Page:The Allies Fairy Book.djvu/175

 wonder what there could be in the twelfth cellar, and soon commenced opening one cellar after the other. When he came to the twelfth he would not at first open it, but again began to wonder very much why he was forbidden to go into it. “What can be in this cellar?” he exclaimed to himself. At last he opened it. In the middle of the cellar lay a big barrel with an open bung-hole, but bound fast round with three iron hoops. Out of the barrel came a voice, saying: “For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying with thirst—please give me a cup of water!” Then the king’s son took a cup and filled it with water, and emptied it into the barrel. Immediately he had done so one of the hoops burst asunder. Again came the voice from the barrel: “For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying of thirst—please give me a cup of water!” The king’s son again filled the cup, and took it and emptied it into the barrel, and instantly another hoop burst asunder. The third time the voice came out of the barrel: “For God’s sake, my brother—I am dying of thirst—please give me a cup of water!” The king’s son again took the cup and filled it, and poured the water into the barrel—and the third hoop burst. Then the barrel fell to pieces, and a dragon flew out of the cellar, and caught the queen on the road and carried her away.

Then the servant who went out with the queen came back quickly, and told the king’s son what had happened, and the poor prince knew not what to do with himself, so desperate was he and full of self-reproaches. At length, however, he resolved to set out and travel through the world in search of her. After long journeying, one day he came to a lake and near it, in a little hole, he saw a little fish jumping about. When the fish saw the king’s son, she began to beg pitifully: “For God’s sake, be my brother, and throw me into the water. Some day I may be of use to you, so take now a little scale from me, and when you need