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sent out letters of invitation to all the other kings and princes asking |
them to come and see this wonder. |
That was all very well; but the king had a little boy of ten years old |
who went to look at the hairy man also, and the man begged so hard to be |
set free that the boy took pity on him. He stole the key of the strong |
room from his mother and opened the door. Then he took the key back, but |
the hairy man escaped and went off into the world. |
Then the kings and princes began to arrive one after another, and all |
were most anxious to see the hairy man; but he was gone! The king nearly |
burst with rage and with the shame he felt. He questioned his wife |
sharply, and told her that if she could not find and bring back the |
hairy man he would put her in a hut made of rushes and burn her there. |
The queen declared she had had nothing to do with the matter; if her son |
had happened to take the key it had not been with her knowledge. |
So they fetched the little prince and asked him all sorts of questions, |
and at last he owned that he had let the hairy man out. The king ordered |
his servants to take the boy into the forest and to kill him there, and |
to bring back part of his liver and lungs. |
There was grief all over the palace when the king's command was known, |
for he was a great favourite. But there was no help for it, and they |
took the boy out into the forest. But the man was sorry for him, and |
shot a dog and carried pieces of his lungs and liver to the king, who |
was satisfied, and did not trouble himself any more. |
The prince wandered about in the forest and lived as best he could for |
five years. One day he came upon a poor little cottage in which was an |
old man. They began to talk, and the prince told his story and sad fate. |
Then they recognised each other, for the old fellow was no other than |
the hairy man whom the prince had set free, and who had lived ever since |
in the forest. |
The prince stayed here for two years; then he wished to go further. The |
old man begged him hard to stay, but he would not, so his hairy friend |
gave him a golden apple out of which came a horse with a golden mane, |
and a golden staff with which to guide the horse. The old man also gave |
him a silver apple out of which came the most beautiful hussars and a |
silver staff; and a copper apple from which he could draw as many foot |
soldiers as ever he wished, and a copper staff. He made the prince swear |
solemnly to take the greatest care of these presents, and then he let |
him go. |
The boy wandered on and on till he came to a large town. Here he took |
service in the king's palace, and as no one troubled themselves about |
him he lived quietly on. |
One day news was brought to the king that he must go out to war. He was |
horribly frightened for he had a very small army, but he had to go all |
the same. |
When they had all left, the prince said to the housekeeper: |
'Give me leave to go to the next village--I owe a small bill there, and |
I want to go and pay it'; and as there was nothing to be done in the |
palace the housekeeper gave him leave. |
When he got beyond the town he took out his golden apple, and when the |
horse sprang out he swung himself into the saddle. Then he took the |
silver and the copper apples, and with all these fine soldiers he joined |
the king's army. |
The king saw them approach with fear in his heart, for he did not know |
if it might not be an enemy; but the prince rode up, and bowed low |
before him. 'I bring your Majesty reinforcements,' said he. |
The king was delighted, and all dread of his enemy at once disappeared. |
The princesses were there too, and they were very friendly with the |
prince and begged him to get into their carriage so as to talk to them. |
But he declined, and remained on horseback, as he did not know at what |
moment the battle might begin; and whilst they were all talking together |
the youngest princess, who was also the loveliest, took off her ring, |
and her sister tore her handkerchief in two pieces, and they gave these |
gifts to the prince. |
Suddenly the enemy came in sight. The king asked whether his army or the |
prince's should lead the way; but the prince set off first and with his |
hussars he fought so bravely that only two of the enemy were left alive, |
and these two were only spared to act as messengers. |
The king was overjoyed and so were his daughters at this brilliant |
victory. As they drove home they begged the prince to join them, but he |
would not come, and galloped off with his hussars. |
When he got near the town he packed his soldiers and his fine horse all |
carefully into the apple again, and then strolled into the town. On his |
return to the palace he was well scolded by the housekeeper for staying |
away so long. |
Well, the whole matter might have ended there; but it so happened that |
the younger princess had fallen in love with the prince, as he had with |
her. And as he had no jewels with him, he gave her the copper apple and |
staff. |
One day, as the princesses were talking with their father, the younger |
one asked him whether it might not have been their servant who had |
helped him so much. The king was quite angry at the idea; but, to |
satisfy her, he ordered the servant's room to be searched. And there, |