Once there was a soldier who feared nothing. After leaving the service he had no work, so he wandered the world and begged for food. On his back he carried an old rain cloak. On his feet he wore his sturdy boots of buffalo leather. Those boots had lasted him a very long time.
One day he crossed a mountain plateau and then followed a stony path downhill. He didn’t know where he was. On a great rock sat a man in a green hunting coat. The soldier shook his hand, sat beside him, and stretched out his legs.
“You’ve got nicely clean boots,” said the soldier. “But if you walked as much as I do, they’d fall apart soon enough. Look at mine. They’re buffalo hide. In these I can cross scree and snow.” Then he stood up. “I’m hungry. Brother Bright-Boots, where does this trail lead?”
“I don’t know,” said the hunter. “I got lost in the fog.”
“Then let’s go together,” the soldier suggested. “Two is better than one.”
They walked and walked until night fell. In the distance a window of an old stone inn lit up.
“Let’s try there,” said the soldier. “Maybe we’ll get something to eat.”
They knocked. An old woman opened the door.
“We beg a night’s lodging and a little food,” said the soldier. “My belly is as empty as an old knapsack.”
“You can’t stay here,” the woman whispered. “This house belongs to robbers. If they find you here, it will go badly.”
“Hunger is worse,” the soldier said calmly and stepped inside. He took the hunter by the sleeve. “Come with me.”
“Hide behind the stove,” the woman advised. “If anything is left, I’ll sneak you some.”
In a moment twelve robbers burst in. They sat at the table and demanded food. The woman brought great bowls of roast meat. The smell was so strong that the soldier whispered, “I can’t stand it any longer. I’m going to sit down.”
“Don’t do that,” hissed the hunter. But the soldier coughed loudly.
The robbers jumped up and found them both behind the stove. “Aha! Two tramps! Are you spies?” they shouted.
“Don’t be angry,” said the soldier calmly. “We’re only hungry. Feed me, and then do with me what you like.”
The captain sneered. “You’re not afraid. Fine. You’ll eat—then you’ll pay.”
“We’ll see,” said the soldier, sitting down and tucking into the roast. The robbers stared at him, mouths open.
When he finished, he said, “And now something to drink.” The woman brought the best wine. The soldier raised the bottle over the table and called out,
“To everyone’s health—but raise your hands and open your mouths!”
At that moment they all turned to stone. They stood like statues, hands up, mouths agape.
The hunter whispered, “You can do magic! Let’s get out of here.”
“Not yet,” the soldier smiled. “First we’ll take the loot and call for help.” In the morning he went down to the town for his old soldier friends. They returned to the inn; the robbers came back to life, were bound at once, and carried off to prison.
In the town the people cheered, “The king is back!”
“Where is the king?” the soldier wondered.
The hunter unbuttoned his green coat. Under it he wore royal clothes. “I am the king,” he said.
The soldier knelt. “Forgive me for speaking so boldly.”
The king lifted him up. “No—you were brave. I’ll see to it that from now on you want for nothing.”
