They went straight to the king, and very insinuatingly they told him that Jalmir might easily supply him with wine.
“Then he will do it;” and dismissing them graciously he had Jalmir summoned, and told him his wish.
“Gracious king,” answered Jalmir, “I know nothing of wine, but I will go and see.”
The king was somewhat angry, thinking surely that Jalmir was unwilling, and thereupon said: “Thou wilt answer to me with thy head.” Jalmir, bowing in silence, went out to the steed.
“Fear not,” said the steed; “in the evening we will go for the wine.” The moment it was dark the kind steed shot away with Jalmir through the air.
“Where are we going this time?” asked Jalmir, a little frightened.
“To the sorceress from whom we got the birds and the beasts. But now pull a hair from my tail, and one from my mane; from the first make a rope three hundred yards long, from the other a net large enough to contain thee.”
Jalmir did in silence according to the steed’s words; and to his astonishment, before they came to the castle the rope and the net were finished.
“Now attend to my words,” said the steed when he had come to the ground. “Tie one end of the rope to my foot and the other to the net, take the net with thee and put it on the door of the cellar, to which thou must go down on three hundred steps. In the cellar thou wilt see vessels with silver and gold and diamond hoops; pay no heed to them, or a blow will fall, and it will be ill with thee. Go to the farthest part of the cellar. There thou wilt see in a niche a little vessel with wooden hoops, take that quickly and hurry to me; but if thou art not able to come, just spring into the net and I will help thee.”
Jalmir did everything according to the words of the steed. It was as clear as white day in the cellar from the silver, gold, and diamond hoops, so that he soon saw the little vessel in the niche; but when he caught it, it is a wonder that he did not fall under its weight. With a mighty effort he carried it to the steps; but there he struck his foot against a vessel, and such a blow fell that the castle trembled from its foundation to the highest points of its tower. Jalmir, however, did not grow weak; he sprang up like an arrow over the three hundred steps and jumped into the net.