Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen
take leave of each other. You are not far from home, your own horse
awaits you; but before leaving, enter in at my right ear and come out
at my left."
The prince did so, and came out without his armour, and clad as when
Pietnotka left him.
The dappled horse vanished, and Dobrotek whistled to his own horse,
who ran up, quite pleased to see him again. They immediately set off
for the king's palace.
But night came on before they reached the end of their journey.
The prince laid the sleeping maiden on the grass, and, covering her up
carefully to keep her warm, he himself fell fast asleep. By chance, a
knight, one of her suitors, passed that way. Seeing Dobrotek asleep he
drew his sword and stabbed him; then he lifted the princess on his
horse and soon reached the king's palace, where he addressed
Pietnotka's father in these words: "Here is your daughter, whom I now
claim as my wife, for it is I who have restored her to you. She was
carried off by a terrible sorcerer who fought with me three days and
three nights. But I conquered him, and I have brought you the princess
safely back."
The king was overjoyed at seeing her again, but finding that his
tenderest efforts were powerless to awake her, he wanted to know the
reason of it.
"That I cannot tell you," replied the impostor; "you see her as I
found her myself."
Meanwhile, poor Prince Dobrotek, seriously wounded, was slowly
recovering consciousness, but he felt so weak that he could hardly
utter these words:
"Come, Magic Horse with Mane of Gold,
Come, Dappled Horse, O come to me.
Fly like the birds as you did of old,
As flashes of lightning o'er land and sea."
Instantly a bright cloud appeared, and from the midst thereof stepped
the magic horse. As he already knew all that had happened, he dashed
off immediately to the Mountain of Eternal Life. Thence he drew the
three kinds of water: the Water that gives Life, the Water that Cures,
and the Water that Strengthens. Returning to the prince, he sprinkled
him first with the Life-giving Water, and instantly the body, which
had become cold, was warm again and the blood began to circulate. The
Water that Cures healed the wound, and the Strength-giving Water had
such an effect upon him that he opened his eyes and cried out, "Oh,
how well I have slept."
"You were already sleeping the eternal sleep," replied the dappled
horse. "One of your rivals stabbed you mortally, and carried off
Pietnotka, whom he pretends to have rescued. But do not worry
yourself, she still sleeps, and none can arouse her but you, and this
you must do by touching her with the dwarf's beard. Go now, and be
happy."
The brave steed disappeared in a whirlwind, and Prince Dobrotek
proceeded on his way. On drawing near the capital he saw it surrounded
by a large foreign army; part of it was already taken, and the
inhabitants seemed to be begging for mercy. The prince put on his
invisible cap, and began to strike right and left with the sharp
smiting sword. With such fury did he attack the enemy that they fell
dead on all sides, like felled trees. When he had thus destroyed the
whole army he went, still invisible, into the palace, where he heard
the king express the utmost astonishment that the enemy had retired
without fighting.
"Where then is the brave warrior who has saved us?" said his majesty
aloud.
Every one was silent, when Dobrotek took off his magic cap, and
falling on his knees before the monarch, said: "It is I, my king and
father, who have routed and destroyed the enemy. It is I who saved the
princess, my bride. While on my way back with her I was treacherously
killed by my rival, who has represented himself to you as her rescuer,
but he has deceived you. Lead me to the princess, that I may awaken
her."
On hearing these words the impostor ran away as quickly as possible,
and Dobrotek approached the sleeping maiden. He just touched her brow
with the dwarf's beard, upon which she opened her eyes, smiled, and
seemed to ask where she was.
The king, overcome with joy, kissed her fondly, and the same evening
she was married to the devoted Prince Dobrotek. The king himself led
her to the altar, and to his son-in-law he gave half his kingdom. So
splendid was the wedding banquet, that eye has never seen, nor ear
ever heard of its equal.
THE FLYING CARPET, THE INVISIBLE CAP, THE GOLD-GIVING RING, AND THE
SMITING CLUB
THE FLYING CARPET, THE INVISIBLE CAP, THE GOLD-GIVING RING, AND THE
SMITING CLUB
In a cottage near the high-road, and close to the shores of a large
lake, there once lived a widow, poor and old. She was very very poor,
but her mother's heart was rich in pride in her son, who was the joy
of her life. He was a handsome lad with an honest soul. He earned his
living by fishing in the lake, and succeeded so well that neither he
nor his mother were ever in want of their daily bread. Every one
called him "the fisherman."
One evening at dusk he went down to the lake to throw in his nets, and
standing on the shore with a new bucket in his hand, waited to put
into it whatever fish it might please God to send him. In about a
quarter of an hour or so he drew in his nets and took out two bream.
These he threw into the bucket, and humming a merry song turned to go
home. At that moment a traveller, poorly clad, with hair and beard
white as the wings of a dove, spoke to him, saying, "Have pity on a
feeble old man, obliged to lean on his stick, hungry and ragged. I beg
you, in Heaven's name, to give me either money or bread. The sun will
soon set, and I who have eaten nothing to-day shall have to pass the
night fasting, with the bare earth for a bed."
