No. 55.—An Old King and his three Sons in England
Once upon a time there was an old King, who had three sons. And the old King fell very sick one time, and there was nothing at all could make him well but some golden apples from a far country. So the three brothers went on horseback to look for some of those apples to recover their father. The three brothers set off together; and when they come to some cross-roads, they halted and refreshed themselves a bit. And there they agreed to meet on a certain time, and not one was to go home before the other. So Valentine took the right, and Oliver[6] went on straight, and poor Jack took the left. And, so as to make my long story short, I shall follow poor Jack, and leave the other two take their chance, for I don’t think they was much good in them. Well, now, poor Jack rides off over hills, dales, valleys, and mountains, through woolly woods and sheepwalks, where the Old Chap never sounded his hollow bugle horn, further than I can tell you to-night, or ever I intend to tell you.[7]
At last he came to some old house near a great forest, and there was some old man sitting out by the door, and his look was enough to frighten the Devil. And the old man said to him, ‘Good-morning, my king’s son.’
‘Good-morning to you, old gentleman,’ was the answer by the young prince, and frightened out of his wits, but he did not like to give in.
The old gentleman told him to dismount and to go in and have some refreshments, and to put his horse in the stable, such as it was. After going in, and Jack feeling much better after having something to eat, and after his long ride, began [[221]]to ask the old gentleman how did he know that he was a king’s son?
‘Oh dear!’ said the old man, ‘I knew that you was a king’s son, and I knew what is your business better than what you do yourself. So you will have to stay here to-night; and when you are in bed, you mustn’t be frightened when you hear something come to you. There will come all manner of snakes and frogs, and some will try to get into your eyes and into your mouth. And mind,’ the old man said, ‘if you stir the least bit, then you will turn into one of those things yourself.’
Poor Jack did not know what to make of this, but however, he ventured to go to bed; and just as he thought to have a bit o’ sleep, here they came around him, but he never stirred one bit all night.
‘Well, my young son, how are you this morning?’
‘Oh! I am very well, thank you, but I did not have much rest.’
‘Well, never mind that. You have got on very well so far, but you have a great deal to go through before you can have the golden apples to go to your father. So now you better come to have some breakfast before you start on your way to my other brother’s house. Now you will have to leave your own horse here with me, until you come back here again to me, and to tell me everything about how you got on.’