Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXXX: The Two Brothers

There were once upon a time two brothers, one rich and the otherpoor. The rich one was a goldsmith and evil-hearted. The poor onesupported himself by making brooms, and was good and honorable. Hehad two children, who were twin brothers and as like each other astwo drops of water. The two boys went in and out of the rich house,and often got some of the scraps to eat. It happened once when thepoor man was going into the forest to fetch brush-wood, that he saw abird which was quite golden and more beautiful than any he had everchanced to meet with. He picked up a small stone, threw it at it,and was lucky enough to hit it, but one golden feather only felldown, and the bird flew away. The man took the feather and carriedit to his brother, who looked at it and said, it is pure gold. Andgave him a great deal of money for it. Next day the man climbed intoa birch-tree, and was about to cut off a couple of branches when thesame bird flew out, and when the man searched he found a nest, and anegg lay inside it, which was of gold. He took the egg home with him,and carried it to his brother, who again said, it is pure gold, andgave him what it was worth. At last the goldsmith said, I shouldindeed like to have the bird itself. The poor man went into theforest for the third time, and again saw the golden bird sitting onthe tree, so he took a stone and brought it down and carried it tohis brother, who gave him a great heap of gold for it. Now I can geton, thought he, and went contentedly home.The goldsmith was crafty and cunning, and knew very well what kind ofa bird it was. He called his wife and said, roast me the gold bird,and take care that none of it is lost. I have a fancy to eat it allmyself. The bird, however, was no common one, but of so wondrous akind that whosoever ate its heart and liver found every morning apiece of gold beneath his pillow. The woman prepared the bird, putit on the spit, and let it roast. Now it happened that while it wason the fire, and the woman was forced to go out of the kitchen onaccount of some other work, the two children of the poor broom-makerran in, stood by the spit and turned it round once or twice. And asat that very moment two little bits of the bird fell down into thepan, one of the boys said, we will eat these two little bits. I amso hungry, and no one will ever miss them. Then the two ate thepieces, but the woman came into the kitchen and saw that they wereeating something and said, what have you been eating. Two littlemorsels which fell out of the bird, answered they. That must havebeen the heart and the liver, said the woman, quite frightened, andin order that her husband might not miss them and be angry, shequickly killed a young cock, took out his heart and liver, and putthem beside the golden bird. When it was ready, she carried it tothe goldsmith, who consumed it all alone, and left none of it. Nextmorning, however, when he felt beneath his pillow, and expected tobring out the piece of gold, no more gold pieces were there thanthere had always been.The two children did not know what a piece of good-fortune had fallento their lot. Next morning when they arose, something fell rattlingto the ground, and when they picked it up there were two gold pieces.They took them to their father, who was astonished and said, how canthat have happened. When next morning they again found two, and soon daily, he went to his brother and told him the strange story. Thegoldsmith at once knew how it had happened, and that the children hadeaten the heart and liver of the golden bird, and in order to revengehimself, and because he was envious and hard-hearted, he said to thefather, your children are in league with the evil one, do not takethe gold, and do not suffer them to stay any longer in your house,for he has them in his power, and may ruin you likewise. The fatherfeared the evil one, and painful as it was to him, he neverthelessled the twins forth into the forest, and with a sad heart left themthere.And now the two children ran about the forest, and sought the wayhome again, but could not find it, and only lost themselves more andmore. At length they met with a huntsman, who asked, to whom do youchildren belong. We are the poor broom-maker's boys, they replied,and they told him that their father would not keep them any longer inthe house because a piece of gold lay every morning under theirpillows. Come, said the huntsman, that is nothing so very bad, if atthe same time you remain honest, and are not idle. As the good manliked the children, and had none of his own, he took them home withhim and said, I will be your father, and bring you up till you arebig. They learnt huntsmanship from him, and the piece of gold whicheach of them found when he awoke, was kept for them by him in casethey should need it in the future.When they were grown up, their foster-father one day took them intothe forest with him, and said, to-day shall you make your trial shot,so that I may release you from your apprenticeship, and make youhuntsmen. They went with him to lie in wait and stayed there a longtime, but no game appeared. The huntsman, however, looked above himand saw a covey of wild geese flying in the form of a triangle, andsaid to one of them, shoot me down one from each corner. He did it,and thus accomplished his trial shot.Soon after another