"My good old friend, I am sorry I have nothing about me to give you,
but you see the black smoke curling up in the distance? That is our
cottage, where my old mother is waiting for me to bring her some fish
to cook for our supper. Now take these two bream to her, meanwhile I
will return to the lake and throw in my nets again to see if I can
catch something more. Thus, with God's help, we shall all three have
enough for supper to-night and breakfast to-morrow morning."
While speaking the fisherman handed the fish to the old man, when,
marvel of marvels! he melted into the rays of the setting sun and
vanished, both he and the fish.
The fisherman, much astonished, rubbed his eyes and looked about on
all sides. For a moment he felt afraid, but when he had crossed
himself all terror left him and he went to draw in his nets by the
light of the moon. And what do you think he found in them? It was
neither a pike nor a trout, but a small fish with eyes of diamonds,
fins of rainbow colour, and golden scales that shone and flashed like
lightning.
When he had spread his nets on the beach the fish began to talk to him
in the language of men.
"Do not kill me, young fisherman," it said, "but accept in exchange
for my life this golden ring. Every time you put it on your finger
repeat these words:
'I conjure thee, O ring, who gold can give,
In the name of the little fishling of gold,
For the good of man, that man may live,
And the honour of heaven, send, new or old,
Little or much, as may be my need,
Coins of the realm, let them fall like seed.'
After uttering each of these words, a shower of gold pieces will
fall."
The fisherman gladly accepted the ring, and freeing the miraculous
fish from the net he threw it back into the water. As it fell, it
shone in the air like a shooting star and then disappeared beneath the
waves.
On his way back he said to himself, "My mother and I will go to bed
hungry to-night, without our fried fish, but to-morrow, when I have
made the golden coins gleam in our humble cottage, all sorts of good
things will find their way there, and we shall live like lords."
But things turned out very differently, for the first thing he saw on
opening the door was the table covered with a white cloth, and upon it
a china soup-tureen in which lay the two bream freshly cooked.
"Where did you get those fish from, dear mother?"
"I do not know myself," replied she, "for I have neither cleaned them
nor cooked them. Our table spread itself, the fish placed themselves
upon it, and although they have been there an hour they do not get
cold; any one might think they had just been taken off the fire. Come,
let us eat them."
The widow and her son sat down, said grace, and after eating as much
as they wanted went to bed.
Next morning, at breakfast time, the fisherman made the sign of the
cross, and then put on the gold ring, at the same time repeating the
words the fish had taught him:
"I conjure thee, O ring, who gold can give,
In the name of the little fishling of gold,
For the good of man, that man may live,
And the honour of heaven, send, new or old,
Little or much, as may be my need,
Coins of the realm, let them fall like seed."
When he had ceased speaking the room was filled with a blast of wind
followed by flashes of lightning, then a hailstorm of gold pieces
showered down and quite covered the table.
The chink of the money aroused his mother, who sat up in bed perfectly
amazed.
"What is the meaning of this, my son? Am I awake or dreaming? or is it
the work of the Evil One? Where did all that money come from?"
"Fear not, mother, I wear a cross that charms away evil spirits. I
have my work, so that you shall never want, and I have your heart,
where for me there will ever be love to sweeten the disappointments
and troubles of life. This gold that you see will drive poverty far
away, and enable us to help others. Take these pieces, lock them up
safely, and use them when in need. As for me, kiss me, and wish me
good luck on my journey."
"What! Is it possible that you want to leave me already? Why? and
whither are you going?"
"I want to go, mother mine, to see the great city. When there, I mean
to enrol myself in the national army. Thus the fisherman turned
soldier will become the defender of his king, for the glory of his
country and his mother."
"Of a truth, my son, I have heard some talk about the king being in
danger, and that our enemies are trying to take his crown from him.
But why should you go? Stay at home rather, for alone and unnoticed
among so many troops you will neither be able to help nor to hinder."
"You are right, one man alone is a small thing, but by adding one
grain to another the measure overflows. If all those who are capable
of bearing arms will help the king, there is no doubt that he will
soon overcome his enemies."
"But a harmless fisherman like you! Of what use can you be in a
battle?"
"The fisherman has, doubtless, a peaceable disposition, and he never
boasts of his strength. But when the right moment comes he knows how
to handle a sword, and how to water the land with the enemy's blood.
And the victorious king will, perhaps, reward me for my bravery by
giving me some splendid castle, or a few acres of forest land, a suit
of armour and a horse, or even the hand of his daughter in marriage."
"If you feel like this," answered she, "go, and may God bless you. May
He cover you, dear child, with His grace as with a buckler, so that
neither guns nor sabres shall do you harm. May He take you under His
protection, so that you may return safe and sound to be a comfort to
me; and at the end of my days may I rejoice in your happiness, and
live near you as long as God in His wisdom shall allow."
Then she gave him her blessing and kissed him tenderly, making the
sign of the cross in the direction he was about to take.
So he departed, and after a few days' march reached the capital,
thinking within himself how he might help the king most effectually.