POOR John was very sad; for his father was so ill, he had
no hope of his recovery. John sat alone with the sick man in
the little room, and the lamp had nearly burnt out; for it was
late in the night.
"You have been a good son, John," said the sick father,
"and God will help you on in the world." He looked at him, as
he spoke, with mild, earnest eyes, drew a deep sigh, and died;
yet it appeared as if he still slept.
John wept bitterly. He had no one in the wide world now;
neither father, mother, brother, nor sister. Poor John! he
knelt down by the bed, kissed his dead father's hand, and wept
many, many bitter tears. But at last his eyes closed, and he
fell asleep with his head resting against the hard bedpost.
Then he dreamed a strange dream; he thought he saw the sun
shining upon him, and his father alive and well, and even
heard him laughing as he used to do when he was very happy. A
beautiful girl, with a golden crown on her head, and long,
shining hair, gave him her hand; and his father said, "See
what a bride you have won. She is the loveliest maiden on the
whole earth." Then he awoke, and all the beautiful things
vanished before his eyes, his father lay dead on the bed, and
he was all alone. Poor John!
During the following week the dead man was buried. The son
walked behind the coffin which contained his father, whom he
so dearly loved, and would never again behold. He heard the
earth fall on the coffin-lid, and watched it till only a
corner remained in sight, and at last that also disappeared.
He felt as if his heart would break with its weight of sorrow,
till those who stood round the grave sang a psalm, and the
sweet, holy tones brought tears into his eyes, which relieved
him. The sun shone brightly down on the green trees, as if it
would say, "You must not be so sorrowful, John. Do you see the
beautiful blue sky above you? Your father is up there, and he
prays to the loving Father of all, that you may do well in the
future."
"I will always be good," said John, "and then I shall go
to be with my father in heaven. What joy it will be when we
see each other again! How much I shall have to relate to him,
and how many things he will be able to explain to me of the
delights of heaven, and teach me as he once did on earth. Oh,
what joy it will be!"
He pictured it all so plainly to himself, that he smiled
even while the tears ran down his cheeks.
The little birds in the chestnut-trees twittered, "Tweet,
tweet;" they were so happy, although they had seen the
funeral; but they seemed as if they knew that the dead man was
now in heaven, and that he had wings much larger and more
beautiful than their own; and he was happy now, because he had
been good here on earth, and they were glad of it. John saw
them fly away out of the green trees into the wide world, and
he longed to fly with them; but first he cut out a large
wooden cross, to place on his father's grave; and when he
brought it there in the evening, he found the grave decked out
with gravel and flowers. Strangers had done this; they who had
known the good old father who was now dead, and who had loved
him very much.
Early the next morning, John packed up his little bundle
of clothes, and placed all his money, which consisted of fifty
dollars and a few shillings, in his girdle; with this he
determined to try his fortune in the world. But first he went
into the churchyard; and, by his father's grave, he offered up
a prayer, and said, "Farewell."
As he passed through the fields, all the flowers looked
fresh and beautiful in the warm sunshine, and nodded in the
wind, as if they wished to say, "Welcome to the green wood,
where all is fresh and bright."
Then John turned to have one more look at the old church,
in which he had been christened in his infancy, and where his
father had taken him every Sunday to hear the service and join
in singing the psalms. As he looked at the old tower, he
espied the ringer standing at one of the narrow openings, with
his little pointed red cap on his head, and shading his eyes
from the sun with his bent arm. John nodded farewell to him,
and the little ringer waved his red cap, laid his hand on his
heart, and kissed his hand to him a great many times, to show
that he felt kindly towards him, and wished him a prosperous
journey.
John continued his journey, and thought of all the
wonderful things he should see in the large, beautiful world,
till he found himself farther away from home than ever he had
been before. He did not even know the names of the places he
passed through, and could scarcely understand the language of
the people he met, for he was far away, in a strange land. The
first night he slept on a haystack, out in the fields, for
there was no other bed for him; but it seemed to him so nice
and comfortable that even a king need not wish for a better.
