rom
the Sultan, saying that he had discovered that the young man was a very
dangerous person, and that he must be sent to Turkey at once, and alone.
The girl burst into tears when the boy told her what was in the letter
which her father had bade her to carry to him. 'Do not weep, love of
my heart,' said the boy, 'all will be well. I will start at sunrise
to-morrow.'

So next morning at sunrise the youth set forth, and in a few days he
reached the Sultan's palace. The old witch was waiting for him at the
gate, and whispered as he passed: 'This is the last time you will ever
enter it.' But the sword clanked, and the lad did not even look at her.
As he crossed the threshold fifteen armed Turks barred his way, with the
Sultan at their head. Instantly the sword darted forth and cut off the
heads of everyone but the Sultan, and then went quietly back to its
scabbard. The witch, who was looking on, saw that as long as the youth
had possession of the sword, all her schemes would be in vain, and tried
to steal the sword in the night, but it only jumped out of its scabbard
and sliced off her nose, which was of iron. And in the morning, when the
Sultan brought a great army to capture the lad and deprive him of his
sword, they were all cut to pieces, while he remained without a scratch.

Meanwhile the princess was in despair because the days slipped by, and
the young man did not return, and she never rested until her father let
her lead some troops against the Sultan. She rode proudly before them,
dressed in uniform; but they had not left the town more than a mile
behind them, when they met the lad and his little sword. When he told
them what he had done they shouted for joy, and carried him back in
triumph to the palace; and the king declared that as the youth had shown
himself worthy to become his son-in-law, he should marry the princess
and succeed to the throne at once, as he himself was getting old, and
the cares of government were too much for him. But the young man said he
must first go and see his mother, and the king sent him in state, with a
troop of soldiers as his bodyguard.

The old woman was quite frightened at seeing such an array draw up
before her little house, and still more surprised when a handsome young
man, whom she did not know, dismounted and kissed her hand, saying:
'Now, dear mother, you shall hear my secret at last! I dreamed that I
should become King of Hungary, and my dream has come true. When I was