also told now what they had heard and seen 
 in the queen's room, for before this they had been afraid 
 to say anything about it, on account of the queen's power. 
 
 The real queen was now restored to all her dignity and 
 was beloved by all. The nurse was married to a nobleman^ 
 and the king and, <^ueen gave her splendid presents. 
 
296 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 THUMBELINA. 
 
 There was once a woman who wanted to have quite a 
 tiny little child, but she did not know where to get one 
 from. So one day she went to an old witch and said to her: 
 
 " I should so much like to have a tiny little child. Can 
 you tell me where I can get one ? " 
 
 " Oh, we have just got one ready ! " said the witch. " Here 
 is a barleycorn for you, but it's not the kind the farmer 
 sows in his fields or feeds the cocks and hens with, I can 
 tell you. Put it in a flower-pot, and then you will see some- 
 thing happen." 
 
 " Oh, thank you ! " said the woman, and gave the witch 
 a shilling, for that was what it cost. Then she went home 
 and planted the barleycorn. Immediately there grew out 
 of it a large and beautiful flower which looked like a tulip, 
 but the petals were tightly closed as if it were still only a bud. 
 
 " What a beautiful flower ! " exclaimed the woman, and 
 she kissed the red and yellow petals ; but as she kissed them 
 the flower burst open. It was a real tulip, such as one can 
 see any day, but in the middle of the blossom, on the green 
 velvety petals, sat a little girl, quite tiny, trim, and pretty. 
 She was scarcely half a thumb in height, so they called her 
 Thumbelina. An elegant polished walnut shell served 
 Thumbelina as a cradle, the blue petals of a violet were her 
 mattress, and a rose-leaf her coverlid. There she lay at 
 night, but in the daytime she used to play about on the table. 
 Here the woman had put a bowl, surrounded by a ring of 
 flowers, with their stalks in water, in the middle of which 
 floated a great tulip petal, and on this Thumbelina sat and 
 sailed from one side of the bowl to the other, rowing herself 
 with two white horsehairs for oars. It was such a pretty 
 sight! She could sing, too, with a voice more soft and 
 sweet than had ever been heard before. 
 
 One night, when she was lying in her pretty little bed, 
 an old toad crept in through a broken pane in the window. 
 She was very ugly, clumsy, and clammy; she hopped on to 
 the table where Thumbelina lay asleep under the red rose- 
 leaf. 
 
 " This would make a beautiful wife for my son," said 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 297 
 
 the toad, taking up the walnut-shell, with Thumbelina 
 inside, and hopping with it through the window into the 
 garden. 
 
 There flowed a great wide stream, with slippery and marshy 
 banks; here the toad lived with her son. Ugh! how ugly 
 and clammy he was, just like his mother! "Croak! croak! 
 croak ! " was all that he could say when he saw the pretty 
 little girl in the walnut-shell. 
 
 "Don't talk so loud or you'll wake her," said the old 
 toad. " She might escape us even now ; she is as light as a 
 feather. We will put her at once on a broad water-lily 
 
 
 leaf in the stream. That will be quite an island for her; 
 she is so small and light. She can't run away from us there 
 while we are preparing the guest-chamber under the marsh 
 where she shall live." 
 
 Outside in the brook grew many water-lilies, with broad 
 green leaves, which looked as if they were swimming about 
 on the water. The leaf farthest away was the largest, and 
 to this the old toad swam with Thumbelina in her walnut- 
 shell. 
 
 The tiny Thumbelina woke up very early in the morn- 
 
298 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 ing, and when she saw where she was she began to cry 
 bitterly; for on every side of the great green leaf was water, 
 and she could not get to the land. 
 
 The old toad was down under the marsh decorating her 
 room with rushes and yellow marigold leaves, to make it 
 very grand for her new daughter-in-law; then she swam out 
 with her ugly son to the leaf where Thumbelina lay. She 
 wanted to fetch the pretty cradle to put it into her room 
 before Thumbelina herself came there. The old toad bowed 
 low in the water before her and said : " Here is my son ; 
 you shall marry him and live in great magnificence down 
 under the marsh." 
 
 " Croak ! croak ! croak ! " was all that the son could say. 
 Then they took the neat little cradle and swam away with 
 it; but Thumbelina sat alone on the great green leaf and 
 wept, for she did not want to live with the clammy toad or 
 marry her ugly son. The little fishes swimming about 
 under the water had seen the toad quite plainly and heard 
 what she had said, so they put up their heads to see the 
 little girl. When they saw her they thought her so pretty 
 that they were very sorry she should go down with the 
 ugly toad to live. No, that must not happen. They 
 assembled in the water around the green stalk which sup- 
 ported the leaf on which she was sitting and nibbled the 
 stem in two. Away floated the leaf down the stream, bear- 
 ing Thumbelina far beyond reach of the toad. 
 
 On she sailed past several towns, and the little birds sitting 
 in the bushes saw her and sang : " What a pretty little girl ! " 
 The leaf floated further and further away; thus Thumbelina 
 left her native land. 
 
 A beautiful little white butterfly fluttered above her and 
 she, too, was delighted, for now the toads could not reach 
 her, and it was so beautiful where she was traveling; the 
 sun shone on the water and made it sparkle like the brightest 
 silver. She took off her sash and tied one end round the 
 butterfly; the other end she fastened to the leaf so that now 
 it glided along with her faster than ever. 
 
 A great cockchafer came flying past. He caught sight 
 of Thumbelina, and in a moment had put his arms round 
 her slender waist and had flown off with her to a tree. The 
 green leaf floated away down the stream, and the butterfly 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 299 
 
 with it, for he was fastened to the leaf and could not get 
 loose from it. Oh, dear! how terrified poor little Thumbe- 
 lina was when the cockchafer flew off with her to the tree! 
 But she was especially distressed on the beautiful white 
 butterfly's account, as she had tied him fast, so that he could 
 not get away he must starve to death. But the cockchafer 
 did not trouble himself about that. He sat down with her 
 on a large green leaf, gave her the honey out of the flowers 
 to eat, and told her that she was very pretty, although she 
 
 wasn't in the least like a cockchafer. Later on all the other 
 cockchafers who lived in the same tree came to pay calls. 
 They examined Thumbelina closely and remarked: 
 
 " Why, she has only two legs ! How very miserable ! " 
 
 " She has no feelers ! " cried another. 
 
 " How ugly she is ! " saad all the lady chafers and yet 
 Thumbelina was really very pretty. 
 
 The cockchafer who had stolen her knew this very well, 
 but when he heard all the ladies saying she was ugly he 
 began to think so too and would not keep her; she might 
 go wherever she liked. So he flew down from the tree 
 with her and put her on a daisy. There she sat and wept, 
 because she was so ugly that the cockchafer would have 
 nothing to do with her; and yet she was the most beautiful 
 creature imaginable, so soft and delicate, like the loveliest 
 roee-leaf. 
 
300 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 The whole summer poor little Thumbelina lived alone in 
 the great wood. She plaited a bed for herself of blades of 
 grass and hung it up under a clover-leaf, so that she was 
 protected from the rain ; she gathered honey from the flowers 
 for food and drank the dew on the leaves every morning. 
 Thus the summer and autumn passed, but then came winter 
 the long, cold winter. All the birds who had sung so 
 sweetly about her had flown away; the trees shed their 
 leaves, the flowers died; the great clover-leaf under which 
 she had lived curled up, and nothing remained of it but the 
 withered stalk. She was terribly cold, for her clothes were 
 ragged and she herself was so small and thin. Poor little 
 Thumbelina she would surely be frozen to death! It be- 
 gan to snow, and every snowflake that fell on her was to 
 her as a whole shovelful thrown on one of us, for we are 
 so big, and she was only an inch high. She wrapped her- 
 self round in a dead leaf, but it was torn in the middle and 
 gave her no warmth; she was trembling with cold. 
 
 Just outside the wood where she was now living lay a 
 great cornfield. But the corn had been gone a long time; 
 only the dry, bare stubble was left standing in the frozen 
 ground. This made a forest for her to wander about in. 
 All at once she came across the door of a field-mouse who 
 had a little hole under a cornstalk. There the mouse lived 
 warm and snug, with a storeroom full of corn, a splendid 
 kitchen and dining room. Poor little Thumbelina went up 
 to the door and begged for a little piece of barley, for she 
 had not had anything to eat for the last two days. 
 
 " Poor little creature ! " said the field-mouse, for she was 
 a kind-hearted old thing at the bottom. " Come into my 
 warm room and have some dinner with me." 
 
 As Thumbelina pleased her she said: "As far as I am 
 concerned, you may spend the winter with me; but you 
 must keep my room clean and tidy and tell me stories, for I 
 like that very much." 
 
 And Thumbelina did ail that the kind old field-mouse 
 asked, and did it remarkably well too. 
 
 " Now I am expecting a visitor," said the field-mouse. 
 " My neighbor comes to call on me once a week. He is in 
 better circumstances than I am, has great big rooms, and 
 wears a fine black-velvet coat. If you could only marry 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 301 
 
 him you would be well provided for. But he is blind. You 
 must tell him all the prettiest stories you know." 
 