The field, the brook, the haystack, with the blue sky above,
formed a beautiful sleeping-room. The green grass, with the
little red and white flowers, was the carpet; the elder-bushes
and the hedges of wild roses looked like garlands on the
walls; and for a bath he could have the clear, fresh water of
the brook; while the rushes bowed their heads to him, to wish
him good morning and good evening. The moon, like a large
lamp, hung high up in the blue ceiling, and he had no fear of
its setting fire to his curtains. John slept here quite safely
all night; and when he awoke, the sun was up, and all the
little birds were singing round him, "Good morning, good
morning. Are you not up yet?"
It was Sunday, and the bells were ringing for church. As
the people went in, John followed them; he heard God's word,
joined in singing the psalms, and listened to the preacher. It
seemed to him just as if he were in his own church, where he
had been christened, and had sung the psalms with his father.
Out in the churchyard were several graves, and on some of them
the grass had grown very high. John thought of his father's
grave, which he knew at last would look like these, as he was
not there to weed and attend to it. Then he set to work,
pulled up the high grass, raised the wooden crosses which had
fallen down, and replaced the wreaths which had been blown
away from their places by the wind, thinking all the time,
"Perhaps some one is doing the same for my father's grave, as
I am not there to do it "
Outside the church door stood an old beggar, leaning on
his crutch. John gave him his silver shillings, and then he
continued his journey, feeling lighter and happier than ever.
Towards evening, the weather became very stormy, and he
hastened on as quickly as he could, to get shelter; but it was
quite dark by the time he reached a little lonely church which
stood on a hill. "I will go in here," he said, "and sit down
in a corner; for I am quite tired, and want rest."
So he went in, and seated himself; then he folded his
hands, and offered up his evening prayer, and was soon fast
asleep and dreaming, while the thunder rolled and the
lightning flashed without. When he awoke, it was still night;
but the storm had ceased, and the moon shone in upon him
through the windows. Then he saw an open coffin standing in
the centre of the church, which contained a dead man, waiting
for burial. John was not at all timid; he had a good
conscience, and he knew also that the dead can never injure
any one. It is living wicked men who do harm to others. Two
such wicked persons stood now by the dead man, who had been
brought to the church to be buried. Their evil intentions were
to throw the poor dead body outside the church door, and not
leave him to rest in his coffin.
"Why do you do this?" asked John, when he saw what they
were going to do; "it is very wicked. Leave him to rest in
peace, in Christ's name."
"Nonsense," replied the two dreadful men. "He has cheated
us; he owed us money which he could not pay, and now he is
dead we shall not get a penny; so we mean to have our revenge,
and let him lie like a dog outside the church door."
"I have only fifty dollars," said John, "it is all I
possess in the world, but I will give it to you if you will
promise me faithfully to leave the dead man in peace. I shall
be able to get on without the money; I have strong and healthy
limbs, and God will always help me."
"Why, of course," said the horrid men, "if you will pay
his debt we will both promise not to touch him. You may depend
upon that;" and then they took the money he offered them,
laughed at him for his good nature, and went their way.
Then he laid the dead body back in the coffin, folded the
hands, and took leave of it; and went away contentedly through
the great forest. All around him he could see the prettiest
little elves dancing in the moonlight, which shone through the
trees. They were not disturbed by his appearance, for they
knew he was good and harmless among men. They are wicked
people only who can never obtain a glimpse of fairies. Some of
them were not taller than the breadth of a finger, and they
wore golden combs in their long, yellow hair. They were
rocking themselves two together on the large dew-drops with
which the leaves and the high grass were sprinkled. Sometimes
the dew-drops would roll away, and then they fell down between
the stems of the long grass, and caused a great deal of
laughing and noise among the other little people. It was quite
charming to watch them at play. Then they sang songs, and John
remembered that he had learnt those pretty songs when he was a
little boy. Large speckled spiders, with silver crowns on
their heads, were employed to spin suspension bridges and
palaces from one hedge to another, and when the tiny drops
fell upon them, they glittered in the moonlight like shining
glass. This continued till sunrise. Then the little elves
crept into the flower-buds, and the wind seized the bridges
and palaces, and fluttered them in the air like cobwebs.
