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Grimm's Fairy Tales

WITH MANY
ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR AND BLACK-AND-WHITE
BY HELEN STRATTON

BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
LONDON GLASGOW DUBLIN BOMBAY

Contents

HANSEL AND GRETTEL .
THE WAGGISH MUSICIAN .
FREDERICK AND CATHERINE . .
THE THREE CHILDREN OF FORTUNE
SNOW-DROP . .
THE QUEEN BEE .
THE JEW IN THE BUSH .
RUMPEL-STILTS-KIN . .
THE FROG-PRINCE .
THE TOM-TIT AND THE BEAR .
THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE .
THE GRATEFUL BEASTS . .
ROLAND AND MAYBIRD .
THE GOLDEN BIRD .
THE DOG AND THE SPARROW .
THE TURNIP .
CHERRY, OR THE FROG-BRIDE .
THE LADY AND THE LION .
THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES
THE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
OLD SULTAN .
KING GRISLY-BEARD .
THE GIANT WITH THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS
THE ADVENTURES OF CHANTICLEER AND PARTLET
FAITHFUL JOHN .
THE BLUE LIGHT .
THE CROWS AND THE SOLDIER .
THE GOLDEN GOOSE .
THE JUNIPER-TREE . .
HANS AND HIS WIFE GRETTEL .
ROSEBUD .

Page
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S28
S36
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S92
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S 112
"7.
S 24
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131
S '. 3
S 138
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54
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S 164
168
S178
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Grimm's Fairy Tales

THE YOUNG GIANT AND THE TAILOR
PEE-WIT .
JORINDA AND JORINDEL . .
ASHPUTTEL .
PETER THE GOATHERD .
THE GOOSE-GIRL
THE FOUR CLEVER BROTHERS
THE ELFIN-GROVE .
THE ROBBER-BRIDEGROOM .
MOTHER HOLLE .
THE FIVE SERVANTS
THE SEVEN RAVENS
HANS IN LUCK
MRS. FOX .
THE SALAD
THE TRAVELLING MUSICIANS .
THE WATER OF LIFE
THE NOSE
CAT-SKIN . .
THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE.
THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER .
TOM THUMB
THE FOX AND THE HORSE .

Illustrations

COLOURED
Page
Hansel is turned into a Fawn Frontispiece
The King finds Grettel . .12
The Bee helps the Dwarf to discover the youngest Princess 38
Rumpel-stilts-kin dashes his Foot into the Floor 46
The Woodsman scolds Roland. 69
Roland and Maybird in the Depths of the Wood .70
They begin to eat the Cake and the Sugar 72
Cherry and the Three Princes . .97
The Frog and the Prince too
The Little Dogs and the Walnut Shell 102
" He trod on the gown of the youngest princess 14
The Soldier upsets the Stall. .128
Chanticleer gives the Innkeeper an Egg. . 138
Chanticleer runs to the Bride . .142
The Sisters follow Dummling and his Goose. 166
The wicked Fairy takes her revenge 88
The King's Son discovers Rosebud 19o
Jorinda and Jorindel sit down near the Old Castle 10
Jorindel touches the Cage with the White Flower 212
The Maid refuses to obey the Princess . .228
"Blow, Breezes, blow, let Curdken's hat go I" 232
The False Bride is dragged through the Streets in a Cask 236
The Little Girl goes to find her Spindle . . 255
Hans makes a bargain .273
Hans exchanges the Pig for the Goose 276
Hans watches the Stone sinking .278
The Ass and the Dog take pity on the Cat 291
The Musicians frighten the Robber . 296
The Dwarfs dress in the Clothes 323

BLACK AND WHITE
"Brother, brother, do not drink . .. 9
The Hare runs round the Tree. .15
Catherine takes pity on the Trees . .21

. 21

Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Page asks Puss to quit the Castle
" One of the Dwarfs sat by it and watched" .
"The Jew began to dance and spring about"
"A frog put its head out of the water" .
"We are not base-born, you stupid bear"
The Fisherman asks a Boon of the Fish .
They find the wonderful Stone . .
" She was forced to dance a merry jig"
" The gardener's son shot an arrow at it"
The Sparrow tries to save the Dog .
"The student listened and wondered much"
"She liked cherries better than any other food"
The Lady asks the Winds to help her
He discovers an enchanted Princess
"The princess took him willingly for her husband"
" He saw three ravens flying towards him"
A Black Dwarf appears in the Smoke
The Soldier marries the Princess
He reaches down to take an apple .
" As she rose the bells jingled"
"See what a fine neck-cloth I have I"
"A fine coach came by ".
"Shake, shake, hazel-tree !"
The Goat in the Cavern .
The Princess and the Dragon .
" She gazed on the fairy scene" .
" They gave her some wine to drink "
" She held out her apron"
" She soon came to the apple-tree "
The Prince and his Servants on watch
The little Girl and the Stars
Hans starts for home
The Fox pretends he is dead
" He knocked at the window". .
"They began their music" .
"On his way home he passed the dwarf"
"Her nose grew and grew" .
The dogs discover Cat-Skin
"At last the thieves found him out"
" The beast began to roar and bellow" .

Page
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6. i6
7. 17
S 85
S 195
.207
S 217
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257
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. 271
S 275
S 281
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295
30i
S 3ro
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331
334

257
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. 265
271
275
281
288
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310
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334

GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES

Hansel and Grettel

HANSEL one day took his sister Grettel by the hand, and
said, "Since our poor mother died we have had no happy
days; for our new mother beats us all day long, and when we
go near her, she pushes us away. We have nothing but hard
crusts to eat; and the little dog that lies by the fire is better
off than we, for he sometimes has a nice piece of meat thrown
to him. Oh, if our poor mother knew how we are used!
Come, we will go and travel over the wide world." They
went the whole day walking over the fields, till in the even-
ing they came to a great wood; and then they were so tired
and hungry that they sat down in a hollow tree and went
to sleep.
In the morning when they awoke, the sun had risen high
above the trees, and shone warm upon the hollow tree. Then
Hansel said, "Sister, I am very thirsty; if I could find a
brook, I would go and drink, and fetch you some water too.
Listen, I think I hear the sound of one." Then Hansel rose
up and took Grettel by the hand and went in search of the
brook.
But their cruel stepmother was a fairy, and had followed
them into the wood to work them mischief: and when they
had found a brook that ran sparkling over the pebbles,
Hansel wanted to drink; but Grettel thought she heard the
brook, as it babbled along, say, "Whoever drinks here will

Grimm's Fairy Tales

be turned into a tiger". Then she cried, "Ah, brother do
not drink, or you will be turned into a wild beast and tear
me to pieces." Then Hansel yielded, although he was
parched with thirst. "I will wait," said he, "for the next
brook." But when they came to the next, Grettel listened
again, and thought she heard, "Whoever drinks here will
become a wolf". Then she cried, "Brother, brother, do not
drink, or you will become a wolf and eat me." So he did
not drink, but said, "I will wait for the next brook; there
I must drink, say what you will."
As they came to the third brook, Grettel listened, and
heard, "Whoever drinks here will become a fawn". "Ah,
brother!" said she, "do not drink, or you will be turned into
a fawn and run away from me." But Hansel had already
stooped down upon his knees, and the moment he put his
lips to the water he was turned into a fawn.
Grettel wept bitterly over the poor creature, and the tears
also rolled down his eyes as he laid himself beside her. Then
she said, Rest in peace, dear fawn, I will never, never leave
you." So she took off her golden necklace and put it round
his neck, and plucked some rushes and plaited them into
a soft string to fasten to it; and then she led him farther
into the wood.
After they had travelled a long way, they came at last
to a little cottage; and Grettel, seeing that it was quite
empty, thought to herself, "We can live here". Then she
gathered leaves and moss to make a soft bed for the fawn;
and every morning she went out and plucked nuts, roots,
and berries for herself, and sweet shrubs and tender grass
for her companion; and he ate out of her hand, and was
pleased, and played and frisked about her. In the evening,
when Grettel was tired, and had said her prayers, she laid,
her head upon the fawn for her pillow, and slept: and if poor
Hansel could but have his right form again, they thought
they might lead a very happy life.

"Brother, brother, do not drink !"
9

Grimm's Fairy Tales

They lived thus a long while in the wood by themselves,
till it chanced that the king of that country came to hold
a great hunt. And when the fawn heard all around the
echoing of the horns, and the baying of the dogs, and the
merry shouts of the huntsmen, he wished very much to go
and see what was happening. "Ah, sister, sister!" said he,
"let me go out into the wood, I can stay no longer." And
he begged so long, that she at last. agreed to let him go.
"But," said she, "be sure to come to me in the evening; I
shall shut up the door to keep out those wild huntsmen;
and if you tap at it, and say, 'Sister, let me in', I shall know
you; but if you don't speak, I shall keep the door fast."
Then away sprang the fawn, and frisked and bounded along
in the open air. The king and his huntsmen saw the beauti-
ful creature, and followed, but could not overtake him; for
when they thought they were sure of their prize, he sprang
over the bushes and was out of sight in a moment.
As it grew dark he came running home to the hut, and
tapped, and said, "Sister, sister, let me in." Then she opened
the little door, and in he jumped and slept soundly all night
on his soft bed.
Next morning the hunt began again; and when he heard
the huntsmen's horns, he said, "Sister, open the door for
me, I must go again." Then she let him out, and said,
"Come back in the evening, and remember what you are
to say." When the king and the huntsmen saw the fawn
with the golden collar again, they gave him chase; but he
was too quick for them. The chase lasted the whole day;
but at last the huntsmen nearly surrounded him, and one
of them wounded him in the foot, so that he became sadly
lame and could hardly crawl home. The man who had
wounded him followed close behind, and hid himself, and
heard the little fawn say, "Sister, sister, 'et me in"; upon
which the door opened and soon shut again. The huntsman
marked all well, and went to the king and told him what

Hansel and Grettel

he had seen and heard; then the king said, "Ta-morrow
we will have another chase."
Grettel was very much frightened when she saw that her
dear little fawn was wounded; but she washed the blood
away and put some healing herbs on him, and said, "Now
go to bed, dear fawn, and you will soon be well again." The
wound was so small, that in the morning there was nothing
to be seen of it; and when the horn blew, the little creature
said, "I can't stay here, I must go and look on; I will take
care that none of them shall catch me." But Grettel said,
"I am sure they will kill you this time, I will not let you
go." "I shall die of vexation," answered he, "if you keep
me here: when I hear the horns, I feel as if I could fly."
Then Grettel had to let him go; so she opened the door
with a heavy heart, and he bounded out gaily into the wood.
When the king saw him he said to his huntsmen, "Now
chase him all day long till you catch him; but let none of
you do him any harm." The sun set, however, without their
being able to overtake him, and the king called away the
huntsmen, and said to the one who had watched, "Now
come and show me the little hut." So they went to the
door and tapped, and said, "Sister, sister, let me in." Then
the door opened and the king went in, and there stood a
maiden more lovely than any he had ever seen. Grettel
I

Grimm's Fairy Tales

was frightened to see that it was not her fawn, but a king
with a golden crown that was come into her hut: however,
he spoke kindly to her, and took her hand, and said, "Will
you come with me to my castle and be my wife?" Yes,"
said the maiden; "but my fawn must go with me, I cannot
part with that." "Well," said the king, "he shall come and
live with you all your life, and want for nothing." Just at
that moment in sprang the fawn; and his sister tied the
string to his neck, and they left the hut in the wood together.
Then the king took Grettel to his palace, and celebrated
the marriage in great state. And she told the king all her
story; and he sent for the fairy and punished her: and the
fawn was changed into Hansel again, and he and his sister
loved each other, and lived happily together all their days.

