There was once a merchant who had only one child, a son, that was veryyoung, and barely able to run alone. He had two richly laden ships thenmaking 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 werelost. Thus from being a rich man he became all at once so very poor thatnothing was left to him but one small plot of land; and there he oftenwent in an evening to take his walk, and ease his mind of a little ofhis trouble.

One day, as he was roaming along in a brown study, thinking with nogreat comfort on what he had been and what he now was, and was liketo be, all on a sudden there stood before him a little, rough-looking,black dwarf. 'Prithee, friend, why so sorrowful?' said he to themerchant; 'what is it you take so deeply to heart?' 'If you would do meany good I would willingly tell you,' said the merchant. 'Who knows butI may?' said the little man: 'tell me what ails you, and perhaps youwill find I may be of some use.' Then the merchant told him how all hiswealth was gone to the bottom of the sea, and how he had nothing leftbut 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 muchas you please.' The merchant thought this was no great thing to ask;that it would most likely be his dog or his cat, or something of thatsort, but forgot his little boy Heinel; so he agreed to the bargain, andsigned and sealed the bond to do what was asked of him.

But as he drew near home, his little boy was so glad to see him that hecrept behind him, and laid fast hold of his legs, and looked up inhis face and laughed. Then the father started, trembling with fear andhorror, and saw what it was that he had bound himself to do; but as nogold was come, he made himself easy by thinking that it was only a jokethat the dwarf was playing him, and that, at any rate, when the moneycame, he should see the bearer, and would not take it in.

About a month afterwards he went upstairs into a lumber-room to lookfor some old iron, that he might sell it and raise a little money; andthere, instead of his iron, he saw a large pile of gold lying on thefloor. At the sight of this he was overjoyed, and forgetting all abouthis son, went into trade again, and became a richer merchant thanbefore.

Meantime little Heinel grew up, and as the end of the twelve years drewnear the merchant began to call to mind his bond, and became very sadand thoughtful; so that care and sorrow were written upon his face. Theboy one day asked what was the matter, but his father would not tell forsome time; at last, however, he said that he had, without knowing it,sold him for gold to a little, ugly-looking, black dwarf, and that thetwelve years were coming round when he must keep his word. Then Heinelsaid, 'Father, give yourself very little trouble about that; I shall betoo much for the little man.'

When the time came, the father and son went out together to the placeagreed upon: and the son drew a circle on the ground, and set himselfand his father in the middle of it. The little black dwarf soon came,and walked round and round about the circle, but could not find any wayto get into it, and he either could not, or dared not, jump over it. Atlast the boy said to him. 'Have you anything to say to us, my friend, orwhat do you want?' Now Heinel had found a friend in a good fairy, thatwas fond of him, and had told him what to do; for this fairy knew whatgood luck was in store for him. 'Have you brought me what you said youwould?' said the dwarf to the merchant. The old man held his tongue, butHeinel said again, 'What do you want here?' The dwarf said, 'I come totalk with your father, not with you.' 'You have cheated and taken in myfather,' said the son; 'pray give him up his bond at once.' 'Fair andsoftly,' said the little old man; 'right is right; I have paid my money,and your father has had it, and spent it; so be so good as to let mehave what I paid it for.' 'You must have my consent to that first,' saidHeinel, 'so please to step in here, and let us talk it over.' The oldman grinned, and showed his teeth, as if he should have been very gladto get into the circle if he could. Then at last, after a long talk,they came to terms. Heinel agreed that his father must give him up, andthat so far the dwarf should have his way: but, on the other hand, thefairy had told Heinel what fortune was in store for him, if he followedhis own course; and he did not choose to be given up to his hump-backedfriend, who seemed so anxious for his company.

So, to make a sort of drawn battle of the matter, it was settled thatHeinel should be put into an open boat, that lay on the sea-shore hardby; that the father should push him off with his own hand, and that heshould thus be set adrift, and left to the bad or good luck of wind andweather. 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 sidelow in the water, so the merchant thought that poor Heinel was lost, andwent home very sorrowful, while the dwarf went his way, thinking that atany rate he had had his revenge.

The boat, however, did not sink, for the good fairy took care of herfriend, and soon raised the boat up again, and it went safely on. Theyoung man sat safe within, till at length it ran ashore upon an unknownland. As he jumped upon the shore he saw before him a beautiful castlebut empty and dreary within, for it was enchanted. 'Here,' said he tohimself, 'must I find the prize the good fairy told me of.' So he oncemore searched the whole palace through, till at last he found a whitesnake, lying coiled up on a cushion in one of the chambers.