As John left the wood, a strong man's voice called after
him, "Hallo, comrade, where are you travelling?"
"Into the wide world," he replied; "I am only a poor lad,
I have neither father nor mother, but God will help me."
"I am going into the wide world also," replied the
stranger; "shall we keep each other company?"
"With all my heart," he said, and so they went on
together. Soon they began to like each other very much, for
they were both good; but John found out that the stranger was
much more clever than himself. He had travelled all over the
world, and could describe almost everything. The sun was high
in the heavens when they seated themselves under a large tree
to eat their breakfast, and at the same moment an old woman
came towards them. She was very old and almost bent double.
She leaned upon a stick and carried on her back a bundle of
firewood, which she had collected in the forest; her apron was
tied round it, and John saw three great stems of fern and some
willow twigs peeping out. just as she came close up to them,
her foot slipped and she fell to the ground screaming loudly;
poor old woman, she had broken her leg! John proposed directly
that they should carry the old woman home to her cottage; but
the stranger opened his knapsack and took out a box, in which
he said he had a salve that would quickly make her leg well
and strong again, so that she would be able to walk home
herself, as if her leg had never been broken. And all that he
would ask in return was the three fern stems which she carried
in her apron.
"That is rather too high a price," said the old woman,
nodding her head quite strangely. She did not seem at all
inclined to part with the fern stems. However, it was not very
agreeable to lie there with a broken leg, so she gave them to
him; and such was the power of the ointment, that no sooner
had he rubbed her leg with it than the old mother rose up and
walked even better than she had done before. But then this
wonderful ointment could not be bought at a chemist's.
"What can you want with those three fern rods?" asked John
of his fellow-traveller.
"Oh, they will make capital brooms," said he; "and I like
them because I have strange whims sometimes." Then they walked
on together for a long distance.
"How dark the sky is becoming," said John; "and look at
those thick, heavy clouds."
"Those are not clouds," replied his fellow-traveller;
"they are mountains- large lofty mountains- on the tops of
which we should be above the clouds, in the pure, free air.
Believe me, it is delightful to ascend so high, tomorrow we
shall be there." But the mountains were not so near as they
appeared; they had to travel a whole day before they reached
them, and pass through black forests and piles of rock as
large as a town. The journey had been so fatiguing that John
and his fellow-traveller stopped to rest at a roadside inn, so
that they might gain strength for their journey on the morrow.
In the large public room of the inn a great many persons were
assembled to see a comedy performed by dolls. The showman had
just erected his little theatre, and the people were sitting
round the room to witness the performance. Right in front, in
the very best place, sat a stout butcher, with a great
bull-dog by his side who seemed very much inclined to bite. He
sat staring with all his eyes, and so indeed did every one
else in the room. And then the play began. It was a pretty
piece, with a king and a queen in it, who sat on a beautiful
throne, and had gold crowns on their heads. The trains to
their dresses were very long, according to the fashion; while
the prettiest of wooden dolls, with glass eyes and large
mustaches, stood at the doors, and opened and shut them, that
the fresh air might come into the room. It was a very pleasant
play, not at all mournful; but just as the queen stood up and
walked across the stage, the great bull-dog, who should have
been held back by his master, made a spring forward, and
caught the queen in the teeth by the slender wrist, so that it
snapped in two. This was a very dreadful disaster. The poor
man, who was exhibiting the dolls, was much annoyed, and quite
sad about his queen; she was the prettiest doll he had, and
the bull-dog had broken her head and shoulders off. But after
all the people were gone away, the stranger, who came with
John, said that he could soon set her to rights. And then he
brought out his box and rubbed the doll with some of the salve
with which he had cured the old woman when she broke her leg.
As soon as this was done the doll's back became quite right
again; her head and shoulders were fixed on, and she could
even move her limbs herself: there was now no occasion to pull
the wires, for the doll acted just like a living creature,
excepting that she could not speak. The man to whom the show
belonged was quite delighted at having a doll who could dance
of herself without being pulled by the wires; none of the
other dolls could do this.
