He went to his father. ‘Father, all hail. What, give the kingdom to a stranger! It were better for me to watch.’
And his father said to him, ‘As God will, only don’t be frightened by what you may see.’
Then he said, ‘Be it unto me according to God’s will.’
And he went and lay down in the palace. And he put his head on the pillow, and remained with his head on the pillow till towards dawn. And a warm sleepy breeze came and lulled him to slumber. And his little sister arose. And she turned a somersault, and her nails became like an axe and her teeth like a shovel. And she opened the cupboard and ate up everything. Then she became a child again and returned to her place in the cradle, for she was a babe at the breast. The lad arose and told his father that he had seen nothing. His father looked in the press, found the platters bare—no victuals, no anything. His father said, ‘It would take a better man than you, and even he might do nothing.’
His middle son also said, ‘Father, all hail. I am going to watch to-night.’
‘Go, dear, only play the man.’
‘Be it unto me according to God’s will.’
And he went into the palace and put his head on a pillow. And at ten o’clock came a warm breeze and sleep seized him. Up rose his sister and unwound herself from her swaddling-bands and turned a somersault, and her teeth [[59]]became like a shovel and her nails like an axe. And she went to the press and opened it, and ate off the platters what she found. She ate it all, and turned a somersault again and went back to her place in the cradle. Day broke and the lad arose, and his father asked him and said, ‘It would take a better man than you, and even he might do nought for me if he were as poor a creature as you.’
The youngest son arose. ‘Father, all hail. Give me also leave to watch the cupboard by night.’
‘Go, dear, only don’t be frightened with what you see.’