Fairy Tales From all Nations Part 15

THE TWELVE LOST PRINCESSES AND THE WIZARD KING.

[African.]

Once upon a time there lived a king who had twelve daughters, whom he loved so tenderly that he could not bear that they should be out of his presence, except when he was sleeping in the afternoon, and then they always took a walk. On one occasion, it happened that whilst the king was enjoying his afternoon's nap, the princesses went out as usual, but they did not return home. This threw all the inhabitants of the country into the greatest trouble and affliction, but the king was still more grieved than any of his subjects. He sent messengers to every corner of his kingdom, and into all the foreign lands he had ever heard mentioned, causing search to be made for his daughters; but no tidings could he get of them.

So, after a time, it became quite clear to everybody that they had been carried off by some wizard. The report of this soon spread from city to city, and from country to country, till at last it reached the ears of another king, who lived far, far away, and this king happened to have twelve sons. When the twelve princes heard the marvellous tale about the twelve princesses, they begged their father to permit them to travel in search of the missing royal maidens. The old king, however, for a long time would not hear of any such thing, for he feared that he might never see his sons again; but they threw themselves at his feet, and besought him so long and earnestly that at last he yielded, and gave them leave to set out on their travels. He caused a vessel to be equipped for them, and gave the charge of it to one of his courtiers, called Commander Rod. Long, long did they sail, and whenever they touched on the coast of any country, they made every inquiry about the princesses, but could not discover the least trace of them.

They had nearly completed the seventh year since they first set sail, when a violent storm arose. It blew such a gale that they thought they never should reach the sh.o.r.e; but on the third day the tempest subsided, and suddenly it became quite calm. All on board were now so fatigued by the hard work they had done during the tempest that they all went to sleep at once, excepting only the youngest prince, who became very restless, and could not sleep at all. Now whilst he was pacing the deck, the vessel neared an island, and on the sh.o.r.e was a little dog running backwards and forwards, and howling and barking towards the ship as if it wanted to be taken on board. The king's son whistled to it, and tried to entice it to him, but it seemed afraid to leave the sh.o.r.e, and only barked and howled louder still. The prince thought it would be a sin to leave the poor dog to perish, for he supposed it had escaped there from some ship that had foundered during the storm. He therefore set to work to lower the boat, and after having rowed to the sh.o.r.e, he went towards the little dog, but whenever he was about to lay hold of it, it sprang from him, and so lured him onward, till at last he found himself unexpectedly in the court of a great and magnificent castle, when the little dog suddenly changed into a beautiful princess.

The prince then noticed, sitting on the beach, a man so gigantic and frightful that he was quite alarmed. "You have no cause for uneasiness," said the man; but when the prince heard his voice he was more frightened still.

"I know very well what you want; you are one of the twelve princes who are in search of the twelve lost princesses. I know also where they are. They are beside my master, each sitting on her own chair, and combing the hair of one of his heads, for he has twelve. You have now been sailing about for seven years, and you have to sail for seven years more before you will find them. As to what concerns yourself, individually, you should be welcome to remain here and marry my daughter, but you must first kill my master, for he is very harsh to us, and we have long been quite tired of him: and when he is dead I shall be king in his place. Try now if you can wield this sword," said the wizard, for such he was.

The prince tried to grasp a rusty sword which hung against the wall, but could not stir it from the spot.

"Well, then you must take a draught out of this flask," said the wizard.

The prince did so, and was then able to unhang the sword from the wall; after a second draught he could raise it, and the third enabled him to wield it with as much ease as his own.

"When you return on board the vessel," said the wizard prince, "you must conceal the sword in your hammock, so that Commander Rod may not see it. He cannot wield it, I know, but he will hate you on that account, and try to kill you. When seven more years all but three days shall have pa.s.sed away," he continued, "the same that has befallen you now will again occur: a violent gale will arise, with storm and hail, and when it is over, all will be again fatigued, and lie down in their hammocks. You must then take the sword, and row to land. You will arrive at a castle guarded by wolves, bears, and lions, but you need not fear them; they will crawl at your feet. As soon as you enter the castle, you will see the giant sitting in a splendidly adorned chamber, and a princess will be seated on her own chair, beside one of his twelve heads. As soon as you see him you must with all speed cut off one head after the other, before he awakes, for should he do that, he will eat you alive."

