orange fairy book

Chapter 44 The Seven Foals

Long, long ago, a poor couple lived in a shabby hut, far away from where everyone else lived, in the woods.They lived just enough to live hand to mouth, and that was very poor, and they had three sons, the youngest of whom was called Gray Boy, who did nothing but lie there and shake ashes.

One day, the eldest son said that he was going out to support himself.So they agreed.The eldest son is on his way.He walked and walked all day, and when night fell he came to a palace, and the King, standing on the steps outside, asked him where he was going.

"Oh, I'm going to get a job," said the young man.

"Then you will look after the seven foals for me," said the king. "You spend a day looking at them, and in the evening if you can tell me what they eat and drink, I will marry my daughter to you. I'll give you half a kingdom. But if you can't do it, I'll cut three pieces off your back."

The young man thought it was easy, so he agreed.

The next morning, at daybreak, the king's groom brought out seven foals, and the foals ran away at once, and the young man followed them, climbing hills, crossing valleys, woods and swamps, walking, He is exhausted.Then he came to a cleft in the rocks where an old woman sat spinning with a spindle in her hand.

She saw the young man running with a herd of foals, sweat running down his face like a stream, and she said, "Come, handsome boy, let me brush your hair."

The lad was willing to sit beside the old woman, resting his head on her lap.She brushed his hair all day and he lay there doing nothing.

It was getting dark, and the young man was leaving. "I'll just go home," he said. "It's useless to go to the palace."

"The foals will pass by here again at dusk, and you will drive them home. No one will know that you lie here without looking at the horses," said the old woman.

Sure enough, the colt came.The woman gave the boy a bottle of water and a bit of moss, and told him to show these to the king, and tell him that this was what the horses ate and drank.

"Have you looked after the horse all day?" asked the King, when he saw the lad had returned.

"Yes," said the young man.

"Then tell me what the horse ate and drank," said the king.

The young man showed him the water and moss that the old woman had given him: "This is it."

Now the king knew what he had been looking at the horse for a whole day, and he was so angry that he ordered the servant to cut three pieces of meat off the young man's back, sprinkle salt on it, and then drive the young man home.

When the young man returned home, he could guess what mood he was in.He said that when he went out once, this kind of thing happened, and he never went out again.

The next day, the second son was going out into the world.His parents disagreed and asked him to look at his brother's back.But the second son was unwilling to give up and insisted on talking for a long time. His parents finally agreed and he was on his way.

He walked all day and came to the palace.The king stood on the steps and asked him where he was going.He said he was looking for work.The King said he would take care of the seven foals, as he had said to his brother.

The young man agreed at once, for he found it an easy job to look after the horses.

As soon as it was daylight, seven foals came out from the groom's head.Again the horse ran over mountains and valleys, and the boy ran after him, just like his brother.He ran for a long time, tired and hot, and passed the crevices of the rocks, and saw the old woman spinning, who turned out to be a witch, and she called to him: "Come, handsome boy, I will comb for you." hair."

The young man was so happy that he let the horse go away, and sat down beside the old witch, and rested his head on her lap, and stayed with her all day.

In the evening, when the foal came back, the second son also took a piece of moss and a bottle of water, and brought them back to show the king.

The king asked the young man, "What did my foal eat and drink?"

The young man showed the king the bottle of water and the moss: "Look, this is what your horses eat and drink."

The king was furious, and ordered his servants to cut three pieces of meat off his back, sprinkle some salt on them, and drive him home immediately.

The young man went home and told his parents everything. He said he went out once, and in exchange for this result, he never went out again.

On the third day, Gray Boy was leaving.He said he wanted to see the seven foals for himself.

His brother laughed at him: "We are all like this, do you think you are better than us? You look really strong, you have done nothing but lie on the ground and play with ashes!"

"Yes, I'm still going," said Gray Child, "I'm serious."

The two older brothers laughed at him, and his parents begged him not to go, but it was no use, and the Gray Boy went away.He walked all day, and when it was dark, he arrived in front of the palace.

The king was standing on the steps outside the palace, and he asked the gray boy where he was going.

"I'll go find work," said the Gray Child.

"Where do you come from?" asked the king again.This time he wanted to know more before employing people.