 But Thumbelina did not trouble her head about him, for 
 he was only a mole. He came and paid them a visit in his 
 black- velvet coat. 
 
 "He is so rich and so accomplished," the field-mouse told 
 her. " His house is twenty times larger than mine. He 
 possesses great knowledge, but he cannot bear the sun and 
 the beautiful flowers, and speaks slightingly of them, for 
 he has never seen them." 
 
 Thumbelina had to sing to him, so she sang "Lady-bird, 
 lady-bird, fly away home ! " and other songs so prettily that 
 the mole fell in love with her; but he did not say anything 
 he was a very cautious man. A short time before he 
 had dug a long passage through the ground from his own 
 house to that of his neighbor; in this he gave the field- 
 mouse and Thumbelina permission to walk as often as they 
 liked. But he begged them not to be afraid of the dead 
 bird that lay in the passage; it was a real bird with beak 
 and feathers, and must have died a little time ago, and now 
 laid buried just where he had made his tunnel. The mole 
 took a piece of rotten wood in his mouth, for that glows 
 like fire in the dark, and went in front, lighting them through 
 the long dark passage. When they came to the place where 
 the dead bird lay the mole put his broad nose against the 
 ceiling and pushed a hole through, so that the daylight 
 could shine down. In the middle of the path lay a dead swal- 
 low, his pretty wings pressed close to his sides, his claws 
 and head drawn under his feathers ; the poor bird had evi- 
 dently died of cold. Thumbelina was very sorry, for she was, 
 very fond of all little birds ; they had sung and twittered so 
 beautifully to her all through the summer. But the mole 
 kicked him with his bandy legs and said: 
 
 " Now he can't sing any more ! It must be very miser- 
 able to be a little bird ! I'm thankful that none of my little 
 children are. Birds always starve in winter." 
 
 " Yes, you speak like a sensible man," said the field-mouse. 
 " What has a bird, in spite of all his singing, in the winter- 
 time? He must starve and freeze, and that must be very 
 pleasant for him, I must say ! " 
 
 Thumbelina did not say anything; but when the other 
 
302 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 two had passed on she bent down to the bird, brushed aside 
 the feathers from his head, and kissed his closed eyes gently. 
 " Perhaps it was he that sang to me so prettily in the sum- 
 mer," she thought. " How much pleasure he did give me, 
 dear little bird ! " 
 
 The mole closed up the hole again which let in the light 
 and then escorted the ladies home. But Thumbelina could 
 not sleep that night; so she got out of bed and plaited a 
 great big blanket of straw, and carried it off and spread it 
 over the dead bird, and piled upon it thistledown as soft as 
 cotton-wool which she had found in the field-mouse's room, 
 so that the poor little thing should lie warmly buried. 
 
 " Farewell, pretty little bird ! " she said. " Farewell, and 
 
 thank you for your beautiful songs in the summer, when 
 the trees were green and the sun shone down warmly on 
 us ! " Then she laid her head against the bird's heart. But 
 the bird was not dead : he had been frozen, but now that she 
 had warmed him he was coming to life again. 
 
 In autumn the swallows fly away to foreign lands, but 
 there are some who are late in starting, and then they get 
 so cold that they drop down as if dead, and the snow comes 
 and covers them over. 
 
 Thumbelina trembled, she was so frightened, for the bird 
 was very large in comparison with herself only an inch high. 
 But she took courage, piled up the down more closely over 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 303 
 
 the poor swallow, and fetched her own coverlid and laid it 
 over his head. 
 
 Next night she crept out again to him. There he was, 
 alive, but very weak. He could only open his eyes for a 
 moment and look at Thumbelina, who was standing in front 
 of him with a piece of rotten wood in her hand, for she had 
 no other lantern. 
 
 " Thank you, pretty little child ! " said the swallow to her. 
 " I am so beautifully warm ! Soon I shall regain my 
 strength, and then I shall be able to fly out again into the 
 warm sunshine." 
 
 " Oh ! " she said, " it is very cold outside ; it is snowing 
 and freezing! Stay in your warm bed; I will take care of 
 you!" 
 
 Then she brought him water in a petal, which he drank, 
 after which he related to her how he had torn one of his 
 wings on a bramble, so that he could not fly as fast as the 
 other swallows, who had flown far away to warmer lands. 
 So at last he had dropped down exhausted, and then he 
 could remember no more. The whole winter he remained 
 down there, and Thumbelina looked after him and nursed 
 him tenderly. Neither the mole nor the field-mouse learned 
 anything about this, for they could not bear the poor 
 swallow. 
 
 When the spring came and the sun warmed the earth 
 again the swallow said farewell to Thumbelina, who 
 opened the hole in the roof for him which the mole had 
 made. The sun shone down brightly upon her, and the 
 swallow asked if she would go with him; she could sit 
 upon his back. Thumbelina wanted very much to fly far 
 away into the greenwood, but she knew that the old field- 
 mouse would be sad if she ran away. 
 
 " No, I mustn't come ! " she said. 
 
 " Farewell, dear good little girl," said the swallow, and 
 flew off into the sunshine. Thumbelina gazed after him 
 with the tears standing in her eyes, for she was very fond of 
 the swallow. 
 
 " Tweet ! tweet ! " sang the bird, and flew into the green- 
 wood. Thumbelina was very unhappy. She was not 
 allowed to go out into the warm sunshine. The corn which 
 Iiafl been sowed in the field over the field-mouse's home 
 
304 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 grew up high into the air, and made a thick forest for the 
 poor little girl, who was only an inch high. 
 
 " Now you are to be a bride, Thumbelina ! " said the field- 
 mouse, " for our neighbor has proposed for you ! What a 
 piece of fortune for a poor child like you! Now you must 
 set to work at your linen for your dowry, for nothing must 
 be lacking if you are to become the wife of our neighbor 
 the mole!" 
 
 Thumbelina had to spin all day long, and every evening 
 the mole visited her and told her that when- the summer was 
 over the sun would not shine so hot; now it was burning 
 
 the earth as hard as stone. Yes, when the summer had 
 passed they would keep the wedding. 
 
 But she was not at all pleased about it, for she did not like 
 the stupid mole. Every morning when the sun was rising 
 and every evening when it was setting she would steal out 
 of the house door, and when the breeze parted the ears of 
 corn so that she could see the blue sky through them, she 
 thought how bright and beautiful it must be outside, and 
 longed to see her dear swallow again. But he never came; 
 no doubt he had flown away far into the great greenwood. 
 
 By the autumn Thumbelina had finished the dowry. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 305 
 
 " In four weeks you will be married ! " said the field- 
 mouse. " Don't be obstinate or I shall bite you with my 
 sharp white teeth! You will get a fine husband! The 
 king himself has not such a velvet coat. His storeroom 
 and cellar are full, and you should be thankful for that." 
 
 Well, the wedding-day arrived. The mole had come to 
 fetch Thumbelina to live him with deep down under the 
 ground, never to come out into the warm sun again, for that 
 was what he didn't like. The poor little girl was very sad, 
 for now she must say good-by to the beautiful sun. 
 
 " Farewell, bright sun ! " she cried, stretching out her 
 arms toward it and taking another step outside the house, 
 for now the corn had been reaped and only the dry stubble 
 was left standing. " Farewell ! farewell ! " she said, and put 
 her arms round a little red flower that grew there. "Give 
 my love to the dear swallow when you see him !" 
 
 " Tweet ! tweet ! " sounded in her ear all at once. She 
 looked up. There was the swallow flying past! As soon 
 as he saw Thumbelina he was very glad. She told him 
 how unwilling she was to marry the ugly mole, as then she 
 had to live underground where the sun never shone, and 
 she could not help bursting into tears. 
 
 " The cold winter is coming now," said the swallow. " I 
 must fly away to warmer lands. Will you come with me? 
 You can sit on my back, and we will fly far away from 
 the ugly mole and his dark house, over the mountains to 
 the warm countries where the sun shines more brightly 
 than here, where it is always summer and there are always 
 beautiful flowers. Do come with me, dear little Thumbe- 
 lina, who saved my life when I lay frozen in the dark 
 tunnel ! " 
 
 " Yes, I will go with you," said Thumbelina, and got on 
 the swallow's back, with her feet on one of his outstretched 
 wings. Up he flew into the air, over woods and seas, over 
 the great mountains where the snow is always lying. And 
 if she was cold she crept under his warm feathers, only 
 keeping her little head out to admire all the beautiful things 
 in the world beneath. At last they came to warm lands. 
 There the sun was brighter, the sky seemed twice as high 
 and in the hedges hung the finest green and purple grapes; 
 in the woods grew oranges and lemons; the air was scented 
 
306 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 with myrtle and mint, and on the roads were pretty little 
 children running about and playing with great gorgeous 
 butterflies. But the swallow flew on further, and it became 
 more and more beautiful. Under the most splendid green 
 trees beside a blue lake stood a glittering white marble 
 
 castle. Vines hung about the high pillars; there were many 
 swallows' nests, and in one of these lived the swallow who 
 was carrying Thumbelina. 
 
