After he had spent some hours in the darkness, not without fear andtrembling, he saw at a very short distance the glimmer of a light, andas he thought that a human habitation might be there, where he would bebetter off than on the branches of a tree, he got carefully down andwent towards the light. It guided him to a small hut that was woventogether of reeds and rushes. He knocked boldly, the door opened, andby the light which came forth he saw a little hoary old man who wore acoat made of bits of colored stuff sewn together. "Who are you, and whatdo you want?" asked the man in a grumbling voice. "I am a poor tailor,"he answered, "whom night has surprised here in the wilderness, and Iearnestly beg you to take me into your hut until morning." "Go your way,"replied the old man in a surly voice, "I will have nothing to do withrunagates; seek for yourself a shelter elsewhere." After these words hewas about to slip into his hut again, but the tailor held him so tightlyby the corner of his coat, and pleaded so piteously, that the old man,who was not so ill-natured as he wished to appear, was at last softened,and took him into the hut with him where he gave him something to eat,and then pointed out to him a very good bed in a corner.
The weary tailor needed no rocking; but slept sweetly till morning,but even then would not have thought of getting up, if he had not beenaroused by a great noise. A violent sound of screaming and roaring forcedits way through the thin walls of the hut. The tailor, full of unwontedcourage, jumped up, put his clothes on in haste, and hurried out. Thenclose by the hut, he saw a great black bull and a beautiful stag, whichwere just preparing for a violent struggle. They rushed at each other withsuch extreme rage that the ground shook with their trampling, and the airresounded with their cries. For a long time it was uncertain which of thetwo would gain the victory; at length the stag thrust his horns into hisadversary's body, whereupon the bull fell to the earth with a terrificroar, and was thoroughly despatched by a few strokes from the stag.
The tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was stillstanding there motionless, when the stag in full career bounded up tohim, and before he could escape, caught him up on his great horns. Hehad not much time to collect his thoughts, for it went in a swift raceover stock and stone, mountain and valley, wood and meadow. He heldwith both hands to the tops of the horns, and resigned himself to hisfate. It seemed, however, to him just as if he were flying away. Atlength the stag stopped in front of a wall of rock, and gently let thetailor down. The tailor, more dead than alive, required a longer timethan that to come to himself. When he had in some degree recovered,the stag, which had remained standing by him, pushed its horns with suchforce against a door which was in the rock, that it sprang open. Flamesof fire shot forth, after which followed a great smoke, which hid thestag from his sight. The tailor did not know what to do, or whitherto turn, in order to get out of this desert and back to human beingsagain. Whilst he was standing thus undecided, a voice sounded out ofthe rock, which cried to him, "Enter without fear, no evil shall befallyou thee." He hesitated, but driven by a mysterious force, he obeyed thevoice and went through the iron-door into a large spacious hall, whoseceiling, walls and floor were made of shining polished square stones,on each of which were cut letters which were unknown to him. He looked ateverything full of admiration, and was on the point of going out again,when he once more heard the voice which said to him, "Step on the stonewhich lies in the middle of the hall, and great good fortune awaits thee."
His courage had already grown so great that he obeyed the order. Thestone began to give way under his feet, and sank slowly down intothe depths. When it was once more firm, and the tailor looked round,he found himself in a hall which in size resembled the former. Here,however, there was more to look at and to admire. Hollow places werecut in the walls, in which stood vases of transparent glass which werefilled with colored spirit or with a bluish vapour. On the floor of thehall two great glass chests stood opposite to each other, which at onceexcited his curiosity. When he went to one of them he saw inside it ahandsome structure like a castle surrounded by farm-buildings, stablesand barns, and a quantity of other good things. Everything was small,but exceedingly carefully and delicately made, and seemed to be cut outby a dexterous hand with the greatest exactitude.