During the night, when all the people at the inn were gone
to bed, some one was heard to sigh so deeply and painfully,
and the sighing continued for so long a time, that every one
got up to see what could be the matter. The showman went at
once to his little theatre and found that it proceeded from
the dolls, who all lay on the floor sighing piteously, and
staring with their glass eyes; they all wanted to be rubbed
with the ointment, so that, like the queen, they might be able
to move of themselves. The queen threw herself on her knees,
took off her beautiful crown, and, holding it in her hand,
cried, "Take this from me, but do rub my husband and his
courtiers."
The poor man who owned the theatre could scarcely refrain
from weeping; he was so sorry that he could not help them.
Then he immediately spoke to John's comrade, and promised him
all the money he might receive at the next evening's
performance, if he would only rub the ointment on four or five
of his dolls. But the fellow-traveller said he did not require
anything in return, excepting the sword which the showman wore
by his side. As soon as he received the sword he anointed six
of the dolls with the ointment, and they were able immediately
to dance so gracefully that all the living girls in the room
could not help joining in the dance. The coachman danced with
the cook, and the waiters with the chambermaids, and all the
strangers joined; even the tongs and the fire-shovel made an
attempt, but they fell down after the first jump. So after all
it was a very merry night. The next morning John and his
companion left the inn to continue their journey through the
great pine-forests and over the high mountains. They arrived
at last at such a great height that towns and villages lay
beneath them, and the church steeples looked like little
specks between the green trees. They could see for miles
round, far away to places they had never visited, and John saw
more of the beautiful world than he had ever known before. The
sun shone brightly in the blue firmament above, and through
the clear mountain air came the sound of the huntsman's horn,
and the soft, sweet notes brought tears into his eyes, and he
could not help exclaiming, "How good and loving God is to give
us all this beauty and loveliness in the world to make us
happy!"
His fellow-traveller stood by with folded hands, gazing on
the dark wood and the towns bathed in the warm sunshine. At
this moment there sounded over their heads sweet music. They
looked up, and discovered a large white swan hovering in the
air, and singing as never bird sang before. But the song soon
became weaker and weaker, the bird's head drooped, and he sunk
slowly down, and lay dead at their feet.
"It is a beautiful bird," said the traveller, "and these
large white wings are worth a great deal of money. I will take
them with me. You see now that a sword will be very useful."
So he cut off the wings of the dead swan with one blow,
and carried them away with him.
They now continued their journey over the mountains for
many miles, till they at length reached a large city,
containing hundreds of towers, that shone in the sunshine like
silver. In the midst of the city stood a splendid marble
palace, roofed with pure red gold, in which dwelt the king.
John and his companion would not go into the town immediately;
so they stopped at an inn outside the town, to change their
clothes; for they wished to appear respectable as they walked
through the streets. The landlord told them that the king was
a very good man, who never injured any one: but as to his
daughter, "Heaven defend us!"
She was indeed a wicked princess. She possessed beauty
enough- nobody could be more elegant or prettier than she was;
but what of that? for she was a wicked witch; and in
consequence of her conduct many noble young princes had lost
their lives. Any one was at liberty to make her an offer; were
he a prince or a beggar, it mattered not to her. She would ask
him to guess three things which she had just thought of, and
if he succeed, he was to marry her, and be king over all the
land when her father died; but if he could not guess these
three things, then she ordered him to be hanged or to have his
head cut off. The old king, her father, was very much grieved
at her conduct, but he could not prevent her from being so
wicked, because he once said he would have nothing more to do
with her lovers; she might do as she pleased. Each prince who
came and tried the three guesses, so that he might marry the
princess, had been unable to find them out, and had been
hanged or beheaded. They had all been warned in time, and
might have left her alone, if they would. The old king became
at last so distressed at all these dreadful circumstances,
that for a whole day every year he and his soldiers knelt and
prayed that the princess might become good; but she continued
as wicked as ever. The old women who drank brandy would color
it quite black before they drank it, to show how they mourned;
and what more could they do?
