“The man with the golden beard came and he knew already what had happened.
“You let a hair fall into the well,” he said, ”this time I will forgive you; but if it happens a third time the well will be disgraced, and you cannot stay with me any longer.”

“The third day the boy sat at the well and did not move his finger, no matter how much it hurt. But the time grew long. So he looked at his face which reflected on the water.
And as he leaned over to look right into his own eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water.

“Quickly he got up again, but all the hair of his head was golden already and shone like the sun. You can imagine how terrified the boy was.
He took a scarf and wrapped it around his head to hide it from the golden-bearded man.

“When he came, he knew everything already and said, ”Open the scarf!” The golden hair flowed forth, and the boy tried to apologize in every possible way.
“You cannot stay here any longer. Now go into the world; there you will learn what you have to learn.

“Because you have a good heart and I think good of you, I will grant you a boon: if you are in need then go into the forest and call, ”Man with the golden beardi and I will come and help you. My power is great, greater than you think, and gold and silver I have in abundance.”

“The king's son left the wood and went on and on over paved and unpaved ways. Some time he met two retired soldiers.
“Where do you go, my brother?” asked one of the soldiers.
“I want to go into service somewhere,” answered the king's son.
“So come with us! We have the same goal.”
They wandered together and the three of them roamed seven times through nine kingdoms.

“One day they came to the palace of a king. The king was just outside in the court.
“Now, my sons, where are you going?” he asked them.

“We are looking for a job.”
“So Don't go on. Just now I need two coachers and an assistant to supervise the farm work. If you like, I will accept you.”

“Immediately they went into service - the king's son as assistant and the two retired soldiers as coachmen.

“The young prince had told the two soldiers much about his adventurous journey - his experience with the dove, the wild duck, and the stork, and also how he had met on his journey the man with the golden beard in the wood; for he could not hide his golden hair for a long time from his two comrades and he had to explain it to them.
However, he did not tell them that he was a king's son because he feared that they might be scared since he had run away, and that they would constantly tell him to return home.

“Now the boy had to supervise the work on the fields and in the gardens of the palace; and that meant often that he himself had to hack and dig, and to plant and water, and to bear the wind and the inclemency of weather.