Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 03 (39 page)

They went to bed, and slept soundly till morning. When they were
ready to start and the King's son had already mounted his horse
the old woman said: 'Wait a minute, I must give you a stirrup
cup.' Whilst she went to fetch it the King's son rode off, and the
servant who had waited to tighten his saddle-girths was alone when
the witch returned.

'Take that to your master,' she said; but as she spoke the glass
cracked and the poison spurted over the horse, and it was so
powerful that the poor creature sank down dead. The servant ran
after his master and told him what had happened, and then, not
wishing to lose the saddle as well as the horse, he went back to
fetch it. When he got to the spot he saw that a raven had perched
on the carcase and was pecking at it. 'Who knows whether we shall
get anything better to eat to-day!' said the servant, and he shot
the raven and carried it off.

Then they rode on all day through the forest without coming to the
end. At nightfall they reached an inn, which they entered, and the
servant gave the landlord the raven to dress for their supper.
Now, as it happened, this inn was a regular resort of a band of
murderers, and the old witch too was in the habit of frequenting
it.

As soon as it was dark twelve murderers arrived, with the full
intention of killing and robbing the strangers. Before they set to
work, however, they sat down to table, and the landlord and the
old witch joined them, and they all ate some broth in which the
flesh of the raven had been stewed down. They had hardly taken a
couple of spoonfuls when they all fell down dead, for the poison
had passed from the horse to the raven and so into the broth. So
there was no one left belonging to the house but the landlord's
daughter, who was a good, well-meaning girl, and had taken no part
in all the evil doings.

She opened all the doors, and showed the strangers the treasures
the robbers had gathered together; but the Prince bade her keep
them all for herself, as he wanted none of them, and so he rode
further with his servant.

After travelling about for some length of time they reached a town
where lived a lovely but most arrogant Princess. She had given out
that anyone who asked her a riddle which she found herself unable
to guess should be her husband, but should she guess it he must
forfeit his head. She claimed three days in which to think over
the riddles, but she was so very clever that she invariably
guessed them in a much shorter time. Nine suitors had already lost
their lives when the King's son arrived, and, dazzled by her
beauty, determined to risk his life in hopes of winning her.

So he came before her and propounded his riddle. 'What is this?'
he asked. 'One slew none and yet killed twelve.'

She could not think what it was! She thought, and thought, and
looked through all her books of riddles and puzzles, but she found
nothing to help her, and could not guess; in fact, she was at her
wits' end. As she could think of no way to guess the riddle, she
ordered her maid to steal at night into the Prince's bedroom and
to listen, for she thought that he might perhaps talk aloud in his
dreams and so betray the secret. But the clever servant had taken
his master's place, and when the maid came he tore off the cloak
she had wrapped herself in and hunted her off with a whip.

On the second night the Princess sent her lady-in-waiting, hoping
that she might succeed better, but the servant took away her
mantle and chased her away also.

On the third night the King's son thought he really might feel
safe, so he went to bed. But in the middle of the night the
Princess came herself, all huddled up in a misty grey mantle, and
sat down near him. When she thought he was fast asleep, she spoke
to him, hoping he would answer in the midst of his dreams, as many
people do; but he was wide awake all the time, and heard and
understood everything very well.

Then she asked: 'One slew none—what is that?' and he answered: 'A
raven which fed on the carcase of a poisoned horse.'

She went on: 'And yet killed twelve—what is that?' 'Those are
twelve murderers who ate the raven and died of it.'

As soon as she knew the riddle she tried to slip away, but he held
her mantle so tightly that she was obliged to leave it behind.

Next morning the Princess announced that she had guessed the
riddle, and sent for the twelve judges, before whom she declared
it. But the young man begged to be heard, too, and said: 'She came
by night to question me, otherwise she never could have guessed
it.'

The judges said: 'Bring us some proof.' So the servant brought out
the three cloaks, and when the judges saw the grey one, which the
Princess was in the habit of wearing, they said: 'Let it be
embroidered with gold and silver; it shall be your wedding
mantle.'

Grimm.

There was once a farmer who lived in great comfort. He had both
lands and money, but, though he was so well off, one thing was
wanting to complete his happiness; he had no children. Many and
many a time, when he met other farmers at the nearest market town,
they would teaze him, asking how it came about that he was
childless. At length he grew so angry that he exclaimed: 'I must
and will have a child of some sort or kind, even should it only be
a hedgehog!'

Not long after this his wife gave birth to a child, but though the
lower half of the little creature was a fine boy, from the waist
upwards it was a hedgehog, so that when his mother first saw him
she was quite frightened, and said to her husband, 'There now, you
have cursed the child yourself.' The farmer said, 'What's the use
of making a fuss? I suppose the creature must be christened, but I
don't see how we are to ask anyone to be sponsor to him, and what
are we to call him?'

'There is nothing we can possibly call him but Jack my Hedgehog,'
replied the wife.

So they took him to be christened, and the parson said: 'You'll
never be able to put that child in a decent bed on account of his
prickles.' Which was true, but they shook down some straw for him
behind the stove, and there he lay for eight years. His father
grew very tired of him and often wished him dead, but he did not
die, but lay on there year after year.

Now one day there was a big fair at the market town to which the
farmer meant to go, so he asked his wife what he should bring her
from it. 'Some meat and a couple of big loaves for the house,'
said she. Then he asked the maid what she wanted, and she said a
pair of slippers and some stockings. Lastly he said, 'Well, Jack
my Hedgehog, and what shall I bring you?'

'Daddy,' said he, 'do bring me a bagpipe.' When the farmer came
home he gave his wife and the maid the things they had asked for,
and then he went behind the stove and gave Jack my Hedgehog the
bagpipes.

