The Red Fairy Book - Andrew Lang (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗
- Author: Andrew Lang
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affliction, and the King had promised the Princess and half his
kingdom to anyone who could set her free; but there was no one
who could do it, though a great number had tried. So when the
youth had been there for the space of a year or so, he wanted to go
home again to pay his parents a visit; but when he got there his father
and mother were dead, and his brothers had divided everything
that their parents possessed between themselves, so that there was
nothing at all left for him.
`Shall I, then, receive nothing at all of my inheritance?’ asked
the youth.
`Who could know that you were still alive—you who have been
a wanderer so long?’ answered the brothers. `However, there are
twelve mares upon the hills which we have not yet divided among
us, and if you would like to have them for your share, you may take
them.’
So the youth, well pleased with this, thanked them, and at once
set off to the hill where the twelve mares were at pasture. When
he got up there and found them, each mare had her foal, and by the
side of one of them was a big dapple-grey foal as well. which was so
sleek that it shone again.
`Well, my little foal, you are a fine fellow!’ said the youth.
`Yes, but if you will kill all the other little foals so that I can
suck all the mares for a year, you shall see how big and handsome
I shall be then!’ said the Foal.
So the youth did this—he killed all the twelve foals, and then
went back again.
Next year, when he came home again to look after his mares and
the foal, it was as fat as it could be, and its coat shone with brightness,
and it was so big that the lad had the greatest difficulty in
getting on its back, and each of the mares had another foal.
`Well, it’s very evident that I have lost nothing by letting you
suck all my mares,’ said the lad to the yearling; `but now you are
quite big enough, and must come away with me.’
`No,’ said the Colt, `I must stay here another year; kill the
twelve little foals, and then I can suck all the mares this year also,
and you shall see how big and handsome I shall be by summer.’
So the youth did it again, and when he went up on the hill next
year to look after his colt and the mares, each of the mares had her
foal again; but the dappled colt was so big that when the lad wanted
to feel its neck to see how fat it was, he could not reach up to it, it
was so high? and it was so bright that the light glanced off its coat.
`Big and handsome you were last year, my colt, but this year
you are ever so much handsomer,’ said the youth; `in all the King’s
court no such horse is to be found. But now you shall come away
with me.’
`No,’ said the dappled Colt once more; `here I must stay for
another year. Just kill the twelve little foals again, so that I can
suck the mares this year also, and then come and look at me in the
summer.’
So the youth did it—he killed all the little foals, and then went
home again.
But next year, when he returned to look after the dappled colt
and the mares, he was quite appalled. He had never imagined
that any horse could become so big and overgrown, for the dappled
horse had to lie down on all fours before the youth could get on his
back, and it was very hard to do that even when it was lying down,
and it was so plump that its coat shone and glistened just as if it
had been a looking-glass. This time the dappled horse was not
unwilling to go away with the youth, so he mounted it, and when he
came riding home to his brothers they all smote their hands
together and crossed themselves, for never in their lives had they
either seen or heard tell of such a horse as that.
`If you will procure me the best shoes for my horse, and the
most magnificent saddle and bridle that can be found,’ said the
youth, `you may have all my twelve mares just as they are standing
out on the hill, and their twelve foals into the bargain.’ For
this year also each mare had her foal. The brothers were quite
willing to do this; so the lad got such shoes for his horse that the
sticks and stones flew high up into the air as he rode away over the
hills, and such a gold saddle and such a gold bridle that they could
be seen glittering and glancing from afar.
`And now we will go to the King’s palace,’ said Dapplegrim—
that was the horse’s name, `but bear in mind that you must ask the
King for a good stable and excellent fodder for me.’
So the lad promised not to forget to do that. He rode to the
palace, and it will be easily understood that with such a horse as he
had he was not long on the way.
When he arrived there, the King was standing out on the steps,
and how he did stare at the man who came riding up!
`Nay,’ said he, `never in my whole life have I seen such a man
and such a horse.’
And when the youth inquired if he could have a place in the
King’s palace, the King was so delighted that he could have danced
on the steps where he was standing, and there and then the lad was
told that he should have a place.
