“Do not shoot me and I will give you good counsel.  You are on your way to find the golden bird, and this evening you will come to a village in which two taverns stand facing each other.  One will be brightly lighted up, and there will be plenty of merriment going on inside; do not mind about that, but go into the other one, although it will look to you very uninviting.”

“How can a silly beast give anyone rational advice?” thought the king’s son, and let fly at the fox, but he missed him, and he stretched out his tail and ran quick into the wood.  Then the young man went on his way, and toward evening he came to the village and there stood the two taverns; in one singing and revelry were going on, the other looked quite dull and wretched.  “I should be a fool,” said he, “to go into that dismal place while there is anything so good close by.”  So he went into the merry inn and there lived in clover, quite forgetting the bird and his father and all good counsel.

As time went on, and the eldest son never came home, the second son set out to seek the golden bird.  He met with the fox, just as the eldest did, and received good advice from him without attending to it.  And when he came to the two taverns his brother was standing and calling to him at the window of one of them, out of which came sounds of merriment; so he could not resist, but went and reveled to his heart’s content.

And then, as time went on, the youngest son wished to go forth and to try his luck, but his father would not consent.

“It would be useless,” said he; “he is much less likely to find the bird than his brothers, and if any misfortune were to happen to him he would not know how to help himself, his wits are none of the best.”

But at last, as there was no peace to be had, he let him go.  By the side of the wood sat the fox, begged him to spare his life and gave him good counsel.  The young man was kind and said: 

“Be easy, little fox, I will do you no harm.”

“You shall not repent of it,” answered the fox, “and that you may get there all the sooner get up and sit on my tail.”

And no sooner had he done so than the fox began to run, and off they went over stock and stone, so that the wind whistled in their hair.  When they reached the village the young man got down and, following the fox’s advice, went into the mean looking tavern without hesitating, and there he passed a quiet night.  The next morning, when he went out into the field, the fox, who was sitting there already, said: 

“I will tell you further what you have to do.  Go straight on until you come to a castle, before which a great band of soldiers lie, but do not trouble yourself about them, for they will be all asleep and snoring; pass through them and forward into the castle, and go through all the rooms until you come to one where there is a golden bird hanging in a wooden cage.  Near at hand will stand empty a golden cage of state, but you must beware of taking the bird out of his ugly cage and putting him into the fine one; if you do so you will come to harm.”