"What a horrible princess!" said John; "she ought to be
well flogged. If I were the old king, I would have her
punished in some way."
Just then they heard the people outside shouting,
"Hurrah!" and, looking out, they saw the princess passing by;
and she was really so beautiful that everybody forgot her
wickedness, and shouted "Hurrah!" Twelve lovely maidens in
white silk dresses, holding golden tulips in their hands, rode
by her side on coal-black horses. The princess herself had a
snow-white steed, decked with diamonds and rubies. Her dress
was of cloth of gold, and the whip she held in her hand looked
like a sunbeam. The golden crown on her head glittered like
the stars of heaven, and her mantle was formed of thousands of
butterflies' wings sewn together. Yet she herself was more
beautiful than all.
When John saw her, his face became as red as a drop of
blood, and he could scarcely utter a word. The princess looked
exactly like the beautiful lady with the golden crown, of whom
he had dreamed on the night his father died. She appeared to
him so lovely that he could not help loving her.
"It could not be true," he thought, "that she was really a
wicked witch, who ordered people to be hanged or beheaded, if
they could not guess her thoughts. Every one has permission to
go and ask her hand, even the poorest beggar. I shall pay a
visit to the palace," he said; "I must go, for I cannot help
myself."
Then they all advised him not to attempt it; for he would
be sure to share the same fate as the rest. His
fellow-traveller also tried to persuade him against it; but
John seemed quite sure of success. He brushed his shoes and
his coat, washed his face and his hands, combed his soft
flaxen hair, and then went out alone into the town, and walked
to the palace.
"Come in," said the king, as John knocked at the door.
John opened it, and the old king, in a dressing gown and
embroidered slippers, came towards him. He had the crown on
his head, carried his sceptre in one hand, and the orb in the
other. "Wait a bit," said he, and he placed the orb under his
arm, so that he could offer the other hand to John; but when
he found that John was another suitor, he began to weep so
violently, that both the sceptre and the orb fell to the
floor, and he was obliged to wipe his eyes with his dressing
gown. Poor old king! "Let her alone," he said; "you will fare
as badly as all the others. Come, I will show you." Then he
led him out into the princess's pleasure gardens, and there he
saw a frightful sight. On every tree hung three or four king's
sons who had wooed the princess, but had not been able to
guess the riddles she gave them. Their skeletons rattled in
every breeze, so that the terrified birds never dared to
venture into the garden. All the flowers were supported by
human bones instead of sticks, and human skulls in the
flower-pots grinned horribly. It was really a doleful garden
for a princess. "Do you see all this?" said the old king;
"your fate will be the same as those who are here, therefore
do not attempt it. You really make me very unhappy,- I take
these things to heart so very much."
John kissed the good old king's hand, and said he was sure
it would be all right, for he was quite enchanted with the
beautiful princess. Then the princess herself came riding into
the palace yard with all her ladies, and he wished her "Good
morning." She looked wonderfully fair and lovely when she
offered her hand to John, and he loved her more than ever. How
could she be a wicked witch, as all the people asserted? He
accompanied her into the hall, and the little pages offered
them gingerbread nuts and sweetmeats, but the old king was so
unhappy he could eat nothing, and besides, gingerbread nuts
were too hard for him. It was decided that John should come to
the palace the next day, when the judges and the whole of the
counsellors would be present, to try if he could guess the
first riddle. If he succeeded, he would have to come a second
time; but if not, he would lose his life,- and no one had ever
been able to guess even one. However, John was not at all
anxious about the result of his trial; on the contrary, he was
very merry. He thought only of the beautiful princess, and
believed that in some way he should have help, but how he knew
not, and did not like to think about it; so he danced along
the high-road as he went back to the inn, where he had left
his fellow-traveller waiting for him. John could not refrain
from telling him how gracious the princess had been, and how
beautiful she looked. He longed for the next day so much, that
he might go to the palace and try his luck at guessing the
riddles. But his comrade shook his head, and looked very
mournful. "I do so wish you to do well," said he; "we might
have continued together much longer, and now I am likely to
lose you; you poor dear John! I could shed tears, but I will
not make you unhappy on the last night we may be together. We
will be merry, really merry this evening; to-morrow, after you
are gone, shall be able to weep undisturbed."
