summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/36532-8.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to '36532-8.txt')
-rw-r--r--36532-8.txt11821
1 files changed, 11821 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/36532-8.txt b/36532-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d23c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/36532-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11821 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Orange Fairy Book, by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Orange Fairy Book
+
+Author: Various
+
+Editor: Andrew Lang
+
+Illustrator: H. J. Ford
+
+Release Date: June 27, 2011 [EBook #36532]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the transcriber
+from the list of illustrations, for the convenience of the reader.
+
+
+
+
+ THE ORANGE
+ FAIRY BOOK
+
+
+ Edited by
+ ANDREW LANG
+
+
+ With Numerous Illustrations by
+ H. J. FORD
+
+
+ _Crown Edition_
+
+ LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
+ LONDON ˇ NEW YORK ˇ TORONTO
+
+
+
+
+ LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
+
+ 114 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK
+ 221 EAST 20TH STREET, CHICAGO
+ 88 TREMONT STREET, BOSTON
+ 215 VICTORIA STREET, TORONTO
+
+ LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. LTD.
+
+ 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E C 4
+ 53 NICOL ROAD, BOMBAY
+ 6 OLD COURT HOUSE STREET, CALCUTTA
+ 36A MOUNT ROAD, MADRAS
+
+
+ LANG
+ THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK
+
+ COPYRIGHT ˇ 1906
+ BY LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
+
+
+ _All Rights Reserved_
+
+
+ First Edition August 1906
+ Reprinted March 1911, August 1914
+ January 1917, February 1919, May 1922
+ January 1925, November 1927, August 1929
+ February 1937
+
+
+ PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
+
+
+
+
+ THE LANG FAIRY BOOKS
+ Crown Edition
+
+ THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS. _With 4 Coloured
+ Plates and 63 Illustrations._
+
+ THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 128
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE BOOK OF ROMANCE. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 43
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE BROWN FAIRY BOOK. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 42
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE CRIMSON FAIRY BOOK. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 45
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 100
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE GREY FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 56
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE LILAC FAIRY BOOK. _With 6 Coloured Plates and 46
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE OLIVE FAIRY BOOK. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 43
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 50
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE PINK FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 68
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE RED BOOK OF HEROES. _By Mrs. Lang. With 8 Coloured
+ Plates and 40 Illustrations._
+
+ THE RED FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 91
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK. _With 8 Coloured Plates and 59
+ Illustrations._
+
+ THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. _With 4 Coloured Plates and 105
+ Illustrations._
+
+
+
+
+ [Illustration: IAN AND THE BLUE FALCON]
+
+
+
+
+_PREFACE_
+
+
+The children who read fairy books, or have fairy books read to them,
+do not read prefaces, and the parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who
+give fairy books to their daughters, nieces, and _cousines_, leave
+prefaces unread. For whom, then, are prefaces written? When an author
+publishes a book 'out of his own head,' he writes the preface for his
+own pleasure. After reading over his book in print--to make sure that
+all the 'u's' are not printed as 'n's,' and all the 'n's' as 'u's' in
+the proper names--then the author says, mildly, in his preface, what
+he thinks about his own book, and what he means it to prove--if he
+means it to prove anything--and why it is not a better book than it
+is. But, perhaps, nobody reads prefaces except other authors; and
+critics, who hope that they will find enough in the preface to enable
+them to do without reading any of the book.
+
+This appears to be the philosophy of prefaces in general, and perhaps
+authors might be more daring and candid than they are with advantage,
+and write regular criticisms of their own books in their prefaces, for
+nobody can be so good a critic of himself as the author--if he has a
+sense of humour. If he has not, the less he says in his preface the
+better.
+
+These Fairy Books, however, are not written by the Editor, as he has
+often explained, 'out of his own head.' The stories are taken from
+those told by grannies to grandchildren in many countries and in many
+languages--French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Gaelic, Icelandic,
+Cherokee, African, Indian, Australian, Slavonic, Eskimo, and what not.
+The stories are not literal, or word by word translations, but have
+been altered in many ways to make them suitable for children. Much has
+been left out in places, and the narrative has been broken up into
+conversations, the characters telling each other how matters stand,
+and speaking for themselves, as children, and some older people,
+prefer them to do. In many tales, fairly cruel and savage deeds are
+done, and these have been softened down as much as possible; though it
+is impossible, even if it were desirable, to conceal the circumstance
+that popular stories were never intended to be tracts and nothing
+else. Though they usually take the side of courage and kindness, and
+the virtues in general, the old story-tellers admire successful
+cunning as much as Homer does in the Odyssey. At least, if the cunning
+hero, human or animal, is the weaker, like Odysseus, Brer Rabbit, and
+many others, the story-teller sees little in intellect but superior
+cunning, by which tiny Jack gets the better of the giants. In the
+fairy tales of no country are 'improper' incidents common, which is to
+the credit of human nature, as they were obviously composed mainly for
+children. It is not difficult to get rid of this element when it does
+occur in popular tales.
+
+The old puzzle remains a puzzle--why do the stories of the remotest
+people so closely resemble each other? Of course, in the immeasurable
+past, they have been carried about by conquering races, and learned by
+conquering races from vanquished peoples. Slaves carried far from home
+brought their stories with them into captivity. Wanderers, travellers,
+shipwrecked men, merchants, and wives stolen from alien tribes have
+diffused the stories; gipsies and Jews have peddled them about; Roman
+soldiers of many different races, moved here and there about the
+Empire, have trafficked in them. From the remotest days men have been
+wanderers, and wherever they went their stories accompanied them. The
+slave trade might take a Greek to Persia, a Persian to Greece; an
+Egyptian woman to Phoenicia; a Babylonian to Egypt; a Scandinavian
+child might be carried with the amber from the Baltic to the Adriatic;
+or a Sidonian to Ophir, wherever Ophir may have been; while the
+Portuguese may have borne their tales to South Africa, or to Asia, and
+thence brought back other tales to Egypt. The stories wandered
+wherever the Buddhist missionaries went, and the earliest French
+_voyageurs_ told them to the Red Indians. These facts help to account
+for the sameness of the stories everywhere; and the uniformity of
+human fancy in early societies must be the cause of many other
+resemblances.
+
+In this volume there are stories from the natives of Rhodesia,
+collected by Mr. Fairbridge, who speaks the native language, and one
+is brought by Mr. Cripps from another part of Africa, Uganda. Three
+tales from the Punjaub were collected and translated by Major
+Campbell. Various savage tales, which needed a good deal of editing,
+are derived from the learned pages of the 'Journal of the
+Anthropological Institute.' With these exceptions, and 'The Magic
+Book,' translated by Mrs. Pedersen, from 'Eventyr fra Jylland,' by Mr.
+Ewald Tang Kristensen (Stories from Jutland), all the tales have been
+done, from various sources, by Mrs. Lang, who has modified, where it
+seemed desirable, all the narratives.
+
+
+
+
+_CONTENTS_
+
+
+ PAGE
+ _The Story of the Hero Makóma_ 1
+
+ _The Magic Mirror_ 16
+
+ _Story of the King who Would See Paradise_ 24
+
+ _How Isuro the Rabbit Tricked Gudu_ 29
+
+ _Ian, the Soldier's Son_ 37
+
+ _The Fox and the Wolf_ 56
+
+ _How Ian Direach Got the Blue Falcon_ 63
+
+ _The Ugly Duckling_ 79
+
+ _The Two Caskets_ 90
+
+ _The Goldsmith's Fortune_ 106
+
+ _The Enchanted Wreath_ 110
+
+ _The Foolish Weaver_ 124
+
+ _The Clever Cat_ 126
+
+ _The Story of Manus_ 141
+
+ _Pinkel the Thief_ 148
+
+ _The Adventures of a Jackal_ 160
+
+ _The Adventures of the Jackal's Eldest Son_ 167
+
+ _The Adventures of the Younger Son of the Jackal_ 173
+
+ _The Three Treasures of the Giants_ 177
+
+ _The Rover of the Plain_ 190
+
+ _The White Doe_ 201
+
+ _The Girl-Fish_ 225
+
+ _The Owl and the Eagle_ 236
+
+ _The Frog and the Lion Fairy_ 241
+
+ _The Adventures of Covan the Brown-haired_ 265
+
+ _The Princess Bella-Flor_ 280
+
+ _The Bird of Truth_ 292
+
+ _The Mink and the Wolf_ 307
+
+ _Adventures of an Indian Brave_ 313
+
+ _How the Stalos Were Tricked_ 319
+
+ _Andras Baive_ 329
+
+ _The White Slipper_ 335
+
+ _The Magic Book_ 349
+
+
+
+
+_ILLUSTRATIONS_
+
+
+COLOURED PLATES
+
+ _Ian and the Blue Falcon_ _Frontispiece_
+
+ _The Three Maidens Sitting on the Rocks_ _Facing page_ 38
+
+ _'Ashes, Ashes!' Twittered the Sparrows_ 98
+
+ _Standing in the Shelter of a Tree, He Watched
+ Her a Long While_ 114
+
+ _The Queen and the Crab_ 202
+
+ _The Crown Returns to the Queen of the Fishes_ 234
+
+ _How José Found the Princess Bella-Flor_ 288
+
+ _The Princess Imprisoned in the Summer-house_ 356
+
+
+FULL-PAGE PLATES
+
+ _Makóma Leaps into the Pool of Crocodiles_ _Facing page_ 2
+
+ _Makóma Gets Entangled by a Hair of Chin-débou
+ Máu-giri_ 8
+
+ _Makóma in the Hands of Sákatirína_ 12
+
+ _The Knight and the Raven_ 38
+
+ _Ian Breaks the Giant's Chain_ 44
+
+ _The Princess Finds Herself a Prisoner on the Ship_ 68
+
+ _How Ian Direach Returned Home, and How His
+ Stepmother Fell as a Bundle of Sticks_ 74
+
+ _'That is an End of You,' She Said. But She Was
+ Wrong, for it Was only the Beginning_ 90
+
+ _The Princess Returns from the Sea_ 120
+
+ _The Giants Find Jack in the Treasure Room_ 182
+
+ _The Uninvited Fairy_ 204
+
+ _How the Queen Met the Lion-Fairy_ 242
+
+ _The King on his Dragon Fights his Way through the
+ Monsters to the Queen and Muffette_ 258
+
+ _Doran-Donn Brings the Salmon to Covan the
+ Brown-Haired_ 276
+
+ _'We Never Waste Time When We Are Helping Others'_ 284
+
+ _'Who Are You who Dare to Knock at my Door?'_ 298
+
+ _The Little Boy Sees the Stalo in the Wood_ 320
+
+
+IN TEXT
+
+ PAGE
+ _Makóma Throws his Hammer at the Fire-eater_ 7
+
+ _Gopáni-Kúfa Sees a Strange Sight_ 17
+
+ _Shasása Hides the Mirror_ 21
+
+ _No One Knows What Was there Shown to the King_ 25
+
+ _The Old King Sees Himself Reflected in the Shields of
+ the Bodyguard_ 28
+
+ _Gudu Drops a Stone into the Water_ 30
+
+ _'Where Did You Get that from?' Asked Isuro_ 31
+
+ _How Gudu Danced and the Bones Rattled_ 35
+
+ _Ian Finds the Youngest Sister_ 43
+
+ _The Seven Big Women Fall over the Crag_ 72
+
+ _She Found Sitting Round Her a Whole Circle of Cats_ 95
+
+ _'Take the Black! Take the Black!' Cried the Cats_ 100
+
+ _Three Little Doves Were Seated on the Handle of
+ the Axe_ 111
+
+ _The Stepmother Tries to Drown the Princess_ 116
+
+ _The Jew Brings the Jewels to the Princess_ 130
+
+ _I Go to Seek my Fortune Alone_ 136
+
+ _The Cat Lets Fall the Stone_ 139
+
+ _How Manus Got the Lion's Cub_ 145
+
+ _Pinkel Brings the Witch's Lantern to the King_ 151
+
+ _Pinkel Steals the Witch's Goat_ 156
+
+ _The Brothers Ill-treat Poor Jack_ 180
+
+ _The Rover of the Plain Does the Girl's Work_ 193
+
+ _Last of All She Sang in a Low Voice a Dirge over
+ the Rover of the Plain_ 197
+
+ _For a Minute They Looked at Each Other_ 219
+
+ _'A Small Dragon Crept in and Terrified Her'_ 249
+
+ _Ardan Pursues the Golden Cock and the Silver Hen_ 269
+
+ _The King Jumps into the Cauldron_ 290
+
+ _How the Boy Found the Bird of Truth_ 303
+
+ _The Mink is Very Rude to the Grandmother Wolf_ 309
+
+ _Andras Baive Shoots the Stalo_ 333
+
+ _Balancin's Delight at the White Slipper_ 338
+
+ _Gilguerillo Falls in Love with Princess Diamantina_ 344
+
+ _'Just as He Was Going to Strike'_ 353
+
+
+
+
+THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF THE HERO MAKÓMA_
+
+_From the Senna (Oral Tradition)_
+
+
+Once upon a time, at the town of Senna on the banks of the Zambesi,
+was born a child. He was not like other children, for he was very tall
+and strong; over his shoulder he carried a big sack, and in his hand
+an iron hammer. He could also speak like a grown man, but usually he
+was very silent.
+
+One day his mother said to him: 'My child, by what name shall we know
+you?'
+
+And he answered: 'Call all the head men of Senna here to the river's
+bank.' And his mother called the head men of the town, and when they
+had come he led them down to a deep black pool in the river where all
+the fierce crocodiles lived.
+
+'O great men!' he said, while they all listened, 'which of you will
+leap into the pool and overcome the crocodiles?' But no one would come
+forward. So he turned and sprang into the water and disappeared.
+
+The people held their breath, for they thought: 'Surely the boy is
+bewitched and throws away his life, for the crocodiles will eat him!'
+Then suddenly the ground trembled, and the pool, heaving and swirling,
+became red with blood, and presently the boy rising to the surface
+swam on shore.
+
+But he was no longer just a boy! He was stronger than any man and very
+tall and handsome, so that the people shouted with gladness when they
+saw him.
+
+'Now, O my people!' he cried waving his hand, 'you know my name--I am
+Makóma, "the Greater"; for have I not slain the crocodiles in the pool
+where none would venture?'
+
+Then he said to his mother: 'Rest gently, my mother, for I go to make
+a home for myself and become a hero.' Then, entering his hut, he took
+Nu-éndo, his iron hammer, and throwing the sack over his shoulder, he
+went away.
+
+Makóma crossed the Zambesi, and for many moons he wandered towards the
+north and west until he came to a very hilly country where, one day,
+he met a huge giant making mountains.
+
+'Greeting,' shouted Makóma, 'who are you?'
+
+'I am Chi-éswa-mapíri, who makes the mountains,' answered the giant,
+'and who are you?'
+
+'I am Makóma, which signifies "greater,"' answered he.
+
+'Greater than who?' asked the giant.
+
+'Greater than you!' answered Makóma.
+
+The giant gave a roar and rushed upon him. Makóma said nothing, but
+swinging his great hammer, Nu-éndo, he struck the giant upon the head.
+
+He struck him so hard a blow that the giant shrank into quite a little
+man, who fell upon his knees saying: 'You are indeed greater than I, O
+Makóma; take me with you to be your slave!' So Makóma picked him up
+and dropped him into the sack that he carried upon his back.
+
+He was greater than ever now, for all the giant's strength had gone
+into him; and he resumed his journey, carrying his burden with as
+little difficulty as an eagle might carry a hare.
+
+Before long he came to a country broken up with huge stones and
+immense clods of earth. Looking over one of the heaps he saw a giant
+wrapped in dust dragging out the very earth and hurling it in handfuls
+on either side of him.
+
+ [Illustration: MAKÓMA LEAPS INTO THE POOL OF CROCODILES]
+
+'Who are you,' cried Makóma, 'that pulls up the earth in this way?'
+
+'I am Chi-dúbula-táka,' said he, 'and I am making the river-beds.'
+
+'Do you know who I am?' said Makóma. 'I am he that is called
+"greater"!'
+
+'Greater than who?' thundered the giant.
+
+'Greater than you!' answered Makóma.
+
+With a shout, Chi-dúbula-táka seized a great clod of earth and
+launched it at Makóma. But the hero had his sack held over his left
+arm and the stones and earth fell harmlessly upon it, and, tightly
+gripping his iron hammer, he rushed in and struck the giant to the
+ground. Chi-dúbula-táka grovelled before him, all the while growing
+smaller and smaller; and when he had become a convenient size Makóma
+picked him up and put him into the sack beside Chi-éswa-mapíri.
+
+He went on his way even greater than before, as all the river-maker's
+power had become his; and at last he came to a forest of bao-babs and
+thorn trees. He was astonished at their size, for every one was full
+grown and larger than any trees he had ever seen, and close by he saw
+Chi-gwísa-míti, the giant who was planting the forest.
+
+Chi-gwísa-míti was taller than either of his brothers, but Makóma was
+not afraid and called out to him: 'Who are you, O Big One?'
+
+'I,' said the giant, 'am Chi-gwísa-míti, and I am planting these
+bao-babs and thorns as food for my children the elephants.'
+
+'Leave off!' shouted the hero, 'for I am Makóma, and would like to
+exchange a blow with thee!'
+
+The giant, plucking up a monster bao-bab by the roots, struck heavily
+at Makóma; but the hero sprang aside, and as the weapon sank deep into
+the soft earth, whirled Nu-éndo the hammer round his head and felled
+the giant with one blow.
+
+So terrible was the stroke that Chi-gwísa-míti shrivelled up as the
+other giants had done; and when he had got back his breath he begged
+Makóma to take him as his servant. 'For,' said he, 'it is honourable
+to serve a man so great as thou.'
+
+Makóma, after placing him in his sack, proceeded upon his journey, and
+travelling for many days he at last reached a country so barren and
+rocky that not a single living thing grew upon it--everywhere reigned
+grim desolation. And in the midst of this dead region he found a man
+eating fire.
+
+'What are you doing?' demanded Makóma.
+
+'I am eating fire,' answered the man, laughing; 'and my name is
+Chi-ídea-móto, for I am the flame-spirit, and can waste and destroy
+what I like.'
+
+'You are wrong,' said Makóma; 'for I am Makóma, who is "greater" than
+you--and you cannot destroy me!'
+
+The fire-eater laughed again, and blew a flame at Makóma. But the hero
+sprang behind a rock--just in time, for the ground upon which he had
+been standing was turned to molten glass, like an overbaked pot, by
+the heat of the flame-spirit's breath.
+
+Then the hero flung his iron hammer at Chi-ídea-móto, and, striking
+him, it knocked him helpless; so Makóma placed him in the sack,
+Woro-nówu, with the other great men that he had overcome.
+
+And now, truly, Makóma was a very great hero; for he had the strength
+to make hills, the industry to lead rivers over dry wastes, foresight
+and wisdom in planting trees, and the power of producing fire when he
+wished.
+
+Wandering on he arrived one day at a great plain, well watered and
+full of game; and in the very middle of it, close to a large river,
+was a grassy spot, very pleasant to make a home upon.
+
+Makóma was so delighted with the little meadow that he sat down under
+a large tree, and removing the sack from his shoulder, took out all
+the giants and set them before him. 'My friends,' said he, 'I have
+travelled far and am weary. Is not this such a place as would suit a
+hero for his home? Let us then go, to-morrow, to bring in timber to
+make a kraal.'
+
+ [Illustration: MAKÓMA THROWS HIS HAMMER AT THE FIRE-EATER]
+
+So the next day Makóma and the giants set out to get poles to build
+the kraal, leaving only Chi-éswa-mapíri to look after the place and
+cook some venison which they had killed. In the evening, when they
+returned, they found the giant helpless and tied to a tree by one
+enormous hair!
+
+'How is it,' said Makóma, astonished, 'that we find you thus bound and
+helpless?'
+
+'O Chief,' answered Chi-éswa-mapíri, 'at midday a man came out of the
+river; he was of immense stature, and his grey moustaches were of such
+length that I could not see where they ended! He demanded of me "Who
+is thy master?" And I answered: "Makóma, the greatest of heroes." Then
+the man seized me, and pulling a hair from his moustache, tied me to
+this tree--even as you see me.'
+
+Makóma was very wroth, but he said nothing, and drawing his
+finger-nail across the hair (which was as thick and strong as palm
+rope) cut it, and set free the mountain-maker.
+
+The three following days exactly the same thing happened, only each
+time with a different one of the party; and on the fourth day Makóma
+stayed in camp when the others went to cut poles, saying that he would
+see for himself what sort of man this was that lived in the river and
+whose moustaches were so long that they extended beyond men's sight.
+
+So when the giants had gone he swept and tidied the camp and put some
+venison on the fire to roast. At midday, when the sun was right
+overhead, he heard a rumbling noise from the river, and looking up he
+saw the head and shoulders of an enormous man emerging from it. And
+behold! right down the river-bed and up the river-bed, till they faded
+into the blue distance, stretched the giant's grey moustaches!
+
+'Who are you?' bellowed the giant, as soon as he was out of the water.
+
+'I am he that is called Makóma,' answered the hero; 'and, before I
+slay thee, tell me also what is thy name and what thou doest in the
+river?'
+
+'My name is Chin-débou Máu-giri,' said the giant. 'My home is in the
+river, for my moustache is the grey fever-mist that hangs above the
+water, and with which I bind all those that come unto me so that they
+die.'
+
+'You cannot bind me!' shouted Makóma, rushing upon him and striking
+with his hammer. But the river giant was so slimy that the blow slid
+harmlessly off his green chest, and as Makóma stumbled and tried to
+regain his balance, the giant swung one of his long hairs around him
+and tripped him up.
+
+ [Illustration: MAKÓMA GETS ENTANGLED BY A HAIR OF CHIN-DÉBOU
+ MÁU-GIRI]
+
+For a moment Makóma was helpless, but remembering the power of the
+flame-spirit which had entered into him, he breathed a fiery breath
+upon the giant's hair and cut himself free.
+
+As Chin-débou Máu-giri leaned forward to seize him the hero flung his
+sack Woro-nówu over the giant's slippery head, and gripping his iron
+hammer, struck him again; this time the blow alighted upon the dry
+sack and Chin-débou Máu-giri fell dead.
+
+When the four giants returned at sunset with the poles they rejoiced
+to find that Makóma had overcome the fever-spirit, and they feasted on
+the roast venison till far into the night; but in the morning, when
+they awoke, Makóma was already warming his hands at the fire, and his
+face was gloomy.
+
+'In the darkness of the night, O my friends,' he said presently, 'the
+white spirits of my fathers came unto me and spoke, saying: "Get thee
+hence, Makóma, for thou shalt have no rest until thou hast found and
+fought with Sákatirína, who has five heads, and is very great and
+strong; so take leave of thy friends, for thou must go alone."'
+
+Then the giants were very sad, and bewailed the loss of their hero;
+but Makóma comforted them, and gave back to each the gifts he had
+taken from them. Then bidding them 'Farewell,' he went on his way.
+
+Makóma travelled far towards the west; over rough mountains and
+water-logged morasses, fording deep rivers, and tramping for days
+across dry deserts where most men would have died, until at length he
+arrived at a hut standing near some large peaks, and inside the hut
+were two beautiful women.
+
+'Greeting!' said the hero. 'Is this the country of Sákatirína of five
+heads, whom I am seeking?'
+
+'We greet you, O Great One!' answered the women. 'We are the wives of
+Sákatirína; your search is at an end, for there stands he whom you
+seek!' And they pointed to what Makóma had thought were two tall
+mountain peaks. 'Those are his legs,' they said; 'his body you cannot
+see, for it is hidden in the clouds.'
+
+Makóma was astonished when he beheld how tall was the giant; but,
+nothing daunted, he went forward until he reached one of Sákatirína's
+legs, which he struck heavily with Nu-éndo. Nothing happened, so he
+hit again and then again until, presently, he heard a tired, far-away
+voice saying: 'Who is it that scratches my feet?'
+
+And Makóma shouted as loud as he could, answering: 'It is I, Makóma,
+who is called "Greater"!' And he listened, but there was no answer.
+
+Then Makóma collected all the dead brushwood and trees that he could
+find, and making an enormous pile round the giant's legs, set a light
+to it.
+
+This time the giant spoke; his voice was very terrible, for it was the
+rumble of thunder in the clouds. 'Who is it,' he said, 'making that
+fire smoulder around my feet?'
+
+'It is I, Makóma!' shouted the hero. 'And I have come from far away to
+see thee, O Sákatirína, for the spirits of my fathers bade me go seek
+and fight with thee, lest I should grow fat, and weary of myself.'
+
+There was silence for a while, and then the giant spoke softly: 'It is
+good, O Makóma!' he said. 'For I too have grown weary. There is no man
+so great as I, therefore I am all alone. Guard thyself!' And bending
+suddenly he seized the hero in his hands and dashed him upon the
+ground. And lo! instead of death, Makóma had found life, for he sprang
+to his feet mightier in strength and stature than before, and rushing
+in he gripped the giant by the waist and wrestled with him.
+
+ [Illustration: MAKÓMA IN THE HANDS OF SÁKATIRÍNA]
+
+Hour by hour they fought, and mountains rolled beneath their feet like
+pebbles in a flood; now Makóma would break away, and summoning up his
+strength, strike the giant with Nu-éndo his iron hammer, and
+Sákatirína would pluck up the mountains and hurl them upon the hero,
+but neither one could slay the other. At last, upon the second day,
+they grappled so strongly that they could not break away; but their
+strength was failing, and, just as the sun was sinking, they fell
+together to the ground, insensible.
+
+In the morning when they awoke, Mulímo the Great Spirit was standing
+by them; and he said: 'O Makóma and Sákatirína! Ye are heroes so great
+that no man may come against you. Therefore ye will leave the world
+and take up your home with me in the clouds.' And as he spake the
+heroes became invisible to the people of the Earth, and were no more
+seen among them.
+
+(_Native Rhodesian Tale._)
+
+
+
+
+_THE MAGIC MIRROR_
+
+_From the Senna_
+
+
+A long, long while ago, before ever the White Men were seen in Senna,
+there lived a man called Gopáni-Kúfa.
+
+One day, as he was out hunting, he came upon a strange sight. An
+enormous python had caught an antelope and coiled itself around it;
+the antelope, striking out in despair with its horns, had pinned the
+python's neck to a tree, and so deeply had its horns sunk in the soft
+wood that neither creature could get away.
+
+'Help!' cried the antelope, 'for I was doing no harm, yet I have been
+caught, and would have been eaten, had I not defended myself.'
+
+'Help me,' said the python, 'for I am Insáto, King of all the
+Reptiles, and will reward you well!'
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa considered for a moment, then stabbing the antelope with
+his assegai, he set the python free.
+
+'I thank you,' said the python; 'come back here with the new moon,
+when I shall have eaten the antelope, and I will reward you as I
+promised.'
+
+'Yes,' said the dying antelope, 'he will reward you, and lo! your
+reward shall be your own undoing!'
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa went back to his kraal, and with the new moon he returned
+again to the spot where he had saved the python.
+
+Insáto was lying upon the ground, still sleepy from the effects of his
+huge meal, and when he saw the man he thanked him again, and said:
+'Come with me now to Píta, which is my own country, and I will give
+you what you will of all my possessions.'
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa at first was afraid, thinking of what the antelope had
+said, but finally he consented and followed Insáto into the forest.
+
+For several days they travelled, and at last they came to a hole
+leading deep into the earth. It was not very wide, but large enough to
+admit a man. 'Hold on to my tail,' said Insáto, 'and I will go down
+first, drawing you after me.' The man did so, and Insáto entered.
+
+ [Illustration: GOPÁNI-KÚFA SEES A STRANGE SIGHT]
+
+Down, down, down they went for days, all the while getting deeper and
+deeper into the earth, until at last the darkness ended and they
+dropped into a beautiful country; around them grew short green grass,
+on which browsed herds of cattle and sheep and goats. In the distance
+Gopáni-Kúfa saw a great collection of houses all square, built of
+stone and very tall, and their roofs were shining with gold and
+burnished iron.
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa turned to Insáto, but found, in the place of the python, a
+man, strong and handsome, with the great snake's skin wrapped round
+him for covering; and on his arms and neck were rings of pure gold.
+
+The man smiled. 'I am Insáto,' said he; 'but in my own country I take
+man's shape--even as you see me--for this is Píta, the land over which
+I am king.' He then took Gopáni-Kúfa by the hand and led him towards
+the town.
+
+On the way they passed rivers in which men and women were bathing and
+fishing and boating; and farther on they came to gardens covered with
+heavy crops of rice and maize, and many other grains which Gopáni-Kúfa
+did not even know the name of. And as they passed, the people who were
+singing at their work in the fields, abandoned their labours and
+saluted Insáto with delight, bringing also palm wine and green
+cocoa-nuts for refreshment, as to one returned from a long journey.
+
+'These are my children!' said Insáto, waving his hand towards the
+people. Gopáni-Kúfa was much astonished at all that he saw, but he
+said nothing. Presently they came to the town; everything here, too,
+was beautiful, and everything that a man might desire he could obtain.
+Even the grains of dust in the streets were of gold and silver.
+
+Insáto conducted Gopáni-Kúfa to the palace, and showing him his rooms,
+and the maidens who would wait upon him, told him that they would have
+a great feast that night, and on the morrow he might name his choice
+of the riches of Píta and it should be given him. Then he went away.
+
+Now Gopáni-Kúfa had a wasp called Zéngi-mízi. Zéngi-mízi was not an
+ordinary wasp, for the spirit of the father of Gopáni-Kúfa had entered
+it, so that it was exceedingly wise. In times of doubt Gopáni-Kúfa
+always consulted the wasp as to what had better be done, so on this
+occasion he took it out of the little rush basket in which he carried
+it, saying: 'Zéngi-mízi, what gift shall I ask of Insáto to-morrow
+when he would know the reward he shall bestow on me for saving his
+life?'
+
+'Biz-z-z,' hummed Zéngi-mízi, 'ask him for Sipáo the Mirror.' And it
+flew back into its basket.
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa was astonished at this answer; but knowing that the words
+of Zéngi-mízi were true words, he determined to make the request. So
+that night they feasted, and on the morrow Insáto came to Gopáni-Kúfa
+and, giving him greeting joyfully, he said:
+
+'Now, O my friend, name your choice amongst my possessions and you
+shall have it!'
