and listened to what they said one to another, for he understood them quite well. The first one cried,"Ay, there goes the Princess of the Golden Palace."
"Yes," answered the second; "but he has not got her safe yet." And the third said, "He has her, though; she sits beside him in the ship."
Then the first one spoke again,
"What does that avail him? When they come on land a fox-red horse will spring towards them; then will the King try to mount him;
and if he does, the horse will rise with him into the air, so that he will never see his bride again." The second raven asked, "Is there no remedy?"
"Oh yes; if another man mounts quickly, and takes the pistol out of the holster and shoots the horse dead with it, he will save the young King. But who knows that? and he that knows it and does it will become stone from toe to knee." Then said the second,
"I know further, that if the horse should be killed, the young King will not even then be sure of his bride. When they arrive at the castle there will lie a wrought bride-shirt in a dish, and it will seem all woven of gold and silver, but it is really of sulphur and pitch, and if he puts it on it will burn him to the marrow of his bones." The third raven said,
"Is there no remedy?"
"Oh yes," answered the second; "if another man with gloves on picks up the shirt, and throws it into the fire, so that it is consumed, then is the young King delivered. But what avails that? He who knows it and does it will be turned into stone from his heart to his knee." Then spoke the third,
"I know yet more, that even when the bride-shirt is burnt up the King is not sure of his bride; when at the wedding the dance be-gins, and the young Queen dances, she will suddenly grow pale and fall to the earth as if she were dead, and unless some one lifts her up and takes three drops of blood from her right breast, she will die. But he that knows this and does this will become stone from
the crown of his head to the sole of his foot."
When the ravens had spoken thus among themselves they flew away. Faithful John had understood it all, and from that time he remained quiet and sad, for he thought to himself that were he to conceal what he had heard from his master, misfortune would befall;
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and were he to discover it his own life would be sacrificed. At last, however, he said within himself,
"I will save my master, though I myself should perish!"
So when they came on land, it happened just as the ravens had foretold, there sprang forward a splendid fox-red horse.
"Come on!" said the King, "he shall carry me to the castle," and was going to mount, when Faithful John passed before him and mounted quickly, drew the pistol out of the holster, and shot the horse dead. Then the other servants of the king cried out (for they did not wish well to Faithful John),
"How shameful to kill that beautiful animal that was to have carried the king to his castle." But the King said, "Hold your tongues, and let him be: he is my Faithful John; he knows what is the good of it."
Then they went up to the castle, and there stood in the hall a dish, and the wrought bride-shirt that lay on it seemed as if of gold
and silver. The young King went up to it and was going to put it on, but Faithful John pushed him away, picked it up with his gloved
hands, threw it quickly on the fire, and there let it burn. The other servants began grumbling again, and said,
"Look, he is even burning up the king's bridal shirt!" But the young King said,
"Who knows but that there may be a good reason for it? let him be, he is my Faithful John."
Then the wedding feast was held; and the bride led the dance; Faithful John watched her carefully, and all at once she grew pale and fell down as if she were dead. Then he went quickly to her, and carried her into a chamber hard by, laid her down, and kneeling, took three drops of blood from her right breast. Immediately she drew breath again and raised herself up, but the young King witnessing all, and not knowing why Faithful John had done this, grew very angry, and cried out,
"Throw him into prison!"
The next morning Faithful John was condemned to death and led to the gallows, and as he stood there ready to suffer, he said, "He who is about to die is permitted to speak once before his end; may I claim that right?"
"Yes," answered the King, "it is granted to you." Then said Faithful John,
"I have been condemned unjustly, for I have always been faithful," and he related how he had heard on the sea voyage the talk of the ravens, and how he had done everything in order to save his master. Then cried the King,
"O my Faithful John, pardon! pardon! lead him down!" But Faithful John, as he spoke the last words, fell lifeless, and became stone. The King and Queen had great grief because of this, and the King said,
"Ah, how could I have evil-rewarded such faithfulness!" and he caused the stone image to be lifted up and put to stand in his sleeping-room by the side of his bed. And as often as he saw it he wept and said,
"Would that I could bring thee back to life, my Faithful John!"
After some time the Queen bore twins--two little sons--that grew and thrived, and were the joy of their parents. One day, when
the Queen was in church, the two children were sitting and playing with their father, and he gazed at the stone image full of sadness, sighed, and cried,
"Oh that I could bring thee back to life, my Faithful John!" Then the stone began to speak, and said,
"Yes, thou canst bring me back to life again, if thou wilt bestow therefor thy best-beloved." Then cried the King, "All that I have in the world will I give up for thee!" The stone went on to say,
"If thou wilt cut off the heads of thy two children with thy own hand, and besmear me with their blood, I shall receive life again."
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The King was horror-struck at the thought that he must put his beloved children to death, but he remembered all John's faithfulness, and how he had died for him, and he drew his sword and cut off his children's heads with his own hand. And when he had besmeared the stone with their blood life returned to it, and Faithful John stood alive and well before him; and he said to the king,
"Thy faithfulness shall not be unrewarded," and, taking up the heads of the children, he set them on again, and besmeared the wound with their blood, upon which in a moment they were whole again, and jumped about, and went on playing as if nothing had happened to them.
Now was the King full of joy; and when he saw the Queen coming he put the Faithful John and the two children in a great chest. When she came in he said to her,
"Hast thou prayed in church?"
"Yes," answered she, "but I was thinking all the while of Faithful John, and how he came to such great misfortune through us."
"Then," said he, "dear wife, we can give him life again, but it will cost us both our little sons, whom we must sacrifice."
The Queen grew pale and sick at heart, but said, "We owe it him, because of his great faithfulness."