Now the white snake was an enchanted princess; and she was very gladto see him, and said, 'Are you at last come to set me free? Twelvelong years have I waited here for the fairy to bring you hither as shepromised, for you alone can save me. This night twelve men will come:their faces will be black, and they will be dressed in chain armour.They will ask what you do here, but give no answer; and let them dowhat they will--beat, whip, pinch, prick, or torment you--bear all; onlyspeak not a word, and at twelve o'clock they must go away. The secondnight twelve others will come: and the third night twenty-four, whowill even cut off your head; but at the twelfth hour of that night theirpower is gone, and I shall be free, and will come and bring you theWater of Life, and will wash you with it, and bring you back to lifeand health.' And all came to pass as she had said; Heinel bore all, andspoke not a word; and the third night the princess came, and fell on hisneck and kissed him. Joy and gladness burst forth throughout the castle,the wedding was celebrated, and he was crowned king of the GoldenMountain.

They lived together very happily, and the queen had a son. And thuseight years had passed over their heads, when the king thought of hisfather; and he began to long to see him once again. But the queen wasagainst his going, and said, 'I know well that misfortunes will comeupon us if you go.' However, he gave her no rest till she agreed. At hisgoing away she gave him a wishing-ring, and said, 'Take this ring, andput it on your finger; whatever you wish it will bring you; only promisenever to make use of it to bring me hence to your father's house.' Thenhe said he would do what she asked, and put the ring on his finger, andwished himself near the town where his father lived.

Heinel found himself at the gates in a moment; but the guards wouldnot let him go in, because he was so strangely clad. So he went up to aneighbouring hill, where a shepherd dwelt, and borrowed his old frock,and thus passed unknown into the town. When he came to his father'shouse, 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 longsince dead: and as he was only dressed like a poor shepherd, he wouldnot even give him anything to eat. The king, however, still vowed thathe was his son, and said, 'Is there no mark by which you would know meif I am really your son?' 'Yes,' said his mother, 'our Heinel had a marklike a raspberry on his right arm.' Then he showed them the mark, andthey knew that what he had said was true.

He next told them how he was king of the Golden Mountain, and wasmarried to a princess, and had a son seven years old. But the merchantsaid, 'that can never be true; he must be a fine king truly who travelsabout in a shepherd's frock!' At this the son was vexed; and forgettinghis word, turned his ring, and wished for his queen and son. In aninstant they stood before him; but the queen wept, and said he hadbroken his word, and bad luck would follow. He did all he could tosoothe her, and she at last seemed to be appeased; but she was not so intruth, and was only thinking how she should punish him.

One day he took her to walk with him out of the town, and showed herthe spot where the boat was set adrift upon the wide waters. Then he sathimself down, and said, 'I am very much tired; sit by me, I will rest myhead in your lap, and sleep a while.' As soon as he had fallen asleep,however, she drew the ring from his finger, and crept softly away, andwished herself and her son at home in their kingdom. And when he awokehe found himself alone, and saw that the ring was gone from his finger.'I can never go back to my father's house,' said he; 'they would say Iam a sorcerer: I will journey forth into the world, till I come again tomy kingdom.'

So saying he set out and travelled till he came to a hill, where threegiants were sharing their father's goods; and as they saw him pass theycried out and said, 'Little men have sharp wits; he shall part the goodsbetween us.' Now there was a sword that cut off an enemy's head wheneverthe wearer gave the words, 'Heads off!'; a cloak that made the ownerinvisible, or gave him any form he pleased; and a pair of boots thatcarried the wearer wherever he wished. Heinel said they must first lethim try these wonderful things, then he might know how to set a valueupon them. 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: 'nowgive me the sword.' 'No,' said they; 'not unless you undertake not tosay, "Heads off!" for if you do we are all dead men.' So they gave ithim, charging him to try it on a tree. He next asked for the boots also;and the moment he had all three in his power, he wished himself atthe Golden Mountain; and there he was at once. So the giants were leftbehind with no goods to share or quarrel about.

As Heinel came near his castle he heard the sound of merry music; andthe people around told him that his queen was about to marry anotherhusband. Then he threw his cloak around him, and passed through thecastle hall, and placed himself by the side of the queen, where no onesaw him. But when anything to eat was put upon her plate, he took itaway and ate it himself; and when a glass of wine was handed to her, hetook it and drank it; and thus, though they kept on giving her meat anddrink, her plate and cup were always empty.

Upon this, fear and remorse came over her, and she went into her chamberalone, and sat there weeping; and he followed her there. 'Alas!' saidshe to herself, 'was I not once set free? Why then does this enchantmentstill seem to bind me?'

'False and fickle one!' said he. 'One indeed came who set thee free, andhe is now near thee again; but how have you used him? Ought he tohave had such treatment from thee?' Then he went out and sent away thecompany, and said the wedding was at an end, for that he was come backto the kingdom. But the princes, peers, and great men mocked at him.However, he would enter into no parley with them, but only asked themif they would go in peace or not. Then they turned upon him and triedto seize him; but he drew his sword. 'Heads Off!' cried he; and with theword the traitors' heads fell before him, and Heinel was once more kingof the Golden Mountain.