HOW SIX MEN TRAVELLED THROUGH THE WIDE WORLD

Edition and rights: Original English text from Project Gutenberg ebook #640, marked public domain in the USA. The literary text below is reproduced without AI rewriting.

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There was once upon a time a man who understood all sorts of arts; he
served in the war, and bore himself bravely and well; but when the war was
over, he got his discharge, and set out on his travels with three
farthings of his pay in his pocket. ‘Wait,’ he said; ‘that does not please
me; only let me find the right people, and the King shall yet give me all
the treasures of his kingdom.’ He strode angrily into the forest, and
there he saw a man standing who had uprooted six trees as if they were
straws. He said to him, ‘Will you be my servant and travel with me?’

‘Yes,’ he answered; ‘but first of all I will take this little bundle of
sticks home to my mother,’ and he took one of the trees and wound it round
the other five, raised the bundle on his shoulders and bore it off. Then
he came back and went with his master, who said, ‘We two ought to be able
to travel through the wide world!’ And when they had gone a little way
they came upon a hunter, who was on his knees, his gun on his shoulder,
aiming at something. The master said to him, ‘Hunter, what are you aiming
at?’

He answered, ‘Two miles from this place sits a fly on a branch of an oak;
I want to shoot out its left eye.’

‘Oh, go with me,’ said the man; ‘if we three are together we shall easily
travel through the wide world.’

The hunter agreed and went with him, and they came to seven windmills
whose sails were going round quite fast, and yet there was not a breath of
wind, nor was a leaf moving. The man said, ‘I don’t know what is turning
those windmills; there is not the slightest breeze blowing.’ So he walked
on with his servants, and when they had gone two miles they saw a man
sitting on a tree, holding one of his nostrils and blowing out of the
other.

‘Fellow, what are you puffing at up there?’ asked the man.

He replied, ‘Two miles from this place are standing seven windmills; see,
I am blowing to drive them round.’

‘Oh, go with me,’ said the man; ‘if we four are together we shall easily
travel through the wide world.’

So the blower got down and went with him, and after a time they saw a man
who was standing on one leg, and had unstrapped the other and laid it near
him. Then said the master, ‘You have made yourself very comfortable to
rest!’

‘I am a runner,’ answered he; ‘and so that I shall not go too quickly, I
have unstrapped one leg; when I run with two legs, I go faster than a bird
flies.’

‘Oh, go with me; if we five are together, we shall easily travel through
the wide world.’ So he went with him, and, not long afterwards, they met a
man who wore a little hat, but he had it slouched over one ear.

‘Manners, manners!’ said the master to him; ‘don’t hang your hat over one
ear; you look like a madman!’

‘I dare not,’ said the other, ‘for if I were to put my hat on straight,
there would come such a frost that the very birds in the sky would freeze
and fall dead on the earth.’

‘Oh, go with me,’ said the master; ‘if we six are together, we shall
easily travel through the wide world.

Now the Six came to a town in which the King had proclaimed that whoever
should run with his daughter in a race, and win, should become her
husband; but if he lost, he must lose his head. This was reported to the
man who declared he would compete, ‘but,’ he said, ‘I shall let my servant
run for me.’

The King replied, ‘Then both your heads must be staked, and your head and
his must be guaranteed for the winner.’

When this was agreed upon and settled, the man strapped on the runner’s
other leg, saying to him, ‘Now be nimble, and see that we win!’ It was
arranged that whoever should first bring water out of a stream a long way
off, should be the victor. Then the runner got a pitcher, and the King’s
daughter another, and they began to run at the same time; but in a moment,
when the King’s daughter was only just a little way off, no spectator
could see the runner, and it seemed as if the wind had whistled past. In a
short time he reached the stream, filled his pitcher with water, and
turned round again. But, half way home, a great drowsiness came over him;
he put down his pitcher, lay down, and fell asleep. He had, however, put a
horse’s skull which was lying on the ground, for his pillow, so that he
should not be too comfortable and might soon wake up.