 " Here is my house ! " said he. " But it won't do for you 
 to live with me; I am not tidy enough to please you. Find 
 a home for yourself in one of the lovely flowers that grow 
 down there. Now I will set you down, and you can do 
 whatever you like." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 307 
 
 " That will be splendid ! " said she, clapping her little 
 hands. 
 
 There lay a great white marble column which had fallen 
 to the ground and broken into three pieces, but between 
 these grew the most beautiful white flowers. The swallow 
 flew down with Thumbelina and set her upon one of the 
 broad leaves. But there, to her astonishment, she found a 
 tiny little man sitting in the middle of the flower, as white 
 and transparent as if he were made of glass. He had the 
 prettiest golden crown on his head and the most beautiful 
 wings on his shoulders; he himself was no bigger than 
 Thumbelina. He was the spirit of the flower. In each 
 blossom there dwelt a tiny man or woman; but this one was 
 the king over the others. 
 
 " How handsome he is ! " whispered Thumbelina to the 
 gwallow. 
 
 The little prince was very much frightened at the 
 swallow, for in comparison with one so tiny as himself he 
 seemed a giant. But when he saw Thumbelina he was 
 delighted, for she was the most beautiful girl he had ever 
 seen. So he took his golden crown from off his head and 
 put it^on hers, asking her her name and if she would be 
 his wife, and then she would be queen of all the flowers. 
 Yes! he was a different kind of husband to the son of the 
 toad and the mole with the black-velvet coat. So she said 
 " Yes " to the noble prince. And out of each flower came 
 a lady and gentleman, each so tiny and pretty that it was a 
 pleasure to see them. Each brought Thumbelina a present, 
 but the best of all was a beautiful pair of wings which were 
 fastened on to her back, and now she too could fly from 
 flower to flower. They all wished her joy, and the swallow 
 sat above in his nest and sung the wedding-march, and 
 that he did as well as he could; but he was sad, because he 
 was very fond of Thumbelina and did not want to be sepa- 
 rated from her. 
 
 " You shall not be called Thumbelina ! " said the spirit 
 of the flower to her. " That is an ugly name, and you are 
 much too pretty for that. We will call you May Blossom." 
 
 " Farewell ! farewell ! " said the little swallow with a 
 heavy heart, and flew away to further lands, far, far away, 
 right back to Denmark. There he had a little nest above a 
 
308 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 window, where his wife lived, who can tell fairy stories. 
 " Tweet ! tweet ! " he sang to her. And that is the way he 
 learned the whole story. 
 
 THE NIGHTINGALE. 
 
 In China, as I dare say you know, the emperor is a 
 Chinaman and all his courtiers are also Chinamen. The 
 story I am going to tell you happened many years ago, 
 but it is worth while for you to listen to it before it is 
 forgotten. 
 
 The emperor's palace was the most splendid in the world, 
 all made of priceless porcelain, but so brittle and delicate 
 that you had to take great care how you touched it. In 
 the garden were the most beautiful flowers, and on the 
 loveliest of them were tied silver bells which tinkled so 
 that, if you passed, you could not help looking at the 
 flowers. Everything in the emperor's garden was admi- 
 rably arranged with a view to effect; and the garden was so 
 large that even the gardener himself did not know where 
 it ended. If you ever got beyond it you came to a stately 
 forest with great trees and deep lakes in it. The forest 
 sloped down to the sea, which was a clear blue. Large 
 ships could sail under the boughs of the trees, and in these 
 trees there lived a nightingale. She sang so beautifully 
 that even the poor fisherman who had so much to do stood 
 and listened when he came at night to cast his nets. " How 
 beautiful it is ! " he said ; but he had to attend to his work, 
 and forgot about the bird. But when she sang the next 
 night, and the fisherman came there again, he said the same 
 thing : " How beautiful it is ! " 
 
 From all the countries round came travelers to the em- 
 peror's town, who were astonished at the palace and the 
 garden. But when they heard the nightingale they all said: 
 " This is the finest thing, after all ! " 
 
 The travelers told all about it when they went home, 
 and learned scholars wrote many books upon the town, the 
 palace, and the garden. But they did not forget the night- 
 ingale; she was praised the most, and all the poets com- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 309 
 
 posed splendid verses on the nightingale in the forest by 
 the deep sea. 
 
 The books were circulated throughout the world, and some 
 of them reached the emperor. He sat in his golden chair 
 and read and read. He nodded his head every moment, 
 for he liked reading the brilliant accounts of the town, the 
 palace, and the garden. " But the nightingale is better than 
 all," he saw it written. 
 
 "What is that?" said the emperor. "I don't know any- 
 thing about the nightingale! Is there such a bird in my 
 empire and so near as in my garden? I have never heard 
 it ! Fancy reading for the first time about it in a book ! " 
 
 And he called his first lord to him. He was so proud 
 that if anyone of lower rank than his own ventured to 
 speak to him or ask him anything, he would say nothing 
 but " P ! " and that does not mean anything. 
 
 " Here is a most remarkable bird which is called a night- 
 ingale ! " said the emperor. " They say it is the most glo- 
 rious thing in my kingdom. Why has no one ever said 
 anything to me about it ? " 
 
 " I have never before heard it mentioned ! " said the first 
 lord. " I will look for it and find it 1 " 
 
 But where was it to be found? The first lord ran up 
 and down stairs, through the halls and corridors; but none 
 of those he met had ever heard of the nightingale. And 
 the first lord ran again to the emperor and told him that 
 it must be an invention on the part of those who had written 
 the books. 
 
 "Your imperial majesty cannot really believe all that is 
 written ! There are some inventions called the black art ! " 
 
 " But the book in which I read this," said the emperor, 
 " is sent me by his great majesty the Emperor of Japan ; 
 so it cannot be untrue, and I will hear the nightingale! 
 She must be here this evening! She has my gracious per- 
 mission to appear, and if she does not the whole court 
 shall be trampled under foot after supper ! " 
 
 " Tsing pe ! " said the first lord ; and he ran up and down 
 stairs, through the halls and corridors, and half the court 
 ran with him, for they did not want to be trampled under 
 foot. Everyone was asking after the wonderful nightin- 
 gale which all the world knew of except those at court. 
 
310 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIKY BOOK. 
 
 At last they met a poor little girl in the kitchen who 
 said : " Oh ! I know the nightingale well. How she sings ! 
 I have permission to carry the scraps over from the court 
 meals to my poor sick mother, and when I am going home 
 at night, tired and weary, and rest for a little in the wood, 
 
 
 then I hear the nightingale singing! It brings tears to my 
 eyes, and I feel as if my mother were kissing me ! " 
 
 " Little kitchen-maid ! " said the first lord, " I will give 
 you a place in the kitchen, and you shall have leave to see 
 the emperor at dinner if you can lead us to the nightingale, 
 for she is invited to come to court this evening." 
 
 And so they all went into the wood where the nightingale 
 was wont to sing, and half the court went too. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 311 
 
 When they were on the way there they heard a cow 
 mooing. 
 
 " Oh ! " said the .courtiers, " now we have found her ! 
 What a wonderful power for such a small beast to have ! I 
 am sure we have heard her before ! " 
 
 " ISTo ; that is a cow mooing ! " said the little kitchen-maid. 
 " We are still a long way off ! " 
 
 TWn the frogs began to croak in the marsh. 
 
 "Splendid. 1 " o&za /he c/nmese chaplain, "Now we hear 
 her. It sounds like a little church-bell ! " 
 
 " No, no ; those are frogs ! " said the little kitchen-maid. 
 " But I think we shall soon hear her now ! " 
 
 Then the nightingale began to sing. 
 
 " There she is ! " cried the little girl. " Listen ! She is 
 sitting there." And she pointed to a little dark-gray bird 
 up in the branches. 
 
 " Is it possible ! " said the first lord. " I should never have 
 thought it ! How ordinary she looks ! She must surely have 
 lost her feathers because she sees so many distinguished men 
 round her ! " 
 
 " Little nightingale," called out the little kitchen-maid, 
 " our gracious emperor wants you to sing before him ! " 
 
 " With the greatest of pleasure ! " said the nightingale ; 
 and she sang so gloriously that it was a pleasure to listen. 
 
 " It sounds like glass bells," said the first lord. " And 
 look how her little throat works! It is wonderful that we 
 have never heard her before! She will be a great success 
 at court." 
 
 " Shall I sing once more for the emperor ? " asked the 
 nightingale, thinking that the emperor was there. 
 
 " My esteemed little nightingale," said the first lord, " I 
 have the great pleasure to invite you to court this evening, 
 where his gracious imperial highness will be enchanted with 
 your charming song ! " 
 
 "It sounds best in the greenwood," said the nightingale; 
 but still she came gladly when she heard that the emperor 
 wished it. At the palace everything was splendidly pre- 
 pared. The porcelain walls and floors glittered in the light 
 of many thousand gold lamps; the most gorgeous flowers 
 which tinkled out well were placed in the corridors. There 
 was such a hurrying and draught tha+ all the bells jingled 
 
312 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 so much that one could not hear one's self speak. In the 
 center of the great hall where the emperor sat was a golden 
 perch on which the nightingale sat. The whole court was 
 there, and the little kitchen-maid was allowed to stand be- 
 hind the door now that she was a court cook. Everyone 
 was dressed in his best, and everyone was looking toward 
 the little gray bird, to whom the emperor nodded. 
 