+
+'O king!' answered Gopáni-Kúfa, 'out of all your possessions I will
+have the Mirror, Sipáo.'
+
+The king started. 'O friend, Gopáni-Kúfa,' he said, 'ask anything but
+that! I did not think that you would request that which is most
+precious to me.'
+
+'Let me think over it again then, O king,' said Gopáni-Kúfa, 'and
+to-morrow I will let you know if I change my mind.'
+
+But the king was still much troubled, fearing the loss of Sipáo, for
+the Mirror had magic powers, so that he who owned it had but to ask
+and his wish would be fulfilled; to it Insáto owed all that he
+possessed.
+
+As soon as the king left him, Gopáni-Kúfa again took Zéngi-mízi out of
+his basket. 'Zéngi-mízi,' he said, 'the king seems loth to grant my
+request for the Mirror--is there not some other thing of equal value
+for which I might ask?'
+
+And the wasp answered: 'There is nothing in the world, O Gopáni-Kúfa,
+which is of such value as this Mirror, for it is a Wishing Mirror, and
+accomplishes the desires of him who owns it. If the king hesitates, go
+to him the next day, and the day after, and in the end he will bestow
+the Mirror upon you, for you saved his life.'
+
+And it was even so. For three days Gopáni-Kúfa returned the same
+answer to the king, and, at last, with tears in his eyes, Insáto gave
+him the Mirror, which was of polished iron, saying: 'Take Sipáo,
+then, O Gopáni-Kúfa, and may thy wishes come true. Go back now to
+thine own country; Sipáo will show you the way.'
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa was greatly rejoiced, and, taking farewell of the king,
+said to the Mirror:
+
+'Sipáo, Sipáo, I wish to be back upon the Earth again!'
+
+Instantly he found himself standing upon the upper earth; but, not
+knowing the spot, he said again to the Mirror:
+
+'Sipáo, Sipáo, I want the path to my own kraal!'
+
+And behold! right before him lay the path!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+When he arrived home he found his wife and daughter mourning for him,
+for they thought that he had been eaten by lions; but he comforted
+them, saying that while following a wounded antelope he had missed his
+way and had wandered for a long time before he had found the path
+again.
+
+That night he asked Zéngi-mízi, in whom sat the spirit of his father,
+what he had better ask Sipáo for next?
+
+'Biz-z-z,' said the wasp, 'would you not like to be as great a chief
+as Insáto?'
+
+And Gopáni-Kúfa smiled, and took the Mirror and said to it:
+
+'Sipáo, Sipáo, I want a town as great as that of Insáto, the King of
+Píta; and I wish to be chief over it!'
+
+Then all along the banks of the Zambesi river, which flowed near by,
+sprang up streets of stone buildings, and their roofs shone with gold
+and burnished iron like those in Píta; and in the streets men and
+women were walking, and young boys were driving out the sheep and
+cattle to pasture; and from the river came shouts and laughter from
+the young men and maidens who had launched their canoes and were
+fishing. And when the people of the new town beheld Gopáni-Kúfa they
+rejoiced greatly and hailed him as chief.
+
+ [Illustration: SHASÁSA HIDES THE MIRROR]
+
+Gopáni-Kúfa was now as powerful as Insáto the King of the Reptiles had
+been, and he and his family moved into the palace that stood high
+above the other buildings right in the middle of the town. His wife
+was too astonished at all these wonders to ask any questions, but his
+daughter Shasása kept begging him to tell her how he had suddenly
+become so great; so at last he revealed the whole secret, and even
+entrusted Sipáo the Mirror to her care, saying:
+
+'It will be safer with you, my daughter, for you dwell apart; whereas
+men come to consult me on affairs of state, and the Mirror might be
+stolen.'
+
+Then Shasása took the Magic Mirror and hid it beneath her pillow, and
+after that for many years Gopáni-Kúfa ruled his people both well and
+wisely, so that all men loved him, and never once did he need to ask
+Sipáo to grant him a wish.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Now it happened that, after many years, when the hair of Gopáni-Kúfa
+was turning grey with age, there came white men to that country. Up
+the Zambesi they came, and they fought long and fiercely with
+Gopáni-Kúfa; but, because of the power of the Magic Mirror, he beat
+them, and they fled to the sea-coast. Chief among them was one Rei, a
+man of much cunning, who sought to discover whence sprang
+Gopáni-Kúfa's power. So one day he called to him a trusty servant
+named Butou, and said: 'Go you to the town and find out for me what is
+the secret of its greatness.'
+
+And Butou, dressing himself in rags, set out, and when he came to
+Gopáni-Kúfa's town he asked for the chief; and the people took him
+into the presence of Gopáni-Kúfa. When the white man saw him he
+humbled himself, and said: 'O Chief! take pity on me, for I have no
+home! When Rei marched against you I alone stood apart, for I knew
+that all the strength of the Zambesi lay in your hands, and because I
+would not fight against you he turned me forth into the forest to
+starve!'
+
+And Gopáni-Kúfa believed the white man's story, and he took him in and
+feasted him, and gave him a house.
+
+In this way the end came. For the heart of Shasása, the daughter of
+Gopáni-Kúfa, went forth to Butou the traitor, and from her he learnt
+the secret of the Magic Mirror. One night, when all the town slept, he
+felt beneath her pillow and, finding the Mirror, he stole it and fled
+back with it to Rei, the chief of the white men.
+
+So it befell that one day, as Gopáni-Kúfa was gazing at the river from
+a window of the palace, he again saw the war-canoes of the white men;
+and at the sight his spirit misgave him.
+
+'Shasása! my daughter!' he cried wildly, 'go fetch me the Mirror, for
+the white men are at hand.'
+
+'Woe is me, my father!' she sobbed. 'The Mirror is gone! For I loved
+Butou the traitor, and he has stolen Sipáo from me!'
+
+Then Gopáni-Kúfa calmed himself, and drew out Zéngi-mízi from its rush
+basket.
+
+'O spirit of my father!' he said, 'what now shall I do?'
+
+'O Gopáni-Kúfa!' hummed the wasp, 'there is nothing now that can be
+done, for the words of the antelope which you slew are being
+fulfilled.'
+
+'Alas! I am an old man--I had forgotten!' cried the chief. 'The words
+of the antelope were true words--my reward shall be my own
+undoing--they are being fulfilled!'
+
+Then the white men fell upon the people of Gopáni-Kúfa and slew them
+together with the chief and his daughter Shasása; and since then all
+the power of the Earth has rested in the hands of the white men, for
+they have in their possession Sipáo, the Magic Mirror.
+
+
+
+
+_STORY OF THE KING WHO WOULD SEE PARADISE_
+
+
+Once upon a time there was a king who, one day out hunting, came upon
+a fakeer in a lonely place in the mountains. The fakeer was seated on
+a little old bedstead reading the Koran, with his patched cloak thrown
+over his shoulders.
+
+The king asked him what he was reading; and he said he was reading
+about Paradise, and praying that he might be worthy to enter there.
+Then they began to talk, and, by-and-bye, the king asked the fakeer if
+he could show him a glimpse of Paradise, for he found it very
+difficult to believe in what he could not see. The fakeer replied that
+he was asking a very difficult, and perhaps a very dangerous, thing;
+but that he would pray for him, and perhaps he might be able to do it;
+only he warned the king both against the dangers of his unbelief, and
+against the curiosity which prompted him to ask this thing. However,
+the king was not to be turned from his purpose, and he promised the
+fakeer always to provide him with food, if he, in return, would pray
+for him. To this the fakeer agreed, and so they parted.
+
+Time went on, and the king always sent the old fakeer his food
+according to his promise; but, whenever he sent to ask him when he was
+going to show him Paradise, the fakeer always replied: 'Not yet, not
+yet!'
+
+ [Illustration: NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WAS THERE SHOWN TO THE KING]
+
+After a year or two had passed by, the king heard one day that the
+fakeer was very ill--indeed, he was believed to be dying. Instantly he
+hurried off himself, and found that it was really true, and that the
+fakeer was even then breathing his last. There and then the king
+besought him to remember his promise, and to show him a glimpse of
+Paradise. The dying fakeer replied that if the king would come to his
+funeral, and, when the grave was filled in, and everyone else was gone
+away, he would come and lay his hand upon the grave, he would keep his
+word, and show him a glimpse of Paradise. At the same time he implored
+the king not to do this thing, but to be content to see Paradise when
+God called him there. Still the king's curiosity was so aroused that
+he would not give way.
+
+Accordingly, after the fakeer was dead, and had been buried, he stayed
+behind when all the rest went away; and then, when he was quite alone,
+he stepped forward, and laid his hand upon the grave! Instantly the
+ground opened, and the astonished king, peeping in, saw a flight of
+rough steps, and, at the bottom of them, the fakeer sitting, just as
+he used to sit, on his rickety bedstead, reading the Koran!
+
+At first the king was so surprised and frightened that he could only
+stare; but the fakeer beckoned to him to come down, so, mustering up
+his courage, he boldly stepped down into the grave.
+
+The fakeer rose, and, making a sign to the king to follow, walked a
+few paces along a dark passage. Then he stopped, turned solemnly to
+his companion, and, with a movement of his hand, drew aside as it were
+a heavy curtain, and revealed--what? No one knows what was there shown
+to the king, nor did he ever tell anyone; but, when the fakeer at
+length dropped the curtain, and the king turned to leave the place, he
+had had his glimpse of Paradise! Trembling in every limb, he staggered
+back along the passage, and stumbled up the steps out of the tomb into
+the fresh air again.
+
+The dawn was breaking. It seemed odd to the king that he had been so
+long in the grave. It appeared but a few minutes ago that he had
+descended, passed along a few steps to the place where he had peeped
+beyond the veil, and returned again after perhaps five minutes of that
+wonderful view! And what _was_ it he had seen? He racked his brains
+to remember, but he could not call to mind a single thing! How curious
+everything looked too! Why, his own city, which by now he was
+entering, seemed changed and strange to him! The sun was already up
+when he turned into the palace gate and entered the public durbar
+hall. It was full; and there upon the throne sat another king! The
+poor king, all bewildered, sat down and stared about him. Presently a
+chamberlain came across and asked him why he sat unbidden in the
+king's presence. 'But _I_ am the king!' he cried.
+
+'What king?' said the chamberlain.
+
+'The true king of this country,' said he indignantly.
+
+Then the chamberlain went away, and spoke to the king who sat on the
+throne, and the old king heard words like 'mad,' 'age,' 'compassion.'
+Then the king on the throne called him to come forward, and, as he
+went, he caught sight of himself reflected in the polished steel
+shields of the bodyguard, and started back in horror! He was old,
+decrepit, dirty, and ragged! His long white beard and locks were
+unkempt, and straggled all over his chest and shoulders. Only one sign
+of royalty remained to him, and that was the signet ring upon his
+right hand. He dragged it off with shaking fingers and held it up to
+the king.
+
+'Tell me who I am,' he cried; 'there is my signet, who once sat where
+you sit--even yesterday!'
+
+The king looked at him compassionately, and examined the signet with
+curiosity. Then he commanded, and they brought out dusty records and
+archives of the kingdom, and old coins of previous reigns, and
+compared them faithfully. At last the king turned to the old man, and
+said: 'Old man, such a king as this whose signet thou hast, reigned
+seven hundred years ago; but he is said to have disappeared, none know
+whither; where got you the ring?'
+
+Then the old man smote his breast, and cried out with a loud
+lamentation; for he understood that he, who was not content to wait
+patiently to see the Paradise of the faithful, had been judged
+already. And he turned and left the hall without a word, and went into
+the jungle, where he lived for twenty-five years a life of prayer and
+meditation, until at last the Angel of Death came to him, and
+mercifully released him, purged and purified through his punishment.
+
+(_A Pathan story told to Major Campbell._)
+
+ [Illustration: THE OLD KING SEES HIMSELF REFLECTED IN THE SHIELDS
+ OF THE BODYGUARD]
+
+
+
+
+_HOW ISURO THE RABBIT TRICKED GUDU_
+
+
+Far away in a hot country, where the forests are very thick and dark,
+and the rivers very swift and strong, there once lived a strange pair
+of friends. Now one of the friends was a big white rabbit named Isuro,
+and the other was a tall baboon called Gudu, and so fond were they of
+each other that they were seldom seen apart.
+
+One day, when the sun was hotter even than usual, the rabbit awoke
+from his midday sleep, and saw Gudu the baboon standing beside him.
+
+'Get up,' said Gudu; 'I am going courting, and you must come with me.
+So put some food in a bag, and sling it round your neck, for we may
+not be able to find anything to eat for a long while.'
+
+Then the rabbit rubbed his eyes, and gathered a store of fresh green
+things from under the bushes, and told Gudu that he was ready for the
+journey.
+
+They went on quite happily for some distance, and at last they came to
+a river with rocks scattered here and there across the stream.
+
+'We can never jump those wide spaces if we are burdened with food,'
+said Gudu, 'we must throw it into the river, unless we wish to fall in
+ourselves.' And stooping down, unseen by Isuro, who was in front of
+him, Gudu picked up a big stone, and threw it into the water with a
+loud splash.
+
+'It is your turn now,' he cried to Isuro. And with a heavy sigh, the
+rabbit unfastened his bag of food, which fell into the river.
+
+The road on the other side led down an avenue of trees, and before
+they had gone very far Gudu opened the bag that lay hidden in the
+thick hair about his neck, and began to eat some delicious-looking
+fruit.
+
+'Where did you get that from?' asked Isuro enviously.
+
+ [Illustration: GUDU DROPS A STONE INTO THE WATER]
+
+'Oh, I found after all that I could get across the rocks quite easily,
+so it seemed a pity not to keep my bag,' answered Gudu.
+
+'Well, as you tricked me into throwing away mine, you ought to let me
+share with you,' said Isuro. But Gudu pretended not to hear him, and
+strode along the path.
+
+By-and-bye they entered a wood, and right in front of them was a tree
+so laden with fruit that its branches swept the ground. And some of
+the fruit was still green, and some yellow. The rabbit hopped forward
+with joy, for he was very hungry; but Gudu said to him: 'Pluck the
+green fruit, you will find it much the best. I will leave it all for
+you, as you have had no dinner, and take the yellow for myself.' So
+the rabbit took one of the green oranges and began to bite it, but its
+skin was so hard that he could hardly get his teeth through the rind.
+
+ [Illustration: {'WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM?' ASKED ISURO}]
+
+'It does not taste at all nice,' he cried, screwing up his face; 'I
+would rather have one of the yellow ones.'
+
+'No! no! I really could not allow that,' answered Gudu. 'They would
+only make you ill. Be content with the green fruit.' And as they were
+all he could get, Isuro was forced to put up with them.
+
+After this had happened two or three times, Isuro at last had his eyes
+opened, and made up his mind that, whatever Gudu told him, he would do
+exactly the opposite. However, by this time they had reached the
+village where dwelt Gudu's future wife, and as they entered Gudu
+pointed to a clump of bushes, and said to Isuro: 'Whenever I am
+eating, and you hear me call out that my food has burnt me, run as
+fast as you can and gather some of those leaves that they may heal my
+mouth.'
+
+The rabbit would have liked to ask him why he ate food that he knew
+would burn him, only he was afraid, and just nodded in reply; but when
+they had gone on a little further, he said to Gudu:
+
+'I have dropped my needle; wait here a moment while I go and fetch
+it.'
+
+'Be quick then,' answered Gudu, climbing into a tree. And the rabbit
+hastened back to the bushes, and gathered a quantity of the leaves,
+which he hid among his fur, 'for,' thought he, 'if I get them now I
+shall save myself the trouble of a walk by-and-bye.'
+
+When he had plucked as many as he wanted he returned to Gudu, and they
+went on together.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The sun was almost setting by the time they reached their journey's
+end, and being very tired they gladly sat down by a well. Then Gudu's
+betrothed, who had been watching for him, brought out a pitcher of
+water--which she poured over them to wash off the dust of the
+road--and two portions of food. But once again the rabbit's hopes were
+dashed to the ground, for Gudu said hastily:
+
+'The custom of the village forbids you to eat till I have finished.'
+And Isuro did not know that Gudu was lying, and that he only wanted
+more food. So he sat hungrily looking on, waiting till his friend had
+had enough.
+
+In a little while Gudu screamed loudly: 'I am burnt! I am burnt!'
+though he was not burnt at all. Now, though Isuro had the leaves about
+him, he did not dare to produce them at the last moment lest the
+baboon should guess why he had stayed behind. So he just went round a
+corner for a short time, and then came hopping back in a great hurry.
+But, quick though he was, Gudu had been quicker still, and nothing
+remained but some drops of water.
+
+'How unlucky you are,' said Gudu, snatching the leaves; 'no sooner had
+you gone than ever so many people arrived, and washed their hands, as
+you see, and ate your portion.' But, though Isuro knew better than to
+believe him, he said nothing, and went to bed hungrier than he had
+ever been in his life.
+
+Early next morning they started for another village, and passed on the
+way a large garden where people were very busy gathering monkey-nuts.
+
+'You can have a good breakfast at last,' said Gudu, pointing to a heap
+of empty shells; never doubting but that Isuro would meekly take the
+portion shown him, and leave the real nuts for himself. But what was
+his surprise when Isuro answered:
+
+'Thank you; I think I should prefer these.' And, turning to the
+kernels, never stopped as long as there was one left. And the worst of
+it was that, with so many people about, Gudu could not take the nuts
+from him.
+
+It was night when they reached the village where dwelt the mother of
+Gudu's betrothed, who laid meat and millet porridge before them.
+
+'I think you told me you were fond of porridge,' said Gudu; but Isuro
+answered: 'You are mistaking me for somebody else, as I always eat
+meat when I can get it.' And again Gudu was forced to be content with
+the porridge, which he hated.
+
+While he was eating it, however, a sudden thought darted into his
+mind, and he managed to knock over a great pot of water which was
+hanging in front of the fire, and put it quite out.
+
+'_Now_,' said the cunning creature to himself, 'I shall be able in the
+dark to steal his meat!' But the rabbit had grown as cunning as he,
+and standing in a corner hid the meat behind him, so that the baboon
+could not find it.
+
+'O Gudu!' he cried, laughing aloud, 'it is you who have taught me how
+to be clever.' And calling to the people of the house, he bade them
+kindle the fire, for Gudu would sleep by it, but that he would pass
+the night with some friends in another hut.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+It was still quite dark when Isuro heard his name called very softly,
+and, on opening his eyes, beheld Gudu standing by him. Laying his
+finger on his nose, in token of silence, he signed to Isuro to get up
+and follow him, and it was not until they were some distance from the
+hut that Gudu spoke.
+
+'I am hungry and want something to eat better than that nasty porridge
+that I had for supper. So I am going to kill one of those goats, and
+as you are a good cook you must boil the flesh for me.' The rabbit
+nodded, and Gudu disappeared behind a rock, but soon returned dragging
+the dead goat with him. The two then set about skinning it, after
+which they stuffed the skin with dried leaves, so that no one would
+have guessed it was not alive, and set it up in the middle of a clump
+of bushes, which kept it firm on its feet. While he was doing this,
+Isuro collected sticks for a fire, and when it was kindled, Gudu
+hastened to another hut to steal a pot which he filled with water from
+the river, and, planting two branches in the ground, they hung the pot
+with the meat in it over the fire.
+
+'It will not be fit to eat for two hours at least,' said Gudu, 'so we
+can both have a nap.' And he stretched himself out on the ground, and
+pretended to fall fast asleep, but, in reality, he was only waiting
+till it was safe to take all the meat for himself. 'Surely I hear him
+snore,' he thought; and he stole to the place where Isuro was lying on
+a pile of wood, but the rabbit's eyes were wide open.
+
+'How tiresome,' muttered Gudu, as he went back to his place; and
+after waiting a little longer he got up, and peeped again, but still
+the rabbit's pink eyes stared widely. If Gudu had only known, Isuro
+was asleep all the time; but this he never guessed, and by-and-bye he
+grew so tired with watching that he went to sleep himself. Soon after,
+Isuro woke up, and he too felt hungry, so he crept softly to the pot
+and ate all the meat, while he tied the bones together and hung them
+in Gudu's fur. After that he went back to the wood-pile and slept
+again.
+
+ [Illustration: HOW GUDU DANCED & THE BONES RATTLED]
+
+In the morning the mother of Gudu's betrothed came out to milk her
+goats, and on going to the bushes where the largest one seemed
+entangled, she found out the trick. She made such lament that the
+people of the village came running, and Gudu and Isuro jumped up also,
+and pretended to be as surprised and interested as the rest. But they
+must have looked guilty after all, for suddenly an old man pointed to
+them, and cried:
+
+'Those are the thieves.' And at the sound of his voice the big Gudu
+trembled all over.
+
+'How dare you say such things? I defy you to prove it,' answered Isuro
+boldly. And he danced forward, and turned head over heels, and shook
+himself before them all.
+
+'I spoke hastily; you are innocent,' said the old man; 'but now let
+the baboon do likewise.' And when Gudu began to jump the goat's bones
+rattled, and the people cried: 'It is Gudu who is the goat-slayer!'
+But Gudu answered:
+
+'Nay, I did not kill your goat; it was Isuro, and he ate the meat, and
+hung the bones round my neck. So it is he who should die!' And the
+people looked at each other, for they knew not what to believe. At
+length one man said:
+
+'Let them both die, but they may choose their own deaths.'
+
+Then Isuro answered:
+
+'If we must die, put us in the place where the wood is cut, and heap
+it up all round us, so that we cannot escape, and set fire to the
+wood; and if one is burned and the other is not, then he that is
+burned is the goat-slayer.'
+
+And the people did as Isuro had said. But Isuro knew of a hole under
+the wood-pile, and when the fire was kindled he ran into the hole, but
+Gudu died there.
+
+When the fire had burned itself out, and only ashes were left where
+the wood had been, Isuro came out of his hole, and said to the people:
+
+'Lo! did I not speak well? He who killed your goat is among those
+ashes.'
+
+(_Mashona Story._)
+
+
+
+
+_IAN, THE SOLDIER'S SON_
+
+
+There dwelt a knight in Grianaig of the land of the West, who had
+three daughters, and for goodness and beauty they had not their like
+in all the isles. All the people loved them, and loud was the weeping
+when one day, as the three maidens sat on the rocks on the edge of the
+sea, dipping their feet in the water, there arose a great beast from
+under the waves and swept them away beneath the ocean. And none knew
+whither they had gone, or how to seek them.
+
+Now there lived in a town a few miles off a soldier who had three
+sons, fine youths and strong, and the best players at shinny in that
+country. At Christmastide that year, when families met together and
+great feasts were held, Ian, the youngest of the three brothers, said:
+
+'Let us have a match at shinny on the lawn of the knight of Grianaig,
+for his lawn is wider and the grass smoother than ours.'
+
+But the others answered:
+
+'Nay, for he is in sorrow, and he will think of the games that we have
+played there when his daughters looked on.'
+
+'Let him be pleased or angry as he will,' said Ian; 'we will drive our
+ball on his lawn to-day.'
+
+And so it was done, and Ian won three games from his brothers. But the
+knight looked out of his window, and was wroth; and bade his men bring
+the youths before him. When he stood in his hall and beheld them, his
+heart was softened somewhat; but his face was angry as he asked:
+
+'Why did you choose to play shinny in front of my castle when you
+knew full well that the remembrance of my daughters would come back to
+me? The pain which you have made me suffer you shall suffer also.'
+
+'Since we have done you wrong,' answered Ian, the youngest, 'build us
+a ship, and we will go and seek your daughters. Let them be to
+windward, or to leeward, or under the four brown boundaries of the
+sea, we will find them before a year and a day goes by, and will carry
+them back to Grianaig.'
+
+In seven days the ship was built, and great store of food and wine
+placed in her. And the three brothers put her head to the sea and
+sailed away, and in seven days the ship ran herself on to a beach of
+white sand, and they all went ashore. They had none of them ever seen
+that land before, and looked about them. Then they saw that, a short
+way from them, a number of men were working on a rock, with one man
+standing over them.
+
+'What place is this?' asked the eldest brother. And the man who was
+standing by made answer:
+
+'This is the place where dwell the three daughters of the knight of
+Grianaig, who are to be wedded to-morrow to three giants.'
+
+'How can we find them?' asked the young man again. And the overlooker
+answered:
+
+'To reach the daughters of the knight of Grianaig you must get into
+this basket, and be drawn by a rope up the face of this rock.'
+
+'Oh, that is easily done,' said the eldest brother, jumping into the
+basket, which at once began to move--up, and up, and up--till he had
+gone about half-way, when a fat black raven flew at him and pecked him
+till he was nearly blind, so that he was forced to go back the way he
+had come.
+
+After that the second brother got into the creel; but he fared no
+better, for the raven flew upon him, and he returned as his brother
+had done.
+
+ [Illustration: THE THREE MAIDENS SITTING ON THE ROCKS]
+
+ [Illustration: THE KNIGHT AND THE RAVEN]
+
+'Now it is my turn,' said Ian. But when he was half-way up the raven
+set upon him also.
+
+'Quick! quick!' cried Ian to the men who held the rope. 'Quick! quick!
+or I shall be blinded!' And the men pulled with all their might, and
+in another moment Ian was on top, and the raven behind him.
+
+'Will you give me a piece of tobacco?' asked the raven, who was now
+quite quiet.
+
+'You rascal! Am I to give you tobacco for trying to peck my eyes out?'
+answered Ian.
+
+'That was part of my duty,' replied the raven; 'but give it to me, and
+I will prove a good friend to you.' So Ian broke off a piece of
+tobacco and gave it to him. The raven hid it under his wing, and then
+went on: 'Now I will take you to the house of the big giant, where the
+knight's daughter sits sewing, sewing, till even her thimble is wet
+with tears.' And the raven hopped before him till they reached a large
+house, the door of which stood open. They entered and passed through
+one hall after the other, until they found the knight's daughter, as
+the bird had said.
+
+'What brought you here?' asked she. And Ian made answer:
+
+'Why may I not go where you can go?'
+
+'I was brought hither by a giant,' replied she.
+
+'I know that,' said Ian; 'but tell me where the giant is, that I may
+find him.'
+
+'He is on the hunting hill,' answered she; 'and nought will bring him
+home save a shake of the iron chain which hangs outside the gate. But,
+there, neither to leeward, nor to windward, nor in the four brown
+boundaries of the sea is there any man that can hold battle against
+him, save only Ian, the soldier's son, and he is now but sixteen years
+old, and how shall he stand against the giant?'
+
+'In the land whence I have come there are many men with the strength
+of Ian,' answered he. And he went outside and pulled at the chain,
+but he could not move it, and fell on to his knees. At that he rose
+swiftly, and gathering up his strength, he seized the chain, and this
+time he shook it so that the link broke. And the giant heard it on the
+hunting hill, and lifted his head, thinking--
+
+'It sounds like the noise of Ian, the soldier's son,' said he; 'but as
+yet he is only sixteen years old. Still, I had better look to it.' And
+home he came.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Are you Ian, the soldier's son?' he asked, as he entered the castle.
+
+'No, of a surety,' answered the youth, who had no wish that they
+should know him.
+
+'Then who are you in the leeward, or in the windward, or in the four
+brown boundaries of the sea, who are able to move my battle-chain?'
+
+'That will be plain to you after wrestling with me as I wrestle with
+my mother. And one time she got the better of me, and two times she
+did not.'
+
+So they wrestled, and twisted and strove with each other till the
+giant forced Ian to his knee.
+
+'You are the stronger,' said Ian; and the giant answered:
+
+'All men know that!' And they took hold of each other once more, and
+at last Ian threw the giant, and wished that the raven were there to
+help him. No sooner had he wished his wish than the raven came.
+
+'Put your hand under my right wing and you will find a knife sharp
+enough to take off his head,' said the raven. And the knife was so
+sharp that it cut off the giant's head with a blow.
+
+'Now go and tell the daughter of the knight of Grianaig; but take heed
+lest you listen to her words, and promise to go no further, for she
+will seek to keep you. Instead, seek the middle daughter, and when you
+have found her, you shall give me a piece of tobacco for reward.'
+
+'Well have you earned the half of all I have,' answered Ian. But the
+raven shook his head.
+
+ [Illustration: IAN FINDS THE YOUNGEST SISTER]
+
+'You know only what has passed, and nothing of what lies before. If
+you would not fail, wash yourself in clean water, and take balsam
+from a vessel on top of the door, and rub it over your body, and
+to-morrow you will be as strong as many men, and I will lead you to
+the dwelling of the middle one.'
+
+Ian did as the raven bade him, and in spite of the eldest daughter's
+entreaties, he set out to seek her next sister. He found her where she
+was seated sewing, her very thimble wet from the tears which she had
+shed.
+
+'What brought you here?' asked the second sister.
+
+'Why may I not go where you can go?' answered he; 'and why are you
+weeping?'
+
+'Because in one day I shall be married to the giant who is on the
+hunting hill.'
+
+'How can I get him home?' asked Ian.
+
+'Nought will bring him but a shake of that iron chain which hangs
+outside the gate. But there is neither to leeward, nor to westward,
+nor in the four brown boundaries of the sea, any man that can hold
+battle with him, save Ian, the soldier's son, and he is now but
+sixteen years of age.'
+
+'In the land whence I have come there are many men with the strength
+of Ian,' said he. And he went outside and pulled at the chain, but he
+could not move it, and fell on his knees. At that he rose to his feet,
+and gathering up his strength mightily, he seized the chain, and this
+time he shook it so that three links broke. And the second giant heard
+it on the hunting hill, and lifted his head, thinking--
+
+'It sounds like the noise of Ian, the soldier's son,' said he; 'but as
+yet he is only sixteen years old. Still, I had better look to it.' And
+home he came.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Are you Ian, the soldier's son?' he asked, as he entered the castle.
+
+'No, of a surety,' answered Ian, who had no wish that this giant
+should know him either; 'but I will wrestle with you as if I were he.'
+
+ [Illustration: IAN BREAKS THE GIANT'S CHAIN]
+
+Then they seized each other by the shoulder, and the giant threw him
+on his two knees. 'You are the stronger,' cried Ian; 'but I am not
+beaten yet.' And rising to his feet, he threw his arms round the
+giant.
