“Eventually the ministers began to fear that the whole case, in which they had invested so much money with the many additional guards, would somehow become known in public; for only one of the many guards would have to be talkative only once.

“So the ministers promised a big reward to the guards if one of them could give them a good advice on how to seize the gold-bearded man.

“One day a retired guard approached them.
“Noble Sirs,” he said to the assembled ministers, ”I advise you one thing: let them put salted bread, salted butter, and fresh salted cheese next to the well with a pitcher of choice wine.
If then in the morning the golden-bearded man comes, he will eat the bread and will become thirsty; then he will drink the wine and certainly become drunk - because he is only used to drink milk; wine does not agree with someone like him.”

“The ministers did everything the retired guard had told them; next to the well they put the bread, the butter, the cheese and the wine.
All around however, they placed the guards on the watch.

“And indeed, in the early morning the golden-bearded man came, ate, drank, got drunk, and fell asleep.

“At once the guards arrested him and brought him to the ministers who were waiting full of expectation.

“They were glad beyond measure - for now all their worry was gone. They locked him up in a golden cage and showed him to the many guests who came from far away.
From all countries they came, kings, emperors, presidents and chancellors, to see the miracle.

“Now the golden-bearded man had become an additional source of income for the state but nobody was able to make him utter one single sound; he did not talk to anyone.
They even thought he could not talk at all and was just a wild man. Also he did not eat properly; in vain they gave him all sorts of delicate food into the cage. He just sat there and was quiet.

“One day the ministers had to go to war.
They thought feverishly to whom they could entrust the golden-bearded man, for they felt pity with him - but they could not allow the affairs of the state to be at risk due to the way he acted so freely at the well, and besides, they had built the expensive golden cage for him and had given him plenty of exquisite food - at least he could not feel they neglected him.

“In a way - due to the strained financial situation - he had unfortunately become a victim of the interests of the state.

“Everyone of them thought in a similar way. Eventually they had the idea to entrust the young prince with the care of the golden-bearded man. So they went to him.