The young Prince dismounts, and puts his horse in the stable, and they go in to have some refreshments, for I can assure you he wanted some; and after telling everything that passed, which the old gentleman was very pleased to hear, they both went for a walk together, the young Prince looking around and seeing the place looking dreadful, as did the old man.  He could scarcely walk from his toe-nails curling up like ram’s horns that had not been cut for many hundred years, and big long hair.  They come to a well, and the old man gives the Prince a sword, and tells him to cut his head off, and throw it in that well.  The young man has to do it against his wish, but has to do it.

No sooner has he flung the head in the well, than up springs one of the finest young gentlemen you would wish to see; and instead of the old house and the frightful-looking place, it was changed into a beautiful hall and grounds.  And they went back and enjoyed themselves well, and had a good laugh about the castle.

The young Prince leaves this young gentleman in all his glory, and he tells the young Prince before leaving that he will see him again before long.  They have a jolly shake-hands, and off he goes to the next oldest brother; and, to make my long story short, he has to serve the other two brothers the same as the first.

Now the youngest brother began to ask him how things went on.  “Did you see my two brothers?”

“Yes.”

“How did they look?”

“Oh! they looked very well.  I liked them much.  They told me many things what to do.”

“Well, did you go to the castle?”

“Yes, my uncle.”

“And will you tell me what you see in there?  Did you see the young lady?”

“Yes, I saw her, and plenty of other frightful things.”

“Did you hear any snake biting you in my oldest brother’s bed?”

“No, there were none there; I slept well.”

“You won’t have to sleep in the same bed to-night.  You will have to cut my head off in the morning.”

The young Prince had a good night’s rest, and changed all the appearance of the place by cutting his friend’s head off before he started in the morning.  A jolly shake-hands, and the uncle tells him it’s very probable he shall see him again soon when he is not aware of it.  This one’s mansion was very pretty, and the country around it beautiful, after his head was cut off.  Off Jack goes, over hills, dales, valleys, and mountains, and very near losing his apples again.

At last he arrives at the cross-roads, where he has to meet his brothers on the very day appointed.  Coming up to the place, he sees no tracks of horses, and, being very tired, he lays himself down to sleep, by tying the horse to his leg, and putting the apples under his head.  Presently up come the other brothers the same time to the minute, and found him fast asleep; and they would not waken him, but said one to another, “Let us see what sort of apples he has got under his head.”  So they took and tasted them, and found they were different to theirs.  They took and changed his apples for theirs, and off to London as fast as they could, and left the poor fellow sleeping.