They did so, and lo! the Golden-Headed Fish was caught. They were glad, and put the precious fish in a jug of water in order to keep it alive. The jug was put in the Prince’s cabin and they set sail homeward. When the Prince was alone he looked at the fish, and lo! it began to talk to him.
“Prince,” said the Golden-Headed Fish, “I am a prince myself; spare my life and cast me back into the sea. Some day you will receive your remuneration.”
The Prince took pity upon the poor fish, and cast him back into the sea, saying:
“Go, live; if you, a fish, do not appreciate this mercy, the Creator from above will appreciate it.”
The party returned and told what the Prince had done. This enraged the King to the very verge of madness.
“Alas!” exclaimed he, “my son desires my speedy death, that he may himself be King. Executioners, take this unnatural son and immediately cut off his head.”
But as the Prince was the only son of the King, by the intervention of his mother they put his clothes on a criminal and hanged him, and banished the Prince to a distant island, where he lived a miserable life, as nobody knew who he was. He was considered by the people as a vile criminal and was despised by all, and, forsaken and abandoned, he remained in this wretched condition without friends, without means of livelihood. He felt himself so wretched that he fell into a condition of despair, and resolved to put an end to so unbearable a life. With this intention, he went to a high precipice on the sea-shore and precipitated himself into the foaming deep. But as soon as he reached the sea, lo! he found himself in the arms of a strange-looking negro, who after setting him on the beach, fell down and saluted him, saying:
“Mighty Prince, vouchsafe to me that I may put myself at your service. You may depend upon it that I shall please you and serve you with all my might.”
The humane and brave conduct of the stranger, and his kind and courteous words made such an impression upon the lad that his despair was at once banished, and he repented of his attempt to commit suicide. He accepted the service of the negro, and they went together to the lad’s house, where a rich dinner was awaiting them. Thereafter the Prince found everything necessary abundantly prepared, and master and man lived together for a time. During those days the people of the island suffered greatly from the frequent attacks of a large dragon which devoured all the men it met. The people were in such terror that no one ventured to go out of his house. The Prince of the island sent his army to kill the dragon, but it could not be done. Then he sent out heralds, proclaiming that he would give great wealth to the man who killed the dragon. Thereupon the negro, the attendant of the lad, went to the Prince of the island, saying:
“My master will kill the dragon, and desires to know what you intend to give him.”