s own cleverness, he
thought he should soon find the golden bird. When he had gone some
distance he saw a fox sitting at the edge of a wood and he pointed his
gun at him. The fox cried out:

"Do not shoot me and I will give you good counsel. You are on your way
to find the golden bird, and this evening you will come to a village in
which two taverns stand facing each other. One will be brightly lighted
up, and there will be plenty of merriment going on inside; do not mind
about that, but go into the other one, although it will look to you
very uninviting."

"How can a silly beast give anyone rational advice?" thought the king's
son, and let fly at the fox, but he missed him, and he stretched out his
tail and ran quick into the wood. Then the young man went on his way,
and toward evening he came to the village and there stood the two
taverns; in one singing and revelry were going on, the other looked
quite dull and wretched. "I should be a fool," said he, "to go into that
dismal place while there is anything so good close by." So he went into
the merry inn and there lived in clover, quite forgetting the bird and
his father and all good counsel.

As time went on, and the eldest son never came home, the second son set
out to seek the golden bird. He met with the fox, just as the eldest
did, and received good advice from him without attending to it. And when
he came to the two taverns his brother was standing and calling to him
at the window of one of them, out of which came sounds of merriment; so
he could not resist, but went and reveled to his heart's content.

And then, as time went on, the youngest son wished to go forth and to
try his luck, but his father would not consent.

"It would be useless," said he; "he is much less likely to find the bird
than his brothers, and if any misfortune were to happen to him he would
not know how to help himself, his wits are none of the best."

But at last, as there was no peace to be had, he let him go. By the side
of the wood sat the fox, begged him to spare his life and gave him good
counsel. The young man was kind and said:

"Be easy, little fox, I will do you no harm."

"You shall not repent of it," answered the fox, "and that you may get
there all the sooner get up and sit on my tail."

And no sooner had he done so than the fox began to run, and off they
went over stock and stone, so that the wind whistled in their hair. When
they reached the village the young man got