> ‘My father,' replied the prince, ‘now and always, I ask nothing

better than to do your bidding, but I know of no daughter-in-law

that I could give you.'



On hearing these words the old king drew from his pocket a key of

gold, and gave it to his son, saying:



‘Go up the staircase, right up to the top of the tower. Look

carefully round you, and then come and tell me which you like

best of all that you see.'



So the young man went up. He had never before been in the tower,

and had no idea what it might contain.



The staircase wound round and round and round, till the prince

was almost giddy, and every now and then he caught sight of a

large room that opened out from the side. But he had been told to

go to the top, and to the top he went. Then he found himself in a

hall, which had an iron door at one end. This door he unlocked

with his golden key, and he passed through into a vast chamber

which had a roof of blue sprinkled with golden stars, and a

carpet of green silk soft as turf. Twelve windows framed in gold

let in the light of the sun, and on every window was painted the

figure of a young girl, each more beautiful than the last. While

the prince gazed at them in surprise, not knowing which he liked

best, the girls began to lift their eyes and smile at him. He

waited, expecting them to speak, but no sound came.



Suddenly he noticed that one of the windows was covered by a

curtain of white silk.



He lifted it, and saw before him the image of a maiden beautiful

as the day and sad as the tomb, clothed in a white robe, having a

girdle of silver and a crown of pearls. The prince stood and

gazed at her, as if he had been turned into stone, but as he

looked the sadness which, was on her face seemed to pass into his

heart, and he cried out:



‘This one shall be my wife. This one and no other.'



As he said the words the young girl blushed and hung her head,

and all the other figures vanished.



The young prince went quickly back to his father, and told him

all he had seen and which wife he had chosen. The old man

listened to him full of sorrow, and then he spoke:



‘You have done ill, my son, to search out that which was hidden,

and you are running to meet a great danger. This young girl has

fallen into the power of a wicked sorcerer, who lives in an iron

castle. Many young men have tried to deliver her, and none have

ever come back. But what is done is done! You have given your

word, and it cannot be broken. Go, dare your fate, and return to

me safe and sound.'



So the prince embraced his father, mounted his horse, and set

forth to seek his bride. He rode on gaily for several hours, till

he found himself in a wood where he had never been before, and

soon lost his way among its winding paths and deep valleys. He

tried in vain to see where he was: the thick trees shut out the

sun, and he could not tell which was north and which was south,

so that he might know what direction to make for. He felt in

despair, and had quite given up all hope of getting out of this

horrible place, when he heard a voice calling to him.



‘Hey! hey! stop a minute!'



The prince turned round and saw behind him a very tall man,

running as fast as his legs would carry him.



‘Wait for me,' he panted, ‘and take me into your service. If you

do, you will never be sorry.'



‘Who are you?' asked the prince, ‘and what can you do?'



‘Long is my name, and I can lengthen my body at will. Do you see

that nest up there on the top of that pine-tree? Well, I can get

it for you without taking the trouble of climbing the tree,' and

Long stretched himself up and up and up, till he was very soon as

tall as the pine itself. He put the nest in his pocket, and

before you could wink your eyelid he had made himself small

again, and stood before the prince.



‘Yes; you know your business,' said he, ‘but birds' nests are no

use to me. I am too old for them. Now if you were only able to

get me out of this wood, you would indeed be good for something.'



‘Oh, there's no difficulty about that,' replied Long, and he

stretched himself up and up and up till he was three times as

tall as the tallest tree in the forest. Then he looked all round

and said, ‘We must go in this direction in order to get out of

the wood,' and shortening himself again, he took the prince's

horse by the bridle, and led him along. Very soon they got clear

of the forest, and saw before them a wide plain ending in a pile

of high rocks, covered here and there with trees, and very much

like the fortifications of a town.



As they left the wood behind, Long turned to the prince and said,

‘My lord, here comes my comrade. You should take him into your

service too, as you will find him a great help.'



‘Well, call him then, so that I can see what sort of a man he

is.'



‘He is a little too far off for that,' replied Long. ‘He would

hardly hear my voice, and he couldn't be here for some time yet,

as he has so much to carry. I think I had better go and bring him

myself,' and this time he stretched himself to such a height that

his head was lost in the clouds. He made two or three strides,

took his friend on his back, and set him down before the prince.

The new-comer was a very fat man, and as round as a barrel.



‘Who are you?' asked the prince, ‘and what can you do?'



‘Your worship, Broad is my name, and I can make myself as wide as

I please.'



‘Let me see how you manage it.'



‘Run, my lord, as fast as you can, and hide yourself in the

wood,' cried Broad, and he began to swell himself out.



The prince did not understand why he should run to the wood, but

when he saw Long flying towards it, he thought he had better

follow his example. He was only just in time, for Broad had so

suddenly inflated himself that he very nearly knocked over the

prince and his horse too. He covered all the space for acres

round. You would have thought he was a mountain!



At length Broad ceased to expand, drew a deep breath that made

the whole forest tremble, and shrank into his usual size.



‘You have made me run away,' said the prince. ‘But it is not

every day one meets with a man of your sort. I will take you into

my service.'