+
+Backwards and forwards they swayed, and first one was uppermost and
+then the other; but at length Ian worked his leg round the giant's and
+threw him to the ground. Then he called to the raven, and the raven
+came flapping towards him, and said: 'Put your hand under my right
+wing, and you will find there a knife sharp enough to take off his
+head.' And sharp indeed it was, for with a single blow, the giant's
+head rolled from his body.
+
+'Now wash yourself with warm water, and rub yourself over with oil of
+balsam, and to-morrow you will be as strong as many men. But beware of
+the words of the knight's daughter, for she is cunning, and will try
+to keep you at her side. So farewell; but first give me a piece of
+tobacco.'
+
+'That I will gladly,' answered Ian, breaking off a large bit.
+
+He washed and rubbed himself that night, as the raven had told him,
+and the next morning he entered the chamber where the knight's
+daughter was sitting.
+
+'Abide here with me,' she said, 'and be my husband. There is silver
+and gold in plenty in the castle.' But he took no heed, and went on
+his way till he reached the castle where the knight's youngest
+daughter was sewing in the hall. And tears dropped from her eyes on to
+her thimble.
+
+'What brought you here?' asked she. And Ian made answer:
+
+'Why may I not go where you can go?'
+
+'I was brought hither by a giant.'
+
+'I know that full well,' said he.
+
+'Are you Ian, the soldier's son?' asked she again. And again he
+answered:
+
+'Yes, I am; but tell me, why you are weeping?'
+
+'To-morrow the giant will return from the hunting hill, and I must
+marry him,' she sobbed. And Ian took no heed, and only said: 'How can
+I bring him home?'
+
+'Shake the iron chain that hangs outside the gate.'
+
+And Ian went out, and gave such a pull to the chain that he fell down
+at full length from the force of the shake. But in a moment he was on
+his feet again, and seized the chain with so much strength that four
+links came off in his hand. And the giant heard him in the hunting
+hill, as he was putting the game he had killed into a bag.
+
+'In the leeward, or the windward, or in the four brown boundaries of
+the sea, there is none who could give my chain a shake save only Ian,
+the soldier's son. And if he has reached me, then he has left my two
+brothers dead behind him.' With that he strode back to the castle, the
+earth trembling under him as he went.
+
+'Are you Ian, the soldier's son?' asked he. And the youth answered:
+
+'No, of a surety.'
+
+'Then who are you in the leeward, or the windward, or in the four
+brown boundaries of the sea, who are able to shake my battle chain?
+There is only Ian, the soldier's son, who can do this, and he is but
+now sixteen years old.'
+
+'I will show you who I am when you have wrestled with me,' said Ian.
+And they threw their arms round each other, and the giant forced Ian
+on to his knees; but in a moment he was up again, and crooking his leg
+round the shoulders of the giant, he threw him heavily to the ground.
+'Stumpy black raven, come quick!' cried he; and the raven came, and
+beat the giant about the head with his wings, so that he could not get
+up. Then he bade Ian take out a sharp knife from under his feathers,
+which he carried with him for cutting berries, and Ian smote off the
+giant's head with it. And so sharp was that knife that, with one blow,
+the giant's head rolled on the ground.
+
+'Rest now this night also,' said the raven, 'and to-morrow you shall
+take the knight's three daughters to the edge of the rock that leads
+to the lower world. But take heed to go down first yourself, and let
+them follow after you. And before I go you shall give me a piece of
+tobacco.'
+
+'Take it all,' answered Ian, 'for well have you earned it.'
+
+'No; give me but a piece. You know what is behind you, but you have no
+knowledge of what is before you.' And picking up the tobacco in his
+beak, the raven flew away.
+
+So the next morning the knight's youngest daughter loaded asses with
+all the silver and gold to be found in the castle, and she set out
+with Ian the soldier's son for the house where her second sister was
+waiting to see what would befall. She also had asses laden with
+precious things to carry away, and so had the eldest sister, when they
+reached the castle where she had been kept a prisoner. Together they
+all rode to the edge of the rock, and then Ian lay down and shouted,
+and the basket was drawn up, and in it they got one by one, and were
+let down to the bottom. When the last one was gone, Ian should have
+gone also, and left the three sisters to come after him; but he had
+forgotten the raven's warning, and bade them go first, lest some
+accident should happen. Only, he begged the youngest sister to let him
+keep the little gold cap which, like the others, she wore on her head;
+and then he helped them, each in her turn, into the basket.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Long he waited, but wait as he might, the basket never came back, for
+in their joy at being free the knight's daughters had forgotten all
+about Ian, and had set sail in the ship that had brought him and his
+brothers to the land of Grianaig.
+
+At last he began to understand what had happened to him, and while he
+was taking counsel with himself what had best be done, the raven came
+to him.
+
+'You did not heed my words,' he said gravely.
+
+'No, I did not, and therefore am I here,' answered Ian, bowing his
+head.
+
+'The past cannot be undone,' went on the raven. 'He that will not take
+counsel will take combat. This night, you will sleep in the giant's
+castle. And now you shall give me a piece of tobacco.'
+
+'I will. But, I pray you, stay in the castle with me.'
+
+'That I may not do, but on the morrow I will come.'
+
+And on the morrow he did, and he bade Ian go to the giant's stable
+where stood a horse to whom it mattered nothing if she journeyed over
+land or sea.
+
+'But be careful,' he added, 'how you enter the stable, for the door
+swings without ceasing to and fro, and if it touches you, it will
+cause you to cry out. I will go first and show you the way.'
+
+'Go,' said Ian. And the raven gave a bob and a hop, and thought he was
+quite safe, but the door slammed on a feather of his tail, and he
+screamed loudly.
+
+Then Ian took a run backwards, and a run forwards, and made a spring;
+but the door caught one of his feet, and he fell fainting on the
+stable floor. Quickly the raven pounced on him, and picked him up in
+his beak and claws, and carried him back to the castle, where he laid
+ointments on his foot till it was as well as ever it was.
+
+'Now come out to walk,' said the raven, 'but take heed that you wonder
+not at aught you may behold; neither shall you touch anything. And,
+first, give me a piece of tobacco.'
+
+Many strange things did Ian behold in that island, more than he had
+thought for. In a glen lay three heroes stretched on their backs, done
+to death by three spears that still stuck in their breasts. But he
+kept his counsel and spake nothing, only he pulled out the spears,
+and the men sat up and said:
+
+'You are Ian the soldier's son, and a spell is laid upon you to travel
+in our company, to the cave of the black fisherman.'
+
+So together they went till they reached the cave, and one of the men
+entered, to see what should be found there. And he beheld a hag,
+horrible to look upon, seated on a rock, and before he could speak,
+she struck him with her club, and changed him into a stone; and in
+like manner she dealt with the other three. At the last Ian entered.
+
+'These men are under spells,' said the witch, 'and alive they can
+never be till you have anointed them with the water which you must
+fetch from the island of Big Women. See that you do not tarry.' And
+Ian turned away with a sinking heart, for he would fain have followed
+the youngest daughter of the knight of Grianaig.
+
+'You did not obey my counsel,' said the raven, hopping towards him,
+'and so trouble has come upon you. But sleep now, and to-morrow you
+shall mount the horse which is in the giant's stable, that can gallop
+over sea and land. When you reach the island of Big Women, sixteen
+boys will come to meet you, and will offer the horse food, and wish to
+take her saddle and bridle from her. But see that they touch her not,
+and give her food yourself, and yourself lead her into the stable, and
+shut the door. And be sure that for every turn of the lock given by
+the sixteen stable lads you give one. And now you shall break me off a
+piece of tobacco.'
+
+The next morning Ian arose, and led the horse from the stable, without
+the door hurting him, and he rode her across the sea to the island of
+Big Women, where the sixteen stable lads met him, and each one offered
+to take his horse, and to feed her, and to put her into the stable.
+But Ian only answered:
+
+'I myself will put her in and will see to her.' And thus he did. And
+while he was rubbing her sides the horse said to him:
+
+'Every kind of drink will they offer you, but see you take none, save
+whey and water only.' And so it fell out; and when the sixteen
+stable-boys saw that he would drink nothing, they drank it all
+themselves, and one by one lay stretched around the board.
+
+Then Ian felt pleased in his heart that he had withstood their fair
+words, and he forgot the counsel that the horse had likewise given him
+saying:
+
+'Beware lest you fall asleep, and let slip the chance of getting home
+again'; for while the lads were sleeping sweet music reached his ears,
+and he slept also.
+
+When this came to pass the steed broke through the stable door, and
+kicked him and woke him roughly.
+
+'You did not heed my counsel,' said she; 'and who knows if it is not
+too late to win over the sea? But first take that sword which hangs on
+the wall, and cut off the heads of the sixteen grooms.'
+
+Filled with shame at being once more proved heedless, Ian arose and
+did as the horse bade him. Then he ran to the well and poured some of
+the water into a leather bottle, and jumping on the horse's back rode
+over the sea to the island where the raven was waiting for him.
+
+'Lead the horse into the stable,' said the raven, 'and lie down
+yourself to sleep, for to-morrow you must make the heroes to live
+again, and must slay the hag. And have a care not to be so foolish
+to-morrow as you were to-day.'
+
+'Stay with me for company,' begged Ian; but the raven shook his head,
+and flew away.
+
+In the morning Ian awoke, and hastened to the cave where the old hag
+was sitting, and he struck her dead as she was, before she could cast
+spells on him. Next he sprinkled the water over the heroes, who came
+to life again, and together they all journeyed to the other side of
+the island, and there the raven met them.
+
+'At last you have followed the counsel that was given you,' said the
+raven; 'and now, having learned wisdom, you may go home again to
+Grianaig. There you will find that the knight's two eldest daughters
+are to be wedded this day to your two brothers, and the youngest to
+the chief of the men at the rock. But her gold cap you shall give to
+me, and, if you want it, you have only to think of me and I will bring
+it to you. And one more warning I give you. If anyone asks you whence
+you came, answer that you have come from behind you; and if anyone
+asks you whither you are going, say that you are going before you.'
+
+So Ian mounted the horse and set her face to the sea and her back to
+the shore, and she was off, away and away till she reached the church
+of Grianaig, and there, in a field of grass, beside a well of water,
+he leaped down from his saddle.
+
+'Now,' the horse said to him, 'draw your sword and cut off my head.'
+But Ian answered:
+
+'Poor thanks would that be for all the help I have had from you.'
+
+'It is the only way that I can free myself from the spells that were
+laid by the giants on me and the raven; for I was a girl and he was a
+youth wooing me! So have no fears, but do as I have said.'
+
+Then Ian drew his sword as she bade him, and cut off her head, and
+went on his way without looking backwards. As he walked he saw a woman
+standing at her house door. She asked him whence he had come, and he
+answered as the raven had told him, that he came from behind. Next she
+inquired whither he was going, and this time he made reply that he was
+going on before him, but that he was thirsty and would like a drink.
+
+'You are an impudent fellow,' said the woman; 'but you shall have a
+drink.' And she gave him some milk, which was all she had till her
+husband came home.
+
+'Where is your husband?' asked Ian, and the woman answered him:
+
+'He is at the knight's castle trying to fashion gold and silver into a
+cap for the youngest daughter, like unto the caps that her sisters
+wear, such as are not to be found in all this land. But, see, he is
+returning; and now we shall hear how he has sped.'
+
+At that the man entered the gate, and beholding a strange youth, he
+said to him: 'What is your trade, boy?'
+
+'I am a smith,' replied Ian. And the man answered:
+
+'Good luck has befallen me, then, for you can help me to make a cap
+for the knight's daughter.'
+
+'You cannot make that cap, and you know it,' said Ian.
+
+'Well, I must try,' replied the man, 'or I shall be hanged on a tree;
+so it were a good deed to help me.'
+
+'I will help you if I can,' said Ian; 'but keep the gold and silver
+for yourself, and lock me into the smithy to-night, and I will work my
+spells.' So the man, wondering to himself, locked him in.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+As soon as the key was turned in the lock Ian wished for the raven,
+and the raven came to him, carrying the cap in his mouth.
+
+'Now take my head off,' said the raven. But Ian answered:
+
+'Poor thanks were that for all the help you have given me.'
+
+'It is the only thanks you can give me,' said the raven, 'for I was a
+youth like yourself before spells were laid on me.'
+
+Then Ian drew his sword and cut off the head of the raven, and shut
+his eyes so that he might see nothing. After that he lay down and
+slept till morning dawned, and the man came and unlocked the door and
+shook the sleeper.
+
+'Here is the cap,' said Ian drowsily, drawing it from under his
+pillow. And he fell asleep again directly.
+
+The sun was high in the heavens when he woke again, and this time he
+beheld a tall, brown-haired youth standing by him.
+
+'I am the raven,' said the youth, 'and the spells are broken. But now
+get up and come with me.'
+
+Then they two went together to the place where Ian had left the dead
+horse; but no horse was there now, only a beautiful maiden.
+
+'I am the horse,' she said, 'and the spells are broken'; and she and
+the youth went away together.
+
+In the meantime the smith had carried the cap to the castle, and bade
+a servant belonging to the knight's youngest daughter bear it to her
+mistress. But when the girl's eyes fell on it, she cried out:
+
+'He speaks false; and if he does not bring me the man who really made
+the cap I will hang him on the tree beside my window.'
+
+The servant was filled with fear at her words, and hastened and told
+the smith, who ran as fast as he could to seek for Ian. And when he
+found him and brought him into the castle, the girl was first struck
+dumb with joy; then she declared that she would marry nobody else. At
+this some one fetched to her the knight of Grianaig, and when Ian had
+told his tale, he vowed that the maiden was right, and that his elder
+daughters should never wed with men who had not only taken glory to
+themselves which did not belong to them, but had left the real doer of
+the deeds to his fate.
+
+And the wedding guests said that the knight had spoken well; and the
+two elder brothers were fain to leave the country, for no one would
+hold converse with them.
+
+(From _Tales of the West Highlands_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE FOX AND THE WOLF_
+
+
+At the foot of some high mountains there was, once upon a time, a
+small village, and a little way off two roads met, one of them going
+to the east and the other to the west. The villagers were quiet,
+hard-working folk, who toiled in the fields all day, and in the
+evening set out for home when the bell began to ring in the little
+church. In the summer mornings they led out their flocks to pasture,
+and were happy and contented from sunrise to sunset.
+
+One summer night, when a round full moon shone down upon the white
+road, a great wolf came trotting round the corner.
+
+'I positively _must_ get a good meal before I go back to my den,' he
+said to himself; 'it is nearly a week since I have tasted anything but
+scraps, though perhaps no one would think it to look at my figure! Of
+course there are plenty of rabbits and hares in the mountains; but
+indeed one needs to be a greyhound to catch _them_, and I am not so
+young as I was! If I could only dine off that fox I saw a fortnight
+ago, curled up into a delicious hairy ball, I should ask nothing
+better; I would have eaten her then, but unluckily her husband was
+lying beside her, and one knows that foxes, great and small, run like
+the wind. Really it seems as if there was not a living creature left
+for me to prey upon but a wolf, and, as the proverb says: "One wolf
+does not bite another." However, let us see what this village can
+produce. I am as hungry as a schoolmaster.'
+
+Now, while these thoughts were running through the mind of the wolf,
+the very fox he had been thinking of was galloping along the other
+road.
+
+'The whole of this day I have listened to those village hens clucking
+till I could bear it no longer,' murmured she as she bounded along,
+hardly seeming to touch the ground. 'When you are fond of fowls and
+eggs it is the sweetest of all music. As sure as there is a sun in
+heaven I will have some of them this night, for I have grown so thin
+that my very bones rattle, and my poor babies are crying for food.'
+And as she spoke she reached a little plot of grass, where the two
+roads joined, and flung herself under a tree to take a little rest,
+and to settle her plans. At this moment the wolf came up.
+
+At the sight of the fox lying within his grasp his mouth began to
+water, but his joy was somewhat checked when he noticed how thin she
+was. The fox's quick ears heard the sound of his paws, though they
+were as soft as velvet, and turning her head she said politely:
+
+'Is that you, neighbour? What a strange place to meet in! I hope you
+are quite well?'
+
+'Quite well as regards my health,' answered the wolf, whose eye
+glistened greedily, 'at least, as well as one can be when one is very
+hungry. But what is the matter with _you_? A fortnight ago you were as
+plump as heart could wish!'
+
+'I have been ill--very ill,' replied the fox, 'and what you say is
+quite true. A worm is fat in comparison with me.'
+
+'He is. Still, you are good enough for me; for "to the hungry no bread
+is hard."'
+
+'Oh, you are always joking! I'm sure you are not half as hungry as I!'
+
+'That we shall soon see,' cried the wolf, opening his huge mouth and
+crouching for a spring.
+
+'What are you doing?' exclaimed the fox, stepping backwards.
+
+'What am I doing? What I am _going_ to do is to make my supper off
+you, in less time than a cock takes to crow.'
+
+'Well, I suppose you must have your joke,' answered the fox lightly,
+but never removing her eye from the wolf, who replied with a snarl
+which showed all his teeth:
+
+'I don't want to joke, but to eat!'
+
+'But surely a person of your talents must perceive that you might eat
+me to the very last morsel and never know that you had swallowed
+anything at all!'
+
+'In this world the cleverest people are always the hungriest,' replied
+the wolf.
+
+'Ah! how true that is; but----'
+
+'I can't stop to listen to your "buts" and "yets,"' broke in the wolf
+rudely; 'let us get to the point, and the point is that I want to eat
+you and not talk to you.'
+
+'Have you no pity for a poor mother?' asked the fox, putting her tail
+to her eyes, but peeping slily out of them all the same.
+
+'I am dying of hunger,' answered the wolf, doggedly; 'and you know,'
+he added with a grin, 'that charity begins at home.'
+
+'Quite so,' replied the fox; 'it would be unreasonable of me to object
+to your satisfying your appetite at my expense. But if the fox resigns
+herself to the sacrifice, the mother offers you one last request.'
+
+'Then be quick and don't waste time, for I can't wait much longer.
+What is it you want?'
+
+'You must know,' said the fox, 'that in this village there is a rich
+man who makes in the summer enough cheeses to last him for the whole
+year, and keeps them in an old well, now dry, in his courtyard. By the
+well hang two buckets on a pole that were used, in former days, to
+draw up water. For many nights I have crept down to the place, and
+have lowered myself in the bucket, bringing home with me enough
+cheese to feed the children. All I beg of you is to come with me, and,
+instead of hunting chickens and such things, I will make a good meal
+off cheese before I die.'
+
+'But the cheeses may be all finished by now?'
+
+'If you were only to see the quantities of them!' laughed the fox.
+'And even if they _were_ finished, there would always be _me_ to eat.'
+
+'Well, I will come. Lead the way, but I warn you that if you try to
+escape or play any tricks you are reckoning without your host--that is
+to say, without my legs, which are as long as yours!'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+All was silent in the village, and not a light was to be seen but that
+of the moon, which shone bright and clear in the sky. The wolf and the
+fox crept softly along, when suddenly they stopped and looked at each
+other; a savoury smell of frying bacon reached their noses, and
+reached the noses of the sleeping dogs, who began to bark greedily.
+
+'Is it safe to go on, think you?' asked the wolf in a whisper. And the
+fox shook her head.
+
+'Not while the dogs are barking,' said she; 'someone might come out to
+see if anything was the matter.' And she signed to the wolf to curl
+himself up in the shadow beside her.
+
+In about half an hour the dogs grew tired of barking, or perhaps the
+bacon was eaten up and there was no more smell to excite them. Then
+the wolf and the fox jumped up, and hastened to the foot of the wall.
+
+'I am lighter than he is,' thought the fox to herself, 'and perhaps if
+I make haste I can get a start, and jump over the wall on the other
+side before he manages to spring over this one.' And she quickened her
+pace. But if the wolf could not run he could jump, and with one bound
+he was beside his companion.
+
+'What were you going to do, comrade?'
+
+'Oh, nothing,' replied the fox, much vexed at the failure of her
+plan.
+
+'I think if I were to take a bite out of your haunch you would jump
+better,' said the wolf, giving a snap at her as he spoke. The fox drew
+back uneasily.
+
+'Be careful, or I shall scream,' she snarled. And the wolf,
+understanding all that might happen if the fox carried out her threat,
+gave a signal to his companion to leap on the wall, where he
+immediately followed her.
+
+Once on the top they crouched down and looked about them. Not a
+creature was to be seen in the courtyard, and in the furthest corner
+from the house stood the well, with its two buckets suspended from a
+pole, just as the fox had described it. The two thieves dragged
+themselves noiselessly along the wall till they were opposite the
+well, and by stretching out her neck as far as it would go the fox was
+able to make out that there was only very little water in the bottom,
+but just enough to reflect the moon, big, and round and yellow.
+
+'How lucky!' cried she to the wolf. 'There is a huge cheese about the
+size of a mill wheel. Look! look! did you ever see anything so
+beautiful!'
+
+'Never!' answered the wolf, peering over in his turn, his eyes
+glistening greedily, for he imagined that the moon's reflection in the
+water was really a cheese.
+
+'And now, unbeliever, what have you to say?' And the fox laughed
+gently.
+
+'That you are a woman--I mean a fox--of your word,' replied the wolf.
+
+'Well, then, go down in that bucket and eat your fill,' said the fox.
+
+'Oh, is that your game?' asked the wolf, with a grin. 'No! no! The
+person who goes down in the bucket will be _you_! And if _you_ don't
+go down your head will go without you!'
+
+'Of course I will go down, with the greatest pleasure,' answered the
+fox, who had expected the wolf's reply.
+
+'And be sure you don't eat all the cheese, or it will be the worse for
+you,' continued the wolf. But the fox looked up at him with tears in
+her eyes.
+
+'Farewell, suspicious one!' she said sadly. And climbed into the
+bucket.
+
+In an instant she had reached the bottom of the well, and found that
+the water was not deep enough to cover her legs.
+
+'Why, it is larger and richer than I thought,' cried she, turning
+towards the wolf, who was leaning over the wall of the well.
+
+'Then be quick and bring it up,' commanded the wolf.
+
+'How can I, when it weighs more than I do?' asked the fox.
+
+'If it is so heavy bring it in two bits, of course,' said he.
+
+'But I have no knife,' answered the fox. 'You will have to come down
+yourself, and we will carry it up between us.'
+
+'And how am I to come down?' inquired the wolf.
+
+'Oh, you are really very stupid! Get into the other bucket that is
+nearly over your head.'
+
+The wolf looked up, and saw the bucket hanging there, and with some
+difficulty he climbed into it. As he weighed at least four times as
+much as the fox the bucket went down with a jerk, and the other
+bucket, in which the fox was seated, came to the surface.
+
+As soon as he understood what was happening, the wolf began to speak
+like an angry wolf, but was a little comforted when he remembered that
+the cheese still remained to him.
+
+'But where _is_ the cheese?' he asked of the fox, who in her turn was
+leaning over the parapet watching his proceedings with a smile.
+
+'The cheese?' answered the fox; 'why I am taking it home to my
+babies, who are too young to get food for themselves.'
+
+'Ah, traitor!' cried the wolf, howling with rage. But the fox was not
+there to hear this insult, for she had gone off to a neighbouring
+fowl-house, where she had noticed some fat young chickens the day
+before.
+
+'Perhaps I _did_ treat him rather badly,' she said to herself. 'But it
+seems getting cloudy, and if there should be heavy rain the other
+bucket will fill and sink to the bottom, and his will go up--at least
+it _may_!'
+
+(From _Cuentos Populares_, por Antonio de Trueba.)
+
+
+
+
+_HOW IAN DIREACH GOT THE BLUE FALCON_
+
+
+Long ago a king and queen ruled over the islands of the west, and they
+had one son, whom they loved dearly. The boy grew up to be tall and
+strong and handsome, and he could run and shoot, and swim and dive
+better than any lad of his own age in the country. Besides, he knew
+how to sail about, and sing songs to the harp, and during the winter
+evenings, when everyone was gathered round the huge hall fire shaping
+bows or weaving cloth, Ian Direach would tell them tales of the deeds
+of his fathers.
+
+So the time slipped by till Ian was almost a man, as they reckoned men
+in those days, and then his mother the queen died. There was great
+mourning throughout all the isles, and the boy and his father mourned
+her bitterly also; but before the new year came the king had married
+another wife, and seemed to have forgotten his old one. Only Ian
+remembered.
+
+On a morning when the leaves were yellow in the trees of the glen, Ian
+slung his bow over his shoulder, and filling his quiver with arrows,
+went on the hill in search of game. But not a bird was to be seen
+anywhere, till at length a blue falcon flew past him, and raising his
+bow he took aim at her. His eye was straight and his hand steady, but
+the falcon's flight was swift, and he only shot a feather from her
+wing. As the sun was now low over the sea he put the feather in his
+game bag, and set out homewards.
+
+'Have you brought me much game to-day?' asked his stepmother as he
+entered the hall.
+
+'Nought save this,' he answered, handing her the feather of the blue
+falcon, which she held by the tip and gazed at silently. Then she
+turned to Ian and said:
+
+'I am setting it on you as crosses and as spells, and as the fall of
+the year! That you may always be cold, and wet and dirty, and that
+your shoes may ever have pools in them, till you bring me hither the
+blue falcon on which that feather grew.'
+
+'If it is spells you are laying, I can lay them too,' answered Ian
+Direach; 'and you shall stand with one foot on the great house and
+another on the castle, till I come back again, and your face shall be
+to the wind, from wheresoever it shall blow.' Then he went away to
+seek the bird, as his stepmother bade him; and, looking homewards from
+the hill, he saw the queen standing with one foot on the great house,
+and the other on the castle, and her face turned towards whatever
+tempest should blow.
+
+On he journeyed, over hills, and through rivers till he reached a wide
+plain, and never a glimpse did he catch of the falcon. Darker and
+darker it grew, and the small birds were seeking their nests, and at
+length Ian Direach could see no more, and he lay down under some
+bushes and sleep came to him. And in his dream a soft nose touched
+him, and a warm body curled up beside him, and a low voice whispered
+to him:
+
+'Fortune is against you, Ian Direach; I have but the cheek and the
+hoof of a sheep to give you, and with these you must be content.' With
+that Ian Direach awoke, and beheld Gille Mairtean the fox.
+
+Between them they kindled a fire, and ate their supper. Then Gille
+Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach lie down as before, and sleep till
+morning. And in the morning, when he awoke, Gille Mairtean said:
+
+'The falcon that you seek is in the keeping of the Giant of the Five
+Heads, and the Five Necks, and the Five Humps. I will show you the
+way to his house, and I counsel you to do his bidding, nimbly and
+cheerfully, and, above all, to treat his birds kindly, for in this
+manner he may give you his falcon to feed and care for. And when this
+happens, wait till the giant is out of his house; then throw a cloth
+over the falcon and bear her away with you. Only see that not one of
+her feathers touches anything within the house, or evil will befall
+you.'
+
+'I thank you for your counsel,' spake Ian Direach, 'and I will be
+careful to follow it.' Then he took the path to the giant's house.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Who is there?' cried the giant, as someone knocked loudly on the door
+of his house.
+
+'One who seeks work as a servant,' answered Ian Direach.
+
+'And what can you do?' asked the giant again.
+
+'I can feed birds and tend pigs; I can feed and milk a cow, and also
+goats and sheep, if you have any of these,' replied Ian Direach.
+
+'Then enter, for I have great need of such a one,' said the giant.
+
+So Ian Direach entered, and tended so well and carefully all the birds
+and beasts, that the giant was better satisfied than ever he had been,
+and at length he thought that he might even be trusted to feed the
+falcon. And the heart of Ian was glad, and he tended the blue falcon
+till his feathers shone like the sky, and the giant was well pleased;
+and one day he said to him:
+
+'For long my brothers on the other side of the mountain have besought
+me to visit them, but never could I go for fear of my falcon. Now I
+think I can leave her with you for one day, and before nightfall I
+shall be back again.'
+
+Scarcely was the giant out of sight next morning when Ian Direach
+seized the falcon, and throwing a cloth over her head hastened with
+her to the door. But the rays of the sun pierced through the
+thickness of the cloth, and as they passed the doorpost she gave a
+spring, and the tip of one of her feathers touched the post, which
+gave a scream, and brought the giant back in three strides. Ian
+Direach trembled as he saw him; but the giant only said:
+
+'If you wish for my falcon you must first bring me the White Sword of
+Light that is in the house of the Big Women of Dhiurradh.'
+
+'And where do they live?' asked Ian. But the giant answered:
+
+'Ah, that is for you to discover.' And Ian dared say no more, and
+hastened down to the waste. There, as he hoped, he met his friend
+Gille Mairtean the fox, who bade him eat his supper and lie down to
+sleep. And when he had wakened next morning the fox said to him:
+
+'Let us go down to the shore of the sea.' And to the shore of the sea
+they went. And after they had reached the shore, and beheld the sea
+stretching before them, and the isle of Dhiurradh in the midst of it,
+the soul of Ian sank, and he turned to Gille Mairtean and asked why he
+had brought him thither, for the giant, when he had sent him, had
+known full well that without a boat he could never find the Big Women.
+
+'Do not be cast down,' answered the fox, 'it is quite easy! I will
+change myself into a boat, and you shall go on board me, and I will
+carry you over the sea to the Seven Big Women of Dhiurradh. Tell them
+that you are skilled in brightening silver and gold, and in the end
+they will take you as servant, and if you are careful to please them
+they will give you the White Sword of Light to make bright and
+shining. But when you seek to steal it, take heed that its sheath
+touches nothing inside the house, or ill will befall you.'
+
+So Ian Direach did all things as the fox had told him, and the Seven
+Big Women of Dhiurradh took him for their servant, and for six weeks
+he worked so hard that his seven mistresses said to each other: 'Never
+has a servant had the skill to make all bright and shining like this
+one. Let us give him the White Sword of Light to polish like the
+rest.'
+
+Then they brought forth the White Sword of Light from the iron closet
+where it hung, and bade him rub it till he could see his face in the
+shining blade; and he did so. But one day, when the Seven Big Women
+were out of the way, he bethought him that the moment had come for him
+to carry off the sword, and, replacing it in its sheath, he hoisted it
+on his shoulder. But just as he was passing through the door the tip
+of the sheath touched it, and the door gave a loud shriek. And the Big
+Women heard it, and came running back, and took the sword from him,
+and said:
+
+'If it is our sword you want, you must first bring us the bay colt of
+the King of Erin.'
+
+Humbled and ashamed, Ian Direach left the house, and sat by the side
+of the sea, and soon Gille Mairtean the fox came to him.
