The little tailor demanded of the King the promised reward; he,
however, repented of his promise, and again bethought himself how he
could get rid of the hero. “Before thou receivest my daughter, and the
half of my kingdom,” said he to him, “thou must perform one more heroic
deed. In the forest roams a unicorn which does great harm, and thou
must catch it first.” “I fear one unicorn still less than two giants.
Seven at one blow, is my kind of affair.” He took a rope and an axe
with him, went forth into the forest, and again bade those who were
sent with him to wait outside. He had to seek long. The unicorn soon
came towards him, and rushed directly on the tailor, as if it would
spit him on his horn without more ceremony. “Softly, softly; it can’t
be done as quickly as that,” said he, and stood still and waited until
the animal was quite close, and then sprang nimbly behind the tree. The
unicorn ran against the tree with all its strength, and struck its horn
so fast in the trunk that it had not strength enough to draw it out
again, and thus it was caught. “Now, I have got the bird,” said the
tailor, and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its
neck, and then with his axe he hewed the horn out of the tree, and when
all was ready he led the beast away and took it to the King.
The King still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third
demand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that
made great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their
help. “Willingly,” said the tailor, “that is child’s play!” He did not
take the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased
that he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in
such a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When
the boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming mouth and
whetted tusks, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the active
hero sprang into a chapel which was near, and up to the window at once,
and in one bound out again. The boar ran in after him, but the tailor
ran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging
beast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window,
was caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they
might see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however went to
the King, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his
promise, and gave him his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he
known that it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing
before him, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The
wedding was held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a
tailor a king was made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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