The prince returned to the ship with the sword, and did not forget what the wizard had told him. The others were still lying sound asleep, so he concealed the sword in his hammock without Commander Rod or any of the others perceiving it. A breeze now sprang up, and the prince awakened the crew, and told them that with such a fair wind they must no longer lie sleeping there. Time wore on, and the prince was for ever thinking of the adventure that awaited him, and much doubted that it would have a fortunate issue.

At last, when seven years all but three days were over, everything happened just as the wizard had foretold. A fierce tempest arose, and lasted three days, and when it was over the whole crew were fatigued, and lay down to sleep in their hammocks. The youngest prince, however, then rowed to the sh.o.r.e, and there he found the castle, guarded by wolves, bears, and lions, who all crawled at his feet, so that he entered without opposition. In one of the apartments sat the king, asleep, and the twelve princesses sat each on her chair, employed as the wizard had said. The prince made signs to them that they should retire; they however pointed to the wizard, and signed to him in return that he had better quickly withdraw. But he tried to make them understand, by looks and gestures, that he was come to deliver them, and when, at length, they understood his design, they stole softly away one after the other. Then the prince rushed on the wizard king, and cut off his heads, so that the blood flowed like a great river, and when he had convinced himself that the wizard was dead, he rowed back to the vessel, and again concealed the sword. He thought he had now done enough unaided, and as he could not carry the giant's corpse out of the castle without a.s.sistance, he resolved that the others should help him. He therefore awakened them, and told them it was a shame that they should lie sleeping there, whilst he had found the princesses, and delivered them out of the wizard's power. They all laughed at him, and said he must have been asleep too, and had only dreamt that he had become such a hero; for it was far more likely that one of themselves should deliver the princesses than such a youth as he.

Then the prince told them all that had happened, so they consented to row to the land, and when they beheld the river of blood, and the wizard's castle, and his twelve heads lying there, and saw also the twelve princesses, they were convinced that he had spoken the truth, and so a.s.sisted him in throwing the heads and the corpse of the wizard into the sea. They were now all right merry and pleased, but none were better pleased than the princesses to be delivered from the task of sitting all day beside the giant, combing his twelve heads.

The princes and princesses, after they had collected as much of the gold and silver, and as many of the costly articles in the castle as they could carry, returned to the vessel, and again set sail. They had not gone far, however, when the princesses recollected that, in their joy, they had omitted to bring away with them their golden crowns, which were in a great chest, and these they very much desired to have with them. As no one else seemed inclined to go back for them, the youngest of the king's sons said: "Since I have already dared to do so much, I may as well also fetch the golden crowns, if you will take in the sails and wait my return."

Yes, they were willing to do that; they would lower the sails and wait till he returned. But the prince was no sooner out of sight of the vessel than Commander Rod, who wished to play the princ.i.p.al part, and to marry the youngest princess, said: "It was no use for us to stay here waiting for the prince, who, we may be sure, will not come back; besides," added he, "you know full well that the king has given to me full power to sail when and where I think proper;" then he insisted further that they should all say that it was he who had set the princesses free: and if any one of them should dare to say otherwise it should cost him his life. The princes were afraid to contradict him, so they sailed away. Meanwhile the younger prince had rowed to the sh.o.r.e, and soon found in the castle the chest containing the golden crowns, and after a great deal of trouble and fatigue, for it was very heavy, he succeeded in heaving it into the boat. But when he got out into the open sea, the ship was no longer in sight. He looked north, south, east, and west, but no trace could he discover of it, and he quickly guessed what had occurred. He knew that to row after it would be quite useless, so he had only to turn back and row again to the sh.o.r.e. It is true that he was rather alarmed at the idea of pa.s.sing the night all alone in the castle, but there was no avoiding it; so he screwed up his courage as well as he could, locked all the gates and doors, and lay down to sleep in a bed which he found ready prepared in one of the apartments. But he felt very uneasy, and became much more terrified, on presently hearing in the roof over his head, and along the walls, a creaking and cracking, as if the castle were about to split asunder; and then came a great rustling close to his bed, like a whole haystack falling down. However, he was in some degree comforted when he immediately after the noise heard a voice bidding him not to be alarmed.

