<h3><SPAN name="chap137"></SPAN>137 The Three Black Princesses</h3>
<p>East India was besieged by an enemy who would not retire until he had received
six hundred dollars. Then the townsfolk caused it to be proclaimed by beat of
drum that whosoever was able to procure the money should be burgomaster. Now
there was a poor fisherman who fished on the lake with his son, and the enemy
came and took the son prisoner, and gave the father six hundred dollars for
him. So the father went and gave them to the great men of the town, and the
enemy departed, and the fisherman became burgomaster. Then it was proclaimed
that whosoever did not say, “Mr. Burgomaster,” should be put to
death on the gallows.</p>
<p>The son got away again from the enemy, and came to a great forest on a high
mountain. The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted castle,
wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black. Then came three
young princesses who were entirely dressed in black, but had a little white on
their faces; they told him he was not to be afraid, they would not hurt him,
and that he could deliver them. He said he would gladly do that, if he did but
know how. At this, they told him he must for a whole year not speak to them and
also not look at them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and
if they dared give him an answer they would do so. When he had been there for a
long while he said he should like to go to his father, and they told him he
might go. He was to take with him this purse with money, put on this coat, and
in a week he must be back there again.</p>
<p>Then he was caught up, and was instantly in East India. He could no longer find
his father in the fisherman’s hut, and asked the people where the poor
fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say that, or he would come to
the gallows. Then he went to his father and said, “Fisherman, how hast
thou got here?” Then the father said, “Thou must not say that, if
the great men of the town knew of that, thou wouldst come to the
gallows.” He, however, would not stop, and was brought to the gallows.
When he was there, he said, “O, my masters, just give me leave to go to
the old fisherman’s hut.” Then he put on his old smock-frock, and
came back to the great men, and said, “Do ye not now see? Am I not the
son of the poor fisherman? Did I not earn bread for my father and mother in
this dress?” Hereupon his father knew him again, and begged his pardon,
and took him home with him, and then he related all that had happened to him,
and how he had got into a forest on a high mountain, and the mountain had
opened and he had gone into an enchanted castle, where all was black, and three
young princesses had come to him who were black except a little white on their
faces. And they had told him not to fear, and that he could deliver them. Then
his mother said that might very likely not be a good thing to do, and that he
ought to take a holy-water vessel with him, and drop some boiling water on
their faces.</p>
<p>He went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the water on their
faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white. Then all the three
princesses sprang up, and said, “Thou accursed dog, our blood shall cry
for vengeance on thee! Now there is no man born in the world, nor will any ever
be born who can set us free! We have still three brothers who are bound by
seven chains they shall tear thee to pieces.” Then there was a loud
shrieking all over the castle, and he sprang out of the window, and broke his
leg, and the castle sank into the earth again, the mountain shut to again, and
no one knew where the castle had stood.</p>
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