When he had walked all day he too came to the King 's palace , and the King was standing outside on the steps , and asked where he was going ; and when the youth replied that he was going about in search of a place , the King said that he might enter into his service and watch his seven foals . Then the King promised him the same punishment and the same reward that he had promised his brother . The youth at once consented to this and entered into the King 's service , for he thought he could easily watch the foals and inform the King what they ate and drank . In the grey light of dawn the Master of the Horse let out the seven foals , and off they went again over hill and dale , and off went the lad after them . But all went with him as it had gone with his brother . When he had run after the foals for a long , long time and was hot and tired , he passed by a cleft in the rock where an old woman was sitting spinning with a distaff , and she called to him : ` Come hither , come hither , my handsome son , and let me comb your hair . ' The youth liked the thought of this , let the foals run where they chose , and seated himself in the cleft of the rock by the side of the old hag . So there he sat with his head on her lap , taking his ease the livelong day . The foals came back in the evening , and then he too got a bit of moss and a bottle of water from the old hag , which things he was to show to the King . But when the King asked the youth : ` Canst thou tell me what my seven foals eat and drink ? ' and the youth showed him the bit of moss and the bottle of water , and said : ` Yes here may you behold their meat , and here their drink , ' the King once more became wroth , and commanded that three red stripes should be cut on the lad 's back , that salt should be strewn upon them , and that he should then be instantly chased back to his own home . So when the youth got home again he too related all that had happened to him , and he too said that he had gone out in search of a place once , but that never would he do it again . On the third day Cinderlad wanted to set out . He had a fancy to try to watch the seven foals himself , he said . The two others laughed at him , and mocked him . ` What I when all went so ill with us , do you suppose that you are going to succeed ? You look like succeeding -- you who have never done anything else but lie and poke about among the ashes ! ' said they . ` Yes , I will go too , ' said Cinderlad , ` for I have taken it into my head . ' The two brothers laughed at him , and his father and mother begged him not to go , but all to no purpose , and Cinderlad set out on his way .
So when he had walked the whole day , he too came XXXXX the King 's palace as darkness began to fall .
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