+
+'Plainly I see that you have taken no heed to my words, Ian Direach,'
+spoke the fox. 'But eat first, and yet once more will I help you.'
+
+At these words the heart returned again to Ian Direach, and he
+gathered sticks and made a fire and ate with Gille Mairtean the fox,
+and slept on the sand. At dawn next morning Gille Mairtean said to Ian
+Direach:
+
+'I will change myself into a ship, and will bear you across the seas
+to Erin, to the land where dwells the king. And you shall offer
+yourself to serve in his stable, and to tend his horses, till at
+length so well content is he, that he gives you the bay colt to wash
+and brush. But when you run away with her see that nought except the
+soles of her hoofs touch anything within the palace gates, or it will
+go ill with you.'
+
+After he had thus counselled Ian Direach, the fox changed himself
+into a ship, and set sail for Erin. And the king of that country gave
+into Ian Direach's hands the care of his horses, and never before did
+their skins shine so brightly or was their pace so swift. And the king
+was well pleased, and at the end of a month he sent for Ian and said
+to him:
+
+'You have given me faithful service, and now I will entrust you with
+the most precious thing that my kingdom holds.' And when he had
+spoken, he led Ian Direach to the stable where stood the bay colt. And
+Ian rubbed her and fed her, and galloped with her all round the
+country, till he could leave one wind behind him and catch the other
+which was in front.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'I am going away to hunt,' said the king one morning while he was
+watching Ian tend the bay colt in her stable. 'The deer have come down
+from the hill, and it is time for me to give them chase.' Then he went
+away; and when he was no longer in sight, Ian Direach led the bay colt
+out of the stable, and sprang on her back. But as they rode through
+the gate, which stood between the palace and the outer world, the colt
+swished her tail against the post, which shrieked loudly. In a moment
+the king came running up, and he seized the colt's bridle.
+
+'If you want my bay colt, you must first bring me the daughter of the
+king of the Franks.'
+
+With slow steps went Ian Direach down to the shore where Gille
+Mairtean the fox awaited him.
+
+'Plainly I see that you have not done as I bid you, nor will you ever
+do it,' spoke Gille Mairtean the fox; 'but I will help you yet again.
+For a third time I will change myself into a ship, and we will sail to
+France.'
+
+ [Illustration: THE PRINCESS FINDS HERSELF A PRISONER ON THE SHIP]
+
+And to France they sailed, and, as he was the ship, the Gille Mairtean
+sailed where he would, and ran himself into the cleft of a rock, high
+on to the land. Then he commanded Ian Direach to go up to the king's
+palace, saying that he had been wrecked, that his ship was made
+fast in a rock, and that none had been saved but himself only.
+
+Ian Direach listened to the words of the fox, and he told a tale so
+pitiful, that the king and queen, and the princess their daughter, all
+came out to hear it. And when they had heard, nought would please them
+except to go down to the shore and visit the ship, which by now was
+floating, for the tide was up. Torn and battered was she, as if she
+had passed through many dangers, yet music of a wondrous sweetness
+poured forth from within.
+
+'Bring hither a boat,' cried the princess, 'that I may go and see for
+myself the harp that gives forth such music,' And a boat was brought,
+and Ian Direach stepped in to row it to the side of the ship.
+
+To the further side he rowed, so that none could see, and when he
+helped the princess on board he gave a push to the boat, so that she
+could not get back to it again. And the music sounded always sweeter,
+though they could never see whence it came, and sought it from one
+part of the vessel to another. When at last they reached the deck and
+looked around them, nought of land could they see, or anything save
+the rushing waters.
+
+The princess stood silent, and her face grew grim. At last she said:
+
+'An ill trick have you played me! What is this that you have done, and
+whither are we going?'
+
+'It is a queen you will be,' answered Ian Direach, 'for the king of
+Erin has sent me for you, and in return he will give me his bay colt,
+that I may take him to the Seven Big Women of Dhiurradh, in exchange
+for the White Sword of Light. This I must carry to the giant of the
+Five Heads and Five Necks and Five Humps, and in place of it, he will
+bestow on me the blue falcon, which I have promised my stepmother, so
+that she may free me from the spell which she has laid on me.'
+
+ [Illustration: THE SEVEN BIG WOMEN FALL OVER THE CRAG]
+
+'I would rather be wife to you,' answered the princess.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+By-and-by the ship sailed into a harbour on the coast of Erin, and
+cast anchor there. And Gille Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach tell
+the princess that she must bide yet a while in a cave amongst the
+rocks, for they had business on land, and after a while they would
+return to her. Then they took a boat and rowed up to some rocks, and
+as they touched the land Gille Mairtean changed himself into a fair
+woman, who laughed and said to Ian Direach, 'I will give the king a
+fine wife.'
+
+Now the king of Erin had been hunting on the hill, and when he saw a
+strange ship sailing towards the harbour, he guessed that it might be
+Ian Direach, and left his hunting, and ran down the hill to the
+stable. Hastily he led the bay colt from his stall, and put the golden
+saddle on her back, and the silver bridle over his head, and with the
+colt's bridle in his hand, he hurried to meet the princess.
+
+'I have brought you the king of France's daughter,' said Ian Direach.
+And the king of Erin looked at the maiden, and was well pleased, not
+knowing that it was Gille Mairtean the fox. And he bowed low, and
+besought her to do him the honour to enter the palace; and Gille
+Mairtean, as he went in, turned to look back at Ian Direach, and
+laughed.
+
+In the great hall the king paused and pointed to an iron chest which
+stood in a corner.
+
+'In that chest is the crown that has waited for you for many years,'
+he said, 'and at last you have come for it.' And he stooped down to
+unlock the box.
+
+In an instant Gille Mairtean the fox had sprung on his back, and gave
+him such a bite that he fell down unconscious. Quickly the fox took
+his own shape again, and galloped away to the sea shore, where Ian
+Direach and the princess and the bay colt awaited him.
+
+'I will become a ship,' cried Gille Mairtean, 'and you shall go on
+board me.' And so he did, and Ian Direach led the bay colt into the
+ship and the princess went after them, and they set sail for
+Dhiurradh. The wind was behind them, and very soon they saw the rocks
+of Dhiurradh in front. Then spoke Gille Mairtean the fox:
+
+'Let the bay colt and the king's daughter hide in these rocks, and I
+will change myself into the colt, and go with you to the house of the
+Seven Big Women.'
+
+Joy filled the hearts of the Big Women when they beheld the bay colt
+led up to their door by Ian Direach. And the youngest of them fetched
+the White Sword of Light, and gave it into the hands of Ian Direach,
+who took off the golden saddle and the silver bridle, and went down
+the hill with the sword to the place where the princess and the real
+colt awaited him.
+
+'Now we shall have the ride that we have longed for!' cried the Seven
+Big Women; and they saddled and bridled the colt, and the eldest one
+got upon the saddle. Then the second sister sat on the back of the
+first, and the third on the back of the second, and so on for the
+whole seven. And when they were all seated, the eldest struck her side
+with a whip and the colt bounded forward. Over the moors she flew, and
+round and round the mountains, and still the Big Women clung to her
+and snorted with pleasure. At last she leapt high in the air, and came
+down on top of Monadh the high hill, where the crag is. And she rested
+her fore feet on the crag, and threw up her hind legs, and the Seven
+Big Women fell over the crag, and were dead when they reached the
+bottom. And the colt laughed, and became a fox again and galloped away
+to the sea shore, where Ian Direach, and the princess and the real
+colt and the White Sword of Light were waiting him.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'I will make myself into a ship,' said Gille Mairtean the fox, 'and
+will carry you and the princess, and the bay colt and the White Sword
+of Light, back to the land.' And when the shore was reached, Gille
+Mairtean the fox took back his own shape, and spoke to Ian Direach in
+this wise:
+
+'Let the princess and the White Sword of Light, and the bay colt,
+remain among the rocks, and I will change myself into the likeness of
+the White Sword of Light, and you shall bear me to the giant, and,
+instead, he will give you the blue falcon.' And Ian Direach did as the
+fox bade him, and set out for the giant's castle. From afar the giant
+beheld the blaze of the White Sword of Light, and his heart rejoiced;
+and he took the blue falcon and put it in a basket, and gave it to Ian
+Direach, who bore it swiftly away to the place where the princess, and
+the bay colt, and the real Sword of Light were awaiting him.
+
+ [Illustration: HOW IAN DIREACH RETURNED HOME AND HOW HIS STEPMOTHER
+ FELL AS A BUNDLE OF STICKS]
+
+So well content was the giant to possess the sword he had coveted for
+many a year, that he began at once to whirl it through the air, and to
+cut and slash with it. For a little while Gille Mairtean let the giant
+play with him in this manner; then he turned in the giant's hand, and
+cut through the Five Necks, so that the Five Heads rolled on the
+ground. Afterwards he went back to Ian Direach and said to him:
+
+'Saddle the colt with the golden saddle, and bridle her with the
+silver bridle, and sling the basket with the falcon over your
+shoulders, and hold the White Sword of Light with its back against
+your nose. Then mount the colt, and let the princess mount behind you,
+and ride thus to your father's palace. But see that the back of the
+sword is ever against your nose, else when your stepmother beholds
+you, she will change you into a dry faggot. If, however, you do as I
+bid you, she will become herself a bundle of sticks.'
+
+Ian Direach hearkened to the words of Gille Mairtean, and his
+stepmother fell as a bundle of sticks before him; and he set fire to
+her, and was free from her spells for ever. After that he married the
+princess, who was the best wife in all the islands of the West.
+Henceforth he was safe from harm, for had he not the bay colt who
+could leave one wind behind her and catch the other wind, and the blue
+falcon to bring him game to eat, and the White Sword of Light to
+pierce through his foes?
+
+And Ian Direach knew that all this he owed to Gille Mairtean the fox,
+and he made a compact with him that he might choose any beast out of
+his herds, whenever hunger seized him, and that henceforth no arrow
+should be let fly at him or at any of his race. But Gille Mairtean the
+fox would take no reward for the help he had given to Ian Direach,
+only his friendship. Thus all things prospered with Ian Direach till
+he died.
+
+(From _Tales of the West Highlands_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE UGLY DUCKLING_
+
+
+It was summer in the land of Denmark, and though for most of the year
+the country looks flat and ugly, it was beautiful now. The wheat was
+yellow, the oats were green, the hay was dry and delicious to roll in,
+and from the old ruined house which nobody lived in, down to the edge
+of the canal, was a forest of great burdocks, so tall that a whole
+family of children might have dwelt in them and never have been found
+out.
+
+It was under these burdocks that a duck had built herself a warm nest,
+and was now sitting all day on six pretty eggs. Five of them were
+white, but the sixth, which was larger than the others, was of an ugly
+grey colour. The duck was always puzzled about that egg, and how it
+came to be so different from the rest. Other birds might have thought
+that when the duck went down in the morning and evening to the water
+to stretch her legs in a good swim, some lazy mother might have been
+on the watch, and have popped her egg into the nest. But ducks are not
+clever at all, and are not quick at counting, so this duck did not
+worry herself about the matter, but just took care that the big egg
+should be as warm as the rest.
+
+This was the first set of eggs that the duck had ever laid, and, to
+begin with, she was very pleased and proud, and laughed at the other
+mothers, who were always neglecting their duties to gossip with each
+other or to take little extra swims besides the two in the morning and
+evening that were necessary for health. But at length she grew tired
+of sitting there all day. 'Surely eggs take longer hatching than they
+did,' she said to herself; and she pined for a little amusement also.
+Still, she knew that if she left her eggs and the ducklings in them to
+die none of her friends would ever speak to her again; so there she
+stayed, only getting off the eggs several times a day to see if the
+shells were cracking--which may have been the very reason why they did
+not crack sooner.
+
+She had looked at the eggs at least a hundred and fifty times, when,
+to her joy, she saw a tiny crack on two of them, and scrambling back
+to the nest she drew the eggs closer the one to the other, and never
+moved for the whole of that day. Next morning she was rewarded by
+noticing cracks in the whole five eggs, and by midday two little
+yellow heads were poking out from the shells. This encouraged her so
+much that, after breaking the shells with her bill, so that the little
+creatures could get free of them, she sat steadily for a whole night
+upon the nest, and before the sun arose the five white eggs were
+empty, and ten pairs of eyes were gazing out upon the green world.
+
+Now the duck had been carefully brought up, and did not like dirt,
+and, besides, broken egg shells are not at all comfortable things to
+sit or walk upon; so she pushed the rest out over the side, and felt
+delighted to have some company to talk to till the big egg hatched.
+But day after day went on, and the big egg showed no signs of
+cracking, and the duck grew more and more impatient, and began to wish
+to consult her husband, who never came.
+
+'I can't think what is the matter with it,' the duck grumbled to her
+neighbour who had called in to pay her a visit. 'Why I could have
+hatched two broods in the time that this one has taken!'
+
+'Let me look at it,' said the old neighbour. 'Ah, I thought so; it is
+a turkey's egg. Once, when I was young, they tricked me to sitting on
+a brood of turkey's eggs myself, and when they were hatched the
+creatures were so stupid that nothing would make them learn to swim. I
+have no patience when I think of it.'
+
+'Well, I will give it another chance,' sighed the duck, 'and if it
+does not come out of its shell in another twenty-four hours, I will
+just leave it alone and teach the rest of them to swim properly and to
+find their own food. I really can't be expected to do two things at
+once.' And with a fluff of her feathers she pushed the egg into the
+middle of the nest.
+
+All through the next day she sat on, giving up even her morning bath
+for fear that a blast of cold might strike the big egg. In the
+evening, when she ventured to peep, she thought she saw a tiny crack
+in the upper part of the shell. Filled with hope, she went back to her
+duties, though she could hardly sleep all night for excitement. When
+she woke with the first streaks of light she felt something stirring
+under her. Yes, there it was at last; and as she moved, a big awkward
+bird tumbled head foremost on the ground.
+
+There was no denying it was ugly, even the mother was forced to admit
+that to herself, though she only said it was 'large' and 'strong.'
+'You won't need any teaching when you are once in the water,' she told
+him, with a glance of surprise at the dull brown which covered his
+back, and at his long naked neck. And indeed he did not, though he was
+not half so pretty to look at as the little yellow balls that followed
+her.
+
+When they returned they found the old neighbour on the bank waiting
+for them to take them into the duckyard. 'No, it is not a young
+turkey, certainly,' whispered she in confidence to the mother, 'for
+though it is lean and skinny, and has no colour to speak of, yet there
+is something rather distinguished about it, and it holds its head up
+well.'
+
+'It is very kind of you to say so,' answered the mother, who by this
+time had some secret doubts of its loveliness. 'Of course, when you
+see it by itself it is all right, though it is different, somehow,
+from the others. But one cannot expect _all_ one's children to be
+beautiful!'
+
+By this time they had reached the centre of the yard, where a very old
+duck was sitting, who was treated with great respect by all the fowls
+present.
+
+'You must go up and bow low before her,' whispered the mother to her
+children, nodding her head in the direction of the old lady, 'and keep
+your legs well apart, as you see me do. No well-bred duckling turns in
+its toes. It is a sign of common parents.'
+
+The little ducks tried hard to make their small fat bodies copy the
+movements of their mother, and the old lady was quite pleased with
+them; but the rest of the ducks looked on discontentedly, and said to
+each other:
+
+'Oh, dear me, here are ever so many more! The yard is full already;
+and did you _ever_ see anything quite as ugly as that great tall
+creature? He is a disgrace to any brood. I shall go and chase him
+out!' So saying she put up her feathers, and running to the big
+duckling bit his neck.
+
+The duckling gave a loud quack; it was the first time he had felt any
+pain, and at the sound his mother turned quickly.
+
+'Leave him alone,' she said fiercely, 'or I will send for his father.
+He was not troubling _you_.'
+
+'No; but he is so ugly and awkward no one can put up with him,'
+answered the stranger. And though the duckling did not understand the
+meaning of the words, he felt he was being blamed, and became more
+uncomfortable still when the old Spanish duck who ruled the fowl-yard
+struck in:
+
+'It certainly _is_ a great pity he is so different from these
+beautiful darlings. If he could only be hatched over again!'
+
+The poor little fellow drooped his head, and did not know where to
+look, but was comforted when his mother answered:
+
+'He may not be quite as handsome as the others, but he swims better,
+and is very strong; I am sure he will make his way in the world as
+well as anybody.'
+
+'Well, you must feel quite at home here,' said the old duck waddling
+off. And so they did, all except the duckling, who was snapped at by
+everyone when they thought his mother was not looking. Even the
+turkeycock, who was so big, never passed him without mocking words,
+and his brothers and sisters, who would not have noticed any
+difference unless it had been put into their heads, soon became as
+rude and unkind as the rest.
+
+At last he could bear it no longer, and one day he fancied he saw
+signs of his mother turning against him too; so that night, when the
+ducks and hens were still asleep, he stole away through an open door,
+and under cover of the burdock leaves scrambled on by the bank of the
+canal, till he reached a wide grassy moor, full of soft marshy places
+where the reeds grew. Here he lay down, but he was too tired and too
+frightened to fall asleep, and with the earliest peep of the sun the
+reeds began to rustle, and he saw that he had blundered into a colony
+of wild ducks. But as he could not run away again he stood up and
+bowed politely.
+
+'You _are_ ugly,' said the wild ducks, when they had looked him well
+over; 'but, however, it is no business of ours, unless you wish to
+marry one of our daughters, and that we should not allow.' And the
+duckling answered that he had no idea of marrying anybody, and wanted
+nothing but to be left alone after his long journey.
+
+So for two whole days he lay quietly among the reeds, eating such food
+as he could find, and drinking the water of the moorland pool, till he
+felt himself quite strong again. He wished he might stay where he was
+for ever, he was so comfortable and happy, away from everyone, with
+nobody to bite him and tell him how ugly he was.
+
+He was thinking these thoughts, when two young ganders caught sight of
+him as they were having their evening splash among the reeds, looking
+for their supper.
+
+'We are getting tired of this moor,' they said, 'and to-morrow we
+think of trying another, where the lakes are larger and the feeding
+better. Will you come with us?'
+
+'Is it nicer than this?' asked the duckling doubtfully. And the words
+were hardly out of his mouth, when 'Pif! paf!' and the two new-comers
+were stretched dead beside him.
+
+At the sound of the gun the wild ducks in the rushes flew into the
+air, and for a few minutes the firing continued.
+
+Luckily for himself the duckling could not fly, and he floundered
+along through the water till he could hide himself amidst some tall
+ferns which grew in a hollow. But before he got there he met a huge
+creature on four legs, which he afterwards knew to be a dog, who stood
+and gazed at him with a long red tongue hanging out of his mouth. The
+duckling grew cold with terror, and tried to hide his head beneath his
+little wings; but the dog snuffed at him and passed on, and he was
+able to reach his place of shelter.
+
+'I am too ugly even for a dog to eat,' said he to himself. 'Well, that
+is a great mercy.' And he curled himself up in the soft grass till the
+shots died away in the distance.
+
+When all had been quiet for a long time, and there were only the stars
+to see him, he crept out and looked about him.
+
+He would never go near a pool again, _never_, thought he; and seeing
+that the moor stretched far away in the opposite direction from which
+he had come, he marched bravely on till he got to a small cottage,
+which seemed too tumbledown for the stones to hold together many hours
+longer. Even the door only hung upon one hinge, and as the only light
+in the room sprang from a tiny fire, the duckling edged himself
+cautiously in, and lay down, under a chair close to the broken door,
+from which he could get out if necessary. But no one seemed to see him
+or smell him; so he spent the rest of the night in peace.
+
+Now in the cottage dwelt an old woman, her cat, and a hen; and it was
+really they, and not _she_, who were masters of the house. The old
+woman, who passed all her days in spinning yarn, which she sold at the
+nearest town, loved both the cat and the hen as her own children, and
+never contradicted them in any way; so it was their grace, and not
+hers, that the duckling would have to gain.
+
+It was only next morning, when it grew light, that they noticed their
+visitor, who stood trembling before them, with his eye on the door
+ready to escape at any moment. They did not, however, appear very
+fierce, and the duckling became less afraid as they approached him.
+
+'Can you lay eggs?' asked the hen. And the duckling answered meekly:
+
+'No; I don't know how.' Upon which the hen turned her back, and the
+cat came forward.
+
+'Can you ruffle your fur when you are angry, or purr when you are
+pleased?' said she. And again the duckling had to admit that he could
+do nothing but swim, which did not seem of much use to anybody.
+
+So the cat and the hen went straight off to the old woman, who was
+still in bed.
+
+'Such a useless creature has taken refuge here,' they said. 'It calls
+itself a duckling; but it can neither lay eggs nor purr! What had we
+better do with it?'
+
+'Keep it, to be sure!' replied the old woman briskly. 'It is all
+nonsense about it not laying eggs. Anyway, we will let it stay here
+for a bit, and see what happens.'
+
+So the duckling remained for three weeks, and shared the food of the
+cat and the hen; but nothing in the way of eggs happened at all. Then
+the sun came out, and the air grew soft, and the duckling grew tired
+of being in a hut, and wanted with all his might to have a swim. And
+one morning he got so restless that even his friends noticed it.
+
+'What is the matter?' asked the hen; and the duckling told her.
+
+'I am so longing for the water again. You can't think how delicious it
+is to put your head under the water and dive straight to the bottom.'
+
+'I don't think _I_ should enjoy it,' replied the hen doubtfully. 'And
+I don't think the cat would like it either.' And the cat, when asked,
+agreed there was nothing she would hate so much.
+
+'I can't stay here any longer, I _must_ get to the water,' repeated
+the duck. And the cat and the hen, who felt hurt and offended,
+answered shortly:
+
+'Very well then, go.'
+
+The duckling would have liked to say good-bye, and thank them for
+their kindness, as he was polite by nature; but they had both turned
+their backs on him, so he went out of the rickety door feeling rather
+sad. But, in spite of himself, he could not help a thrill of joy when
+he was out in the air and water once more, and cared little for the
+rude glances of the creatures he met. For a while he was quite happy
+and content; but soon the winter came on, and snow began to fall, and
+everything to grow very wet and uncomfortable. And the duckling soon
+found that it is one thing to enjoy being in the water, and quite
+another to like being damp on land.
+
+The sun was setting one day, like a great scarlet globe, and the
+river, to the duckling's vast bewilderment, was getting hard and
+slippery, when he heard a sound of whirring wings, and high up in the
+air a flock of swans were flying. They were as white as the snow which
+had fallen during the night, and their long necks with yellow bills
+were stretched southwards, for they were going--they did not quite
+know whither--but to a land where the sun shone all day. Oh, if he
+only could have gone with them! But that was not possible, of course;
+and besides, what sort of companion could an ugly thing like him be to
+those beautiful beings? So he walked sadly down to a sheltered pool
+and dived to the very bottom, and tried to think it was the greatest
+happiness he could dream of. But, all the same, he knew it wasn't!
+
+And every morning it grew colder and colder, and the duckling had hard
+work to keep himself warm. Indeed, it would be truer to say that he
+never was warm at all; and at last, after one bitter night, his legs
+moved so slowly that the ice crept closer and closer, and when the
+morning light broke he was caught fast, as in a trap; and soon his
+senses went from him.
+
+A few hours more and the poor duckling's life had been ended. But, by
+good fortune, a man was crossing the river on his way to his work, and
+saw in a moment what had happened. He had on thick wooden shoes, and
+he went and stamped so hard on the ice that it broke, and then he
+picked up the duckling and tucked him under his sheep-skin coat, where
+his frozen bones began to thaw a little.
+
+Instead of going on to his work, the man turned back and took the bird
+to his children, who gave him a warm mess to eat and put him in a box
+by the fire, and when they came back from school he was much more
+comfortable than he had been since he had left the old woman's
+cottage. They were kind little children, and wanted to play with him;
+but, alas! the poor fellow had never played in his life, and thought
+they wanted to tease him, and flew straight into the milk-pan, and
+then into the butter-dish, and from that into the meal-barrel, and at
+last, terrified at the noise and confusion, right out of the door, and
+hid himself in the snow amongst the bushes at the back of the house.
+
+He never could tell afterwards exactly how he had spent the rest of
+the winter. He only knew that he was very miserable and that he never
+had enough to eat. But by-and-by things grew better. The earth became
+softer, the sun hotter, the birds sang, and the flowers once more
+appeared in the grass. When he stood up, he felt different, somehow,
+from what he had done before he fell asleep among the reeds to which
+he had wandered after he had escaped from the peasant's hut. His body
+seemed larger, and his wings stronger. Something pink looked at him
+from the side of a hill. He thought he would fly towards it and see
+what it was.
+
+Oh, how glorious it felt to be rushing through the air, wheeling first
+one way and then the other! He had never thought that flying could be
+like that! The duckling was almost sorry when he drew near the pink
+cloud and found it was made up of apple blossoms growing beside a
+cottage whose garden ran down to the banks of the canal. He fluttered
+slowly to the ground and paused for a few minutes under a thicket of
+syringas, and while he was gazing about him, there walked slowly past
+a flock of the same beautiful birds he had seen so many months ago.
+Fascinated, he watched them one by one step into the canal, and float
+quietly upon the waters as if they were part of them.
+
+'I will follow them,' said the duckling to himself; 'ugly though I am,
+I would rather be killed by them than suffer all I have suffered from
+cold and hunger, and from the ducks and fowls who should have treated
+me kindly.' And flying quickly down to the water, he swam after them
+as fast as he could.
+
+It did not take him long to reach them, for they had stopped to rest
+in a green pool shaded by a tree whose branches swept the water. And
+directly they saw him coming some of the younger ones swam out to meet
+him with cries of welcome, which again the duckling hardly understood.
+He approached them glad, yet trembling, and turning to one of the
+older birds, who by this time had left the shade of the tree, he said:
+
+'If I am to die, I would rather you should kill me. I don't know why I
+was ever hatched, for I am too ugly to live.' And as he spoke, he
+bowed his head and looked down into the water.
+
+Reflected in the still pool he saw many white shapes, with long necks
+and golden bills, and, without thinking, he looked for the dull grey
+body and the awkward skinny neck. But no such thing was there.
+Instead, he beheld beneath him a beautiful white swan!
+
+'The new one is the best of all,' said the children when they came
+down to feed the swans with biscuit and cake before going to bed. 'His
+feathers are whiter and his beak more golden than the rest.' And when
+he heard that, the duckling thought that it was worth while having
+undergone all the persecution and loneliness that he had passed
+through, as otherwise he would never have known what it was to be
+really happy.
+
+(Hans Andersen.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE TWO CASKETS_
+
+
+Far, far away, in the midst of a pine forest, there lived a woman who
+had both a daughter and a stepdaughter. Ever since her own daughter
+was born the mother had given her all that she cried for, so she grew
+up to be as cross and disagreeable as she was ugly. Her stepsister, on
+the other hand, had spent her childhood in working hard to keep house
+for her father, who died soon after his second marriage; and she was
+as much beloved by the neighbours for her goodness and industry as she
+was for her beauty.
+
+As the years went on, the difference between the two girls grew more
+marked, and the old woman treated her stepdaughter worse than ever,
+and was always on the watch for some pretext for beating her, or
+depriving her of her food. Anything, however foolish, was good enough
+for this, and one day, when she could think of nothing better, she set
+both the girls to spin while sitting on the low wall of the well.
+
+'And you had better mind what you do,' said she, 'for the one whose
+thread breaks first shall be thrown to the bottom.'
+
+ [Illustration: 'THAT IS AN END OF YOU,' SHE SAID.
+ BUT SHE WAS WRONG, FOR IT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING]
+
+But of course she took good care that her own daughter's flax was fine
+and strong, while the stepsister had only some coarse stuff, which no
+one would have thought of using. As might be expected, in a very
+little while the poor girl's thread snapped, and the old woman, who
+had been watching from behind a door, seized her stepdaughter by
+her shoulders, and threw her into the well.
+
+'That is an end of you!' she said. But she was wrong, for it was only
+the beginning.
+
+Down, down, down went the girl--it seemed as if the well must reach to
+the very middle of the earth; but at last her feet touched the ground,
+and she found herself in a field more beautiful than even the summer
+pastures of her native mountains. Trees waved in the soft breeze, and
+flowers of the brightest colours danced in the grass. And though she
+was quite alone, the girl's heart danced too, for she felt happier
+than she had done since her father died. So she walked on through the
+meadow till she came to an old tumbledown fence--so old that it was a
+wonder it managed to stand up at all, and it looked as if it depended
+for support on the old man's beard that climbed all over it.
+
+The girl paused for a moment as she came up, and gazed about for a
+place where she might safely cross. But before she could move a voice
+cried from the fence:
+
+'Do not hurt me, little maiden; I am so old, so old, I have not much
+longer to live.'
+
+And the maiden answered:
+
+'No, I will not hurt you; fear nothing.' And then, seeing a spot where
+the clematis grew less thickly than in other places, she jumped
+lightly over.
+
+'May all go well with thee,' said the fence, as the girl walked on.
+
+She soon left the meadow and turned into a path which ran between two
+flowery hedges. Right in front of her stood an oven, and through its
+open door she could see a pile of white loaves.
+
+'Eat as many loaves as you like, but do me no harm, little maiden,'
+cried the oven. And the maiden told her to fear nothing, for she never
+hurt anything, and was very grateful for the oven's kindness in giving
+her such a beautiful white loaf. When she had finished it, down to
+the last crumb, she shut the oven door and said: 'Good-morning.'
+
+'May all go well with thee,' said the oven, as the girl walked on.
+
+By-and-by she became very thirsty, and seeing a cow with a milk-pail
+hanging on her horn, turned towards her.
+
+'Milk me and drink as much as you will, little maiden,' cried the cow,
+'but be sure you spill none on the ground; and do me no harm, for I
+have never harmed anyone.'
+
+'Nor I,' answered the girl; 'fear nothing.' So she sat down and milked
+till the pail was nearly full. Then she drank it all up except a
+little drop at the bottom.
+
+'Now throw any that is left over my hoofs, and hang the pail on my
+horns again,' said the cow. And the girl did as she was bid, and
+kissed the cow on her forehead and went her way.
+
+Many hours had now passed since the girl had fallen down the well, and
+the sun was setting.
+
+'Where shall I spend the night?' thought she. And suddenly she saw
+before her a gate which she had not noticed before, and a very old
+woman leaning against it.
