Stranica 54 [54]
30 GRIMM S FAIRY TALES.
“ How shall I ever get there ?” said the man.
“T have a couple of hours to spare,” said the giant, “and
I will set you on your way, but I shall have to come back and
look after the child that we have in the house with us.”
Then the giant bore the man until within about a hundred
hours’ journey from the castle, and saying,
“You can manage the rest of the way by yourself,’ he
departed; and the man went on day and night, until at last
he came to the golden castle of Stromberg. It stood on a
mountain of glass, and he could see the enchanted Princess
driving round it, and then passing inside the gates. He was
rejoiced when he saw her, and began at once to climb the
mountain to get to her; but it was so slippery, as fast as he
went he fell back again. And when he saw this he felt he
should never reach her, and he was full of grief, and resolved
at least to stay at the foot of the mountain and wait for her.
So he built himself a hut, and sat there and waited a whole
year; and every day he saw the Princess drive round and
pass in, and was never able to reach her.
One day he looked out of his hut and saw three robbers
fighting, and he called out, “ Mercy onus!” Hearing a voice,
they stopped for a moment, but went on again beating one
another in a dreadful manner. And he cried out again,
“Mercy on us!” ‘They stopped and listened, and looked
about them, and then went on again. And he cried out a
third time, " Mercy on us!” and then, thinking he would
go and see what was the matter, he went out and asked them
what they were fighting for. One of them told him he had
found a stick which would open any door only by knocking at
it; the second said he had found a cloak which, if he put it
on, made him invisible; the third said he was possessed of a
horse that would ride over everything, even the glass mountain.
Now they had fought because they could not agree whether
they should enjoy these things in common or separately.
‘Suppose we make a bargain,” said the man; “it is true
I have no money, but I have other things yet more valuable
to exchange for these; I must, however, make trial of them
beforehand, to see if you have spoken truth concerning them.”
So they let him mount the horse, and put the cloak round
him, and they gave him the stick into his hand, and as soon as