Page:Segnius Irritant or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories.pdf/18

 to have, and no other.” And as he said these words this virgin bowed her head, blushed like & rose, and in a moment all the pictures vanished.

When after this he came down again and told his father what he had seen, and which of the virgins he had chosen, the old king grew gloomy, reflected awhile, and said: “Thou hast done ill, my son, in uncovering what was veiled, and by this word thou hast put thyself in great peril. This virgin is in the power of a wicked sorcerer or prince of darkness, and is imprisoned in a castle of iron; no one who has attempted to set her free has ever yet returned. But what is done cannot be undone: given word is law. Go, try thy fortune, and come home again to me safe and sound.”

The king’s son bade farewell to his father, mounted his horse, and rode away for this bride. And so it befell him to ride through a great wood, and in this wood he rode on and on until at last he quite lost his way. And when he and his horse had thus wandered among thickets and among rocks and quagmires [bazinamibažinami [sic]: bazitibažiti [sic] means to desire], not knowing whither he went nor where he was, he heard some one calling after him: “Hi! wait a minute!” The king’s son looked round and saw how a tall man was hurrying after him. “Stop and take me with you, and if you take me into your service you will not repent it.” “Who art thou?” said the king’s son, “and what art thou skilled in?” My name is Long, and I am skilled in stretching. Do you see up there on that tall fir tree a bird’s nest? I will take the nest for you, and there is no need for me to climb up the tree the least little bit.”

And so Long began to stretch; his body quickly grew until it was as tall as the fir tree; then he reached for the nest, and in a twinkling crumpled himself up again, and offered it to the king’s son. “Well hast thou learnt thy feat of skill; but what good are birds’ nests to me if thou canst not lead me out of this wood?”

“QOh! that is an easy matter,” said Long, and began to stretch himself out again, until he was three times as tall as the tallest pine tree in that wood; looked round about him, and says: “In yonder direction we shall find the shortest way out of the wood.” Then he crumpled himself up, took the horse by the bridle, and walked before it, and ere the king’s son expected it, they were out of the wood. Far before them stretched a broad plain, and beyond the plain were lofty grey rocks, like the walls of a great city, and mountains overgrown with forest.