The King finds Grettel

The Waggish Musician

014E day a waggish musician, who played delightfully on the
fiddle, went rambling in a forest in a merry mood. Then
he said to himself, "Time goes rather heavily, I must find a
companion." So he took up his fiddle, and fiddled away till
the wood resounded with his music.
Presently up came a wolf. "Dear me! there's a wolf
coming to see me," said the musician. But the wolf came up
to him, and said, "How very prettily you play! I wish you
would teach me." "That is easily done," said the musician,
"if you will only do what I bid you." "Yes," replied the wolf,
"I will be a very obedient scholar." So they went on a little
way together, and came at last to an old oak-tree that was
hollow within, and had a large crack in the middle of the
trunk. Look there," said the musician, if you wish to learn
to fiddle, put your fore-feet into that crack." The wolf did as
he was bid. But the musician picked up a large stone and
wedged both his fore-feet fast into the crack, so as to make
him a prisoner. "Now be so good as to wait there till I come
back," said he, and jogged on.
After a while, he said again to himself, "Time goes very
heavily, I must find another companion." So he took his
fiddle, and fiddled away again in the wood. Presently up
came a fox that was wandering close by. "Ah! there is a
fox," said he. The fox said, "You delightful musician, how
prettily you play I I must and will learn to play as you do."
"You may soon learn," said the musician, "if you will do
as I tell you." "That I will," said the fox. So they travelled
on together till they came to a narrow footpath with high
bushes on either side. Then the musician bent a stout hazel
i3

Grimm's Fairy Tales

stem down to the ground from one side of the path, and set
his foot on the top, and held it fast; and bent another from
the other side, and said to the fox, Now, pretty fox, if you
want to fiddle, give me hold of your left paw." So the fox
gave him his paw; and he tied it fast to the top of one of
the hazel stems. "Now give me your right," said he. The
fox did as he was told; and the musician tied that paw to
the other hazel. Then he took off his foot, and away up
wflew the bushes; and the fox went too, and hung sprawling
and swinging in the air. Now be so kind as to stay there
till I come back," said the musician, and jogged on.
But he soon said to himself, Time begins to hang heavy,
I must find a companion." So he took up his fiddle, and
fiddled away divinely. Then a hare came running along.
" Ah! there is a hare," said the musician. And the hare said
to him, "You fine fiddler, how beautifully you play! will you
teach me?" "Yes," said the musician, "I will soon do that,
if you will follow my orders." "Yes," said the hare, I will
make a good scholar." Then they went on together very well
'for a long while, till they came to an open space in the wood.
The musician tied a string round the hare's neck, and fastened
the other end to a tree. Now," said he, pretty hare, quick,
jump about, run round the tree twenty times." So the silly
hare did as she was bid: and when she had run twenty
times round the tree, she had twisted the string twenty times
round the trunk, and was fast prisoner; and she might pull
and pull away as long as she pleased, and only pulled the
string faster around her neck. Now wait till I come back,"
said the musician.
But the wolf had pulled and bitten and scratched at the
stone a long while, till at last he had got his feet out and was
at liberty. Then he said in a great passion, I will run after
that rascally musician and tear him in pieces." As the fox
saw him run by, he said, Ah, brother wolf, pray let me down,
the musician has played tricks with me!" So the wolf set to
14

14

The Hare runs round the Tree

9

Grimm's Fairy Tales

work at the bottom of the hazel stem, and bit it in two; and
away went both together to find the musician. As they came
to the hare, she cried out too for help. So they went and
set her free, and all followed the enemy together.
Meantime the musician had been fiddling away, and
found another companion; for a poor wood-cutter had been
pleased with the music, and could hot help following him with
his axe under his arm. The musician was pleased to get
a man for a companion, and behaved very civilly to him, and
played him no tricks, but stopped and played his prettiest
tunes till his heart overflowed for joy. While the wood-cutter
was standing listening, he saw the wolf, the fox, and the hare
coming, and knew by their faces that they were in a great
rage, and coming to do some mischief. So he stood before
the musician with his great axe, as much as to say, "No one
shall hurt him as long as I have this axe". And when the
beasts saw this, they were so frightened that they ran back
into the wood. Then the musician played the wood-cutter
one of his best tunes for his pains, and went on with his
journey.

i 4l 'l It

(B 200)

Frederick and Catherine

THERE was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife
whose name was Catherine, and they had not long been
married. One day Frederick said, "Kate! I am going to
work in the fields; when I come back I shall be hungry,
so let me have something nice cooked, and a good draught
of ale." "Very well," said she, it shall all be ready." When
dinner-time drew nigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which
was all the meat she had, and put it on the fire to fry. The
steak soon began to look brown, and to crackle in the pan;
and Catherine stood by with a fork and turned it: then she
said to herself, "The steak is almost ready, I may as well
go to the cellar for the ale." So she left the pan on the fire,
and took a large jug and went into the cellar and tapped
the ale-cask. The beer ran into the jug, and Catherine stood
looking on. At last it popped into her head, "The dog is
not shut up-he may be running away with the steak; that's
well thought of." So up she ran from the cellar; and sure
enough the rascally cur had got the steak in his mouth, and
was making off with it.
Away ran Catherine, and away ran the dog across the
field; but he ran faster than she, and stuck close to the steak.
"It's all gone, and 'what can't be cured must be endured',"
said Catherine. So she turned round; and as she had run
a good way and was tired, she walked home leisurely to cool
herself.
Now all this time the ale was running too, for Catherine
had not turned the cock; and when the jug was full the liquor
ran upon the floor till the cask was empty. When she got
to the cellar stairs she saw what had happened. My stars!"
( 200) 17 B

Grimm's Fairy Tales

said she, "what shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing
all this slopping about?" So she thought a while; and at last
remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at
the last fair, and that if she sprinkled this over the floor it
would suck up the ale nicely. "What a lucky thing," said
she, "that we kept that meal! We have now a good use for
it." So away she went for it: but she managed to set it
down just upon the great jug full of beer, and upset it; and
thus all the ale that had been saved was set swimming on the
floor also. "Ah! well," said she, "when one goes, another
may as well follow." Then she strewed the meal all about
the cellar, and was quite pleased with her cleverness, and
said, "How very neat and clean it looks!"
At noon Frederick came home. "Now, wife," cried he,
"what have you for dinner?" "0 Frederick!" answered she,
"I was cooking you a steak; but while I went to draw the
ale, the dog ran away with it; and while I ran after him, the
ale all ran out; and when I went to dry up the ale with the
sack of meal that we got at the fair, I upset the jug: but the
cellar is now quite dry, and looks so clean!" "Kate, Kate,"
said he, "how could you do all this? Why did you leave the
steak to fry, and the ale to run, and then spoil all the meal?"
"Why, Frederick," said she, "I did not know I was doing
wrong; you should have told me before."
The husband thought to himself, "If my wife manages
matters thus, I must look sharp myself." Now he had a
good deal of gold in the house: so he said to Catherine,
"What pretty yellow buttons these are! I will put them
into a box and bury them in the garden; but take care
that you never go near or meddle with them." "No,
Frederick," said she, that I never will." As soon as he was
gone, there came by some pedlars with earthenware plates
and dishes, and they asked her whether she would buy. "Oh
dear me, I should like to buy very much, but I have no
money: if you had any use for yellow buttons, I might deal
x8

Frederick and Catherine

with you." "Yellow buttons!" said they: "let us have a look
at them." Go into the garden and dig where I tell you, and
you will find the yellow buttons: I dare not go myself." So
the rogues went: and when they found what these yellow
buttons were, they took them all away, and left her plenty
of plates and dishes. Then she set them all about the house
for a show: and when Frederick came back, he cried out,
"Kate, what have you been doing?" "See," said she, "I
have bought all these with your yellow buttons: but I did
not touch them myself; the pedlars went themselves and
dug them up." "Wife, wife," said Frederick, "what a pretty
piece of work you have made! those yellow buttons were
all my money: how came you to do such a thing?" "Why,"
answered she, I did not know there was any harm in it; you
should have told me."
Catherine stood musing for a while, and at last said to
her husband, "Hark ye, Frederick, we will soon get the
gold back: let us run after the thieves!" "Well, we will
try," answered he; "but take some butter and cheese with
you, that we may have something to eat by the way." "Very
well," said she; and they set out. Now as Frederick walked
the faster, he left his wife some way behind. It does not
matter," thought she: "when we turn back, I shall be so
much nearer home than he."
Presently she came to the top of a hill, down the side
of which there was a road so narrow that the cart-wheels
always chafed the trees on each side as they passed. "Ah,
see now," said she, "how they have bruised and wounded
those poor trees; they will never get well." So she took
pity on them, and made use of the butter to grease them
all, so that the wheels might not hurt them so much. While
she was doing this kind office, one of her cheeses fell out
of the basket, and rolled down the hill. Catherine looked,
but could not see where it was gone; so she said, "Well, I
suppose the other will go the same way and find you; he

Grimm's Fairy Tales

has younger legs than I have." Then she rolled the other
cheese after it: and away it went, nobody knows where,
down the hill. But she said she supposed they knew the
road, and would follow her, and she could not stay there
all day waiting for them.
At last she overtook Frederick, who desired her to give
him something to eat. Then she gave him the dry bread.
" Where are the butter and cheese?" said he. Oh!" answered
she, "I used the butter to grease those poor trees that the
wheels chafed so: and one of the cheeses ran away, so I sent
the other after it to find it, and I suppose they are both on
the road together somewhere." "What a goose you are to
do such silly things!" said the husband. "How can you
say so?" said she; "I am sure you never told me not."
They ate the dry bread together; and Frederick said,
"Kate, I hope you locked the door safe when you came
away." "No," answered she; "you did not tell me." "Then
go home, and do it now before we go any farther," said
Frederick, "and bring with you something to eat."
Catherine did as he told her, and thought to herself by
the way, "Frederick wants something to eat; but I don't
think he is very fond of butter and cheese; I'll bring him
a bag of fine nuts, and the vinegar, for I have often seen
him take some."
When she reached home, she bolted the back-door, but
the front-door she took off the hinges, and said, "Frederick
told me to lock the door, but surely it can nowhere be so
safe as if I take it with me." So she took her time by the
way; and when she overtook her husband she cried out,
"There, Frederick, there is the door itself, now you may
watch it as carefully as you please." "Alas! alas!" said
he, "what a clever wife I have! I sent you to make the
house fasf, and you take the door away, so that everybody
may go in and out as they please. However, as you have
brought the door, you shall carry it about with you for your
20

Catherine takes pity on the Trees
a1

Grimm's Fairy Tales

pains." "Very well," answered she, "I'll carry the door; but
I'll not carry the nuts and vinegar-bottle also,-that would
be too much of a load; so, if you please, I'll fasten them
to the door."
Frederick of course made no objection to that plan, and
they set off into the wood to look for the thieves; but they
could not find them: and when it grew dark, they climbed
up into a tree to spend the night there. Scarcely were
they up, when who should come along but the very rogues
they were looking for. They were in truth great rascals,
and belonged to that class of people who find things before
they are lost. They were tired; so they sat down and made
a fire under the very tree where Frederick and Catherine
were. Frederick slipped down on the other side, and picked
up some stones. Then he climbed up again, and tried to
hit the thieves on the head with them: but they only said,
"It must be near morning, for the wind shakes the fir-apples
down."
Catherine, who had the door on her shoulder, began to
be very tired; but she thought it was the nuts upon it that
were so heavy: so she said softly, "Frederick, I must let
the nuts go." "No," answered he, "not now, they will dis-
cover us." "I can't help that, they must go." "Well then,
make haste and throw them down, if you will." Then away
rattled the nuts down among the boughs; and one of the
thieves cried, "Bless me, it is hailing!"
A little while after, Catherine thought the door was still
very heavy; so she whispered to Frederick, "I must throw
the vinegar down." "Pray don't," answered he, "it will dis
cover us." "I can't help that," said she, "go it must." So
she poured all the vinegar down; and the thieves said, What
a heavy dew there is!"
At last it popped into Catherine's head that it was the
door itself that was so heavy all the time: so she whispered,
"Frederick, I must throw the door down soon," But he

Frederick and Catherine
begged and prayed her not to do so, for he was sure it would
betray them. "Here goes, however," said she: and down
went the door with such a clatter upon the thieves, that they
cried out "Murder!" and not knowing what was coming,
ran away as fast as they could, and left all the gold. So
Catherine was right at last! And when she and Frederick
came down they found all their money safe and sound.

