The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn

There were once three brothers who had grown poorer and poorer, until at last they had nothing to eat or drink. Then they said, "We cannot go on like this. Let us go out into the world and seek our fortune." So they set out.

They walked along many long roads and across many green fields, but they did not find any luck. One day they came to a great forest, and in the middle of it was a hill. When they came closer, they saw that the hill was made of pure silver.

Then the eldest brother said, "Now I have found the good luck I wished for, and I want nothing more." He took as much silver as he could carry, turned around, and went back home.

But the other two said, "We want more from luck than just silver," and they did not touch the silver, but went on. After they had walked for two more days without stopping, they came to a hill that was made of gold.

The second brother stopped, thought to himself, and could not decide. "What shall I do?" he said. "Shall I take as much gold as I can carry and be rich for the rest of my life, or shall I go further?" At last he decided, filled his pockets with gold, said goodbye to his brother, and went home.

But the third brother said, "Silver and gold do not tempt me. I will not give up my chance of fortune. Perhaps something even better will come my way." He journeyed on, and after three days he entered a forest that was even larger than the first.

He could not find the end of it, and he had nothing to eat or drink, so he was almost exhausted. He climbed a tall tree to see if he could spot the edge of the forest, but as far as he could see, there were only treetops.

Then he climbed down again, but hunger tormented him, and he thought, "If only I could eat my fill once more!" When he reached the ground, he saw to his amazement a table under the tree, spread with delicious food, and the steam rose up to meet him.

"This time," he said, "my wish has come true just in time." Without asking who had brought the food or who had cooked it, he went to the table and ate happily until his hunger was gone.

When he finished, he thought, "It would be a pity to leave this pretty little tablecloth in the forest," so he folded it up neatly and put it in his pocket. Then he walked on. In the evening, when hunger returned, he wanted to test his cloth.

He spread it out and said, "Little cloth, cover yourself with good food." No sooner had he spoken than as many dishes of the finest food as there was room for stood on the table. "Now I see," he said, "where my meals come from.

This cloth is dearer to me than mountains of silver and gold." He knew it was a wishing-cloth. But the cloth was not enough to make him stay at home. He preferred to wander the world and seek his fortune further.

One night, in a lonely wood, he met a dusty, black charcoal-burner, who was burning charcoal and had some potatoes by the fire for his supper. "Good evening, blackbird!" said the young man. "How do you manage in this solitude?" "One day is like another," replied the charcoal-burner. "Every night, potatoes!

Would you like some? Will you be my guest?" "Many thanks," said the traveler, "but I don't want to steal your supper. You didn't expect a visitor. If you will share what I have, I invite you instead." "Who will prepare it?" asked the charcoal-burner.

"I see you have nothing with you, and there is no one within two hours' walk who could give you anything." "Yet there will be a meal," answered the youth, "better than any you have ever tasted." He took his cloth out of his knapsack, spread it on the ground, and said, "Little cloth, cover yourself." Instantly boiled meat and roasted meat appeared, as hot as if they had just come from the kitchen.

The charcoal-burner stared, but needed no urging; he fell to and ate larger and larger mouthfuls. When they had eaten everything, the charcoal-burner smiled contentedly and said, "Listen, your tablecloth pleases me. It would be a fine thing for me in this forest, where no one ever cooks me anything good.

I propose a trade. There in the corner hangs a soldier's knapsack, old and shabby, but it has wonderful powers. I no longer use it, so I will give it to you for your tablecloth." "I must first know what these wonderful powers are," answered the youth.

"I will tell you," replied the charcoal-burner. "Whenever you tap it with your hand, a corporal and six soldiers, armed from head to foot, appear and do whatever you command." "Well," said the youth, "if nothing else can be done, we will trade." He gave the charcoal-burner the cloth, took the knapsack from the hook, put it on, and said goodbye.

After he had walked a while, he wanted to test his knapsack's magic, so he tapped it. Immediately the seven warriors stood before him, and the corporal said, "What does my lord and master wish?" "March quickly to the charcoal-burner and get my wishing-cloth back." They turned left and soon returned with the cloth, having taken it from the charcoal-burner without much trouble.

The young man let them go and walked on, hoping for even better luck. By sunset he came to another charcoal-burner, who was preparing his supper by the fire. "If you want to eat potatoes with salt but no butter, come sit with me," said the sooty man.

