nce upon a time there lived an Emperor who had no children. Then a rumour went round, from mouth to mouth, from ear to ear, that if the Empress walked through the Blue Grey Wood, along an untrodden path early in the morning, where the dew was still untouched, she would have a child. The Empress decided to try whether it were true what she had heard, and really and truly, after some time, she gave birth to a very handsome boy, whom she called Break-of-Day.

      Later on the Emperor gave a great christening feast to which all were invited, with rich dishes and music and after, as the custom was, he planted a tree in the garden. The boy grew and the tree grew too. But they did not grow as everybody usually grows. They grew in a gigantic, fantastic way. In a month or two the boy grew so quickly that he was already a fine young fellow and the tree grew from the earth right up into the sky, so high that its top could not be seen.

      The Emperor looked at the tree and asked rather puzzled:

      "What kind of tree is this? And what kind of fruit will it bear?"

      But nobody answered him. Then the Emperor ordered his heralds to announce that anyone, who could climb to the top of the tree and bring back some fruit, would receive half of his kingdom in reward.

      Many brave youths and princes came to test their courage, but before they had climbed very far up the tree they became dizzy and fell to the ground.

      "Father, let me climb up", said his son, the young prince.

      "Don't you dare to think about such a thing! Are there no other people ready to die in all my wide kingdom?"

      Then the prince began to cry. He cried for a whole week, but the Emperor would not let him try.

      Feeling grieved and angry, the boy filled one of his pockets with gold coins and went off to seek his fortune in the wide world. He walked and walked till he came to the edge of a forest and there on a path of green grass near a spring, sitting in a hover and holding a cowry shell, he saw on old witch.

      As soon as the old witch saw him, she said:

      "Give a poor old woman, a gold coin and I'll tell you some good news. I know that you are unhappy."

      "Get out of my sight, before I kill you!" said the prince, who was still very angry.

      "You can't guess my fortune with your cowry shell."

      He started to walk on, but the witch stopped him.

      "Go back, dear prince! Go back and humbly beg your father to let you climb the tree, because you have set him against you with your hot temper."

      The old witch, who had seen and learnt many things in her life, had guessed right.

      When Break-of-Day heard her speak about the tree, he came nearer. The witch took a book, because in books brave men's deeds are all written down, and having read a page she said to him:

      "Go back to the Emperor, and tell him that you want to climb the tree. Try to make an agreement with him, that if you return safely he must place the Emperor's crown on your head, but if you fall, he must cut your head off. So that he may know how high you have climbed, tell him to give you a big ball of thread, and take the end of it with you as you climb."

      Break-of-Day gave a handful of gold coins to the old witch, returned home, and again began to beg the Emperor to let him climb the tree.

      "No, no! Said the Emperor. Don't you dare to think of it!"

      Then the prince humbly begged:

      "Let us agree like this: if I bring the fruit from the tree, you will place the Emperor's crown on my head, but if I fall, you cut off my head."

      Then the Emperor called all his advisers and counsellors, and at last they agreed to let him climb.

      "Now bring me a ball of one single thread, as big as a cart wheel," said the prince.

      "Very well," replied the Emperor.

      Then Break-of-Day got ready, went up to the tree, and said to the Emperor:

      "As long as the ball of thread keeps unwinding, it will show I am still climbing up. Bring the band, and let them play all the time."

      So the band played while Break-of-Day climbed the tree. He went up and up for twelve whole years. At last one end of the thread was in his hand, and the other on the ground. The tree had three branches at the top, and on each branch there hung a golden apple. While Break-of-Day was looking at the apples he saw a white bird with a golden tail, which flew down from the sky, straight at the apples, and ate one of them. Then it flew round again and ate the second apple. Break-of-Day's heart was almost bursting with anxiety.

      What would he do if the bird ate all the apples? Just when the white bird with the golden tail flew at the third apple, Break-of-Day quickly caught the bird by the tail, and seized the apple. The bird wriggled and struggled and tore itself away. Break-of-Day was left with one apple and one feather in his hand.

      "Thank goodness I've got the apple!" he cried.

      "As for the feather I shall keep it. If I remain alive, I am sure I'll find that bird."

      Putting the apple and the feather into his pocket, Break-of-Day began to climb down the tree. Down and down he went for seven whole years.

      When he stepped onto the ground at last, he was so tired that he fell fast asleep there for three days and three nights in the imperial orchard. On the fourth day he woke. Around him there were crowds of people. He addressed them with the following words:

      "How happy I am to see you again, good people and warriors! You have waited hopefully for me to return and here I am with good news. See, here is the fruit that the tree bears", and he showed them the golden apple.