The Three Children of Fortune

ONCE upon a time a father sent for his three sons, and gave
to the eldest a cock, to the second a scythe, and to the third
a cat. "I am now old," said he, "my end is approaching,
and I would fain provide for you before I die. Money I
have none, and what I now give you seems of but little
worth; yet it rests with yourselves alone to turn my gifts
to good account. Only seek out for a land where what you
have is as yet unknown, and your fortune is made."
After the death of the father, the eldest set out with his
cock: but wherever he went, in every town he saw from afar
off a cock sitting upon the church steeple, and turning round
with the wind. In the villages he always heard plenty of
them crowing, and his bird was therefore nothing new; so
there did not seem much chance of his making his fortune.
At length it happened that he came to an island where the
people had never heard of a cock, and knew not even how
to reckon the time. They knew, indeed, if it were morning
or evening; but at night, if they lay awake, they had no
means of knowing how time went. "Behold," said he to
them, "what a noble animal this is! how like a knight he is!
he carries a bright red crest upon his head, and spurs upon
his heels; he crows three times every night, at stated hours,
and at the third time the sun is about to rise. But this is
not all; sometimes he screams in broad daylight, and then
you must take warning, for the weather is surely about to
change." This pleased the natives mightily; they kept
awake one whole night, and heard to their great joy, how
gloriously the cock called the hours, at two, four, and six
o'clock. Then they asked him whether the bird was to be

h.9 j~
U~

The Page asks Puss to quit the Castle
25

Grimm's Fairy Tales

sold, and how much he would sell it for. "About as much
gold as an ass can carry," said he. "A very fair price for
such an animal," cried they with one voice; and agreed to
give him what he asked.
When he returned home with his wealth, his brothers
wondered greatly;' and the second said, "I will now set
forth likewise, and see if I can turn my scythe to as good
an account." There did not seem, however, much likelihood
of this; for go where he would, he was met by peasants who
had as good a scythe on their shoulder as he had. But at
last, as good luck would have it, he came to an island where
the people had never heard of a scythe. There, as soon as
the corn was ripe, they went into the fields and pulled it up;
but this was very hard work, and a great deal of it was lost.
The man then set to work with his scythe; and mowed down
their whole crop so quickly, that the people stood staring
open-mouthed with wonder. They were willing to give him
what he asked for such a marvellous thing; but he only took
a horse laden with as much gold as it could carry.
Now the third brother had a great longing to go and
see what he could make of his cat. So he set out: and at
first it happened to him as it had to the others, so long as
he kept upon the mainland, he met with no success; there
were plenty of cats everywhere, indeed too many, so that
the young ones were for the most part, as soon as they came
into the world, drowned in the water. At last he passed
over to an island, where, as it chanced most luckily for him,
nobody had ever seen a cat; and they were overrun with
mice to such a degree, that the little wretches danced upon
the tables and chairs, whether the master of the house were
at home or not. The people complained loudly of this
grievance; the king himself knew not how to rid himself of
them in his palace: in every corner mice were squeaking,
and they gnawed everything that their teeth could lay hold
pf. Here was a fine field for Puss-she soon began her

The Three Children of Fortune

chase, and had cleared two rooms in the twinkling of an
eye; when the people besought their king to buy the wonder-
ful animal, for the good of the public, at any price. The
king willingly gave what was asked-a mule laden with gold
and jewels; and thus the third brother returned home with
a richer prize than either of the others.
Meantime the cat feasted away upon the mice in the
royal palace, and devoured so many that they were no longer
in any great numbers. At length, quite spent and tired
with her work, she became extremely thirsty; so she stood
still, drew up her head, and cried, "Miau, Miau!" The
king gathered together all his subjects when they heard
this strange cry, and many ran shrieking in a great fright
out of the palace. But the king held a council below as to
what was best to be done; and it was at length fixed to
send a herald to the cat, to warn her that if she did not leave
the castle forthwith, force would be used to remove her.
" For," said the counsellors, we would far more willingly put
up with the mice (since we are used to that evil), than get rid
of them at the risk of our lives." A page accordingly went,
and asked the cat, "whether she were willing to quit the
castle?" But Puss, whose thirst became every moment more
and more pressing, answered nothing but "Miau, Miau!"
which the page interpreted to mean "Nol Nol" and there-
fore carried this answer to the king. Well," said the coun-
sellors, "then we must try what force will do." So the guns
were planted, and the palace was fired upon from all sides.
When the fire reached the room where the cat was, she
sprang out of the window and ran away; but the besiegers
did not see her, and went on firing until the whole palace
was burnt to the ground.

Snow-Drop

IT was in the middle of winter when the broad flakes of snow
were falling around, that a certain queen sat working at a
window the frame of which was made of fine black ebony;
and as she was looking out upon the snow, she pricked her
finger, and three drops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed
thoughtfully upon the red drops which sprinkled the white
snow, and said, "Would that my little daughter may be as
white as that snow, as red as the blood, and as black as the
ebony window-frame!" And so the little girl grew up: her
skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as the blood,
and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snow-
drop.
But this queen died; and the king soon married another
wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud that she could not
bear to think that anyone could surpass her. She had a
magic looking-glass, to which she used to go and gaze upon
herself in it, and say:
"Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is the fairest? tell me who?"

And the glass answered:
"Thou, queen, are fairest in the land."

But Snow-drop grew more and more beautiful; and when
she was seven years old, she was as bright as the day, and
fairer than the queen herself. Then the glass one day answered
the queen when she went to consult it as usual:
"Thou, queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,
But Snow-drop is lovelier far than thee I"
28

Snow-Drop

When she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy;
and called to one of her servants and said, Take Snow-drop
away into the wide wood, that I may never see her more."
Then the servant led her away; but his heart melted when
she begged him to spare her life, and he said, "I will not hurt
thee, thou pretty child." So he left her by herself; and
though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would
tear her in pieces, he felt as if a great weight were taken off
his heart when he had made up his mind not to kill her, but
leave her to her fate.
Then poor Snow-drop wandered along through the wood
in great fear; and the wild beasts roared about her, but none
did her any harm. In the evening she came to a little cottage,
and went in there to rest herself, for her little feet would carry
her no farther. Everything was spruce and neat in the cottage:
on the table was spread a white cloth, and there were seven
little plates with seven little loaves, and seven little glasses
with wine in them; and knives and forks laid in order; and
by the wall stood seven little beds. Then, as she was very
hungry, she picked a little piece off each loaf, and drank a
very little wine out of each glass; and after that she thought
she would lie down and rest. So she tried all the little beds;
and one was too long, and another was too short, till at last
the seventh suited her; and there she laid herself down and
went to sleep. Presently in came the masters of the cottage,
who were seven little dwarfs that lived among the mountains,
and dug and searched about for gold. They lighted up their
seven lamps, and saw directly that all was not right. The first
said, Who has been sitting on my stool?" The second, "Who
has been eating off my plate?" The third, "Who has been
picking my bread?" The fourth, "Who has been meddling
with my spoon?" The fifth, Who has been handling my
fork?" The sixth, "Who has been cutting with. my knife?"
The seventh, "Who has been drinking my wine?" Then the
first looked round and said, "Who has been lying on my
29

Grimm's Fairy Tales

bed?" And the rest came running to him, and everyone
cried out that somebody had been upon his bed. But the
seventh saw Snow-drop, and called all his brethren to come
and see her; and they cried out with wonder and astonish-
ment, and brought their lamps to look at her; and said,
"What a lovely child she is!" And they were delighted to
see her, and took care not to wake her; and the seventh dwarf
slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn, till the
night was gone.
In the morning Snow-drop told them all her story; and
they pitied her, and said if she would keep all things in order,
and cook and wash, and knit and spin for them, she might
stay where she was, and they would take good care of her.
Then they went out all day long to their work, seeking for
gold and silver in the mountains; and Snow-drop remained at
home: and they warned her, and said, "The queen will soon
find out where you are, so take care and let no one in."
But the queen, now that she thought Snow-drop was dead,
believed that she was certainly the handsomest lady in the
land; and she went to the glass and said:
"Tell me, glass, tell me true
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest? tell me who?"

And the glass answered:
"Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land;
But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snow-drop is hiding her head; and she
Is lovelier far, O queen! than thee."

Then the queen was very much alarmed; for she knew
that the glass always spoke the truth, and was sure that the
servant had betrayed her. And she could not bear to think
that anyone lived who was more beautiful than she was; so
30

Snow-Drop

she disguised herself as an old pedlar, and went her way over
the hills to the place where the dwarfs dwelt. Then she
knocked at the door, and cried, "Fine wares to sell!" Snow-
drop looked out at the window, and said, "Good-day, good
woman; what have you to sell?" "Good wares, fine wares,"
said she; "laces and bobbins of all colours." "I will let
the old lady in; she seems to be a very good sort of body,"
thought Snow-drop; so she ran down, and unbolted the door.
"Bless me!" said the old woman, "how badly your stays are
laced I Let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces."
Snow-drop did not dream of any mischief; so she stood up
before the old woman; but she set to work so nimbly, and
pulled the lace so tight, that Snow-drop lost her breath, and
fell down as if she were dead. "There's an end of all thy
beauty," said the spiteful queen, and went away home.
In the evening the seven dwarfs returned; and I need not
say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-drop
stretched upon the ground motionless, as if she were quite
dead. However, they lifted her up, and when they found
what was the matter, they cut the lace; and in a little time
she began to breathe, and soon came to life again. Then
they said, "The old woman was the queen herself; take care
another time, and let no one in when we are away."
When the queen got home, she went straight to her glass,
and spoke to it as usual; but to her great surprise it still
said:
"Thou, queen, art the fairest in all this land;
,But over the hills, in the greenwood shade,
Where the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made,
There Snow-drop is hiding her head; and she
Is lovelier far, O queen I than thee."

Then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice
to see that Snow-drop still lived; and she dressed herself up
again in a disguise, but very different from the one she wore
before, and took with her a poisoned comb. When she
31

Grimm's Fairy Tales

reached the dwarfs' cottage, she knocked at the door, and
cried, "Fine wares to sell!" but Snow-drop said, "I dare not
let anyone in." Then the queen said, "Only look at my
beautiful combs;" and gave her the poisoned one. And it
looked so pretty that she took it up and put it into her hair
to try it; but the moment it touched her head the poison was
so powerful that she fell down senseless. "There you may
lie," said the queen, and went her way. But by good luck
the dwarfs returned very early that evening; and when they
saw Snow-drop lying on the ground, they thought what had
happened, and soon found the poisoned comb. And when
they took it away, she recovered, and told them all that had
passed; and they warned her once more not to open the door
to anyone.
Meantime the queen went home to her glass, and trembled
with rage when she received exactly the same answer as
before; and she said, "Snow-drop shall die, if it costs me my
life." So she went secretly into a chamber, and prepared a
poisoned apple: the outside looked very rosy and tempting,
but whoever tasted it was sure to die. Then she dressed
herself up as a peasant's wife, and travelled over the hills to
the dwarfs' cottage, and knocked at the door; but Snow-drop
put her head out of the window, and said, "I dare not let
anyone in, for the dwarfs have told me not." "Do as you
please," said the old woman, "but at any rate take this pretty
apple; I will make you a present of it." "No," said Snow-
drop, "I dare not take it." "You silly girl!" answered the
other, "what are you afraid of? do you think it is poisoned?
Come! do you eat one part, and I will eat the other." Now
the apple was so prepared that one side was good, though
the other side was poisoned. Then Snow-drop was very
much tempted to taste, for the apple looked exceedingly
nice; and when she saw the old woman eat, she could re-
frain no longer. But she had scarcely put the piece into her
mouth, when she fell down dead upon the ground. "This
32

0

n 1

""' 4

One of the Dwarfs sat by it and watched"
( 200oo) .1.-

Grimm's Fairy Tales

time nothing will save thee," said the queen; and she went
home to her glass, and at last it said:
"Thou, queen, art the fairest of all the fair."

And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as such
a heart could be.
When evening came, and the dwarfs returned home, they
found Snow-drop lying on the ground: no breath passed her
lips, and they were afraid that she was quite dead. They
lifted her up, and combed her hair, and washed her face with
wine and water; but all was in vain, for the little girl seemed
quite dead. So they laid her down upon a bier, and all seven
watched and bewailed her three whole days; and then they
proposed to bury her: but her cheeks were still rosy, and her
face looked just as it did while she was alive; so they said,
"We will never bury her in the cold ground." And they
made a coffin of glass so that they might still look at her,
and wrote her name upon it, in golden letters, and that she
was a king's daughter. And the coffin was placed upon the
hill, and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched.
And the birds of the air came too, and bemoaned Snow-drop:
first of all came an owl, and then a raven, but at last came
a dove.
And thus Snow-drop lay for a long long time, and still
only looked as though she were asleep; for she was even now
as white as snow, and as red as blood, and as black as ebony.
At last a prince came and called at the dwarfs' house; and
he saw Snow-drop, and read what was written in golden
letters. Then he offered the dwarfs money, and earnestly
prayed them to let him take her away; but they said, "We
will not part with her for all the gold in the world." At last,
however, they had pity on him, and gave him the coffin: but
the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him, the
piece of apple fell from between her lips, and Snow-drop
awoke, and said, Where am 1?" And the prince answered,
34

Snow-Drop

"Thou art safe with me." Then he told her all that had
happened, and said, "I love you better than all the world:
come with me to my father's palace, and you shall be my
wife." And Snow-drop consented, and went home with the
prince: and everything was prepared with great pomp and
splendour for their wedding.
To the feast was invited, among the rest, Snow-drop's
old enemy, the queen; and as she was dressing herself'in
fine rich clothes, she looked in the glass and said:
"Tell me, glass, tell me true!
Of all the ladies in the land,
Who is fairest? tell me who?"