covey came flying by in the form of the figuretwo, and the huntsman bade the other also bring down one from eachcorner, and his trial shot was likewise successful. Now, said thefoster-father, I pronounce you out of your apprenticeship. You areskilled huntsmen. Thereupon the two brothers went forth togetherinto the forest, and took counsel with each other and plannedsomething. And in the evening when they had sat down to supper, theysaid to their foster-father, we will not touch food, or take onemouthful, until you have granted us a request. Said he, what, then,is your request. They replied, we have now finished learning, and wemust prove ourselves in the world, so allow us to go away and travel.Then spoke the old man joyfully, you talk like brave huntsmen, thatwhich you desire has been my wish. Go forth, all will go well withyou. Thereupon they ate and drank joyously together.When the appointed day came, their foster-father presented each ofthem with a good gun and a dog, and let each of them take as many ofhis saved-up gold pieces as he chose. Then he accompanied them apart of the way, and when taking leave, he gave them a bright knife,and said, if ever you separate, stick this knife into a tree at theplace where you part, and when one of you returns, he will will beable to see how his absent brother is faring, for the side of theknife which is turned in the direction by which he went, will rust ifhe dies, but will remain bright as long as he is alive. The twobrothers went still farther onwards, and came to a forest which wasso large that it was impossible for them to get out of it in one day.So they passed the night in it, and ate what they had put in theirhunting-pouches, but they walked all the second day likewise, andstill did not get out. As they had nothing to eat, one of them said,we must shoot something for ourselves or we shall suffer from hunger,and loaded his gun, and looked about him. And when an old hare camerunning up towards them, he laid his gun on his shoulder, but thehare cried, dear huntsman, do but let me live, two little ones to thee I'll give,and sprang instantly into the thicket, and brought two young ones.But the little creatures played so merrily, and were so pretty, thatthe huntsmen could not find it in their hearts to kill them. Theytherefore kept them with them, and the little hares followed on foot.Soon after this, a fox crept past. They were just going to shoot it,but the fox cried, dear hunstman, do but let me live, two little ones to thee I'll give.He, too, brought two little foxes, and the huntsmen did not like tokill them either, but gave them to the hares for company, and theyfollowed behind. It was not long before a wolf strode out of thethicket. The huntsmen made ready to shoot him, but the wolf cried, dear huntsman, do but let me live, two little ones to thee I'll give.The huntsman put the two wolves beside the other animals, and theyfollowed behind them. Then a bear came who wanted to trot about alittle longer, and cried, dear huntsman, do but let me live, two little ones to thee I'll give.The two young bears were added to the others, and there were alreadyeight of them. Then who should come. A lion came, and tossed hismane. But the huntsmen did not let themselves be frightened andaimed at him likewise, but the lion also said, dear huntsman, do but let me live, two little ones to thee I'll give.And he brought his little ones to them, and now the huntsmen had twolions, two bears, two wolves, two foxes, and two hares, who followedthem and served them. In the meantime their hunger was not appeasedby this, and they said to the foxes, listen you sneakers, provide uswith something to eat. You are crafty and cunning. They replied,not far from here lies a village, from which we have already broughtmany a fowl. We will show you the way there. So they went into thevillage, bought themselves something to eat, had some food given totheir beasts, and then traveled onwards. The foxes knew their wayvery well about the district and where the poultry-yards were, andwere were able to guide the huntsmen.Now they traveled about for a while, but could find no situationwhere they could remain together, so they said, there is nothing elsefor it, we must part. They divided the animals, so that each of themhad a lion, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a hare, then they took leaveof each other, promised to love each other like brothers till theirdeath, and stuck the knife which their foster-father had given them,into a tree, after which one went east and the other went west.The younger, however, arrived with his beasts in a town which was allhung with black crape. He went into an inn, and asked the host if hecould accommodate his animals. The innkeeper gave him a stable,where there was a hole in the wall, and the hare crept out andfetched himself the head of a cabbage, and the fox fetched himself ahen, and when he had devoured it got the cock as well, but the wolf,the bear, and the lion could not get out because they were too big.Then the innkeeper let them be taken to a place where a cow happenedto be lying on the grass, that they might eat till they weresatisfied. And when the huntsman had taken care of his animals, heasked the innkeeper why the town was thus hung with black crape.Said the host, because our king's only daughter is to die to-morrow.The huntsman inquired, is she sick unto