Part 9 (2/2)
In the evening, while the rest were asleep, the king's daughter crept down to the bull in the stable. He took her on his back, and ran off as quickly as ever he could. And when the people rose the following morning, and wanted to slaughter the bull, he was gone; and when the king rose and asked for his daughter, she was gone as well. The king sent out messengers on all sides, and had the church-bells rung for her, but no one had seen anything of her.
In the meantime the bull trotted through many lands with the king's daughter, and they came to a great copper forest, whose trees, leaves and flowers were all of copper. But before they entered it, the bull said to the king's daughter: ”Now when we get into the forest you must be very careful not to touch so much as a single leaf, or else it is all up with you and with me; for a troll with three heads lives here, and the forest belongs to him.” Yes, indeed, she would be careful, and not touch anything. And she was very careful, and leaned to one side, and thrust aside the branches; but the forest was so thick that it was almost impossible to win through, and for all that she was so careful, she did tear off a leaf, and it remained in her hand.
”Alas, alas!” cried the bull. ”What have you done! Now I must fight for my very life. But see that you keep the leaf carefully!” Straightway they reached the end of the forest, and at once a troll with three heads came rus.h.i.+ng up. ”Who has touched my forest?” cried he. ”The forest is as much mine as yours!” was the bull's reply. ”We'll see if it is!”
shouted the troll. ”That suits me!” cried the bull. Then they rushed at each other, and the bull gored and b.u.t.ted with might and main. But the troll was just as strong, and it took all day before the bull gained the upper hand. And then he had so many wounds, and was so weak that he could scarcely walk. So they had to halt for a whole day; but the bull told the queen's daughter to take the horn of ointment that hung at the troll's girdle, and anoint him with the salve. Thereupon he grew strong and well again, and they went on the next day. Now they wandered for many, many days, and at last came to a silver forest, whose trees, branches, leaves, buds and all were of silver.
Before the bull entered the forest he said to the king's daughter: ”Now when we get into this forest, in heaven's name be careful! You must touch nothing, and not even tear off so much as a single leaf, or else it is all up with you and me. A troll with six heads lives here, and the forest belongs to him, and I will hardly be able to hold my own against him!”
”Yes,” said the king's daughter, ”indeed I will be careful, and not touch the least thing, just as you have told me.” But when they entered the forest, it was so thick that it was almost impossible to win through. She was as careful as she could be, and avoided the branches, and thrust them aside with her hands; but the branches struck her in the face each moment, and in spite of all her care a leaf did remain in her hand.
”Alas, alas!” cried the bull. ”What have you done! Now I must fight for my very life, for the troll with six heads is twice as strong as the first one; but see that you take care of the leaf and keep it carefully!”
At once the troll came rus.h.i.+ng up. ”Who has touched my forest?” cried he. ”The forest is as much mine as yours!” cried the bull. ”Oho, we'll see if it is!” cried the troll. ”That suits me!” said the bull, and rushed on the troll, gored him, and thrust his horns right through him.
But the troll was just as strong, and it took three whole days before the bull got the better of him. After that he was so weak and feeble that he could scarcely move, and so full of wounds that his blood ran in streams. Then he told the king's daughter to take the horn of ointment that hung at the troll's girdle, and anoint him with the salve. She did so, and he recovered again: yet they had to remain a time on the spot, until he was once more able to go on.
At last they set out again; but the bull was still weak, and at first they went slowly. The king's daughter wanted to spare him, and said she was young and quick on her feet, and could walk very well; but this he would not allow, and she had to sit on his back. Thus they wandered for a long time, and through many lands, and the king's daughter had no idea where they might be going; but at length they came to a golden forest.
It was very beautiful, and the gold dripped down from it, for the trees, and branches and leaves and buds were all of purest gold. And here all went as it had in the copper and silver forests. The bull told the king's daughter that in no case was she to touch anything, since a troll with nine heads lived here, to whom the forest belonged. And he was much larger and stronger than the two others together, and he did not believe he could hold his own against him. Yes, said she, she would be sure to pay attention and positively would not touch a thing. But when they entered the forest, it was even thicker than the silver forest, and the further they went the worse it became. The forest grew thicker and denser, and at last it seemed as though it would be impossible to push on at all. She was much afraid of tearing off anything, and wound and twisted and bent herself in every direction, in order to avoid the branches, and thrust them aside with her hands. But each moment they struck her in the face, so that she could not see where she was reaching, and before she had a chance to think, she held a golden apple in her hand. Then she was terribly frightened, and began to cry, and wanted to throw it away. But the bull told her to keep it, and hide it carefully, and consoled her as best he could. Yet he thought that the battle would be a hard one, and was in doubt as to whether it would end well.
But now the troll with the nine heads came rus.h.i.+ng up, and he was so frightful that the king's daughter could scarcely bear to look at him.
”Who has touched my forest?” he shouted. ”The forest is as much mine as yours!” cried the bull. ”We'll see if it is!” cried the troll. ”That suits me!” said the bull, and with this they rushed on each other, so that it was a fearsome sight, and the king's daughter nearly fainted.
The bull gored the troll through and through with his horns; but the troll was as strong as he, and as soon as the bull killed one of his heads, the others breathed fresh life into it, and it took a full week before the bull got the better of him. But then he was so wretched and so weak that he could not move a bit. His whole body was covered with wounds; and he could not even tell the king's daughter to take the horn of ointment from the troll's girdle and anoint him with the salve. But she did so of her own accord, and then he recovered again. Yet they had to stay where they were for three whole weeks, until he was able to go on again.