`Yes; but I must have a good stable and most excellent fodder
for my horse,’ said he.
So they told him that he should have sweet hay and oats, and as
much of them as the dappled horse chose to have, and all the other
riders had to take their horses out of the stable that Dapplegrim
might stand alone and really have plenty of room.
But this did not last long, for the other people in the King’s
Court became envious of the lad, and there was no bad thing that
they would not have done to him if they had but dared. At last
they bethought themselves of telling the King that the youth had
said that, if he chose, he was quite able to rescue the Princess who
had been carried off into the mountain a long time ago by the
Troll.
The King immediately summoned the lad into his presence, and
said that he had been informed that he had said that it was in his
power to rescue the Princess, so he was now to do it. If he
succeeded in this, he no doubt knew that the King had promised his
daughter and half the kingdom to anyone who set her free, which
promise should be faithfully and honourably kept, but if he failed
he should be put to death. The youth denied that he had said this,
but all to no purpose, for the King was deaf to all his words; so there
was nothing to be done but say that he would make the attempt.
He went down into the stable, and very sad and full of care
he was. Then Dapplegrim inquired why he was so troubled, and
the youth told him, and said that he did not know what to do, `for
as to setting the Princess free, that was downright impossible.’
`Oh, but it might be done,’ said Dapplegrim. `I will help you;
but you must first have me well shod. You must ask for ten pounds
of iron and twelve pounds of steel for the shoeing, and one smith to
hammer and one to hold.’
So the youth did this, and no one said him nay. He got both
the iron and the steel, and the smiths, and thus was Dapplegrim
shod strongly and well, and when the youth went out of the King’s
palace a cloud of dust rose up behind him. But when he came to
the mountain into which the Princess had been carried, the difficulty
was to ascend the precipitous wall of rock by which he was to get
on to the mountain beyond, for the rock stood right up on end, as
steep as a house side and as smooth as a sheet of glass. The first
time the youth rode at it he got a little way up the precipice, but
then both Dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down came horse and
rider with a sound like thunder among the mountains. The next
time that he rode at it he got a little farther up, but then one of
Dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down they went with the sound
of a landslip. But the third time Dapplegrim said: `Now we must
show what we can do,’ and went at it once more till the stones
sprang up sky high, and thus they got up. Then the lad rode into
the mountain cleft at full gallop and caught up the Princess on his
saddle-bow, and then out again before the Troll even had time to
stand up, and thus the Princess was set free.
When the youth returned to the palace the King was both
happy and delighted to get his daughter back again, as may easily
be believed, but somehow or other the people about the Court had
so worked on him that he was angry with the lad too. `Thou shalt
have my thanks for setting my Princess free,’ he said, when the
youth came into the palace with her, and was then about to go away.
She ought to be just as much my Princess as she is yours now,
for you are a man of your word,’ said the youth.
`Yes, yes,’ said the King. `Have her thou shalt, as I have said
it; but first of all thou must make the sun shine into my palace
here.’
For there was a large and high hill outside the windows which
overshadowed the palace so much that the sun could not shine in.
`That was no part of our bargain,’ answered the youth. `But
as nothing that I can say will move you, I suppose I shall have to
try to do my best, for the Princess I will have.’
So he went down to Dapplegrim again and told him what the
King desired, and Dapplegrim thought that it might easily be
done; but first of all he must have new shoes, and ten pounds of
iron and twelve pounds of steel must go to the making of them,
and two smiths were also necessary, one to hammer and one to
hold, and then it would be very easy to make the sun shine into
the King’s palace.
The lad asked for these things and obtained them instantly,
for the King thought that for very shame he could not refuse to
give them, and so Dapplegrim got new shoes, and they were good
ones. The youth seated himself on him, and once more they went
their way, and for each hop that Dapplegrim made, down went the
hill fifteen ells into the earth, and so they went on until there was
no hill left for the King to see.
When the youth came down again to the King’s palace he
asked the King if the Princess should not at last
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