🧚 The Prince and the Ogre’s Castle. · page 2

The Prince thanked the young lady for all her good advice, which he promised to follow faithfully in every respect, and she then said to him:67

“It is now near the time for the Ogre’s return.68 I will lie down on the couch, and you must place the flower behind my ear just as it was before; and when I fall into a trance you must at once go out into the courtyard and wait the return of the Ogre, and mind you are careful not to let him know that you have been inside the castle.”69

So saying, the Princess lay down upon her couch, and the young man having placed the flower behind her ear she instantly fell into a deep trance.70 The Prince then went out into the courtyard and shortly after the Ogre arrived.71 He had now discarded his lama costume and appeared in his proper form, and riding up to the Prince he asked him in an angry tone whether he had carried out the orders he had received, and on the Prince replying in the affirmative, the Ogre ordered him to come into the kitchen.72 On entering the kitchen the Ogre pointed to a great stove standing in the centre, and said to the Prince:73

“You must now walk three times round that stove.”74

“It is so dark in here,” replied the Prince, “that I cannot see my way at all clearly.75 Will you please precede me and show me the way?”76

The Ogre was very angry at hearing this, but he was unable to refuse, so he started off and ran round the stove three times, the Prince following closely at his heels.77 But he went so fast that the Prince, although he had his knife ready in his hand, was unable to catch him; and the Ogre, seeing that the Prince was not to be outwitted by this stratagem, went upstairs to his wife, leaving the young man locked up in the kitchen, where he spent the night alone.78

Next morning the Ogre started off soon after daylight on his own business, and as soon as he was gone the Prince ran upstairs to the glass room, where he found the lady lying in a trance as before.79 He took the flower from behind her ear, and she immediately woke up and looked about her.80

“Good-morning, Prince,” said she.81 “How did you succeed last night?82 I hope you followed the instructions which I gave you.”83

The Prince described to her what had occurred, and she said:84

“I have ascertained what the Ogre proposes to do when he returns this evening.85 He will seat himself in his chair of state in his great hall of audience and will order you to kow-tow to him three times, and if you do so he will seize an opportunity whilst you are lying on your face before him to do you some injury.86 It will not do, however, absolutely to disobey his orders; but you must explain to him that, being a Prince, you have never had to kow-tow to anybody and do not exactly know how to do it, and you must ask him to show you the proper way to proceed.87 He cannot refuse your request, and you must take the opportunity of stabbing him or cutting off his head whilst he is lying on his face before you.88 If you succeed in this come at once to me, and I will show you what else is necessary in order to bring about his complete destruction.”89

The Prince promised to obey the lady’s orders, and after again sending her into a trance by placing the magic flower behind her ear, he returned to the courtyard and awaited the Ogre’s return.90 Just before dusk the Ogre came back and as the Princess had predicted he proceeded at once to the great audience hall, and seated himself on his chair of state.91

“Now,” said he to the Prince, “you must kow-tow to me three times.”92

“I am very sorry,” answered the Prince, “that I do not know how to do so.93 Being a Prince myself, I have never had to kow-tow to anybody; but if you will show me the proper manner in which to proceed I will do my best.”94

This reply made the Ogre very angry, but he was unable to refuse to do as the Prince had asked him.95 So the Prince took his seat on the Ogre’s chair and the Ogre kneeling on the ground before him proceeded to kow-tow three times in the orthodox manner.96 As the Ogre’s face touched the ground the first time the Prince drew his sword; as it touched the ground the second time he raised the sword above his head; and as it touched the ground the third and last time the Prince delivered a violent blow, completely severing the Ogre’s head from his body.97 Leaving the body where it lay, the Prince ran up to the glass room as fast as he could, and having awakened the lady from her sleep, he told her what had happened.98

“Well done!” said she.99 “The first part of your task is now accomplished; but as I told you before, it is still necessary to destroy the Ogre’s mascot, or he will come to life again in a short time.100 What you must do now, therefore, is as follows: you must descend into the vaults below the castle, and having traversed nine dark subterranean chambers, you will come to a blank stone wall.101 You must rap three times on this wall with the hilt of your sword, exclaiming with each rap, ‘Open, blank wall’; and as you pronounce these words for the third time the wall will fly asunder, and you will find yourself entering another subterranean chamber.102 In the centre of this chamber you will see a beautiful boy seated with a goblet of crystal liquid in his hand.103 This boy is the Ogre’s mascot, and upon his existence depends the Ogre’s life in this world.104 You must at once slay the boy, and taking the goblet very carefully in your hand, carry it upstairs to me.105 But be careful not to spill any of the liquid, as each drop means a man’s life.”106

On receiving these instructions the Prince went down into the vaults at the basement of the castle, and having traversed nine great subterranean chambers, he found his progress stopped by a blank wall.107 Raising his sword he rapped three times with the hilt on the wall, exclaiming each time as he did so, “Open, blank wall.”108 As he pronounced these words for the third time a grating sound was heard, and with a hollow clang the wall gave way for him.109

Advancing a few paces the Prince found himself in a small dungeon, lighted only by the glimmer which issued from a goblet of crystal liquid held in the hand of a beautiful young boy, who was seated in the centre of the chamber.110 Without a moment’s hesitation the Prince thrust his sword through the heart of the boy, and taking the goblet in his hand, he carried it upstairs to the Princess, being very careful on the way not to allow a single drop to be spilt.111

When the Princess saw him entering her room with the goblet in his hand she was very much delighted.112

“Now,” said she, “the Ogre is effectually destroyed, and can never more come to life in this world.113 All that now remains to be done is to restore to life his previous victims.”114

So saying she ordered the Prince, still carrying the goblet, to follow her, and she proceeded by many winding passages and staircases to a remote part of the great castle.115 Presently, opening a huge door, she entered a long, low, gloomy chamber, lighted only by a narrow window which looked out over the back part of the castle.116 When the Prince entered this chamber he was horrified to see that down both sides of it were stretched the bodies of many scores of men, women and children, who lay there fully dressed, but to all appearance quite lifeless.117

“These,” said the lady, “are the bodies of the Ogre’s victims; he has eaten their hearts, but the bodies, as you see, remain unharmed, while the spirit of each one is compressed into a drop of crystal liquor with which that goblet is filled.118 You must now sprinkle the bodies with the liquid, giving one drop to each.”119

Accordingly the Prince passed down the rows of lifeless bodies, dropping as he went one drop of the magic liquid on each body; and as the liquor touched the body the life returned, and each person, as if awakened from a long sleep, moved and yawned, and finally sat up and began to talk and walk.120 In a few moments the transformation was complete, and the Ogre’s victims, after thanking the Prince and Princess heartily for their good offices, returned to their own homes.121 The Prince himself bade farewell to the lady, and leaving her in possession of the Ogre’s castle and all its belongings, he himself mounted upon his horse, and with his dog following at his heels, set out in search of further adventures.122

[This is only the first instalment of the Prince’s adventures, which continue to an interminable length.123 I have given this section as a sample of the whole.]124