In the meantime the King’s daughter, who could also run well, as well as
an ordinary man could, reached the stream, and hastened back with her
pitcher full of water. When she saw the runner lying there asleep, she was
delighted, and said, ‘My enemy is given into my hands!’ She emptied his
pitcher and ran on.

Everything now would have been lost, if by good luck the hunter had not
been standing on the castle tower and had seen everything with his sharp
eyes.

‘Ah,’ said he, ‘the King’s daughter shall not overreach us;’ and, loading
his gun, he shot so cleverly, that he shot away the horse’s skull from
under the runner’s head, without its hurting him. Then the runner awoke,
jumped up, and saw that his pitcher was empty and the King’s daughter far
ahead. But he did not lose courage, and ran back to the stream with his
pitcher, filled it once more with water, and was home ten minutes before
the King’s daughter arrived.

‘Look,’ said he, ‘I have only just exercised my legs; that was nothing of
a run.’

But the King was angry, and his daughter even more so, that she should be
carried away by a common, discharged soldier. They consulted together how
they could destroy both him and his companions.

‘Then,’ said the King to her, ‘I have found a way. Don’t be frightened;
they shall not come home again.’ He said to them, ‘You must now make merry
together, and eat and drink,’ and he led them into a room which had a
floor of iron; the doors were also of iron, and the windows were barred
with iron. In the room was a table spread with delicious food. The King
said to them, ‘Go in and enjoy yourselves,’ and as soon as they were
inside he had the doors shut and bolted. Then he made the cook come, and
ordered him to keep up a large fire under the room until the iron was
red-hot. The cook did so, and the Six sitting round the table felt it grow
very warm, and they thought this was because of their good fare; but when
the heat became still greater and they wanted to go out, but found the
doors and windows fastened, then they knew that the King meant them harm
and was trying to suffocate them.

‘But he shall not succeed,’ cried he of the little hat, ‘I will make a
frost come which shall make the fire ashamed and die out!’ So he put his
hat on straight, and at once there came such a frost that all the heat
disappeared and the food on the dishes began to freeze. When a couple of
hours had passed, and the King thought they must be quite dead from the
heat, he had the doors opened and went in himself to see.

But when the doors were opened, there stood all Six, alive and well,
saying they were glad they could come out to warm themselves, for the
great cold in the room had frozen all the food hard in the dishes. Then
the King went angrily to the cook, and scolded him, and asked him why he
had not done what he was told.

But the cook answered, ‘There is heat enough there; see for yourself.’
Then the King saw a huge fire burning under the iron room, and understood
that he could do no harm to the Six in this way. The King now began again
to think how he could free himself from his unwelcome guests. He commanded
the master to come before him, and said, ‘If you will take gold, and give
up your right to my daughter, you shall have as much as you like.’

‘Oh, yes, your Majesty,’ answered he, ‘give me as much as my servant can
carry, and I will give up your daughter.’

The King was delighted, and the man said, ‘I will come and fetch it in
fourteen days.’

Then he called all the tailors in the kingdom together, and made them sit
down for fourteen days sewing at a sack. When it was finished, he made the
strong man who had uprooted the trees take the sack on his shoulder and go
with him to the King. Then the King said, ‘What a powerful fellow that is,
carrying that bale of linen as large as a house on his shoulder!’ and he
was much frightened, and thought ‘What a lot of gold he will make away
with!’ Then he had a ton of gold brought, which sixteen of the strongest
men had to carry; but the strong man seized it with one hand, put it in
the sack, saying, ‘Why don’t you bring me more? That scarcely covers the
bottom!’ Then the King had to send again and again to fetch his treasures,
which the strong man shoved into the sack, and the sack was only half
full.

‘Bring more,’ he cried, ‘these crumbs don’t fill it.’ So seven thousand
waggons of the gold of the whole kingdom were driven up; these the strong
man shoved into the sack, oxen and all.

