The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
Once upon a time there were three brothers who every day sank deeper and deeper in poverty, until at last their need was so great that they were in danger of death from starvation, having nothing to bite or break. So they said to one another, “We cannot go on in this way; we had better go forth into the wide world and seek our fortunes.” With these words they got up and set out, and travelled many a long mile over green fields and meadows without happening with any luck. One day they arrived in a large forest, and in the middle of it they found a hill, which, on their nearer approach, they saw was all silver. At this sight the eldest brother said, “Now I have met with my expected good fortune, and I desire nothing better.” And so saying, he took as much of the silver as he could carry and turned back again to his house.
The others, however, said, “We desire something better than mere silver;” and they would not touch it, but went on further. After they had travelled a couple of days longer, they came to another hill, which was all gold. There the second brother stopped, and soon became quite dazzled at the sight. “What shall I do?” said he to himself, “shall I take as much gold as I can, that I may have enough to live upon, or shall I go further still?” At last he came to a conclusion, and, putting what he could in his pockets, he bade his brother good-bye and returned home. The third brother said, however, “Silver and gold will I not touch; I will seek my fortune yet; perhaps something better than all will happen to me.”
So he travelled along for three days alone, and at the end of the third he came to a great forest, which was a great deal more extensive than the former, and so much so that he could not find the end; and, moreover, he was almost perished with hunger and thirst. He climbed up a high tree to discover if he could by chance find an outlet to the forest; but so far as his eyes could reach there was nothing but tree-tops to be seen. His hunger now began to trouble him very much, and he thought to himself, “Could I now only for this once have a good meal, I might get on.” Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when he saw, to his great astonishment, a napkin under the tree, spread over with all kinds of good food, very grateful to his senses. “Ah, this time,” thought he, “my wish is fulfilled at the very nick;” and, without any consideration as to who brought or who cooked the dishes, he sat himself down and ate to his heart’s content. When he had finished, he thought it would be a shame to leave such a fine napkin in the wood, so he packed it up as small as he could and carried it away in his pocket. After this he went on again, and as he felt hungry towards evening he wished to try his napkin; and, spreading it out, he said aloud, “I should like to see you again spread with cheer;” and scarcely had he spoke when as many dishes as there was room for stood upon the napkin. At the sight he exclaimed, “Now you are dearer to me than a mountain of silver and gold, for I perceive you are a wishing-cloth;” but, however, he was not yet satisfied, but would go farther and seek his fortune.
The next evening he came up with a Charcoal-burner who was busy with his coals, and who was roasting some potatoes at his fire for his supper. “Good evening, my black fellow,” said our hero, “how do you find yourself in your solitude?” “One day is like another,” replied he, “and every night potatoes; have you a mind for some? if so, be my guest.”
“Many thanks,” replied the traveler, “but I will not deprive you of your meal; you did not reckon on having a guest; but, if you have no objection, you shall yourself have an invitation to supper.” “Who will invite me?” asked the Charcoal-burner, “I do not see that you have got anything with you, and there is no one in a circuit of two hours’ walk who could give you anything.”
“And yet there shall be a meal,” returned the other, “better than you have ever seen.”
So saying, he took out his napkin, and spreading it on the ground said, “Cloth, cover thyself!” and immediately meats boiled and baked, as hot as if just out of the kitchen, were spread about. The Charcoal-burner opened his eyes wide, but did not stare long, but soon began to eat away, cramming his black mouth as full as he could. When they had finished, the man, smacking his lips, said, “Come, your cloth pleases me; it would be very convenient for me here in the wood, where I have no one to cook. I will strike a bargain with you. There hangs a soldier’s knapsack, which is certainly both old and shabby; but it possesses a wonderful virtue, which, as I have no more use for, I will give you in exchange for your cloth.”
“But first I must know in what this wonderful virtue consists,” said the traveller.
“I will tell you,” replied the other. “If you tap thrice with your fingers upon it, out will come a corporal and six men, armed from head to foot, who will do whatsoever you command them.”
“In faith,” cried our hero, “I do not think I can do better; let us change;” and, giving the man his wishing-cloth, he took the knapsack off its hook and strode away with it on his back.
He had not gone very far before he wished to try the virtue of his bargain; so he tapped upon it, and immediately the seven warriors stepped before him, and the leader asked his commands. “What does my lord and master desire?”
“March back quickly to the Charcoal-burner, and demand my wishing-cloth again,” said our hero.
The soldiers wheeled round to the left, and before very long they brought what he desired, having taken it from the collier without so much as asking his leave. This done, he dismissed them, and travelled on again, hoping his luck might shine brighter yet. At sunset he came to another Charcoal-burner, who was also preparing his supper at the fire, and asked, “Will you sup with me? Potatoes and salt, without butter, is all I have; sit down if you choose.”
