The king of the kingdom visited the stable once a week to see whether the horses were well-cared-for.
During that time the two elder brothers found the king and talked with him. "Your majesty, you seem to collect rare things. You have an interest in them don't you?"
The king nodded when the elder brother continued. "While we were on the way to the kingdom we saw a witch on an island. The witch has many rare and strange things on her island. I am sure you would love to have them here."
The king was taken by the desire to know the things that the witch had with her.
When he heard about the golden lantern from the two brothers, the king seemed determined to have it for himself.
However then he understood everything that the brothers had told him. "How can I get the golden lantern if this woman is a witch?"
"Send Pinkle to get it, your majesty," the second brother said quietly, "he can definitely handle the old witch and get the lantern from the island."
Pinkle came to know about this, and he realized that the king genuinely wanted to have the golden lantern.
So Pinkle decided to go to the island and fulfill the king's wishes.
Pinkle had already formulated a plan and he took a handful of salt with him.
Pinkle started for the island in the evening so that he could reach the island by night. When he reached the island, the sky was darkening but the outside of the witch's home and its inside were bright, because of the golden lantern.
Pinkle also smelt the aroma of cooking coming from the pot that the younger woman of the island was handling and Pinkle realized that it was the dinner time for the witch and her daughter.
The witch and her daughter saw Pinkle easily because of the light of the golden lantern, but they realized that he meant no harm to them. So the two ladies completely ignored Pinkle.
They were about to set the table for dinner.
At that time, unknown to the two ladies, Pinkle threw the handful of salt inside the cooking pot which was boiling under the fire burning below it.
When the witch had one spoon of the food from the pot she did not like it.
She put down her spoon and scolded her daughter for making the food very salty. She asked her daughter to get water from the well and remake her dinner.
"But mother, it is night time and the path to the well is dark. How do I find the well at night?" The daughter asked the witch.
The witch asked the daughter to take the golden lantern with her which would light her way to the well. That way the daughter would find the well easily in the night sky.
As soon as Pinkle saw this, he waited for the daughter to go near the well with the lantern in her hands.
When she was close to the well, Pinkle pushed the witch's daughter inside the well. Then he grabbed the lantern and quickly ran towards his boat and rowed away from there.
At first the witch did notice anything.
But when she saw the lantern bobbing up-and-down and seemed to be casting its light from the lake she howled in rage.
From the lantern's light she realized that it was the youngest brother - Pinkle, who had taken her golden lantern.
She threatened Pinkle angrily. "If I ever see you again on my island it will be the last day of your life."
Pinkle quickly rowed away from the place so that the woman would not hurt him.
When the king saw that Pinkle had been successful in his endeavour, Pinkle gained even more royal favour.
Naturally his elder brothers were even more envious of him.
This time the two brothers convinced the king to send Pinkle to get the goat with the golden horns and the chain of tinkling bells for him, from the witch.
Pinkle took plenty of thick and small woolen clothes and lots of food for the goat and a strong piece of wood with him as he rowed to the island.
Pinkle could easily approach the island in secrecy because there was no golden lantern lighting up the area in and around the witch's house.
Pinkle made sure that he reached the island just before the two ladies were about to sleep.
At night, the daughter went to close the door of the house before going to bed.
But she could not do that.
Because without being seen by anyone in the island, Pinkle inserted the strong piece of wood under the door making sure that the door could not be closed.
"Mother, the door of the house does not close." The daughter told the witch.
The witch was already sleepy and she sighed when she heard her daughter. "Just leave the door open. There is nobody who is going to come to attack us on this island."
Pinkle waited patiently until he heard the loud snores of both the women. Only after he was convinced that both the women were fast asleep, he pulled out all the food that he had and he placed a little of it before the goat. The goat happily nibbled the food.
At this time, even as the goat was chewing the food, Pinkle wrapped all the bells around the goat's neck with the thick woolen cloth that he had brought, making sure that the bells did not ring.
Slowly he placed the food farther away from the goat making sure it followed Pinkle or rather the food.
By this way Pinkle was able to lead the goat out of the open door of the witch's house to his boat, without waking up the two women.
When Pinkle's boat reached the middle of the lake, he removed the woolen cloth from the bells around the goat's neck.
The bells made a beautiful tinkling sound which woke the witch up.
She rushed out of the house and saw Pinkle with her goat.
She threatened to kill Pinkle if she saw him again.
Naturally the envy of the two elder brothers knew no bounds when they learnt of this.
"Pinkle was so devious to get the goat with the golden horns from the witches island." The elder brother told the king at the stables, the next week.
"It is too bad he did not get the witch's golden cloak," the second brother added slyly.
Soon it so happened that Pinkle received his order from the king to get the golden cloak from the witch.
This time Pinkle chose to go to the island when it was heavily raining.
All he carried with him was a huge bag which was hidden inside his dress and was not visible to anyone.
He looked shame faced and walked straight inside the house of the witch.
The witch looked furious on seeing him.
She pulled out a knife from her kitchen and brandished it before Pinkle. "Finally, are you prepared to meet your end?"
Pinkle looked down and nodded slowly. "Yes."
The witch was surprised as Pinkle continued, "But I wish to meet my end by poison and not by a knife." He looked even more sadly at the witch. "You see I have not eaten anything the whole day."
The witch made porridge for Pinkle and spread it liberally with the poisonous herbs found in her island. She placed the porridge before Pinkle, who, unknown to her, poured the porridge into the bag which was hidden inside his dress.
He asked the witch for another helping.
When the witch did the same thing again, Pinkle poured the porridge into the bag again and this time Pinkle rolled on the floor and caught his stomach and then pretended to fall dead.
The witch paid no more attention to Pinkle.
She looked outside at the raging storm and rains and realized that her daughter was not yet back. Her daughter had been working outside the house. Looking at the weather, the witch decided to go and check on how her daughter was doing.
She removed her cloak and placed it in the cupboard realizing that if she took the cloak out in a weather like this it would get spoilt muddied.
Needless to say, Pinkle stole the cloak and rowed away from the island.
This time after he came back to the kingdom, the king offered his daughter's hand to Pinkle.
However the people of the kingdom were not willing to make a man who was a thief, as their king.
Finally Pinkle convinced the people that he would not indulge in thieving any more.
It was only after the people were convinced that Pinkle had given up his evil ways of thieving, that the people were ready to make him their king.
Pinkle did not punish his two elder brothers but left them at the stable where they worked till the end of their days.
Adapted from the Tales of High Westland
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