When he arrived at the palace he did not say he had come to try to make the princess laugh, but asked if he could get a situation there.  No, they had no situation for him; but Hans was not so easily put off—­they might want one to carry wood and water for the kitchenmaid in such a big place as that, he said.  Yes, the king thought so too, and to get rid of the lad he gave him leave to remain there and carry wood and water for the kitchenmaid.

One day, when he was going to fetch water from the brook, he saw a big fish in the water just under an old root of a fir-tree, which the current had carried all the soil away from.  He put his bucket quietly under the fish and caught it.  As he was going home to the palace, he met an old woman leading a golden goose.

“Good day, grandmother!” said Hans.  “That’s a fine bird you have got there; and such splendid feathers too! he shines a long way off.  If one had such feathers, one needn’t be chopping firewood.”

The woman thought just as much of the fish which Hans had in the bucket, and said if Hans would give her the fish he should have the golden goose; and this goose was such that if any one touched it he would be sticking fast to it if he only said:  “If you’ll come along, then hang on.”

Yes, Hans would willingly exchange on those terms.  “A bird is as good as a fish any day,” he said to himself.  “If it is as you say, I might use it instead of a fish-hook,” he said to the woman, and felt greatly pleased with the possession of the goose.

He had not gone far before he met another old woman.  When she saw the splendid golden goose, she must go and stroke it.  She made herself so friendly and spoke so nicely to Hans, and asked him to let her stroke that lovely golden goose of his.

“Oh, yes!” said Hans, “but you mustn’t pluck off any of its feathers!”

Just as she stroked the bird, Hans said:  “If you’ll come along, then hang on!”

The woman pulled and tore, but she had to hang on, whether she would or no, and Hans walked on, as if he only had the goose with him.

When he had gone some distance, he met a man who had a spite against the woman for a trick she had played upon him.  When he saw that she fought so hard to get free and seemed to hang on so fast, he thought he might safely venture to pay her off for the grudge he owed her, and so he gave her a kick.

“If you’ll come along, then hang on!” said Hans, and the man had to hang on and limp along on one leg, whether he would or no; and when he tried to tear himself loose, he made it still worse for himself, for he was very nearly falling on his back whenever he struggled to get free.

So on they went till they came in the neighborhood of the palace.  There they met the king’s smith; he was on his way to the smithy, and had a large pair of tongs in his hand.  This smith was a merry fellow, and was always full of mad pranks and tricks, and when he saw this procession coming jumping and limping along, he began laughing till he was bent in two, but suddenly he said: