merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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tower, and after his misdeeds had been proclaimed he was solemnly walled
up. But every morning the princess passed him in food through the hole,
and every third day the king sent his secretary to climb up a ladder
and look down through a little window to see if he was dead. But the
secretary always brought back the report that he was fat and rosy.

'There is some magic about this,' said the king.

This state of affairs lasted some time, till one day a messenger arrived
from the Sultan bearing a letter for the king, and also three canes. 'My
master bids me say,' said the messenger, bowing low, 'that if you cannot
tell him which of these three canes grows nearest the root, which in the
middle, and which at the top, he will declare war against you.

The king was very much frightened when he heard this, and though he took
the canes and examined them closely, he could see no difference between
them. He looked so sad that his daughter noticed it, and inquired the
reason.

'Alas! my daughter,' he answered, 'how can I help being sad? The Sultan
has sent me three canes, and says that if I cannot tell him which of
them grows near the root, which in the middle, and which at the top, he
will make war upon me. And you know that his army is far greater than
mine.'

'Oh, do not despair, my father,' said she. 'We shall be sure to find out
the answer'; and she ran away to the tower, and told the young man what
had occurred.

'Go to bed as usual,' replied he, 'and when you wake, tell your father
that you have dreamed that the canes must be placed in warm water. After
a little while one will sink to the bottom; that is the one that grows
nearest the root. The one which neither sinks nor comes to the surface
is the cane that is cut from the middle; and the one that floats is from
the top.'

So, the next morning, the princess told her father of her dream, and by
her advice he cut notches in each of the canes when he took them out of
the water, so that he might make no mistake when he handed them back to
the messenger. The Sultan could not imagine how he had found out, but he
did not declare war.

The following year the Sultan again wanted to pick a quarrel with the
king of the Magyars, so he sent another messenger to him with three
foals, begging him to say which of the animals was born in the morning,
which at noon, and which in the evening. If an answer was not ready in
three days, war would be declared at once. The king's heart sank when he
read the letter. He could not expect his daughter to be lucky enough to
dream rightly a second time, and as a plague had been raging through
the country, and had carried off many of his soldiers, his army was even
weaker than before. At this thought his face became so gloomy that his
daughter noticed it, and inquired what was the matter.

'I have had another letter from the Sultan,' replied the king, 'and
he says that if I cannot tell him which of three foals was born in the
morning, which at noon, and which in the evening, he will declare war at
once.'

'Oh, don't be cast down,' said she, 'something is sure to happen'; and
she ran down to the tower to consult the youth.

'Go home, idol of my heart, and when night comes, pretend to scream out
in your sleep, so that your father hears you. Then tell him that you
have dreamt that he was just being carried off by the Turks because he
could not answer the question about the foals, when the lad whom he
had shut up in the tower ran up and told them which was foaled in the
morning, which at noon, and which in the evening.'

So the princess did exactly as the youth had bidden her; and no sooner
had she spoken than the king ordered the tower to be pulled down, and
the prisoner brought before him.

'I did not think that you could have lived so long without food,' said
he, 'and as you have had plenty of time to repent your wicked conduct,
I will grant you pardon, on condition that you help me in a sore strait.
Read this letter from the Sultan; you will see that if I fail to answer
his question about the foals, a dreadful war will be the result.'

The youth took the letter and read it through. 'Yes, I can help you,'
replied he; 'but first you must bring me three troughs, all exactly
alike. Into one you must put oats, into another wheat, and into the
third barley. The foal which eats the oats is that which was foaled in
the morning; the foal which eats the wheat is that which was foaled at
noon; and the foal which eats the barley is that which was foaled at
night.' The king followed the youth's directions, and, marking the
foals, sent them back to Turkey, and there was no war that year.

Now the Sultan was very angry that both his plots to get possession of
Hungary had been such total failures, and he sent for his aunt, who was
a witch, to consult her as to what he should do next.

'It is not the king who has answered your questions,' observed the aunt,
when he had told his story. 'He is far too stupid ever to have done
that! The person who has found out the puzzle is the son of a poor
woman, who, if he lives, will become King of Hungary. Therefore, if you
want the crown yourself, you must get him here and kill him.'

