On the third day the King went out hunting, and the boy came again, and said, ‘Even if I would, I could not open the door. I have not got the key.’
Then the Wild Man said, ‘It is lying under your mother’s pillow. You can easily get it.’
The boy, who was very anxious to have his ball back, threw his scruples to the winds, and fetched the key. The door was very stiff, and he pinched his fingers in opening it. As soon as it was open the Wild Man came out, gave the boy his ball, and hurried away. The boy was now very frightened, and cried out, ‘O Wild Man, don’t go away, or I shall be beaten!’
The Wild Man turned back, picked up the boy, put him on his shoulder, and walked hurriedly off into the wood.
When the King came home he saw at once the cage was empty, and asked the Queen how it had come about. She knew nothing about it, and went to look for the key, which was of course gone. They called the boy, but there was no answer. The King sent people out into the fields to look for him, but all in vain; he was gone. The King easily guessed what had happened, and great grief fell on the royal household.
When the Wild Man got back into the depths of the dark forest he took the boy down off his shoulder, and said, ‘You will never see your father and mother again; but I will keep you here with me, because you had pity on me and set me free. If you do as you are told, you will be well treated. I have treasures and gold enough and to spare, more than anybody in the world.’
He made a bed of moss for the boy, on which he went to sleep. Next morning the Man led him to a spring, and said, ‘You see this golden well is bright and clear as crystal? You must sit by it, and take care that nothing falls into it, or it will be contaminated. I shall come every evening to see if you have obeyed my orders.’
The boy sat down on the edge of the spring to watch it; sometimes he would see a gold fish or a golden snake darting through it, and he guarded it well, so that nothing should fall into it. One day as he was sitting like this his finger pained him so much that involuntarily he dipped it into the water. He drew it out very quickly, but saw that it was gilded, and although he tried hard to clean it, it remained golden. In the evening Iron Hans came back, looked at the boy, and said, ‘What has happened to the well to-day?’
‘Nothing, nothing!’ he answered, keeping his finger behind his back, so that Iron Hans should not see it.
But he said, ‘You have dipped your finger into the water. It does not matter this time, but take care that nothing of the kind occurs again.’