58 lines
3.5 KiB
Text
58 lines
3.5 KiB
Text
The Three Black Princesses
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East India was besieged by an enemy who would not retire until he had
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received six hundred dollars. Then the townsfolk caused it to be
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proclaimed by beat of drum that whosoever was able to procure the money
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should be burgomaster. Now there was a poor fisherman who fished on the
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lake with his son, and the enemy came and took the son prisoner, and
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gave the father six hundred dollars for him. So the father went and
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gave them to the great men of the town, and the enemy departed, and the
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fisherman became burgomaster. Then it was proclaimed that whosoever did
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not say, "Mr. Burgomaster," should be put to death on the gallows.
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The son got away again from the enemy, and came to a great forest on a
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high mountain. The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted
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castle, wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black.
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Then came three young princesses who were entirely dressed in black,
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but had a little white on their faces; they told him he was not to be
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afraid, they would not hurt him, and that he could deliver them. He
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said he would gladly do that, if he did but know how. At this, they
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told him he must for a whole year not speak to them and also not look
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at them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and if they
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dared give him an answer they would do so. When he had been there for a
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long while he said he should like to go to his father, and they told
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him he might go. He was to take with him this purse with money, put on
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this coat, and in a week he must be back there again.
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Then he was caught up, and was instantly in East India. He could no
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longer find his father in the fisherman's hut, and asked the people
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where the poor fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say
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that, or he would come to the gallows. Then he went to his father and
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said, "Fisherman, how hast thou got here?" Then the father said, "Thou
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must not say that, if the great men of the town knew of that, thou
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wouldst come to the gallows." He, however, would not stop, and was
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brought to the gallows. When he was there, he said, "O, my masters,
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just give me leave to go to the old fisherman's hut." Then he put on
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his old smock-frock, and came back to the great men, and said, "Do ye
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not now see? Am I not the son of the poor fisherman? Did I not earn
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bread for my father and mother in this dress?" Hereupon his father knew
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him again, and begged his pardon, and took him home with him, and then
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he related all that had happened to him, and how he had got into a
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forest on a high mountain, and the mountain had opened and he had gone
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into an enchanted castle, where all was black, and three young
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princesses had come to him who were black except a little white on
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their faces. And they had told him not to fear, and that he could
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deliver them. Then his mother said that might very likely not be a good
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thing to do, and that he ought to take a holy-water vessel with him,
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and drop some boiling water on their faces.
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He went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the water
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on their faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white.
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Then all the three princesses sprang up, and said, "Thou accursed dog,
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our blood shall cry for vengeance on thee! Now there is no man born in
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the world, nor will any ever be born who can set us free! We have still
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three brothers who are bound by seven chains they shall tear thee to
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pieces." Then there was a loud shrieking all over the castle, and he
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sprang out of the window, and broke his leg, and the castle sank into
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the earth again, the mountain shut to again, and no one knew where the
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castle had stood.
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