Page 596 - Child's own book
P. 596
huntsmen* he could not rest, anil said, il Sister, do open the
door, and let me be off.” And the sister, opening the door, said,
** Mind you return again at evening* and say as before.1' When
the king and his huntsmen saw again the tittle fawn with the
golden band round his neck, they pursued him again ; but be
was too quick and nimble for them. This lasted the whole
day; but at last, about evening, they surrounded the fawn,
and one of them wounded him on the foot, so that he limped,
and ran off slowly. Then one of the hunters crept after hii»
to the hut, and heard him say, *i Sister mine, let me in.11
And the door was then opened* and immediately closed be
hind him. The hunter, carefully remarking all this* went to
the king, and related all ho had seen and heard. And the king
said* “ On the morrow we will oncc more hunt him.'*
The little sister was terribly frightened when she saw that
the faivn was wounded* and wiping off the blood, she put on
some herbs, and said, w Lie down on your bed, dear little fawn*
that you may get strong again.” The wound, however, was
so small, that he felt nothing of it the next morning; and
when he heard the hunting noises again, he said, (tI cannot
stop away— I must ho there ; nobody shall catch me this
time so soon," The sister began to cry, and said, ct If they
should kill you, I am all alone here in the wood* and forsaken
by all the world r I cannot let you go."—u Then 1 shall dio
here of vexation,” replied the fawn; “ for if 1 hear the horn,
I think I shall jump out of my shoes/' So the sister could
not say otherwise any longer, and undid the door with a heavy
heart, and the little fawn sprang out gladly and merrily into
the wood. As soon as the king saw him, he said to his hunts
men, “ Now hunt ilim from morning to night; but mind that
no one injures him at all.1* When the sun was gone down*
the king said to his huntsman, tl Now come and ahow me the