“No,” replied the traveller; “this time you shall be my guest;” and he unfolded his cloth, which was at once spread with the most delicate fare. They ate and drank together, and soon got very merry; and when their meal was done the Charcoal-burner said, “Up above there on that board lies an old worn-out hat, which possesses the wonderful power, if one puts it on and presses it down on his head, of causing, as it were, twelve field-pieces to go off, one after the other, and shoot down all that comes in their way. The hat is of no use to me in that way, and therefore I should like to exchange it for your cloth.”
“Oh! I have no objection to that,” replied the other; and, taking the hat, he left his wishing-cloth behind him; but he had not gone very far before he tapped on his knapsack, and bade the soldiers who appeared to fetch it back from his guest.
“Ah,” thought he to himself, “one thing happens so soon upon another, that it seems as if my luck would have no end.” And his thoughts did not deceive him; for he had scarcely gone another day’s journey when he met with a third Charcoal-burner, who invited him, as the others had, to a potato supper. However, he spread out his wishing-cloth, and the feast pleased the Charcoal-burner so well, that he offered him in return for his cloth, a horn, which had still more wonderful properties than either the knapsack or hat; for, when one blew it, every wall and fortification fell down before its blast, and even whole villages and towns were overturned. For this horn he gladly gave his cloth, but he soon sent his soldiers back for it; and now he had not only that, but also the knapsack, the hat, and the horn.
“Now,” said he, “I am a made man, and it is high time that I should return home and see how my brothers get on.”
When he arrived at the old place, he found his brothers had built a splendid palace with their gold and silver, and were living in clover. He entered their house; but because he came in with a coat torn to rags, the shabby hat upon his head, and the old knapsack on his back, his brothers would not own him. They mocked him, saying, “You pretend to be our brother; why, he despised silver and gold, and sought better luck for himself; he would come accompanied like a mighty king, not as a beggar!” and they hunted him out of doors.
This treatment put the poor man in such a rage, that he knocked upon the knapsack so many times till a hundred and fifty men stood before him in rank and file. He commanded them to surround his brothers’ house, and two of them to take hazel sticks and thrash them both until they knew who he was. They set up a tremendous howling, so that the people ran to the spot and tried to assist the two brothers; but they could do nothing against the soldiers. By-and-by the King himself heard the noise, and he ordered out a captain and troop to drive the dis turber of the peace out of the city; but the man, with his knapsack, soon gathered together a greater company, who beat back the captain and his men, and sent them home with bleeding noses. At this the King said, “This vagabond fellow shall be driven away;” and the next day he sent a larger troop against him; but they fared no better than the first. The beggar, as he was called, soon ranged more men in opposition, and, in order to do the work quicker, he pressed his hat down upon his head a couple of times; and immediately the heavy guns began to play, and soon beat down all the King’s people, and put the rest to flight. “Now,” said our hero, “I will never make peace till the King gives me his daughter to wife, and he places me upon the throne as ruler of his whole dominion.” This vow which he had taken he caused to be communicated to the King, who said to his daughter, “Must is a hard nut to crack; what is there left to me but that I do as this man desires? If I wish for peace, and to keep the crown upon my head, I must yield.”
So the wedding was celebrated; but the Princess was terribly vexed that her husband was such a common man, and wore not only a very shabby hat, but also carried about with him everywhere a dirty old knapsack. She determined to get rid of them; and day and night she was always thinking how to manage it. It struck her suddenly that perhaps his wonderful power lay in the knapsack; so she flattered, caressed him, saying, “I wish you would lay aside that dirty knapsack; it becomes you so ill that I am almost ashamed of you.”
“Dear child,” he replied, “this knapsack is my greatest treasure; as long I possess it I do not fear the greatest power on earth;” and he further told her all its wonderful powers. When he had finished, the Princess fell on his neck as if she would kiss him; but she craftily untied the knapsack, and, loosening it from his shoulders, ran away with it. As soon as she was alone she tapped upon it, and ordered the warriors who appeared to bind fast her husband and lead him out of the royal palace. They obeyed; and the false wife caused other soldiers to march behind, who were instructed to hunt the poor man out of the kingdom. It would have been all over with him had he not still possessed the hat, which he pressed down on his head as soon as his hands were free; and immediately the cannons began to go off, and demolished all before them. The Princess herself was at last obliged to go and beg pardon of her husband. He at last consented to make peace, being moved by her supplications and promises to behave better in future; and she acted so lovingly, and treated him so well for some time after, that he entrusted her with the secret, that although he might be deprived of the knapsack, yet so long as he had the hat no one could overcome him. As soon as she knew this, she waited until he was asleep and then stole away the hat, and caused her husband to be thrown into a ditch. The horn, however, was still left to him; and, in a great passion, he blew upon it such a blast that in a minute down came tumbling the walls, forts, houses, and palaces, and buried the King and his daughter in the ruins. Luckily he ceased to blow for want of breath; for had he kept it up any longer all the houses would have been overturned, and not one stone left upon another. After this feat nobody dared to oppose him, and he set himself up as King over the whole country.