After this conversation another letter was written to the Court of
Hungary, saying that if the youth, now in the palace, was not sent
to Turkey within three days, a large army would cross the border. The

tower, and after his misdeeds had been proclaimed he was solemnly walled

up. But every morning the princess passed him in food through the hole,

and every third day the king sent his secretary to climb up a ladder

and look down through a little window to see if he was dead. But the

secretary always brought back the report that he was fat and rosy.

'There is some magic about this,' said the king.

This state of affairs lasted some time, till one day a messenger arrived

from the Sultan bearing a letter for the king, and also three canes. 'My

master bids me say,' said the messenger, bowing low, 'that if you cannot

tell him which of these three canes grows nearest the root, which in the

middle, and which at the top, he will declare war against you.

The king was very much frightened when he heard this, and though he took

the canes and examined them closely, he could see no difference between

them. He looked so sad that his daughter noticed it, and inquired the

reason.

'Alas! my daughter,' he answered, 'how can I help being sad? The Sultan

has sent me three canes, and says that if I cannot tell him which of

them grows near the root, which in the middle, and which at the top, he

will make war upon me. And you know that his army is far greater than

mine.'

'Oh, do not despair, my father,' said she. 'We shall be sure to find out

the answer'; and she ran away to the tower, and told the young man what

had occurred.

'Go to bed as usual,' replied he, 'and when you wake, tell your father

that you have dreamed that the canes must be placed in warm water. After

a little while one will sink to the bottom; that is the one that grows

nearest the root. The one which neither sinks nor comes to the surface

is the cane that is cut from the middle; and the one that floats is from

the top.'

So, the next morning, the princess told her father of her dream, and by

her advice he cut notches in each of the canes when he took them out of

the water, so that he might make no mistake when he handed them back to

the messenger. The Sultan could not imagine how he had found out, but he

did not declare war.

The following year the Sultan again wanted to pick a quarrel with the

king of the Magyars, so he sent another messenger to him with three

foals, begging him to say which of the animals was born in the morning,

which at noon, and which in the evening. If an answer was not ready in

three days, war would be declared at once. The king's heart sank when he

read the letter. He could not expect his daughter to be lucky enough to

dream rightly a second time, and as a plague had been raging through

the country, and had carried off many of his soldiers, his army was even

weaker than before. At this thought his face became so gloomy that his

daughter noticed it, and inquired what was the matter.

'I have had another letter from the Sultan,' replied the king, 'and

he says that if I cannot tell him which of three foals was born in the

morning, which at noon, and which in the evening, he will declare war at

once.'

'Oh, don't be cast down,' said she, 'something is sure to happen'; and

she ran down to the tower to consult the youth.

'Go home, idol of my heart, and when night comes, pretend to scream out

in your sleep, so that your father hears you. Then tell him that you

have dreamt that he was just being carried off by the Turks because he

could not answer the question about the foals, when the lad whom he

had shut up in the tower ran up and told them which was foaled in the

morning, which at noon, and which in the evening.'

So the princess did exactly as the youth had bidden her; and no sooner

had she spoken than the king ordered the tower to be pulled down, and

the prisoner brought before him.

'I did not think that you could have lived so long without food,' said

he, 'and as you have had plenty of time to repent your wicked conduct,

I will grant you pardon, on condition that you help me in a sore strait.

Read this letter from the Sultan; you will see that if I fail to answer

his question about the foals, a dreadful war will be the result.'

The youth took the letter and read it through. 'Yes, I can help you,'

replied he; 'but first you must bring me three troughs, all exactly

alike. Into one you must put oats, into another wheat, and into the

third barley. The foal which eats the oats is that which was foaled in

the morning; the foal which eats the wheat is that which was foaled at

noon; and the foal which eats the barley is that which was foaled at

night.' The king followed the youth's directions, and, marking the

foals, sent them back to Turkey, and there was no war that year.

Now the Sultan was very angry that both his plots to get possession of

Hungary had been such total failures, and he sent for his aunt, who was

a witch, to consult her as to what he should do next.

'It is not the king who has answered your questions,' observed the aunt,

when he had told his story. 'He is far too stupid ever to have done

that! The person who has found out the puzzle is the son of a poor

woman, who, if he lives, will become King of Hungary. Therefore, if you

want the crown yourself, you must get him here and kill him.'

After this conversation another letter was written to the Court of

Hungary, saying that if the youth, now in the palace, was not sent

to Turkey within three days, a large army would cross the border. The