+
+'Good evening,' said the girl politely; and the old woman answered:
+
+'Good evening, my child. Would that everyone was as polite as you. Are
+you in search of anything?'
+
+'I am in search of a place,' replied the girl; and the woman smiled
+and said:
+
+'Then stop a little while and comb my hair, and you shall tell me all
+the things you can do.'
+
+'Willingly, mother,' answered the girl. And she began combing out the
+old woman's hair, which was long and white.
+
+Half an hour passed in this way, and then the old woman said:
+
+'As you did not think yourself too good to comb me, I will show you
+where you may take service. Be prudent and patient and all will go
+well.'
+
+So the girl thanked her, and set out for a farm at a little distance,
+where she was engaged to milk the cows and sift the corn.
+
+ [Illustration: SHE FOUND SITTING ROUND HER A WHOLE CIRCLE OF CATS]
+
+As soon as it was light next morning the girl got up and went into the
+cow-house. 'I'm sure you must be hungry,' said she, patting each in
+turn. And then she fetched hay from the barn, and while they were
+eating it, she swept out the cow-house, and strewed clean straw upon
+the floor. The cows were so pleased with the care she took of them
+that they stood quite still while she milked them, and did not play
+any of the tricks on her that they had played on other dairymaids who
+were rough and rude. And when she had done, and was going to get up
+from her stool, she found sitting round her a whole circle of cats,
+black and white, tabby and tortoiseshell, who all cried with one
+voice:
+
+'We are very thirsty, please give us some milk!'
+
+'My poor little pussies,' said she, 'of course you shall have some.'
+And she went into the dairy, followed by all the cats, and gave each
+one a little red saucerful. But before they drank they all rubbed
+themselves against her knees and purred by way of thanks.
+
+The next thing the girl had to do was to go to the storehouse, and to
+sift the corn through a sieve. While she was busy rubbing the corn she
+heard a whirr of wings, and a flock of sparrows flew in at the window.
+
+'We are hungry; give us some corn! give us some corn!' cried they; and
+the girl answered:
+
+'You poor little birds, of course you shall have some!' and scattered
+a fine handful over the floor. When they had finished they flew on her
+shoulders and flapped their wings by way of thanks.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Time went by, and no cows in the whole country-side were so fat and
+well tended as hers, and no dairy had so much milk to show. The
+farmer's wife was so well satisfied that she gave her higher wages,
+and treated her like her own daughter. At length, one day, the girl
+was bidden by her mistress to come into the kitchen, and when there,
+the old woman said to her: 'I know you can tend cows and keep a dairy;
+now let me see what you can do besides. Take this sieve to the well,
+and fill it with water, and bring it home to me without spilling one
+drop by the way.'
+
+The girl's heart sank at this order; for how was it possible for her
+to do her mistress's bidding? However, she was silent, and taking the
+sieve went down to the well with it. Stooping over the side, she
+filled it to the brim, but as soon as she lifted it the water all ran
+out of the holes. Again and again she tried, but not a drop would
+remain in the sieve, and she was just turning away in despair when a
+flock of sparrows flew down from the sky.
+
+'Ashes! ashes!' they twittered; and the girl looked at them and said:
+
+'Well, I can't be in a worse plight than I am already, so I will take
+your advice.' And she ran back to the kitchen and filled her sieve
+with ashes. Then once more she dipped the sieve into the well, and,
+behold, this time not a drop of water disappeared!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Here is the sieve, mistress,' cried the girl, going to the room where
+the old woman was sitting.
+
+'You are cleverer than I expected,' answered she; 'or else someone
+helped you who is skilled in magic.' But the girl kept silence, and
+the old woman asked her no more questions.
+
+Many days passed during which the girl went about her work as usual,
+but at length one day the old woman called her and said:
+
+'I have something more for you to do. There are here two yarns, the
+one white, the other black. What you must do is to wash them in the
+river till the black one becomes white and the white black.' And the
+girl took them to the river and washed hard for several hours, but
+wash as she would they never changed one whit.
+
+'This is worse than the sieve,' thought she, and was about to give up
+in despair when there came a rush of wings through the air, and on
+every twig of the birch trees which grew by the bank was perched a
+sparrow.
+
+'The black to the east, the white to the west!' they sang, all at
+once; and the girl dried her tears and felt brave again. Picking up
+the black yarn, she stood facing the east and dipped it in the river,
+and in an instant it grew white as snow, then turning to the west, she
+held the white yarn in the water, and it became as black as a crow's
+wing. She looked back at the sparrows and smiled and nodded to them,
+and flapping their wings in reply they flew swiftly away.
+
+At the sight of the yarn the old woman was struck dumb; but when at
+length she found her voice she asked the girl what magician had helped
+her to do what no one had done before. But she got no answer, for the
+maiden was afraid of bringing trouble on her little friends.
+
+For many weeks the mistress shut herself up in her room, and the girl
+went about her work as usual. She hoped that there was an end to the
+difficult tasks which had been set her; but in this she was mistaken,
+for one day the old woman appeared suddenly in the kitchen, and said
+to her:
+
+'There is one more trial to which I must put you, and if you do not
+fail in that you will be left in peace for evermore. Here are the
+yarns which you washed. Take them and weave them into a web that is as
+smooth as a king's robe, and see that it is spun by the time that the
+sun sets.'
+
+'This is the easiest thing I have been set to do,' thought the girl,
+who was a good spinner. But when she began she found that the skein
+tangled and broke every moment.
+
+'Oh, I can never do it!' she cried at last, and leaned her head
+against the loom and wept; but at that instant the door opened, and
+there entered, one behind another, a procession of cats.
+
+'What is the matter, fair maiden?' asked they. And the girl answered:
+
+'My mistress has given me this yarn to weave into a piece of cloth,
+which must be finished by sunset, and I have not even begun yet,
+for the yarn breaks whenever I touch it.'
+
+ [Illustration: 'ASHES, ASHES!' TWITTERED THE SPARROWS]
+
+'If that is all, dry your eyes,' said the cats; 'we will manage it for
+you.' And they jumped on the loom, and wove so fast and so skilfully
+that in a very short time the cloth was ready and was as fine as any
+king ever wore. The girl was so delighted at the sight of it that she
+gave each cat a kiss on his forehead as they left the room one behind
+the other as they had come.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Who has taught you this wisdom?' asked the old woman, after she had
+passed her hands twice or thrice over the cloth and could find no
+roughness anywhere. But the girl only smiled and did not answer. She
+had learned early the value of silence.
+
+After a few weeks the old woman sent for her maid and told her that as
+her year of service was now up, she was free to return home, but that,
+for her part, the girl had served her so well that she hoped she might
+stay with her. But at these words the maid shook her head, and
+answered gently:
+
+'I have been happy here, Madam, and I thank you for your goodness to
+me; but I have left behind me a stepsister and a stepmother, and I am
+fain to be with them once more.' The old woman looked at her for a
+moment, and then she said:
+
+'Well, that must be as you like; but as you have worked faithfully for
+me I will give you a reward. Go now into the loft above the storehouse
+and there you will find many caskets. Choose the one which pleases you
+best, but be careful not to open it till you have set it in the place
+where you wish it to remain.'
+
+The girl left the room to go to the loft, and as soon as she got
+outside, she found all the cats waiting for her. Walking in
+procession, as was their custom, they followed her into the loft,
+which was filled with caskets big and little, plain and splendid. She
+lifted up one and looked at it, and then put it down to examine
+another yet more beautiful. Which should she choose, the yellow or the
+blue, the red or the green, the gold or the silver? She hesitated
+long, and went first to one and then to another, when she heard the
+cats' voices calling: 'Take the black! take the black!'
+
+ [Illustration: 'TAKE THE BLACK! TAKE THE BLACK!' CRIED THE CATS]
+
+The words made her look round--she had seen no black casket, but as
+the cats continued their cry she peered into several corners that had
+remained unnoticed, and at length discovered a little black box, so
+small and so black, that it might easily have been passed over.
+
+'This is the casket that pleases me best, mistress,' said the girl,
+carrying it into the house. And the old woman smiled and nodded, and
+bade her go her way. So the girl set forth, after bidding farewell to
+the cows and the cats and the sparrows, who all wept as they said
+good-bye.
+
+She walked on and on and on, till she reached the flowery meadow, and
+there, suddenly, something happened, she never knew what, but she was
+sitting on the wall of the well in her stepmother's yard. Then she got
+up and entered the house.
+
+The woman and her daughter stared as if they had been turned into
+stone; but at length the stepmother gasped out:
+
+'So you are alive after all! Well, luck was ever against me! And where
+have you been this year past?' Then the girl told how she had taken
+service in the under-world, and, besides her wages, had brought home
+with her a little casket, which she would like to set up in her room.
+
+'Give me the money, and take the ugly little box off to the outhouse,'
+cried the woman, beside herself with rage, and the girl, quite
+frightened at her violence, hastened away, with her precious box
+clasped to her bosom.
+
+The outhouse was in a very dirty state, as no one had been near it
+since the girl had fallen down the well; but she scrubbed and swept
+till everything was clean again, and then she placed the little casket
+on a small shelf in the corner.
+
+'Now I may open it,' she said to herself; and unlocking it with the
+key which hung to its handle, she raised the lid, but started back as
+she did so, almost blinded by the light that burst upon her. No one
+would ever have guessed that that little black box could have held
+such a quantity of beautiful things! Rings, crowns, girdles,
+necklaces--all made of wonderful stones; and they shone with such
+brilliance that not only the stepmother and her daughter but all the
+people round came running to see if the house was on fire. Of course
+the woman felt quite ill with greed and envy, and she would have
+certainly taken all the jewels for herself had she not feared the
+wrath of the neighbours, who loved her stepdaughter as much as they
+hated her.
+
+But if she could not steal the casket and its contents for herself, at
+least she could get another like it, and perhaps a still richer one.
+So she bade her own daughter sit on the edge of the well, and threw
+her into the water, exactly as she had done to the other girl; and,
+exactly as before, the flowery meadow lay at the bottom.
+
+Every inch of the way she trod the path which her stepsister had
+trodden, and saw the things which she had seen; but there the likeness
+ended. When the fence prayed her to do it no harm, she laughed rudely,
+and tore up some of the stakes so that she might get over the more
+easily; when the oven offered her bread, she scattered the loaves on
+the ground and stamped on them; and after she had milked the cow, and
+drunk as much as she wanted, she threw the rest on the grass, and
+kicked the pail to bits, and never heard them say, as they looked
+after her: 'You shall not have done this to me for nothing!'
+
+Towards evening she reached the spot where the old woman was leaning
+against the gate-post, but she passed her by without a word.
+
+'Have you no manners in your country?' asked the crone.
+
+'I can't stop and talk; I am in a hurry,' answered the girl. 'It is
+getting late, and I have to find a place.'
+
+'Stop and comb my hair for a little,' said the old woman, 'and I will
+help you to get a place.'
+
+'Comb your hair, indeed! I have something better to do than that!' And
+slamming the gate in the crone's face she went her way. And she never
+heard the words that followed her: 'You shall not have done this to me
+for nothing!'
+
+By-and-by the girl arrived at the farm, and she was engaged to look
+after the cows and sift the corn as her stepsister had been. But it
+was only when someone was watching her that she did her work; at other
+times the cow-house was dirty, and the cows ill-fed and beaten, so
+that they kicked over the pail, and tried to butt her; and everyone
+said they had never seen such thin cows or such poor milk. As for the
+cats, she chased them away, and ill-treated them, so that they had not
+even the spirit to chase the rats and mice, which nowadays ran about
+everywhere. And when the sparrows came to beg for some corn, they
+fared no better than the cows and the cats, for the girl threw her
+shoes at them, till they flew in a fright to the woods, and took
+shelter amongst the trees.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Months passed in this manner, when, one day, the mistress called the
+girl to her.
+
+'All that I have given you to do you have done ill,' said she, 'yet
+will I give you another chance. For though you cannot tend cows, or
+divide the grain from the chaff, there may be other things that you
+can do better. Therefore take this sieve to the well, and fill it with
+water, and see that you bring it back without spilling a single drop.'
+
+The girl took the sieve and carried it to the well as her sister had
+done; but no little birds came to help her, and after dipping it in
+the well two or three times she brought it back empty.
+
+'I thought as much,' said the old woman angrily; 'she that is useless
+in one thing is useless in another.'
+
+Perhaps the mistress may have thought that the girl had learnt a
+lesson, but, if she did, she was quite mistaken, as the work was no
+better done than before. By-and-by she sent for her again, and gave
+her maid the black and the white yarn to wash in the river; but there
+was no one to tell her the secret by which the black would turn white,
+and the white black; so she brought them back as they were. This time
+the old woman only looked at her grimly, but the girl was too well
+pleased with herself to care what anyone thought about her.
+
+After some weeks her third trial came, and the yarn was given her to
+spin, as it had been given to her stepsister before her.
+
+But no procession of cats entered the room to weave a web of fine
+cloth, and at sunset she only brought back to her mistress an armful
+of dirty, tangled wool.
+
+'There seems nothing in the world you can do,' said the old woman, and
+left her to herself.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Soon after this the year was up, and the girl went to her mistress to
+tell her that she wished to go home.
+
+'Little desire have I to keep you,' answered the old woman, 'for no
+one thing have you done as you ought. Still, I will give you some
+payment, therefore go up into the loft, and choose for yourself one of
+the caskets that lies there. But see that you do not open it till you
+place it where you wish it to stay.'
+
+This was what the girl had been hoping for, and so rejoiced was she,
+that, without even stopping to thank the old woman, she ran as fast as
+she could to the loft. There were the caskets, blue and red, green and
+yellow, silver and gold; and there in the corner stood a little black
+casket, just like the one her stepsister had brought home.
+
+'If there are so many jewels in that little black thing, this big red
+one will hold twice the number,' she said to herself; and snatching it
+up she set off on her road home without even going to bid farewell to
+her mistress.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'See, mother, see what I have brought!' cried she, as she entered the
+cottage holding the casket in both hands.
+
+'Ah! you have got something very different from that little black
+box,' answered the old woman with delight. But the girl was so busy
+finding a place for it to stand that she took little notice of her
+mother.
+
+'It will look best here--no, here,' she said, setting it first on one
+piece of furniture and then on another. 'No, after all it is too fine
+to live in a kitchen, let us place it in the guest chamber.'
+
+So mother and daughter carried it proudly upstairs and put it on a
+shelf over the fireplace; then, untying the key from the handle, they
+opened the box. As before, a bright light leapt out directly the lid
+was raised, but it did not spring from the lustre of jewels, but from
+hot flames, which darted along the walls and burnt up the cottage and
+all that was in it, and the mother and daughter as well.
+
+As they had done when the stepdaughter came home, the neighbours all
+hurried to see what was the matter; but they were too late. Only the
+hen-house was left standing; and, in spite of her riches, there the
+stepdaughter lived happily to the end of her days.
+
+(From Thorpe's _Yule-Tide Stories_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE GOLDSMITH'S FORTUNE_
+
+
+Once upon a time there was a goldsmith who lived in a certain village
+where the people were as bad and greedy, and covetous, as they could
+possibly be; however, in spite of his surroundings, he was fat and
+prosperous. He had only one friend whom he liked, and that was a
+cowherd, who looked after cattle for one of the farmers in the
+village. Every evening the goldsmith would walk across to the
+cowherd's house and say: 'Come, let's go out for a walk!'
+
+Now the cowherd didn't like walking in the evening, because, he said,
+he had been out grazing the cattle all day, and was glad to sit down
+when night came; but the goldsmith always worried him so that the poor
+man had to go against his will. This at last so annoyed him that he
+tried to think how he could pick a quarrel with the goldsmith, so that
+he should not beg him to walk with him any more. He asked another
+cowherd for advice, and he said the best thing he could do was to go
+across and kill the goldsmith's wife, for then the goldsmith would be
+_sure_ to regard him as an enemy; so, being a foolish person, and
+there being no laws in that country by which a man would be certainly
+punished for such a crime, the cowherd one evening took a big stick
+and went across to the goldsmith's house when only Mrs. Goldsmith was
+at home, and banged her on the head so hard that she died then and
+there.
+
+When the goldsmith came back and found his wife dead he said nothing,
+but just took her outside into the dark lane and propped her up
+against the wall of his house, and then went into the courtyard and
+waited. Presently a rich stranger came along the lane, and seeing
+someone there, as he supposed, he said:
+
+'Good-evening, friend! a fine night to-night!' But the goldsmith's
+wife said nothing. The man then repeated his words louder; but still
+there was no reply. A third time he shouted:
+
+'Good-evening, friend! are you _deaf_?' but the figure never replied.
+Then the stranger, being angry at what he thought very rude behaviour,
+picked up a big stone and threw it at Mrs. Goldsmith, crying:
+
+'Let _that_ teach you manners!'
+
+Instantly poor Mrs. Goldsmith tumbled over; and the stranger,
+horrified at seeing what he had done, was immediately seized by the
+goldsmith, who ran out screaming:
+
+'Wretch! you have killed my wife! Oh, miserable one; we will have
+justice done to thee!'
+
+With many protestations and reproaches they wrangled together, the
+stranger entreating the goldsmith to say nothing and he would pay him
+handsomely to atone for the sad accident. At last the goldsmith
+quieted down, and agreed to accept one thousand gold pieces from the
+stranger, who immediately helped him to bury his poor wife, and then
+rushed off to the guest house, packed up his things and was off by
+daylight, lest the goldsmith should repent and accuse him as the
+murderer of his wife. Now it very soon appeared that the goldsmith had
+a lot of extra money, so that people began to ask questions, and
+finally demanded of him the reason for his sudden wealth.
+
+'Oh,' said he, 'my wife died, and I sold her.'
+
+'You sold your dead wife?' cried the people.
+
+'Yes,' said the goldsmith.
+
+'For how much?'
+
+'A thousand gold pieces,' replied the goldsmith.
+
+Instantly the villagers went away and each caught hold of his own
+wife and throttled her, and the next day they all went off to sell
+their dead wives. Many a weary mile did they tramp, but got nothing
+but hard words or laughter, or directions to the nearest cemetery,
+from people to whom they offered dead wives for sale. At last they
+perceived that they had been cheated somehow by that goldsmith. So off
+they rushed home, seized the unhappy man, and, without listening to
+his cries and entreaties, hurried him down to the river bank and flung
+him--plop!--into the deepest, weediest, and nastiest place they could
+find.
+
+'_That_ will teach him not to play tricks on us,' said they. 'For as
+he can't swim he'll drown, and we sha'n't have any more trouble with
+_him_!'
+
+Now the goldsmith really could not swim, and as soon as he was thrown
+into the deep river he sank below the surface; so his enemies went
+away believing that they had seen the last of him. But, in reality, he
+was carried down, half drowned, below the next bend in the river,
+where he fortunately came across a 'snag' floating in the water (a
+snag is, you know, a part of a tree or bush which floats very nearly
+under the surface of the water); and he held on to this snag, and by
+great good luck eventually came ashore some two or three miles down
+the river. At the place where he landed he came across a fine fat cow
+buffalo, and immediately he jumped on her back and rode home. When the
+village people saw him, they ran out in surprise, and said:
+
+'Where on earth do you come from, and where did you get that buffalo?'
+
+'Ah!' said the goldsmith, 'you little know what delightful adventures
+I have had! Why, down in that place in the river where you threw me in
+I found meadows, and trees, and fine pastures, and buffaloes, and all
+kinds of cattle. In fact, I could hardly tear myself away; but I
+thought that I must really let you all know about it.'
+
+'Oh, oh!' thought the greedy village people; 'if there are buffaloes
+to be had for the taking we'll go after some too.' Encouraged by the
+goldsmith they nearly all ran off the very next morning to the river;
+and, in order that they might get down quickly to the beautiful place
+the goldsmith told them of, they tied great stones on to their feet
+and their necks, and one after another they jumped into the water as
+fast as they could, and were drowned. And whenever any one of them
+waved his hands about and struggled the goldsmith would cry out:
+
+'Look! he's beckoning the rest of you to come; he's got a fine
+buffalo!' And others who were doubtful would jump in, until not one
+was left. Then the cunning goldsmith went back and took all the
+village for himself, and became very rich indeed. But do you think he
+was happy? Not a bit. Lies never made a man happy yet. Truly, he got
+the better of a set of wicked and greedy people, but only by being
+wicked and greedy himself; and, as it turned out, when he got so rich
+he got very fat; and at last was so fat that he couldn't move, and one
+day he got the apoplexy and died, and no one in the world cared the
+least bit.
+
+(_Told by a Pathan to Major Campbell._)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ENCHANTED WREATH_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived near a forest a man and his wife and two
+girls; one girl was the daughter of the man, and the other the
+daughter of his wife; and the man's daughter was good and beautiful,
+but the woman's daughter was cross and ugly. However, her mother did
+not know that, but thought her the most bewitching maiden that ever
+was seen.
+
+One day the man called to his daughter and bade her come with him into
+the forest to cut wood. They worked hard all day, but in spite of the
+chopping they were very cold, for it rained heavily, and when they
+returned home, they were wet through. Then, to his vexation, the man
+found that he had left his axe behind him, and he knew that if it lay
+all night in the mud it would become rusty and useless. So he said to
+his wife:
+
+'I have dropped my axe in the forest, bid your daughter go and fetch
+it, for mine has worked hard all day and is both wet and weary.'
+
+But the wife answered:
+
+'If your daughter is wet already, it is all the more reason that _she_
+should go and get the axe. Besides, she is a great strong girl, and a
+little rain will not hurt her, while _my_ daughter would be sure to
+catch a bad cold.'
+
+By long experience the man knew there was no good saying any more, and
+with a sigh he told the poor girl she must return to the forest for
+the axe.
+
+ [Illustration: THREE LITTLE DOVES WERE SEATED ON THE HANDLE OF
+ THE AXE]
+
+The walk took some time, for it was very dark, and her shoes often
+stuck in the mud; but she was brave as well as beautiful and never
+thought of turning back merely because the path was both difficult and
+unpleasant. At last, with her dress torn by brambles that she could
+not see, and her face scratched by the twigs on the trees, she reached
+the spot where she and her father had been cutting in the morning, and
+found the axe in the place he had left it. To her surprise, three
+little doves were sitting on the handle, all of them looking very
+sad.
+
+'You poor little things,' said the girl, stroking them. 'Why do you
+sit there and get wet? Go and fly home to your nest, it will be much
+warmer than this; but first eat this bread, which I saved from my
+dinner, and perhaps you will feel happier. It is my father's axe you
+are sitting on, and I must take it back as fast as I can, or I shall
+get a terrible scolding from my stepmother.' She then crumbled the
+bread on the ground, and was pleased to see the doves flutter quite
+cheerfully towards it.
+
+'Good-bye,' she said, picking up the axe, and went her way homewards.
+
+By the time they had finished all the crumbs the doves felt much
+better, and were able to fly back to their nests in the top of a tree.
+
+'That is a good girl,' said one; 'I really was too weak to stretch out
+a wing before she came. I should like to do something to show how
+grateful I am.'
+
+'Well, let us give her a wreath of flowers that will never fade as
+long as she wears it,' cried another.
+
+'And let the tiniest singing birds in the world sit amongst the
+flowers,' rejoined the third.
+
+'Yes, that will do beautifully,' said the first. And when the girl
+stepped into her cottage a wreath of rose-buds was on her head, and a
+crowd of little birds were singing unseen.
+
+The father, who was sitting by the fire, thought that, in spite of her
+muddy clothes, he had never seen his daughter looking so lovely; but
+the stepmother and the other girl grew wild with envy.
+
+'How absurd to walk about on such a pouring night, dressed up like
+that,' she remarked crossly, and roughly pulled off the wreath as she
+spoke, to place it on her own daughter. As she did so the roses became
+withered and brown, and the birds flew out of the window.
+
+'See what a trumpery thing it is!' cried the stepmother; 'and now
+take your supper and go to bed, for it is near upon midnight.'
+
+But though she pretended to despise the wreath, she longed none the
+less for her daughter to have one like it.
+
+Now it happened that the next evening the father, who had been alone
+in the forest, came back a second time without his axe. The
+stepmother's heart was glad when she saw this, and she said quite
+mildly:
+
+'Why, you have forgotten your axe again, you careless man! But now
+_your_ daughter shall stay at home, and _mine_ shall go and bring it
+back'; and throwing a cloak over the girl's shoulders, she bade her
+hasten to the forest.
+
+With a very ill grace the damsel set forth, grumbling to herself as
+she went; for though she wished for the wreath, she did not at all
+want the trouble of getting it.
+
+By the time she reached the spot where her stepfather had been cutting
+the wood the girl was in a very bad temper indeed, and when she caught
+sight of the axe, there were the three little doves, with drooping
+heads and soiled, bedraggled feathers, sitting on the handle.
+
+'You dirty creatures,' cried she, 'get away at once, or I will throw
+stones at you.' And the doves spread their wings in a fright and flew
+up to the very top of a tree, their bodies shaking with anger.
+
+'What shall we do to revenge ourselves on her?' asked the smallest of
+the doves, 'we were never treated like that before.'
+
+'Never,' said the biggest dove. 'We must find some way of paying her
+back in her own coin!'
+
+'_I_ know,' answered the middle dove; 'she shall never be able to say
+anything but "dirty creatures" to the end of her life.'
+
+'Oh, how clever of you! That will do beautifully,' exclaimed the other
+two. And they flapped their wings and clucked so loud with delight,
+and made such a noise, that they woke up all the birds in the trees
+close by.
+
+'What in the world is the matter?' asked the birds sleepily.
+
+'That is _our_ secret,' said the doves.
+
+Meanwhile the girl had reached home crosser than ever; but as soon as
+her mother heard her lift the latch of the door she ran out to hear
+her adventures. 'Well, did you get the wreath?' cried she.
+
+'Dirty creatures!' answered her daughter.
+
+'Don't speak to me like that! What do you mean?' asked the mother
+again.
+
+'Dirty creatures!' repeated the daughter, and nothing else could she
+say.
+
+Then the woman saw that something evil had befallen her, and turned in
+her rage to her stepdaughter.
+
+'_You_ are at the bottom of this, I know,' she cried; and as the
+father was out of the way she took a stick and beat the girl till she
+screamed with pain and went to bed sobbing.
+
+If the poor girl's life had been miserable before, it was ten times
+worse now, for the moment her father's back was turned the others
+teased and tormented her from morning till night; and their fury was
+increased by the sight of the wreath, which the doves had placed again
+on her head.
+
+Things went on like this for some weeks, when, one day, as the king's
+son was riding through the forest, he heard some strange birds singing
+more sweetly than birds had ever sung before. He tied his horse to a
+tree, and followed where the sound led him, and, to his surprise, he
+saw before him a beautiful girl chopping wood, with a wreath of pink
+rose-buds, out of which the singing came. Standing in the shelter of a
+tree, he watched her a long while, and then, hat in hand, he went up
+and spoke to her.
+
+ [Illustration: STANDING IN THE SHELTER OF A TREE, HE WATCHED HER
+ A LONG WHILE]
+
+'Fair maiden, who are you, and who gave you that wreath of singing
+roses?' asked he, for the birds were so tiny that till you looked
+closely you never saw them.
+
+'I live in a hut on the edge of the forest,' she answered, blushing,
+for she had never spoken to a prince before. 'And as to the wreath, I
+know not how it came there, unless it may be the gift of some doves
+whom I fed when they were starving.' The prince was delighted with
+this answer, which showed the goodness of the girl's heart, and
+besides he had fallen in love with her beauty, and would not be
+content till she promised to return with him to the palace, and become
+his bride. The old king was naturally disappointed at his son's choice
+of a wife, as he wished him to marry a neighbouring princess; but as
+from his birth the prince had always done exactly as he liked, nothing
+was said and a splendid wedding feast was got ready.
+
+The day after her marriage the bride sent a messenger, bearing
+handsome presents to her father, and telling him of the good fortune
+which had befallen her. As may be imagined, the stepmother and her
+daughter were so filled with envy that they grew quite ill, and had to
+take to their beds, and nobody would have been sorry if they had never
+got up again; but that did not happen. At length, however, they began
+to feel better, for the mother invented a plan by which she could be
+revenged on the girl who had never done her any harm.
+
+Her plan was this. In the town where she had lived before she was
+married there was an old witch, who had more skill in magic than any
+other witch she knew. To this witch she would go and beg her to make
+her a mask with the face of her stepdaughter, and when she had the
+mask the rest would be easy. She told her daughter what she meant to
+do, and although the daughter could only say 'dirty creatures,' in
+answer, she nodded and smiled and looked well pleased.
+
+Everything fell out exactly as the woman had hoped. By the aid of her
+magic mirror the witch beheld the new princess walking in her gardens
+in a dress of green silk, and in a few minutes had produced a mask so
+like her that very few people could have told the difference. However,
+she counselled the woman that when her daughter first wore it--for
+that, of course, was what she intended her to do--she had better
+pretend that she had a toothache, and cover her head with a lace veil.
+The woman thanked her and paid her well, and returned to her hut,
+carrying the mask with her under her cloak.
+
+ [Illustration: THE STEPMOTHER TRIES TO DROWN THE PRINCESS]
+
+In a few days she heard that a great hunt was planned, and the prince
+would leave the palace very early in the morning, so that his wife
+would be alone all day. This was a chance not to be missed, and taking
+her daughter with her she went up to the palace, where she had never
+been before. The princess was too happy in her new home to remember
+all that she had suffered in the old one, and she welcomed them both
+gladly, and gave them quantities of beautiful things to take back with
+them. At last she took them down to the shore to see a pleasure boat
+which her husband had had made for her; and here, the woman seizing
+her opportunity, stole softly behind the girl and pushed her off the
+rock on which she was standing, into the deep water, where she
+instantly sank to the bottom. Then she fastened the mask on her
+daughter, flung over her shoulders a velvet cloak, which the princess
+had let fall, and finally arranged a lace veil over her head.
+
+'Rest your cheek on your hand, as if you were in pain, when the prince
+returns,' said the mother; 'and be careful not to speak, whatever you
+do. I will go back to the witch and see if she cannot take off the
+spell laid on you by those horrible birds. Ah! why did I not think of
+it before!'
+
+No sooner had the prince entered the palace than he hastened to the
+princess's apartments, where he found her lying on the sofa apparently
+in great pain.
