Page:Segnius Irritant or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories.pdf/30

 “Father and mother have flown away and left us to feed ourselves, and we poor fledglings do not yet know how to fly. Oh! help, George, help! fill our maws, for really we are dying of hunger.” George did not reflect long; leapt from his horse and thrust his sword into its side that the young ravens might have something to devour. “When thou shalt have need of us,” they croaked gaily, “think of us and we will help thee, too.”

After this George had to go forward on foot. He went a long, long way through the wood, and when at last he emerged from the wood he saw a sea extending far and wide before him. On the shore at the edge of the sea two fishermen were disputing together. They had caught a large golden fish in a net, and each one wished to keep it all to himself. “Mine is the net, therefore mine the fish!” And the other replied: “Little would thy net have availed thee, if it had not been for my boat and my aid.” “The next time we catch such another it shall be thine.” Not so; wait thou for the next one and just give me that!” “I will arrange your differences,” says George. “Sell me this fish; I will pay you well, and the money you can divide between you half and half.” And so he gave them for it all the money he had from the king for his journey; he left himself nothing. The fishermen were glad to have sold it so well, and George let the fish go again into the sea. It splashed merrily out into the water, plunged, and then, not far from the shore, stuck out its head just once. “When you shall have need of me in your turn, George, remember me and I will serve you!” And after this it was lost to sight. “Where goest thou?” asked the fishermen of George. “I go in behalf of my master, the old king, for a bride, for a golden-haired maiden, and I don’t the least know where to look for her.” “Oh! about her we can well inform thee; it is Golden Locks, the royal daughter, of the castle of crystal yonder on that island. Every day in the morning, when it dawns, she combs her golden tresses; the glitter from them flashes over sea and sky. If thou wishest, we will ourselves ferry thee across to this island, because thou hast so well arranged our differences. But take care thou choosest the right maiden; there are twelve of them, all the king’s daughters, but only one has golden hair.”

When George was at the island he went into the castle of crystal to request the king to give his golden-haired daughter in marriage to his lord the king. “I will give her,” said the king, “but thou must deserve her; thou must during three days accomplish three tasks