the old king was angry with his youngest son, and thought he had plotted against his life. so he summoned the court together and had sentence pronounced upon his son, that he should be secretly shot. and once when the prince was riding forth to the chase, suspecting no evil, the king’s huntsman had to go with him, and when they were quite alone in the forest, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that the prince said to him, "dear huntsman, what ails you?" the huntsman said, "i cannot tell you, and yet i ought." then the prince said, "say openly what it is, i will pardon you." "alas!" said the huntsman, "i am to shoot you dead, the king has ordered me to do it." then the prince was shocked, and said, "dear huntsman, let me live; there, i give you my royal garments; give me your common ones in their stead." the huntsman said, "i will willingly do that, indeed i should not have been able to shoot you."