+
+'My dearest wife, what is the matter with you?' he cried, kneeling
+down beside her, and trying to take her hand; but she snatched it
+away, and pointing to her cheek murmured something he could not catch.
+
+'What is it? tell me! Is the pain bad? When did it begin? Shall I send
+for your ladies to bathe the place?' asked the prince, pouring out
+these and a dozen other questions, to which the girl only shook her
+head.
+
+'But I can't leave you like this,' he continued, starting up, 'I must
+summon all the court physicians to apply soothing balsams to the sore
+place.' And as he spoke he sprang to his feet to go in search of them.
+This so frightened the pretended wife, who knew that if the physicians
+once came near her the trick would at once be discovered, that she
+forgot her mother's counsel not to speak, and forgot even the spell
+that had been laid upon her, and catching hold of the prince's tunic,
+she cried in tones of entreaty: 'Dirty creatures!'
+
+The young man stopped, not able to believe his ears, but supposed that
+pain had made the princess cross, as it sometimes does. However, he
+guessed somehow that she wished to be left alone, so he only said:
+
+'Well, I dare say a little sleep will do you good, if you can manage
+to get it, and that you will wake up better to-morrow.'
+
+Now, that night happened to be very hot and airless, and the prince,
+after vainly trying to rest, at length got up and went to the window.
+Suddenly he beheld in the moonlight a form with a wreath of roses on
+her head rise out of the sea below him and step on to the sands,
+holding out her arms as she did so towards the palace.
+
+'That maiden is strangely like my wife,' thought he; 'I must see her
+closer.' And he hastened down to the water. But when he got there, the
+princess, for she indeed it was, had disappeared completely, and he
+began to wonder if his eyes had deceived him.
+
+The next morning he went to the false bride's room, but her ladies
+told him she would neither speak nor get up, though she ate everything
+they set before her. The prince was sorely perplexed as to what could
+be the matter with her, for naturally he could not guess that she was
+expecting her mother to return every moment, and to remove the spell
+the doves had laid upon her, and meanwhile was afraid to speak lest
+she should betray herself. At length he made up his mind to summon all
+the court physicians; he did not tell her what he was going to do,
+lest it should make her worse, but he went himself and begged the
+four learned leaches attached to the king's person to follow him to
+the princess's apartments. Unfortunately, as they entered, the
+princess was so enraged at the sight of them that she forgot all about
+the doves, and shrieked out: 'Dirty creatures! dirty creatures!' which
+so offended the physicians that they left the room at once, and
+nothing that the prince could say would prevail on them to remain. He
+then tried to persuade his wife to send them a message that she was
+sorry for her rudeness, but not a word would she say.
+
+Late that evening, when he had performed all the tiresome duties which
+fall to the lot of every prince, the young man was leaning out of his
+window, refreshing himself with the cool breezes that blew off the
+sea. His thoughts went back to the scene of the morning, and he
+wondered if, after all, he had not made a great mistake in marrying a
+low-born wife, however beautiful she might be. How could he have
+imagined that the quiet, gentle girl who had been so charming a
+companion to him during the first days of their marriage, could have
+become in a day the rude, sulky woman, who could not control her
+temper even to benefit herself. One thing was clear, if she did not
+change her conduct very shortly he would have to send her away from
+court.
+
+He was thinking these thoughts, when his eyes fell on the sea beneath
+him, and there, as before, was the figure that so closely resembled
+his wife, standing with her feet in the water, holding out her arms to
+him.
+
+'Wait for me! Wait for me! Wait for me!' he cried; not even knowing he
+was speaking. But when he reached the shore there was nothing to be
+seen but the shadows cast by the moonlight.
+
+A state ceremonial in a city some distance off caused the prince to
+ride away at daybreak, and he left without seeing his wife again.
+
+'Perhaps she may have come to her senses by to-morrow,' said he to
+himself; 'and, anyhow, if I am going to send her back to her father,
+it might be better if we did not meet in the meantime.' Then he put
+the matter from his mind, and kept his thoughts on the duty that lay
+before him.
+
+It was nearly midnight before he returned to the palace, but, instead
+of entering, he went down to the shore and hid behind a rock. He had
+scarcely done so when the girl came out of the sea, and stretched out
+her arms towards his window. In an instant the prince had seized her
+hand, and though she made a frightened struggle to reach the
+water--for she in her turn had had a spell laid upon her--he held her
+fast.
+
+'You are my own wife, and I shall never let you go,' he said. But the
+words were hardly out of his mouth when he found that it was a hare
+that he was holding by the paw. Then the hare changed into a fish, and
+the fish into a bird, and the bird into a slimy wriggling snake. This
+time the prince's hand nearly opened of itself, but with a strong
+effort he kept his fingers shut, and drawing his sword cut off its
+head, when the spell was broken, and the girl stood before him as he
+had seen her first, the wreath upon her head and the birds singing for
+joy.
+
+The very next morning the stepmother arrived at the palace with an
+ointment that the old witch had given her to place upon her daughter's
+tongue, which would break the dove's spell, if the rightful bride had
+really been drowned in the sea; if not, then it would be useless. The
+mother assured her that she had seen her stepdaughter sink, and that
+there was no fear that she would ever come up again; but, to make all
+quite safe, the old woman might bewitch the girl; and so she did.
+After that the wicked stepmother travelled all through the night to
+get to the palace as soon as possible, and made her way straight into
+her daughter's room.
+
+'I have got it! I have got it!' she cried triumphantly, and laid the
+ointment on her daughter's tongue.
+
+ [Illustration: THE PRINCESS RETURNS FROM THE SEA]
+
+'_Now_ what do you say?' she asked proudly.
+
+'Dirty creatures! dirty creatures!' answered the daughter; and the
+mother wrung her hands and wept, as she knew that all her plans had
+failed.
+
+At this moment the prince entered with his real wife. 'You both
+deserve death,' he said, 'and if it were left to me, you should have
+it. But the princess has begged me to spare your lives, so you will be
+put into a ship and carried off to a desert island, where you will
+stay till you die.'
+
+Then the ship was made ready and the wicked woman and her daughter
+were placed in it, and it sailed away, and no more was heard of them.
+But the prince and his wife lived together long and happily, and ruled
+their people well.
+
+(Adapted from Thorpe's _Yule-Tide Stories_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE FOOLISH WEAVER_
+
+
+Once a weaver, who was in want of work, took service with a certain
+farmer as a shepherd.
+
+The farmer, knowing that the man was very slow-witted, gave him the
+most careful instructions as to everything that he was to do.
+
+Finally he said: 'If a wolf or any wild animal attempts to hurt the
+flock you should pick up a big stone like _this_' (suiting the action
+to the word) 'and throw a few such at him, and he will be afraid and
+go away.' The weaver said that he understood, and started with the
+flocks to the hillsides where they grazed all day.
+
+By chance in the afternoon a leopard appeared, and the weaver
+instantly ran home as fast as he could to get the stones which the
+farmer had shown him, to throw at the creature. When he came back all
+the flock were scattered or killed, and when the farmer heard the tale
+he beat him soundly. 'Were there no stones on the hillside that you
+should run back to get them, you senseless one?' he cried; 'you are
+not fit to herd sheep. To-day you shall stay at home and mind my old
+mother who is sick, perhaps you will be able to drive flies off her
+face, if you can't drive beasts away from the sheep!'
+
+So, the next day, the weaver was left at home to take care of the
+farmer's old sick mother. Now as she lay outside on a bed, it turned
+out that the flies became very troublesome, and the weaver looked
+around for something to drive them away with; and as he had been told
+to pick up the nearest stone to drive the beasts away from the flock,
+he thought he would this time show how cleverly he could obey orders.
+Accordingly he seized the nearest stone, which was a big, heavy one,
+and dashed it at the flies; but, unhappily, he slew the poor old woman
+also; and then, being afraid of the wrath of the farmer, he fled and
+was not seen again in that neighbourhood.
+
+All that day and all the next night he walked, and at length he came
+to a village where a great many weavers lived together.
+
+'You are welcome,' said they. 'Eat and sleep, for to-morrow six of us
+start in search of fresh wool to weave, and we pray you to give us
+your company.'
+
+'Willingly,' answered the weaver. So the next morning the seven
+weavers set out to go to the village where they could buy what they
+wanted. On the way they had to cross a ravine which lately had been
+full of water, but now was quite dry. The weavers, however, were
+accustomed to swim over this ravine; therefore, regardless of the fact
+that this time it was dry, they stripped, and, tying their clothes on
+their heads, they proceeded to swim across the dry sand and rocks that
+formed the bed of the ravine. Thus they got to the other side without
+further damage than bruised knees and elbows, and as soon as they were
+over, one of them began to count the party to make sure that all were
+safe there. He counted all except himself, and then cried out that
+somebody was missing! This set each of them counting; but each made
+the same mistake of counting all except himself, so that they became
+certain that one of their party was missing! They ran up and down the
+bank of the ravine wringing their hands in great distress and looking
+for signs of their lost comrade. There a farmer found them and asked
+what was the matter. 'Alas!' said one, 'seven of us started from the
+other bank and one must have been drowned on the crossing, as we can
+only find six remaining!' The farmer eyed them a minute, and then,
+picking up his stick, he dealt each a sounding blow, counting, as he
+did so, 'One! two! three!' and so on up to the seven. When the weavers
+found that there were seven of them they were overcome with gratitude
+to one whom they took for a magician as he could thus make seven out
+of an obvious six.
+
+(_From the Pushto._)
+
+
+
+
+_THE CLEVER CAT_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived an old man who dwelt with his son in a
+small hut on the edge of the plain. He was very old, and had worked
+very hard, and when at last he was struck down by illness he felt that
+he should never rise from his bed again.
+
+So, one day, he bade his wife summon their son, when he came back from
+his journey to the nearest town, where he had been to buy bread.
+
+'Come hither, my son,' said he; 'I know myself well to be dying, and I
+have nothing to leave you but my falcon, my cat and my greyhound; but
+if you make good use of them you will never lack food. Be good to your
+mother, as you have been to me. And now farewell!'
+
+Then he turned his face to the wall and died.
+
+There was great mourning in the hut for many days, but at length the
+son rose up, and calling to his greyhound, his cat and his falcon, he
+left the house saying that he would bring back something for dinner.
+Wandering over the plain, he noticed a troop of gazelles, and pointed
+to his greyhound to give chase. The dog soon brought down a fine fat
+beast, and slinging it over his shoulders, the young man turned
+homewards. On the way, however, he passed a pond, and as he approached
+a cloud of birds flew into the air. Shaking his wrist, the falcon
+seated on it darted into the air, and swooped down upon the quarry he
+had marked, which fell dead to the ground. The young man picked it up,
+and put it in his pouch and then went towards home again.
+
+Near the hut was a small barn in which he kept the produce of the
+little patch of corn, which grew close to the garden. Here a rat ran
+out almost under his feet, followed by another and another; but quick
+as thought the cat was upon them and not one escaped her.
+
+When all the rats were killed, the young man left the barn. He took
+the path leading to the door of the hut, but stopped on feeling a hand
+laid on his shoulder.
+
+'Young man,' said the Jew (for such was the stranger), 'you have been
+a good son, and you deserve the piece of luck which has befallen you
+this day. Come with me to that shining lake yonder, and fear nothing.'
+
+Wondering a little at what might be going to happen to him, the youth
+did as the Jew bade him, and when they reached the shore of the lake,
+the old man turned and said to him:
+
+'Step into the water and shut your eyes! You will find yourself
+sinking slowly to the bottom; but take courage, all will go well. Only
+bring up as much silver as you can carry, and we will divide it
+between us.'
+
+So the young man stepped bravely into the lake, and felt himself
+sinking, sinking, till he reached firm ground at last. In front of him
+lay four heaps of silver, and in the midst of them a curious white
+shining stone, marked over with strange characters, such as he had
+never seen before. He picked it up in order to examine it more
+closely, and as he held it the stone spoke.
+
+'As long as you hold me, all your wishes will come true,' it said.
+'But hide me in your turban, and then call to the Jew that you are
+ready to come up.'
+
+In a few minutes the young man stood again by the shores of the lake.
+
+'Well, where is the silver?' asked the Jew, who was awaiting him.
+
+'Ah, my father, how can I tell you! So bewildered was I, and so
+dazzled with the splendours of everything I saw, that I stood like a
+statue, unable to move. Then hearing steps approaching I got
+frightened, and called to you, as you know.'
+
+'You are no better than the rest,' cried the Jew, and turned away in a
+rage.
+
+When he was out of sight the young man took the stone from his turban
+and looked at it. 'I want the finest camel that can be found, and the
+most splendid garments,' said he.
+
+'Shut your eyes then,' replied the stone. And he shut them; and when
+he opened them again the camel that he had wished for was standing
+before him, while the festal robes of a desert prince hung from his
+shoulders. Mounting the camel, he whistled the falcon to his wrist,
+and, followed by his greyhound and his cat, he started homewards.
+
+His mother was sewing at her door when this magnificent stranger rode
+up, and, filled with surprise, she bowed low before him.
+
+'Don't you know me, mother?' he said with a laugh. And on hearing his
+voice the good woman nearly fell to the ground with astonishment.
+
+'How have you got that camel and those clothes?' asked she. 'Can a son
+of mine have committed murder in order to possess them?'
+
+'Do not be afraid; they are quite honestly come by,' answered the
+youth. 'I will explain all by-and-by; but now you must go to the
+palace and tell the king I wish to marry his daughter.'
+
+At these words the mother thought her son had certainly gone mad, and
+stared blankly at him. The young man guessed what was in her heart,
+and replied with a smile:
+
+'Fear nothing. Promise all that he asks; it will be fulfilled
+somehow.'
+
+So she went to the palace, where she found the king sitting in the
+Hall of Justice listening to the petitions of his people. The woman
+waited until all had been heard and the hall was empty, and then went
+up and knelt before the throne.
+
+'My son has sent me to ask for the hand of the princess,' said she.
+
+The king looked at her and thought that she was mad; but, instead of
+ordering his guards to turn her out, he answered gravely:
+
+'Before he can marry the princess he must build me a palace of ice,
+which can be warmed with fires, and wherein the rarest singing-birds
+can live!'
+
+'It shall be done, your Majesty,' said she, and got up and left the
+hall.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Her son was anxiously awaiting her outside the palace gates, dressed
+in the clothes that he wore every day.
+
+'Well, what have I got to do?' he asked impatiently, drawing his
+mother aside so that no one could overhear them.
+
+'Oh, something quite impossible; and I hope you will put the princess
+out of your head,' she replied.
+
+'Well, but what _is_ it?' persisted he.
+
+'Nothing but to build a palace of ice wherein fires can burn that
+shall keep it so warm that the most delicate singing-birds can live in
+it!'
+
+'I thought it would be something much harder than that,' exclaimed the
+young man. 'I will see about it at once.' And leaving his mother, he
+went into the country and took the stone from his turban.
+
+'I want a palace of ice that can be warmed with fires and filled with
+the rarest singing-birds!'
+
+'Shut your eyes, then,' said the stone; and he shut them, and when he
+opened them again there was the palace, more beautiful than anything
+he could have imagined, the fires throwing a soft pink glow over the
+ice.
+
+'It is fit even for the princess,' thought he to himself.
+
+As soon as the king awoke next morning he ran to the window, and
+there across the plain he beheld the palace.
+
+ [Illustration: THE JEW BRINGS THE JEWELS TO THE PRINCESS]
+
+'That young man must be a great wizard; he may be useful to me.' And
+when the mother came again to tell him that his orders had been
+fulfilled he received her with great honour, and bade her tell her son
+that the wedding was fixed for the following day.
+
+The princess was delighted with her new home, and with her husband
+also; and several days slipped happily by, spent in turning over all
+the beautiful things that the palace contained. But at length the
+young man grew tired of always staying inside walls, and he told his
+wife that the next day he must leave her for a few hours, and go out
+hunting. 'You will not mind?' he asked. And she answered as became a
+good wife:
+
+'Yes, of course I shall mind; but I will spend the day in planning out
+some new dresses; and then it will be so delightful when you come
+back, you know!'
+
+So the husband went off to hunt, with the falcon on his wrist, and the
+greyhound and the cat behind him--for the palace was so warm that even
+the cat did not mind living in it.
+
+No sooner had he gone, than the Jew, who had been watching his chance
+for many days, knocked at the door of the palace.
+
+'I have just returned from a far country,' he said, 'and I have some
+of the largest and most brilliant stones in the world with me. The
+princess is known to love beautiful things, perhaps she might like to
+buy some?'
+
+Now the princess had been wondering for many days what trimming she
+should put on her dresses, so that they should outshine the dresses of
+the other ladies at the court balls. Nothing that she thought of
+seemed good enough, so, when the message was brought that the Jew and
+his wares were below, she at once ordered that he should be brought to
+her chamber.
+
+Oh! what beautiful stones he laid before her; what lovely rubies, and
+what rare pearls! No other lady would have jewels like _those_--of
+that the princess was quite sure; but she cast down her eyes so that
+the Jew might not see how much she longed for them.
+
+'I fear they are too costly for me,' she said carelessly; 'and
+besides, I have hardly need of any more jewels just now.'
+
+'I have no particular wish to sell them myself,' answered the Jew,
+with equal indifference. 'But I have a necklace of shining stones
+which was left me by my father, and one, the largest, engraven with
+weird characters, is missing. I have heard that it is in your
+husband's possession, and if you can get me that stone you shall have
+any of these jewels that you choose. But you will have to pretend that
+you want it for yourself; and, above all, do not mention me, for he
+sets great store by it, and would never part with it to a stranger!
+To-morrow I will return with some jewels yet finer than those I have
+with me to-day. So, madam, farewell!'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Left alone, the princess began to think of many things, but chiefly as
+to whether she would persuade her husband to give her the stone or
+not. At one moment she felt he had already bestowed so much upon her
+that it was a shame to ask for the only object he had kept back. No,
+it would be mean; she could not do it! But then, those diamonds, and
+those strings of pearls! After all, they had only been married a week,
+and the pleasure of giving it to her ought to be far greater than the
+pleasure of keeping it for himself. And she was sure it _would_ be!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Well, that evening, when the young man had supped off his favourite
+dishes which the princess took care to have specially prepared for
+him, she sat down close beside him, and began stroking his hand. For
+some time she did not speak, but listened attentively to all the
+adventures that had befallen him that day.
+
+'But I was thinking of you all the time,' said he at the end, 'and
+wishing that I could bring you back something you would like. But,
+alas! what is there that you do not possess already?'
+
+'How good of you not to forget me when you are in the midst of such
+dangers and hardships,' answered she. 'Yes, it is true I have many
+beautiful things; but if you _want_ to give me a present--and
+to-morrow is my birthday--there _is_ one thing that I wish for very
+much.'
+
+'And what is that? Of course you shall have it directly!' he asked
+eagerly.
+
+'It is that bright stone which fell out of the folds of your turban a
+few days ago,' she answered, playing with his finger; 'the little
+stone with all those funny marks upon it. I never saw any stone like
+it before.'
+
+The young man did not answer at first; then he said, slowly:
+
+'I have promised, and therefore I must perform. But will you swear
+never to part from it, and to keep it safely about you always? More I
+cannot tell you, but I beg you earnestly to take heed to this.'
+
+The princess was a little startled by his manner, and began to be
+sorry that she had ever listened to the Jew. But she did not like to
+draw back, and pretended to be immensely delighted at her new toy, and
+kissed and thanked her husband for it.
+
+'After all I needn't give it to the Jew,' thought she as she dropped
+to sleep.
+
+Unluckily the next morning the young man went hunting again, and the
+Jew, who was watching, knew this, and did not come till much later
+than before. At the moment that he knocked at the door of the palace
+the princess had tired of all her employments, and her attendants were
+at their wits' end how to amuse her, when a tall negro dressed in
+scarlet came to announce that the Jew was below, and desired to know
+if the princess would speak with him.
+
+'Bring him hither at once!' cried she, springing up from her cushions,
+and forgetting all her resolves of the previous night. In another
+moment she was bending with rapture over the glittering gems.
+
+'Have you got it?' asked the Jew in a whisper, for the princess's
+ladies were standing as near as they dared to catch a glimpse of the
+beautiful jewels.
+
+'Yes, here,' she answered, slipping the stone from her sash and
+placing it among the rest. Then she raised her voice, and began to
+talk quickly of the prices of the chains and necklaces, and after some
+bargaining, to deceive the attendants, she declared that she liked one
+string of pearls better than all the rest, and that the Jew might take
+away the other things, which were not half so valuable as he supposed.
+
+'As you please, madam,' said he, bowing himself out of the palace.
+
+Soon after he had gone a curious thing happened. The princess
+carelessly touched the wall of her room, which was wont to reflect the
+warm red light of the fire on the hearth, and found her hand quite
+wet. She turned round, and--was it her fancy? or did the fire burn
+more dimly than before? Hurriedly she passed into the picture gallery,
+where pools of water showed here and there on the floor, and a cold
+chill ran through her whole body. At that instant her frightened
+ladies came running down the stairs, crying:
+
+'Madam! madam! what has happened? The palace is disappearing under our
+eyes!'
+
+'My husband will be home very soon,' answered the princess--who,
+though nearly as much frightened as her ladies, felt that she must set
+them a good example. 'Wait till then, and he will tell us what to do.'
+
+So they waited, seated on the highest chairs they could find, wrapped
+in their warmest garments, and with piles of cushions under their
+feet, while the poor birds flew with numbed wings hither and thither,
+till they were so lucky as to discover an open window in some
+forgotten corner. Through this they vanished, and were seen no more.
+
+At last, when the princess and her ladies had been forced to leave the
+upper rooms, where the walls and floors had melted away, and to take
+refuge in the hall, the young man came home. He had ridden back along
+a winding road from which he did not see the palace till he was close
+upon it, and stood horrified at the spectacle before him. He knew in
+an instant that his wife must have betrayed his trust, but he would
+not reproach her, as she must be suffering enough already. Hurrying on
+he sprang over all that was left of the palace walls, and the princess
+gave a cry of relief at the sight of him.
+
+'Come quickly,' he said, 'or you will be frozen to death!' And a
+dreary little procession set out for the king's palace, the greyhound
+and the cat bringing up the rear.
+
+At the gates he left them, though his wife besought him to allow her
+to enter.
+
+'You have betrayed me and ruined me,' he said sternly; 'I go to seek
+my fortune alone.' And without another word he turned and left her.
+
+With his falcon on his wrist, and his greyhound and cat behind him,
+the young man walked a long way, inquiring of everyone he met whether
+they had seen his enemy the Jew. But nobody had. Then he bade his
+falcon fly up into the sky--up, up, and up--and try if _his_ sharp
+eyes could discover the old thief. The bird had to go so high that he
+did not return for some hours; but he told his master that the Jew was
+lying asleep in a splendid palace in a far country on the shores of
+the sea. This was delightful news to the young man, who instantly
+bought some meat for the falcon, bidding him make a good meal.
+
+'To-morrow,' said he, 'you will fly to the palace where the Jew lies,
+and while he is asleep you will search all about him for a stone on
+which is engraved strange signs; this you will bring to me. In three
+days I shall expect you back here.'
+
+'Well, I must take the cat with me,' answered the bird.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The sun had not yet risen before the falcon soared high into the air,
+the cat seated on his back, with his paws tightly clasping the bird's
+neck.
+
+'You had better shut your eyes or you may get giddy,' said the bird;
+and the cat, who had never before been off the ground except to climb
+a tree, did as she was bid.
+
+ [Illustration: I GO TO SEEK MY FORTUNE ALONE]
+
+All that day and all that night they flew, and in the morning they saw
+the Jew's palace lying beneath them.
+
+'Dear me,' said the cat, opening her eyes for the first time, 'that
+looks to me very like a rat city down there, let us go down to it;
+they may be able to help us.' So they alighted in some bushes in the
+heart of the rat city. The falcon remained where he was, but the cat
+lay down outside the principal gate, causing terrible excitement among
+the rats.
+
+At length, seeing she did not move, one bolder than the rest put its
+head out of an upper window of the castle, and said, in a trembling
+voice:
+
+'Why have you come here? What do you want? If it is anything in our
+power, tell us, and we will do it.'
+
+'If you would have let me speak to you before, I would have told you
+that I come as a friend,' replied the cat; 'and I shall be greatly
+obliged if you would send four of the strongest and cunningest among
+you, to do me a service.'
+
+'Oh, we shall be delighted,' answered the rat, much relieved. 'But if
+you will inform me what it is you wish them to do I shall be better
+able to judge who is most fitted for the post.'
+
+'I thank you,' said the cat. 'Well, what they have to do is this:
+To-night they must burrow under the walls of the castle and go up to
+the room where a Jew lies asleep. Somewhere about him he has hidden a
+stone, on which are engraved strange signs. When they have found it
+they must take it from him without his waking, and bring it to me.'
+
+'Your orders shall be obeyed,' replied the rat. And he went out to
+give his instructions.
+
+About midnight the cat, who was still sleeping before the gate, was
+awakened by some water flung at him by the head rat, who could not
+make up his mind to open the doors.
+
+'Here is the stone you wanted,' said he, when the cat started up with
+a loud mew; 'if you will hold up your paws I will drop it down.' And
+so he did. 'And now farewell,' continued the rat; 'you have a long way
+to go, and will do well to start before daybreak.'
+
+'Your counsel is good,' replied the cat, smiling to itself; and
+putting the stone in her mouth she went off to seek the falcon.
+
+Now all this time neither the cat nor the falcon had had any food, and
+the falcon soon got tired carrying such a heavy burden. When night
+arrived he declared he could go no further, but would spend it on the
+banks of a river.
+
+'And it is my turn to take care of the stone,' said he, 'or it will
+seem as if you had done everything and I nothing.'
+
+'No, I got it, and I will keep it,' answered the cat, who was tired
+and cross; and they began a fine quarrel. But, unluckily, in the midst
+of it, the cat raised her voice, and the stone fell into the ear of a
+big fish which happened to be swimming by, and though both the cat and
+the falcon sprang into the water after it, they were too late.
+
+Half drowned, and more than half choked, the two faithful servants
+scrambled back to land again. The falcon flew to a tree and spread his
+wings in the sun to dry, but the cat, after giving herself a good
+shake, began to scratch up the sandy banks and to throw the bits into
+the stream.
+
+'What are you doing that for?' asked a little fish. 'Do you know that
+you are making the water quite muddy?'
+
+'That doesn't matter at all to me,' answered the cat. 'I am going to
+fill up all the river, so that the fishes may die.'
+
+'That is very unkind, as we have never done you any harm,' replied the
+fish. 'Why are you so angry with us?'
+
+'Because one of you has got a stone of mine--a stone with strange
+signs upon it--which dropped into the water. If you will promise to
+get it back for me, why, perhaps I will leave your river alone.'
+
+'I will certainly try,' answered the fish in a great hurry; 'but you
+must have a little patience, as it may not be an easy task.' And in
+an instant his scales might be seen flashing quickly along.
+
+The fish swam as fast as he could to the sea, which was not far
+distant, and calling together all his relations who lived in the
+neighbourhood, he told them of the terrible danger which threatened
+the dwellers in the river.
+
+ [Illustration: {THE CAT LETS FALL THE STONE}]
+
+'None of us has got it,' said the fishes, shaking their heads; 'but in
+the bay yonder there is a tunny who, although he is so old, always
+goes everywhere. He will be able to tell you about it, if anyone can.'
+So the little fish swam off to the tunny, and again related his story.
+
+'Why _I_ was up that river only a few hours ago!' cried the tunny;
+'and as I was coming back something fell into my ear, and there it is
+still, for I went to sleep when I got home and forgot all about it.
+Perhaps it may be what you want.' And stretching up his tail he
+whisked out the stone.
+
+'Yes, I think that must be it,' said the fish with joy. And taking
+the stone in his mouth he carried it to the place where the cat was
+waiting for him.
+
+'I am much obliged to you,' said the cat, as the fish laid the stone
+on the sand, 'and to reward you, I will let your river alone.' And she
+mounted the falcon's back, and they flew to their master.
+
+Ah, how glad he was to see them again with the magic stone in their
+possession. In a moment he had wished for a palace, but _this_ time it
+was of green marble; and then he wished for the princess and her
+ladies to occupy it. And there they lived for many years, and when the
+old king died the princess's husband reigned in his stead.
+
+(Adapted from _Contes Berbčres_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF MANUS_
+
+
+Far away over the sea of the West there reigned a king who had two
+sons; and the name of the one was Oireal, and the name of the other
+was Iarlaid. When the boys were still children, their father and
+mother died, and a great council was held, and a man was chosen from
+among them who would rule the kingdom till the boys were old enough to
+rule it themselves.
+
+The years passed on, and by-and-by another council was held, and it
+was agreed that the king's sons were now of an age to take the power
+which rightly belonged to them. So the youths were bidden to appear
+before the council, and Oireal the elder was smaller and weaker than
+his brother.
+
+'I like not to leave the deer on the hill and the fish in the rivers,
+and sit in judgment on my people,' said Oireal, when he had listened
+to the words of the chief of the council. And the chief waxed angry,
+and answered quickly:
+
+'Not one clod of earth shall ever be yours if this day you do not take
+on yourself the vows that were taken by the king your father.'
+
+Then spake Iarlaid, the younger, and he said: 'Let one half be yours,
+and the other give to me; then you will have fewer people to rule
+over.'
+
+'Yes, I will do that,' answered Oireal.
+
+After this, one half of the men of the land of Lochlann did homage to
+Oireal, and the other half to Iarlaid. And they governed their
+kingdoms as they would, and in a few years they became grown men with
+beards on their chins; and Iarlaid married the daughter of the king
+of Greece, and Oireal the daughter of the king of Orkney. The next
+year sons were born to Oireal and Iarlaid; and the son of Oireal was
+big and strong, but the son of Iarlaid was little and weak, and each
+had six foster brothers who went everywhere with the princes.
+
+One day Manus, son of Oireal, and his cousin, the son of Iarlaid,
+called to their foster brothers, and bade them come and play a game at
+shinny in the great field near the school where they were taught all
+that princes and nobles should know. Long they played, and swiftly did
+the ball pass from one to another, when Manus drove the ball at his
+cousin, the son of Iarlaid. The boy, who was not used to be roughly
+handled, even in jest, cried out that he was sorely hurt, and went
+home with his foster brothers and told his tale to his mother. The
+wife of Iarlaid grew white and angry as she listened, and thrusting
+her son aside, sought the council hall where Iarlaid was sitting.
