Yanek put the table on his back, stole away from the castle, and soon found himself in the forest. He strolled leisurely through the forest, and after no long time was in the open field. Here an old grandfather met him, and asked if he had not something to eat. “’Tis long since I have had a bit in my mouth,” lamented the grandfather.
“Then I will help thee,” said Yanek; “come with me to that tree over there.” They sat under the tree; Yanek put his table on the ground, and striking on it three times with his fist, said: “Food for a king!” The table was covered with the daintiest dishes.
The grandfather ate his fill, and said: “Indeed this is a very beautiful thing! But, my lad, if thou wouldst give me this little table, I would give thee something better in place of it. This pack has the virtue that at command an army will spring out of it as numerous as ever thou carest to wish.”
Yanek was greedy, but only from the time that he got a beating from his brothers; he took the pack, gave the grandfather the table, and they parted. But Yanek soon felt hungry; he was in the open field, and nowhere a house to be seen. Now he was angry at himself for having given away the table so frivolously; and besides he wished to know if what the grandfather said of the pack was true. He opened the pack and commanded “two hundred hussars to the field.” He had barely spoken when horses were neighing, arms rattling, and sooner than he could think, two hundred hussars stood in line before him. The officers saluted Yanek, and asked with respect what he wanted.
“About five thousand yards from here, under that tree, an old man took a table from me; ride after him, take the table, and bring it to me.”
He had barely finished speaking when the hussars rode off at a wild gallop, in no long time they returned, and their leader gave Yanek the table. Yanek opened his pack and said: “Two hundred hussars in here.” In a twinkle the hussars were in the pack, from the first man and horse to the last. “That is not a bad thing,” said Yanek to himself as he sat at the table, struck three times with his fist, and commanded, “Food for a king.”
When he had eaten to his content he took his table and his pack and went on. It was inclining toward evening, and Yanek had to look for a night’s lodging. But this made him small trouble; it was warm enough, he laid himself under a tree, put the pack under his head, held the table in his hand, and so fell asleep. Next morning he ate like a king and went on. This time he met a grandfather as he had the day before, and he too asked for food. Yanek commanded the table, and the grandfather ate his fill. “My lad,” said he, “here is a bag; give me thy table for it.”
“Oh, grandfather,” said Yanek, with a laugh, “nothing can come of that.”
“This is no laughing matter, my lad; the bag is worth getting, for it has this virtue,—that wherever and whenever thou hast the wish, thou canst call out of it as many castles as may please thee.”
Yanek fell to thinking, and then said with a smile, “Let it be so.”