There was once a king who had a daughter so beautiful that everybody loved her, and all the princes far and near were anxious to marry her. The young princess was not so eager to get married, and so she gave out that she would not marry any man unless he could beat her in a foot race.
She was a very swift runner; nobody had ever beaten her in a race, though many had tried. She could run almost as fast as the wind and could easily outstrip the wild animals in her father’s forests. She announced that anybody might run against her for her hand, but that any one who failed must have his head cut off.
And now the young men came to run with her. There was a race every day and sometimes two, but the young girl always won, and the headsman was ready with his ax to chop off the head of the young man who failed to beat the princess in the race. It looked as if the pile of heads would be as big as a house if it kept on at that rate.
There was a poor young man who heard about the princess and wanted to try his fortune in the race. He was very good looking and a fine runner himself, besides which he had some sense which is of much importance in a race as we shall see.
He gathered a bunch of roses, and had a silken girdle made, and took a bag with a gold ball in it, and knocked at the door of the palace.
“I have come to race with the princess,” he said. “And I am ready now to try my fortune.”
“You will lose your head,” said the princess, “though I hope not,” she added as she looked at the young man.
Well, the race began, and the princess flew on ahead of the young man. He was just behind her and threw the bunch of roses in front of her flying feet. She stopped to pick them up and fasten them in her belt. Then she ran on, overtook the young man and was again ahead of him. This time he threw the girdle in front of her. She stopped to pick that up, too, and to fasten the rose in it. Then she ran on again and overtook the young man and was about to pass him in the race.
He dropped the bag with the gold ball inside. The girl stopped and picked up the bag; she took out the ball and began to play with it. She sat down on the grass and tossed it up and caught it in her fingers, while the young man ran on to the goal.