He might not have turned away his eyes from the consideration of thisrarity for some time, if the voice had not once more made itself heard. Itordered him to turn round and look at the glass chest which was standingopposite. How his admiration increased when he saw therein a maiden ofthe greatest beauty! She lay as if asleep, and was wrapped in her longfair hair as in a precious mantle. Her eyes were closely shut, but thebrightness of her complexion and a ribbon which her breathing moved toand fro, left no doubt that she was alive. The tailor was looking at thebeauty with beating heart, when she suddenly opened her eyes, and startedup at the sight of him in joyful terror. "Just Heaven!" cried she,"my deliverance is at hand! Quick, quick, help me out of my prison;if thou pushest back the bolt of this glass coffin, then I shall befree." The tailor obeyed without delay, and she immediately raised up theglass lid, came out and hastened into the corner of the hall, where shecovered herself with a large cloak. Then she seated herself on a stone,ordered the young man to come to her, and after she had imprinted afriendly kiss on his lips, she said, "My long-desired deliverer, kindHeaven has guided thee to me, and put an end to my sorrows. On the self-same day when they end, shall thy happiness begin. Thou art the husbandchosen for me by Heaven, and shalt pass thy life in unbroken joy, lovedby me, and rich to overflowing in every earthly possession. Seat thyself,and listen to the story of my life:
"I am the daughter of a rich count. My parents died when I was still in mytender youth, and recommended me in their last will to my elder brother,by whom I was brought up. We loved each other so tenderly, and were soalike in our way of thinking and our inclinations, that we both embracedthe resolution never to marry, but to stay together to the end of ourlives. In our house there was no lack of company; neighbors and friendsvisited us often, and we showed the greatest hospitality to every one. Soit came to pass one evening that a stranger came riding to our castle,and, under pretext of not being able to get on to the next place, beggedfor shelter for the night. We granted his request with ready courtesy,and he entertained us in the most agreeable manner during supper byconversation intermingled with stories. My brother liked the strangerso much that he begged him to spend a couple of days with us, to which,after some hesitation, he consented. We did not rise from table untillate in the night, the stranger was shown to room, and I hastened,as I was tired, to lay my limbs in my soft bed. Hardly had I sleptfor a short time, when the sound of faint and delightful music awokeme. As I could not conceive from whence it came, I wanted to summonmy waiting-maid who slept in the next room, but to my astonishment Ifound that speech was taken away from me by an unknown force. I felt asif a mountain were weighing down my breast, and was unable to make thevery slightest sound. In the meantime, by the light of my night-lamp,I saw the stranger enter my room through two doors which were fastbolted. He came to me and said, that by magic arts which were at hiscommand, he had caused the lovely music to sound in order to awaken me,and that he now forced his way through all fastenings with the intentionof offering me his hand and heart. My repugnance to his magic arts was,however, so great, that I vouchsafed him no answer. He remained for atime standing without moving, apparently with the idea of waiting fora favorable decision, but as I continued to keep silence, he angrilydeclared he would revenge himself and find means to punish my pride,and left the room. I passed the night in the greatest disquietude, andonly fell asleep towards morning. When I awoke, I hurried to my brother,but did not find him in his room, and the attendants told me that hehad ridden forth with the stranger to the chase by daybreak.
"I at once suspected nothing good. I dressed myself quickly, ordered mypalfrey to be saddled, and accompanied only by one servant, rode fullgallop to the forest. The servant fell with his horse, and could notfollow me, for the horse had broken its foot. I pursued my way withouthalting, and in a few minutes I saw the stranger coming towards me witha beautiful stag which he led by a cord. I asked him where he had leftmy brother, and how he had come by this stag, out of whose great eyes Isaw tears flowing. Instead of answering me, he began to laugh loudly. Ifell into a great rage at this, pulled out a pistol and discharged itat the monster; but the ball rebounded from his breast and went intomy horse's head. I fell to the ground, and the stranger muttered somewords which deprived me of consciousness.
"When I came to my senses again I found myself in this underground cavein a glass coffin. The magician appeared once again, and said he hadchanged my brother into a stag, my castle with all that belonged to it,diminished in size by his arts, he had shut up in the other glass chest,and my people, who were all turned into smoke, he had confined in glassbottles. He told me that if I would now comply with his wish, it wasan easy thing for him to put everything back in its former state, ashe had nothing to do but open the vessels, and everything would returnonce more to its natural form. I answered him as little as I had done thefirst time. He vanished and left me in my prison, in which a deep sleepcame on me. Amongst the visions which passed before my eyes, that wasthe most comforting in which a young man came and set me free, and whenI opened my eyes to-day I saw thee, and beheld my dream fulfilled. Helpme to accomplish the other things which happened in those visions. Thefirst is that we lift the glass chest in which my castle is enclosed,on to that broad stone."
As soon as the stone was laden, it began to rise up on high with themaiden and the young man, and mounted through the opening of the ceilinginto the upper hall, from whence they then could easily reach the openair. Here the maiden opened the lid, and it was marvellous to beholdhow the castle, the houses, and the farm buildings which were enclosed,stretched themselves out and grew to their natural size with the greatestrapidity. After this, the maiden and the tailor returned to the cavebeneath the earth, and had the vessels which were filled with smokecarried up by the stone. The maiden had scarcely opened the bottleswhen the blue smoke rushed out and changed itself into living men, inwhom she recognized her servants and her people. Her joy was still moreincreased when her brother, who had killed the magician in the formof the bull, came out of the forest towards them in his human form,and on the self-same day the maiden, in accordance with her promise,gave her hand at the altar to the lucky tailor.
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