When Jack had got his bagpipes he said, 'Daddy, do go to the
smithy and have the house cock shod for me; then I'll ride off and
trouble you no more.' His father, who was delighted at the
prospect of getting rid of him, had the cock shod, and when it was
ready Jack my Hedgehog mounted on its back and rode off to the
forest, followed by all the pigs and asses which he had promised
to look after.

Having reached the forest he made the cock fly up to the top of a
very tall tree with him, and there he sat looking after his pigs
and donkeys, and he sat on and on for several years till he had
quite a big herd; but all this time his father knew nothing about
him.

As he sat up in his tree he played away on his pipes and drew the
loveliest music from them. As he was playing one day a King, who
had lost his way, happened to pass close by, and hearing the music
he was much surprised, and sent one of his servants to find out
where it came from. The man peered about, but he could see nothing
but a little creature which looked like a cock with a hedgehog
sitting on it, perched up in a tree. The King desired the servant
to ask the strange creature why it sat there, and if it knew the
shortest way to his kingdom.

On this Jack my Hedgehog stepped down from his tree and said he
would undertake to show the King his way home if the King on his
part would give him his written promise to let him have whatever
first met him on his return.

The King thought to himself, 'That's easy enough to promise. The
creature won't understand a word about it, so I can just write
what I choose.'

So he took pen and ink and wrote something, and when he had done
Jack my Hedgehog pointed out the way and the King got safely home.

Now when the King's daughter saw her father returning in the
distance she was so delighted that she ran to meet him and threw
herself into his arms. Then the King remembered Jack my Hedgehog,
and he told his daughter how he had been obliged to give a written
promise to bestow whatever he first met when he got home on an
extraordinary creature which had shown him the way. The creature,
said he, rode on a cock as though it had been a horse, and it made
lovely music, but as it certainly could not read he had just
written that he would
not
give it anything at all. At this
the Princess was quite pleased, and said how cleverly her father
had managed, for that of course nothing would induce her to have
gone off with Jack my Hedgehog.

Meantime Jack minded his asses and pigs, sat aloft in his tree,
played his bagpipes, and was always merry and cheery. After a time
it so happened that another King, having lost his way, passed by
with his servants and escort, wondering how he could find his way
home, for the forest was very vast. He too heard the music, and
told one of his men to find out whence it came. The man came under
the tree, and looking up to the top there he saw Jack my Hedgehog
astride on the cock.

The servant asked Jack what he was doing up there. 'I'm minding my
pigs and donkeys; but what do you want?' was the reply. Then the
servant told him they had lost their way, and wanted some one to
show it them. Down came Jack my Hedgehog with his cock, and told
the old King he would show him the right way if he would solemnly
promise to give him the first thing he met in front of his royal
castle.

The King said 'Yes,' and gave Jack a written promise to that
effect.

Then Jack rode on in front pointing out the way, and the King
reached his own country in safety.

Now he had an only daughter who was extremely beautiful, and who,
delighted at her father's return, ran to meet him, threw her arms
round his neck and kissed him heartily. Then she asked where he
had been wandering so long, and he told her how he had lost his
way and might never have reached home at all but for a strange
creature, half-man, half-hedgehog, which rode a cock and sat up in
a tree making lovely music, and which had shown him the right way.
He also told her how he had been obliged to pledge his word to
give the creature the first thing which met him outside his castle
gate, and he felt very sad at the thought that she had been the
first thing to meet him.

But the Princess comforted him, and said she should be quite
willing to go with Jack my Hedgehog whenever he came to fetch her,
because of the great love she bore to her dear old father.

Jack my Hedgehog continued to herd his pigs, and they increased in
number till there were so many that the forest seemed full of
them. So he made up his mind to live there no longer, and sent a
message to his father telling him to have all the stables and
outhouses in the village cleared, as he was going to bring such an
enormous herd that all who would might kill what they chose. His
father was much vexed at this news, for he thought Jack had died
long ago. Jack my Hedgehog mounted his cock, and driving his pigs
before him into the village, he let every one kill as many as they
chose, and such a hacking and hewing of pork went on as you might
have heard for miles off.

Then said Jack, 'Daddy, let the blacksmith shoe my cock once more;
then I'll ride off, and I promise you I'll never come back again
as long as I live.' So the father had the cock shod, and rejoiced
at the idea of getting rid of his son.

Then Jack my Hedgehog set off for the first kingdom, and there the
King had given strict orders that if anyone should be seen riding
a cock and carrying a bagpipe he was to be chased away and shot
at, and on no account to be allowed to enter the palace. So when
Jack my Hedgehog rode up the guards charged him with their
bayonets, but he put spurs to his cock, flew up over the gate
right to the King's windows, let himself down on the sill, and
called out that if he was not given what had been promised him,
both the King and his daughter should pay for it with their lives.
Then the King coaxed and entreated his daughter to go with Jack
and so save both their lives.

The Princess dressed herself all in white, and her father gave her
a coach with six horses and servants in gorgeous liveries and
quantities of money. She stepped into the coach, and Jack my
Hedgehog with his cock and pipes took his place beside her. They
both took leave, and the King fully expected never to set eyes on
them again. But matters turned out very differently from what he
had expected, for when they had got a certain distance from the
town Jack tore all the Princess's smart clothes off her, and
pricked her all over with his bristles, saying: 'That's what you
get for treachery. Now go back, I'll have no more to say to you.'
And with that he hunted her home, and she felt she had been
disgraced and put to shame till her life's end.

Then Jack my Hedgehog rode on with his cock and bagpipes to the
country of the second King to whom he had shown the way. Now this
King had given orders that, in the event of Jack's coming the
guards were to present arms, the people to cheer, and he was to be
conducted in triumph to the royal palace.