And the glass answered:
"Thou, lady, art loveliest here, I ween;
But lovelier far is the new-made queen."

When she heard this, she started with rage; but her envy
and curiosity were so great, that she could not help setting
out to see the bride. And when she arrived, and saw that
it was no other than Snow-drop, who, as she thought, had
been dead a long while, she choked with passion, and fell ill
and died; but Snow-drop and the prince lived and reigned
happily over that land many many years.

The Queen Bee

ONCE upon a time two princes went out into the world to
seek their fortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish
way of living, so that they could not return home again. Then
their young brother, who was a little insignificant dwarf, went
out to seek for his brothers. But when he had found them
they only laughed at him, to think that he, who was so young
and simple, should try to travel through the world, when they,
who were so much wiser, had been unable to get on. How-
ever, they all set out on their journey together, and came
at last to an ant-hill. The two elder brothers would have
pulled it down, in order to see how the poor ants in their
fright would run about and carry off their eggs. But the
little dwarf said, "Let the poor things enjoy themselves, I
will not suffer you to trouble them."
So on they went, and came to a lake where many many
ducks were swimming about. The two brothers wanted to
catch two, and roast them. But the dwarf said, "Let the
poor things enjoy themselves, you shall not kill them." Next
they came to a bees'-nest in a hollow tree, and there was
so much honey that it ran down the trunk; and the two
36

The Queen Bee

brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill the
bees, so as to get their honey. But the dwarf held them back,
and said, Let the pretty insects enjoy themselves, I cannot
let you burn them."
At length the three brothers came to a castle, and as they
passed by the stables they saw fine horses standing there, but
all were of marble, and no man was to be seen. Then they
went all through the rooms, till they came to a door on which
were three locks; but in the middle of the door was a wicket,
so that they could look into the next room. There they saw
a little gray old man sitting at a table; and they called to
him once or twice, but he did not hear. When they called
a third time, however, he rose and came out to them.
He said nothing, but took hold of them and led them
to a beautiful table covered with all sorts of good things: and
when they had eaten and drunk, he showed each of them
to a bed-chamber.
The next morning he came to the eldest and took him to
a marble table, where were three tablets, which told how the
castle might be disenchanted. The first tablet said-" In the
wood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to
the king's daughter; they must all be found, and if one be
missing by set of sun, he who seeks them will be turned into
marble".
The eldest brother set out, and sought for the pearls the
whole day; but the evening came, and he had not found the
first hundred. So he was turned into stone as the tablet had
foretold. The next day the second brother undertook the
task; but he succeeded no better than the first; for he could
only find the second hundred of the pearls, and therefore he,
too, was turned into stone.
At last came the little dwarf's turn. He looked in the
moss for a time; but it was so hard to find the pearls, and
the job was so tiresome that he sat down upon a stone and
cried. Now as he sat there, the king of the ants (whose life
37

Grimm's Fairy Tales

he had saved) came to help him, with five thousand ants; and
it was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid
them in a heap.
The second tablet said-" The key of the princess's bed-
chamber must be fished up out of the lake". And as the
dwarf came to the brink of the lake, he saw, swimming about,
the two ducks whose lives he had saved; and they dived
down and soon brought up the key from the bottom.
The third task was the hardest. It was to choose out the
youngest and the best of the king's three daughters. Now,
they were all beautiful, and all exactly alike; but he was told
that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar, the next some
sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey. His
Stask, therefore, was to guess which had eaten the honey.
Then came the queen of the bees, who had been saved by
the little dwarf from the fire, and she tried the lips of all three.
At last she sat upon the lips of the one that had eaten the
honey, and so the dwarf knew which was the youngest. Thus
the spell was broken, and all who had been turned into stone
awoke, and took their proper forms. And the dwarf married
the youngest and the best of the princesses, and was king
after her father's death; but his brothers married the other
two sisters.

' `' ' '.r
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4
.... ;," ,- J

,, .,-.
.., ., .. . .. ': . :,i1 . r .. ... - .

,- ,. . ,.- - ,.

The Bee helps the Dwarf to discover the youngest Princess

h

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----.
~
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~ji~SE

The Jew in the Bush

A FARMER had a faithful and diligent servant, who had
worked hard for him three years, without having been
paid any wages. At last it came into the man's head that
he would not go on thus without pay any longer; so he
went to his master, and said, I have worked hard for you
a long time, I will trust to you to give me what I deserve
to have for my trouble." The farmer was a sad miser, and
knew that his man was very simple-hearted; so he took out
threepence, and gave him for every year's service a penny.
The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to
have, and said to himself, "Why should I work hard, and
live here on bad fare any longer? I can now travel into
the wide world, and make myself merry." With that he
put his money into his purse, and set out roaming over
hill and valley.
As he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing,
a little dwarf met him, and asked him what made him so
merry. "Why, what should make me down-hearted?" said
he; "I am sound in health and rich in purse, what should
I care for? I have saved up my three years' earnings,
and have it all safe in my pocket." "How much may it
come to?" said the little man. "Full threepence," replied
the countryman. "I wish you would give them to me,"
said the other; I am very poor." Then the man pitied him,
and gave him all he had; and the little dwarf said in return,
"As you have such a kind honest heart, I will grant you three
wishes--one for each penny; so choose whatever you like."
Then the countryman rejoiced at his good luck, and said,
"I like many things better than money: first, I will have
39

Grimm's Fairy Tales

a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at; secondly
a fiddle that will set everyone dancing that hears me play
upon it; and thirdly, I should like that everyone should
grant what I ask." The dwarf said he should have his
three wishes; so he gave him the bow and fiddle and went
his way.
Our honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if
he was merry before, he was now ten times more so. He
had not gone far before he met an old Jew: close by them
stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush singing
away most joyfully. "Oh, what a pretty bird!" said the
Jew; "I would give a great deal of money to have such
a one." "If that's all," said the countryman, "I will soon
bring it down." Then he took up his bow, and down fell
the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree. The Jew
crept into the bush to find it; but directly he had got into
the middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played
away, and the Jew began to dance and spring about, capering
higher and higher in the air. The thorns soon began to
tear his clothes till they all hung in rags about him, and
he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that the
blood ran down. "Oh, for pity's sake!" cried the Jew,
"master! master! pray let the fiddle alone. What have
I done to deserve this?" "You have shaved many a poor
soul close enough,' said the other; "you are only meeting
your reward:" so he played up another tune. Then the Jew
began to beg and promise, and offered money for his liberty;
but he did not come up to the musician's price for some time,
and he danced him along brisker and brisker, and the Jew
bid higher and higher, till at last he offered a round hundred
of florins that he had in his purse, and had just gained by
cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman saw so
much money, he said, "I will agree to your proposal." So
he took the purse, put up his fiddle, and travelled on very
well pleased with his bargain.

#9/

I
t

"The Jew began to dance and spring about"
41

- ^
-"-"**---, *

:.:
:*\

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Meanwhile the Jew crept out of the bush half-naked and
in a piteous plight, and began to ponder how he should
take his revenge and serve his late companion some trick.
At last he went to the judge, and complained that a rascal
had robbed him of his money, and beaten him into the
bargain; and that the fellow who did it carried a bow at
his back and a fiddle hung round his neck. Then the
judge sent out his officers to bring up the accused wherever
they should find him; and he was soon caught and brought
up to be tried.
The Jew began to tell his tale, and said he had been
robbed of his money. "No, you gave it me for playing
a tune to you," said the countryman; but the judge told
him that was not likely, and cut the matter short by
ordering him off to the gallows.
So away he was taken; but as he stood on the steps
he said, My Lord Judge, grant me one last request." Any-
thing but thy life," replied the other. "No," said he, "I do
not ask my life; only let me play upon my fiddle for the
last time." The Jew cried out, "Oh, no! no! don't listen
to him! don't listen to him!" But the judge said, "It is
only for this once, he will soon have done." The fact was,
he could not refuse the request, on account of the dwarf's
third gift.
Then the Jew said, "Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity's
sake." But the countryman seized his fiddle, and struck up
a tune, and at the first note judge, clerks, and jailer were in
motion; all began capering, and no one could hold the Jew.
At the second note the hangman let his prisoner go, and
danced also, and by the time he had played the first bar of
the tune, all were dancing together-judge, court, and Jew,
and all the people who had followed to look on. At first the
thing was merry and pleasant enough; but when it had gone
on a while, and there seemed to be no end of playing or
dancing, they began to cry out, and beg him to leave off; but
42

The Jew in the Bush
he stopped not a whit because of their entreaties, till the
judge not only gave him his life, but promised to return him
the hundred florins.
Then he called to the Jew, and said, "Tell us now, you
vagabond, where you got that gold, or I will play on for
your amusement only." "I stole it," said the Jew in the
presence of all the people: "I acknowledge that I stole it,
and that you earned it fairly." Then the countryman stopped
his fiddle, and left the Jew to take his place at the gallows.

Rumpel-Stilts-Kin

IN a certain kingdom once lived a poor miller who had a
very beautiful daughter. She was, moreover, exceedingly
shrewd and clever; and the miller was so vain and proud of
her that he one day told the king of the land that his
daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now this king was
very fond of money; and when he heard the miller's boast, his
avarice was excited, and he ordered the girl to be brought
before him. Then he led her to a chamber where there was
a great quantity of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel, and
said: "All this must be spun into gold before morning, as
you value your life." It was in vain that the poor maiden
declared that she could do no such thing, the chamber was
locked and she remained alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room and began to
lament over her hard fate, when on a sudden the door opened,
and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and said: "Good-
morrow to you, my good lass, what are you weeping for?"
"Alas!" answered she, "I must spin this straw into gold,
and I know not how."

Rumpel-Stilts-Kin

"What will you give me," said the little man, "to do it for
you?"
"My necklace," replied the maiden.
He took her at her word, and set himself down to the
wheel. Round about the wheel went merrily, and presently
the work was done and the gold all spun.
When the king came and saw this, he was greatly as-
tonished and pleased; but his heart grew still more greedy of
gain, and he shut up the poor miller's daughter again with a
fresh task. Then she knew not what to do, and sat down
once more to weep; but the little man presently opened the
door, and said: What will you give me to do your task?"
"The ring on my finger," replied she.
So her little friend took the ring, and began to work at the
wheel, and by the morning all was finished again.
The king was vastly delighted to see all this glittering
treasure; but still he was not satisfied, and took the miller's
daughter into a yet larger room full of straw, and said: "All

Grimm's Fairy Tales

this must be spun to-night; and if you succeed, you shall be
my queen."
As soon as she was alone the dwarf came in, and said;
"What will you give me to spin gold for you this time?"
I have nothing left," said she.
"Then promise me," said the little man, "your first little
child when you are queen."
"That may never be," thought the miller's daughter; and
as she knew no other way to get her task done, she promised
him what he asked, and he span once more the whole heap of
gold. The king came in the morning, and finding all he
wanted, married her, and so the miller's daughter really
became queen.
At the birth of her first little child the queen rejoiced very
much, and forgot the little man and her promise; but one
day he came into her chamber and reminded her of it. Then
she grieved sorely at her misfortune, and offered him all the
treasures of the kingdom instead of the child, but in vain.
At last, however, her tears softened him, and he said: I will
give you three days' grace, and if during that time you tell me
my name, you shall keep your child."
Now the queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd
names she had ever heard, and despatched messengers all
over the land to enquire after new ones. The next day the
little man came, and she began with Timothy, Benjamin,
Jeremiah, and all the names she could remember; but to all
of them he said: "That's not my name."
The second day she began with all the comical names she
could hear of, Bandy-legs, Hunch-back, Crook-shanks, and so
on, but the little gentleman still said to every one of them:
"That's not my name."
On the third day one of the messengers came back, and
said: I can hear of no other names; but yesterday, as I was
climbing a high hill among the trees of the forest where the
fox and the hare bid each other good-night, I saw-a little
46

Rumpelstiltskin dashes his Foot into the Floor

r&I

Rumpel-Stilts-Kin

hut, and before the hut burnt a fire, and round about the fire
danced a funny little man upon one leg, and sang:
"Merrily the feast I'll make,
To-day I'll brew, to-morrow bake;
Merrily I'll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring:
Little does my lady dream
Rumpel-Stilts-Kin is my name!"

