Tales of Folk and Fairies Part 11

Very well, he could have it for three hundred dollars, but that was without the leash; the leash was not for sale.

The n.o.bleman laughed aloud, "when the dog is mine," he said, "he shall have a golden leash, for that one you have is fit for nothing but the ash heap."

The n.o.bleman then paid the man three hundred dollars and unfastened the leash from the dog's neck.

Away he flew like the wind and soon caught the hare. But when the hunters reached the spot where the hare lay they could see nothing of the dog. Only a tall and handsome youth stood there, and he was flushed and hot as though he had been running.

"Have you seen my greyhound, a sleek and handsome dog?" asked the n.o.bleman.

No, the youth had not seen any dog.

The n.o.bleman called and whistled, and he and his huntsman hunted far and near, but they never found the greyhound.

As for the lad he set out on the road his father had taken and soon caught up with him.

"That was a very pretty trick," said the father; "but after all three hundred dollars is not much. It will barely buy us a cow and clothes and put a new roof on the hut."

"Yes, but that is not the only trick I know," answered the son. "Look at the hill over yonder and tell me what you see."

The father looked. "I see a company of fine ladies and gentlemen,"

answered the father, "and they are flying their falcons."

"I will change myself into a falcon, and when you have come to where they are you shall loose me, and I will strike down a quail. Then they will want to buy me. Sell me for three hundred dollars, no more, no less. But whatever you do take off my hood and keep it, or misfortune will surely overtake us."

The father promised he would do this, and then the lad turned himself into a falcon and perched upon his father's hand.

Presently the father came up to where the ladies and gentlemen were at their sport. They loosed their falcons, and the falcons flew after the quail, but always they failed to strike, and the quail escaped.

"That is poor sport," said the man. "I can show you better."

He took off the hood and cast his falcon at the quail, and it quickly struck down its prey.

The gentlemen and ladies were astonished at the quickness of the falcon and at the beauty of its feathers.

"Sell us the bird," they said.

Yes, the man was willing to do that, but his price was three hundred dollars without the hood; the hood was not for sale for love nor money.

All the fine folk began to laugh. "What do we want with that old hood?" they cried. "We will give the bird a hood that is worthy of a king."

So the man took the three hundred dollars and the hood and went on his way.

The one who had bought the falcon cast it at a quail, and it struck down its prey as before, but when the hunters reached the place where the birds had fallen they saw no falcon, but only a handsome young man who stood there looking down at the dead quail.

"What became of the falcon that was here?" they asked.

But the youth had seen no falcon.

He set out and soon overtook his father, who had not gone far. "And now art thou content?" he asked.

"Six hundred dollars is not a fortune," answered the man. "Since you have done so well you might have done better."

"Very well," answered the son. "We are now coming to a town where they are holding a fair. I will change myself into a horse, and you shall take me there and sell me for a thousand dollars,--no more, no less.

But heed what I say. Do not sell the halter whatever you do, or evil will surely come of it."

"Very well," said the father. "I will remember."

The son then changed himself into a coal-black horse. His skin was like satin, his eyes like jewels, and when he moved, his hoofs scarcely seemed to touch the ground. But around his neck was an old leather halter that was scarcely fit for an old farm nag.

The father led the horse on to where the fair was being held, and at once a crowd gathered around him, all bidding for the horse. Some offered him more and some less.

"The price is a thousand dollars," said the father, "no more, no less.

But that is without the halter."

Then the people all laughed. "Who wants the halter?" they cried. "What we offer is for the horse alone. The halter we would not take as a gift."

Then a rough looking, black-haired gypsy elbowed his way through the crowd. He was really the Green One who had taken on this form, though this the man did not know.

"I will give you two thousand," he cried. "One thousand for the horse and one thousand for the halter, but I will not have one without the other."

When the crowd heard this they laughed louder than ever. They thought the gypsy was crazy to offer such a price.

As for the father he stood there gaping and he did not know what to do.

"The price of the horse is a thousand dollars," he said.

"And a thousand for the halter," said the gypsy.

Well, two thousand dollars seemed a fortune to the man. Moreover he did not see what harm it could do to sell the halter too.

So he let the gypsy have the horse and the halter as well, and the gypsy paid him two thousand dollars and led the horse away.

And now the lad could not change himself back into his human shape, because the halter held him, and this Oh knew very well.

He led the horse back to the forest and down to the world that is under this. "Now I have you again," he said, "and this time you shall not escape me."

Then he called to his youngest daughter and bade her take the horse down to the river to drink.

When she had brought the horse to the river bank it said to her.

"Loosen, I pray of thee, the halter, that I may drink more easily."

Then the girl, who was a stupid wench, loosened the halter. At once the lad slipped out of it and changed himself into a perch and fled away down the river.

But the Green One knew what had happened. He rushed down to the river and changed himself into a pike and pursued after the perch.

On and on they went, but the pike swam faster than the perch and was just about to catch it when the perch sprang clear out of the water.

The daughter of the Tsar was walking by the river, and she was such a beauty that it made the heart ache to look at her. On her arm she carried a basket.