The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Pantheon Books) - Jacob Grimm [301]
’s daughter if she ate them. This delighted the King hugely, and he caused Uele to be brought before him; but, alas! when he opened the basket, instead of having apples in it he had frogs’ legs which were still kicking about. On this the King grew angry, and had him driven out of the house. When he got home he told his father how it had fared with him. Then the father sent the next son, who was called Same, but all went with him just as it had gone with Uele. He also met the hoary little man, who asked what he had there in the basket. Same said: “Hogs’ bristles,” and the hoary man said: “Well, so shall it be, and remain.” When Same got to the King’s palace and said he brought apples with which the King’s daughter might find her health, they did not want to let him go in, and said that one fellow had already been there, and had treated them as if they were fools. Same, however, maintained that he certainly had the apples, and that they ought to let him go in. At length they believed him, and led him to the King. But when he uncovered the basket, he had but hogs’ bristles. This enraged the King most terribly, so he caused Same to be whipped out of the house. When he got home he related all that had befallen him, whereupon the youngest boy, whose name was Hans, but who was always called Stupid Hans, came and asked his father if he might go with some apples. “Oh!” said the father, “you would be just the right fellow for such a thing! If the clever ones can’t manage it, what can you do?” The boy, however, insisted, and said: “Indeed, father, I wish to go.” “Just get away, you stupid fellow, you must wait till you are wiser,” said the father to that, and turned his back. Hans, however, pulled at the back of his smock and said: “Indeed, father, I wish to go.” “Well, then, so far as I am concerned you may go, but you will soon come home again!” replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy was tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. “Well, act like a fool! you grow more stupid every day!” said the father again. But Hans was not discouraged, and did not let it spoil his pleasure, but as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait until the morrow, for he could not get to court that day. All night long he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he dreamt of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, and of silver, and all kinds of things of that sort. Early in the morning, he went forth on his way, and directly afterwards the little shabby-looking man in his icy clothes, came to him and asked what he was carrying in the basket. Hans gave him the answer that he was carrying apples with which the King’s daughter was to find her health. “Then,” said the little man, “so shall they be, and remain.” But at the court they would none of them let Hans go in, for they said two had already been there who had told them that they were bringing apples, and one of them had frogs’ legs, and the other hogs’ bristles. Hans, however, resolutely maintained that he most certainly had no frogs’ legs, but some of the most beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. As he spoke so pleasantly, the door-keeper thought he could not be telling a lie, and asked him to go in, and he was right, for when Hans uncovered his basket in the King’s presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. The King was delighted, and caused some of them to be taken to his daughter, and then waited in anxious expectation until news should be brought to him of the effect they had. But before much time had passed by, news was brought to him: and who do you think it was who came? it was the daughter herself! As soon as she had eaten of those apples, she was cured, and sprang out of her bed. The joy the King felt cannot be described! but now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to Hans, and said he must first make him a boat which would go quicker on dry land than on water. Hans agreed to the condition, and went home, and related how it had fared with him. Then the father sent Uele into the forest to make a boat of that kind. He worked diligently,