Once there were three brothers whose father gave each of them a loaf of bread and sent them to seek their fortune. When they were a good way from home, and began to feel hungry, the two elder brothers said to the youngest, whom they had always taken for a simpleton, “Let us first eat your bread, and then we will give you some of ours.”

The youngest willingly shared his bread with them; but on the next day, when it was time to eat, the two brothers ate their bread comfortably without offering the other a single bit.

“Well, why don’t you give me a piece of bread, when you have eaten mine all up?” he asked, and received the answer:

“If you want to get anything from us you must let us put out your eyes, that we may go around with you begging and so earn our bread.”

What could the poor wretch do? He was tortured with hunger, so he allowed them to put out his eyes. But the brothers led him out among the high mountains, left him there in the lurch, and went on to seek their fortune.

Now was the poor fellow neither to help nor to counsel. At last night closed in, and the Vilas came to dance in a ring, and one of them said, “If that man should anoint his eyes with morning-dew he would see again that very moment.”

He had hardly heard the words when he began to grope about in the grass for dew, and he rubbed it on his eyes and saw again. Then he filled a glass with this dew and went on to seek his fortune.

On the way he stumbled across a Mouse which was staggering around, for the poor thing was blind. So he wet her eyes with morning-dew and she at once received her sight. The little Mouse thanked him, saying, “God reward you until I have an opportunity to show my gratitude!”

A little farther on his way he came upon a Bee which was tumbling around and weeping bitterly, for it was blind. So he anointed the Bee’s eyes, too, and it immediately regained its sight and thanked him, saying, “God reward you until I have an opportunity to prove my gratitude!”

A little farther he found a Dove rolling around in the sand. He asked her, “What is the matter that you tumble around so in the sand?” And the Dove replied, “Why do you tease me with questions when you cannot help me?” But the youth answered, “Keep quiet a moment,” and he anointed her eyes. Immediately she saw again, and said, “God reward you until I have an opportunity to repay you!”

He now resumed his journey, and at last arrived in a city where, as it happened, his two brothers were in service. Here he also was lucky enough to hire himself out as shepherd.

The brothers recognized him, and one day, when he was out in the fields, they lied to their master, telling him that the shepherd had boasted that he was able to reap all the cuckoo-corn1 in a single night. This pleased the master much, and he commanded the youth to do this thing or it would cost him his head.

Weeping, he went out and threw himself down upon the grass. Then came the little Mouse and comforted him, telling him to go to sleep and the work should all be done. And there came a great number of mice and gnawed down the whole crop of cuckoo-corn, so that when the youth awoke in the morning he found all done. And he showed it to the master, who was greatly pleased.

Then the brothers came to his master and accused him of having said that he could build a church in a single night. In the morning when he came home he was told that he must accomplish this work or it would cost him his head. So he threw himself down again, weeping, in the grass.

Then the Bee flew by and bade him go peacefully to sleep and she and her friends would do all the work without troubling him. And there came thousands of swarms of bees and built a church out of wax. It was still night when the master woke and saw a bright light over everything. He was frightened and called his body-servant to go with him into the church, which was already finished, even to the altars and everything else.

Then the brothers told their master another lie—how the shepherd had said that he would give a string of pearls to the daughter of the house, and that next morning the master’s little son should play with a golden apple. When he came home he was told that he must do what he had boasted that he could do, on pain of death.

Weeping, he threw himself down in the grass, when the Dove came flying to him and said, “Dry your tears and go to rest; all shall be done.” In the morning the youth found a beautiful string of pearls and a golden apple by his side, and he gave them to his master’s daughter and little son.

Then the master called the youth into his room and asked him how he had managed to do all these things. So the youth told him how his brothers had taken away his bread, put out his eyes, abandoned him in the mountains, and everything else that had happened. Then the master had the two brothers called into his presence and caused them to be beheaded. But the youth he rewarded and gave him his daughter to wife.

Whoever believes this will be blessed.

“The dough is rising, grandmother,” said the youngest sister, opening the door.

Every one gathered around the grandmother, for this was a ceremony of great importance. The future happiness of the young couple might depend upon it.

First the grandmother took the dough out of the bowl, kneaded it a little, shaped it properly, and laid it in the baking-pan. The mother was standing by with five candles in her hand; the grandmother took them one by one, planted them in the centre and the four corners of the korowai, and lighted them. Then all the women stood around and began to sing. It was a somewhat sad tune, yet very sweet. The song had many verses; the first was to the young couple, who would be “princess” and “prince” for the next three days; the next was to the Virgin; then followed verses to the sun, the moon, the stars, and to a white stone beyond the seas. It was a long song, and by the time it was finished the candles were burned down. Then the pan was carefully lifted into the oven.

After that all was hurry and bustle. The room had to be swept, and long pieces of brightly striped cloth brought from the chest to cover the bench that ran around the whole room. The cloths were of the same colors as the brightly painted shelves above and they made the house very beautiful. There were wreaths to be made for the “princess” and the “prince,” and the bride’s wedding-dress must be laid out carefully in the grandmother’s room, where nothing could harm it.