So the three companions continued their journey, and when they

were drawing near the rocks they met a man whose eyes were

covered by a bandage.



‘Your excellency,' said Long, ‘this is our third comrade. You

will do well to take him into your service, and, I assure you,

you will find him worth his salt.'



‘Who are you?' asked the prince. ‘And why are your eyes bandaged?

You can never see your way!'



‘It is just the contrary, my lord! It is because I see only too

well that I am forced to bandage my eyes. Even so I see as well

as people who have no bandage. When I take it off my eyes pierce

through everything. Everything I look at catches fire, or, if it

cannot catch fire, it falls into a thousand pieces. They call me

Quickeye.'



And so saying he took off his bandage and turned towards the

rock. As he fixed his eyes upon it a crack was heard, and in a

few moments it was nothing but a heap of sand. In the sand

something might be detected glittering brightly. Quickeye picked

it up and brought it to the prince. It turned out to be a lump of

pure gold.



‘You are a wonderful creature,' said the prince, ‘and I should be

a fool not to take you into my service. But since your eyes are

so good, tell me if I am very far from the Iron Castle, and what

is happening there just now.'



‘If you were travelling alone,' replied Quickeye, ‘it would take

you at least a year to get to it; but as we are with you, we

shall arrive there to-night. Just now they are preparing supper.'



‘There is a princess in the castle. Do you see her?'



‘A wizard keeps her in a high tower, guarded by iron bars.'



‘Ah, help me to deliver her!' cried the prince.



And they promised they would.



Then they all set out through the grey rocks, by the breach made

by the eyes of Quickeye, and passed over great mountains and

through deep woods. And every time they met with any obstacle the

three friends contrived somehow to put it aside. As the sun was

setting, the prince beheld the towers of the Iron Castle, and

before it sank beneath the horizon he was crossing the iron

bridge which led to the gates. He was only just in time, for no

sooner had the sun disappeared altogether, than the bridge drew

itself up and the gates shut themselves.



There was no turning back now!



The prince put up his horse in the stable, where everything

looked as if a guest was expected, and then the whole party

marched straight up to the castle. In the court, in the stables,

and all over the great halls, they saw a number of men richly

dressed, but every one turned into stone. They crossed an endless

set of rooms, all opening into each other, till they reached the

dining-hall. It was brilliantly lighted; the table was covered

with wine and fruit, and was laid for four. They waited a few

minutes expecting someone to come, but as nobody did, they sat

down and began to eat and drink, for they were very hungry.



When they had done their supper they looked about for some place

to sleep. But suddenly the door burst open, and the wizard

entered the hall. He was old and hump-backed, with a bald head

and a grey beard that fell to his knees. He wore a black robe,

and instead of a belt three iron circlets clasped his waist. He

led by the hand a lady of wonderful beauty, dressed in white,

with a girdle of silver and a crown of pearls, but her face was

pale and sad as death itself.



The prince knew her in an instant, and moved eagerly forward; but

the wizard gave him no time to speak, and said:



‘I know why you are here. Very good; you may have her if for

three nights following you can prevent her making her escape. If

you fail in this, you and your servants will all be turned into

stone, like those who have come before you.' And offering the

princess a chair, he left the hall.



The prince could not take his eyes from the princess, she was so

lovely! He began to talk to her, but she neither answered nor

smiled, and sat as if she were made of marble. He seated himself

by her, and determined not to close his eyes that night, for fear

she should escape him. And in order that she should be doubly

guarded, Long stretched himself like a strap all round the room,

Broad took his stand by the door and puffed himself out, so that

not even a mouse could slip by, and Quickeye leant against a

pillar which stood in the middle of the floor and supported the

roof. But in half a second they were all sound asleep, and they

slept sound the whole night long.



In the morning, at the first peep of dawn, the prince awoke with

a start. But the princess was gone. He aroused his servants and

implored them to tell him what he must do.



‘Calm yourself, my lord,' said Quickeye. ‘I have found her

already. A hundred miles from here there is a forest. In the

middle of the forest, an old oak, and on the top of the oak, an

acorn. This acorn is the princess. If Long will take me on his

shoulders, we shall soon bring her back.' And sure enough, in

less time than it takes to walk round a cottage, they had

returned from the forest, and Long presented the acorn to the

prince.



‘Now, your excellency, throw it on the ground.'



The prince obeyed, and was enchanted to see the princess appear

at his side. But when the sun peeped for the first time over the

mountains, the door burst open as before, and the wizard entered

with a loud laugh. Suddenly he caught sight of the princess; his

face darkened, he uttered a low growl, and one of the iron

circlets gave way with a crash. He seized the young girl by the

hand and bore her away with him.



All that day the prince wandered about the castle, studying the

curious treasures it contained, but everything looked as if life

had suddenly come to a standstill. In one place he saw a prince

who had been turned into stone in the act of brandishing a sword

round which his two hands were clasped. In another, the same doom

had fallen upon a knight in the act of running away. In a third,

a serving man was standing eternally trying to convey a piece of

beef to his mouth, and all around them were others, still

preserving for evermore the attitudes they were in when the

wizard had commanded ‘From henceforth be turned into marble.' In

the castle, and round the castle all was dismal and desolate.

