The silent princess

Once upon a time there lived in Turkey a pasha who had only one son, and so dearly did he love this boy that he let him spend the whole day amusing himself, instead of learning how to be useful like his friends.
Now the boy`s favourite toy was a golden ball, and with this he would play from morning till night, without troubling anybody. One day, as he was sitting in the summer-house in the garden, making his ball run all along the walls and catching it again, he noticed an old woman with an earthen pitcher coming to draw water from a well which stood in a corner of the garden. In a moment he had caught his ball and flung it straight at the pitcher, which fell to the ground in a thousand pieces. The old woman started with surprise, but said nothing; only turned round to fetch another pitcher, and as soon as she had disappeared, the boy hurried out to pick up his ball.
Scarcely was he back in the summer-house when he beheld the old woman a second time, approaching the well with the pitcher on her shoulder. She had just taken hold of the handle to lower it into the water, whencrash! And the pitcher lay in fragments at her feet. Of course she felt very angry, but for fear of the pasha she still held her peace, and spent her last pence in buying a fresh pitcher. But when this also was broken by a blow from the ball, her wrath burst forth, and shaking her fist towards the summer-house where the boy was hiding, she cried:
`I wish you may be punished by falling in love with the silent princess.` And having said this she vanished.
For some time the boy paid no heed to her wordsindeed he forgot them altogether; but as years went by, and he began to think more about things, the remembrance of the old woman`s wish came back to his mind.
`Who is the silent princess? And why should it be a punishment to fall in love with her?` he asked himself, and received no answer. However, that did not prevent him from putting the question again and again, till at length he grew so weak and ill that he could eat nothing, and in the end was forced to lie in bed altogether. His father the pasha became so frightened by this strange disease, that he sent for every physician in the kingdom to cure him, but no one was able to find a remedy.
`How did your illness first begin, my son?` asked the pasha one day. `Perhaps, if we knew that, we should also know better what to do for you.`
Then the youth told him what had happened all those years before, when he was a little boy, and what the old woman had said to him.
`Give me, I pray you,` he cried, when his tale was finished, `give me, I pray you, leave to go into the world in search of the princess, and perhaps this evil state may cease.` And, sore though his heart was to part from his only son, the pasha felt that the young man would certainly die if he remained at home any longer.
`Go, and peace be with you,` he answered; and went out to call his trusted steward, whom he ordered to accompany his young master.
Their preparations were soon made, and early one morning the two set out. But neither old man nor young had the slightest idea where they were going, or what they were undertaking. First they lost their way in a dense forest, and from that they at length emerged in a wilderness where they wandered for six months, not seeing a living creature and finding scarcely anything to eat or drink, till they became nothing but skin and bone, while their garments hung in tatters about them. They had forgotten all about the princess, and their only wish was to find themselves back in the palace again, when, one day, they discovered that they were standing on the shoulder of a mountain. The stones beneath them shone as brightly as diamonds, and both their hearts beat with joy at beholding a tiny old man approaching them. The sight awoke all manner of recollections; the numb feeling that had taken possession of them fell away as if by magic, and it was with glad voices that they greeted the new-comer. `Where are we, my friend?` asked they; and the old man told them that this was the mountain where the sultan`s daughter sat, covered by seven veils, and the shining of the stones was only the reflection of her own brilliance.
On hearing this news all the dangers and difficulties of their past wandering vanished from their minds.
`How can I reach her soonest?` asked the youth eagerly. But the old man only answered:
`Have patience, my son, yet awhile. Another six months must go by before you arrive at the palace where she dwells with the rest of the women. And, even so, think well, when you can, as should you fail to make her speak, you will have to pay forfeit with your life, as others have done. So beware!`
But the prince only laughed at this counselas others had also done.
After three months they found themselves on the top of another mountain, and the prince saw with surprise that its sides were coloured a beautiful red. Perched on some cliffs, not far off, was a small village, and the prince proposed to his friend that they should go and rest there. The villagers, on their part, welcomed them gladly, and gave them food to eat and beds to sleep on, and thankful indeed were the two travellers to repose their weary limbs.