death. No, answered thehost, she is vigorous and healthy, nevertheless she must die. How isthat, asked the huntsman.There is a high hill without the town, whereon dwells a dragon whoevery year must have a pure virgin, or he lays the whole countrywaste, and now all the maidens have already been given to him, andthere is no longer anyone left but the king's daughter, yet there isno mercy for her. She must be given up to him, and that is to bedone to-morrow. Said the huntsman, why is the dragon not killed.Ah, replied the host, so many knights have tried it, but it has costall of them their lives. The king has promised that he who conquersthe dragon shall have his daughter to wife, and shall likewise governthe kingdom after his own death.The huntsman said nothing more to this, but next morning took hisanimals, and with them ascended the dragon's hill. A little churchstood at the top of it, and on the altar three full cups werestanding, with the inscription. Whosoever empties the cups willbecome the strongest man on earth, and will be able to wield thesword which is buried before the threshold of the door. The huntsmandid not drink, but went out and sought for the sword in the ground,but was unable to move it from its place. Then he went in andemptied the cups, and now he was strong enough to take up the sword,and his hand could quite easily wield it. As the hour came when themaiden was to be delivered over to the dragon, the king, the marshal,and courtiers accompanied her. From afar she saw the huntsman on thedragon's hill, and thought it was the dragon standing there waitingfor her, and did not want to go up to him, but at last, becauseotherwise the whole town would have been destroyed, she was forced totake the fatal journey. The king and courtiers returned home full ofgrief. The king's marshal, however, was to stand still, and see allfrom a distance.When the king's daughter got to the top of the hill, it was not thedragon which stood there, but the young huntsman, who comforted her,and said he would save her, led her into the church, and locked herin. It was not long before the seven-headed dragon came thither withloud roaring. When he perceived the huntsman, he was astonished andsaid, what business have you here on the hill. The huntsmananswered, I want to fight with you. Said the dragon, many knightshave left their lives here, I shall soon have made an end of you too,and he breathed fire out of seven jaws.The fire was to have lighted the dry grass, and the huntsman was tohave been suffocated in the heat and smoke, but the animals camerunning up and trampled out the fire. Then the dragon rushed uponthe huntsman, but he swung his sword until it sang through the air,and struck off three of his heads. Then the dragon grew reallyfurious, and rose up in the air, and spat out flames of fire over thehuntsman, and was about to plunge down on him, but the huntsman oncemore drew out his sword, and again cut off three of his heads. Themonster became faint and sank down.Nevertheless it was just able to rush upon the huntsman, when he withhis last strength smote its tail off, and as he could fight nolonger, called up his animals who tore it in pieces. When thestruggle was ended, the huntsman unlocked the church, and found theking's daughter lying on the floor, as she had lost her senses withanguish and terror during the contest. He carried her out, and whenshe came to herself once more, and opened her eyes, he showed her thedragon all cut to pieces, and told her that she was now set free. Sherejoiced and said, now you will be my dearest husband, for my fatherhas promised me to him who kills the dragon. Thereupon she took offher necklace of coral, and divided it amongst the animals in order toreward them, and the lion received the golden clasp. Herpocket-handkerchief, however, on which was her name, she gave to thehuntsman, who went and cut the tongues out of the dragons, sevenheads, wrapped them in the handkerchief, and preserved themcarefully.That done, as he was so faint and weary with the fire and the battle,he said to the maiden, we are both faint and weary, we will sleepawhile. Then she said, yes, and they lay down on the ground, and thehuntsman said to the lion, you shall keep watch, that no onesurprises us in our sleep, and both fell asleep. The lion lay downbeside them to watch, but he also was so weary with the fight, thathe called to the bear and said, lie down near me, I must sleep alittle. If anything comes, waken me. Then the bear lay down besidehim, but he also was tired, and called the wolf and said, lie down byme, I must sleep a little, but if anything comes, waken me. Then thewolf lay down by him, but he was tired likewise, and called the foxand said, lie down by me, I must sleep a little, if anything comeswaken me. Then the fox lay down beside him, but he too was weary,and called the hare and said, lie down near me, I must sleep alittle, and if anything should come, waken me. Then the hare satdown by him, but the poor hare was tired too, and had no one whom hecould call there to keep watch, and fell asleep. And now the king'sdaughter, the huntsman, the lion, the bear, the wolf, the fox, andthe hare, were all sleeping a sound sleep. The marshal, however, whowas to look on from a distance, took courage when he did not see thedragon flying away with the maiden, and finding that all the hill hadbecome quiet, ascended it.There