‘I will no longer be particular,’ he said, ‘and will take what comes, so
that the sack shall be full.’

When everything was put in and there was not yet enough, he said, ‘I will
make an end of this; it is easy to fasten a sack when it is not full.’
Then he threw it on his back and went with his companions.

Now, when the King saw how a single man was carrying away the wealth of
the whole country he was very angry, and made his cavalry mount and pursue
the Six, and bring back the strong man with the sack. Two regiments soon
overtook them, and called to them, ‘You are prisoners! lay down the sack
of gold or you shall be cut down.’

‘What do you say?’ said the blower, ‘we are prisoners? Before that, you
shall dance in the air!’ And he held one nostril and blew with the other
at the two regiments; they were separated and blown away in the blue sky
over the mountains, one this way, and the other that. A sergeant-major
cried for mercy, saying he had nine wounds, and was a brave fellow, and
did not deserve this disgrace. So the blower let him off, and he came down
without hurt. Then he said to him, ‘Now go home to the King, and say that
if he sends any more cavalry I will blow them all into the air.’

When the King received the message, he said, ‘Let the fellows go; they are
bewitched.’ Then the Six brought the treasure home, shared it among
themselves, and lived contentedly till the end of their days.

THE WIZARD KING(14)

(14) From Les fees illustres.

In very ancient times there lived a King, whose power lay not only in the
vast extent of his dominions, but also in the magic secrets of which he
was master. After spending the greater part of his early youth in
pleasure, he met a Princess of such remarkable beauty that he at once
asked her hand in marriage, and, having obtained it, considered himself
the happiest of men.

After a year’s time a son was born, worthy in every way of such
distinguished parents, and much admired by the whole Court. As soon as the
Queen thought him strong enough for a journey she set out with him
secretly to visit her Fairy godmother. I said secretly, because the Fairy
had warned the Queen that the King was a magician; and as from time
immemorial there had been a standing feud between the Fairies and the
Wizards, he might not have approved of his wife’s visit.

The Fairy godmother, who took the deepest interest in all the Queen’s
concerns, and who was much pleased with the little Prince, endowed him
with the power of pleasing everybody from his cradle, as well as with a
wonderful ease in learning everything which could help to make him a
perfectly accomplished Prince. Accordingly, to the delight of his
teachers, he made the most rapid progress in his education, constantly
surpassing everyone’s expectations. Before he was many years old, however,
he had the great sorrow of losing his mother, whose last words were to
advise him never to undertake anything of importance without consulting
the Fairy under whose protection she had placed him.

The Prince’s grief at the death of his mother was great, but it was
nothing compared to that of the King, his father, who was quite
inconsolable for the loss of his dear wife. Neither time nor reason seemed
to lighten his sorrow, and the sight of all the familiar faces and things
about him only served to remind him of his loss. He therefore resolved to
travel for change, and by means of his magic art was able to visit every
country he came to see under different shapes, returning every few weeks
to the place where he had left a few followers.

Having travelled from land to land in this fashion without finding
anything to rivet his attention, it occurred to him to take the form of an
eagle, and in this shape he flew across many countries and arrived at
length in a new and lovely spot, where the air seemed filled with the
scent of jessamine and orange flowers with which the ground was thickly
planted. Attracted by the sweet perfume he flew lower, and perceived some
large and beautiful gardens filled with the rarest flowers, and with
fountains throwing up their clear waters into the air in a hundred
different shapes. A wide stream flowed through the garden, and on it
floated richly ornamented barges and gondolas filled with people dressed
in the most elegant manner and covered with jewels.

In one of these barges sat the Queen of that country with her only
daughter, a maiden more beautiful than the Day Star, and attended by the
ladies of the Court. No more exquisitely lovely mortal was ever seen than
this Princess, and it needed all an eagle’s strength of sight to prevent
the King being hopelessly dazzled. He perched on the top of a large orange
tree, whence he was able to survey the scene and to gaze at pleasure on
the Princess’s charms.

