They bade farewell to the King , who gave them presents of silver and precious stones , and appointed to meet them at the same hour , in the same place , after a year had passed , to see the little dogs they had brought for him . Then they went together to a castle which was about a league from the city , accompanied by all their particular friends , to whom they gave a grand banquet , and the three brothers promised to be friends always , to share whatever good fortune befell them , and not to be parted by any envy or jealousy ; and so they set out , agreeing to meet at the same castle at the appointed time , to present themselves before the King together . Each one took a different road , and the two eldest met with many adventures ; but it is about the youngest that you are going to hear . He was young , and gay , and handsome , and knew everything that a prince ought to know ; and as for his courage , there was simply no end to it . Hardly a day passed without his buying several dogs -- big and little , greyhounds , mastiffs , spaniels , and lapdogs . As soon as he had bought a pretty one he was sure to see a still prettier , and then he had to get rid of all the others and buy that one , as , being alone , he found it impossible to take thirty or forty thousand dogs about with him . He journeyed from day to day , not knowing where he was going , until at last , just at nightfall , he reached a great , gloomy forest . He did not know his way , and , to make matters worse , it began to thunder , and the rain poured down . He took the first path he could find , and after walking for a long time he fancied he saw a faint light , and began to hope that he was coming to some cottage where he might find shelter for the night . At length , guided by the light , he reached the door of the most splendid castle he could have imagined . This door was of gold covered with carbuncles , and it was the pure red light which shone from them that had shown him the way through the forest . The walls were of the finest porcelain in all the most delicate colors , and the Prince saw that all the stories he had ever read were pictured upon them ; but as he was terribly wet , and the rain still fell in torrents , he could not stay to look about any more , but came back to the golden door . There he saw a deer 's foot hanging by a chain of diamonds , and he began to wonder who could live in this magnificent castle . `` They must feel very secure against robbers , '' he said to himself . `` What is to hinder anyone from cutting off that chain and digging out those carbuncles , and making himself rich for life ? '' He pulled the deer 's foot , and immediately a silver bell sounded and the door flew open , but the Prince could see nothing but numbers of hands in the air , each holding a torch . He was so much surprised that he stood quite still , until he felt himself pushed forward by other hands , so that , though he was somewhat uneasy , he could not help going on . With his hand on his sword , to be prepared for whatever might happen , he entered a hall paved with lapis-lazuli , while two lovely voices sang : `` The hands you see floating above Will swiftly your bidding obey ; If your heart dreads not conquering Love , In this place you may fearlessly stay . '' The Prince could not believe that any danger threatened him when he was welcomed in this way , so , guided by the mysterious hands , he went toward a door of coral , which opened of its own accord , and he found himself in a vast hall of mother-of-pearl , out of which opened a number of other rooms , glittering with thousands of lights , and full of such beautiful pictures and precious things that the Prince felt quite bewildered . After passing through sixty rooms the hands that conducted him stopped , and the Prince saw a most comfortable-looking arm-chair drawn up close to the chimney-corner ; at the same moment the fire lighted itself , and the pretty , soft , clever hands took off the Prince 's wet , muddy clothes , and presented him with fresh ones made of the richest stuffs , all embroidered with gold and emeralds .
He could not help admiring everything he saw , and the deft way in which the hands waited XXXXX him , though they sometimes appeared so suddenly that they made him jump .
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