Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
"Well, my poor fellow," says he, "you're low enough. Go in: I won't say
anything to add to your trouble. Take your supper and your rest:
to-morrow will be a new day."
"How is the work going off?" says the king, when they were at supper.
[Illustration: THE GREEK PRINCESS]
"Faith, your Majesty," says the poor boy, "it's not going off, but
coming on it is. I suppose you'll have the trouble of digging me out at
sunset to-morrow, and waking me."
"I hope not," says the princess, with a smile on her kind face; and the
boy was as happy as anything the rest of the evening.
He was wakened up next morning with voices shouting, and bugles blowing,
and drums beating, and such a hullibulloo he never heard in his life
before. He ran out to see what was the matter, and there, where the heap
of clay was the evening before, were soldiers, and servants, and lords,
and ladies, dancing like mad for joy that it was gone.
"Ah, my poor fox!" says he to himself, "this is your work."
Well, there was little delay about his return. The king was going to
send a great retinue with the princess and himself, but he wouldn't let
him take the trouble.
"I have a friend," says he, "that will bring us both to the King of
Moroco's palace in a day, d---- fly away with him!"
There was great crying when she was parting from her father.
"Ah!" says he, "what a lonesome life I'll have now! Your poor brother in
the power of that wicked witch, and kept away from us, and now you taken
from me in my old age!"
Well, they both were walking on through the wood, and he telling her how
much he loved her; out walked the fox from behind a brake, and in a
short time he and she were sitting on the brush, and holding one another
fast for fear of slipping off, and away they went like thought. The
wind that was before them they would overtake it, and in the evening he
and she were in the big bawn of the King of Moroco's castle.
"Well," says he to the boy, "you've done your duty well; bring out the
bay filly. I'd give the full of the bawn of such fillies, if I had them,
for this handsome princess. Get on your steed, and here is a good purse
of guineas for the road."
[Illustration]
"Thank you," says he. "I suppose you'll let me shake hands with the
princess before I start."
"Yes, indeed, and welcome."
Well, he was some little time about the hand-shaking, and before it was
over he had her fixed snug behind him; and while you could count three,
he, and she, and the filly were through all the guards, and a hundred
perches away. On they went, and next morning they were in the wood near
the King of Spain's palace, and there was the fox before them.
"Leave your princess here with me," says he, "and go get the golden bird
and the three apples. If you don't bring us back the filly along with
the bird, I must carry you both home myself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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