 The nightingale sang so gloriously that the tears came 
 into the emperor's eyes and ran down his cheeks. Then 
 the nightingale sang even more beautifully; it went 
 
 The Present from the Emperor of Japan. 
 
 straight to all hearts. The emperor was so delighted that 
 he said she should bear his gold slipper round her neck. 
 But the nightingale thanked him and said she had had 
 enough reward already. "I have seen tears in the 
 emperor's eyes that is a great reward. An emperor's 
 tears have such power ! " Then she sang again with her 
 gloriously sweet voice. 
 
 " That is the most charming coquetry I have ever seen ! " 
 said all the ladies round. And they all took to holding 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 313 
 
 water in their mouths that they might gurgle whenever 
 anyone spoke to them. Then they thought themselves night- 
 ingales. Yes, the lackeys and chambermaids announced 
 that they were pleased; which means a great deal, for they 
 are the most difficult people of all to satisfy. In short, the 
 nightingale was a real success. 
 
 She had to stay at court now; she had her own cage 
 and permission to walk out twice in the day and once at 
 night. 
 
 She was given twelve servants, who each held a silken 
 string which was fastened round her leg. There was little 
 pleasure in flying about like this. 
 
 The whole town was talking about the wonderful bird, 
 and when two people met each other one would say 
 " Nightin " and the other " Gale," and then they would both 
 sigh and understand one another. Yes, and eleven grocers' 
 children were called after her, but not one of them could 
 sing a note. 
 
 One day the emperor received a large parcel on which was 
 written "The Nightingale." 
 
 " Here is another new book, about our famous jbird ! " said 
 the emperor. 
 
 But it was not a book, but a little mechanical toy which 
 lay in a box an artificial nightingale which was like the 
 real one, only that it was set all over with diamonds, ru- 
 bies, and sapphires. When it was wound up it could sing the 
 piece the real bird sang, and moved its tail up and down 
 and glittered with silver and gold. Round its neck was a 
 little collar on which was written, " The nightingale of the 
 Emperor of Japan is nothing compared to that of the Em- 
 peror of China." 
 
 " This is magnificent ! " they all said, and the man who 
 had brought the clockwork bird received on the spot the 
 title of Bringer of the Imperial First Nightingale. 
 
 "Now they must sing together. What a duet we shall 
 have!" 
 
 And so they sang together, but their voices did not blend, 
 for the real nightingale sang in her way and the clockwork 
 bird sang waltzes. 
 
 " It is not its fault ! " said the bandmaster. " It keeps 
 very good time and is quite after my style ! " 
 
314 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 Then the artificial bird had to sing alone. It gave just 
 as much pleasure as the real one, and then it was so much 
 prettier to look at; it sparkled like bracelets and neck- 
 laces. Thirty-three times it sang the same piece without be- 
 ing tired. People would like to have heard it again, but the 
 emperor thought that the living nightingale should sing 
 now but where was she ! No one had noticed that she had 
 flown out of the open window away to her greenwood. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " said the emperor. 
 
 And all the court scolded and said that the nightingale 
 was very ungrateful. " But we have still the best bird ! " 
 they said; and the artificial bird had to sing again, and that 
 was the thirty-fourth time they had heard the same piece. 
 But they did not yet know it by heart; it was much too 
 difficult. And the bandmaster praised the bird tremendously ; 
 yes, he assured them it was better than a real nightingale, 
 not only because of its beautiful plumage and diamonds, 
 but inside as well. " For see, my lords and ladies and your 
 imperial majesty, with the real nightingale one can never 
 tell what will come out, but all is known about the artificial 
 bird! You can explain it, you can open it and show people 
 where the waltzes lie, how they go, and how one follows the 
 other!" 
 
 " That's just what we think ! " said everyone ; and the 
 bandmaster received permission to show the bird to the 
 people the next Sunday. They should hear it sing, com- 
 manded the emperor. And they heard it, and they were 
 as pleased as if they had been intoxicated with tea, after 
 the Chinese fashion, and they all said " Oh ! " and held up 
 their forefingers and nodded time. But the poor fisher- 
 man who had heard the real nightingale said : " This one 
 sings well enough, the tunes glide out; but there is some- 
 thing wanting I don't know what ! " 
 
 The real nightingale was banished from the kingdom. 
 
 The artificial bird was put on silken cushions by the em- 
 peror's bed, all the presents which it received, gold and pre- 
 cious stones, lay round it, and it was given the title of Im- 
 perial Night-singer, First from the Left. For the emperor 
 counted that side as the more distinguished, being the side 
 on which the heart is ; the emperor's heart is also on the left. 
 
 And the bandmaster wrote a work of twenty-five volumes 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 315 
 
 about the artificial bird. It was so learned, long, and so 
 full of the hardest Chinese words that everyone said they 
 had read it and understood it; for once they had been very 
 stupid about a book, and had been trampled under foot 
 in consequence. So a whole year passed. The emperor, the 
 court, and all the Chinese knew every note of the artificial 
 bird's song by heart. But they liked it all the better for this ; 
 they could even sing with it, and they did. The street-boys 
 sang " Tra-la-la-la-la," and the emperor sang too sometimes. 
 It was indeed delightful. 
 
 But one evening, when the artificial bird was singing its 
 best and the emperor lay in bed listening to it, something 
 in the bird snapped! Whir-r-r! all the wheels ran down, 
 and then the music ceased. The emperor sprang up and 
 had his physician summoned, but what could he do! Then 
 the clockmaker came, and after a great deal of talking and 
 examining he put the bird somewhat in order, but he said 
 that it must be very seldom used, as the works were nearly 
 worn out and it was impossible to put in new ones. Here 
 was a calamity! Only once a year was the artificial bird 
 allowed to sing, and even that was almost too much for it. 
 But then the bandmaster made a little speech full of hard 
 words, saying that it was just as good as before. And so, of 
 course, it was just as good as before. So five years passed, 
 and then a great sorrow came to the nation. The Chinese 
 look upon the emperor as everything, and now he was ill 
 and not likely to live, it was said. 
 
 Already a new emperor had been chosen, and the people 
 stood outside in the street and asked the first lord how 
 the old emperor was. " P ! " said he, and shook his 
 head. 
 
 Cold and pale lay the emperor in his splendid great bed; 
 the whole court believed him dead, and one after the other 
 left him to pay their respects to the new emperor. Every- 
 where in the halls and corridors cloth was laid down so that 
 no footstep could be heard, and everything was still very, 
 very still. And nothing came to break the silence. 
 
 The emperor longed for something to come and relieve 
 the monotony of this deathlike stillness. If only someone 
 would speak to him! If only someone would sing to him! 
 Music would carry his thoughts away and would break the 
 
316 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 spell lying on him. The moon was streaming in at the open 
 window; but that, too, was silent, quite silent. 
 
 " Music ! music ! " cried the emperor. " You little bright 
 golden bird, sing! do sing! I gave you gold and jewels; I 
 have hung my gold slipper round your neck with my own 
 hand sing ! do sing ! " But the bird was silent. There was 
 no one to wind it up, and so it could not sing. And all was 
 silent, so terribly silent! 
 
 All at once there came in at the window the most glorious 
 burst of song. It was the little living nightingale, who, 
 sitting outside on a bough, had heard the need of her em- 
 peror and had come to sing to him of comfort and hope. 
 
 The True Nightingale Sings to the Emperor. 
 
 And as she sang the blood flowed quicker and quicker in the 
 emperor's weak limbs and life began to return. 
 
 " Thank you ! thank you ! " said the emperor. " You di- 
 vine little bird ! I know you. I chased you from my king- 
 dom, and you have given me life again ! How can I reward 
 you?" 
 
 " You have done that already ! " said the nightingale. 
 "I brought tears to your eyes the first time I sang. I 
 shall never forget that. They are jewels that rejoice a 
 singer's heart. But now sleep and get strong again. I 
 will sing you a lullaby." And the emperor fell into a deep, 
 calm sleep as she sang. 
 
 The sun was shining through the window when he awoke, 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 317 
 
 strong and well. None of his servants had come back yet, 
 for they thought he was dead. But the nightingale sat and 
 sang to him. 
 
 " You must always stay with me ! " said the emperor. 
 "You shall sing whenever you like, and I will break the 
 artificial bird into a thousand pieces." 
 
 "Don't do that!" said the Nightingale. "He did his 
 work as long as he could. Keep him as you have done! 
 I cannot build my nest in the palace and live here, but 
 let me come whenever I like. I will sit in the evening on 
 the bough outside the window, and I will sing you some- 
 thing that will make you feel happy and grateful. I will 
 sing of joy and sorrow; I will sing of the evil and the good 
 which lie hidden from you. The little singing-bird flies 
 all around, to the poor fisherman's hut, to the farmer's cot- 
 tage, to all those who are far away from you and your court. 
 I love your heart more than your crown, though that has 
 about it a brightness as of something holy. Now 1 will 
 sing to you again ; but you must promise me one thing " 
 
 " Anything ! " said the emperor, standing up in his im- 
 perial robes, which he had himself put on, and fastening on 
 his sword richly embossed with gold. 
 
