| An aged count once lived in switzerland, who had an only son, | |
| but he was stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the | |
| father, hark you, my son, try as I will I can get nothing into | |
| your head. You must go from hence, I will give you into the | |
| care of a celebrated master, who shall see what he can do | |
| with you. The youth was sent into a strange town, and remained a | |
| whole year with the master. At the end of this time, he came | |
| home again, and his father asked, now, my son, what have you | |
| learnt. Father, I have learnt what the dogs say when they bark. | |
| Lord have mercy on us, cried the father, is that all you have | |
| learnt. I will send you into another town, to another master. | |
| The youth was taken thither, and stayed a year with this master | |
| likewise. When he came back the father again asked, my son, | |
| what have you learnt. He answered, father, I have learnt what | |
| the birds say. Then the father fell into a rage and said, oh, | |
| you lost man, you have spent the precious time and learnt nothing, | |
| are you not ashamed to appear before my eyes. I will send you | |
| to a third master, but if you learn nothing this time also, | |
| I will no longer be your father. The youth remained a whole year | |
| with the third master also, and when he came home again, and | |
| his father inquired, my son, what have you learnt. He | |
| answered, dear father, I have this year learnt what the frogs | |
| croak. Then the father fell into the most furious anger, sprang | |
| up, called his people thither, and said, this man is no longer | |
| my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him out into | |
| the forest, and kill him. They took him forth, but when they | |
| should have killed him, they could not do it for pity, and | |
| let him go, and they cut the eyes and the tongue out of a deer | |
| that they might carry them to the old man as a token. | |
| The youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress | |
| where he begged for a night's lodging. Yes, said the lord of | |
| the castle, if you will pass the night down there in the old | |
| tower, go thither, but I warn you, it is at the peril of your | |
| life, for it is full of wild dogs, which bark and howl without | |
| stopping, and at certain hours a man has to be given to them, | |
| whom they at once devour. The whole district was in sorrow | |
| and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything | |
| to stop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said, | |
| just let me go down to the barking dogs, and give me something | |
| that I can throw to them, they will do nothing to harm me. | |
| As he himself would have it so, they gave him some food for | |
| the wild animals, and led him down to the tower. When he went | |
| inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged their tails | |
| quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and did | |
| not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment | |
| of everyone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said | |
| to the lord of the castle, the dogs have revealed to me, in | |
| their own language, why they dwell there, and bring evil on | |
| the land. They are bewitched, and are obliged to watch over a | |
| great treasure which is below in the tower, and they can | |
| have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise learnt, | |
| from their discourse, how that is to be done. Then all who | |
| heard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would | |
| adopt him as a son if he accomplished it successfully. He | |
| went down again, and as he knew what he had to do, he did it | |
| thoroughly, and brought a chest full of gold out with him. | |
| The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth heard no more, they | |
| had disappeared, and the country was freed from the trouble. | |
| After some time he took it into his head that he would travel to | |
| Rome. On the way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of | |
| frogs were sitting croaking. He listened to them, and when he | |
| became aware of what they were saying, he grew very thoughtful | |
| and sad. At last he arrived in Rome, where the Pope had just died, | |
| and there was great doubt among the cardinals as to whom they | |
| should appoint as his successor. They at length agreed that | |
| the person should be chosen as Pope who should be distinguished | |
| by some divine and miraculous token. And just as that was decided | |
| on, the young count entered into the church, and suddenly two | |
| snow-white doves flew on his shoulders and remained sitting | |
| there. The ecclesiastics recognized therein the token from above, | |
| and asked him on the spot if he would be Pope. He was undecided, | |
| and knew not if he were worthy of this, but the doves counselled | |
| him to do it, and at length he said yes. Then was he anointed and | |
| consecrated, and thus was fulfilled what he had heard from the | |
| frogs on his way, which had so affected him, that he was to be | |
| his holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and did not | |
| know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his | |
| shoulders, and said it all in his ear. | |