Now, an eagle with a King’s heart in his breast is apt to be bold, and
accordingly he instantly made up his mind to carry off the lovely damsel,
feeling sure that having once seen her he could not live without her.

He waited till he saw her in the act of stepping ashore, when, suddenly
swooping down, he carried her off before her equerry in attendance had
advanced to offer her his hand. The Princess, on finding herself in an
eagle’s talons, uttered the most heart-breaking shrieks and cries; but her
captor, though touched by her distress, would not abandon his lovely prey,
and continued to fly through the air too fast to allow of his saying
anything to comfort her.

At length, when he thought they had reached a safe distance, he began to
lower his flight, and gradually descending to earth, deposited his burden
in a flowery meadow. He then entreated her pardon for his violence, and
told her that he was about to carry her to a great kingdom over which he
ruled, and where he desired she should rule with him, adding many tender
and consoling expressions.

For some time the Princess remained speechless; but recovering herself a
little, she burst into a flood of tears. The King, much moved, said,
‘Adorable Princess, dry your tears. I implore you. My only wish is to make
you the happiest person in the world.’

‘If you speak truth, my lord,’ replied the Princess, ‘restore to me the
liberty you have deprived me of. Otherwise I can only look on you as my
worst enemy.’

The King retorted that her opposition filled him with despair, but that he
hoped to carry her to a place where all around would respect her, and
where every pleasure would surround her. So saying, he seized her once
more, and in spite of all her cries he rapidly bore her off to the
neighbourhood of his capital. Here he gently placed her on a lawn, and as
he did so she saw a magnificent palace spring up at her feet. The
architecture was imposing, and in the interior the rooms were handsome and
furnished in the best possible taste.

The Princess, who expected to be quite alone, was pleased at finding
herself surrounded by a number of pretty girls, all anxious to wait on
her, whilst a brilliantly-coloured parrot said the most agreeable things
in the world.

On arriving at this palace the King had resumed his own form, and though
no longer young, he might well have pleased any other than this Princess,
who had been so prejudiced against him by his violence that she could only
regard him with feelings of hatred, which she was at no pains to conceal.
The King hoped, however, that time might not only soften her anger, but
accustom her to his sight. He took the precaution of surrounding the
palace with a dense cloud, and then hastened to his Court, where his
prolonged absence was causing much anxiety.

The Prince and all the courtiers were delighted to see their beloved King
again, but they had to submit themselves to more frequent absences than
ever on his part. He made business a pretext for shutting himself up in
his study, but it was really in order to spend the time with the Princess,
who remained inflexible.

Not being able to imagine what could be the cause of so much obstinacy the
King began to fear, lest, in spite of all his precautions, she might have
heard of the charms of the Prince his son, whose goodness, youth and
beauty, made him adored at Court. This idea made him horribly uneasy, and
he resolved to remove the cause of his fears by sending the Prince on his
travels escorted by a magnificent retinue.

The Prince, after visiting several Courts, arrived at the one where the
lost Princess was still deeply mourned. The King and Queen received him
most graciously, and some festivities were revived to do him honour.

One day when the Prince was visiting the Queen in her own apartments he
was much struck by a most beautiful portrait. He eagerly inquired whose it
was, and the Queen, with many tears, told him it was all that was left her
of her beloved daughter, who had suddenly been carried off, she knew
neither where nor how.

The Prince was deeply moved, and vowed that he would search the world for
the Princess, and take no rest till he had found and restored her to her
mother’s arms. The Queen assured him of her eternal gratitude, and
promised, should he succeed, to give him her daughter in marriage,
together with all the estates she herself owned.

The Prince, far more attracted by the thoughts of possessing the Princess
than her promised dower, set forth in his quest after taking leave of the
King and Queen, the latter giving him a miniature of her daughter which
she was in the habit of wearing. His first act was to seek the Fairy under
whose protection he had been placed, and he implored her to give him all
the assistance of her art and counsel in this important matter.

After listening attentively to the whole adventure, the Fairy asked for
time to consult her books. After due consideration she informed the Prince
that the object of his search was not far distant, but that it was too
difficult for him to attempt to enter the enchanted palace where she was,
as the King his father had surrounded it with a thick cloud, and that the
only expedient she could think of would be to gain possession of the
Princess’s parrot. This, she added, did not appear impossible, as it often
flew about to some distance in the neighbourhood.

Having told the Prince all this, the Fairy went out in hopes of seeing the
parrot, and soon returned with the bird in her hand. She promptly shut it
up in a cage, and, touching the Prince with her wand, transformed him into
an exactly similar parrot; after which, she instructed him how to reach
the Princess.

The Prince reached the palace in safety, but was so dazzled at first by
the Princess’s beauty, which far surpassed his expectations, that he was
quite dumb for a time. The Princess was surprised and anxious, and fearing
the parrot, who was her greatest comfort, had fallen ill, she took him in
her hand and caressed him. This soon reassured the Prince, and encouraged
him to play his part well, and he began to say a thousand agreeable things
which charmed the Princess.

Presently the King appeared, and the parrot noticed with joy how much he
was disliked. As soon as the King left, the Princess retired to her
dressing-room, the parrot flew after her and overheard her lamentations at
the continued persecutions of the King, who had pressed her to consent to
their marriage. The parrot said so many clever and tender things to
comfort her that she began to doubt whether this could indeed be her own
parrot.

When he saw her well-disposed towards him, he exclaimed: ‘Madam, I have a
most important secret to confide to you, and I beg you not to be alarmed
by what I am about to say. I am here on behalf of the Queen your mother,
with the object of delivering your Highness; to prove which, behold this
portrait which she gave me herself.’ So saying he drew forth the miniature
from under his wing. The Princess’s surprise was great, but after what she
had seen and heard it was impossible not to indulge in hope, for she had
recognised the likeness of herself which her mother always wore.

The parrot, finding she was not much alarmed, told her who he was, all
that her mother had promised him and the help he had already received from
a Fairy who had assured him that she would give him means to transport the
Princess to her mother’s arms.

When he found her listening attentively to him, he implored the Princess
to allow him to resume his natural shape. She did not speak, so he drew a
feather from his wing, and she beheld before her a Prince of such
surpassing beauty that it was impossible not to hope that she might owe
her liberty to so charming a person.

Meantime the Fairy had prepared a chariot, to which she harnessed two
powerful eagles; then placing the cage, with the parrot in it, she charged
the bird to conduct it to the window of the Princess’s dressing-room. This
was done in a few minutes, and the Princess, stepping into the chariot
with the Prince, was delighted to find her parrot again.

As they rose through the air the Princess remarked a figure mounted on an
eagle’s back flying in front of the chariot. She was rather alarmed, but
the Prince reassured her, telling her it was the good Fairy to whom she
owed so much, and who was now conducting her in safety to her mother.

That same morning the King woke suddenly from a troubled sleep. He had
dreamt that the Princess was being carried off from him, and, transforming
himself into an eagle, he flew to the palace. When he failed to find her
he flew into a terrible rage, and hastened home to consult his books, by
which means he discovered that it was his son who had deprived him of this
precious treasure. Immediately he took the shape of a harpy, and, filled
with rage, was determined to devour his son, and even the Princess too, if
only he could overtake them.

He set out at full speed; but he started too late, and was further delayed
by a strong wind which the Fairy raised behind the young couple so as to
baffle any pursuit.

You may imagine the rapture with which the Queen received the daughter she
had given up for lost, as well as the amiable Prince who had rescued her.
The Fairy entered with them, and warned the Queen that the Wizard King
would shortly arrive, infuriated by his loss, and that nothing could
preserve the Prince and Princess from his rage and magic unless they were
actually married.

The Queen hastened to inform the King her husband, and the wedding took
place on the spot.