 " One thing I beg of you. Don't tell anyone that you 
 have a little bird who tells you everything. It will be much 
 better not to." Then the nightingale flew away. 
 
 The servants came in to look at their dead emperor. 
 
 The emperor said " Good-morning." 
 
 HERMOD AND HADVOR.* 
 
 Once upon a time there were a king and a queen who 
 had an only daughter, called Hadvor, who was fair and 
 beautiful, and being an only child was heir to the king- 
 dom. The king and queen had also a foster-son, named 
 Hermod, who was just about the same age as Hadvor and 
 was good-looking, as well as clever at most things. Her- 
 mod and Hadvor often played together while they were 
 children, and liked each other eo much that while they 
 
 *From the Icelandic. 
 
318 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 were still young they secretly plighted their troth to each 
 other. 
 
 As time went on the queen fell sick, and, suspecting 
 that it was her last illness, sent for the king to come to her. 
 When he came she told him that she had no long time 
 to live and therefore wished to ask one thing of him, which 
 was that, if he married another wife, he should promise 
 to take no other one than the Queen of Hetland the Good. 
 The king gave the promise, and thereafter the queen died. 
 
 Time went past, and the king, growing tired of living 
 alone, fitted out his ship and sailed out to sea. As he 
 sailed there came upon him so thick a mist that he alto- 
 gether lost his bearings, but after long trouble he found 
 land. There he laid his ship to and went on shore all 
 alone. After walking for some time he came to a forest, 
 into which he went a little way and stopped. Then he 
 heard sweet music from a harp, and went in the direction 
 of the sound until he came to a clearing, and there he 
 saw three women, one of whom sat on a golden chair and 
 was beautiful and grandly dressed; she held a harp in 
 her hands and was very sorrowful. . The second was also 
 finely dressed, but younger in appearance, and also sat 
 on a chair, but it was not so grand as the first one's. The 
 third stood beside them, and was very pretty to look at; 
 she had a green cloak over her other clothes, and it was 
 easy to see that she was maid to the other two. 
 
 After the king had looked at them for a little he went 
 forward and saluted them. The one that sat on the golden 
 chair asked him who he was and where he was going; and 
 he told her all the story how he was king and had lost 
 his queen, and was now on his way to Hetland the Good 
 to ask the queen of that country in marriage. She an- 
 swered that fortune had contrived this wonderfully, for 
 pirates had plundered Hetland and killed the king, and 
 she had fled from the land in terror and had come hither 
 after great trouble, and she was the very person he was 
 looking for, and the others were her daughter and maid. 
 The king immediately asked her hand; she gladly re- 
 ceived his proposal and accepted him at once. Thereafter 
 they all set out and made their way to the ship, and after 
 that nothing is told of their voyage until the king reached 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 319 
 
 his own country. There he made a great feast and cele- 
 brated his marriage with this woman, and after that things 
 are quiet for a time. 
 
 Hermod and Hadvor took but little notice of the queen 
 
 and her daughter, but, on the other hand, Hadvor and the 
 queen's maid, whose name was Olof, were very friendly, and 
 Olof came often to visit Hadvor in her castle. Before long 
 the king went out to war, and no sooner was he away than the 
 queen came to talk with Hermod, and said that she wanted 
 
320 THE YELLOW FAI&Y BOOK. 
 
 him to marry her daughter. Hennod told her straight and 
 plain that he would not do so, at which the queen grew ter- 
 ribly angry, and said that in that case neither should he have 
 Hadvor, for she would now lay this spell on him, that h<s 
 should go to a desert island and there be a lion by day and 
 a man by night. He should also think always of Hadvor, 
 which would cause him all the more sorrow, and from this 
 spell he should never be freed until Hadvor burned the lion's 
 skin, and that would not happen very soon. 
 
 As soon as the queen had finished her speech Hermod 
 replied that he also laid a spell on her, and that was that 
 as soon as he was freed from her enchantments she should 
 become a rat and her daughter a mouse, and fight with 
 each other in the hall until he killed them with his sword. 
 
 After this Hermod disappeared, and no one knew what had 
 become of him ; the queen caused search to be made for him, 
 but he could nowhere be found. One time, when Olof was 
 in the castle beside Hadvor, she asked the princess if she 
 knew where Hermod had gone to. At this Hadvor became 
 very sad and said that she did not. 
 
 " I shall tell you, then," said Olof, " for I know all about 
 it. Hermod has disappeared through the wicked devices of 
 the queen, for she is a witch and so is her daughter, though 
 they have put on these beautiful forms. Because Hermod 
 would not fall in with the queen's plans and many her 
 daughter she has laid a spell on him, to go on an island and 
 be a lion by day and a man by night, and never be freed 
 from this until you burn the lion's skin. Besides," said 
 Olof, " she has looked out a match for you. She has a 
 brother in the underworld, a three-headed giant, whom she 
 means to turn into a beautiful prince and get him married 
 to you. This is no new thing for the queen. She took 
 me away from my parents' house and compelled me to serve 
 her, but she has never done me any harm, for the green 
 cloak I wear protects me against all mischief." 
 
 Hadvor now became still sadder than before at the thought 
 of the marriage destined for her, and entreated Olof to think 
 of some plan to save her. 
 
 "I think," said Olof, "that your wooer will come up 
 through the floor of the castle to you, and so you must be 
 prepared when you hear the noise of his coming and the 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 321 
 
 floor begins to open, and have at hand blazing pitch and pour 
 plenty of it into the opening. That will prove too much for 
 him." 
 
 About this time the king came home from his expedition, 
 and thought it a great blow that no one knew what had be- 
 come of Hermod; but the queen consoled him as best she 
 could, and after a time the king thought less about his dis- 
 appearance. 
 
 Hadvor remained in her castle and had made preparations 
 to receive her wooer when he came. One night, not long 
 after, a loud noise and rumbling was heard under the castle. 
 Hadvor at once guessed what it was and told her maids to 
 be ready to help her. The noise and thundering grew 
 louder and louder, until the floor began to open, whereupon 
 Hadvor made them take the caldron of pitch and pour plenty 
 of it into the opening. With that the noises grew fainter 
 and fainter, till at last they ceased altogether. 
 
 Next morning the queen rose early and went out to the 
 palace gate, and there she found her brother the giant lying 
 dead. She went up to him, and said : " I pronounce this 
 spell, that you become a beautiful prince, and that Had- 
 vor shall be unable to say anything against the charges that 
 I shall bring against her." 
 
 The body of the dead giant now became that of a beauti- 
 ful prince, and the queen went in again. 
 
 " I don't think," ~said she to the king, " that your daugh- 
 ter is as good as she is said to be. My brother came and 
 asked her hand, and she has had him put to death. I have 
 just found his dead body lying at the palace gate." 
 
 The king went along with the queen to see the body and 
 thought it all very strange; so beautiful a youth, he said, 
 would have been a worthy match for Hadvor, and he would I 
 readily have agreed to their marriage. The queen asked 
 leave to decide what Hadvor's punishment should be, which 
 the king was very willing to allow, so as to escape from 
 punishing his own daughter. The queen's decision was 
 that the king should make a big grave-mound for her brother 
 and put Hadvor into it beside him. 
 
 Olof knew all the plans of the queen and went to tell the 
 princess what had been done, whereupon Hadvor earnestly 
 entreated her to tell her what to do. 
 
322 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 "First and foremost," said Olof, "you must get a wide 
 cloak to wear over your other clothes when you are put into 
 the mound. The giant's ghost will walk after you are both 
 left together in there, and he will have two dogs along with 
 him. He will ask you to cut pieces out of his legs to give 
 to the dogs, but that you must not promise to do unless he 
 tells you where Hermod has gone to and tells you how to 
 find him. He will then let you stand on his shoulders, so 
 as to get out of the mound; but he means to cheat you, all 
 the same; and will catch you by the cloak to pull you back 
 again; but you must take care to have the cloak loose on 
 your shoulders, so that he will only get hold of that." 
 
 The mound was all ready now and the giant laid in it, 
 and into it Hadvor also had to go without being allowed to 
 make any defense. After they were both left there every- 
 thing happened just as Olof had said. The prince became 
 a giant again and asked Hadvor to cut the pieces out of his 
 legs for the dogs; but she refused until he told her that 
 Hermod was in a desert island, which she could not reach 
 unless she took the skin off the soles of his feet and made 
 shoes out of that ; with these shoes she could travel both on 
 land and sea. This Hadvor now did, and the giant then 
 let her get up on his shoulders to get out of the mound. 
 As she sprang out he caught hold of her cloak, but she had 
 taken care to let it lie loose on her shoulders, and so es- 
 caped. 
 
