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There was once upon a time a king who had a great forest near his

palace, full of all kinds of wild animals. One day he sent out a

huntsman to shoot him a roe, but he did not come back. 'Perhaps

some accident has befallen him,' said the king, and the next day

he sent out two more huntsmen who were to search for him, but

they too stayed away. Then on the third day, he sent for all his

huntsmen, and said: 'Scour the whole forest through, and do not

give up until you have found all three.' But of these also, none

came home again, none were seen again. From that time forth, no

one would any longer venture into the forest, and it lay there in

deep stillness and solitude, and nothing was seen of it, but

sometimes an eagle or a hawk flying over it. This lasted for many

years, when an unknown huntsman announced himself to the king as

seeking a situation, and offered to go into the dangerous forest.