Off he went as fast as the wind, which the wind behind could not catch
the wind before, until he came to the second oldest brother's house.
When he rode up to the door he had the same salute as from the first old
man, but this one was even uglier than the first one. He had long grey
hair, and his teeth were curling out of his mouth, and his finger- and
toe-nails had not been cut for many thousand years. He put the horse
into a much better stable, and called Jack in, and gave him plenty to
eat and drink, and they had a bit of a chat before they went to bed.
"Well, my young son," said the old man, "I suppose you are one of the
king's children come to look for the golden apples to bring him back to
health."
"Yes, I am the youngest of the three brothers, and I should like to get
them to go back with."
"Well, don't mind, my young son. Before you go to bed to-night I will
send to my eldest brother, and will tell him what you want, and he won't
have much trouble in sending you on to the place where you must get the
apples. But mind not to stir to-night no matter how you get bitten and
stung, or else you will work great mischief to yourself."
The young man went to bed and bore all, as he did the first night, and
got up the next morning well and hearty. After a good breakfast out
comes a fresh horse, and a ball of yarn to throw between his ears. The
old man told him to jump up quick, and said that he had made it all
right with his eldest brother, not to delay for anything whatever,
"For," said he, "you have a good deal to go through with in a very short
and quick time."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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