As the ceremony was completed the Wizard King arrived. His despair at
being so late bewildered him so entirely that he appeared in his natural
form and attempted to sprinkle some black liquid over the bride and
bridegroom, which was intended to kill them, but the Fairy stretched out
her wand and the liquid dropped on the Magician himself. He fell down
senseless, and the Princess’s father, deeply offended at the cruel revenge
which had been attempted, ordered him to be removed and locked up in
prison.

Now as magicians lose all their power as soon as they are in prison, the
King felt himself much embarrassed at being thus at the mercy of those he
had so greatly offended. The Prince implored and obtained his father’s
pardon, and the prison doors were opened.

No sooner was this done than the Wizard King was seen in the air under the
form of some unknown bird, exclaiming as he flew off that he would never
forgive either his son or the Fairy the cruel wrong they had done him.

Everyone entreated the Fairy to settle in the kingdom where she now was,
to which she consented. She built herself a magnificent palace, to which
she transported her books and fairy secrets, and where she enjoyed the
sight of the perfect happiness she had helped to bestow on the entire
royal family.

THE NIXY(15)

(15) From the German. Kletke.

There was once upon a time a miller who was very well off, and had as much
money and as many goods as he knew what to do with. But sorrow comes in
the night, and the miller all of a sudden became so poor that at last he
could hardly call the mill in which he sat his own. He wandered about all
day full of despair and misery, and when he lay down at night he could get
no rest, but lay awake all night sunk in sorrowful thoughts.

One morning he rose up before dawn and went outside, for he thought his
heart would be lighter in the open air. As he wandered up and down on the
banks of the mill-pond he heard a rustling in the water, and when he
looked near he saw a white woman rising up from the waves.

He realised at once that this could be none other than the nixy of the
mill-pond, and in his terror he didn’t know if he should fly away or
remain where he was. While he hesitated the nixy spoke, called him by his
name, and asked him why he was so sad.

When the miller heard how friendly her tone was, he plucked up heart and
told her how rich and prosperous he had been all his life up till now,
when he didn’t know what he was to do for want and misery.

Then the nixy spoke comforting words to him, and promised that she would
make him richer and more prosperous than he had ever been in his life
before, if he would give her in return the youngest thing in his house.

The miller thought she must mean one of his puppies or kittens, so
promised the nixy at once what she asked, and returned to his mill full of
hope. On the threshold he was greeted by a servant with the news that his
wife had just given birth to a boy.

The poor miller was much horrified by these tidings, and went in to his
wife with a heavy heart to tell her and his relations of the fatal bargain
he had just struck with the nixy. ‘I would gladly give up all the good
fortune she promised me,’ he said, ‘if I could only save my child.’ But no
one could think of any advice to give him, beyond taking care that the
child never went near the mill-pond.

So the boy throve and grew big, and in the meantime all prospered with the
miller, and in a few years he was richer than he had ever been before. But
all the same he did not enjoy his good fortune, for he could not forget
his compact with the nixy, and he knew that sooner or later she would
demand his fulfilment of it. But year after year went by, and the boy grew
up and became a great hunter, and the lord of the land took him into his
service, for he was as smart and bold a hunter as you would wish to see.
In a short time he married a pretty young wife, and lived with her in
great peace and happiness.

One day when he was out hunting a hare sprang up at his feet, and ran for
some way in front of him in the open field. The hunter pursued it hotly
for some time, and at last shot it dead. Then he proceeded to skin it,
never noticing that he was close to the mill-pond, which from childhood up
he had been taught to avoid. He soon finished the skinning, and went to
the water to wash the blood off his hands. He had hardly dipped them in
the pond when the nixy rose up in the water, and seizing him in her wet
arms she dragged him down with her under the waves.

When the hunter did not come home in the evening his wife grew very
anxious, and when his game bag was found close to the mill-pond she
guessed at once what had befallen him. She was nearly beside herself with
grief, and roamed round and round the pond calling on her husband without
ceasing. At last, worn out with sorrow and fatigue, she fell asleep and
dreamt that she was wandering along a flowery meadow, when she came to a
hut where she found an old witch, who promised to restore her husband to
her.

