ether in a wood where no one ever
came, and so they knew nothing about the world. The father alone
sometimes went to the city and brought back the news. The king's son
once went hunting and lost himself in that wood, and while he was
seeking his way it became night. He was weary and hungry. Imagine how he
felt! But all at once he saw a light shining at a distance. He followed
it and reached the huntsman's house and asked for lodging and something
to eat. The huntsman recognized him at once and said: "Highness, we have
already supped on our best. But if we can find anything for you, you
must be satisfied with it. What can we do? We are so far from the towns,
that we cannot procure what we need every day." Meanwhile he had a capon
cooked for him. The prince did not wish to eat it alone, but called all
the huntsman's family, and gave the head of the capon to the father, the
back to the mother, the legs to the son, and the wings to the daughter,
and ate the rest himself. In the house there were only two beds, in the
same room. In one the husband and wife slept, in the other the brother
and sister. The old people went and slept in the stable, giving up their
bed to the prince. When the girl saw that the prince was asleep, she
said to her brother: "I will wager that you do not know why the prince
divided the capon among us in the manner he did." "Do you know? Tell me
why." "He gave the head to papa because he is the head of the family,
the back to mamma because she has on her shoulders all the affairs of
the house, the legs to you because you must be quick in performing the
errands which are given you, and the wings to me to fly away and catch a
husband." The prince pretended to be asleep; but he was awake and heard
these words, and perceived that the girl had much judgment; and as she
was also pretty, he fell in love with her.

The next morning he left the huntsman's; and as soon as he reached the
court, he sent him, by a servant, a purse of money. To the young girl he
sent a cake in the form of a full moon, thirty patties, and a cooked
capon, with three questions: "Whether it was the thirtieth of the month
in the wood, whether the moon was full, and whether the capon crowed in
the night." The servant, although a trusty one, was overcome by his
gluttony and ate fifteen of the patties, and a good slice of the cake,
and the capon. The young girl, who had understood it all, sent back word
to the prince that the moon was not full