lay the dragon hacked and hewn to pieces on the ground, and notfar from it were the king's daughter and a huntsman with his animals,and all of them were sunk in a sound sleep. And as he was wicked andgodless he took his sword, cut off the huntsman's head, and seizedthe maiden in his arms, and carried her down the hill. Then sheawoke and was terrified, but the marshal said, you are in my hands,you shall say that it was I who killed the dragon.I cannot do that, she replied, for it was a huntsman with his animalswho did it. Then he drew his sword, and threatened to kill her ifshe did not obey him, and so compelled her that she promised it.Then he took her to the king, who did not know how to contain himselffor joy when he once more looked on his dear child in life, whom hehad believed to have been torn to pieces by the monster. The marshalsaid to him, I have killed the dragon, and delivered the maiden andthe whole kingdom as well, therefore I demand her as my wife, as waspromised. The king said to the maiden, is what he says true. Ah,yes, she answered, it must indeed be true, but I will not consent tohave the wedding celebrated until after a year and a day, for shethought in that time she should hear something of her dear huntsman.The animals, however, were still lying sleeping beside their deadmaster on the dragon's hill, and there came a great bumble-bee andlighted on the hare's nose, but the hare wiped it off with his paw,and went on sleeping. The bumble-bee came a second time, but thehare again rubbed it off and slept on. Then it came for the thirdtime, and stung his nose so that he awoke. As soon as the hare wasawake, he roused the fox, and the fox, the wolf, and the wolf thebear, and the bear the lion. And when the lion awoke and saw thatthe maiden was gone, and his master was dead, he began to roarfrightfully and cried, who has done that. Bear, why did you notwaken me. The bear asked the wolf, why did you not waken me. Andthe wolf the fox, why did you not waken me. And the fox the hare,why did you not waken me. The poor hare alone did not know whatanswer to make, and the blame rested with him. Then they were justgoing to fall upon him, but he entreated them and said, kill me not,I will bring our master to life again. I know a mountain on which aroot grows which, when placed in the mouth of anyone, cures him ofall illness and every wound. But the mountain lies two hundredhours, journey from here.The lion said, in four-and-twenty hours must you have run thither andhave come back, and have brought the root with you. Then the haresprang away, and in four-and-twenty hours he was back, and broughtthe root with him. The lion put the huntsman's head on again, andthe hare placed the root in his mouth, and immediately everythingunited together again, and his heart beat, and life came back. Thenthe huntsman awoke, and was alarmed when he did not see the maiden,and thought, she must have gone away whilst I was sleeping, in orderto get rid of me. The lion in his great haste had put his master'shead on the wrong way round, but the huntsman did not observe itbecause of his melancholy thoughts about the king's daughter. But atnoon, when he was going to eat something, he saw that his head wasturned backwards and could not understand it, and asked the animalswhat had happened to him in his sleep. Then the lion told him thatthey, too, had all fallen asleep from weariness, and on awaking, hadfound him dead with his head cut off, that the hare had brought thelife-giving root, and that he, in his haste, had laid hold of thehead the wrong way, but that he would repair his mistake. Then hetore the huntsman's head off again, turned it round, and the harehealed it with the root.The huntsman, however, was sad at heart, and traveled about theworld, and made his animals dance before people. It came to passthat precisely at the end of one year he came back to the same townwhere he had rescued the king's daughter from the dragon, and thistime the town was gaily hung with red cloth. Then he said to thehost, what does this mean. Last year the town was all hung withblack crape, what means the red cloth to-day. The host answered,last year our king's daughter was to have been delivered over to thedragon, but the marshal fought with it and killed it, and soto-morrow their wedding is to be solemnized, and that is why the townwas then hung with black crape for mourning, and is to-day coveredwith red cloth for joy.Next day when the wedding was to take place, the huntsman said atmid-day to the inn-keeper, do you believe, sir host, that I whilewith you here to-day shall eat bread from the king's own table.Nay, said the host, I would bet a hundred pieces of gold that thatwill not come true. The huntsman accepted the wager, and set againstit a purse with just the same number of gold pieces. Then he calledthe hare and said, go, my dear runner, and fetch me some of the breadwhich the king is eating. Now the little hare was the lowest of theanimals, and could not transfer this order to any the others, but hadto get on his legs himself. Alas. Thought he, if I bound through thestreets thus alone, the butchers, dogs will all be after me. Ithappened as he expected, and the dogs came after him and wanted tomake holes in his good skin. But he sprang away, you have never seenthe like, and sheltered himself in a sentry-box without the soldierbeing aware of it. Then the