It was very quickly known among the inhabitants of the
town that another suitor had arrived for the princess, and
there was great sorrow in consequence. The theatre remained
closed, the women who sold sweetmeats tied crape round the
sugar-sticks, and the king and the priests were on their knees
in the church. There was a great lamentation, for no one
expected John to succeed better than those who had been
suitors before.
In the evening John's comrade prepared a large bowl of
punch, and said, "Now let us be merry, and drink to the health
of the princess." But after drinking two glasses, John became
so sleepy, that he could not keep his eyes open, and fell fast
asleep. Then his fellow-traveller lifted him gently out of his
chair, and laid him on the bed; and as soon as it was quite
dark, he took the two large wings which he had cut from the
dead swan, and tied them firmly to his own shoulders. Then he
put into his pocket the largest of the three rods which he had
obtained from the old woman who had fallen and broken her leg.
After this he opened the window, and flew away over the town,
straight towards the palace, and seated himself in a corner,
under the window which looked into the bedroom of the
princess.
The town was perfectly still when the clocks struck a
quarter to twelve. Presently the window opened, and the
princess, who had large black wings to her shoulders, and a
long white mantle, flew away over the city towards a high
mountain. The fellow-traveller, who had made himself
invisible, so that she could not possibly see him, flew after
her through the air, and whipped the princess with his rod, so
that the blood came whenever he struck her. Ah, it was a
strange flight through the air! The wind caught her mantle, so
that it spread out on all sides, like the large sail of a
ship, and the moon shone through it. "How it hails, to be
sure!" said the princess, at each blow she received from the
rod; and it served her right to be whipped.
At last she reached the side of the mountain, and knocked.
The mountain opened with a noise like the roll of thunder, and
the princess went in. The traveller followed her; no one could
see him, as he had made himself invisible. They went through a
long, wide passage. A thousand gleaming spiders ran here and
there on the walls, causing them to glitter as if they were
illuminated with fire. They next entered a large hall built of
silver and gold. Large red and blue flowers shone on the
walls, looking like sunflowers in size, but no one could dare
to pluck them, for the stems were hideous poisonous snakes,
and the flowers were flames of fire, darting out of their
jaws. Shining glow-worms covered the ceiling, and sky-blue
bats flapped their transparent wings. Altogether the place had
a frightful appearance. In the middle of the floor stood a
throne supported by four skeleton horses, whose harness had
been made by fiery-red spiders. The throne itself was made of
milk-white glass, and the cushions were little black mice,
each biting the other's tail. Over it hung a canopy of
rose-colored spider's webs, spotted with the prettiest little
green flies, which sparkled like precious stones. On the
throne sat an old magician with a crown on his ugly head, and
a sceptre in his hand. He kissed the princess on the forehead,
seated her by his side on the splendid throne, and then the
music commenced. Great black grasshoppers played the mouth
organ, and the owl struck herself on the body instead of a
drum. It was altogether a ridiculous concert. Little black
goblins with false lights in their caps danced about the hall;
but no one could see the traveller, and he had placed himself
just behind the throne where he could see and hear everything.
The courtiers who came in afterwards looked noble and grand;
but any one with common sense could see what they really were,
only broomsticks, with cabbages for heads. The magician had
given them life, and dressed them in embroidered robes. It
answered very well, as they were only wanted for show. After
there had been a little dancing, the princess told the
magician that she had a new suitor, and asked him what she
could think of for the suitor to guess when he came to the
castle the next morning.
"Listen to what I say," said the magician, "you must
choose something very easy, he is less likely to guess it
then. Think of one of your shoes, he will never imagine it is
that. Then cut his head off; and mind you do not forget to
bring his eyes with you to-morrow night, that I may eat them."
