At length Uele arrived at the palace,
and made it known that he had brought apples which would cure the
King’s daughter if she ate them. This delighted the King hugely, and he
caused Uele to be brought before him; but, alas! when he opened the
basket, instead of having apples in it he had frogs’ legs which were
still kicking about. On this the King grew angry, and had him driven
out of the house. When he got home he told his father how it had fared
with him. Then the father sent the next son, who was called Seame, but
all went with him just as it had gone with Uele. He also met the little
iron man, who asked what he had there in the basket. Seame said, “Hogs’
bristles,” and the iron man said, “well, so shall it be, and remain.”
When Seame got to the King’s palace and said he brought apples with
which the King’s daughter might eat herself well, they did not want to
let him go in, and said that one fellow had already been there, and had
treated them as if they were fools. Seame, however, maintained that he
certainly had the apples, and that they ought to let him go in. At
length they believed him, and led him to the King. But when he
uncovered the basket, he had but hogs’ bristles. This enraged the King
most terribly, so he caused Seame to be whipped out of the house. When
he got home he related all that had befallen him, then the youngest
boy, whose name was Hans, but who was always called Stupid Hans, came
and asked his father if he might go with some apples. “Oh!” said the
father, “thou wouldst be just the right fellow for such a thing! If the
clever ones can’t manage it, what canst thou do?” The boy, however, did
not believe him, and said, “Indeed, father, I wish to go.” “Just get
away, thou stupid fellow, thou must wait till thou art wiser,” said the
father to that, and turned his back. Hans, however, pulled at the back
of his smock-frock and said, “Indeed, father, I wish to go.” “Well,
then, so far as I am concerned thou mayst go, but thou wilt soon come
home again!” replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy, however,
was tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. “Well, act like a fool! thou growest more stupid every day!” said the father again. Hans,
however, did not care about that, and did not let it spoil his
pleasure, but as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait
until the morrow, for he could not get to court that day. All night
long he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he
dreamt of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, and of silver, and
all kinds of things of that sort. Early in the morning, he went forth
on his way, and directly afterwards the little shabby-looking man in
his iron clothes, came to him and asked what he was carrying in the
basket. Hans gave him the answer that he was carrying apples with which
the King’s daughter was to eat herself well. “Then,” said the little
man, “so shall they be, and remain.” But at the court they would none
of them let Hans go in, for they said two had already been there who
had told them that they were bringing apples, and one of them had
frogs’ legs, and the other hogs’ bristles. Hans, however, resolutely
maintained that he most certainly had no frogs’ legs, but some of the
most beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. As he spoke so pleasantly,
the door-keeper thought he could not be telling a lie, and asked him to
go in, and he was right, for when Hans uncovered his basket in the
King’s presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. The King was
delighted, and caused some of them to be taken to his daughter, and
then waited in anxious expectation until news should be brought to him
of the effect they had. But before much time had passed by, news was
brought to him: but who do you think it was who came? it was his
daughter herself! As soon as she had eaten of those apples, she was
cured, and sprang out of her bed. The joy the King felt cannot be
described! but now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to
Hans, and said he must first make him a boat which would go quicker on
dry land than on water. Hans agreed to the conditions, and went home,
and related how it had fared with him. Then the father sent Uele into
the forest to make a boat of that kind. He worked diligently, and
whistled all the time. At mid-day, when the sun was at the highest,
came the little iron man and asked what he was making? Uele gave him
for answer, “Wooden bowls for the kitchen.” The iron man said, “So it
shall be, and remain.” By evening Uele thought he had now made the
boat, but when he wanted to get into it, he had nothing but wooden
bowls. The next day Seame went into the forest, but everything went
with him just as it had done with Uele. On the third day Stupid Hans
went. He worked away most industriously, so that the whole forest
resounded with the heavy strokes, and all the while he sang and
whistled right merrily. At mid-day, when it was the hottest, the little
man came again, and asked what he was making? “A boat which will go
quicker on dry land than on the water,” replied Hans, “and when I have
finished it, I am to have the King’s daughter for my wife.” “Well,”
said the little man, “such an one shall it be, and remain.” In the
evening, when the sun had turned into gold, Hans finished his boat, and
all that was wanted for it. He got into it and rowed to the palace. The
boat went as swiftly as the wind. The King saw it from afar, but would
not give his daughter to Hans yet, and said he must first take a
hundred hares out to pasture from early morning until late evening, and
if one of them got away, he should not have his daughter. Hans was
contented with this, and the next day went with his flock to the
pasture, and took great care that none of them ran away. Before many hours had passed came a servant from the palace, and told
Hans that he must give her a hare instantly, for some visitors had come
unexpectedly. Hans, however, was very well aware what that meant, and
said he would not give her one; the King might set some hare soup
before his guest next day. The maid, however, would not believe in his
refusal, and at last she began to get angry with him. Then Hans said
that if the King’s daughter came herself, he would give her a hare. The
maid told this in the palace, and the daughter did go herself. In the
meantime, however, the little man came again to Hans, and asked him
what he was doing there? He said he had to watch over a hundred hares
and see that none of them ran away, and then he might marry the King’s
daughter and be King. “Good,” said the little man, “there is a whistle
for thee, and if one of them runs away, just whistle with it, and then
it will come back again.” When the King’s daughter came, Hans gave her
a hare into her apron; but when she had gone about a hundred steps with
it, he whistled, and the hare jumped out of the apron, and before she
could turn round was back to the flock again.