Ep. 1227 - The Brave Little Tailor, Pt. 4

The little tailor now demanded the promised reward from the King, but he repented his promise, and pondered once more how he could rid himself of the hero. ‘Before you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my kingdom,’ he said to him, ‘you must do another deed of valour. A unicorn is running about loose in the wood, and doing much mischief; you must first catch it.’ ‘I’m even less afraid of one unicorn than of two giants; seven at a blow, that’s my motto.’ He took a piece of cord and an axe with him, went out to the wood, and again told the men who had been sent with him to remain outside. He hadn’t to search long, for the unicorn soon passed by, and, on perceiving the tailor, dashed straight at him as though it were going to spike him on the spot. ‘Gently, gently,’ said he, ‘not so fast, my friend;’ and standing still he waited till the beast was quite near, when he sprang lightly behind a tree; the unicorn ran with all its force against the tree, and rammed its horn so firmly into the trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again, and was thus successfully captured. ‘Now I’ve caught my bird,’ said the tailor, and he came out from behind the tree, placed the cord round its neck first, then struck the horn out of the tree with his axe, and when everything was in order led the beast before the King.