dogs came and wanted to have him out,but the soldier did not understand a jest, and struck them with thebutt-end of his gun, till they ran away yelling and howling. As soonas the hare saw that the way was clear, he ran into the palace andstraight to the king's daughter, sat down under her chair, andscratched at her foot. Then she said, will you get away, and thoughtit was her dog. The hare scratched her foot for the second time, andshe again said, will you get away, and thought it was her dog. Butthe hare did not let itself be turned from its purpose, and scratchedher for the third time. Then she peeped down, and knew the hare byits collar.She took him on her lap, carried him into her chamber, and said, dearhare, what do you want. He answered, my master, who killed thedragon, is here, and has sent me to ask for a loaf of bread like thatwhich the king eats. Then she was full of joy and had the bakersummoned, and ordered him to bring a loaf such as was eaten by theking. The little hare said, but the baker must likewise carry itthither for me, that the butchers, dogs may do no harm to me. Thebaker carried if for him as far as the door of the inn, and then thehare got on his hind legs, took the loaf in his front paws, andcarried it to his master. Then said the huntsman, behold, sir host,the hundred pieces of gold are mine. The host was astonished, butthe huntsman went on to say, yes, sir host, I have the bread, but nowI will likewise have some of the king's roast meat.The host said, I should indeed like to see that, but he would make nomore wagers. The huntsman called the fox and said, my little fox, goand fetch me some roast meat, such as the king eats.The red fox knew the byways better, and went by holes and cornerswithout any dog seeing him, seated himself under the chair of theking's daughter, and scratched her foot. Then she looked down andrecognized the fox by its collar, took him into her chamber with herand said, dear fox, what do you want. He answered, my master, whokilled the dragon, is here, and has sent me. I am to ask for someroast meat such as the king is eating. Then she made the cook come,who was obliged to prepare a roast joint, the same as was eaten bythe king, and to carry it for the fox as far as the door. Then thefox took the dish, waved away with his tail the flies which hadsettled on the meat, and then carried it to his master. Behold, sirhost, said the huntsman, bread and meat are here but now I will alsohave proper vegetables with it, such as are eaten by the king. Thenhe called the wolf, and said, dear wolf, go thither and fetch mevegetables such as the king eats.Then the wolf went straight to the palace, as he feared no one, andwhen he got to the king's daughter's parlor, he tugged at the back ofher dress, so that she was forced to look round. She recognized himby his collar, and took him into her chamber with her, and said, dearwolf, what do you want. He answered, my master, who killed thedragon, is here, I am to ask for some vegetables, such as the kingeats. Then she made the cook come, and he had to make ready a dishof vegetables, such as the king ate, and had to carry it for the wolfas far as the door, and then the wolf took the dish from him, andcarried it to his master. Behold, sir host, said the huntsman, now Ihave bread and meat and vegetables, but I will also have some pastryto eat like that which the king eats. He called the bear, and said,dear bear, you are fond of licking anything sweet, go and bring mesome confectionery, such as the king eats.The the bear trotted to the palace, and everyone got out of his way,but when he went to the guard, they presented their muskets, andwould not let him go into the royal palace. But he got up on hishind legs, and gave them a few boxes on the ears, right and left,with his paws, so that the whole watch broke up, and then he wentstraight to the king's daughter, placed himself behind her, andgrowled a little. Then she looked behind her, knew the bear, andbade him go into her room with her, and said, dear bear, what do youwant. He answered, my master, who killed the dragon, is here, and Iam to ask for some confectionery such as the king eats. Then shesummoned her confectioner, who had to bake confectionery such as theking ate, and carry it to the door for the bear. Then the bear firstlicked up the comfits which had rolled down, and then he stoodupright, took the dish, and carried it to his master. Behold, sirhost, said the huntsman, now I have bread, meat, vegetables andconfectionery, but I will drink wine also, and such as the kingdrinks. He called his lion to him and said, dear lion, you yourselflike to drink till you are tipsy, go and fetch me some wine, such asis drunk by the king.Then the lion strode through the streets, and the people fled fromhim, and when he came to the watch, they wanted to bar the wayagainst him, but he did but roar once, and they all ran away. Thenthe lion went to the royal apartment, and knocked at the door withhis tail. The the king's daughter came forth, and was almost afraidof the lion, but she knew him by the golden clasp of her necklace,and bade him go with her into her chamber, and said, dear lion, whatwill you have. He answered, my master, who killed the dragon, ishere, and I am to ask for some wine such as is drunk by the king.Then she bade the cup-bearer be called, who was to give the lion somewine like that which