“I am
not the one who carried away the victory,” said he, “but a stranger
knight who came to my assistance with his soldiers.” The daughter
wanted to hear who the strange knight was, but the King did not know,
and said, “He followed the enemy, and I did not see him again.” She
inquired of the gardener where his boy was, but he smiled, and said,
“He has just come home on his three-legged horse, and the others have
been mocking him, and crying, “Here comes our hobblety jig back again!”
They asked, too, “Under what hedge hast thou been lying sleeping all
the time?” He, however, said, “I did the best of all, and it would have
gone badly without me.” And then he was still more ridiculed.”

The King said to his daughter, “I will proclaim a great feast that
shall last for three days, and thou shalt throw a golden apple. Perhaps
the unknown will come to it.” When the feast was announced, the youth
went out to the forest, and called Iron John. “What dost thou desire?”
asked he. “That I may catch the King’s daughter’s golden apple.” “It is
as safe as if thou hadst it already,” said Iron John. “Thou shalt
likewise have a suit of red armour for the occasion, and ride on a
spirited chestnut-horse.” When the day came, the youth galloped to the
spot, took his place amongst the knights, and was recognized by no one. The King’s daughter came forward, and threw a golden apple to the
knights, but none of them caught it but he, only as soon as he had it
he galloped away. On the second day Iron John equipped him as a white knight, and gave
him a white horse. Again he was the only one who caught the apple, and
he did not linger an instant, but galloped off with it. The King grew
angry, and said, “That is not allowed; he must appear before me and
tell his name.” He gave the order that if the knight who caught the
apple, should go away again they should pursue him, and if he would not
come back willingly, they were to cut him down and stab him. On the third day, he received from Iron John a suit of black armour and
a black horse, and again he caught the apple. But when he was riding
off with it, the King’s attendants pursued him, and one of them got so
near him that he wounded the youth’s leg with the point of his sword. The youth nevertheless escaped from them, but his horse leapt so
violently that the helmet fell from the youth’s head, and they could
see that he had golden hair. They rode back and announced this to the
King. The following day the King’s daughter asked the gardener about his boy. “He is at work in the garden; the queer creature has been at the
festival too, and only came home yesterday evening; he has likewise
shown my children three golden apples which he has won.”

The King had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again had
his little cap on his head. But the King’s daughter went up to him and
took it off, and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders, and
he was so handsome that all were amazed. “Art thou the knight who came
every day to the festival, always in different colours, and who caught
the three golden apples?” asked the King. “Yes,” answered he, “and here
the apples are,” and he took them out of his pocket, and returned them
to the King. “If you desire further proof, you may see the wound which
your people gave me when they followed me. But I am likewise the knight
who helped you to your victory over your enemies.” “If thou canst
perform such deeds as that, thou art no gardener’s boy; tell me, who is
thy father?” “My father is a mighty King, and gold have I in plenty as
great as I require.” “I well see,” said the King, “that I owe thanks to
thee; can I do anything to please thee?” “Yes,” answered he, “that
indeed you can. Give me your daughter to wife.” The maiden laughed, and
said, “He does not stand much on ceremony, but I have already seen by
his golden hair that he was no gardener’s boy,” and then she went and
kissed him. His father and mother came to the wedding, and were in
great delight, for they had given up all hope of ever seeing their dear
son again. And as they were sitting at the marriage-feast, the music
suddenly stopped, the doors opened, and a stately King came in with a
great retinue. He went up to the youth, embraced him and said, “I am
Iron John, and was by enchantment a wild man, but thou hast set me
free; all the treasures which I possess, shall be thy property.”



137 The Three Black Princesses

East India was besieged by an enemy who would not retire until he had
received six hundred dollars. Then the townsfolk caused it to be
proclaimed by beat of drum that whosoever was able to procure the money
should be burgomaster. Now there was a poor fisherman who fished on the
lake with his son, and the enemy came and took the son prisoner, and
gave the father six hundred dollars for him. So the father went and
gave them to the great men of the town, and the enemy departed, and the
fisherman became burgomaster. Then it was proclaimed that whosoever did
not say, “Mr. Burgomaster,” should be put to death on the gallows. The son got away again from the enemy, and came to a great forest on a
high mountain. The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted
castle, wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black. Then came three young princesses who were entirely dressed in black,
but had a little white on their faces; they told him he was not to be
afraid, they would not hurt him, and that he could deliver them. He
said he would gladly do that, if he did but know how. At this, they
told him he must for a whole year not speak to them and also not look
at them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and if they
dared give him an answer they would do so. When he had been there for a
long while he said he should like to go to his father, and they told
him he might go. He was to take with him this purse with money, put on
this coat, and in a week he must be back there again. Then he was caught up, and was instantly in East India. He could no
longer find his father in the fisherman’s hut, and asked the people
where the poor fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say
that, or he would come to the gallows. Then he went to his father and
said, “Fisherman, how hast thou got here?” Then the father said, “Thou
must not say that, if the great men of the town knew of that, thou
wouldst come to the gallows.” He, however, would not stop, and was
brought to the gallows. When he was there, he said, “O, my masters,
just give me leave to go to the old fisherman’s hut.” Then he put on
his old smock-frock, and came back to the great men, and said, “Do ye
not now see? Am I not the son of the poor fisherman?