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THE TWIN BROTHERS. |
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The king, after this, ordered twelve judges to be summoned to try the marshal, and the sentence passed upon him was, that he should be torn to pieces by wild oxen. As soon as the marshal was punished, the king gave his daughter to the hunter, and appointed him to the high position of stadtholder over the whole kingdom.
The marriage caused great joy, and the hunter, who was now a prince, sent for his father and foster-father, and overloaded them with treasures.
Neither did he forget the landlord, but sent for him to come to the castle, and: " See, landlord, I have married the king's daughter, and your house and farmyard belong to me."
" That is quite true," replied the landlord.
" Ah," said the prince, " but I do not mean to keep them ; they are still yours, and I make you a present of the hundred gold pieces also."
For a time the young prince and his wife lived most happily together—he still, however, went out hunting, which was his great delight, and his faithful animals remained with him. They lived however, in a wood close by, from which he could call them at any time; yet the wood was not safe, for he once went in and did not get out again very easily.
Whenever the prince had a wish to go hunting, he gave the king no rest till he allowed him to do so. On one occasion, while riding with a large number of attendants in the wood, he saw at a distance a snow-white deer, and he said to his people, " Stay here till I come back; I must have that beautiful creature, and so many will frighten her."
Then he rode away through the wood, and only his animals followed him. The attendants drew rein, and waited till evening, but as he did not come they rode home and told the young princess that) her husband had gone into an enchanted forest to hunt a white deer, and had not returned.
This made her very anxious, more especially when the morrow came and he did not return, indeed_he could not, for he kept riding after the beautiful wild animal, but without being able to overtake it. At times, when he fancied she was within reach of his gun, the next moment she was leaping away at a great distance, and at last she vanished altogether.
Not till then did he notice how far he had penetrated into the |
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