When the queen heard this, she jumped for joy. Soon
after her little visitor came, and said: "Now, lady, what is my
name?"
"Is it John?" asked she. "No!" "Is it Tom?" "No!"
"Can your name be Rumpel-stilts-kin?"
"Some witch told you that! Some witch told you that!"
cried the little man, and dashed his foot in a rage so deep into
the floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands
to pull it out. Then he made the best of his way off, while
everybody laughed at him for having had all his trouble for
nothing.

The Frog-Prince

ONE fine evening a young princess went into a wood, and sat
down by the side of a cool spring of water. She had a golden
ball in her hand, which was her favourite plaything, and she
amused herself with tossing it into the air and catching it
again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high, that
when she stretched out her hand to catch it, the ball bounded
away and rolled along upon the ground, till at last it fell into
the spring. The princess looked into the spring after her ball;
but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom
of it. Then she began to lament her loss, and said, Alas! if
I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine clothes
and jewels, and everything that I have in the world." Whilst
she was speaking a frog put its head out of the water and
said, "Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?" "Alas!" said
she, what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden
ball has fallen into the spring." The frog said, I want not
your pearls and jewels and fine clothes; but if you will love
me and let me live with you, and eat from your little golden
plate, and sleep upon your little bed, I will bring you your
ball again." "What nonsense," thought the princess, "this
silly frog is talking! He can never get out of the well: how-
ever, he may be able to get my ball for me; and therefore I
will promise him what he asks." So she said to the frog,
"Well, if you will bring me my ball, I promise to do all you
require."
Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under
the water; and after a little while he came up again with the
ball in his mouth, and threw it on the ground. As soon as
the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up, a was

" A frog put its head out of the water "

Sfa 200)

~pB
I

Grimm's Fairy Tales

so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that she never
thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could.
The frog called after her, Stay, princess, and take me with
you as you promised;" but she did not stop to hear a word.
The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner,
she heard a strange noise, tap-tap, as if somebody was coming
up the marble staircase; and soon afterwards something
knocked gently at the door, and said,
"Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool in the greenwood shade."

Then the princess ran to the door, and opened it, and there
she saw the frog, whom she had quite forgotten; she was
terribly frightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could,
came back to her seat. The king her father asked her what
had frightened her. There is a nasty frog," said she, "at the
door, who lifted my ball out of the spring last evening: I
promised him that he should live with me here, thinking that
he could never get out of the spring; but there he is at the
door and wants to come in!" While she was speaking the
frog knocked again at the door, and said,
"Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool in the greenwood shade."

The king said to the young princess, "As you have made a
promise, you must keep it, so go and let him in." She did so,
and the frog hopped into the room, and came up close to the
table. "Pray lift me upon a chair," said he to the princess,
"and let me sit next to you." As soon as she had done this,
the frog said, Put your plate closer to me that I may eat out
of it." This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he

The Frog-Prince

could, he said, Now I am tired; carry me upstairs and put
me into your little bed." And the princess took him up in
her hand and put him upon the pillow of her own little bed,
where he slept all night long. As soon as it was light he
jumped up, hopped downstairs and went out of the house.
"Now," thought the princess, "he is gone, and I shall be
troubled with him no more."
But she was mistaken; for when night came again, she
heard the same tapping at the door, and when she opened it,
the frog came in and slept upon her pillow as before till the
morning broke: and the third night he did the same; but
when the princess awoke on the following morning, she was
astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince
gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes that ever were
seen, and standing at the head of her bed.
He told her that he had been enchanted by a malicious
fairy, who had changed him into the form of a frog, in which
he was fated to remain till some princess should take him out
of the spring and let him sleep upon her bed for three nights.
"You," said the prince, "have broken this cruel charm, and
now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with
me into my father's kingdom, where I will marry you, and
love you as long as you live."
The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in
giving her consent; and as they spoke a splendid carriage
drove up with eight beautiful horses decked with plumes of
feathers and golden harness, and behind rode the prince's
servant, the faithful Henry, who had bewailed the misfortune
of his dear master so long and bitterly that his heart had well-
nigh burst. Then all set out full of joy for the prince's king-
dom; where they arrived safely, and lived happily a great
many years.

The Tom-Tit and the Bear

ONE summer day, as the wolf and the bear were walking to-
gether in a wood, they heard a bird singing most delightfully.
" Brother," said the bear, "what can that bird be that is sing-
ing so sweetly?" "Oh!" said the wolf, "that is his majesty
the king of the birds, we must take care to show him all
possible respect." (Now I should tell you that this bird was
after all no other than the tom-tit.) "If that is the case,"
said the bear, "I should like to see the royal palace; so pray
come along and show it to me." "Gently, my friend," said
the wolf, "we cannot see it just yet, we must wait till the
queen comes home."
Soon afterwards the queen came with food in her beak,
and she and the king began to feed their young ones. "Now
for it!" said the bear; and was about to follow them, to see
what was to be seen. "Stop a little, master Bruin," said the
wolf, "we must wait now till their majesties are gone again."
So they marked the hole where they had seen the nest, and
went away. But the bear, being very eager to see the royal
palace, soon came back again, and, peeping into the nest, saw
five or six young birds lying at the bottom of it. "What
nonsense" said Bruin, "this is not a royal palace: I never
saw such a filthy place in my life; and you are no royal
children, you little base-born brats!" When the young tom-
tits heard this they were very angry, and screamed out,
"We are not base-born, you stupid bear! our father and
mother are honest good sort of people: and depend upon it
you shall suffer for your insolence!" At this the wolf and
the bear grew frightened, and ran away to their dens. But
the young tom-tits kept crying and screaming; and when
5?

" We are not base-born, you stupid bear "

Grimm's Fairy Tales

their father and mother came home and offered them food,
they all said, "We will not touch a bit; no, not the leg of
a fly, though we should die of hunger, till that rascal Bruin
has been punished for calling us base-born brats." "Make
yourselves easy, my darlings," said the old king, "you may
be sure he shall meet with his deserts."
So he went out and stood before the bear's den, and cried
out with a loud voice, "Bruin the bear! thou hast shame-
fully insulted our lawful children: we therefore hereby de-
clare bloody and cruel war against thee and thine, which shall
never cease until thou hast been punished as thou so richly
deservest" Now when the bear heard this, he called together
the ox, the ass, the stag, and all the beasts of the earth, in
order to consult about the means of his defence. And the
tom-tit also enlisted on his side all the birds of the air, both
great and small, and a very large army of hornets, gnats,
bees, and flies, and other insects.
As the time approached when the war was to begin, the
tom-tit sent out spies to see who was the commander-in-
chief of the enemy's forces; and the gnat, who was by far
the cleverest spy of them all, flew backwards and forwards
in the wood where the enemy's troops were, and at last hid
himself under a leaf on a tree, close by which the orders of
the day were given out. And the bear, who was standing
so near the tree that the gnat could hear all he said, called to
the fox and said, "Reynard, you are the cleverest of all the
beasts; therefore you shall be our general and lead us to
battle: but we must first agree upon some signal, by which
we may know what you want us to do." Behold," said the
fox, "I have a fine, long, bushy tail, which is very like a
plume of red feathers, and gives me a very warlike air; now
remember, when you see me raise up my tail, you may be
sure that the battle is won, and you have then nothing to do
but to rush down upon the enemy with all your force. On
the other hand, if I drop my tail, the day is lost, and you

The Tom-Tit and the Bear

must run away as fast as you can." Now when the gnat
had heard all this, she flew back to the tom-tit and told him
everything that had passed.
At length the day came when the battle was to be fought;
and as soon as it was light, behold! the army of beasts came
rushing forward with such a fearful sound that the earth
shook. And his majesty the tom-tit, with his troops, came
flying along in warlike array, flapping and fluttering, and
beating the air, so that it was quite frightful to hear; and
both armies set themselves in order of battle upon the field.
Now the tom-tit gave orders to a troop of hornets that at
the first onset they should march straight towards Captain
Reynard, and fixing themselves about his tail, should sting
him with all their might and main. The hornets did as they
were told: and when Reynard felt the first sting, he started
aside and shook one of his legs, but still held up his tail with
wonderful bravery; at the second sting he was forced to drop
his tail for a moment; but when the third hornet had fixed
itself, he could bear it no longer, but clapped his tail between
his legs and scampered away as fast as he could. As soon
as the beasts saw this, they thought of course all was lost,
and scoured across the country in the greatest dismay, leaving
the birds masters of the field.
And now the king and queen flew back in triumph to
their children, and said, "Now, children, eat, drink, and be
merry, for the victory is ours!" But the young birds said,
" No: not till Bruin has humbly begged our pardon for calling
us base-born." So the king flew back to the bear's den, and
cried out, "Thou villain bear! come forthwith to my abode,
and humbly beseech my children to forgive the insult thou
hast offered them; for, if thou wilt not do this, every bone in
thy wretched body shall be broken to pieces." Then the bear
was forced to crawl out of his den very sulkily, and do what
the king bade him: and after that the young birds sat down
together, and ate and drank and made merry till midnight.
55

The Fisherman and his Wife

THERE was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a
ditch, close by the sea-side. The fisherman used to go out
all day long a-fishing; and one day, as he sat on the shore
with his rod, looking at the shining water and watching his
line, all on a sudden his float was dragged away deep under
the sea: and in drawing it up he pulled a great fish out of the
water. The fish said to him, "Pray let me live: I am not
a real fish; I am an enchanted prince, put me in the water
again, and let me go." "Oh!" said the man, "you need not
make so many words about the matter; I wish to have no-
thing to do with a fish that can talk; so swim away as soon
as you please." Then he put him back into the water, and
the fish darted straight down to the bottom, and left a long
streak of blood behind him.
When the fisherman went home to his wife in the ditch,
he told her how he had caught a great fish, and how it had
told him that it was an enchanted prince, and that on hearing
it speak he had let it go again. "Did you not ask it for
anything?" said the wife. "No," said the man; "what should
I ask for?" "Ah!" said the wife, "we live very wretchedly
here in this nasty stinking ditch; do go back, and tell the
fish we want a little cottage."
The fisherman did not much like the business: however, he
went to the sea, and when he came there the water looked all
yellow and green. And he stood at the water's edge, and said:
0 man of the sea
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee !"
56

The Fisherman and his Wife

Then the fish came swimming to him, and said, "Well,
what does she want?" "Ah!" answered the fisherman, "my
wife says that when I had caught you, I ought to have asked
you for something before I let you go again; she does not
like living any longer in the ditch, and wants a little cottage."
"Go home, then," said the fish; "she is in the cottage al-
ready." So the man went home, and saw his wife standing
at the door of a cottage. "Come in, come in," said she; "is
not this much better than the ditch?" And there was a
parlour, and a bed-chamber, and a kitchen; and behind the
cottage there was a little garden with all sorts of flowers and
fruits, and a courtyard full of ducks and chickens. "Ah!"
said the fisherman, "how happily we shall live!" "We will
try to do so at least," said his wife.
Everything went right for a week or two, and then Dame
Alice said, "Husband, there is not room enough in this
cottage, the courtyard and garden are a great deal too small;
I should like to have a large stone castle to live in; so go
to the fish again, and tell him to give us a castle." "Wife,"
said the fisherman, "I don't like to go to him again, for
perhaps he will be angry; we ought to be content with the
cottage." "Nonsense!" said the wife; "he will do it very
willingly; go along and try."
The fisherman went; but his heart was heavy: and when
he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy, though it was
quite calm, and he went close to it, and said:
"0 man of the sea I
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee I"

