Grimms Fairy Tales | Page 5

where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage; close by it stands a
beautiful golden cage; but do not try to take the bird out of the shabby cage and put it into
the handsome one, otherwise you will repent it.' Then the fox stretched out his tail again,
and the young man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their
hair whistled in the wind.
Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the son went in and found the
chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage, and below stood the golden cage,
and the three golden apples that had been lost were lying close by it. Then thought he to
himself, 'It will be a very droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage';
so he opened the door and took hold of it and put it into the golden cage. But the bird set
up such a loud scream that all the soldiers awoke, and they took him prisoner and carried
him before the king. The next morning the court sat to judge him; and when all was heard,
it sentenced him to die, unless he should bring the king the golden horse which could run
as swiftly as the wind; and if he did this, he was to have the golden bird given him for his

own.
So he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in great despair, when on a sudden
his friend the fox met him, and said, 'You see now what has happened on account of your
not listening to my counsel. I will still, however, tell you how to find the golden horse, if
you will do as I bid you. You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the
horse stands in his stall: by his side will lie the groom fast asleep and snoring: take away
the horse quietly, but be sure to put the old leathern saddle upon him, and not the golden
one that is close by it.' Then the son sat down on the fox's tail, and away they went over
stock and stone till their hair whistled in the wind.
All went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden saddle. But
when the son looked at the horse, he thought it a great pity to put the leathern saddle upon
it. 'I will give him the good one,' said he; 'I am sure he deserves it.' As he took up the
golden saddle the groom awoke and cried out so loud, that all the guards ran in and took
him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged, and
was sentenced to die. But it was agreed, that, if he could bring thither the beautiful
princess, he should live, and have the bird and the horse given him for his own.
Then he went his way very sorrowful; but the old fox came and said, 'Why did not you
listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse; yet
will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a
castle. At twelve o'clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her and
give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care you do not suffer her to
go and take leave of her father and mother.' Then the fox stretched out his tail, and so
away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled again.
As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve o'clock the young
man met the princes going to the bath and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away
with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father. At
first he refused, but she wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he
consented; but the moment she came to her father's house the guards awoke and he was
taken prisoner again.
Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, 'You shall never have my
daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window.'
Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away: and when he had
worked for seven days, and had done very little, the fox came and said. 'Lie down and go
to sleep; I will work for you.' And in the morning he