This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who tookaway the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not helpcarrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door,he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. Butwhen he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it,so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had ittouched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voicesoutside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it wasthe sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another ofall kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eatingthe snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.
Now it so happened that on this very day the Queen lost her most beautifulring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant,who was allowed to go everywhere. The King ordered the man to be broughtbefore him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could beforethe morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guiltyand executed. In vain he declared his innocence; he was dismissed withno better answer.
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and tookthought how to help himself out of his trouble. Now some ducks weresitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilstthey were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they werehaving a confidential conversation together. The servant stood by andlistened. They were telling one another of all the places where they hadbeen waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found,and one said in a pitiful tone, "Something lies heavy on my stomach;as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the Queen'swindow." The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her tothe kitchen, and said to the cook, "Here is a fine duck; pray, killher." "Yes," said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; "she has sparedno trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted longenough." So he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for thespit, the Queen's ring was found inside her.
The servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the King, to makeamends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and promised him thebest place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refusedeverything, and only asked for a horse and some money for traveling,as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little.
When his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day cameto a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gaspingfor water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard themlamenting that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kindheart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into thewater. They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him,"We will remember you and repay you for saving us!"
He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voicein the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain,"Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? Thatstupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my peoplewithout mercy!" So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king criedout to him, "We will remember you—-one good turn deserves another!"
The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens standing bytheir nest, and throwing out their young ones. "Out with you, you idle,good-for-nothing creatures!" cried they; "we cannot find food for youany longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves." But thepoor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying,"Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yetwe cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?" So the goodyoung fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword, and gave it tothem for food. Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger,and cried, "We will remember you—-one good turn deserves another!"
And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way, hecame to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets,and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, "The King's daughterwants a husband; but whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task,and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life." Many had alreadymade the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the King'sdaughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger,went before the King, and declared himself a suitor.
So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, in hissight; then the King ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom ofthe sea, and added, "If you come up again without it you will be thrown inagain and again until you perish amid the waves." All the people grievedfor the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.
He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenlyhe saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the veryfishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel inits mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth's feet, and when hehad taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. Fullof joy he took it to the King, and expected that he would grant him thepromised reward.
But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in birth,she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. Shewent down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks-fullof millet-seed on the grass; then she said, "To-morrow morning beforesunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting."
The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possibleto perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he satsorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. Butas soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all theten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain wasmissing. The ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousandsof ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up allthe millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.
Presently the King's daughter herself came down into the garden,and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she hadgiven him. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said,"Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husbanduntil he has brought me an apple from the Tree of Life."
The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out,and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him,though he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through threekingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree tosleep. But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fellinto his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perchedthemselves upon his knee, and said, "We are the three young ravenswhom you saved from starving; when we had grown big, and heard that youwere seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of theworld, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple."The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the Golden Apple tothe King's beautiful daughter, who had no more excuses left to make. Theycut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heartbecame full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness toa great age.
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