was drunk by the king. The lion said, I will gowith him, and see that I get the right wine. Then he went down withthe cup-bearer, and when they were below, the cup-bearer wanted todraw him some of the common wine that was drunk by the king'sservants, but the lion said, stop, I will taste the wine first, andhe drew half a measure, and swallowed it down at one draught. No,said he, that is not right. The cup-bearer looked at him askance,but went on, and was about to give him some out of another barrelwhich was for the king's marshal. The lion said, stop, let me tastethe wine first, and drew half a measure and drank it. That isbetter, but still not right, said he. Then the cup-bearer grew angryand said, how can a stupid animal like you understand wine. But thelion gave him a blow behind the ears, which made him fall down by nomeans gently, and when he had got up again, he conducted the lionquite silently into a little cellar apart, where the king's wine lay,from which no one ever drank. The lion first drew half a measure andtried the wine, and then he said, that may possibly be the rightsort, and bade the cup-bearer fill six bottles of it. And now theywent upstairs again, but when the lion came out of the cellar intothe open air, he reeled here and there, and was rather drunk, and thecup-bearer was forced to carry the wine as far as the door for him,and then the lion took the handle of the basket in his mouth, andtook it to his master. The huntsman said, behold, sir host, herehave I bread, meat, vegetables, confectionery and wine such as theking has, and now I will dine with my animals, and he sat down andate and drank, and gave the hare, the fox, the wolf, the bear, andthe lion also to eat and to drink, and was joyful, for he saw thatthe king's daughter still loved him. And when he had finished hisdinner, he said, sir host, now have I eaten and drunk, as the kingeats and drinks, and now I will go to the king's court and marry theking's daughter.Said the host, how can that be, when she already has a betrothedhusband, and when the wedding is to be solemnized to-day. Then thehuntsman drew forth the handerchief which the king's daughter hadgiven him on the dragon's hill, and in which were folded themonster's seven tongues, and said, that which I hold in my hand shallhelp me to do it. Then the innkeeper looked at the handkerchief, andsaid, whatever I believe, I do not believe that, and I am willing tostake my house and courtyard on it. The huntsman, however, took abag with a thousand gold pieces, put it on the table, and said, Istake that on it.Now the king said to his daughter, at the royal table, what did allthe wild animals want, which have been coming to you, and going inand out of my palace. She replied, I may not tell you, but send andhave the master of these animals brought, and you will do well. Theking sent a servant to the inn, and invited the stranger, and theservant came just as the huntsman had laid his wager with theinnkeeper. Then said he, behold, sir host, now the king sends hisservant and invites me, but I do not go in this way.And he said to the servant, I request the lord king to send me royalclothing, and a carriage with six horses, and servants to attend me.When the king heard the answer, he said to his daughter, what shall Ido. She said, cause him to be fetched as he desires to be, and youwill do well. Then the king sent royal apparel, a carriage with sixhorses, and servants to wait on him. When the huntsman saw themcoming, he said, behold, sir host, now I am fetched as I desired tobe, and he put on the royal garments, took the handerchief with thedragon's tongues with him, and drove off to the king. When the kingsaw him coming, he said to his daughter, how shall I receive him.She answered, go to meet him and you will do well. Then the kingwent to meet him and led him in, and his animals followed. The kinggave him a seat near himself and his daughter, and the marshal, asbridegroom, sat on the other side, but no longer knew the huntsman.And now at this very moment, the seven heads of the dragon werebrought in as a spectacle, and the king said, the seven heads werecut off the dragon by the marshal, wherefore to-day I give him mydaughter to wife. The the huntsman stood up, opened the sevenmouths, and said, where are the seven tongues of the dragon. Thenwas the marshal terrified, and grew pale and knew not what answer heshould make, and at length in his anguish he said, dragons have notongues. The huntsman said, liars ought to have none, but thedragon's tongues are the tokens of the victor, and he unfolded thehanderchief, and there lay all seven inside it. And he put eachtongue in the mouth to which it belonged, and it fitted exactly.Then he took the handkerchief on which the name of the princess wasembroidered, and showed it to the maiden, and asked to whom she hadgiven it, and she replied, to him who killed the dragon. And then hecalled his animals, and took the collar off each of them and thegolden clasp from the lion, and showed them to the maiden and askedto whom they belonged. She answered, the necklace and golden claspwere mine, but I divided them among the animals who helped to conquerthe dragon. Then spoke the huntsman, when I, tired of the fight, wasresting and sleeping, the marshal came and cut off my head. Then hecarried away the king's daughter, and gave out that it was he who hadkilled the dragon, but