om his mother and opened the door. Then he took the key back, but
the hairy man escaped and went off into the world.

Then the kings and princes began to arrive one after another, and all
were most anxious to see the hairy man; but he was gone! The king nearly
burst with rage and with the shame he felt. He questioned his wife
sharply, and told her that if she could not find and bring back the
hairy man he would put her in a hut made of rushes and burn her there.
The queen declared she had had nothing to do with the matter; if her son
had happened to take the key it had not been with her knowledge.

So they fetched the little prince and asked him all sorts of questions,
and at last he owned that he had let the hairy man out. The king ordered
his servants to take the boy into the forest and to kill him there, and
to bring back part of his liver and lungs.

There was grief all over the palace when the king's command was known,
for he was a great favourite. But there was no help for it, and they
took the boy out into the forest. But the man was sorry for him, and
shot a dog and carried pieces of his lungs and liver to the king, who
was satisfied, and did not trouble himself any more.

The prince wandered about in the forest and lived as best he could for
five years. One day he came upon a poor little cottage in which was an
old man. They began to talk, and the prince told his story and sad fate.
Then they recognised each other, for the old fellow was no other than
the hairy man whom the prince had set free, and who had lived ever since
in the forest.

The prince stayed here for two years; then he wished to go further. The
old man begged him hard to stay, but he would not, so his hairy friend
gave him a golden apple out of which came a horse with a golden mane,
and a golden staff with which to guide the horse. The old man also gave
him a silver apple out of which came the most beautiful hussars and a
silver staff; and a copper apple from which he could draw as many foot
soldiers as ever he wished, and a copper staff. He made the prince swear
solemnly to take the greatest care of these presents, and then he let
him go.

The boy wandered on and on till he came to a large town. Here he took
service in the king's palace, and as no one troubled themselves about
him he lived quietly on.

One day news was brought to the king that he must go out to war. He was
horribly frightened for he had a very small army, but he had to go