The next morning they asked their host if he could tell them whether they were still many days` journey from the princess, and whether he knew why the mountain was so much redder than other mountains.
`For three and a half more months you must still pursue your way,` answered he, `and by that time you will find yourselves at the gate of the princess`s palace. As for the colour of the mountain, that comes from the soft hue of her cheeks and mouth, which shines through the seven veils which cover her. But none have ever beheld her face, for she sits there, uttering no word, though one hears whispers of many having lost their lives for her sake.`
The prince, however, would listen no further; and thanking the man for his kindness, he jumped up and, with the steward, set out to climb the mountain.
On and on and on they went, sleeping under the trees or in caves, and living upon berries and any fish they could catch in the rivers. But at length, when their clothes were nearly in rags and their legs so tired that they could hardly walk any further, they saw on the top of the next mountain a palace of yellow marble.
`There it is, at last,` cried the prince; and fresh blood seemed to spring in his veins. But as he and his companion began to climb towards the top they paused in horror, for the ground was white with dead men`s skulls. It was the prince who first recovered his voice, and he said to his friend, as carelessly as he could:
`These must be the skulls of the men who tried to make the princess speak and failed. Well, if we fail too, our bones will strew the ground likewise.`
`Oh! turn back now, my prince, while there is yet time,` entreated his companion. `Your father gave you into my charge; but when we set out I did not know that certain death lay before us.`
`Take heart, O Lala, take heart!` answered the prince. `A man can but die once. And, besides, the princess will have to speak some day, you know.`
So they went on again, past skulls and dead men`s bones in all degrees of whiteness. And by-and-by they reached another village, where they determined to rest for a little while, so that their wits might be fresh and bright for the task that lay before them. But this time, though the people were kind and friendly, their faces were gloomy, and every now and then woeful cries would rend the air.
`Oh! my brother, have I lost you?` `Oh! my son, shall I see you no more?` And then, as the prince and his companion asked the meaning of these lamentswhich, indeed, was plain enoughthe answer was given:
`Ah, you also have come hither to die! This town belongs to the father of the princess, and when any rash man seeks to move the princess to speech he must first obtain leave of the sultan. If that is granted him he is then led into the presence of the princess. What happens afterwards, perhaps the sight of these bones may help you to guess.`
The young man bowed his head in token of thanks, and stood thoughtful for a short time. Then, turning to the Lala, he said:
`Well, our destiny will soon be decided! Meanwhile we will find out all we can, and do nothing rashly.`
For two or three days they wandered about the bazaars, keeping their eyes and ears open, when, one morning, they met a man carrying a nightingale in a cage. The bird was singing so joyously that the prince stopped to listen, and at once offered to buy him from his owner.
`Oh, why cumber yourself with such a useless thing,` cried the Lala in disgust; `have you not enough to occupy your hands and mind, without taking an extra burden?` But the prince, who liked having his own way, paid no heed to him, and paying the high price asked by the man, he carried the bird back to the inn, and hung him up in his chamber. That evening, as he was sitting alone, trying to think of something that would make the princess talk, and failing altogether, the nightingale pecked open her cage door, which was lightly fastened by a stick, and, perching on his shoulder, murmured softly in his ear:
`What makes you so sad, my prince?` The young man started. In his native country birds did not talk, and, like many people, he was always rather afraid of what he did not understand. But in a moment he felt ashamed of his folly, and explained that he had travelled for more than a year, and over thousands of miles, to win the hand of the sultan`s daughter. And now that he had reached his goal he could think of no plan to force her to speak.
`Oh! do not trouble your head about that,` replied the bird, `it is quite easy! Go this evening to the women`s apartments, and take me with you, and when you enter the princess`s private chamber hide me under the pedestal which supports the great golden candlestick. The princess herself will be wrapped so thickly in her seven veils that …