 She now made her way down to the sea, to where she knew 
 there was the shortest distance over to the island in which 
 Hermod was. This strait was easily crossed, for the shoes 
 kept her up. On reaching the island she found a sandy 
 beach all along by the sea and high cliffs above. Nor could 
 she see any way to get up these, and so, being both sad at 
 heart and tired with the long journey, she lay down and 
 fell asleep. As she slept she dreamed that a tall woman 
 came to her and said: 
 
 " I know that you are Princess Hadvor and are searching 
 for Hermod. He is on this island, but it will be hard for 
 you to get to him if you have no one to help you, for you 
 camnot climb the cliffs by your own strength. I have there- 
 fore let down a rope, by which you will be able to climb 
 up; and as the island is so large that you might not find 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 323 
 
 Hermod's dwelling-place so easily, I lay down this clew 
 beside you. You need only hold the end of the thread, and 
 the clew will run on before and show you the way. I also 
 
 ___. __ burns, 
 If he. Lions Ski n.s 
 
 lay this belt beside you, to put on when you awaken; it will 
 keep you from growing faint with hunger." 
 
 The woman now disappeared, and Hadvor woke and saw 
 that all her dream had been true. The rope hung down 
 from the cliff and the clew and belt lay beside her. The 
 belt she put on, the rope enabled her to climb up the cliff, 
 
324 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 and the clew led her on till she came to the mouth of a cave 
 which was not very big. She went into the cave and saw 
 there a low couch, under which she crept and lay down. 
 
 When evening came she heard the noise of footsteps out- 
 side, and became aware that the lion had come to the mouth 
 of the cave and shook itself there, after which she heard a 
 man coming toward the couch. She was sure this was 
 Hermod, because she heard him speaking to himself about 
 his own condition and calling to mind Hadvor and other 
 things in the old days. Hadvor made no sign, but waited 
 till he had fallen asleep, and then crept f out and burned the 
 lion's skin, which he had left outside. Then she went back 
 into the cave and wakened Hermod, and they had a most 
 joyful meeting. 
 
 In the morning they talked over their plans, and were 
 most at a loss to know how to get out of the island. Had- 
 vor told Hermod her dream, and said she suspected there 
 was someone in the island who would be able to help them. 
 Hermod said he knew of a witch there who was very ready 
 to help anyone, and that the only plan was to go to her. 
 So they went to the witch's cave and found her there with 
 her fifteen young sons, and asked her to help them to get to 
 the mainland. 
 
 " There are other things easier than that," said she, " for 
 the giant that was buried will be waiting for you and will 
 attack you on the way, as he has turned himself into a big 
 whale. I shall lend you a boat, however, and if you meet 
 the whale and think your lives are in danger, then you can 
 name me by name." 
 
 They thanked her greatly for her help and advice and set 
 out from the island, but on the way they saw a huge fish 
 coming toward them with great splashing and dashing of 
 waves. They were sure of what it was, and thought they 
 had as good reason as ever they would have to call on the 
 witch, and so they did. The next minute they saw coming 
 after them another huge whale, followed by fifteen smaller 
 ones. All of these swam past the boat and went on to meet 
 the whale. There was a fierce battle then, and the sea 
 became so stormy that it was not very easy to keep the boat 
 from being filled by the waves. After this fight had gone 
 on for some time they saw that the sea was dyed with blood; 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 325 
 
 the big whale and the fifteen smaller ones disappeared, and 
 they got to the land safe and sound. 
 
 Now the story goes back to the king's hall, where strange 
 things had happened in the meantime. The queen and her 
 daughter had disappeared, but a rat and a mouse were al- 
 ways fighting with each other there. Ever so many people had 
 tried to drive them away, but no one could manage it. 
 Thus some time went on, while the king was almost beside 
 himself with sorrow and care for the loss of his queen, and 
 because these monsters destroyed all mirth in the hall. 
 
 One evening, while they all sat dull and downhearted, in 
 came Hermod with a sword by his side and saluted the king, 
 who received him with the greatest joy, as if he had come 
 back from the dead. Before Hermod sat down he went to 
 where the rat and the mouse were fighting and cut them in 
 two with his sword. All were astonished then by seeing 
 two witches lying dead on the floor of the hall. 
 
 Hermod now told the whole story to the king, who was 
 very glad to be rid of such vile creatures. Next he asked 
 for the hand of Hadvor, which the king readily gave him, 
 and, being now an old man, gave the kingdom to him as 
 well ; and so Hermod became king. 
 
 Olof married a good-looking nobleman, and that is the 
 end of the story. 
 
 THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER 
 
 There were once upon a time twenty-five tin soldiers 
 all brothers, as they were made out of the same old tin 
 spoon. Their uniform was red and blue, and they shoul- 
 dered their guns and looked straight in front of them. The 
 first words that they heard in this world, when the lid of 
 the box in which they lay was taken off, were : " Hurrah ! 
 tin soldiers! " This was exclaimed by a little boy, clapping 
 his hands; they had been given to him because it was his 
 birthday, and now he began setting them out on the table. 
 Each soldier was exactly like the other in shape, except just 
 one, who had been made last when the tin had run short; 
 but there he stood as firmly on his one leg as the others did 
 on two, and he is the one that became famous. 
 
326 
 
 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 There were many other playthings on the table on which 
 they were being set out, but the nicest of all was a pretty 
 little castle made of cardboard, with windows through which 
 you could see into the rooms. In front of the castle stood 
 some little trees surrounding a tiny mirror which looked 
 like a lake. Wax swans were floating about and reflecting 
 themselves in it. That was all very pretty; but the most 
 beautiful thing was a little lady who stood in the open door- 
 way. She was cut out of paper, but she had on a dress of 
 the finest muslin, with a scarf of narrow blue ribbon round 
 her shoulders, fastened in the middle with a glittering rose 
 
 INTENDED FOR. THE LIKES 
 
 made of gold paper, which was as large as her head. The 
 little lady was stretching out both her arms, for she was a 
 dancer, and was lifting up one leg so high in the air that the 
 tin soldier couldn't find it anywhere, and thought that she 
 too had only one leg. 
 
 "That's the wife for me!" he thought; "but she is so 
 grand and lives in a castle, while I have only a box with 
 twenty-four others. This is no place for her! But I must 
 make her acquaintance." 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 327 
 
 Then he stretched himself out behind a snuff-box that 
 lay on the table; from whence he could watch the dainty 
 little lady, who continued to stand on one leg without losing 
 her balance. 
 
 When the night came all the other tin soldiers went into 
 their box and the people of the house went to bed. Then 
 the toys began to play at visiting, dancing, and fighting. 
 The tin soldiers rattled in their box, for they wanted to be 
 out too, but they could not raise the lid. The nut-crackers 
 played at leap-frog and the slate pencil ran about the slate; 
 there was such a noise that the canary woke up and began 
 to talk to them, in poetry too! The only two who did not 
 stir from their places were the tin soldier and the little 
 dancer. She remained on tiptoe, with both arms out- 
 stretched; he stood steadfastly on his one leg, never moving 
 his eyes from her face. 
 
 The clock struck twelve, and crack! off flew the lid of the 
 snuff-box; but there was no snuff inside, only a little black 
 imp that was the beauty of it. 
 
 " Hullo, tin soldier ! " said the imp. " Don't look at things 
 that aren't intended for the likes of you ! " 
 
 But the tin soldier took no notice and seemed not to hear. 
 
 " Very well, wait till to-morrow ! " said the imp. 
 
 When it was morning and the children had got up, the 
 tin soldier was put in the window; and whether it was the 
 wind or the little black imp I don't know, but all at once 
 the window flew open and out fell the little tin soldier, 
 head over heels, from the third-story window! That was a 
 terrible fall, I can tell you ! He landed on his head with hia 
 leg in the air, his gun being wedged between two paving- 
 atones. 
 
 The nursery-maid and the little boy came down at once 
 to look for him, but though they were so near him that they, 
 almost trod on him, they did not notice him. 
 
 Soon it began to drizzle; then the drops came faster and 
 there was a regular downpour. When it was over two little 
 street-boys came along. 
 
 " Just look ! " cried one. " Here is a tin soldier ! He shall 
 sail up and down in a boat ! " 
 
 So they made a little boat out of newspaper, put the tin 
 soldier in it, and made him sail up and down the gutter; 
 
328 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 both the boys ran along beside him, clapping their hands. 
 What great waves there were in the gutter, and what a 
 swift current! The paper boat tossed up and down, and 
 in the middle of the stream it went so quick that the tin 
 soldier trembled; but he remained steadfast, showed no 
 emotion, and looked straight in front of him, shouldering 
 his gun. All at once the boat passed under a long tunnel 
 that was as dark as his box had been. 
 
 " Where can I be coming now ? " he wondered. " Oh, 
 dear! This is the black imp's fault! Ah, if only the little 
 
 DOWN TKE~ r DKA)N- 
 
 lady were sitting beside me in the boat, it might be twice as 
 dark for all I should care ! " 
 
 Suddenly there came along a great water-rat that lived in 
 the tunnel. 
 
 " Have you a passport? " asked the rat. 
 
