Again some time passed, and then the king's youngest son wanted to set off and try his luck, but his father would not allow it.
"It is of no use," said he, "he will find the Golden
Bird still less than his brothers,
and if a mishap were to befall him he knows
not how to help himself; he is a little wanting at the best."
But at last, as he had no peace, he let him go.
Again the fox was sitting outside the wood, and begged for his
life, and offered his good advice.
The youth was good-natured, and said,
"Be easy, little Fox, I will do you no harm."
"You shall not repent it," answered the fox; "and that you may get on more quickly, get up behind on my tail."
And scarcely had he seated himself when the fox began to run,
and
away he went over stock and stone till his hair whistled in the wind.
When they
came to the village the youth got off; he followed the good advice,
and without
looking round turned into the little inn, where he spent the night quietly.
The next morning, as soon as he got into the open country, there
sat the fox already, and said,
"I will tell you further what you have to
do. Go on quite straight, and at last you will come to a castle,
in front of
which a whole regiment of soldiers is lying,
but do not trouble yourself about
them, for they will all be asleep and snoring.
Go through the midst of them
straight into the castle, and go through all the rooms,
till at last you will
come to a chamber where a Golden Bird is hanging in a wooden cage.
Close by,
there stands an empty gold cage for show,
but beware of taking the bird out of
the common cage and putting it into the fine one,
or it may go badly with
you."
With these words the fox again stretched out his tail,
and the
king's son seated himself on it,
and away he went over stock and stone till his
hair whistled in the wind.
When he came to the castle he found everything as the fox had said.
The king's son went into the chamber where the Golden Bird was shut up in a
wooden cage,
while a golden one stood hard by; and the three golden apples lay
about the room.
"But," thought he, "it would be absurd if I were to
leave the beautiful bird in the common and ugly cage,"
so he opened the
door, laid hold of it, and put it into the golden cage."
But at the same moment
the bird uttered a shrill cry.
The soldiers awoke, rushed in, and took him off
to prison.
The next morning he was taken before a court of justice,
and as he
confessed everything, was sentenced to death.
The king, however, said that he would grant him his life on one
condition namely,
if he brought him the Golden Horse which ran faster than the
wind;
and in that case he should receive, over and above, as a reward, the
Golden Bird.