At last they once more went slowly on their way; for the bull said they still had a little further to go, and they went over many great hills and through thick forests. After a time they came to a rock. ”Do you see anything?” asked the bull. ”No, I see only the sky and the rock,” said the king's daughter. But when they went on up the hills were more level, so that they had a broader outlook. ”Do you see something now?” asked the bull. ”Yes, I see a small castle, far, far in the distance,” said the princess. ”And yet it is not so small,” said the bull. At length they came to a great mountain with a steep, rocky face. ”Do you see something now?” asked the bull. ”Yes, now I see the castle close by, and it is much, much larger,” said the king's daughter. ”That is where you must go!” said the bull. ”Just below the castle is a pig-sty, and if you go into it you will find a wooden coat. You must put it on, and go with it into the castle, and say your name is Kari Woodencoat, and ask for a place. But now take your little knife and cut off my head; then draw off my skin, roll it up and lay it at the foot of the rock. But in it you must place the copper leaf, and the silver leaf, and the golden apple.
Outside, against the hill, is a stick, and if you want anything of me, all you need do is to knock at the mountain-side.” At first the princess could not at all make up her mind to do this; but when the bull told her that this was the only reward he wanted for all the good he had done her, she could not refuse. It made her heart ache, yet in spite of it, she took her knife and cut until she had cut off the head of the great beast, and had drawn off his skin, and then she laid the latter at the foot of the rock, and in it she placed the copper leaf, and the silver leaf, and the golden apple.
When she had done this she went to the pig-sty, but she wept a great deal and felt sad. Then she put on the wooden coat, and went to the king's castle in it. She asked for a place in the kitchen, and said her name was Kari Woodencoat. Yes, said the cook, she might have a place if she cared to wash up, for the girl who had formerly attended to it had run away. ”And after you have been here a while, no doubt you will have enough of it, and run away from us, too,” said he. No, indeed, she would not do so.
She was most industrious at her was.h.i.+ng up. On Sunday they expected company at the king's castle; and Kari asked permission to take up water to wash in to the prince. But the others laughed at her and cried; ”What do you want to do there? Do you think the prince will have anything to do with you, homely as you are?” But she kept on asking, and at length received permission.
And then, as she ran up the stairs, her wooden coat clattered so loudly that the prince came out and asked: ”And who are you?” ”I came to bring you water to wash in,” said Kari. ”Do you think I want the water you are bringing me?” cried the prince, and poured the water out over her head.
So she had to go off; but she asked permission to go to church. And she received permission, for the church was close by. But first she went to the rock and knocked at it with a stick, as the bull had told her. And a man came out at once and asked what she wanted. The king's daughter said that she had permission to go to church and hear the sermon, but that she had no dress to wear. Then the man gave her a dress that shone like the copper forest, and a horse and a saddle as well. When she came to church she looked so beautiful that all the people wondered who she might be, and none of them listened to the sermon, because they were all looking at her. She even pleased the prince so much that he could not keep from looking at her.
When she left the church, the prince came after her, and closed the church door behind her, and kept one of the gloves she wore in his hand.
And then when she wanted to mount her horse, the prince came again, and asked her where she came from. ”From Washwaterland!” said Kari, and while the prince pulled out the glove and wanted to give it to her, she said:
”Be there light before me, and darkness behind, That the place I ride to the prince may not find!”
The prince had never yet seen such a handsome glove, and he traveled far, looking for the native land of the n.o.ble lady who had abandoned her glove, but no one could tell him where it might be.
The following Sunday some one had to go up to the prince, and bring him a towel. ”Cannot I go up?” begged Kari. ”Is that all you want?” said the rest in the kitchen. ”You saw yourself what happened to you the last time!” But Kari kept on asking, and finally she received permission, after all, and ran up the stairs so that her wooden coat fairly clattered. The prince at once thrust his head out of the door, and when he saw that it was Kari, he tore the towel out of her hand and flung it at her head. ”Off with you, you horrid creature!” cried he. ”Do you think I want a towel that you have touched with your dirty fingers?”
After that the prince went to church, and Kari also begged permission to go. The people asked her why she wanted to go to church, since she had nothing to wear but her ugly, black wooden coat. But Kari said the pastor preached so beautifully that she loved to listen to him, and finally they allowed her to go. She went to the wall of rock and knocked, and the man came out and gave her a dress that was far handsomer than the first; it was embroidered all over with silver, and gleamed like the silver forest; and she also received a splendid horse, with housings embroidered with silver, and a silver bridle. When the king's daughter came to the church, the people were still standing before the church door. In their astonishment they all asked each other who she might be, and the prince came running up at once, and wanted to hold her horse while she dismounted. But she jumped right down, and said it would not be necessary, since the horse was so tame that it would stand still when she commanded, and come to her if she wished. Then every one went into the church. But hardly any one paid any attention to the sermon; for they were all looking at Kari, and the prince fell deeper in love with her than he had the first time. When the sermon was over, and she left the church and was about to mount her horse, the prince again came, and asked where she came from. ”From Towelland!” said she, and let fall her riding-whip. And when the prince stooped to pick it up, she said:
”Be there light before me, and darkness behind, That the place I ride to the prince may not find!”
Off she was, and the prince did not know what had become of her. He wandered about in the world, far and wide, looking for her native land.
But no one could tell him where it might be, and with that the prince finally had to content himself.
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