"Well, what does she want now?" said the fish. "Ah!"
said the man very sorrowfully, "my wife wants to live in a
stone castle." Go home, then," said the fish; "she is stand-

Grimm's Fairy Tales

ing at the door of it already." So away went the fisherman,
and found his wife standing before a great castle. See,"
said she, "is not this grand?" With that they went into the
castle together, and found a great many servants there, and
the rooms all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and
tables; and behind the castle was a garden, and a wood half
a mile long, full of sheep, and goats, and hares, and deer;
and in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses. "Well!"
said the man, now we will live contented and happy in this
beautiful castle for the rest of our lives." Perhaps we may,"
said the wife; "but let us consider and sleep upon it before
we make up our minds." So they went to bed.
The next morning, when Dame Alice awoke, it was broad
daylight, and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow, and
said, Get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
king of all the land." Wife, wife," said the man, "why
should we wish to be king? I will not be king." "Then
I will," said Alice. "But, wife," answered the fisherman,
"how can you be king? the fish cannot make you a king."
"Husband," said she, "say no more about it, but go and try;
I will be king!" So the man went away, quite sorrowful to
think that his wife should want to be king. The sea looked
a dark-gray colour, and was covered with foam as he cried
out:
0 man of the sea!
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee I"

"Well, what would she have now?" said the fish. "Alas!"
said the man, "my wife wants to be king." "Go home,"
said the fish; "she is king already."
Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close to
the palace, he saw a troop of soldiers, and heard the sound
of drums and trumpets; and when he entered, he saw his

The Fisherman asks a Boon of the Fish
59

Grimm's Fairy Tales

wife sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds, with a
golden crown upon her head; and on each side of her stood
six beautiful maidens, each a head taller than the other.
"Well, wife," said the fisherman, "are you king?" "Yes,"
said she, "I am king." And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, "Ah, wife! what a fine thing it is to
be king! now we shall never have anything more to wish
for." "I don't know how that may be," said she; "never
is a long time. I am king, 'tis true, but I begin to be tired
of it, and I think I should like to be emperor." "Alas,
wife! why should you wish to be emperor?" said the fisher-
man. "Husband," said she, "go to the fish; I say I will
be emperor." "Ah, wife!" replied the fisherman, "the fish
cannot make an emperor, and I should not like to ask for
such a thing." "I am king," said Alice, "and you are my
slave, so go directly!" So the fisherman was obliged to go;
and he muttered as he went along, "This will come to no
good, it is too much to ask, the fish will be tired at last,
and then we shall repent of what we have done." He soon
arrived at the sea, and the water was quite black and muddy,
and a mighty whirlwind blew over it; but he went to the
shore, and said:
"O man of the sea I
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"What would she have now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said
the fisherman, "she wants to be emperor." "Go home," said
the fish; "she is emperor already."
So he went home again; and as he came near he saw
his wife sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head full two yards high, and on
each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row,
60

The Fisherman and his Wife

each one smaller than the other, from the tallest giant down
to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger. And before her
stood princes, and dukes, and earls: and the fisherman went
up to her and said, "Wife, are you emperor?" "Yes," said
she, "I am emperor." "Ah!" said the man as he gazed
upon her, "what a fine thing it is to be emperor!" "Hus-
band," said she, "why should we stay at being emperor? I
will be pope next." "0 wife, wife!" said he, "how can you
be pope? there is but one pope at a time in Christendom."
"Husband," said she, I will be pope this very day." "But,"
replied the husband, the fish cannot make you pope." "What
nonsense!" said she; "if he can make an emperor, he can
make a pope, go and try him." So the fisherman went. But
when he came to the shore the wind was raging, and the sea
was tossed up and down like boiling water, and the ships
were in the greatest distress and danced upon the waves
most fearfully; in the middle of the sky there was a little
blue, but towards the south it was all red, as if a dreadful
storm was rising. At this the fisherman was terribly frightened,
and trembled, so that his knees knocked together; but he
went to the shore and said-
O man of the sea!
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"What does she want now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said
the fisherman, "my wife wants to be pope." "Go home,"
said the fish, "she is pope already."
Then the fisherman went home, and found his wife sitting
on a throne that was two miles high; and she had three
great crowns on her head, and around stood all the pomp
and power of the Church; and on each side were two rows
of burning lights, of all sizes, the greatest as large as the

Grimm's Fairy Tales

highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least no
larger than a small rushlight. Wife," said the fisherman,
as he looked at all this grandeur, "are you pope?" "Yes,"
said she, "I am pope." "Well, wife," replied he, "it is a
grand thing to be pope; and now you must be content, for
you can be nothing greater." I will consider of that," said
the wife. Then they went to bed: but Dame Alice could
not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last morning came, and the sun rose. "Ah!" thought
she as she looked at it through the window, cannot I pre-
vent the sun rising?" At this she was very angry, and
wakened her husband, and said, "Husband, go to the fish
and tell him I want to be lord of the sun and moon." The
fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him
so much, that he started and fell out of bed. "Alas, wife!"
said he, "cannot you be content to be pope?" "No," said
she, I am very uneasy, and cannot bear to see the sun and
moon rise without my leave. Go to the fish directly."
Then the man went trembling for fear; and as he was
going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose, so that the
trees and the rocks shook; and the heavens became black,
and the lightning played, and the thunder rolled; and you
might have seen in the sea great black waves like mountains
with a white crown of foam upon them; and the fisherman
said:
0 man of the sea!
Come listen to me,
For Alice my wife,
The plague of my life,
Hath sent me to beg a boon of thee!"

"What does she want now?" said the fish. "Ah!" said
he, "she wants to be lord of the sun and moon." Go home,"
said the fish, "to your ditch again!" And there they live
to this very day.

The Grateful Beasts

A CERTAIN man, who had lost almost all his money, resolved
to set off with the little that was left him, and travel into the
wide world. Now the first place he came to was a village,
where the young people were running about crying and shout-
ing.
"What is the matter?" asked he.
"See here," answered they, "we have got a mouse that we
make dance to please us. Do look at him: what a droll sight
it is! how he jumps about!"
But the man pitied the poor little thing, and said, Let the
mouse go, and I will give you money." So he gave them
some, and took the mouse and let him run; and he soon
jumped into a hole that was close by, and was out of their
reach.
Then he travelled on and came to another village, and
there the children had got an ass that they made stand on its
hind-legs, and tumble and cut capers, at which they laughed
and shouted, and gave the poor beast no rest. So the good
man gave them some of his money to let the poor creature go
away in peace.
At the next village he came to, the young people had
found a bear that had been taught to dance, and they were
plaguing the poor thing sadly. Then he gave them, too, some
money to let the beast go, and the bear was very glad to get
on his four feet, and seemed quite at his ease and happy again.
But he found that he had given away all the money he had
in the world, and had not a shilling in his pocket. Then said
he to himself, The king has heaps of gold in his treasury that
he never uses; I cannot die of hunger; I hope I shall be for-

Grimm's Fairy Tales

given if I borrow a little, and when I get rich again I will re-
pay it all."
So he managed to get into the treasury, and took a very
little money; but as he came out the king's guards saw him,
and said he was a thief, and took him to the judge, and he
was sentenced to be thrown into the water in a box. The lid
of the box was full of holes to let in air, and a jug of water
and a loaf of bread were given him.
Whilst he was swimming along in the water very sorrow-
fully, he heard something nibbling and biting at the lock; and
all of a sudden it fell off, the lid flew open, and there stood his
old friend the little mouse, who had done him this service.
And then came the ass and the bear, and pulled the box
ashore; and all helped him, because he had been kind to
them.
But now they did not know what to do next, and began
to consult together; when on a sudden a wave threw on the
shore a beautiful white stone that looked like an egg. Then
the bear said, "That's a lucky thing; this is the wonderful
stone, and whoever has it may have everything else that he
wishes."
So the man went and picked up the stone, and wished
for a palace and a garden, and a stud of horses; and his
wish was fulfilled as soon as he had made it. And there he
lived in his castle and garden, with fine stables and horses;
and all was so grand and beautiful, that he never could wonder
and gaze at it enough.
After some time, some merchants passed by that way.
"See," said they, "what a princely palace! The last time we
were here, it was nothing but a desert waste." They were
very curious to know how all this had happened; so they
went in and asked the master of the palace how it had been
so quickly raised.
"I have done nothing myself," answered he, "it is a
wonderful stone that did all."

They find the wonderful Stone

(B 00oo)

Grimm's Fairy Tales

SWhat a strange stone that must be!" said they.
Then he invited them in and showed it to them. They
asked him whether he would sell it, and offered him all their
goods for it; and the goods seemed so fine and costly, that
he quite forgot that the stone would bring him in a moment
a thousand better and richer things, and he agreed to make
the bargain.
Scarcely was the stone, however, out of his hands when
all his riches were gone, and he found himself sitting in his
box in the water, with his jug of water and a loaf of bread by
his side. The. grateful beasts, the mouse, the ass, and the bear,
came directly to help him; but the mouse found she could not
nibble off the lock this time, for it was a great deal stronger
than before. Then the bear said, "We must find the wonder-
ful stone again, or all we can do will be fruitless."
The merchants, meantime, had taken up their abode in the
palace; so away went the three friends, and when they came
near, the bear said, Mouse, go in and look through the key-
hole and see where the stone is kept: you are small, nobody
will see you."
The mouse did as she was told, but soon came back and
said, "Bad news! I have looked in, and the stone hangs
under the looking-glass by a red silk string, and on each side
of it sits a great cat with fiery eyes to watch it."
Then the others took counsel together and said, Go back
again, and wait till the master of the palace is in bed asleep,
then nip his nose and pull his hair." Away went the mouse,
and did as they directed her; and the master jumped up very
angry, and rubbed his nose, and cried, "Those rascally cats
are good for nothing at all, they let the mice eat my very nose
and pull the hair off my head." Then he hunted them out of
the room; and so the mouse had the best of the game.
Next night, as soon as the master was asleep, the mouse
crept in again, and nibbled at the red silken string to which
the stone hung, till down it dropped, and she rolled it along
66

The Grateful Beasts

to the door; but when it got there, the poor little mouse was
quite tired: and said to the ass, "Put in your foot, and lift it
over the threshold." This was soon done: and they took up
the stone, and set off for the water-side.
Then the ass said, How shall we reach the box?"
"That is easily managed," answered the bear; "I can
swim very well, and do you, Donkey, put your fore-feet over
my shoulders;-mind and hold fast, and take the stone in
your mouth: as for you, Mouse, you can sit in my ear."
It was all settled thus, and away they swam. After a
time, the bear began to brag and boast: "We are brave
fellows, are not we, Ass?" said he; "what do you think?"
But the ass held his tongue, and said not a word.
"Why don't you answer me?" said the bear; "you must
be an ill-mannered brute not to speak when you're spoken to."
When the ass heard this, he could hold no longer; so he
opened his mouth, and dropped the wonderful stone. I could
not speak," said he; "did not you know I had the stone in
my mouth? now 'tis lost, and that's your fault."
"Do but hold your tongue and be quiet," said the bear,
"and let us think what's to be done."
Then a council was held: and at last they called together
all the frogs, their wives and families, relations and friends,
and said: "A great enemy is coming to eat you all up; but
never mind, bring us up plenty of stones, and we'll build a
strong wall to guard you." The frogs hearing this were dread-
fully frightened, and set to work, bringing up all the stones
they could find. At last came a large fat frog pulling along
the wonderful stone by the silken string: and when the bear
saw it, he jumped for joy, and said, "Now we have found
what we wanted." So he relieved the old frog of his load,
and told him to tell his friends they might go about their
business as soon as they pleased.
Then the three friends swam off again for the box; and
the lid flew open, and they found that they were but just in
67

Grimm's Fairy Tales

time, for the bread was all eaten, and the jug almost empty.
But as soon as the good man had the stone in his hand, he
wished himself safe and sound in his palace again; and in
a moment there he was, with his garden and his stables and
his horses; and his three faithful friends dwelt with him, and
they all spent their time happily and merrily as long as they
lived.

