the table, and cast his eyes about on all sides, while his bride,
fearful that he had taken leave of his senses, ventured not to utter
a word. At length he fixed his eyes upon his horse that was standing
before the door, though he had only that one; and he commanded him to
bring him water, which the horse did not do. "How now, Mr. Horse," cried
the husband, "do you imagine, because I have only you, that I shall
suffer you to live, and not do as I command you! No! I will inflict as
hard a death upon you as upon the others; yea, there is no living thing
I have in the world which I will spare, if I be not obeyed." But the
horse stood where he was, and his master approaching with the greatest
rage, smote off his head, and cut him to pieces with his sword. And when
his wife saw that he had actually killed his horse, having no other, and
heard him declare he would do the same to any creature that ventured to
disobey him, she found that he had by no means done it by way of jest,
and took such an alarm, that she hardly knew if she were dead or alive.
For all covered with gore as he was, he again seated himself at table,
swearing that though he had a thousand horses or wives, or servants,
if they refused to do his behest, he would kill them all; and he again
began to look around him, holding his sword in his hand. And after he
had looked well round him, and found no living thing near him, he turned
his eyes fiercely towards his wife, and said in a great passion, "Get
up, and bring me some water to wash my hands!" and his wife, expecting
nothing less than to be cut to pieces, rose in a great hurry, and giving
him water for his hands, said to him, "Ah, how I ought to return thanks
to God, who inspired you with the thought of doing as you have done! for
otherwise, owing to the wrong treatment of my foolish friends, I should
have behaved the same to you as to them." Afterwards he commanded her to
help him to something to eat, and that in such a tone, that she felt as
if her head were on the point of dropping off upon the floor; so that in
this way was the understanding between them settled during that night,