There were once a man and a woman who had an only child, and lived quite alone in a solitary
valley.  It came to pass that the mother once went into the wood to gather branches of fir, and
took with her little Hans, who was just two years old.  As it was spring-time, and the child took
pleasure in the many-coloured flowers, she went still further onwards with him into the forest.
Suddenly two robbers sprang out of the thicket, seized the mother and child, and carried them far
away into the black forest, where no one ever came from one year's end to another.  The poor
woman urgently begged the robbers to set her and her child free, but their hearts were made of
stone, they would not listen to her prayers and entreaties, and drove her on farther by force.  After
they had worked their way through bushes and briars for about two miles, they came to a rock
where there was a door, at which the robbers knocked and it opened at once.  They had to go
through a long dark passage, and at last came into a great cavern, which was lighted by a fire
which burnt on the hearth.  On the wall hung swords, sabres, and other deadly weapons which
gleamed in the light, and in the midst stood a black table at which four other robbers were sitting
gambling, and the captain sat at the head of it.  As soon as he saw the woman he came and spoke
to her, and told her to be at ease and have no fear, they would do nothing to hurt her, but she
must look after the house-keeping, and if she kept everything in order, she should not fare ill with
them.  Thereupon they gave her something to eat, and showed her a bed where she might sleep
with her child.


The woman stayed many years with the robbers, and Hans grew tall and strong.  His mother told
him stories, and taught him to read an old book of tales about knights which she found in the
cave.  When Hans was nine years old, he made himself a strong club out of a branch of fir, hid it
behind the bed, and then went to his mother and said, "Dear mother, pray tell me who is my
father; I must and will know."  His mother was silent and would not tell him, that he might not
become home-sick; moreover she knew that the godless robbers would not let him go away, but
it almost broke her heart that Hans should not go to his father.  In the night, when the robbers
came home from their robbing expedition, Hans brought out his club, stood before the captain,
and said, "I now wish to know who is my father, and if thou dost not at once tell me I will strike
thee down."  Then the captain laughed, and gave Hans such a box on the ear that he rolled under
the table.  Hans got up again, held his tongue, and thought, "I will wait another year and then try
again, perhaps I shall do better then."  When the year was over, he brought out his club again,
rubbed the dust off it, looked at it well, and said, "It is a stout strong club."  At night the robbers
came home, drank one jug of wine after another, and their heads began to be heavy.  Then Hans
brought out his club, placed himself before the captain, and asked him who was his father?  But
the captain again gave him such a vigorous box on the ear that Hans rolled under the table, but it
was not long before he was up again, and beat the captain and the robbers so with his club, that
t

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