“You propose to us then to become soldiers and get ourselves killed for the sake of the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’?”
“Not for the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’, but for king and country!”
“Oh, don’t bother me with that!” said the youth, his eyes now ablaze. “‘Country’ is but an empty word, and the King, this king, is but a King Log!”
The insult stung the Prince sharply, burning like a whiplash.
He rose from his chair and, shaking bodily with indignation, he replied:
“The ‘country’ is your land, and this king is your leader!”
A general burst of roaring laughter greeted his words.
“Our provinces over here are secure; the enemy cannot get across the river!” said someone, his voice hoarse from wine-drinking. “And those who happen to live on the other side, well, let them take care of themselves.”
“My, what a leader we do have!” cried another. “Hiding behind his windows, that’s how he will lead us to war!”
“And without weapons!” added, sniggering, a third.
“Let the King come out first, and show us how to fight!” shouted another.
“And if the King comes out, I will myself make weapons for him!” said old Master Miserlix.
Pale as death, arms crossed, the King’s son stood up straight in their midst.
“Old Master Miserlix,” he said in a thunderous voice, “I have your word! The King is too old by now, and he cannot bear the hardship. Yet his son will come out himself, and you shall make him weapons!”
“Well said,” said the old man. “Provided, that is, that the Prince comes out himself.”
“Let the Prince come out,” said the youth with the fiery eyes, “and then let us all follow him.”
The Prince turned to him, and looked at him in the face.
“Remember what you have said, when the time comes,” he said, his whole being in turmoil; then, turning to the other man: “Old Master Miserlix,” he said, “your brother has already started forging the weapons that the Prince will need in order to venture forth with the army. Will you not help him?”
The old man was taken aback.
“Do you mean it?” he asked.
“I most certainly do,” replied the Prince. “Whenever you wish, come to his house and see for yourself.”
He then went out, without looking back.
The old man ran after him, and caught up with him a few paces down the road.
“Won’t you explain yourself and your words?” he asked.
“I am the King’s son,” said the Prince. “I have no florins to pay you with, but I ask you, in the name of our country, to make weapons for me!”
Old Master Miserlix was thunderstruck. He fell down on his knees and remained speechless.
“So, will you come?” asked the Prince.
“Command me, my lord!” muttered the old man. “I am yours!”
The Prince raised him to his feet.
“Have you got your tools with you?” he asked.
“I have!”
“Then come along to your brother’s. We must not waste a single hour, and Miserlix awaits us.”
Together they went to the blacksmith’s house. He had indeed been expecting them, although the hour was late by then. The street urchin alone had eaten and was lying fast asleep in a corner of the back kitchen.
“Tomorrow we shall have more such workers,” said Miserlix smiling. “On our way back, we met with one or two other little beggars like him, and the young one told them how he had earned his supper through his work, so I told them to come too. It is to our advantage,” Miserlix continued. “While they bring up the ore from the mines, I can work here, so no time is wasted.”
They sat at the table. The Prince would not stay, however. He only asked for a slice of bread to eat on the way to the schoolmaster’s house, where he still intended to study his letters, before beginning to work with the two master craftsmen.
The schoolmaster’s house was far away. He went there running, studied hard, did all his writing, and, still running, he returned to Miserlix’s house, where for hours on end they worked the iron, which came red hot out of the smithy furnace.
At midnight, the two brothers abandoned both hammer and lathe.
Miserlix wanted to offer the Prince his own bed. But he did not accept it. He had to go, he said, back to the palace, to learn the news.
Hurriedly he took once more the way to the capital. But he was so worn out that two or three times he had to sit down on the ground to rest. Sleep would overcome him then, and, so as not to yield to it, he would get up and resume his running.
With great effort, he reached the roots of the mountain, and started for the palace. He tried to run, but he was vanquished by exhaustion. He sat on a stone to catch his breath, his eyes closed of their own volition, and he fell into a deep slumber.
XI. Constable or Woodsman?
THIS IS WHERE Little Irene found him, first thing in the morning, on her way to the woods.
She woke him up, and they went down the slope together.
He asked her if she had any more recent news to give him.
“No,” she replied. “The enemy has not yet been sighted by the river.”
“May God’s will be with us!” said the Prince, and his whole heart was in his words. “For us, every hour is to our advantage.”
He killed rabbits and game birds with his sling, and divided them into two lots. He also divided the eggs, and took half in his scarf.
“Down below, at Miserlix’s house, a great table will be set today, and I must take food there too,” he told his sister.
And he recounted to her how he had gone to find Miserlix’s brother, who was now also working to make weapons, and how some street urchins were to come and work in the mines, to be paid with the food that he would bring them.
“How lovely!” said Little Irene, deeply moved. “This way you will be feeding quite a number of hungry people, teaching them at the same time to work so that they will no longer be beggars.”
“It is exactly what I am striving for,” replied the Prince simply. “To teach the people to work once more.”
He bade his sister farewell, and ran swiftly back to town.
He went to the schoolmaster’s, where he had his lesson, leaving two birds by way of payment. Then he headed for Miserlix’s house.
He found everyone hard at work.
On all four of the room’s surrounding walls there hung several newly forged weapons.
“This is a splendid start!” said the Prince, delighted. “The enemy has not yet been sighted. Courage! The weapons shall be made.”
And after handing the game to Miserlix’s daughter, he rolled up his sleeves, and took up the hammer and the tongs.
All of a sudden, however, screams were heard outside.
The Prince abandoned his tools, rushed out, and saw one of the boys from the mines fighting valiantly to save his loaded handcart from two thieves.
The Prince recognized at once the inhospitable man who had chased him and Little Irene away from his doorstep; also the boy who worked for him, and who had stolen Miserlix’s watch.
“You scoundrel!” he shouted, and threw himself at him, grabbing him by the throat and laying him flat on the earth.
Miserlix, hearing the screaming, came out too, just as the man’s boy was sneaking away to the woods. He chased him, caught him, and brought him back, kicking and screaming.
“Hand me some rope!” cried the Prince.
And with Miserlix’s help, he tied their hands behind their backs; they then all went back to the smithy, pushing onwards in front of them the two thieves.