 But the tin soldier was silent and grasped his gun more 
 firmly. 
 
 The boat sped on and the rat behind it. Ugh! how he 
 showed his teeth as he cried to the chips of wood and straw: 
 "Hold him! hold him! he has not paid the toll! He has 
 not shown his passport ! " 
 
 But the current became swifter and stronger. The tin 
 soldier could already see daylight where the tunnel ended, 
 but in his ears there sounded a roaring enough to frighten 
 any brave man. Only think! at the end of the tunnel the 
 gutter discharged itself into a great canal; that would be as 
 dangerous for him as for u to go down a waterfall. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 329 
 
 N"ow he was so near to it that he could not hold on any 
 longer. On went the boat, the poor tin soldier keeping 
 himself as stiff as he could : no one should say of him after- 
 ward that he had flinched. The boat whirled three, four 
 times round and became filled to the brim with water: it 
 began to sink! The tin soldier was standing up to his neck 
 in water, and deeper and deeper sank the boat and softer 
 and softer grew the paper ; now the water was over his head. 
 He was thinking of the pretty little dancer, whose face 
 he should never see again, and there sounded in his ears, 
 over and over : 
 
 " Forward, forward, soldier bold! 
 Death's before thee, grim and cold! " 
 
 The paper came in two and the soldier fell but at that 
 moment he was swallowed by a great fish. 
 
 Oh! how dark it was inside, even darker than in the tun- 
 nel, and it was really very close quar- 
 ters! But there the steadfast little 
 tin soldier lay full length, shoulder- 
 ing his gun. 
 
 Up and down swam the fish; then 
 he made the most dreadful contor- 
 tions and became suddenly quite still. 
 Then it was as if a flash of lightning 
 had passed through him ; the daylight 
 streamed in and a voice exclaimed: 
 "Why, here is the little tin soldier! " 
 The fish had been caught, taken to 
 market, sold, and brought into the 
 kitchen, where the cook had cut it 
 open with a great knife. She took 
 up the soldier between her finger and 
 thumb and carried him into the room, 
 where everyone wanted to see the hero 
 who had been found inside a fish; but 
 the tin soldier was not at all proud. 
 They put him on the table, and no, 
 but what strange things do happen 
 
 in this world! the tin soldier was in the same room in 
 which he had been before! He saw the same children and 
 
330 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 the same toys on the table, and there was the same grand 
 castle with the pretty little dancer. She was still standing 
 on one leg with the other high in the air; she too was stead- 
 fast. That touched the tin soldier; he was nearly going to 
 shed tin tears; but that woulcl not have been fitting for a 
 soldier. He looked at her, but she said nothing. 
 
 All at once one of the little boys took up the tin soldier 
 and threw him into the stove, giving no reasons; but doubt- 
 less the little black imp in the snuff-box was at the bottom 
 of this too. 
 
 There the tin soldier lay and felt a heat that was truly 
 terrible; but whether he was suffering from actual fire or 
 from the ardor of his passion he did not know. All his 
 color had disappeared. Whether this had happened on 
 his travels or whether it was the result of trouble, who can 
 say? He looked at the little lady, she looked at him, and 
 he felt that he was melting; but he remained steadfast, with 
 his gun at his shoulder. Suddenly a door opened, the draught 
 caught up the little dancer, and off she flew like a sylph 
 to the tin soldier in the stove, burst into flames and that 
 was the end of her! Then the tin soldier melted down into 
 a little lump, and when next morning the maid was taking 
 out the ashes she found him in the shape of a heart. There 
 was nothing left of the little dancer but her gilt rose, burned 
 as black as a cinder. 
 
 BLOCKHEAD HANS. 
 
 Far away in the country lay an old manor-house where 
 lived an old squire who had two sons. They thought them- 
 selves so clever that, if they had known only half what they 
 thought they knew, it would have been enough. They 
 both wanted to marry the king's daughter, for she had pro- 
 claimed that she would have for her husband the man who 
 knew best how to choose his words. 
 
 Both prepared for the wooing a whole week, which was 
 the longest time allowed them; but, after all, it was quite 
 long enough, for they both had preparatory knowledge, and 
 everyone knows how useful that is. One knew the whole 
 Latin dictionary and also three years' issue of the daily pa- 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 331 
 
 per of the town off by heart, so that he could repeat it all 
 backward or forward, as you pleased. The other had worked 
 at the laws of the corporation and knew by heart what every 
 member of the corporation ought to know, so that he thought 
 he could quite well speak on state matters and give his 
 opinion. He understood, besides this, how to embroider 
 with roses and other flowers and scrolls, for he was very ready 
 with his fingers. 
 
 " I shall win the king's daughter ! " they both cried. 
 
 Their old father gave each of them a fine horse; the one 
 who knew the dictionary and the daily paper by heart had 
 a black horse, while the other who was so clever at corpora- 
 
 tion law had a milk-white one. Then they oiled the 
 corners of their mouths so that they might be able to speak 
 more fluently. All the servants stood in the courtyard and 
 saw them mount their steeds, and here by chance came the 
 third brother; for the squire had three sons, but nobody 
 counted him with his brothers, for he was not so learned as 
 they were and he was generally called Blockhead Hans. 
 
 "Oh! oh!" said Blockhead Hans. "Where are you off 
 to ? You are in your Sunday-best clothes ! " 
 
332 THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 
 
 " We are going to court to woo the princess ! Don't you 
 know what is known throughout all the countryside ? " 
 And they told him all about it. 
 
 " Hurrah ! I'll go too ! " cried Blockhead Hans ; and the 
 brothers laughed at him and rode off. 
 
 " Dear father ! " cried Blockhead Hans, " I must have a 
 horse too. What a desire for marriage has seized me! If 
 she will have me she will have me, and if she won't have me 
 I will have her." 
 
 " Stop that nonsense ! " said the old man. " I will not 
 give you a horse. You can't speak; you don't know how 
 to choose your words. Your brothers! Ah! they are very 
 different lads ! " 
 
 " Well," said Blockhead Hans, " if I can't have a horse 
 I will take a goat which is mine. He can carry me ! " 
 
 And he did so. He sat astride on the goat, struck his 
 heels into its side, and went rattling down the highroad 
 like a hurricane. 
 
 Hoppetty-hop ! what a ride ! " Here I come ! " shouted 
 Blockhead Hans, singing so that the echoes were roused 
 far and near. But his brothers were riding slowly in front. 
 They were not speaking, but they were thinking over all 
 the good things they were going to say, for everything had 
 to be thought out. 
 
 "Hullo!" bawled Blockhead Hans; "here I am! Just 
 look what I found on the road ! " And he showed them a 
 dead crow which he had picked up. 
 
 " Blockhead ! " said his brothers, " what are you going 
 to do with it?" 
 
 " With the crow ? I shall give it to the princess ! " 
 
 " Do so, certainly ! " they said, laughing loudly and rid- 
 ing on. 
 
 " Slap ! bang ! here I am again ! Look what I have just 
 found ! You don't find such things every day on the road ! " 
 
 And the brothers looked round to see what in the world 
 he could have found. 
 
 " Blockhead ! " said they, " that is an old wooden shoe 
 without the top! Are you going to send that, too, to the 
 princess ? " 
 
 " Of course I shall ! " returned Blockhead Hans ; and the 
 brothers laughed and rode on a good way. 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 333 
 
 " Slap ! bang ! here I am ! " cried' Blockhead Hans ; " better 
 and better it is really famous ! " 
 
 " What have you found now ? " asked the brothers. 
 
 " Oh," said Blockhead Hans, "it is really too good! How 
 pleased the princess will be ! " 
 
 " Why ! " said the brothers, " this is pure mud, straight 
 from the ditch." 
 
 " Of course it is ! " said Blockhead Hans, " and it is the 
 
 best kind ! Look how it runs through one's fingers ! " And 
 so saying he filled his pockets with the mud. 
 
 But the brothers rode on so fast that dust and sparks flew 
 all around, and they reached the gate of the town a good 
 hour before Blockhead Hans. Here came the suitors, 
 numbered according to their arrival, and they were ranged 
 in rows, six in each row, and they were so tightly packed 
 that they could not move their arms. This was a very 
 good thing, for otherwise they would have torn each other 
 in pieces, merely because the one was in front of the other. 
 
334 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 All the country people were standing round the king's 
 throne, and were crowded together in thick masses almost 
 out of the windows to see the princess receive the suitors; 
 and as each one came into the room all his fine phrases 
 went out like a candle! 
 
 " It doesn't matter ! " said the princess. " Away ! out with 
 him!" 
 
 At last she came to the row in which the brother who 
 knew the dictionary by heart was, but he did not know it 
 any longer; he had quite forgotten it in the rank and file. 
 And the floor creaked and the ceiling was all made of 
 glass mirrors, so that he saw himself standing on his head, 
 and by each window were standing three reporters and an 
 editor; and each of them was writing down what was said, 
 to publish it in the paper that came out and was sold at the 
 street corners for a penny. It was fearful, and they had 
 made up the fire so hot that it was grilling. 
 
 " It is hot in here, isn't it ? " said the suitor. 
 