"No," replied the youth, "this time you shall be my guest." He spread out his cloth, and it was instantly covered with the most beautiful dishes. They ate and drank together cheerfully. After the meal, the charcoal-burner said, "Up there on that shelf lies a little old hat that has strange powers.

When you put it on and turn it on your head, cannons fire as if twelve were going off at once, and they shoot down everything so no one can resist. I have no use for it, and I would gladly give it for your tablecloth." "That suits me fine," he answered, took the hat, put it on, and left his tablecloth behind.

But as soon as he had walked away, he tapped his knapsack, and his soldiers had to fetch the cloth back again. "One good thing leads to another," he thought, "and I feel my luck hasn't run out yet." Nor was he wrong.

After walking another whole day, he came to a third charcoal-burner, who, like the others, invited him to potatoes without butter. But the youth again treated him to a meal from his wishing-cloth. The charcoal-burner liked it so much that he offered him a horn for it.

The horn had very different properties. When you blew it, all walls and fortifications fell down, and towns and villages crumbled into ruins. The youth gave the charcoal-burner the cloth, but afterward sent his soldiers to fetch it back.

So in the end, he had the knapsack, the hat, and the horn, all three. "Now," he said, "I am a made man. It is time to go home and see how my brothers are doing."

When he reached home, his brothers had built themselves a fine house with their silver and gold and were living in comfort. He went to see them, but since he came in a ragged coat, with a shabby hat on his head and an old knapsack on his back, they did not recognize him as their brother.

They mocked him and said, "You claim to be our brother who despised silver and gold and sought something better. He would come in a carriage, in splendor like a king, not like a beggar." And they drove him out. Then he grew angry.

He tapped his knapsack until a hundred and fifty men stood before him, armed to the teeth. He commanded them to surround his brothers' house and to take hazel sticks and beat the two insolent brothers until they knew who he was. A great uproar arose.

People came running to help the brothers, but they could do nothing against the soldiers. News of this reached the king, who was very angry and ordered a captain to march out with his troop and drive this troublemaker out of the town.

But the man with the knapsack gathered an even larger force, which repelled the captain and his men, forcing them to retreat with bloody noses. The king said, "This vagabond is not yet subdued," and the next day sent a larger troop, but they did even worse.

The youth set still more men against them, and to finish quickly, he turned his hat twice on his head. Heavy cannons began to fire, and the king's men were beaten and put to flight.

"Now," said he, "I will not make peace until the king gives me his daughter as a wife and I rule the whole kingdom in his name." He had this announced to the king. The king said to his daughter, "Necessity is a hard nut to crack.

What else can I do but what he desires? If I want peace and to keep my crown, I must give you away."

So the wedding was celebrated. But the king's daughter was angry that her husband was a common man who wore a shabby hat and an old knapsack. She wanted to get rid of him and studied night and day how to do it.

She thought, "Could it be that his wonderful powers lie in the knapsack?" So she pretended to love him and caressed him. When his heart softened, she said, "If you would only put aside that ugly knapsack!

It disfigures you so much that I am ashamed of you." "Dear child," said he, "this knapsack is my greatest treasure. As long as I have it, I fear no power on earth." And he revealed its virtue to her.

Then she threw herself into his arms as if to kiss him, but she skillfully pulled the knapsack off his shoulders and ran away with it. As soon as she was alone, she tapped it and commanded the warriors to seize their former master and take him out of the royal palace.

They obeyed, and the false wife sent more men after him to drive him out of the country. He would have been ruined if he had not had the little hat. As soon as his hands were free, he turned it twice. Immediately the cannons thundered and struck down everything.

The king's daughter had to come and beg for mercy. She pleaded so movingly and promised to improve that he let himself be persuaded and granted peace. She acted friendly and pretended to love him deeply, and after some time she managed to trick him into confessing that even if someone took the knapsack, he could do nothing against him as long as he had the hat.

When she knew the secret, she waited until he was asleep, took the hat away from him, and had it thrown out into the street. But the horn was still his. In great anger, he blew it with all his strength.

Instantly all walls, fortifications, towns, and villages collapsed, crushing the king and his daughter to death. If he had not put down the horn and had blown a little longer, everything would have been in ruins, not one stone left upon another.

Then no one opposed him anymore, and he made himself king of the whole country.