- THE KING OF THE. - He had two richly laden ships then making a voyage upon the seas, in which he had embarked all his wealth, in the hope of making great gains, when the news came that both were lost. - One day, as he was roaming along in a brown study, thinking with no great comfort on what he had been and what he now was, and was like to be, all on a sudden there stood before him a little, rough-looking, black dwarf. - ‘Prith-ee, friend, why so sorrowful?’ said he to the merchant. - ‘what is it you take so deeply to heart?’ ‘If you would do me any good I would willingly tell you,’ said the merchant. - ‘Who knows but I may?’ said the little man: ‘tell me what ails you, and perhaps you will find I may be of some use.’ Then the merchant told him how all his wealth was gone to the bot-tom of the sea, and how he had nothing left but that little plot of land. - ‘Oh, trouble not yourself about that,’ said the dwarf. - ‘only undertake to bring me here, twelve years hence, whatever meets you first on your going home, and I will give you as much as you please.’ The merchant thought this was no great thing to ask. - Then the fa-ther started, trembling with fear and horror, and saw what it was that he had bound himself to do. - At the sight of this he was overjoyed, and forgetting all about his son, went into trade again, and became a richer merchant than before.. - Meantime little Heinel grew up, and as the end of the twelve years drew near the merchant began to call to mind his bond, and became very sad and thoughtful. - Then Heinel said, ‘Father, give your-self very little trouble about that. - ‘Have you brought me what you said you would?’ said the dwarf to the merchant. - The old man held his tongue, but Heinel said again, ‘What do you want here?’ The dwarf said, ‘I come to talk with your father, not with you.’ ‘You have cheated and taken in my father,’ said the son. - ‘pray give him up his bond at once.’ ‘Fair and softly,’ said the little old man. - so be so good as to let me have what I paid it for.’ ‘You must have my consent to that first,’ said Heinel, ‘so please to step in here, and let us talk it over.’ The old man grinned, and showed his teeth, as if he should have been very glad to get into the circle if he could. - So, to make a sort of drawn battle of the matter, it was settled that Heinel should be put into an open boat, that lay on the sea-shore hard by. - Then he took leave of his father, and set himself in the boat, but before it got far off a wave struck it, and it fell with one side low in the water, so the merchant thought that poor Heinel was lost, and went home very sorrowful, while the dwarf went his way, thinking that at any rate he had had his re-venge.. - ‘Here,’ said he to himself, ‘must I find the prize the good fairy told me of.’ So he once more searched the whole palace through, till at last he found a white snake, lying coiled up on a cushion in one of the chambers.. - and she was very glad to see him, and said, ‘Are you at last come to set me free? Twelve long years have I waited here for the fairy to bring you hither as she promised, for you alone can save me. - but at the twelfth hour of that night their power is gone, and I shall be free, and will come and bring you the Water of Life, and will wash you with it, and bring you back to life and health.’ And all came to pass as she had said. - Joy and gladness burst forth throughout the castle, the wedding was celebrated, and he was crowned king of the Golden Mountain.. - But the queen was against his going, and said, ‘I know well that misfortunes will come upon us if you go.’ However, he gave her no rest till she agreed. - At his going away she gave him a wishing-ring, and said, ‘Take this ring, and put it on your finger. - only promise never to make use of it to bring me hence to your father’s house.’ Then he said he would do what she asked, and put the ring on his finger, and wished himself near the town where his father lived.. - but the guards would not let him go in, because he was so strangely clad. - When he came to his father’s house, he said he was his son. - but the merchant would not believe him, and said he had had but one son, his poor Heinel, who he knew was long since dead: and as he was only dressed like a poor shepherd, he would not even give him anything to eat. - The king, however, still vowed that he was his son, and said, ‘Is there no mark by which you would know me if I am really your son?’ ‘Yes,’ said his mother, ‘our Heinel had a mark like a raspberry on his right arm.’ Then he showed them the mark, and they knew that what he had said was true.. - He next told them how he was king of the Golden Moun-tain, and was married to a princess, and had a son seven years old. - But the merchant said, ‘that can never be true. - but the queen wept, and said he had broken his word, and bad luck would follow. - One day he took her to walk with him out of the town, and showed her the spot where the boat was set adrift upon the wide waters. - Then he sat himself down, and said, ‘I am very much tired. - sit by me, I will rest my head in your lap, and sleep a while.’ As soon as he had fallen asleep, howev-er, she drew the ring from his finger, and crept softly away, and wished herself and her son at home in their kingdom. - ‘I can never go back to my father’s house,’ said he. - and as they saw him pass they cried out and said, ‘Little men have sharp wits. - Then they gave him the cloak, and he wished himself a fly, and in a moment he was a fly. - ‘The cloak is very well,’ said he: ‘now give me the sword.’ ‘No,’ said they. - ‘not unless you under-take not to say, ‘Heads off!’ for if you do we are all dead men.’ So they gave it him, charging him to try it on a tree. - and the moment he had all three in his power, he wished himself at the Golden Mountain. - and there he was at once. - Then he threw his cloak around him, and passed through the castle hall, and placed himself by the side of the queen, where no one saw him. - ‘Alas!’ said she to herself, ‘was I not once set free? Why then does this enchantment still seem to bind me?’. - ‘False and fickle one!’ said he. - but how have you used him? Ought he to have had such treatment from thee?’ Then he went out and sent away the company, and said the wedding was at an end, for that he was come back to the kingdom. - and with the word the traitors’ heads fell before him, and Heinel was once more king of the Golden Mountain.