But she assured him that no one taught her, for she had no longer anyone to do so.
After some days her husband came, and when she told him she could not learn anything from True Steel, he said, “Try again!” and went away.
When True Steel came home she began again to ask him the secret of his strength. Then he answered her, “Since you think so much of my strength, I will tell you truly where it is.” And he continued, “Far away from this place there is a very high mountain; in the mountain there is a fox; in the fox there is a heart; in the heart there is a bird, and in this bird is my strength. It is no easy task, however, to catch that fox, for she can transform herself into a multitude of creatures.” [[103]]
Next day, as soon as True Steel left the cave, the king’s son came to his wife, and she told him all she had learned. Then the prince hurried away to his brothers-in-law, who waited, all three impatient to see him, and to hear where was the strength of True Steel. When they heard, all three went away at once with the prince to find the mountain. Having got there, they set the eagles to chase the fox, but the fox ran to a lake, which was in the midst of the mountain, and changed herself into a six-winged golden bird. Then the falcons pursued her, and drove her out of the lake, and she flew into the clouds, but there the dragons hurried after her. So she changed herself again into a fox, and began to run along the earth, but the rest of the eagles stopped her, surrounded, and caught her.
The three kings then ordered the fox to be killed, and her heart to be taken out. A great fire was made and the bird was taken out of the heart and burnt. That very moment True Steel fell down dead, and the prince took his wife and returned home with her. [[104]]
THE BITER BIT
Once upon a time there was an old man who, whenever he heard anyone complain how many sons he had to care for, always laughed and said, “I wish that it would please God to give me a hundred sons!”
This he said in jest; as time, however, went on he had, in reality, neither more nor less than a hundred sons.
He had trouble enough to find different trades for his sons, but when they were once all started in life they worked diligently and gained plenty of money. Now, however, came a fresh difficulty. One day the eldest son came in to his father and said, “My dear father, I think it is quite time that I should marry.”