“Ah,” said he, “I cannot finish the first piece of work, how will it be
with the others? I came forth to seek a king’s daughter who is said to
dwell here, but I have not found her, and I will go farther.” “Stay
here,” said the maiden, “I will help thee out of thy difficulty. Thou
art tired, lay thy head in my lap, and sleep. When thou awakest again,
thy work will be done.” The drummer did not need to be told that twice. As soon as his eyes were shut, she turned a wishing-ring and said,
“Rise, water. Fishes, come out.” Instantly the water rose on high like
a white mist, and moved away with the other clouds, and the fishes
sprang on the shore and laid themselves side by side each according to
his size and kind. When the drummer awoke, he saw with amazement that
all was done. But the maiden said, “One of the fish is not lying with
those of its own kind, but quite alone; when the old woman comes
to-night and sees that all she demanded has been done, she will ask
thee, ‘What is this fish lying alone for?’ Then throw the fish in her
face, and say, ‘This one shall be for thee, old witch.’” In the evening
the witch came, and when she had put this question, he threw the fish
in her face. She behaved as if she did not remark it, and said nothing,
but looked at him with malicious eyes. Next morning she said,
“Yesterday it was too easy for thee, I must give thee harder work. To-day thou must hew down the whole of the forest, split the wood into
logs, and pile them up, and everything must be finished by the
evening.” She gave him an axe, a mallet, and two wedges. But the axe
was made of lead, and the mallet and wedges were of tin. When he began
to cut, the edge of the axe turned back, and the mallet and wedges were
beaten out of shape. He did not know how to manage, but at mid-day the
maiden came once more with his dinner and comforted him. “Lay thy head
on my lap,” said she, “and sleep; when thou awakest, thy work will be
done.” She turned her wishing-ring, and in an instant the whole forest
fell down with a crash, the wood split, and arranged itself in heaps,
and it seemed just as if unseen giants were finishing the work. When he
awoke, the maiden said, “Dost thou see that the wood is piled up and
arranged, one bough alone remains; but when the old woman comes this
evening and asks thee about that bough, give her a blow with it, and
say, ‘That is for thee, thou witch.’”

The old woman came, “There thou seest how easy the work was!” said she;
“but for whom hast thou left that bough which is lying there still?”

“For thee, thou witch,” he replied, and gave her a blow with it. But
she pretended not to feel it, laughed scornfully, and said, “Early
to-morrow morning thou shalt arrange all the wood in one heap, set fire
to it, and burn it.” He rose at break of day, and began to pick up the
wood, but how can a single man get a whole forest together? The work
made no progress. The maiden, however, did not desert him in his need. She brought him his food at noon, and when he had eaten, he laid his
head on her lap, and went to sleep. When he awoke, the entire pile of
wood was burning in one enormous flame, which stretched its tongues out
into the sky. “Listen to me,” said the maiden, “when the witch comes,
she will give thee all kinds of orders; do whatever she asks thee
without fear, and then she will not be able to get the better of thee,
but if thou art afraid, the fire will lay hold of thee, and consume
thee. At last when thou hast done everything, seize her with both thy
hands, and throw her into the midst of the fire.” The maiden departed,
and the old woman came sneaking up to him. “Oh, I am cold,” said she,
“but that is a fire that burns; it warms my old bones for me, and does
me good! But there is a log lying there which won’t burn, bring it out
for me. When thou hast done that, thou art free, and mayst go where
thou likest, come; go in with a good will.”

The drummer did not reflect long; he sprang into the midst of the
flames, but they did not hurt him, and could not even singe a hair of
his head. He carried the log out, and laid it down. Hardly, however,
had the wood touched the earth than it was transformed, and the
beautiful maiden who had helped him in his need stood before him, and
by the silken and shining golden garments which she wore, he knew right
well that she was the King’s daughter. But the old woman laughed
venomously, and said, “Thou thinkest thou hast her safe, but thou hast
not got her yet!” Just as she was about to fall on the maiden and take
her away, the youth seized the old woman with both his hands, raised
her up on high, and threw her into the jaws of the fire, which closed
over her as if it were delighted that an old witch was to be burnt. Then the King’s daughter looked at the drummer, and when she saw that
he was a handsome youth and remembered how he had risked his life to
deliver her, she gave him her hand, and said, “Thou hast ventured
everything for my sake, but I also will do everything for thine. Promise to be true to me, and thou shalt be my husband. We shall not
want for riches, we shall have enough with what the witch has gathered
together here.” She led him into the house, where there were chests and
coffers crammed with the old woman’s treasures. The maiden left the
gold and silver where it was, and took only the precious stones. She
would not stay any longer on the glass-mountain, so the drummer said to
her, “Seat thyself by me on my saddle, and then we will fly down like
birds.” “I do not like the old saddle,” said she, “I need only turn my
wishing-ring and we shall be at home.” “Very well, then,” answered the
drummer, “then wish us in front of the town-gate.” In the twinkling of
an eye they were there, but the drummer said, “I will just go to my
parents and tell them the news, wait for me outside here, I shall soon
be back.” “Ah,” said the King’s daughter, “I beg thee to be careful. On
thy arrival do not kiss thy parents on the right cheek, or else thou
wilt forget everything, and I shall stay behind here outside, alone and
deserted.” “How can I forget thee?” said he, and promised her to come
back very soon, and gave his hand upon it. When he went into his
father’s house, he had changed so much that no one knew who he was, for
the three days which he had passed on the glass-mountain had been three
years. Then he made himself known, and his parents fell on his neck
with joy, and his heart was so moved that he forgot what the maiden had
said, and kissed them on both cheeks. But when he had given them the
kiss on the right cheek, every thought of the King’s daughter vanished
from him. He emptied out his pockets, and laid handfuls of the largest
jewels on the table. The parents had not the least idea what to do with
the riches.