But the son only murmured some words and fell asleep again. Hardly was he asleep when something thundered and rattled in the street. Up jumped the son and quickly putting on his clothes ran out into the street. Up jumped Emelyán, too, and ran after him to see what it was that a son obeys more than father or mother. What he saw was a man walking along the street carrying, tied to his stomach, a thing which he beat with sticks, and that it was that rattled and thundered so, and that the son had obeyed. Emelyán ran up and had a look at it. He saw it was round, like a small tub, with a skin stretched over both ends, and he asked what it was called.
He was told, “A drum.”
“And is it empty?”
“Yes, it is empty.”
Emelyán was surprised. He asked them to give the thing to him, but they would not. So Emelyán left off asking, and followed the drummer. All day he followed, and when the drummer at last lay down to sleep, Emelyán snatched the drum from him and ran away with it.
He ran and ran, till at last he got back to his own town. He went to see his wife, but she was not at home. The day after he went away, the King had taken her. So Emelyán went to the palace, and sent in a message to the King: “He has returned who went to ‘there, don’t know where,’ and he has brought with him ‘that, don’t know what.’ ”
They told the King, and the King said he was to come again next day.
But Emelyán said, “Tell the King I am here today, and have brought what the King wanted. Let him come out to me, or I will go in to him!”
The King came out. “Where have you been?” said he.
Emelyán told him.