+
+'Manus has driven a ball at my son, and fain would have slain him,'
+said she. 'Let an end be put to him and his ill deeds.'
+
+But Iarlaid answered:
+
+'Nay, I will not slay the son of my brother.'
+
+'And he shall not slay my son,' said the queen. And calling to her
+chamberlain she ordered him to lead the prince to the four brown
+boundaries of the world, and to leave him there with a wise man, who
+would care for him, and let no harm befall him. And the wise man set
+the boy on the top of a hill where the sun always shone, and he could
+see every man, but no man could see him.
+
+Then she summoned Manus to the castle, and for a whole year she kept
+him fast, and his own mother could not get speech of him. But in the
+end, when the wife of Oireal fell sick, Manus fled from the tower
+which was his prison, and stole back to his own home.
+
+For a few years he stayed there in peace, and then the wife of
+Iarlaid his uncle sent for him.
+
+'It is time that you were married,' she said, when she saw that Manus
+had grown tall and strong like unto Iarlaid. 'Tall and strong you are,
+and comely of face. I know a bride that will suit you well, and that
+is the daughter of the mighty earl of Finghaidh, that does homage for
+his lands to me. I myself will go with a great following to his house,
+and you shall go with me.'
+
+Thus it was done; and though the earl's wife was eager to keep her
+daughter with her yet a while, she was fain to yield, as the wife of
+Iarlaid vowed that not a rood of land should the earl have, unless he
+did her bidding. But if he would give his daughter to Manus, she would
+bestow on him the third part of her own kingdom, with much treasure
+beside. This she did, not from love to Manus, but because she wished
+to destroy him. So they were married, and rode back with the wife of
+Iarlaid to her own palace. And that night, while he was sleeping,
+there came a wise man, who was his father's friend, and awoke him
+saying: 'Danger lies very close to you, Manus, son of Oireal. You hold
+yourself favoured because you have as a bride the daughter of a mighty
+earl; but do you know what bride the wife of Iarlaid sought for her
+own son? It was no worldly wife she found for _him_, but the swift
+March wind, and never can you prevail against her.'
+
+'Is it thus?' answered Manus. And at the first streak of dawn he went
+to the chamber where the queen lay in the midst of her maidens.
+
+'I have come,' he said, 'for the third part of the kingdom, and for
+the treasure which you promised me.' But the wife of Iarlaid laughed
+as she heard him.
+
+'Not a clod shall you have here,' spake she. 'You must go to the Old
+Bergen for that. Mayhap under its stones and rough mountains you may
+find a treasure!'
+
+'Then give me your son's six foster brothers as well as my own,'
+answered he. And the queen gave them to him, and they set out for Old
+Bergen.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+A year passed by, and found them still in that wild land, hunting the
+reindeer, and digging pits for the mountain sheep to fall into. For a
+time Manus and his twelve companions lived merrily, but at length
+Manus grew weary of the strange country, and they all took ship for
+the land of Lochlann. The wind was fierce and cold, and long was the
+voyage; but, one spring day, they sailed into the harbour that lay
+beneath the castle of Iarlaid. The queen looked from her window and
+beheld him mounting the hill, with the twelve foster brothers behind
+him. Then she said to her husband: 'Manus has returned with his twelve
+foster brothers. Would that I could put an end to him and his
+murdering and his slaying.'
+
+'That were a great pity,' answered Iarlaid. 'And it is not I that will
+do it.'
+
+'If you will not do it I will,' said she. And she called the twelve
+foster brothers and made them vow fealty to herself. So Manus was left
+with no man, and sorrowful was he when he returned alone to Old
+Bergen. It was late when his foot touched the shore, and took the path
+towards the forest. On his way there he met him a man in a red tunic.
+
+'Is it you, Manus, come back again?' asked he.
+
+'It is I,' answered Manus; 'alone have I returned from the land of
+Lochlann.'
+
+The man eyed him silently for a moment, and then he said:
+
+'I dreamed that you were girt with a sword and became king of
+Lochlann.' But Manus answered:
+
+'I have no sword and my bow is broken.'
+
+'I will give you a new sword if you will make me a promise,' said the
+man once more.
+
+'To be sure I will make it, if ever I am king,' answered Manus. 'But
+speak, and tell me what promise I am to make!'
+
+'I was your grandfather's armourer,' replied the man, 'and I wish to
+be your armourer also.'
+
+ [Illustration: HOW MANUS GOT THE LION'S CUB]
+
+'That I will promise readily,' said Manus; and followed the man into
+his house, which was at a little distance. But the house was not like
+other houses, for the walls of every room were hung so thick with
+arms that you could not see the boards.
+
+'Choose what you will,' said the man; and Manus unhooked a sword and
+tried it across his knee, and it broke, and so did the next, and the
+next.
+
+'Leave off breaking the swords,' cried the man, 'and look at this old
+sword and helmet and tunic that I wore in the wars of your
+grandfather. Perhaps you may find them of stouter steel.' And Manus
+bent the sword thrice across his knee but he could not break it. So he
+girded it to his side, and put on the old helmet. As he fastened the
+strap his eye fell on a cloth flapping outside the window.
+
+'What cloth is that?' asked he.
+
+'It is a cloth that was woven by the Little People of the forest,'
+said the man; 'and when you are hungry it will give you food and
+drink, and if you meet a foe, he will not hurt you, but will stoop and
+kiss the back of your hand in token of submission. Take it, and use it
+well.' Manus gladly wrapped the shawl round his arm, and was leaving
+the house, when he heard the rattling of a chain blown by the wind.
+
+'What chain is that?' asked he.
+
+'The creature who has that chain round his neck, need not fear a
+hundred enemies,' answered the armourer. And Manus wound it round him
+and passed on into the forest.
+
+Suddenly there sprang out from the bushes two lions, and a lion cub
+with them. The fierce beasts bounded towards him, roaring loudly, and
+would fain have eaten him, but quickly Manus stooped and spread the
+cloth upon the ground. At that the lions stopped, and bowing their
+great heads, kissed the back of his wrist and went their ways. But the
+cub rolled itself up in the cloth; so Manus picked them both up, and
+carried them with him to Old Bergen.
+
+Another year went by, and then he took the lion cub and set forth to
+the land of Lochlann. And the wife of Iarlaid came to meet him, and a
+brown dog, small but full of courage, came with her. When the dog
+beheld the lion cub he rushed towards him, thinking to eat him; but
+the cub caught the dog by the neck, and shook him, and he was dead.
+And the wife of Iarlaid mourned him sore, and her wrath was kindled,
+and many times she tried to slay Manus and his cub, but she could not.
+And at last they two went back to Old Bergen, and the twelve foster
+brothers went also.
+
+'Let them go,' said the wife of Iarlaid, when she heard of it. 'My
+brother the Red Gruagach will take the head off Manus as well in Old
+Bergen as elsewhere.'
+
+Now these words were carried by a messenger to the wife of Oireal, and
+she made haste and sent a ship to Old Bergen to bear away her son
+before the Red Gruagach should take the head off him. And in the ship
+was a pilot. But the wife of Iarlaid made a thick fog to cover the
+face of the sea, and the rowers could not row, lest they should drive
+the ship on to a rock. And when night came, the lion cub, whose eyes
+were bright and keen, stole up to Manus, and Manus got on his back,
+and the lion cub sprang ashore and bade Manus rest on the rock and
+wait for him. So Manus slept, and by-and-by a voice sounded in his
+ears, saying: 'Arise!' And he saw a ship in the water beneath him, and
+in the ship sat the lion cub in the shape of the pilot.
+
+Then they sailed away through the fog, and none saw them; and they
+reached the land of Lochlann, and the lion cub with the chain round
+his neck sprang from the ship and Manus followed after. And the lion
+cub killed all the men that guarded the castle, and Iarlaid and his
+wife also, so that, in the end, Manus son of Oireal was crowned king
+of Lochlann.
+
+(Shortened from _West Highland Tales_.)
+
+
+
+
+_PINKEL THE THIEF_
+
+
+Long, long ago there lived a widow who had three sons. The two eldest
+were grown up, and though they were known to be idle fellows, some of
+the neighbours had given them work to do on account of the respect in
+which their mother was held. But at the time this story begins they
+had both been so careless and idle that their masters declared they
+would keep them no longer.
+
+So home they went to their mother and youngest brother, of whom they
+thought little, because he made himself useful about the house, and
+looked after the hens, and milked the cow. 'Pinkel,' they called him
+in scorn, and by-and-by 'Pinkel' became his name throughout the
+village.
+
+The two young men thought it was much nicer to live at home and be
+idle than to be obliged to do a quantity of disagreeable things they
+did not like, and they would have stayed by the fire till the end of
+their lives had not the widow lost patience with them and said that
+since they would not look for work at home they must seek it
+elsewhere, for she would not have them under her roof any longer. But
+she repented bitterly of her words when Pinkel told her that he too
+was old enough to go out into the world, and that when he had made a
+fortune he would send for his mother to keep house for him.
+
+The widow wept many tears at parting from her youngest son, but as she
+saw that his heart was set upon going with his brothers, she did not
+try to keep him. So the young men started off one morning in high
+spirits, never doubting that work such as they might be willing to do
+would be had for the asking, as soon as their little store of money
+was spent.
+
+But a very few days of wandering opened their eyes. Nobody seemed to
+want them, or, if they did, the young men declared that they were not
+able to undertake all that the farmers or millers or woodcutters
+required of them. The youngest brother, who was wiser, would gladly
+have done some of the work that the others refused, but he was small
+and slight, and no one thought of offering him any. Therefore they
+went from one place to another, living only on the fruit and nuts they
+could find in the woods, and getting hungrier every day.
+
+One night, after they had been walking for many hours and were very
+tired, they came to a large lake with an island in the middle of it.
+From the island streamed a strong light, by which they could see
+everything almost as clearly as if the sun had been shining, and they
+perceived that, lying half hidden in the rushes, was a boat.
+
+'Let us take it and row over to the island, where there must be a
+house,' said the eldest brother; 'and perhaps they will give us food
+and shelter.' And they all got in and rowed across in the direction of
+the light. As they drew near the island they saw that it came from a
+golden lantern hanging over the door of a hut, while sweet tinkling
+music proceeded from some bells attached to the golden horns of a goat
+which was feeding near the cottage. The young men's hearts rejoiced as
+they thought that at last they would be able to rest their weary
+limbs, and they entered the hut, but were amazed to see an ugly old
+woman inside, wrapped in a cloak of gold which lighted up the whole
+house. They looked at each other uneasily as she came forward with
+her daughter, as they knew by the cloak that this was a famous witch.
+
+'What do you want?' asked she, at the same time signing to her
+daughter to stir the large pot on the fire.
+
+'We are tired and hungry, and would fain have shelter for the night,'
+answered the eldest brother.
+
+'You cannot get it here,' said the witch, 'but you will find both food
+and shelter in the palace on the other side of the lake. Take your
+boat and go; but leave this boy with me--I can find work for him,
+though something tells me he is quick and cunning, and will do me
+ill.'
+
+'What harm can a poor boy like me do a great Troll like you,' answered
+Pinkel. 'Let me go, I pray you, with my brothers. I will promise never
+to hurt you.' And at last the witch let him go, and he followed his
+brothers to the boat.
+
+The way was further than they thought, and it was morning before they
+reached the palace.
+
+Now, at last, their luck seemed to have turned, for while the two
+eldest were given places in the king's stables, Pinkel was taken as
+page to the little prince. He was a clever and amusing boy, who saw
+everything that passed under his eyes, and the king noticed this, and
+often employed him in his own service, which made his brothers very
+jealous.
+
+Things went on in this way for some time, and Pinkel every day rose in
+the royal favour. At length the envy of his brothers became so great
+that they could bear it no longer, and consulted together how best
+they might ruin his credit with the king. They did not wish to kill
+him--though, perhaps, they would not have been sorry if they had heard
+he was dead--but merely wished to remind him that he was after all
+only a child, not half so old and wise as they.
+
+ [Illustration: PINKEL BRINGS THE WITCH'S LANTERN TO THE KING]
+
+Their opportunity soon came. It happened to be the king's custom to
+visit his stables once a week, so that he might see that his horses
+were being properly cared for. The next time he entered the stables
+the two brothers managed to be in the way, and when the king praised
+the beautiful satin skins of the horses under their charge, and
+remarked how different was their condition when his grooms had first
+come across the lake, the young men at once began to speak of the
+wonderful light which sprang from the lantern over the hut. The king,
+who had a passion for collecting all the rarest things he could find,
+fell into the trap directly, and inquired where he could get this
+marvellous lantern.
+
+'Send Pinkel for it, Sire,' said they. 'It belongs to an old witch,
+who no doubt came by it in some evil way. But Pinkel has a smooth
+tongue, and he can get the better of any woman, old or young.'
+
+'Then bid him go this very night,' cried the king; 'and if he brings
+me the lantern I will make him one of the chief men about my person.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Pinkel was much pleased at the thought of his adventure, and without
+more ado he borrowed a little boat which lay moored to the shore, and
+rowed over to the island at once. It was late by the time he arrived,
+and almost dark, but he knew by the savoury smell that reached him
+that the witch was cooking her supper. So he climbed softly on to the
+roof, and, peering, watched till the old woman's back was turned, when
+he quickly drew a handful of salt from his pocket and threw it into
+the pot. Scarcely had he done this when the witch called her daughter
+and bade her lift the pot off the fire and put the stew into a dish,
+as it had been cooking quite long enough and she was hungry. But no
+sooner had she tasted it than she put her spoon down, and declared
+that her daughter must have been meddling with it, for it was
+impossible to eat anything that was all made of salt.
+
+'Go down to the spring in the valley, and get some fresh water, that I
+may prepare a fresh supper,' cried she, 'for I feel half-starved.'
+
+'But, mother,' answered the girl, 'how can I find the well in this
+darkness? For you know that the lantern's rays shed no light down
+there.'
+
+'Well, then, take the lantern with you,' answered the witch, 'for
+supper I must have, and there is no water that is nearer.'
+
+So the girl took her pail in one hand and the golden lantern in the
+other, and hastened away to the well, followed by Pinkel, who took
+care to keep out of the way of the rays. When at last she stooped to
+fill her pail at the well Pinkel pushed her into it, and snatching up
+the lantern hurried back to his boat and rowed off from the shore.
+
+He was already a long distance from the island when the witch, who
+wondered what had become of her daughter, went to the door to look for
+her. Close around the hut was thick darkness, but what was that
+bobbing light that streamed across the water? The witch's heart sank
+as all at once it flashed upon her what had happened.
+
+'Is that you, Pinkel?' cried she; and the youth answered:
+
+'Yes, dear mother, it is I!'
+
+'And are you not a knave for robbing me?' said she.
+
+'Truly, dear mother, I am,' replied Pinkel, rowing faster than ever,
+for he was half afraid that the witch might come after him. But she
+had no power on the water, and turned angrily into the hut, muttering
+to herself all the while:
+
+'Take care! take care! A second time you will not escape so easily!'
+
+The sun had not yet risen when Pinkel returned to the palace, and,
+entering the king's chamber, he held up the lantern so that its rays
+might fall upon the bed. In an instant the king awoke, and seeing the
+golden lantern shedding its light upon him, he sprang up, and embraced
+Pinkel with joy.
+
+'O cunning one,' cried he, 'what treasure hast thou brought me!' And
+calling for his attendants he ordered that rooms next his own should
+be prepared for Pinkel, and that the youth might enter his presence at
+any hour. And besides this, he was to have a seat on the council.
+
+It may easily be guessed that all this made the brothers more envious
+than they were before; and they cast about in their minds afresh how
+best they might destroy him. At length they remembered the goat with
+the golden horns and the bells, and they rejoiced; 'For,' said they,
+'_this_ time the old woman will be on the watch, and let him be as
+clever as he likes, the bells on the horns are sure to warn her.' So
+when, as before, the king came down to the stables and praised the
+cleverness of their brother, the young men told him of that other
+marvel possessed by the witch, the goat with the golden horns.
+
+From this moment the king never closed his eyes at night for longing
+after this wonderful creature. He understood something of the danger
+that there might be in trying to steal it, now that the witch's
+suspicions were aroused, and he spent hours in making plans for
+outwitting her. But somehow he never could think of anything that
+would do, and at last, as the brothers had foreseen, he sent for
+Pinkel.
+
+'I hear,' he said, 'that the old witch on the island has a goat with
+golden horns, from which hang bells that tinkle the sweetest music.
+That goat I must have! But, tell me, how am I to get it? I would give
+the third part of my kingdom to anyone that would bring it to me.'
+
+'I will fetch it myself,' answered Pinkel.
+
+This time it was easier for Pinkel to approach the island unseen, as
+there was no golden lantern to throw its beams over the water. But, on
+the other hand, the goat slept inside the hut, and would therefore
+have to be taken from under the very eyes of the old woman. How was he
+to do it? All the way across the lake he thought and thought, till at
+length a plan came into his head which seemed as if it might do,
+though he knew it would be very difficult to carry out.
+
+The first thing he did when he reached the shore was to look about for
+a piece of wood, and when he had found it he hid himself close to the
+hut, till it grew quite dark and near the hour when the witch and her
+daughter went to bed. Then he crept up and fixed the wood under the
+door, which opened outwards, in such a manner that the more you tried
+to shut it the more firmly it stuck. And this was what happened when
+the girl went as usual to bolt the door and make all fast for the
+night.
+
+'What are you doing?' asked the witch, as her daughter kept tugging at
+the handle.
+
+'There is something the matter with the door; it won't shut,' answered
+she.
+
+'Well, leave it alone; there is nobody to hurt us,' said the witch,
+who was very sleepy; and the girl did as she was bid, and went to bed.
+Very soon they both might have been heard snoring, and Pinkel knew
+that his time was come. Slipping off his shoes he stole into the hut
+on tiptoe, and taking from his pockets some food of which the goat was
+particularly fond, he laid it under his nose. Then, while the animal
+was eating it, he stuffed each golden bell with wool which he had also
+brought with him, stopping every minute to listen, lest the witch
+should awaken, and he should find himself changed into some dreadful
+bird or beast. But the snoring still continued, and he went on with
+his work as quickly as he could. When the last bell was done he drew
+another handful of food out of his pocket, and held it out to the
+goat, which instantly rose to its feet and followed Pinkel, who backed
+slowly to the door, and directly he got outside he seized the goat in
+his arms and ran down to the place where he had moored his boat.
+
+As soon as he had reached the middle of the lake, Pinkel took the wool
+out of the bells, which began to tinkle loudly. Their sound awoke the
+witch, who cried out as before:
+
+'Is that you, Pinkel?'
+
+'Yes, dear mother, it is I,' said Pinkel.
+
+'Have you stolen my golden goat?' asked she.
+
+'Yes, dear mother, I have,' answered Pinkel.
+
+'Are you not a knave, Pinkel?'
+
+'Yes, dear mother, I am,' he replied. And the old witch shouted in a
+rage:
+
+ [Illustration: PINKEL STEALS THE WITCH'S GOAT]
+
+'Ah! beware how you come hither again, for next time you shall not
+escape me!'
+
+But Pinkel only laughed and rowed on.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The king was so delighted with the goat that he always kept it by his
+side, night and day; and, as he had promised, Pinkel was made ruler
+over the third part of the kingdom. As may be supposed, the brothers
+were more furious than ever, and grew quite thin with rage.
+
+'How can we get rid of him?' said one to the other. And at length they
+remembered the golden cloak.
+
+'He will need to be clever if he is to steal _that_!' they cried,
+with a chuckle. And when next the king came to see his horses they
+began to speak of Pinkel and his marvellous cunning, and how he had
+contrived to steal the lantern and the goat, which nobody else would
+have been able to do.
+
+'But as he _was_ there, it is a pity he could not have brought away
+the golden cloak,' added they.
+
+'The golden cloak! what is that?' asked the king. And the young men
+described its beauties in such glowing words that the king declared he
+should never know a day's happiness till he had wrapped the cloak
+round his own shoulders.
+
+'And,' added he, 'the man who brings it to me shall wed my daughter,
+and shall inherit my throne.'
+
+'None can get it save Pinkel,' said they; for they did not imagine
+that the witch, after two warnings, could allow their brother to
+escape a third time. So Pinkel was sent for, and with a glad heart he
+set out.
+
+He passed many hours inventing first one plan and then another, till
+he had a scheme ready which he thought might prove successful.
+
+Thrusting a large bag inside his coat, he pushed off from the shore,
+taking care this time to reach the island in daylight. Having made his
+boat fast to a tree, he walked up to the hut, hanging his head, and
+putting on a face that was both sorrowful and ashamed.
+
+'Is that you, Pinkel?' asked the witch when she saw him, her eyes
+gleaming savagely.
+
+'Yes, dear mother, it is I,' answered Pinkel.
+
+'So you have dared, after all you have done, to put yourself in my
+power!' cried she. 'Well, you sha'n't escape me _this_ time!' And she
+took down a large knife and began to sharpen it.
+
+'Oh! dear mother, spare me!' shrieked Pinkel, falling on his knees,
+and looking wildly about him.
+
+'Spare you, indeed, you thief! Where are my lantern and my goat? No!
+no! there is only one fate for robbers!' And she brandished the knife
+in the air so that it glittered in the firelight.
+
+'Then, if I _must_ die,' said Pinkel, who, by this time, was getting
+really rather frightened, 'let me at least choose the manner of my
+death. I am very hungry, for I have had nothing to eat all day. Put
+some poison, if you like, into the porridge, but at least let me have
+a good meal before I die.'
+
+'That is not a bad idea,' answered the woman; 'as long as you _do_
+die, it is all one to me.' And ladling out a large bowl of porridge,
+she stirred some poisonous herbs into it, and set about some work that
+had to be done. Then Pinkel hastily poured all the contents of the
+bowl into his bag, and made a great noise with his spoon, as if he was
+scraping up the last morsel.
+
+'Poisoned or not, the porridge is excellent. I have eaten it, every
+scrap; do give me some more,' said Pinkel, turning towards her.
+
+'Well, you have a fine appetite, young man,' answered the witch;
+'however, it is the last time you will ever eat it, so I will give you
+another bowlful.' And rubbing in the poisonous herbs, she poured him
+out half of what remained, and then went to the window to call her
+cat.
+
+In an instant Pinkel again emptied the porridge into the bag, and the
+next minute he rolled on the floor, twisting himself about as if in
+agony, uttering loud groans the while. Suddenly he grew silent and lay
+still.
+
+'Ah! I thought a second dose of that poison would be too much for
+you,' said the witch looking at him. 'I warned you what would happen
+if you came back. I wish that all thieves were as dead as you! But why
+does not my lazy girl bring the wood I sent her for, it will soon be
+too dark for her to find her way? I suppose I must go and search for
+her. What a trouble girls are!' And she went to the door to watch if
+there were any signs of her daughter. But nothing could be seen of
+her, and heavy rain was falling.
+
+'It is no night for my cloak,' she muttered; 'it would be covered with
+mud by the time I got back.' So she took it off her shoulders and hung
+it carefully up in a cupboard in the room. After that she put on her
+clogs and started to seek her daughter. Directly the last sound of the
+clogs had ceased, Pinkel jumped up and took down the cloak, and rowed
+off as fast as he could.
+
+He had not gone far when a puff of wind unfolded the cloak, and its
+brightness shed gleams across the water. The witch, who was just
+entering the forest, turned round at that moment and saw the golden
+rays. She forgot all about her daughter, and ran down to the shore,
+screaming with rage at being outwitted a third time.
+
+'Is that you, Pinkel?' cried she.
+
+'Yes, dear mother, it is I.'
+
+'Have you taken my gold cloak?'
+
+'Yes, dear mother, I have.'
+
+'Are you not a great knave?'
+
+'Yes, truly dear mother, I am.'
+
+And so indeed he was!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+But, all the same, he carried the cloak to the king's palace, and in
+return he received the hand of the king's daughter in marriage. People
+said that it was the bride who ought to have worn the cloak at her
+wedding feast; but the king was so pleased with it that he would not
+part from it; and to the end of his life was never seen without it.
+After his death, Pinkel became king; and let us hope that he gave up
+his bad and thievish ways, and ruled his subjects well. As for his
+brothers, he did not punish them, but left them in the stables, where
+they grumbled all day long.
+
+(Thorpe's _Yule-Tide Stories_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF A JACKAL_
+
+
+In a country which is full of wild beasts of all sorts there once
+lived a jackal and a hedgehog, and, unlike though they were, the two
+animals made great friends, and were often seen in each other's
+company.
+
+One afternoon they were walking along a road together, when the
+jackal, who was the taller of the two, exclaimed:
+
+'Oh! there is a barn full of corn; let us go and eat some.'
+
+'Yes, do let us!' answered the hedgehog. So they went to the barn, and
+ate till they could eat no more. Then the jackal put on his shoes,
+which he had taken off so as to make no noise, and they returned to
+the high road.
+
+After they had gone some way they met a panther, who stopped, and
+bowing politely, said:
+
+'Excuse my speaking to you, but I cannot help admiring those shoes of
+yours. Do you mind telling me who made them?'
+
+'Yes, I think they _are_ rather nice,' answered the jackal; 'I made
+them myself, though.'
+
+'Could you make me a pair like them?' asked the panther eagerly.
+
+'I would do my best, of course,' replied the jackal; 'but you must
+kill me a cow, and when we have eaten the flesh I will take the skin
+and make your shoes out of it.'
+
+So the panther prowled about until he saw a fine cow grazing apart
+from the rest of the herd. He killed it instantly, and then gave a cry
+to the jackal and hedgehog to come to the place where he was. They
+soon skinned the dead beast, and spread its skin out to dry, after
+which they had a grand feast before they curled themselves up for the
+night, and slept soundly.
+
+Next morning the jackal got up early and set to work upon the shoes,
+while the panther sat by and looked on with delight. At last they were
+finished, and the jackal arose and stretched himself.
+
+'Now go and lay them in the sun out there,' said he; 'in a couple of
+hours they will be ready to put on; but do not attempt to wear them
+before, or you will feel them most uncomfortable. But I see the sun is
+high in the heavens, and we must be continuing our journey.'
+
+The panther, who always believed what everybody told him, did exactly
+as he was bid, and in two hours' time began to fasten on the shoes.
+They certainly set off his paws wonderfully, and he stretched out his
+fore-paws and looked at them with pride. But when he tried to
+_walk_--ah! that was another story! They were so stiff and hard that
+he nearly shrieked every step he took, and at last he sank down where
+he was, and actually began to cry.
+
+After some time some little partridges who were hopping about heard
+the poor panther's groans, and went up to see what was the matter. He
+had never tried to make his dinner off _them_, and they had always
+been quite friendly.
+
+'You seem in pain,' said one of them, fluttering close to him, 'can we
+help you?'
+
+'Oh, it is the jackal! He made me these shoes; they are so hard and
+tight that they hurt my feet, and I cannot manage to kick them off.'
+
+'Lie still, and we will soften them,' answered the kind little
+partridge. And calling to his brothers, they all flew to the nearest
+spring, and carried water in their beaks, which they poured over the
+shoes. This they did till the hard leather grew soft, and the panther
+was able to slip his feet out of them.
+
+'Oh, thank you, thank you,' he cried, skipping round with joy. 'I feel
+a different creature. Now I will go after the jackal and pay him my
+debts.' And he bounded away into the forest.
+
+But the jackal had been very cunning, and had trotted backwards and
+forwards and in and out, so that it was very difficult to know which
+track he had really followed. At length, however, he caught sight of
+his enemy, at the same moment that the jackal had caught sight of him.
+The panther gave a loud roar, and sprung forward, but the jackal was
+too quick for him and plunged into a dense thicket, where the panther
+could not follow.
+
+Disgusted with his failure, but more angry than ever, the panther lay
+down for a while to consider what he should do next, and as he was
+thinking, an old man came by.
+
+'Oh! father, tell me how I can repay the jackal for the way he has
+served me!' And without more ado he told his story.
+
+'If you take my advice,' answered the old man, 'you will kill a cow,
+and invite all the jackals in the forest to the feast. Watch them
+carefully while they are eating, and you will see that most of them
+keep their eyes on their food. But if one of them glances at _you_,
+you will know that is the traitor.'
+
+The panther, whose manners were always good, thanked the old man, and
+followed his counsel. The cow was killed, and the partridges flew
+about with invitations to the jackals, who gathered in large numbers
+to the feast. The wicked jackal came amongst them; but as the panther
+had only seen him once he could not distinguish him from the rest.
+However, they all took their places on wooden seats placed round the
+dead cow, which was laid across the boughs of a fallen tree, and
+began their dinner, each jackal fixing his eyes greedily on the piece
+of meat before him. Only one of them seemed uneasy, and every now and
+then glanced in the direction of his host. This the panther noticed,
+and suddenly made a bound at the culprit and seized his tail; but
+again the jackal was too quick for him, and catching up a knife he cut
+off his tail and darted into the forest, followed by all the rest of
+the party. And before the panther had recovered from his surprise he
+found himself alone.
+
+'What am I to do _now_?' he asked the old man, who soon came back to
+see how things had turned out.
+
+'It is very unfortunate, certainly,' answered he; 'but I think I know
+where you can find him. There is a melon garden about two miles from
+here, and as jackals are very fond of melons they are nearly sure to
+have gone there to feed. If you see a tailless jackal you will know
+that he is the one you want.' So the panther thanked him and went his
+way.
+
+Now the jackal had guessed what advice the old man would give his
+enemy, and so, while his friends were greedily eating the ripest
+melons in the sunniest corner of the garden, he stole behind them and
+tied their tails together. He had only just finished when his ears
+caught the sound of breaking branches; and he cried: 'Quick! quick!
+here comes the master of the garden!' And the jackals sprang up and
+ran away in all directions, leaving their tails behind them. And how
+was the panther to know which was his enemy?
+
+'They none of them had any tails,' he said sadly to the old man, 'and
+I am tired of hunting them. I shall leave them alone and go and catch
+something for supper.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Of course the hedgehog had not been able to take part in any of these
+adventures; but as soon as all danger was over, the jackal went to
+look for his friend whom he was lucky enough to find at home.
+
+'Ah, there you are,' he said gaily. 'I have lost my tail since I saw
+you last. And other people have lost theirs too; but that is no
+matter! I am hungry, so come with me to the shepherd who is sitting
+over there, and we will ask him to sell us one of his sheep.'
