“Oh, look!” said he, “yonder are three black geese out in the court-yard”
But no, the king was not to be fooled so easily as all that. “One goose is enough to look at at a time,” said he; “take him away and give him a whipping!”
And so they did, and Peter went home bleating like a sheep.
One day Paul spoke up. “I should like to go and have a try for the princess, too,” said he.
Well, his father did not say no, for, after all, Paul was the more clever of the two.
So off Paul went as merrily as a duck in the rain. By and by he came to the castle, and then he too was brought before the king just as Peter had been.
“Oh, look!” said he, “yonder is a crow sitting in the tree with three white stripes on his back!”
But the king was not so silly as to be fooled in that way. “Here is a Jack,” said he, “who will soon have more stripes on his back than he will like. Take him away and give him his whipping!”
Then it was done as the king had said, and Paul went away home bawling like a calf.
One day up spoke Boots. “I should like to go and have a try for the pretty princess, too,” said he.