The Gray Boy told the King that he was the brother of the two men who had seen the horses for the King, and asked himself if he could try his luck.

"Oh, what a disgrace to them!" said the King, who was angry at the thought of them. "Is your brother one of these two fellows? You're no better off yourself. I've got enough."

"Well. But I'm here, let me try," said Gray Child.

"Well, if you want to be skinned so much, you can," said the king.

"I'd rather have a princess," said the Gray Child.

The next morning, just after daybreak, the groom set out seven foals, and they ran down the valley again, through forests and swamps, and Gray Boy followed them all the way.

After running for a long time, they came to a crevice among the stones, where the old witch sat there spinning thread on her spindle, and called to the Gray Child, "Come here, my handsome boy, and let me comb your hair for you."

"Come here. Follow me!" said the Gray Child, holding tightly to a horse's tail.

He passed safely across the rock, and the youngest pony said, "Come on my back, we have a long way to go." The young man rode up.

They have come a long, long way.

"What did you see?" asked the pony.

"Nothing," replied the Gray Child.

They moved on again.

"What do you see now?" asked the pony.

"No, no," said the boy.

They walked for a long time, and the pony asked again, "What do you see now?"

"I see something white," said the Gray Child, "like a very thick birch tree."

Ma Ju said, "That's right, it's here."

They got there.The first horse kicked the tree down, and at the root of the tree there was a door, which led to a small room with only a small stove and a pair of benches, and behind the door hung a rusty short sword. and a small pitcher.

"Can you swing this sword?" asked the pony.

Gray Boy tried, but it was no good. He drank some water from the pitcher, and now he could play with the short sword easily.

"Very well," said the foal, "with this sword. On your wedding day, use this sword to chop off the heads of seven of us, and we shall be princes again. We are the Princess's brother. There is a The giant has put a spell on us, and to break the spell, you'll have to carefully put our seven heads next to each of our tails, so the spell won't work."

The Gray Children agreed, and they moved on.

After walking a long, long way, the pony asked, "Did you see anything?"

"No," said Gray Child.

So they went a long way.

"Now? Still don't see anything?" said the pony.

"Oh. No," said the Gray Child.

They walked a long way, over mountains and valleys.

"What do you see now?"

"I see it," said the Gray Child. "I see something like a blue stripe, far, far away."

"It's a river, and we have to cross it," said the foal.

There is a very long and beautiful bridge on the bridge.After crossing the river, they walked a long way.

The pony asked Gray Boy what he had seen.This time he saw black houses in the distance, like church towers."Yes, we're going in," said the pony.

As soon as the foal entered the church yard, it turned into a human being, looking like a prince.Their clothes are so gorgeous and sparkle.They entered the church and received bread and wine from the priest.Gray Boy went in too.The priest put his hand on the prince's shoulders and blessed them.They went out of the church again, and Gray Boy came out with a bottle of wine and some bread.

The princes returned to the yard, and immediately became ponies again.Gray Boy got on the horse, and they went back the same way.

They crossed the bridge, passed the birch trees, and saw the old witch again, and they ran so fast that the Gray Boy couldn't even hear what the old witch was calling, and why she was angry.

It was almost dark.They returned to the palace at nightfall, and the king stood waiting for them in the courtyard.

"Have you watched the horse all day?" the King asked the Gray Child.

"I did my best," said the Gray Child.

"Tell me, what did my seven horses eat and drink?" asked the king.

The Gray Boy took out bread and a bottle of wine and showed the king, "This is what they eat and this is what they drink."

"I am glad you are so faithful," said the king. "You can marry the princess and have half my kingdom."

The wedding was all ready, and the king said the wedding would be magnificent.So everyone asked about it.

When they sat down to the wedding feast, the bridegroom got up, and on the pretext of forgetting to do something, left the feast and went to the stables.Once there he did as the ponies were told, and chopped off their heads, from largest to smallest, and carefully placed the heads next to their tails.

After all this was done, the foals became princes.They went back to the wedding feast together.

The King was so happy that he kissed Cinderella and patted him on the back, and the Princess was also very happy.

"Half of my kingdom is yours already," said the king, "and the other half will be yours when I die. My sons are princes again, and they can find land for themselves to be kings."

Therefore, the wedding is full of joyful atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)