When she awoke next morning she determined to set out and find the witch;
so she wandered on for many a day, and at last she reached the flowery
meadow and found the hut where the old witch lived. The poor wife told her
all that had happened and how she had been told in a dream of the witch’s
power to help her.

The witch counselled her to go to the pond the first time there was a full
moon, and to comb her black hair with a golden comb, and then to place the
comb on the bank. The hunter’s wife gave the witch a handsome present,
thanked her heartily, and returned home.

Time dragged heavily till the time of the full moon, but it passed at
last, and as soon as it rose the young wife went to the pond, combed her
black hair with a golden comb, and when she had finished, placed the comb
on the bank; then she watched the water impatiently. Soon she heard a
rushing sound, and a big wave rose suddenly and swept the comb off the
bank, and a minute after the head of her husband rose from the pond and
gazed sadly at her. But immediately another wave came, and the head sank
back into the water without having said a word. The pond lay still and
motionless, glittering in the moonshine, and the hunter’s wife was not a
bit better off than she had been before.

In despair she wandered about for days and nights, and at last, worn out
by fatigue, she sank once more into a deep sleep, and dreamt exactly the
same dream about the old witch. So next morning she went again to the
flowery meadow and sought the witch in her hut, and told her of her grief.
The old woman counselled her to go to the mill-pond the next full moon and
play upon a golden flute, and then to lay the flute on the bank.

As soon as the next moon was full the hunter’s wife went to the mill-pond,
played on a golden flute, and when she had finished placed it on the bank.
Then a rushing sound was heard, and a wave swept the flute off the bank,
and soon the head of the hunter appeared and rose up higher and higher
till he was half out of the water. Then he gazed sadly at his wife and
stretched out his arms towards her. But another rushing wave arose and
dragged him under once more. The hunter’s wife, who had stood on the bank
full of joy and hope, sank into despair when she saw her husband snatched
away again before her eyes.

But for her comfort she dreamt the same dream a third time, and betook
herself once more to the old witch’s hut in the flowery meadow. This time
the old woman told her to go the next full moon to the mill-pond, and to
spin there with a golden spinning-wheel, and then to leave the
spinning-wheel on the bank.

The hunter’s wife did as she was advised, and the first night the moon was
full she sat and spun with a golden spinning-wheel, and then left the
wheel on the bank. In a few minutes a rushing sound was heard in the
waters, and a wave swept the spinning-wheel from the bank. Immediately the
head of the hunter rose up from the pond, getting higher and higher each
moment, till at length he stepped on to the bank and fell on his wife’s
neck.

But the waters of the pond rose up suddenly, overflowed the bank where the
couple stood, and dragged them under the flood. In her despair the young
wife called on the old witch to help her, and in a moment the hunter was
turned into a frog and his wife into a toad. But they were not able to
remain together, for the water tore them apart, and when the flood was
over they both resumed their own shapes again, but the hunter and the
hunter’s wife found themselves each in a strange country, and neither knew
what had become of the other.

The hunter determined to become a shepherd, and his wife too became a
shepherdess. So they herded their sheep for many years in solitude and
sadness.

Now it happened once that the shepherd came to the country where the
shepherdess lived. The neighbourhood pleased him, and he saw that the
pasture was rich and suitable for his flocks. So he brought his sheep
there, and herded them as before. The shepherd and shepherdess became
great friends, but they did not recognise each other in the least.

But one evening when the moon was full they sat together watching their
flocks, and the shepherd played upon his flute. Then the shepherdess
thought of that evening when she had sat at the full moon by the mill-pond
and had played on the golden flute; the recollection was too much for her,
and she burst into tears. The shepherd asked her why she was crying, and
left her no peace till she told him all her story. Then the scales fell
from the shepherd’s eyes, and he recognised his wife, and she him. So they
returned joyfully to their own home, and lived in peace and happiness ever
after.