that he lied I prove with the tongues, thehandkerchief, and the necklace.And then he related how his animals had healed him by means of awonderful root, and how he had traveled about with them for one year,and had at length come there and had learnt the treachery of themarshal by the inn-keeper's story. Then the king asked his daughter,is it true that this man killed the dragon.And she answered, yes, it is true. Now can I reveal the wicked deedof the marshal, as it has come to light without my connivance, for hewrung from me a promise to be silent. For this reason, however, didI make the condition that the marriage should not be solemnized for ayear and a day. Then the king bade twelve councillors be summonedwho were to pronounce judgment on the marshal, and they sentenced himto be torn to pieces by four bulls.The marshal was therefore executed, but the king gave his daughter tothe huntsman, and named him his viceroy over the whole kingdom. Thewedding was celebrated with great joy, and the young king caused hisfather and his foster-father to be brought, and loaded them withtreasures. Neither did he forget the inn-keeper, but sent for himand said, behold, sir host, I have married the king's daughter, andyour house and yard are mine.The host said, yes, according to justice it is so. But the youngking said, it shall be done according to mercy, and told him that heshould keep his house and yard, and gave him the thousand pieces ofgold as well.And now the young king and queen were thoroughly happy, and lived ingladness together. He often went out hunting because it was adelight to him, and the faithful animals had to accompany him. Inthe neighborhood, however, there was a forest of which it wasreported that it was haunted, and that whosoever did but enter it didnot easily get out again. But the young king had a great inclinationto hunt in it, and let the old king have no peace until he allowedhim to do so. So he rode forth with a great following, and when hecame to the forest, he saw a snow-white hind, and said to his men,wait here until I return, I want to hunt that beautiful creature, andhe rode into the forest after it, followed only by his animals. Theattendants halted and waited until evening, but he did not return, sothey rode home, and told the young queen that the young king hadfollowed a white hind into the enchanted forest, and had not comeback again. Then she was in the greatest concern about him. He,however, had still continued to ride on and on after the beautifulwild animal, and had never been able to overtake it, when he thoughthe was near enough to aim, he instantly saw it bound away into thefar distance, and at length it vanished altogether. And now heperceived that he had penetrated deep into the forest, and blew hishorn but he received no answer, for his attendants could not hear it.And as night was falling, he saw that he could not get home that day,so he dismounted from his horse, lighted himself a fire near a tree,and resolved to spend the night by it. While he was sitting by thefire, and his animals also were lying down beside him, it seemed tohim that he heard a human voice. He looked round, but couldperceived nothing. Soon afterwards, he again heard a groan as iffrom above, and then he looked up, and saw an old woman sitting inthe tree, who wailed unceasingly, oh, oh, oh, how cold I am. Saidhe, come down, and warm yourself if you are cold. But she said, no,your animals will bite me. He answered, they will do you no harm,old mother, do come down. She, however, was a witch, and said, Iwill throw down a wand from the tree, and if you strike them on theback with it, they will do me no harm. Then she threw him a smallwand, and he struck them with it, and instantly they lay still andwere turned into stone. And when the witch was safe from theanimals, she leapt down and touched him also with a wand, and changedhim to stone. Thereupon she laughed, and dragged him and the animalsinto a vault, where many more such stones already lay.As the young king did not come back at all, the queen's anguish andcare grew constantly greater. And it so happened that at this verytime the other brother who had turned to the east when theyseparated, came into the kingdom. He had sought a situation, and hadfound none, and had then traveled about here and there, and had madehis animals dance. Then it came into his mind that he would just goand look at the knife that they had thrust in the trunk of a tree attheir parting, that he might learn how his brother was. When he gotthere his brother's side of the knife was half rusted, and halfbright. Then he was alarmed and thought, a great misfortune musthave befallen my brother, but perhaps I can still save him, for halfthe knife is still bright. He and his animals traveled towards thewest, and when he entered the gate of the town, the guard came tomeet him, and asked if he was to announce him to his consort theyoung queen, who had for a couple of days been in the greatest sorrowabout his staying away, and was afraid he had been killed in theenchanted forest.The sentries, indeed, thought no otherwise than that he was the youngking himself, for he looked so like him, and had wild animals runningbehind him. Then he saw that they were speaking of his brother, andthought, it will be better if I pass myself off for him, and then Ican rescue him more easily. So he allowed himself to be