After a while he awoke, and, seeing the tracks of other horses, he mounted and off with him, not thinking anything about the apples being changed.  He had still a long way to go, and by the time he got near London he could hear all the bells in the town ringing, but did not know what was the matter till he rode up to the palace, when he came to know that his father was recovered by his brothers’ apples.  When he got there his two brothers were off to some sports for a while; and the King was glad to see his youngest son, and very anxious to taste his apples.  But when he found out that they were not good, and thought that they were more for poisoning him, he sent immediately for the headsman to behead his youngest son, who was taken away there and then in a carriage.  But instead of the headsman taking his head off, he took him to a forest not far from the town, because he had pity on him, and there left him to take his chance, when presently up comes a big hairy bear, limping upon three legs.  The Prince, poor fellow, climbed up a tree, frightened of him, but the bear told him to come down, that it was no use of him to stop there.  With hard persuasion poor Jack comes down, and the bear speaks to him and bids him “Come here to me; I will not do you any harm.  It’s better for you to come with me and have some refreshments; I know that you are hungry all this time.”

The poor young Prince says, “No, I am not hungry; but I was very frightened when I saw you coming to me first, as I had no place to run away from you.”

The bear said, “I was also afraid of you when I saw that gentleman setting you down from the carriage.  I thought you would have guns with you, and that you would not mind killing me if you saw me; but when I saw the gentleman going away with the carriage, and leaving you behind by yourself, I made bold to come to you, to see who you were, and now I know who you are very well.  Are you not the king’s youngest son?  I have seen you and your brothers and lots of other gentlemen in this wood many times.  Now before we go from here, I must tell you that I am in disguise; and I shall take you where we are stopping.”

The young Prince tells him everything from first to last, how he started in search of the apples, and about the three old men, and about the castle, and how he was served at last by his father after he came home; and instead of the headsman taking his head off, he was kind enough to leave him his life, “and here I am now, under your protection.”

The bear tells him, “Come on, my brother; there shall no harm come to you as long as you are with me.”