ather, and tell him that you have done your task, and
can claim me for your wife.'

The princess had finished all she had to say, and now it depended on the
young man to do his part. He hid the knife in the folds of his girdle,
mounted his horse, and rode off in search of the meadow. This he found
without much difficulty, but the horses were all so shy that they
galloped away directly he approached them. Then he drew his knife, and
held it up towards the sun, and directly there shone such a glory that
the whole meadow was bathed in it. From all sides the horses rushed
pressing round, and each one that passed him fell on its knees to do him
honour.

But he only chose from them all the three that the emperor had
described. These he secured by a silken rope to his own horse, and then
looked about for the cypress tree. It was standing by itself in one
corner, and in a moment he was beside it, tearing away the earth with
his knife. Deeper and deeper he dug, till far down, below the roots of
brass, his knife struck upon the buried treasure, which lay heaped up
in bags all around. With a great effort he lifted them from their hiding
place, and laid them one by one on his horses' backs, and when they
could carry no more he led them back to the emperor. And when the
emperor saw him, he wondered, but never guessed how it was the young man
had been too clever for him, till the betrothal ceremony was over. Then
he asked his newly made son-in-law what dowry he would require with his
bride. To which the bridegroom made answer, 'Noble emperor! all I desire
is that I may have your daughter for my wife, and enjoy for ever the use
of your enchanted knife.'

(Volksmarchen der Serben.)

JESPER WHO HERDED THE HARES

There was once a king who ruled over a kingdom somewhere between sunrise
and sunset. It was as small as kingdoms usually were in old times, and
when the king went up to the roof of his palace and took a look round
he could see to the ends of it in every direction. But as it was all his
own, he was very proud of it, and often wondered how it would get along
without him. He had only one child, and that was a daughter, so he
foresaw that she must be provided with a husband who would be fit to be
king after him. Where to find one rich enough and clever enough to be
a suitable match for the princess was what troubled him, and often kept
him awake at night.

At last he devised a plan. He made a proclamation over all his k