"Fear not, fear not, thy friend I am; I am the wondrous bird called Dam.

When thou'rt in trouble call on me: I shall be near to succour thee,"

said the voice, and then added: "As soon as you wake to-morrow morning, you must go directly to the Stabur[4], and fetch me four bushels of rye for my breakfast; I must have a good meal, otherwise I can do nothing for you."

[Footnote 4: A building used as a kind of store-room or larder, and supported on short pillars or posts, so as not to allow it to touch the ground.]

When the prince awoke in the morning, he saw by his bed-side a terribly large bird, who had a feather at the back of his head as long as a half-grown fir tree. The prince immediately went to the Stabur and brought thence four bushels of rye, as the wondrous bird Dam had commanded, who, as soon as he had taken his breakfast, desired the prince to hang the chest containing the golden crowns on one side of his neck, and as much gold and silver as would balance it on the other, and then to get upon his back and hold fast by the long feather. The prince obeyed and off they went, whizzing through the air at such a rate, that in a very short time they found themselves exactly above the ship. The prince then wished to go on board, that he might get the sword which the wizard had given him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TWELVE LOST PRINCESSES AND THE WIZARD KING. P.

259.]

But the wondrous bird Dam told him that he must not do so: "Commander Rod," added he, "will not discover it; but if you go on board he will try to kill you, for he very much wishes to marry the youngest princess; but make yourself easy about her, for every night she places a drawn sword on the bed by her side."

At last they reached the castle of the wizard prince, who gave the young prince a hearty welcome. He seemed as if he could not make enough of him, for having killed his sovereign, in whose stead he was now king. He would willingly have given his daughter and half his kingdom to the young prince, but that the latter was so much in love with the youngest of the twelve princesses, that he could think of no one but her, and he was all impatience to be off again.

The wizard, however, besought him to have a little patience, and told him that the princesses were doomed to sail about still for twice seven years before they could return home. As to the youngest princess, the wizard said exactly the same as the wondrous bird Dam: "You may be quite at ease concerning her," said he, "for she always carries a drawn sword to bed with her. And if you do not believe me, you may go on board when they next sail past this place, to convince yourself; and, at the same time, bring me the sword I lent you, for I must positively have it back."

Now after seven years' more wandering, the princes and princesses were again sailing past the island; a terrible storm came on as before, and after it was over the king's son went on board and found them all fast asleep as on the former occasions; but by each of the princes a princess also lay asleep. Only the youngest princess slept alone, with a naked sword beside her; and on the floor, in front of the bed, lay Commander Rod, also sound asleep. The king's son took the sword from his hammock, and rowed to the island, without any one having perceived that he had been on board.

The prince, however, grew more and more impatient, always wishing to set out again.

At length, when the second seven years were completed all but three weeks, the wizard said to him: "Now you may prepare for your voyage, since you are determined not to remain with us. I will lend you an iron boat that will go of itself on the water, by your merely saying to it: 'Boat, go forwards.' In the boat you will find a boat-hook, which you must lift up a little when you see the ship right before you. Such a fresh breeze will then spring up, that the ship's crew will forget to look after you. As soon as you get near the ship, raise the boat-hook a little higher, and then a storm will arise that will give them other work to do than spying after you. When you shall have pa.s.sed the ship, raise the boat-hook for the third time, but you must be careful each time to lay it down again, else there will be such a tempest, that you, as well as the others, will perish. On reaching the sh.o.r.e, you need take no further trouble about the boat than to turn it upside down, shove it into the sea, and say: 'Boat, go home again.'"

When the prince was departing, he received from the wizard so much gold and silver, together with other treasures, and clothes and linen which the princess had made for him during his long stay in the island, that he was a great deal richer than any of his brothers.