The princess curtsied low, and said she would not forget
the eyes.
The magician then opened the mountain and she flew home
again, but the traveller followed and flogged her so much with
the rod, that she sighed quite deeply about the heavy
hail-storm, and made as much haste as she could to get back to
her bedroom through the window. The traveller then returned to
the inn where John still slept, took off his wings and laid
down on the bed, for he was very tired. Early in the morning
John awoke, and when his fellow-traveller got up, he said that
he had a very wonderful dream about the princess and her shoe,
he therefore advised John to ask her if she had not thought of
her shoe. Of course the traveller knew this from what the
magician in the mountain had said.
"I may as well say that as anything," said John. "Perhaps
your dream may come true; still I will say farewell, for if I
guess wrong I shall never see you again."
Then they embraced each other, and John went into the town
and walked to the palace. The great hall was full of people,
and the judges sat in arm-chairs, with eider-down cushions to
rest their heads upon, because they had so much to think of.
The old king stood near, wiping his eyes with his white
pocket-handkerchief. When the princess entered, she looked
even more beautiful than she had appeared the day before, and
greeted every one present most gracefully; but to John she
gave her hand, and said, "Good morning to you."
Now came the time for John to guess what she was thinking
of; and oh, how kindly she looked at him as she spoke. But
when he uttered the single word shoe, she turned as pale as a
ghost; all her wisdom could not help her, for he had guessed
rightly. Oh, how pleased the old king was! It was quite
amusing to see how he capered about. All the people clapped
their hands, both on his account and John's, who had guessed
rightly the first time. His fellow-traveller was glad also,
when he heard how successful John had been. But John folded
his hands, and thanked God, who, he felt quite sure, would
help him again; and he knew he had to guess twice more. The
evening passed pleasantly like the one preceding. While John
slept, his companion flew behind the princess to the mountain,
and flogged her even harder than before; this time he had
taken two rods with him. No one saw him go in with her, and he
heard all that was said. The princess this time was to think
of a glove, and he told John as if he had again heard it in a
dream. The next day, therefore, he was able to guess correctly
the second time, and it caused great rejoicing at the palace.
The whole court jumped about as they had seen the king do the
day before, but the princess lay on the sofa, and would not
say a single word. All now depended upon John. If he only
guessed rightly the third time, he would marry the princess,
and reign over the kingdom after the death of the old king:
but if he failed, he would lose his life, and the magician
would have his beautiful blue eyes. That evening John said his
prayers and went to bed very early, and soon fell asleep
calmly. But his companion tied on his wings to his shoulders,
took three rods, and, with his sword at his side, flew to the
palace. It was a very dark night, and so stormy that the tiles
flew from the roofs of the houses, and the trees in the garden
upon which the skeletons hung bent themselves like reeds
before the wind. The lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled
in one long-continued peal all night. The window of the castle
opened, and the princess flew out. She was pale as death, but
she laughed at the storm as if it were not bad enough. Her
white mantle fluttered in the wind like a large sail, and the
traveller flogged her with the three rods till the blood
trickled down, and at last she could scarcely fly; she
contrived, however, to reach the mountain. "What a
hail-storm!" she said, as she entered; "I have never been out
in such weather as this."
"Yes, there may be too much of a good thing sometimes,"
said the magician.
Then the princess told him that John had guessed rightly
the second time, and if he succeeded the next morning, he
would win, and she could never come to the mountain again, or
practice magic as she had done, and therefore she was quite
unhappy. "I will find out something for you to think of which
he will never guess, unless he is a greater conjuror than
myself. But now let us be merry."
Then he took the princess by both hands, and they danced
with all the little goblins and Jack-o'-lanterns in the room.
The red spiders sprang here and there on the walls quite as
merrily, and the flowers of fire appeared as if they were
throwing out sparks. The owl beat the drum, the crickets
whistled and the grasshoppers played the mouth-organ. It was a
very ridiculous ball. After they had danced enough, the
princess was obliged to go home, for fear she should be missed
at the palace. The magician offered to go with her, that they
might be company to each other on the way. Then they flew away
through the bad weather, and the traveller followed them, and
broke his three rods across their shoulders. The magician had
never been out in such a hail-storm as this. Just by the
palace the magician stopped to wish the princess farewell, and
to whisper in her ear, "To-morrow think of my head."
