On the third day, the boy sat by the well, and did not stir his finger, however much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked at the reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he still bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look straight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water. He raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of his head was already golden and shone like the sun.You can imagine how terrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it round his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came he already knew everything, and said: \\u0027Take the handkerchief off.\\u0027 Then the golden hair streamed forth,and let the boy excuse himself as he might, it was of no use. \\u0027You have not stood the trial and can stay here no longer. Go forth into the world, there you will learn what poverty is. But as you have not a bad heart, and as I mean well by you, there is one thing I will grant you; if you fall into any difficulty, come to the forest and cry: \\\"Iron Hans,\\\" and then I will come and help you. My power is great, greater than you think, and I have gold and silver in abundance.\\u0027
Then the king\\u0027s son left the forest, and walked by beaten and unbeaten paths ever onwards until at length he reached a great city. There he looked for work, but could find none, and he learnt nothing by which he could help himself. At length he went to the palace,and asked if they would take him in. The people about court did not at all know what use they could make of him, but they liked him, and told him to stay. At length the cook took him into his service, and said he might carry wood and water, and rake the cinders together. Once when it so happened that no one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry the food to the royal table, but as he did not like to let his golden hair be seen, he kept his little cap on. Such a thing as that had never yet come under the king\\u0027s notice, and he said: \\u0027When you come to the royal table you must take your hat off.\\u0027 He answered: \\u0027Ah, Lord, I cannot; I have a bad sore place on my head.\\u0027 Then the king had the cook called before him and scolded him, and asked how he could take such a boy as that into his service;and that he was to send him away at once. The cook,however, had pity on him, and exchanged him for the gardener\\u0027s boy.
And now the boy had to plant and water the garden,hoe and dig, and bear the wind and bad weather. Once in summer when he was working alone in the garden,the day was so warm he took his little cap off that the air might cool him. As the sun shone on his hair it glittered and flashed so that the rays fell into the bedroom of the king\\u0027s daughter, and up she sprang to see what that could be. Then she saw the boy, and cried to him: \\u0027Boy, bring me a wreath of flowers.\\u0027He put his cap on with all haste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them together. When he wa ascending the stairs with them, the gardener met him,and said: \\u0027How can you take the king\\u0027s daughter a garland of such common flowers? Go quickly, and get another, and seek out the prettiest and rarest.\\u0027 \\u0027Oh,no,\\u0027 replied the boy, \\u0027the wild ones have more scent,and will please her better.\\u0027 When he got into the room,the king\\u0027s daughter said: \\u0027Take your cap off, it is not seemly to keep it on in my presence.\\u0027 He again said:\\u0027I may not, I have a sore head.\\u0027 She, however, caught at his cap and pulled it off, and then his golden hair rolled down on his shoulders, and it was splendid to behold. He wanted to run out, but she held him by the arm, and gave him a handful of ducats. With these he departed, but he cared nothing for the gold pieces. He took them to the gardener, and said: \\u0027I present them to your children, they can play with them.\\u0027 The following day the king\\u0027s daughter again called to him that he was to bring her a wreath of field-flowers, and then he wen in with it, she instantly snatched at his cap, and wanted to take it away from him, but he held it fast with both hands. She again gave him a handful of ducats, but he would not keep them, and gave them to the gardener for playthings for his children. On the third day things went just the same; she could not get his cap away from him, and he would not have her money.
Not long afterwards, the country was overrun by war. The king gathered together his people, and did not know whether or not he could offer any opposition to the enemy, who was superior in strength and had a mighty army. Then said the gardener\\u0027s boy: \\u0027I am grown up, and will go to the wars also, only give me a horse.\\u0027 The others laughed, and said: \\u0027Seek one for yourself when we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the stable for you.\\u0027 When they had gone forth,he went into the stable, and led the horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety jib, hobblety jib; nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away to the dark forest. When he came to the outskirts, he called \\u0027Iron Hans\\u0027 three times so loudly that it echoed through the trees. Thereupon the wild man appeared immediately, and said: \\u0027What do you desire?\\u0027 \\u0027I want a strong steed, for I am going to the wars.\\u0027 \\u0027That you shall have, and still more than you ask for.\\u0027 Then the wild man went back into the forest, and it was not long before a stable-boy came out of it, who led a horse that snorted with its nostrils, and could hardly be restrained, and behind them followed a great troop of warriors entirely equipped in iron, and their swords flashed in the sun. The youth made over his threelegged horse to the stable-boy, mounted the other, and rode at the head of the soldiers. When he got near the battlefield a great part of the king\\u0027s men had already fallen, and little was wanting to make the rest give way. Then the youth galloped thither with his iron soldiers, broke like a hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all who opposed him. They began to flee,but the youth pursued, and never stopped, until there was not a single man left. Instead of returning to the king, however, he conducted his troop by byways back to the forest, and called forth Iron Hans. \\u0027What do you desire?\\u0027 asked the wild man. \\u0027Take back your horse and your troops, and give me my three-legged horse again.\\u0027 All that he asked was done, and soon he was riding on his three-legged horse. When the king returned to his palace, his daughter went to meet him,and wished him joy of his victory. \\u0027I am not the one who carried away the victory,\\u0027 said he, \\u0027but a strange knight who came to my assistance with his soldiers.\\u0027The daughter wanted to hear who the strange knight was, but the king did not know, and said: \\u0027He followed the enemy, and I did not see him again.\\u0027 She inquired of the gardener where his boy was, but he smiled,and said: \\u0027He has just come home on his three-legged horse, and the others have been mocking him, and crying: \\\"Here comes our hobblety jib back again!\\\"They asked, too: \\\"Under what hedge have you been lying sleeping all the time?\\\" So he said: \\\"I did the best of all, and it would have gone badly without me.\\\" And then he was still more ridiculed.\\u0027