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The Woodman scolds Roland
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The Wor~odman scld oln

Roland and May-Bird

THERE was once a poor man who went every day to cut
wood in the forest. One day as he went along he heard
a cry like a little child's; so he followed the sound till at
last he saw a very little girl sitting on one of the branches
of a high tree. Its mother had fallen asleep, and a vulture
had taken it out of her lap and flown away with it and left
it on the tree. Then the wood-cutter climbed up, took
the little child down, and said to himself, "I will take this
poor child home and bring it up with my own son Roland."
So he carried the little girl to his cottage; and he called
her May-bird, because he had found her on a tree in May.
So May-bird and Roland grew up together, and they became
very fond of each other.
Now the wood-cutter became very poor, and had nothing
in the world he could call his own, and indeed he had scarcely
bread enough for his wife and the two children to eat. At
last the time came when even that was all gone, and he
knew not where to seek for help in his need. Then at
night, as he lay on his bed and turned himself here and
there, restless and full of care, his wife said to him," Husband,
listen to me. You must take the two children out early
69

Grimm's Fairy Tales

to-morrow morning, give each of them a piece of bread,
and lead them into the midst of the wood where it is
thickest. Then make a fire for them, and leave them alone,
for we can no longer keep them here." "No, wife," said
the husband, "I cannot find it in my heart to leave the
children to the wild beasts of the forest, who would soon
tear them to pieces." "Well, if you will not do as I say,"
answered the wife, "we must all starve together;" and she
let him have no peace until he agreed to her plan.
Meantime the poor children were also lying awake, restless
and weak from hunger, so that they heard all that their
mother said. "Now," thought May-bird to herself, "it is
all up with us;" and she began to weep. But Roland crept
to her bed-side, and said, "Do not be afraid, May-bird, I
will find some help." Then he got up, put on his jacket,
and went out.
The moon shone bright upon the little court before the
cottage, and the white pebbles glittered like daisies on the
green meadows. So he put as many as he could into his
pocket, and then went- back to the house. "Now, May-bird,"
said he, rest in peace;" and he went to bed and fell asleep.
Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, the wood-
man's wife came and awoke them. Get up, children," said
she, "we are going into the wood; there is a piece of bread
for each of you, but take care of it, and keep some for the
afternoon." May-bird took the bread and carried it in her
apron, because Roland had his pockets full of stones. Then
they went into the wood.
When they had walked on for a time, Roland stopped
and looked towards home, and after a while he turned
again, and he did so several times. Then his father said,
"Roland, why do you keep turning and lagging behind so?
Move your legs a little faster." "Ahl father," answered
Roland, "I am stopping to look at my white cat that sits
on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me." "That
70

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., ,,.. .. .. .-

-. ." ..; ., ",, .' ', !.'..j ,, t ,- t: ., ,-.,.:

Roland and Maybird in the Depths of the Wood

Roland and May-Bird

is not your cat," said his mother; "'tis the morning sun
shining on the chimney-top." Now Roland had not been
looking at the cat, but had all the while been staying behind
to drop from his pocket one white pebble after another along
the road.
When they came into the midst of the forest, the wood-
man said, "Run about, children, and pick up some wood,
and I will make a fire to keep us all warm." So they piled
up a little heap of brushwood, and set it alight; and as the
flame burnt bright, the mother said, "Now seat yourselves
by the fire, while we go and cut wood in the forest; and
be sure you wait till we come for you." Roland and May-
bird sat by the fireside till the afternoon, and then they
ate their bread. They fancied the woodman was still in
the wood, because they thought they heard the blows of
his axe; but it was a bough which he had cunningly hung
upon a tree, so that the wind blew it backwards and forwards,
and it sounded like the axe as it hit the other boughs. Thus
they waited till evening; but the woodman and his wife kept
away, and no one came to fetch them.
When it was quite dark May-bird began to cry; but
Roland said, Wait awhile till the moon rises." And when
the moon rose, he took her by the hand, and there lay the
pebbles along the ground, glittering like new pieces of money,
and marking out the way. Towards morning they came
again to the woodman's house, and he was glad in his
heart when he saw the children again; for he had grieved
at leaving them alone. His wife also seemed to be glad;
but in her heart she was angry.
Not long after there was again no bread in the house,
and May-bird and Roland heard the wife say to her husband,
"The children found their way home once, and I took it
in good part; but there is only half a loaf of bread left for
them in the house; to-morrow you must take them deeper
into the wood, that they may never come back, or we shall
71

Grimm's Fairy Tales

all be starved." It grieved the husband in his heart to
do as his wife wished, and he thought it would be better
to share their last morsel with the children; but as he had
done as she said once, he did not dare to say no. The
children again heard what they said, and Roland got up
and wanted to gather pebbles as before; but when he came
to the door he found his mother had locked it. Still he
comforted May-bird, and said, "Sleep in peace, dear May-
bird; God is very kind and will help us." Early in the
morning a piece of bread was given to each of them, but
even smaller than the one they had before. Upon the road
Roland crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still, and
threw a crumb upon the ground. "Why do you lag so
behind, Roland?" said the woodman. I am looking at my
little dove that is sitting upon the roof, and wants to say good-
bye to me." "You silly boy!" said the wife, "that is not your
little dove; it is the morning sun that shines on the chimney-
top." But Roland went on crumbling his bread, and throwing
it on the ground. And thus they went still farther into the
wood, where they had never been before. There they were
again told to sit down by a large fire, and sleep; and the
woodman and his wife said they would come in the evening
and fetch them away. In the afternoon Roland shared May-
bird's bread, because he had strewed all his upon the road;
but the day passed away, and evening passed away too, and
no one came to the poor children. Still Roland comforted
May-bird, and said, "Wait till the moon rises; then I shall
see the crumbs of bread which I have. strewed, and they
will show us the way home."
The moon rose; but when Roland looked for the crumbs,
they were gone; for thousands of little birds in the wood had
found them and picked them up. They set out, however, to
try and find their way home; but they soon lost themselves
in the wilderness, and went on all night and all the next
day, till at last they were so weary that they lay down and
p2

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:". -

. ... .- --, .,- .

They begin to eat the Cake and the Sugar

Roland and May-Bird

fell asleep. When they awoke again they went on as before
for another day, but still did not reach the end of the wood,
and they were very hungry, for they had had nothing to eat.
In the afternoon of the third day they came to a strange
little hut, made of bread, with a roof of cake, and windows
of sparkling sugar. "Now we shall sit down and eat till
we have had enough," said Roland; "I will eat off the roof
for my share; do you eat the windows, May-bird, they will
be nice and sweet for you." But suddenly a sweet pretty
voice called from within:
"Tip, tap! who goes there?"
And the children answered:
"The wind, the wind,
That blows through the air!"
and went on eating. May-bird broke out a round pane of
the window for herself, and Roland tore off a large piece
of cake from the roof. Then the door opened, and a little
old woman came gliding out. At this May-bird and Roland
were so frightened, that they let fall what they had in their
hands. But the old woman shook her head, and said, "Dear
children, where have you been wandering about? Come in
with me and you shall have something good." So she took
them both by the hand, and led them into her little hut,
and brought out plenty to eat-milk and pancakes, with
sugar, apples, and nuts; and then two beautiful little beds
were got ready, and May-bird and Roland laid themselves
down, and were very happy. But the old woman was a
spiteful fairy, and had made her pretty sweetmeat house to
entrap little children. Early in the morning she went to
their little bed, but when she saw the two sleeping and
looking so sweet, she had no pity on them. Then she took
up Roland, and put him in a little coop by himself; and when
he awoke, he found himself behind a grating, shut up as little
73

Grimm's Fairy Tales

chickens are. But she shook May-bird, and called out, Get
up, you lazy little thing, and fetch some water; and go into
the kitchen and cook something good to eat. Your brother
is shut up yonder; I shall first fatten him, and then I think
I shall eat him."
When the fairy was gone, May-bird got up and ran to
Roland, and told him what she had heard, and said, "We
must run away quickly, for the old woman is a bad fairy,
and will kill us." But Roland said, "You must first steal
her fairy wand, that we may save ourselves, if she should
follow." Then May-bird ran back and fetched the magic
wand, and away they went together. When the old fairy
came back, and saw no one at home, she sprang in a great
rage to the window, and looked out into the wide world,
and a long way off she spied May-bird running away with
her dear Roland. "You are already a great way off," said
she, "but you shall still fall into my hands." Then she put
on her boots, which walked several miles at a step, and
scarcely made two steps with them, before she overtook
the children. But May-bird saw that the fairy was coming
after them, and by the help of the wand turned her dear
Roland into a lake, and herself into a swan which swam
about in the middle of it. So the fairy set herself down
on the shore, and threw crumbs of bread to the swan; but
it would not come near her, and she was forced to go home
in the evening, without taking her revenge. Then May-bird
changed herself and her dear Roland back into their own
forms once more, and they went journeying on the whole
night until the dawn of day, when May-bird turned herself
into a beautiful rose, which grew in the midst of a quick-set
hedge, and Roland sat by the side and played upon his flute.
The fairy soon came striding along. "Good piper," said
she, "may I pluck the beautiful rose for myself?" "O yes,"
answered he; "and I will play to you meantime." So when
she had crept into the hedge in a great hurry to gather the

" She was forced to dance a merry jig"
75

Grimm's Fairy Tales

flower (for she well knew what it was), he began to play
upon his flute; and such was the wonderful power of the
music that, whether she liked it or not, she was forced to
dance a merry jig, on and on without any rest. And as
he did not stop playing for a moment, the thorns at length
tore the clothes from off her body, and pricked her sorely,
and there she stuck fast.
Then May-bird was free once more; but she was very
tired, and Roland said, "Now I will hasten home for help,
and by and by we will be married." And May-bird said,
"I shall stay here in the meantime and wait for you; and,
that no one may know me, I shall turn myself into a stone
and lie in the corner of yonder field." Then Roland went
away, and May-bird waited for him. Now Roland met
with another maiden, who pleased him so much that he
stopped where she lived, and forgot his former friend. So
when May-bird had stayed in the field a long time and
found he did not come back, she became quite sorrowful,
and turned herself into a little daisy, and thought to herself,
"Someone will come and tread me under foot, and so my
sorrows will end." But it so happened that as a shepherd
was keeping watch in the field he found the flower, and
thinking it very pretty, took it home and placed it in a box
in his room. From that time everything throve wonderfully
at the shepherd's house. When he got up in the morning,
all the household work was ready done; the room was swept
and cleaned, the fire made, and the water fetched. And in
the afternoon, when he came home, the table-cloth was laid
and a good dinner ready set for him. He could not make
out how all this happened, for he saw no one in his house;
and although it .pleased him well enough, he was at length
troubled to think how it could be, and went to a cunning
woman who lived hard by, and asked her what he should
do. She said, "There must be witchcraft in it. Look out
to-morrow morning early, and see if anything stirs about in
76

Roland and May-Bird

-W

the room; if it does, throw a white cloth at once over it,
and then the witchcraft will be stopped." The shepherd
did as she said, and the next morning saw the box open
and the daisy come out. Then he sprang up quickly and
threw a white cloth over it. In an instant the spell was
broken, and May-bird stood before him; and as she was
so beautiful he asked her if she would marry him. She said,
"No," because she wished to be faithful to her dear Roland;
but she agreed to stay and keep house for him.
Time passed on, and Roland was to be married to the
maiden that he had found; and according to an old custom
in that land, all the maidens were to come and sing songs
in praise of the bride and bridegroom. But May-bird was
so grieved when she heard that her dearest Roland had
forgotten her, and was to be married to another, that her
heart seemed as if it would burst within her, and she would
not go for a long time. At length she was forced to go
77

Grimm's Fairy Tales

with the rest; but she kept hiding herself behind the others
until she was left the last. Then she could not any longer
help coming forward; and the moment she began to sing,
Roland sprang up, and cried out, "That is the true bride,
I will have no other than her!" for he knew her by the
sound of her voice; and all that he had forgotten came back
into his mind, and his heart was opened towards her. So
faithful May-bird was married to her dear Roland, and from
that time forward she lived happily.

