The King commanded that all people who were in his castle should be
brought before him; and amongst them came the youth in his ragged
clothes; but the maiden knew him at once and fell upon his neck. The
wicked brothers were seized and put to death, but he was married to the
beautiful maiden and declared heir to the King.
But how did it fare with the poor Fox? Long afterwards the King’s son
was once again walking in the wood, when the Fox met him and said, “You
have everything now that you can wish for, but there is never an end to
my misery, and yet it is in your power to free me,” and again he asked
him with tears to shoot him dead and chop off his head and feet. So he
did it, and scarcely was it done when the Fox was changed into a man,
and was no other than the brother of the beautiful princess, who at
last was freed from the magic charm which had been laid upon him. And
now nothing more was wanting to their happiness as long as they lived.
58 The Dog and the Sparrow
A sheep-dog had not a good master, but, on the contrary, one who let
him suffer hunger. As he could stay no longer with him, he went quite
sadly away. On the road he met a sparrow who said, “Brother dog, why
art thou so sad?” The dog replied, “I am hungry, and have nothing to
eat.” Then said the sparrow, “Dear brother, come into the town with me,
and I will satisfy thy hunger.” So they went into the town together,
and when they came in front of a butcher’s shop the sparrow said to the
dog, “Stay there, and I will pick a bit of meat down for thee,” and he
alighted on the stall, looked about him to see that no one was
observing him, and pecked and pulled and tore so long at a piece which
lay on the edge, that it slipped down. Then the dog seized it, ran into
a corner, and devoured it. The sparrow said, “Now come with me to
another shop, and then I will get thee one more piece that thou mayst
be satisfied.” When the dog had devoured the second piece as well, the
sparrow asked, “Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?” “Yes, I have
had meat enough,” he answered, “but I have had no bread yet.” Said the
sparrow, “Thou shalt have that also, come with me.” Then he took him to
a baker’s shop, and pecked at a couple of little buns till they rolled
down, and as the dog wanted still more, he led him to another stall,
and again got bread for him. When that was consumed, the sparrow said,
“Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?” “Yes,” he replied, “now we
will walk awhile outside the town.” Then they both went out on to the
highway. It was, however, warm weather, and when they had walked a
little way the dog said, “I am tired, and would like to sleep.” “Well,
do sleep,” answered the sparrow, “and in the meantime I will seat
myself on a branch.” So the dog lay down on the road, and fell fast
asleep. Whilst he lay sleeping there, a waggoner came driving by, who
had a cart with three horses, laden with two barrels of wine. The
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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