“Well, so be it,” said the old man.
They gave themselves a shake, and set out again on their journey. They walked and walked; suddenly the road branched off in two different directions. Well, they both went the same way, and soon reached a certain country. In that country the King’s daughter lay at the point of death, and the King had given notice that to him who should cure his daughter he would give half of his kingdom, and half of his goods and possessions; but if any one undertook to cure her and failed, he should have his head chopped off and hung up on a stake. Well, they arrived, elbowed their way among the people in front of the King’s palace, and gave out that they were doctors. The servant came out from the King’s palace, and began questioning them:
“Who are you? from what cities, of what families? what do you want?”
“We are doctors,” they replied; “we can cure the Princess!”
“Oh! if you are doctors, come into the palace.”
So they went into the palace, saw the Princess, and asked the King to supply them with a private apartment, a tub of water, a sharp sword, and a big table. The King supplied them with all these things. Then they shut themselves up in the private apartment, laid the Princess on the big table, cut her into small pieces with the sharp sword, flung them into the tub of water, washed them, and rinsed them. Afterwards they began putting the pieces together; when the old man breathed on them the different pieces stuck together. When he had put all the pieces together properly, he gave them a final puff of breath: the Princess began to quiver, and then arose alive and well! The King came in person to the door of their room, and cried:
“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost!”
“Amen!” they replied.
“Have you cured the Princess?” asked the King.
“We’ve cured her,” say the doctors. “Here she is!”