Trees there were, but without leaves; fields there were, but no

grass grew on them. There was one river, but it never flowed and

no fish lived in it. No flowers blossomed, and no birds sang.



Three times during the day food appeared, as if by magic, for the

prince and his servants. And it was not until supper was ended

that the wizard appeared, as on the previous evening, and

delivered the princess into the care of the prince.



All four determined that this time they would keep awake at any

cost. But it was no use. Off they went as they had done before,

and when the prince awoke the next morning the room was again

empty.



With a pang of shame, he rushed to find Quickeye. ‘Awake! Awake!

Quickeye! Do you know what has become of the princess?'



Quickeye rubbed his eyes and answered: ‘Yes, I see her. Two

hundred miles from here there is a mountain. In this mountain is

a rock. In the rock, a precious stone. This stone is the

princess. Long shall take me there, and we will be back before

you can turn round.'



So Long took him on his shoulders and they set out. At every

stride they covered twenty miles, and as they drew near Quickeye

fixed his burning eyes on the mountain; in an instant it split

into a thousand pieces, and in one of these sparkled the precious

stone. They picked it up and brought it to the prince, who flung

it hastily down, and as the stone touched the floor the princess

stood before him. When the wizard came, his eyes shot forth

flames of fury. Cric-crac was heard, and another of his iron

bands broke and fell. He seized the princess by the hand and led

her off, growling louder than ever.



All that day things went on exactly as they had done the day

before. After supper the wizard brought back the princess, and

looking him straight in the eyes he said, ‘We shall see which of

us two will gain the prize after all!'



That night they struggled their very hardest to keep awake, and

even walked about instead of sitting down. But it was quite

useless. One after another they had to give in, and for the third

time the princess slipped through their fingers.



When morning came, it was as usual the prince who awoke the

first, and as usual, the princess being gone, he rushed to

Quickeye.



‘Get up, get up, Quickeye, and tell me where is the princess?'



Quickeye looked about for some time without answering. ‘Oh, my

lord, she is far, very far. Three hundred miles away there lies a

black sea. In the middle of this sea there is a little shell, and

in the middle of the shell is fixed a gold ring. That gold ring

is the princess. But do not vex your soul; we will get her. Only

to-day, Long must take Broad with him. He will be wanted badly.'



So Long took Quickeye on one shoulder, and Broad on the other,

and they set out. At each stride they left thirty miles behind

them. When they reached the black sea, Quickeye showed them the

spot where they must seek the shell. But though Long stretched

down his hand as far as it would go, he could not find the shell,

for it lay at the bottom of the sea.



‘Wait a moment, comrades, it will be all right. I will help you,'

said Broad.



Then he swelled himself out so that you would have thought the

world could hardly have held him, and stooping down he drank. He

drank so much at every mouthful, that only a minute or so passed

before the water had sunk enough for Long to put his hand to the

bottom. He soon found the shell, and pulled the ring out. But

time had been lost, and Long had a double burden to carry. The

dawn was breaking fast before they got back to the castle, where

the prince was waiting for them in an agony of fear.



Soon the first rays of the sun were seen peeping over the tops of

the mountains. The door burst open, and finding the prince

standing alone the wizard broke into peals of wicked laughter.

But as he laughed a loud crash was heard, the window fell into a

thousand pieces, a gold ring glittered in the air, and the

princess stood before the enchanter. For Quickeye, who was

watching from afar, had told Long of the terrible danger now

threatening the prince, and Long, summoning all his strength for

one gigantic effort, had thrown the ring right through the

window.



The wizard shrieked and howled with rage, till the whole castle

trembled to its foundations. Then a crash was heard, the third

band split in two, and a crow flew out of the window.



Then the princess at length broke the enchanted silence, and

blushing like a rose, gave the prince her thanks for her

unlooked-for deliverance.



But it was not only the princess who was restored to life by the

flight of the wicked black crow. The marble figures became men

once more, and took up their occupations just as they had left

them off. The horses neighed in the stables, the flowers

blossomed in the garden, the birds flew in the air, the fish

darted in the water. Everywhere you looked, all was life, all was

joy!



And the knights who had been turned into stone came in a body to

offer their homage to the prince who had set them free.



‘Do not thank me,' he said, ‘for I have done nothing. Without my

faithful servants, Long, Broad, and Quickeye, I should even have

been as one of you.'



With these words he bade them farewell, and departed with the

princess and his faithful companions for the kingdom of his

father.



The old king, who had long since given up all hope, wept for joy

at the sight of his son, and insisted that the wedding should

take place as soon as possible.



All the knights who had been enchanted in the Iron Castle were

invited to the ceremony, and after it had taken place, Long,

Broad, and Quickeye took leave of the young couple, saying that

they were going to look for more work.



The prince offered them all their hearts could desire if they

would only remain with him, but they replied that an idle life

would not please them, and that they could never be happy unless

they were busy, so they went away to seek their fortunes, and for

all I know are seeking still.