Jesper Who Herded the Hares · page 21 2101However, he blew the whistle, and in a few minutes the hares came bounding through the hedge on all the four sides of the field, and before long were all sitting round him in a circle.102After that, Jesper allowed them to run about as they pleased, so long as they stayed in the field.103The king had told one of the keepers to hang about for a little and see what became of Jesper, not doubting, however, that as soon as he saw the coast clear he would use his legs to the best advantage, and never show face at the palace again.104It was therefore with great surprise and annoyance that he now learned of the mysterious return of the hares and the likelihood of Jesper carrying out his task with success.105‘One of them must be got out of his hands by hook or crook,’ said he.106‘I’ll go and see the queen about it; she’s good at devising plans.’107A little later, a girl in a shabby dress came into the field and walked up to Jesper.108‘Do give me one of those hares,’ she said; ‘we have just got visitors who are going to stay to dinner, and there’s nothing we can give them to eat.’109‘I can’t,’ said Jesper.110‘For one thing, they’re not mine; for another, a great deal depends on my having them all here in the evening.’111But the girl (and she was a very pretty girl, though so shabbily dressed) begged so hard for one of them that at last he said:112‘Very well; give me a kiss and you shall have one of them.’113He could see that she didn’t quite care for this, but she consented to the bargain, and gave him the kiss, and went away with a hare in her apron.114Scarcely had she got outside the field, however, when Jesper blew his whistle, and immediately the hare wriggled out of its prison like an eel, and went back to its master at the top of its speed.115Not long after this the hare-herd had another visit.116This time it was a stout old woman in the dress of a peasant, who also was after a hare to provide a dinner for unexpected visitors.117Jesper again refused, but the old lady was so pressing, and would take no refusal, that at last he said:118‘Very well, you shall have a hare, and pay nothing for it either, if you will only walk round me on tiptoe, look up to the sky, and cackle like a hen.’119‘Fie,’ said she; ‘what a ridiculous thing to ask anyone to do; just think what the neighbours would say if they saw me.120They would think I had taken leave of my senses.’121‘Just as you like,’ said Jesper; ‘you know best whether you want the hare or not.’122There was no help for it, and a pretty figure the old lady made in carrying out her task; the cackling wasn’t very well done, but Jesper said it would do, and gave her the hare.123As soon as she had left the field, the whistle was sounded again, and back came long-legs-and-ears at a marvellous speed.124The next to appear on the same errand was a fat old fellow in the dress of a groom: it was the royal livery he wore, and he plainly thought a good deal of himself.125‘Young man,’ said he, ‘I want one of those hares; name your price, but I MUST have one of them.’126‘All right,’ said Jesper; ‘you can have one at an easy rate.127Just stand on your head, whack your heels together, and cry “Hurrah,” and the hare is yours.’128‘Eh, what!’ said the old fellow; ‘ME stand on my head, what an idea!’129‘Oh, very well,’ said Jesper, ‘you needn’t unless you like, you know; but then you won’t get the hare.’130It went very much against the grain, one could see, but after some efforts the old fellow had his head on the grass and his heels in the air; the whacking and the ‘Hurrah’ were rather feeble, but Jesper was not very exacting, and the hare was handed over.131Of course, it wasn’t long in coming back again, like the others.132Evening came, and home came Jesper with the hundred hares behind him.133Great was the wonder over all the palace, and the king and queen seemed very much put out, but it was noticed that the princess actually smiled to Jesper.134‘Well, well,’ said the king; ‘you have done that very well indeed.135If you are as successful with a little task which I shall give you to-morrow we shall consider the matter settled, and you shall marry the princess.’136Next day it was announced that the task would be performed in the great hall of the palace, and everyone was invited to come and witness it.137The king and queen sat on their thrones, with the princess beside them, and the lords and ladies were all round the hall.138At a sign from the king, two servants carried in a large empty tub, which they set down in the open space before the throne, and Jesper was told to stand beside it.139‘Now,’ said the king, ‘you must tell us as many undoubted truths as will fill that tub, or you can’t have the princess.’140‘But how are we to know when the tub is full?’ said Jesper.141‘Don’t you trouble about that,’ said the king; ‘that’s my part of the business.’142This seemed to everybody present rather unfair, but no one liked to be the first to say so, and Jesper had to put the best face he could on the matter, and begin his story.143‘Yesterday,’ he said, ‘when I was herding the hares, there came to me a girl, in a shabby dress, and begged me to give her one of them.144She got the hare, but she had to give me a kiss for it; AND THAT GIRL WAS THE PRINCESS.145Isn’t that true?’ said he, looking at her.146The princess blushed and looked very uncomfortable, but had to admit that it was true.147‘That hasn’t filled much of the tub,’ said the king.148‘Go on again.’149‘After that,’ said Jesper, ‘a stout old woman, in a peasant’s dress, came and begged for a hare.150Before she got it, she had to walk round me on tiptoe, turn up her eyes, and cackle like a hen; AND THAT OLD WOMAN WAS THE QUEEN.151Isn’t that true, now?’152The queen turned very red and hot, but couldn’t deny it.153‘H-m,’ said the king; ‘that is something, but the tub isn’t full yet.’154To the queen he whispered, ‘I didn’t think you would be such a fool.’155‘What did YOU do?’ she whispered in return.156‘Do you suppose I would do anything for HIM?’ said the king, and then hurriedly ordered Jesper to go on.157‘In the next place,’ said Jesper, ‘there came a fat old fellow on the same errand.158He was very proud and dignified, but in order to get the hare he actually stood on his head, whacked his heels together, and cried “Hurrah”; and that old fellow was the----’159‘Stop, stop,’ shouted the king; ‘you needn’t say another word; the tub is full.’160Then all the court applauded, and the king and queen accepted Jesper as their son-in-law, and the princess was very well pleased, for by this time she had quite fallen in love with him, because he was so handsome and so clever.161When the old king got time to think over it, he was quite convinced that his kingdom would be safe in Jesper’s hands if he looked after the people as well as he herded the hares.162(Scandinavian.)1 2← previousThe Enchanted Knifenext →The Underground Workers↑ back to The Violet Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg641/24/page/2/