escortedinto the castle by the guard, and was received with the greatest joy.The young queen indeed thought that he was her husband, and asked himwhy he had stayed away so long. He answered, I had lost myself in aforest, and could not find my way out again any sooner. At night hewas taken to the royal bed, but he laid a two-edged sword between himand the young queen, she did not know what that could mean, but didnot venture to ask.He remained in the palace a couple of days, and in the meantimeinquired into everything which related to the enchanted forest, andat last he said, I must hunt there once more. The king and the youngqueen wanted to persuade him not to do it, but he stood out againstthem, and went forth with a larger following. When he had got intothe forest, it fared with him as with his brother, he saw a whitehind and said to his men, stay here, and wait until I return, I wantto chase the lovely wild beast, and then he rode into the forest andhis animals ran after him. But he could not overtake the hind, andgot so deep into the forest that he was forced to pass the nightthere. And when he had lighted a fire, he heard someone wailingabove him, oh, oh, oh, how cold I am.Then he looked up, and the self-same witch was sitting in the tree.Said he, if you are cold, come down, little old mother, and warmyourself. She answered, no, your animals will bite me. But he said,they will not hurt you. Then she cried, I will throw down a wand toyou, and if you smite them with it they will do me no harm. When thehuntsman heard that, he had no confidence in the old woman, and said,I will not strike my animals. Come down, or I will fetch you. Thenshe cried, what do you want. You shall not touch me. But hereplied, if you do not come, I will shoot you. Said she, shoot away,I do not fear your bullets.Then he aimed, and fired at her, but the witch was proof against allleaden bullets, and laughed shrilly and cried, you shall not hit me.The huntsman knew what to do, tore three silver buttons off his coat,and loaded his gun with them, for against them her arts were useless,and when he fired she fell down at once with a scream. Then he sethis foot on her and said, old witch, if you do not instantly confesswhere my brother is, I will seize you with both my hands and throwyou into the fire. She was in a great fright, begged for mercy andsaid, he and his animals lie in a vault, turned to stone. Then hecompelled her to go thither with him, threatened her, and said, oldsea-cat, now you shall make my brother and all the human beings lyinghere, alive again, or you shall go into the fire. She took a wandand touched the stones, and then his brother with his animals came tolife again, and many others, merchants, artisans, and shepherds,arose, thanked him for their deliverance, and went to their homes.But when the twin brothers saw each other again, they kissed eachother and rejoiced with all their hearts. Then they seized thewitch, bound her and laid her on the fire, and when she was burnt theforest opened of its own accord, and was light and clear, and theking's palace could be seen at about the distance of a three hours,walk.Thereupon the two brothers went home together, and on the way toldeach other their histories. And when the younger said that he wasruler of the whole country in the king's stead, the other observed,that I remarked very well, for when I came to the town, and was takenfor you, all royal honors were paid me, the young queen looked on meas her husband, and I had to eat at her side, and sleep in your bed.When the other heard that, he became so jealous and angry that hedrew his sword, and struck off his brother's head. But when he sawhim lying there dead, and saw his red blood flowing, he repented mostviolently, my brother delivered me, cried he, and I have killed himfor it, and he bewailed him aloud. Then his hare came and offered togo and bring some of the root of life, and bounded away and broughtit while yet there was time, and the dead man was brought to lifeagain, and knew nothing about the wound.After this they journeyed onwards, and the younger said, you looklike me, you have royal apparel on as I have, and the animals followyou as they do me, we will go in by opposite gates, and arrive at thesame time from the two sides in the aged king's presence. So theyseparated, and at the same time came the watchmen from the one doorand from the other, and announced that the young king and the animalshad returned from the chase.The king said, it is not possible, the gates lie quite a mile apart.In the meantime, however, the two brothers entered the courtyard ofthe palace from opposite sides, and both mounted the steps. Then theking said to the daughter, say which is your husband.Each of them looks exactly like the other, I cannot tell. Then shewas in great distress, and could not tell, but at last she rememberedthe necklace which she had given to the animals, and she sought forand found her little golden clasp on the lion, and she cried in herdelight, he who is followed by this lion is my true husband. Thenthe young king laughed and said, yes, he is the right one, and theysat down together to table, and ate and drank, and were merry. Atnight when the young king went to bed, his wife said, why have youfor these last nights always laid a two-edged sword in our bed. Ithought you had a wish to kill me. Then he knew how true his brotherhad been.