knees. They bound him with cords, and carried him away to the castle. There was great excitement over the Wild Man, and the King had an iron cage made for him in the courtyard. He forbade any one to open the door of the cage on pain of death, and the Queen had to keep the key in her own charge.
After this, anybody could walk in the forest with safety.
The King had a little son eight years old, and one day he was playing in the courtyard. In his play his golden ball fell into the cage. The boy ran up, and said, ‘Give me back my ball.’
‘Not until you have opened the door,’ said the Wild Man.
“No; I can’t do that,’ said the boy. ‘My father has forbidden it,’ and then he ran away.
Next day he came again, and asked for his ball. The Man said, ‘Open my door’; but he would not.
On the third day the King went out hunting, and the boy came again, and said, ‘Even if I would, I could not open the door. I have not got the key.’
Then the Wild Man said, ‘It is lying under your mother’s pillow. You can easily get it.’
The boy, who was very anxious to have his ball back, threw his scruples to the winds, and fetched the key. The door was very stiff, and he pinched his fingers in opening it. As soon as it was open the Wild Man came out, gave the boy his ball, and hurried away. The boy was now very frightened, and cried out, ‘O Wild Man, don’t go away, or I shall be beaten!’
The Wild Man turned back, picked up the boy, put him on his shoulder, and walked hurriedly off into the wood.
When the King came home he saw at once the cage was empty, and asked the Queen how it had come about. She knew nothing about it, and went to look for the key, which was of course gone. They called the boy, but there was no answer. The King sent people out into the fields to look for him, but all in vain; he was gone. The King easily guessed what had happened, and great grief fell on the royal household.
When the Wild Man got back into the depths of the dark
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