But the traveller heard it, and just as the princess
slipped through the window into her bedroom, and the magician
turned round to fly back to the mountain, he seized him by the
long black beard, and with his sabre cut off the wicked
conjuror's head just behind the shoulders, so that he could
not even see who it was. He threw the body into the sea to the
fishes, and after dipping the head into the water, he tied it
up in a silk handkerchief, took it with him to the inn, and
then went to bed. The next morning he gave John the
handkerchief, and told him not to untie it till the princess
asked him what she was thinking of. There were so many people
in the great hall of the palace that they stood as thick as
radishes tied together in a bundle. The council sat in their
arm-chairs with the white cushions. The old king wore new
robes, and the golden crown and sceptre had been polished up
so that he looked quite smart. But the princess was very pale,
and wore a black dress as if she were going to a funeral.
"What have I thought of?" asked the princess, of John. He
immediately untied the handkerchief, and was himself quite
frightened when he saw the head of the ugly magician. Every
one shuddered, for it was terrible to look at; but the
princess sat like a statue, and could not utter a single word.
At length she rose and gave John her hand, for he had guessed
rightly.
She looked at no one, but sighed deeply, and said, "You
are my master now; this evening our marriage must take place."
"I am very pleased to hear it," said the old king. "It is
just what I wish."
Then all the people shouted "Hurrah." The band played
music in the streets, the bells rang, and the cake-women took
the black crape off the sugar-sticks. There was universal joy.
Three oxen, stuffed with ducks and chickens, were roasted
whole in the market-place, where every one might help himself
to a slice. The fountains spouted forth the most delicious
wine, and whoever bought a penny loaf at the baker's received
six large buns, full of raisins, as a present. In the evening
the whole town was illuminated. The soldiers fired off
cannons, and the boys let off crackers. There was eating and
drinking, dancing and jumping everywhere. In the palace, the
high-born gentlemen and beautiful ladies danced with each
other, and they could be heard at a great distance singing the
following song:-
"Here are maidens, young and fair,
Dancing in the summer air;
Like two spinning-wheels at play,
Pretty maidens dance away-
Dance the spring and summer through
Till the sole falls from your shoe."
But the princess was still a witch, and she could not love
John. His fellow-traveller had thought of that, so he gave
John three feathers out of the swan's wings, and a little
bottle with a few drops in it. He told him to place a large
bath full of water by the princess's bed, and put the feathers
and the drops into it. Then, at the moment she was about to
get into bed, he must give her a little push, so that she
might fall into the water, and then dip her three times. This
would destroy the power of the magician, and she would love
him very much. John did all that his companion told him to do.
The princess shrieked aloud when he dipped her under the water
the first time, and struggled under his hands in the form of a
great black swan with fiery eyes. As she rose the second time
from the water, the swan had become white, with a black ring
round its neck. John allowed the water to close once more over
the bird, and at the same time it changed into a most
beautiful princess. She was more lovely even than before, and
thanked him, while her eyes sparkled with tears, for having
broken the spell of the magician. The next day, the king came
with the whole court to offer their congratulations, and
stayed till quite late. Last of all came the travelling
companion; he had his staff in his hand and his knapsack on
his back. John kissed him many times and told him he must not
go, he must remain with him, for he was the cause of all his
good fortune. But the traveller shook his head, and said
gently and kindly, "No: my time is up now; I have only paid my
debt to you. Do you remember the dead man whom the bad people
wished to throw out of his coffin? You gave all you possessed
that he might rest in his grave; I am that man." As he said
this, he vanished.
The wedding festivities lasted a whole month. John and his
princess loved each other dearly, and the old king lived to
see many a happy day, when he took their little children on
his knees and let them play with his sceptre. And John became
king over the whole
country.
THE END