When he came there, the princess spoke to him in this manner: “Juan, if you really love me, you must undergo hardships. Show yourself to my father to-morrow, and agree to do all that he commands you to do. Then come back to me.” Juan willingly promised to undertake any difficulties for her sake.
The next morning Juan waited at the stairway of the king’s palace. The king said to him, “Who are you, and what do you come here for?”
“O king! I am Juan, and I have come here to marry your daughter.”
“Very well, Juan, you can have your wish if you perform the task I set you. Take these grains of wheat and plant them in that hill, and to-morrow morning bring me, out of these same grains, newly baked bread for my breakfast. Then you shall be married immediately to my daughter. But if you fail to accomplish this task, you shall be beheaded.”
Juan bowed his head low, and left. Sorrowful he appeared before the princess.
“What’s the matter, Juan?” she said.
“O my dear princess! your father has imposed on me a task impossible to perform. He gave me these grains of wheat to be planted in that hill, and to-morrow he expects a newly baked loaf of bread from them.”
“Don’t worry, Juan. Go home now, and to-morrow show yourself to my father. The bread will be ready when he awakes.”
The next morning Juan repaired to the palace, and was glad to find the bread already on the table. When the king woke up, he was astonished to see that Juan had performed the task.
“Now, Juan,” said the king, “one more task for you. Under my window I have two big jars,—one full of mongo,[3] the other of very fine sand. I will mix them, and you have to assort them so that each kind is in its proper jar again.” Juan promised to fulfil this task. He passed by the window of the princess, and told her what the king had said. “Go home and come back here to-morrow,” she said to him. “The king will find the mongo and sand in their proper jars.”