 " Of course it is ! My father is roasting young chickens 
 to-day ! " said the princess. 
 
 " Ahem ! " There he stood like an idiot. He was not pre- 
 pared for such a speech; he did not know what to say, al- 
 though he wanted to say something witty. " Ahem ! " 
 
 " It doesn't matter ! " said the princess. " Take him out ! " 
 and out he had to go. 
 
 Now the other brother entered. 
 
 " How hot it is ! " he said. 
 
 " Of course ! We are roasting young chickens to-day ! " 
 remarked the princess. 
 
 " How do you um ! " he said, and the reporters wrote 
 down, "How do you um." 
 
 " It doesn't matter ! " said the princess. " Take him 
 out!" 
 
 Now Blockhead Hans came in. He rode his goat right 
 into the hall. 
 
 " I say ! How roasting hot it is here ! " said he. 
 
 " Of course ! I am roasting young chickens to-day !" 
 said the princess. 
 
 " That's good ! " replied Blockhead Hans. " Then, can I 
 roast a crow with them ? " 
 
 " With the greatest of pleasure ! " said the princess ; " but 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 335 
 
 have you anything you can roast it in? I have neither pot 
 nor saucepan." 
 
 " Oh, rather ! " said Blockhead Hans. " Here is a cook- 
 ing implement with tin rings," and he drew out the old 
 wooden shoe and laid the crow in it. 
 
 " That is quite a meal ! " said the princess ; " but where 
 shall we get the soup from ? " 
 
 " I've got that in my pocket ! " said Blockhead Hans. " I 
 have so much that I can quite well throw some away ! " and 
 he poured some mud out of his pocket. 
 
 " I like you ! " said the princess. " You can answer and 
 you can speak, and I will marry you. But do you know 
 
 that every word which we are saying and have said has 
 been taken down and will be in the paper to-morrow? By 
 each window, do you see, there are standing three reporters 
 and an old editor, and this old editor is the worst, for he 
 doesn't understand anything!" But she only said this to 
 tease Blockhead Hans. And the reporters giggled and each 
 dropped a blot of ink on the floor. 
 
 " Ah ! are those the great people ? " said Blockhead Hans. 
 " Then I will give the editor the best ! " So saying, he 
 turned his pockets inside out and threw the mud right in his 
 face. 
 
336 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 " That was neatly done ! " said the princess. " I couldn't 
 have done it, but I will soon learn how to ! " 
 
 Blockhead Hans became king, got a wife and a crown, 
 and sat on the throne; and this we have still damp from 
 the newspaper of the editor and the reporters and they are 
 not to be believed for a moment. 
 
 A STORY ABOUT A DARNING NEEDLE. 
 
 There was once a darning needle who thought herself 
 so fine that she believed she was an embroidery needle. 
 
 " Take great care to hold me tight ! " said the darning 
 needle to the fingers who were holding her. " Don't let 
 me fall! If I once fall on the ground I shall never be 
 found again, I am so fine ! " 
 
 " It is all right ! " said the fingers, seizing her round the 
 waist. 
 
 " Look, I am coming with my train ! " said the darning 
 needle, as she drew a long thread after her; but there was 
 no knot at the end of the thread. 
 
 The fingers were using the needle on the cook's shoe. 
 The upper leather was unstitched and had to be sewn to- 
 gether. 
 
 " This is common work ! " said the darning needle. " I 
 shall never get through it. I am breaking! I am break- 
 ing ! " And, in fact, she did break. " Didn't I tell you so ? " 
 said the darning needle. " I am too fine ! " 
 
 " Now she is good for nothing ! " said the fingers ; but 
 they had to hold her tight while the cook dropped some 
 sealing-wax on the needle and stuck it in the front of her 
 dress. 
 
 " Now I am a breastpin ! " said the darning needle. " I 
 always knew I should be promoted. When one is some- 
 thing one will become something ! " And she laughed to 
 herself ; you can never see when a darning needle is laughing. 
 Then she sat up as proudly as if she were in a state coach 
 and looked all around her. 
 
 " May I be allowed to ask if you are gold ? " she said to 
 her neighbor the pin. "You have a very nice appearance 
 and a peculiar head, but it is too small! You must take 
 
THE YELLOW FAIEY BOOK. 337 
 
 pains to make it grow, for it is not everyone who has a 
 head of sealing-wax." And so saying, the darning needle 
 raised herself up so proudly that she fell out of the dress 
 right into the sink which the cook was rinsing out. 
 
 " Now I am off on my travels ! " said the darning needle. 
 " I do hope I shan't get lost ! " She did indeed get lost. 
 
 " I am too fine for this world ! " said she as she lay in the 
 gutter ; " but I know who I am, and that is always a little 
 gatisf action ! " 
 
 And the darning needle kept her proud bearing and did 
 not lose her good-temper. 
 
 All kinds of things swam over her shavings, bits of 
 straw, and scraps of old newspapers. 
 
 " Just look how they sail along ! " said the darning needle. 
 " They don't know what is underneath them ! Here I am 
 sticking fast! There goes a shaving thinking of nothing in 
 the world but of itself, a mere chip ! There goes a straw 
 well, how it does twist and twirl, to be sure ! Don't think so 
 much about yourself, or you will be knocked against a 
 stone. There floats a bit of newspaper. What is written 
 on it is long ago forgotten, and yet how proud it is! I am 
 sitting patient and quiet. I know who I am, and that is 
 enough for me ! " 
 
 One day something thick lay near her which glittered so 
 brightly that the darning needle thought it must be a dia- 
 mond. But it was a bit of bottle-glass, and because it 
 sparkled the darning needle spoke to it and gave herself out 
 as a breastpin. 
 
 " No doubt you are a diamond ? " 
 
 " Yes, something of that kind ! " And each believed that 
 the other was something very costly; and they both said 
 how very proud the world must be of them. 
 
 " I have come from a lady's workbox," said the darning 
 needle, " and this lady was a cook ; she had five fingers on 
 each hand; anything so proud as these fingers I have never 
 seen! And yet they were only there to take me out of the 
 workbox and to put me back again ! " 
 
 " Were they of noble birth, then ? " asked the bit of bottle- 
 glass. 
 
 " Of noble birth ! " said the darning needle ; " no indeed, 
 but proud! They were five brothers, all called ' Fingers.' 
 
338 THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 
 
 They held themselves proudly one against the other, al- 
 though they were of different sizes. The outside one, the 
 Thumb, was short and fat; he was outside the rank and 
 had only one bend in his back, and could only make one bow ; 
 but he said that if he were cut off from a man that he was 
 no longer any use as a soldier. Dip-into-everything, the 
 second finger, dipped into sweet things as well as sour things, 
 pointed to the sun and the moon, and guided the pen when 
 they wrote. Longman, the third, looked at the others over 
 his shoulder. Goldband, the fourth, had a gold sash round 
 his waist ; and little Playman did nothing at all and was the 
 more proud. There was too much ostentation, and so I came 
 away." 
 
 " And now we are sitting and shining here ! " said the 
 bit of bottle-glass. 
 
 At that moment more water came into the gutter; it 
 streamed over the edges and washed the bit of bottle-glass 
 away. 
 
 " Ah ! now he has been promoted ! " said the darning 
 needle. " I remain here ; I am too fine. . But that is my 
 pride, which is a sign of respectability! " And she sat there 
 very proudly, thinking lofty thoughts. 
 
 "I really believe I must have been born a sunbeam, I 
 am so fine! It seems to me as if the sunbeams were al- 
 ways looking under the water for me. Ah, I am so fine 
 that my own mother cannot find me! If I had my old eye 
 which broke off I believe I could weep; but I can't it is 
 not fine to weep ! " 
 
 One day two street-urchins were playing and wading in 
 the gutter, picking up old nails, pennies, and such things. 
 It was rather dirty work, but it was a great delight to them. 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! " cried out one as he pricked himself with the 
 darning needle ; " he is a fine fellow, though ! " 
 
 " I am not a fellow ; I am a young lady ! " said the darn- 
 ing needle; but no one heard. The sealing-wax had gone 
 and she had become quite black; but black makes one look 
 very slim, and so she thought she was even finer than before. 
 
 " Here comes an egg-shell sailing along ! " said the boys, 
 and they stuck the darning needle into the egg-shell. 
 
 " The walls white and I black what a pretty contrast it 
 makes ! " said the darning needle. " Now I can be seen to 
 
THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. 339 
 
 advantage! If only I am not seasick! I should give myself 
 up for lost ! " 
 
 But she was not seasick and did not give herself up. 
 
 " It is a good thing to be steeled against seasickness ; here 
 one has indeed an advantage over man! Now my qualms 
 are over. The finer one is, the more one can bear." 
 
 " Crack ! " said the egg-shell as a wagon -wheel went over 
 it. 
 
 " Oh ! how it presses ! " said the darning needle. " I shall 
 indeed be seasick now. I am breaking ! " But she did not 
 break, although the wagon-wheel went over her; she lay 
 there at full length, and there she may lie. 
 
 THB EMX 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
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 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
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 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
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