He had no sooner seated himself in the boat and said, "Boat, go forwards," than on it went, and when he came in sight of the ship, he raised the boat-hook, and a breeze sprang up, so that the crew forgot to look after him; and on nearing the vessel he did the same, when such a storm and gale arose, that the ship was covered with the white spray, and the waves broke over the deck, so that the crew had no leisure to remark him. At last when he had pa.s.sed the ship, he raised the boat-hook the third time, and the crew found enough to do to make them quite forget him. He reached the land long before the ship, and, after taking his property out of the boat, he turned it over, shoved it into the sea, saying, "Boat, go home," and away it went.

He now disguised himself as a sailor, and went to the wretched hovel of an old woman, to whom he said he was a poor shipwrecked sailor, the only one of the crew who had escaped drowning; and he begged shelter in her hut for himself and the things he had saved from the wreck.

"Ah, heaven help me," replied the woman, "I can give no one shelter. I have not even a bed for myself, let alone any one else."

Oh! that did not signify, said the sailor, so that he had but a roof over his head, it was all one to him what he lay upon; therefore she would not surely refuse him the shelter of her roof, since he was content to take things as he found them.

In the evening, he brought his things to the cottage, and the old woman, who did not at all dislike to have something new to talk about, began inquiring who he was, where he had been, and whither he was going; what were the things he had brought with him; on what business he was travelling, and whether he had heard anything of the twelve princesses who had disappeared so many years ago, with so many other questions, that it would be tiresome to repeat them.

But the sailor replied that he felt so ill, and had such a terrible headache from the fatigues he had undergone during the storm, that he could not accurately recollect anything that had pa.s.sed; but that after he should have had a few days repose, and recovered from his labours, she should hear all.

The next day, however, the old woman renewed her questions, but the sailor pretended still to have such a terrible headache, that he could not rightly remember anything; though he did let a word or two drop, as by accident, which showed that he did know something about the princesses.

Off ran the old woman to tell this news to all the gossips in the neighbourhood, who hurried one after the other to the hut, to hear all about the princesses; and to ask whether the sailor had seen them, if they were soon coming, and a hundred other questions.

Still the sailor had such a terrible headache, that he could not answer their questions. Thus much, however, he did say: that if the princesses were not wrecked during that fierce storm, they would certainly arrive in fourteen days, or even sooner. He had certainly seen them alive, but they might have since perished.

One of the gossips went forthwith to the royal residence, and related all that she had heard; and when the king heard it, he desired that the sailor should be brought to him.

The sailor replied, "I have no clothes in which I can appear before the king."

But he was told that he must go, for the king must and would see him, whatever appearance he might make, for he was the first person who had ever brought any news of the princesses. So he entered the king's presence, when he was asked if he had really seen the princesses.

"Yes," said the sailor, "but I know not if they still live, for when I saw them, it was during such a fierce storm, that we were wrecked.

But if they did not then go to the bottom, they may be here in about fourteen days, or perhaps sooner."

When the king heard this, he was almost frantic with joy, and at the appointed time for the arrival of the princesses, he went down to the sh.o.r.e in state to meet them; and great was the rejoicing through the land, when at last the ship sailed into port, with the princes, and princesses, and Commander Rod. The eleven elder princesses were in high spirits and good humour; but the youngest, whom Commander Rod was anxious to marry, was very sad and wept incessantly, for which the king chid her, and asked her why she was not happy and cheerful, like her sisters. She had no cause, thought he, to be sad, now she was delivered from the wizard, and had such a fine man as Commander Rod for her lover. The Princess however durst not tell the truth, for Commander Rod had told the king that it was himself who had liberated the princesses, and had threatened to kill any one who should say otherwise.

Now, one day while the princesses were making their wedding clothes, a man in a coa.r.s.e sailor's jacket, with a pedlar's pack on his back, came and asked them if they would not like to buy some fine things for their wedding, for he had some costly articles of gold and silver.

"Yes," said they, "very possibly they might," and they looked very attentively at the ornaments, and still more so at him, for they could not help fancying that they had seen both him and the goods before.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

At last the youngest princess said, that he who had such costly articles, might perhaps have others still more suitable to them.

"Very possibly," returned the pedlar.

But her sisters bade her be quiet, and remember Commander Rod's threat.