The Golden Bird

A CERTAIN king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden
stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were
always counted, and about the time when they began to grow
ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone.
The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener
to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener set his
eldest son to watch; but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep,
and in the morning another of the apples was missing. Then
the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too
fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then
the third son offered to keep watch; but the gardener at first
would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him:
however, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself
under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard
a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of
pure gold; and as it was snapping at one of the apples with
its beak, the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it.
But the bird was not harmed by the arrow; only it dropped a
golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden
feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the
council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth
more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said,
"One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird."
Then the gardener's eldest son set out and thought to find
the golden bird very easily; and when he had gone but a
little way, he came to a wood, and by the side of the wood he
saw a fox sitting; so he took his bow and made ready to
shoot at it. Then the fox said, Do not shoot me, for I will
give you good counsel; I know what your business is, and
79

Grimm's Fairy Tales

that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a
village in the evening; and when you get there, you will see
two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant
and beautiful to look at: go not in there, but rest for the
night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very
poor and mean." But the son thought to himself, What can
such a beast as this know about the matter?" So he shot his
arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail above
its back and ran into the wood. Then he went his way,- and
in the evening came to the village where the two inns were;
and in one of these were people singing, and dancing, and
feasting; but the other looked very dirty and poor. I should
be very silly," said he, "if I went to that shabby house, and
left this charming place;" so he went into the smart house,
and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird and his
country too.
Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back,
and no tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and
the same thing happened to him. He met the fox, who gave
him the same good advice: but when he came to the two inns,
his eldest brother was standing at the window where the
merrymaking was, and called to him to come in; and he could
not withstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the
golden bird and his country in the same manner.
Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished
to set out into the wide world to seek for the golden bird; but
his father would not listen to it for a long while, for he was
very fond of his son, and was afraid that some ill luck might
happen to him also, and prevent his coming back. However,
at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at
home; and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard
the same good counsel. But he was thankful to the fox, and
did not attempt his life as his brothers had done; so the fox
said, Sit upon my tail, and you will travel faster." So he sat
down, and the fox began to run, and away they went over
80

SThe gardener's son shot an arrow at it"
81 F

(B 200)

Grimm's Fairy Tales

stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the
wind.
When they came to the village, the son followed the fox's
counsel, and without looking about him went to the shabby
inn and rested there all night at his ease. In the morning
came the fox again and met him as he was beginning his
journey, and said, "Go straight forward, till you come to a
castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep
and snoring; take no notice of them, but go into the castle
and pass on and on till you come to a room, where the golden
bird sits in a wooden cage; close by it stands a beautiful
golden cage; but do not try to take the bird out of the shabby
cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise you will re-
pent it."
Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the young
man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and
stone till their hair whistled in the wind.
Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the
son went in and found the chamber where the golden bird
hung in a wooden cage; and below stood the golden cage, and
the three golden apples that had been lost were lying close by
it. Then thought he to himself, It will be a very droll thing
to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage;" so he
opened the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden
cage. But the bird set up such a loud scream that all the
soldiers awoke, and they took him prisoner and carried him
before the king. The next morning the court sat to judge
him; and when all was heard, it sentenced him to die, unless
he should bring the king the golden horse which could run as
swiftly as the wind; and if he did this, he was to have the
golden bird given him for his own.
So he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in
great despair, when on a sudden his good friend the fox met
him, and said, "You see now what has happened on, account
of your not listening to my counsel. I will still, however, tell
82

The Golden Bird

you how to find the golden horse, if you will do as I bid you.
You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the
horse stands in his stall: by his side will lie the groom fast
asleep and snoring: take away the horse quietly, but be sure
to put the old leather saddle upon him, and not the golden
one that is close by it." Then the son sat down on the fox's
tail, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair
whistled in the wind.
All went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand
upon the golden saddle. But when the son looked at the
horse, he thought it a great pity to put fhe leather saddle
upon it. I will give him the good one," said he; "I am sure
he deserves it." As he took up the golden saddle the groom
awoke and cried out so loud, that all the guards ran in and
took him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought
before the court to be judged, and was sentenced to die. But
it was agreed, that, if he could bring thither the beautiful
princess, he should live, and have the bird and horse given
him for his own.
Then he went his way again very sorrowful; but the old
fox came and said, "Why did you not listen to me? If you
had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse;
yet will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on, and in
the evening you will arrive at a castle. At tWelve o'clock at
night the princess goes to the bathing-house; go up to her
and give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but
take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her
father and mother." Then the fox stretched out his tail, and
so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled
again.
As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said,
and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess going
to the bath, and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away
with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her
take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she wept
83

Grimm's Fairy Tales

still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he con-
sented; but the moment she came to her father's house, the
guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again.
Then he was brought before the king, and the king said,
"You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you
dig away the hill that stops the view from my window." Now
this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it
away; and when he had worked for seven days, and had done
very little, the fox came and said, Lie down and go to sleep;
I will work for you." And in the morning he awoke and the
hill was gone; so he went merrily to the king, and told him
that now that it was removed he must give him the princess.
Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away
went the young man and the princess; and the fox came and
said to him, "We will have all three, the princess, the horse,
and the bird." "Ah!" said the young man, "that would be a
great thing, but how can you contrive it?"
If you will only listen," said the fox, "it can soon be done.
When you come to the king, and he asks for the beautiful
princess, you must say, 'Here she is.' Then he will be very
joyful; and you will mount the golden horse that they are to
give you, and put out your hand to take leave of them; but
shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly on
to the horse behind you; clap your spurs to his side, and
gallop away as fast as you can."
All went right: then the fox said, When you come to the
castle where the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the
door, and you will ride in and speak to the king; and when he
sees that it is the right horse, he will bring out the bird; but
you must sit still, and say that you want to look at it, to see
whether it is the true golden bird; and when you get it into
your hand, ride away."
This, too, happened as the fox said; they carried off the
bird, the princess mounted again, and they rode on to a great
wood. Then the fox came, and said, "Pray kill me, and cut
84

The Golden Bird

off my head and my feet." But the young man refused to do
it: so the fox said, I will at any rate give you good counsel:
beware of two things; ransom no one from the gallows, and
sit down by the side of no river." Then away he went.
"Well," thought the young man, "it is no hard matter to
keep that advice."
He rode on with the princess, till at last he came to the
village where he had left his two brothers. And there he
heard a great noise and uproar; and when he asked what was
the matter, the people said, "Two men are going to be hanged."
As he came nearer, he saw that the two men were his brothers,
who had turned robbers; so he said, Cannot they in any way
be saved?" But the people said "No," unless he would be-
stow all his money upon the rascals and buy their liberty.
Then he did not stay to think about the matter, but paid what
was asked, and his brothers were given up, and went on with
him towards their home.
And as they came to the wood where the fox first met
them, it was so cool and pleasant that the two brothers said,
"Let us sit down by the side of the river, and rest awhile, to
eat and drink." "Very well," said he, and forgot the fox's
counsel, and sat down on the side of the river; and while he
suspected nothing, they came behind, and threw him down
the bank, and took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and
went home to the king their master, and said, All this have
we won by our exertions.'' Then there was great rejoicing
made; but the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing,
and the princess wept.
The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river's bed:
luckily it was nearly dry, but his bones were almost broken,
and the bank was so steep that he could find no way to get
out. Then the old fox came once more, and scolded him for
not following his advice; otherwise no evil would have befallen
him: Yet," said he, I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of
my tail and hold fast." Then he pulled him out of the river,

Grimm's Fairy Tales

and said to him, as he got upon the bank, "Your brothers
have set watch to kill you, if they find you in the kingdom."
So he dressed himself as a poor man, and came secretly to the
king's court, and was scarcely within the doors when the horse
began to eat, and the bird to sing, and the princess left off
weeping. He went straight to the king, and told him all his
brothers' roguery; and they were seized and punished, and he
had the princess given to him again; and after the king's
death he was heir to his kingdom.
A long while after, he went to walk one day in the wood,
and the old fox met him, and besought him with tears in his
eyes to kill him, and cut off his head and feet. And at last
he did so, and in a moment the fox was changed into a man,
and turned out to be the brother of the princess, who had
been lost a great many many years.

The Dog and the Sparrow

A SHEPHERD'S dog had a master who took no care of him,
but often let him suffer the greatest hunger. At last he could
bear it no longer; so he took to his heels, and off he ran in
a very sad and sorrowful mood. On the road he met a
sparrow, that said to him, Why are you so sad, my friend?"
" Because," said the dog, I am very very hungry, and have
nothing to eat." If that be all," answered the sparrow,
" come with me into the next town, and I will soon find you
plenty of food."
So on they went together into the town: and as they
passed by a butcher's shop, the sparrow said to the dog,
" Stand there a little while, till I peck you down a piece of
meat." So the sparrow perched upon the shelf: and having
first looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching
her, she pecked and scratched at a steak that lay upon the
edge of the shelf, till at last down it fell. Then the dog
snapped it up, and scrambled away with it into a corner,
where he soon ate it all up.
"Well," said the sparrow, "you shall have some more if
you will; so come with me to the next shop, and I will peck
you down another steak." When the dog had eaten this too,
the sparrow said to him, Well, my good friend, have you had
enough now?" I have had plenty of meat," answered he,
"but I should like to have a piece of bread to eat after it."
" Come with me then," said the sparrow, and you shall soon
have that too." So she took him to a baker's shop, and
pecked at two rolls that lay in the window, till they fell
down: and as the dog still wished for more, she took him
to another shop and pecked down some more for him.

Grimm's Fairy Tales

When that was eaten, the sparrow asked him whether he
had had enough now. "Yes," said he; "and now let us take
a walk a little way out of the town." So they both went out
upon the high-road: but as the weather was warm, they had
not gone far before the dog said, I am very much tired, I
should like to take a nap." "Very well," answered the
sparrow, "do so, and in the meantime I will perch upon
that bush."
So the dog stretched himself out on the road, and fell fast
asleep. Whilst he slept, there came by a carter with a cart
drawn by three horses, and loaded with two casks of wine.
The sparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the
way, but would go on in the track in which the dog lay, so
as to drive over him, called out, "Stop! stop! Mr. Carter, or
it shall be the worse for you." But the carter, grumbling to
himself, "You make it the worse for me, indeed! what can
you do?" cracked his whip, and drove his cart over the poor
dog, so that the wheels crushed him to death.
"There," cried the sparrow, "you cruel villain, you have
killed my friend the dog. Now mind what I say. This deed
of yours shall cost you all you are worth." "Do your worst,
and welcome," said the brute, "what harm can you do me?"
and passed on.
But the sparrow crept under the tilt of the cart, and
pecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it;
and then all the wine ran out, without the carter seeing it.
At last he looked round, and saw that the cart was dripping,
and the cask quite empty. "What an unlucky wretch I am!"
cried he. "Not wretch enough yet!" said the sparrow, as she
alighted upon the head of one of the horses, and pecked at
him till he reared up and kicked.
When the carter saw this, he drew out his hatchet and
aimed a blow at the sparrow, meaning to kill her; but she
flew away, and the blow fell upon the poor horse's head with
such force, that he fell down dead. I Unlucky wretch that
88

	Front Cover
	Half Title
	Front Matter
	Frontispiece
	Title Page
	Table of Contents
	List of Illustrations
	Hansel and Grettel
	The Waggish Musician
	Frederick and Catherine
	The Three Children of Fortune
	Snow-drop
	The Queen Bee
	The Jew in the Bush
	Rumpel-stilts-kin
	The Frog-prince
	The Tom-Tit and the Bear
	The Fisherman and His Wife
	The Grateful Beasts
	Roland and May-bird
	The Golden Bird
	The Dog and the Sparrow
	The Turnip
	Cherry, or the Frog-bride
	The Lady and the Lion
	The Twelve Dancing Princesses
	The King of the Golden Mountai...
	Old Sultan
	King Grisly-Beard
	The Giant with the Three Colden...
	The Adventures of Chanticleer and...
	Faithful John
	The Blue Light
	The Crows and the Soldier
	The Golden Goose
	The Juniper-tree
	Hans and His Wife Grettel
	Rosebud
	The Young Giant and the Tailor
	Pee-wit
	Jorinda and Jorindel
	Ashputtel
	Peter the Goatherd
	The Goose-Girl
	The Four Clever Brothers
	The Elfin-Grove
	The Robber-Bridegroom
	Mother Holle
	The Five Servants
	The Seven Ravens
	Hans in Luck
	Mrs. Fox
	The Salad
	The Travelling Musicians
	The Water of Life
	The Nose
	Cat-skin
	The Mouse, the Bird, and the...
	The Elves and the Shoemaker
	Tom Thumb
	The Fox and the Horse
	Back Matter
	Back Matter
	Spine

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0	sobekcm_database.verify_item_lookup_object
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0	system.web.ui.page.page_load (ufdc.page_load)
0	sobekcm_page_globals.constructor.on_page_load
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