from the direction of a fire
burning in the wood. So he went towards the fire, and there the old
woman was raking sticks and leaves into the embers. And he asked her
if he might spend the night beside her fire. But she told him she was
afraid of his beasts, and he must first allow her to give each of them a
stroke with her rod.

But he answered her:

'Certainly not. I am their master, and no one shall strike them but
I myself. Give me the rod'; and he touched the fox with it, and in a
moment it was turned into stone. Then he knew that the old woman was a
witch, and he turned to her and said:

'Unless you restore my brothers and their beasts back to life at once,
my lion will tear you in pieces.'

Then the witch was terrified, and taking a young oak tree she burnt
it into white ashes, and sprinkled the ashes on the stones that stood
around. And in a moment the two princes stood before their brother, and
their beasts stood round them.

Then the three princes set off together to the town. And the king did
not know which was his son-in-law, but the princess knew which was her
husband, and there were great rejoicings throughout the land.

THE GOAT'S EARS OF THE EMPEROR TROJAN

Once upon a time there lived an emperor whose name was Trojan, and he
had ears like a goat. Every morning, when he was shaved, he asked if the
man saw anything odd about him, and as each fresh barber always replied
that the emperor had goat's ears, he was at once ordered to be put to
death.

Now after this state of things had lasted a good while, there was hardly
a barber left in the town that could shave the emperor, and it came
to be the turn of the Master of the Company of Barbers to go up to the
palace. But, unluckily, at the very moment that he should have set out,
the master fell suddenly ill, and told one of his apprentices that he
must go in his stead.

When the youth was taken to the emperor's bedroom, he was asked why he
had come and not his master. The young man replied that the master was
ill, and there was no one but himself who could be trusted with the
honour. The emperor was satisfied with the answer, and sat down, and let
a sheet of fine linen be put round him. Directly the young barber began
his work, he, like the rest, remarked the goat's ears of the emperor,
but when he had finished and the emperor asked his usual question as
to whether the youth had noticed anything odd about him, the young man
replied calmly, 'No