Serbian Folk-lore. Anonymous

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СКАЧАТЬ and the one which alighted on your horse, ordered me to tell you to strike off the head of the nail from the lower part, and then you will find her.’ When the prince heard that, he drew his sword and cut off his servant’s head.

      After that he travelled alone about the world, and, after long travelling, came to a mountain and remained all night there with a hermit, whom he asked if he knew anything about nine golden peahens. The hermit said, ‘Eh! my son, you are lucky; God has led you in the right path. From this place it is only half a day’s walk. But you must go straight on, then you will come to a large gate, which you must pass through; and, after that, you must keep always to the right hand, and so you will come to the peahens’ city, and there find their palace.’ So next morning the king’s son arose, and prepared to go. He thanked the hermit, and went as he had told him. After a while he came to the great gate, and, having passed it, turned to the right, so that at mid-day he saw the city, and beholding how white it shone, rejoiced very much. When he came into the city he found the palace where lived the nine golden peahens. But at the gate he was stopped by the guard, who demanded who he was, and whence he came. After he had answered these questions, the guards went to announce him to the queen. When the queen heard who he was, she came running out to the gate and took him by the hand to lead him into the palace. She was a young and beautiful maiden, and so there was a great rejoicing when, after a few days, he married her and remained there with her.

      One day, some time after their marriage, the queen went out to walk, and the king’s son remained in the palace. Before going out, however, the queen gave him the keys of twelve cellars, telling him, ‘You may go down into all the cellars except the twelfth—that you must on no account open, or it will cost you your head.’ She then went away. The king’s son whilst remaining in the palace began to wonder what there could be in the twelfth cellar, and soon commenced opening one cellar after the other. When he came to the twelfth he would not at first open it, but again began to wonder very much why he was forbidden to go into it. ‘What can be in this cellar?’ he exclaimed to himself. At last he opened it. In the middle of the cellar lay a big barrel with an open bung-hole, but bound fast round with three iron hoops. Out of the barrel came a voice, saying, ‘For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying with thirst—please give me a cup of water!’ Then the king’s son took a cup and filled it with water, and emptied it into the barrel. Immediately he had done so one of the hoops burst asunder. Again came the voice from the barrel, ‘For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying of thirst—please give me a cup of water!’ The king’s son again filled the cup, and took it, and emptied it into the barrel, and instantly another hoop burst asunder. The third time the voice came out of the barrel, ‘For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying of thirst—please give me a cup of water!’ The king’s son again took the cup and filled it, and poured the water into the barrel—and the third hoop burst. Then the barrel fell to pieces, and a dragon flew out of the cellar, and caught the queen on the road and carried her away.

      Then the servant, who went out with the queen, came back quickly, and told the king’s son what had happened, and the poor prince knew not what to do with himself, so desperate was he, and full of self-reproaches. At length, however, he resolved to set out and travel through the world in search of her. After long journeying, one day he came to a lake, and near it, in a little hole, he saw a little fish jumping about. When the fish saw the king’s son, she began to beg pitifully, ‘For God’s sake, be my brother, and throw me into the water. Some day I may be of use to you, so take now a little scale from me, and when you need me, rub it gently.’ Then the king’s son lifted the little fish from the hole and threw her into the water, after he had taken one small scale, which he wrapped up carefully in a handkerchief. Some time afterwards, as he travelled about the world, he came upon a fox, caught in an iron trap. When the fox saw the prince, he spoke: ‘In God’s name, be a brother to me, and help me to get out of this trap. One day you will need me, so take just one hair from my tail, and when you want me, rub it gently.’ Then the king’s son took a hair from the tail of the fox, and let him free.

      Again, as he crossed a mountain, he found a wolf fast in a trap; and when the wolf saw him, it spoke: ‘Be a brother to me; in God’s name, set me free, and one day I will help you. Only take a hair from me, and when you need me, rub it gently.’ So he took a hair, and let the wolf free. After that, the king’s son travelled about a very long time, till one day he met a man, to whom he said, ‘For God’s sake, brother, have you ever heard any one say where is the palace of the dragon king?’ The man gave him very particular directions which way to take, and in what length of time he could get there. Then the king’s son thanked him and continued his journey until he came to the city where the dragon lived. When there, he went into the palace and found therein his wife, and both of them were exceedingly pleased to meet each other, and began to take counsel how they could escape. They resolved to run away, and prepared hastily for the journey. When all was ready they mounted on horseback and galloped away. As soon as they were gone the dragon came home, also on horseback, and, entering his palace, found that the queen had gone away. Then he said to his horse, ‘What shall we do now? Shall we eat and drink, or go at once after them?’ The horse answered, ‘Let us eat and drink first, we shall anyway catch them; do not be anxious.’

       After the dragon had dined he mounted his horse, and in a few moments came up with the runaways. Then he took the queen from the king’s son and said to him, ‘Go now, in God’s name! This time I forgive you because you gave me water in the cellar; but if your life is dear to you do not come back here any more!’ The unhappy young prince went on his way a little, but could not long resist, so he came back next day to the dragon’s palace, and found the queen sitting alone and weeping. Then they began again to consult how they could get away. And the prince said, ‘When the dragon comes, ask him where he got that horse, and then you will tell me so that I can look for such another one; perhaps in this way we can escape.’ He then went away, lest the dragon should come and find him with the queen.

      By-and-by the dragon came home, and the queen began to pet him, and speak lovingly to him about many things, till at last she said, ‘Ah! what a fine horse you have! where did you get such a splendid horse?’ And he answered, ‘Eh! where I got it every one cannot get one! In such and such a mountain lives an old woman who has twelve horses in her stable, and no one can say which is the finest, they are all so beautiful. But in one corner of the stable stands a horse which looks as if he were leprous, but, in truth, he is the very best horse in the whole world. He is the brother of my horse, and whoever gets him may ride to the sky. But whoever wishes to get a horse from that old woman, must serve her three days and three nights. She has a mare with a foal, and whoever during three nights guards and keeps for her this mare and this foal, has a right to claim the best horse from the old woman’s stable. But whoever engages to keep watch over the mare and does not, must lose his head!’

      Next day, when the dragon went out, the king’s son came, and the queen told him all she had learned from the dragon. Then the king’s son went away to the mountain and found the old woman, and entered her house greeting: ‘God help you, grandmother!’ And she answered, ‘God help you, too, my son! what do you wish?’ ‘I should like to serve you,’ said the king’s son. Then the old woman said, ‘Well, my son, if you keep my mare safe for three days and three nights I will give you the best horse, and you can choose him yourself; but if you do not keep the mare safe you shall lose your head.’

      Then she led him into the courtyard, where all around stakes were ranged. Each of them had on it a man’s head, except one stake, which had no head on it, and shouted incessantly, ‘Oh, grandmother, give me a head!’ The old woman showed all this to the prince, and said, ‘Look here! all these were heads of those who tried to keep my mare, and they have lost their heads for their pains!’

      But the prince was not a bit afraid, so he stayed to serve the old woman. When the evening came he mounted the mare and rode her into the field, and the foal followed. He sat still on her back, having made up his mind not to dismount, that he might be sure of her. But before midnight he slumbered a little, and when he awoke he found himself sitting on a rail and holding the bridle in his hand. Then СКАЧАТЬ