+
+'Yes, that is a good plan,' answered the hedgehog. And he walked as
+fast as his little legs would go to keep up with the jackal. When they
+reached the shepherd the jackal pulled out his purse from under his
+foreleg, and made his bargain.
+
+'Only wait till to-morrow,' said the shepherd, 'and I will give you
+the biggest sheep you ever saw. But he always feeds at some distance
+from the rest of the flock, and it would take me a long time to catch
+him.'
+
+'Well, it is very tiresome, but I suppose I must wait,' replied the
+jackal. And he and the hedgehog looked about for a nice dry cave in
+which to make themselves comfortable for the night. But, after they
+had gone, the shepherd killed one of his sheep, and stripped off his
+skin, which he sewed tightly round a greyhound he had with him, and
+put a cord round its neck. Then he lay down and went to sleep.
+
+Very, very early, before the sun was properly up, the jackal and the
+hedgehog were pulling at the shepherd's cloak.
+
+'Wake up,' they said, 'and give us that sheep. We have had nothing to
+eat all night, and are very hungry.'
+
+The shepherd yawned, and rubbed his eyes. 'He is tied up to that tree;
+go and take him.' So they went to the tree and unfastened the cord,
+and turned to go back to the cave where they had slept, dragging the
+greyhound after them. When they reached the cave the jackal said to
+the hedgehog:
+
+'Before I kill him let me see whether he is fat or thin.' And he stood
+a little way back, so that he might the better examine the animal.
+After looking at him, with his head on one side, for a minute or two,
+he nodded gravely.
+
+'He is quite fat enough; he is a good sheep.'
+
+But the hedgehog, who sometimes showed more cunning than anyone would
+have guessed, answered:
+
+'My friend, you are talking nonsense. The wool is indeed a sheep's
+wool, but the paws of my uncle the greyhound peep out from
+underneath.'
+
+'He is a _sheep_,' repeated the jackal, who did not like to think
+anyone cleverer than himself.
+
+'Hold the cord while _I_ look at him,' answered the hedgehog.
+
+Very unwillingly the jackal held the rope, while the hedgehog walked
+slowly round the greyhound till he reached the jackal again. He knew
+quite well by the paws and tail that it was a greyhound and not a
+sheep, that the shepherd had sold them; and as he could not tell what
+turn affairs might take, he resolved to get out of the way.
+
+'Oh! yes, you are right,' he said to the jackal; 'but I never can eat
+till I have first drunk. I will just go and quench my thirst from that
+spring at the edge of the wood, and then I shall be ready for
+breakfast.'
+
+'Don't be long, then,' called the jackal, as the hedgehog hurried off
+at his best pace. And he lay down under a rock to wait for him.
+
+More than an hour passed by and the hedgehog had had plenty of time to
+go to the spring and back, and still there was no sign of him. And
+this was very natural, as he had hidden himself in some long grass
+under a tree!
+
+At length the jackal guessed that for some reason his friend had run
+away, and determined to wait for his breakfast no longer. So he went
+up to the place where the greyhound had been tethered and untied the
+rope. But just as he was about to spring on his back and give him a
+deadly bite, the jackal heard a low growl, which never proceeded from
+the throat of any sheep. Like a flash of lightning the jackal threw
+down the cord and was flying across the plain; but though his legs
+were long, the greyhound's legs were longer still, and he soon came up
+with his prey. The jackal turned to fight, but he was no match for the
+greyhound, and in a few minutes he was lying dead on the ground, while
+the greyhound was trotting peacefully back to the shepherd.
+
+(_Nouveaux Contes Berbčres_ par René Basset.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF THE JACKAL'S ELDEST SON_
+
+
+Now, though the jackal was dead, he had left two sons behind him,
+every whit as cunning and tricky as their father. The elder of the two
+was a fine handsome creature, who had a pleasant manner and made many
+friends. The animal he saw most of was a hyena; and one day, when they
+were taking a walk together, they picked up a beautiful green cloak,
+which had evidently been dropped by some one riding across the plain
+on a camel. Of course each wanted to have it, and they almost
+quarrelled over the matter; but at length it was settled that the
+hyena should wear the cloak by day and the jackal by night. After a
+little while, however, the jackal became discontented with this
+arrangement, declaring that none of his friends, who were quite
+different from those of the hyena, could see the splendour of the
+mantle, and that it was only fair that he should sometimes be allowed
+to wear it by day. To this the hyena would by no means consent, and
+they were on the eve of a quarrel when the hyena proposed that they
+should ask the lion to judge between them. The jackal agreed to this,
+and the hyena wrapped the cloak about him, and they both trotted off
+to the lion's den.
+
+The jackal, who was fond of talking, at once told the story; and when
+it was finished the lion turned to the hyena and asked if it was true.
+
+'Quite true, your majesty,' answered the hyena.
+
+'Then lay the cloak on the ground at my feet,' said the lion, 'and I
+will give my judgment.' So the mantle was spread upon the red earth,
+the hyena and the jackal standing on each side of it.
+
+There was silence for a few moments, and then the lion sat up, looking
+very great and wise.
+
+'My judgment is that the garment shall belong wholly to whoever first
+rings the bell of the nearest mosque at dawn to-morrow. Now go; for
+much business awaits me!'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+All that night the hyena sat up, fearing lest the jackal should reach
+the bell before him, for the mosque was close at hand. With the first
+streak of dawn he bounded away to the bell, just as the jackal, who
+had slept soundly all night, was rising to his feet.
+
+'Good luck to you,' cried the jackal. And throwing the cloak over his
+back he darted away across the plain, and was seen no more by his
+friend the hyena.
+
+After running several miles the jackal thought he was safe from
+pursuit, and seeing a lion and another hyena talking together, he
+strolled up to join them.
+
+'Good morning,' he said; 'may I ask what is the matter? You seem very
+serious about something.'
+
+'Pray sit down,' answered the lion. 'We were wondering in which
+direction we should go to find the best dinner. The hyena wishes to go
+to the forest, and I to the mountains. What do you say?'
+
+'Well, as I was sauntering over the plain, just now, I noticed a flock
+of sheep grazing, and some of them had wandered into a little valley
+quite out of sight of the shepherd. If you keep among the rocks you
+will never be observed. But perhaps you will allow me to go with you
+and show you the way?'
+
+'You are really very kind,' answered the lion. And they crept
+stealthily along till at length they reached the mouth of the valley
+where a ram, a sheep and a lamb were feeding on the rich grass,
+unconscious of their danger.
+
+'How shall we divide them?' asked the lion in a whisper to the hyena.
+
+'Oh, it is easily done,' replied the hyena. 'The lamb for me, the
+sheep for the jackal, and the ram for the lion.'
+
+'So I am to have that lean creature, which is nothing but horns, am
+I?' cried the lion in a rage. 'I will teach you to divide things in
+that manner!' And he gave the hyena two great blows, which stretched
+him dead in a moment. Then he turned to the jackal and said: 'How
+would you divide them?'
+
+'Quite differently from the hyena,' replied the jackal. 'You will
+breakfast off the lamb, you will dine off the sheep, and you will sup
+off the ram.'
+
+'Dear me, how clever you are! Who taught you such wisdom?' exclaimed
+the lion, looking at him admiringly.
+
+'The fate of the hyena,' answered the jackal, laughing, and running
+off at his best speed; for he saw two men armed with spears coming
+close behind the lion!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The jackal continued to run till at last he could run no longer. He
+flung himself under a tree panting for breath, when he heard a rustle
+amongst the grass, and his father's old friend the hedgehog appeared
+before him.
+
+'Oh, is it you?' asked the little creature; 'how strange that we
+should meet so far from home!'
+
+'I have just had a narrow escape of my life,' gasped the jackal, 'and
+I need some sleep. After that we must think of something to do to
+amuse ourselves.' And he lay down again and slept soundly for a couple
+of hours.
+
+'Now I am ready,' said he; 'have you anything to propose?'
+
+'In a valley beyond those trees,' answered the hedgehog, 'there is a
+small farm-house where the best butter in the world is made. I know
+their ways, and in an hour's time the farmer's wife will be off to
+milk the cows, which she keeps at some distance. We could easily get
+in at the window of the shed where she keeps the butter, and I will
+watch, lest some one should come unexpectedly, while you have a good
+meal. Then you shall watch, and I will eat.'
+
+'That sounds a good plan,' replied the jackal; and they set off
+together.
+
+But when they reached the farm-house the jackal said to the hedgehog:
+'Go in and fetch the pots of butter, and I will hide them in a safe
+place.'
+
+'Oh no,' cried the hedgehog, 'I really couldn't. They would find out
+directly! And, besides, it is so different just eating a little now
+and then.'
+
+'Do as I bid you _at once_,' said the jackal, looking at the hedgehog
+so sternly that the little fellow dared say no more, and soon rolled
+the jars to the window where the jackal lifted them out one by one.
+
+When they were all in a row before him he gave a sudden start.
+
+'Run for your life,' he whispered to his companion; 'I see the woman
+coming over the hill!' And the hedgehog, his heart beating, set off as
+fast as he could. The jackal remained where he was, shaking with
+laughter, for the woman was not in sight at all, and he had only sent
+the hedgehog away because he did not want him to know where the jars
+of butter were buried. But every day he stole out to their
+hiding-place and had a delicious feast.
+
+At length, one morning, the hedgehog suddenly said:
+
+'You never told me what you did with those jars?'
+
+'Oh, I hid them safely till the farm people should have forgotten all
+about them,' replied the jackal. 'But as they are still searching for
+them we must wait a little longer, and then I'll bring them home, and
+we will share them between us.'
+
+So the hedgehog waited and waited; but every time he asked if there
+was no chance of getting the jars of butter the jackal put him off
+with some excuse. After a while the hedgehog became suspicious, and
+said:
+
+'I should like to know where you have hidden them. To-night, when it
+is quite dark, you shall show me the place.'
+
+'I really _can't_ tell you,' answered the jackal. 'You talk so much
+that you would be sure to confide the secret to somebody, and then we
+should have had our trouble for nothing, besides running the risk of
+our necks being broken by the farmer. I can see that he is getting
+disheartened, and very soon he will give up the search. Have patience
+just a little longer.'
+
+The hedgehog said no more, and pretended to be satisfied; but when
+some days had gone by he woke the jackal, who was sleeping soundly
+after a hunt which had lasted several hours.
+
+'I have just had notice,' remarked the hedgehog, shaking him, 'that my
+family wish to have a banquet to-morrow, and they have invited you to
+it. Will you come?'
+
+'Certainly,' answered the jackal, 'with pleasure. But as I have to go
+out in the morning you can meet me on the road.'
+
+'That will do very well,' replied the hedgehog. And the jackal went to
+sleep again, for he was obliged to be up early.
+
+Punctual to the moment the hedgehog arrived at the place appointed for
+their meeting, and as the jackal was not there he sat down and waited
+for him.
+
+'Ah, there you are!' he cried, when the dusky yellow form at last
+turned the corner. 'I had nearly given you up! Indeed, I almost wish
+you had not come, for I hardly know where I shall hide you.'
+
+'Why should you hide me anywhere?' asked the jackal. 'What is the
+matter with you?'
+
+'Well, so many of the guests have brought their dogs and mules with
+them, that I fear it may hardly be safe for you to go amongst them.
+No; don't run off that way,' he added quickly, 'because there is
+another troop that are coming over the hill. Lie down here, and I
+will throw these sacks over you; and keep still for your life,
+whatever happens.'
+
+And what did happen was, that when the jackal was lying covered up,
+under a little hill, the hedgehog set a great stone rolling, which
+crushed him to death.
+
+(_Contes Berbčres._)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF THE YOUNGER SON OF THE JACKAL_
+
+
+Now that the father and elder brother were both dead, all that was
+left of the jackal family was one son, who was no less cunning than
+the others had been. He did not like staying in the same place any
+better than they, and nobody ever knew in what part of the country he
+might be found next.
+
+One day, when he was wandering about he beheld a nice fat sheep, which
+was cropping the grass and seemed quite contented with her lot.
+
+'Good morning,' said the jackal, 'I am so glad to see you. I have been
+looking for you everywhere.'
+
+'For _me_?' answered the sheep, in an astonished voice; 'but we have
+never met before!'
+
+'No; but I have _heard_ of you. Oh! you don't know _what_ fine things
+I have heard! Ah, well, some people have all the luck!'
+
+'You are very kind, I am sure,' answered the sheep, not knowing which
+way to look. 'Is there any way in which I can help you?'
+
+'There _is_ something that I had set my heart on, though I hardly like
+to propose it on so short an acquaintance; but from what people have
+told me, I thought that you and I might keep house together
+comfortably, if you would only agree to try. I have several fields
+belonging to me, and if they are kept well watered they bear wonderful
+crops.'
+
+'Perhaps I might come for a short time,' said the sheep, with a
+little hesitation; 'and if we do not get on, we can but part company.'
+
+'Oh, thank you, thank you,' cried the jackal; 'do not let us lose a
+moment.' And he held out his paw in such an inviting manner that the
+sheep got up and trotted beside him till they reached home.
+
+'Now,' said the jackal, 'you go to the well and fetch the water, and I
+will pour it into the trenches that run between the patches of corn.'
+And as he did so he sang lustily. The work was very hard, but the
+sheep did not grumble, and by-and-by was rewarded at seeing the little
+green heads poking themselves through earth. After that the hot sun
+ripened them quickly, and soon harvest time was come. Then the grain
+was cut and ground and ready for sale.
+
+When everything was complete, the jackal said to the sheep:
+
+'Now let us divide it, so that we can each do what we like with his
+share.'
+
+'You do it,' answered the sheep; 'here are the scales. You must weigh
+it carefully.'
+
+So the jackal began to weigh it, and when he had finished, he counted
+out loud:
+
+'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven parts for the jackal, and one
+part for the sheep. If she likes it she can take it, if not, she can
+leave it.'
+
+The sheep looked at the two heaps in silence--one so large, the other
+so small; and then she answered:
+
+'Wait for a minute, while I fetch some sacks to carry away my share.'
+
+But it was not sacks that the sheep wanted; for as soon as the jackal
+could no longer see her she set forth at her best pace for the home of
+the greyhound, where she arrived panting with the haste she had made.
+
+'Oh, good uncle, help me, I pray you!' she cried, as soon as she could
+speak.
+
+'Why, what is the matter?' asked the greyhound, looking up in
+astonishment.
+
+'I beg you to return with me, and frighten the jackal into paying me
+what he owes me,' answered the sheep. 'For months we have lived
+together, and I have twice every day drawn the water, while he only
+poured it into the trenches. Together we have reaped our harvest; and
+now, when the moment to divide our crop has come, he has taken seven
+parts for himself, and only left one for me.'
+
+She finished, and giving herself a twist, passed her woolly tail
+across her eyes; while the greyhound watched her, but held his peace.
+Then he said:
+
+'Bring me a sack.' And the sheep hastened away to fetch one. Very soon
+she returned, and laid the sack down before him.
+
+'Open it wide, that I may get in,' cried he; and when he was
+comfortably rolled up inside he bade the sheep take him on her back,
+and hasten to the place where she had left the jackal.
+
+She found him waiting for her, and pretending to be asleep, though she
+clearly saw him wink one of his eyes. However, she took no notice, but
+throwing the sack roughly on the ground, she exclaimed:
+
+'Now measure!'
+
+At this the jackal got up, and going to the heap of grain which lay
+close by, he divided it as before into eight portions--seven for
+himself and one for the sheep.
+
+'What are you doing that for?' asked she indignantly. 'You know quite
+well that it was I who drew the water, and you who only poured it into
+the trenches.'
+
+'You are mistaken,' answered the jackal. 'It was _I_ who drew the
+water, and _you_ who poured it into the trenches. Anybody will tell
+you that! If you like, I will ask those people who are digging there.'
+
+'Very well,' replied the sheep. And the jackal called out:
+
+'Ho! you diggers, tell me: Who was it you heard singing over the
+work?'
+
+'Why, it was you, of course, jackal! You sang so loud that the whole
+world might have heard you!'
+
+'And who is it that sings--he who draws the water, or he who empties
+it?'
+
+'Why, certainly he who draws the water!'
+
+'You hear?' said the jackal, turning to the sheep. 'Now come and carry
+away your own portion, or else I shall take it for myself.'
+
+'You have got the better of me,' answered the sheep; 'and I suppose I
+must confess myself beaten! But as I bear no malice, go and eat some
+of the dates that I have brought in that sack.' And the jackal, who
+loved dates, ran instantly back, and tore open the mouth of the sack.
+But just as he was about to plunge his nose in he saw two brown eyes
+calmly looking at him. In an instant he had let fall the flap of the
+sack and bounded back to where the sheep was standing.
+
+'I was only in fun; and you have brought my uncle the greyhound. Take
+away the sack, we will make the division over again.' And he began
+re-arranging the heaps.
+
+'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, for my mother the sheep, and
+one for the jackal,' counted he; casting timid glances all the while
+at the sack.
+
+'Now you can take your share and go,' said the sheep. And the jackal
+did not need twice telling! Whenever the sheep looked up, she still
+saw him flying, flying across the plain; and, for all I know, he may
+be flying across it still.
+
+(_Contes Berbčres_, par René Basset.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE THREE TREASURES OF THE GIANTS_
+
+
+Long, long ago, there lived an old man and his wife who had three
+sons; the eldest was called Martin, the second Michael, while the
+third was named Jack.
+
+One evening they were all seated round the table, eating their supper
+of bread and milk.
+
+'Martin,' said the old man suddenly, 'I feel that I cannot live much
+longer. You, as the eldest, will inherit this hut; but, if you value
+my blessing, be good to your mother and brothers.'
+
+'Certainly, father; how can you suppose I should do them wrong?'
+replied Martin indignantly, helping himself to all the best bits in
+the dish as he spoke. The old man saw nothing, but Michael looked on
+in surprise, and Jack was so astonished that he quite forgot to eat
+his own supper.
+
+A little while after, the father fell ill, and sent for his sons, who
+were out hunting, to bid him farewell. After giving good advice to the
+two eldest, he turned to Jack.
+
+'My boy,' he said, 'you have not got quite as much sense as other
+people, but if Heaven has deprived you of some of your wits, it has
+given you a kind heart. Always listen to what it says, and take heed
+to the words of your mother and brothers, as well as you are able!' So
+saying the old man sank back on his pillows and died.
+
+The cries of grief uttered by Martin and Michael sounded through the
+house, but Jack remained by the bedside of his father, still and
+silent, as if he were dead also. At length he got up, and going into
+the garden, hid himself in some trees, and wept like a child, while
+his two brothers made ready for the funeral.
+
+No sooner was the old man buried than Martin and Michael agreed that
+they would go into the world together to seek their fortunes, while
+Jack stayed at home with their mother. Jack would have liked nothing
+better than to sit and dream by the fire, but the mother, who was very
+old herself, declared that there was no work for him to do, and that
+he must seek it with his brothers.
+
+So, one fine morning, all three set out; Martin and Michael carried
+two great bags full of food, but Jack carried nothing. This made his
+brothers very angry, for the day was hot and the bags were heavy, and
+about noon they sat down under a tree and began to eat. Jack was as
+hungry as they were, but he knew that it was no use asking for
+anything; and he threw himself under another tree, and wept bitterly.
+
+'Another time perhaps you won't be so lazy, and will bring food for
+yourself,' said Martin, but to his surprise Jack answered:
+
+'You are a nice pair! You talk of seeking your fortunes, so as not to
+be a burden on our mother, and you begin by carrying off all the food
+she has in the house!'
+
+This reply was so unexpected that for some moments neither of the
+brothers made any answer. Then they offered their brother some of
+their food, and when he had finished eating they went their way once
+more.
+
+Towards evening they reached a small hut, and knocking at the door,
+asked if they might spend the night there. The man, who was a
+wood-cutter, invited them in, and begged them to sit down to supper.
+Martin thanked him, but being very proud, explained that it was only
+shelter they wanted, as they had plenty of food with them; and he and
+Michael as once opened their bags and began to eat, while Jack hid
+himself in a corner. The wife, on seeing this, took pity on him, and
+called him to come and share their supper, which he gladly did, and
+very good he found it. At this, Martin regretted deeply that he had
+been so foolish as to refuse, for his bits of bread and cheese seemed
+very hard when he smelt the savoury soup his brother was enjoying.
+
+'He shan't have such a chance again,' thought he; and the next morning
+he insisted on plunging into a thick forest where they were likely to
+meet nobody.
+
+For a long time they wandered hither and thither, for they had no path
+to guide them; but at last they came upon a wide clearing, in the
+midst of which stood a castle. Jack shouted with delight, but Martin,
+who was in a bad temper, said sharply:
+
+'We must have taken the wrong turning! Let us go back.'
+
+'Idiot!' replied Michael, who was hungry too, and, like many people
+when they are hungry, very cross also. 'We set out to travel through
+the world, and what does it matter if we go to the right or to the
+left?' And, without another word, took the path to the castle, closely
+followed by Jack, and after a moment by Martin likewise.
+
+The door of the castle stood open, and they entered a great hall, and
+looked about them. Not a creature was to be seen, and suddenly
+Martin--he did not know why--felt a little frightened. He would have
+left the castle at once, but stopped when Jack boldly walked up to a
+door in the wall and opened it. He could not for very shame be outdone
+by his younger brother, and passed behind him, into another splendid
+hall, which was filled from floor to ceiling with great pieces of
+copper money.
+
+The sight quite dazzled Martin and Michael, who emptied all the
+provisions that remained out of their bags, and heaped them up instead
+with handfuls of copper.
+
+ [Illustration: THE BROTHERS ILL-TREAT POOR JACK]
+
+Scarcely had they done this when Jack threw open another door, and
+this time it led to a hall filled with silver. In an instant his
+brothers had turned their bags upside down, so that the copper money
+tumbled out on to the floor, and were shovelling in handfuls of the
+silver instead. They had hardly finished, when Jack opened yet a third
+door, and all three fell back in amazement, for this room was a mass
+of gold, so bright that their eyes grew sore as they looked at them.
+However, they soon recovered from their surprise, and quickly emptied
+their bags of silver, and filled them with gold instead. When they
+would hold no more, Martin said:
+
+'We had better hurry off now lest somebody else should come, and we
+might not know what to do'; and, followed by Michael, he hastily left
+the castle. Jack lingered behind for a few minutes to put a piece of
+gold, silver, and copper into his pocket, and to eat the food that his
+brothers had thrown down in the first room. Then he went after them,
+and found them lying down to rest in the midst of a forest. It was
+near sunset, and Martin began to feel hungry, so, when Jack arrived,
+he bade him return to the castle and bring the bread and cheese that
+they had left there.
+
+'It is hardly worth doing that,' answered Jack; 'for I picked up the
+pieces and ate them myself.'
+
+At this reply both brothers were beside themselves with anger, and
+fell upon the boy, beating him, and calling him names, till they were
+quite tired.
+
+'Go where you like,' cried Martin with a final kick; 'but never come
+near us again.' And poor Jack ran weeping into the woods.
+
+The next morning his brothers went home, and bought a beautiful house,
+where they lived with their mother like great lords.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Jack remained for some hours in hiding, thankful to be safe from his
+tormentors; but when no one came to trouble him, and his back did not
+ache so much, he began to think what he had better do. At length he
+made up his mind to go to the castle and take away as much money with
+him as would enable him to live in comfort for the rest of his life.
+This being decided, he sprang up, and set out along the path which led
+to the castle. As before, the door stood open, and he went on till he
+had reached the hall of gold, and there he took off his jacket and
+tied the sleeves together so that it might make a kind of bag. He then
+began to pour in the gold by handfuls, when, all at once, a noise
+like thunder shook the castle. This was followed by a voice, hoarse
+as that of a bull, which cried:
+
+'I smell the smell of a man.' And two giants entered.
+
+'So, little worm! it is _you_ who steal our treasures!' exclaimed the
+biggest. 'Well, we have got you now, and we will cook you for supper!'
+But here the other giant drew him aside, and for a moment or two they
+whispered together. At length the first giant spoke:
+
+'To please my friend I will spare your life on condition that, for the
+future, you shall guard our treasures. If you are hungry take this
+little table and rap on it, saying, as you do so: "The dinner of an
+emperor!" and you will get as much food as you want.'
+
+With a light heart Jack promised all that was asked of him, and for
+some days enjoyed himself mightily. He had everything he could wish
+for, and did nothing from morning till night; but by-and-by he began
+to get very tired of it all.
+
+'Let the giants guard their treasures themselves,' he said to himself
+at last; 'I am going away. But I will leave all the gold and silver
+behind me, and will take nought but you, my good little table.'
+
+So, tucking the table under his arm, he started off for the forest,
+but he did not linger there long, and soon found himself in the fields
+on the other side. There he saw an old man, who begged Jack to give
+him something to eat.
+
+'You could not have asked a better person,' answered Jack cheerfully.
+And signing to him to sit down with him under a tree, he set the table
+in front of them, and struck it three times, crying:
+
+'The dinner of an emperor!' He had hardly uttered the words when fish
+and meat of all kinds appeared on it!
+
+ [Illustration: THE GIANTS FIND JACK IN THE TREASURE ROOM]
+
+'That is a clever trick of yours,' said the old man, when he had eaten
+as much as he wanted. 'Give it to me in exchange for a treasure I have
+which is still better. Do you see this cornet? Well, you have only
+to tell it that you wish for an army, and you will have as many
+soldiers as you require.'
+
+Now, since he had been left to himself, Jack had grown ambitious, so,
+after a moment's hesitation, he took the cornet and gave the table in
+exchange. The old man bade him farewell, and set off down one path,
+while Jack chose another, and for a long time he was quite pleased
+with his new possession. Then, as he felt hungry, he wished for his
+table back again, as no house was in sight, and he wanted some supper
+badly. All at once he remembered his cornet, and a wicked thought
+entered his mind.
+
+'Two hundred hussars, forward!' cried he. And the neighing of horses
+and the clanking of swords was heard close at hand. The officer who
+rode at their head approached Jack, and politely inquired what he
+wished them to do.
+
+'A mile or two along that road,' answered Jack, 'you will find an old
+man carrying a table. Take the table from him and bring it to me.'
+
+The officer saluted and went back to his men, who started at a gallop
+to do Jack's bidding.
+
+In ten minutes they had returned, bearing the table with them.
+
+'That is all, thank you,' said Jack; and the soldiers disappeared
+inside the cornet.
+
+Oh, what a good supper Jack had that night, quite forgetting that he
+owed it to a mean trick. The next day he breakfasted early, and then
+walked on towards the nearest town. On the way thither he met another
+old man, who begged for something to eat.
+
+'Certainly you shall have something to eat,' replied Jack. And placing
+the table on the ground, he cried:
+
+'The dinner of an emperor!' when all sorts of good dishes appeared. At
+first the old man ate greedily, and said nothing; but, after his
+hunger was satisfied, he turned to Jack and said:
+
+'That is a very clever trick of yours. Give the table to me, and you
+shall have something still better.'
+
+'I don't believe there _is_ anything better,' answered Jack.
+
+'Yes, there is. Here is my bag; it will give you as many castles as
+you can possibly want.'
+
+Jack thought for a moment; then he replied: 'Very well, I will
+exchange with you.' And passing the table to the old man, he hung the
+bag over his arm.
+
+Five minutes later he summoned five hundred lancers out of the cornet
+and bade them go after the old man and fetch back the table.
+
+Now that by his cunning he had obtained possession of the three magic
+objects, he resolved to return to his native place. Smearing his face
+with dirt, and tearing his clothes so as to look like a beggar, he
+stopped the passers by and, on pretence of seeking money or food, he
+questioned them about the village gossip. In this manner he learned
+that his brothers had become great men, much respected in all the
+country round. When he heard that, he lost no time in going to the
+door of their fine house and imploring them to give him food and
+shelter; but the only thing he got was hard words, and a command to
+beg elsewhere. At length, however, at their mother's entreaty, he was
+told that he might pass the night in the stable. Here he waited until
+everybody in the house was sound asleep, when he drew his bag from
+under his cloak, and desired that a castle might appear in that place;
+and the cornet gave him soldiers to guard the castle, while the table
+furnished him with a good supper. In the morning, he caused it all to
+vanish, and when his brothers entered the stable they found him lying
+on the straw.
+
+Jack remained here for many days, doing nothing, and--as far as
+anybody knew--eating nothing. This conduct puzzled his brothers
+greatly, and they put such constant questions to him, that at length
+he told them the secret of the table, and even gave a dinner to them,
+which far outdid any they had ever seen or heard of. But though they
+had solemnly promised to reveal nothing, somehow or other the tale
+leaked out, and before long reached the ears of the king himself. That
+very evening his chamberlain arrived at Jack's dwelling, with a
+request from the king that he might borrow the table for three days.
+
+'Very well,' answered Jack, 'you can take it back with you. But tell
+his majesty that if he does not return it at the end of the three days
+I will make war upon him.'
+
+So the chamberlain carried away the table and took it straight to the
+king, telling him at the same time of Jack's threat, at which they
+both laughed till their sides ached.
+
+Now the king was so delighted with the table, and the dinners it gave
+him, that when the three days were over he could not make up his mind
+to part with it. Instead, he sent for his carpenter, and bade him copy
+it exactly, and when it was done he told his chamberlain to return it
+to Jack with his best thanks. It happened to be dinner time, and Jack
+invited the chamberlain, who knew nothing of the trick, to stay and
+dine with him. The good man, who had eaten several excellent meals
+provided by the table in the last three days, accepted the invitation
+with pleasure, even though he was to dine in a stable, and sat down on
+the straw beside Jack.
+
+'The dinner of an emperor!' cried Jack. But not even a morsel of
+cheese made its appearance.
+
+'The dinner of an emperor!' shouted Jack in a voice of thunder. Then
+the truth dawned upon him; and, crushing the table between his hands,
+he turned to the chamberlain, who, bewildered and half-frightened, was
+wondering how to get away.
+
+'Tell your false king that to-morrow I will destroy his castle as
+easily as I have broken this table.'
+
+The chamberlain hastened back to the palace, and gave the king Jack's
+message, at which he laughed more than before, and called all his
+courtiers to hear the story. But they were not quite so merry when
+they woke next morning and beheld ten thousand horsemen, and as many
+archers, surrounding the palace. The king saw it was useless to hold
+out, and he took the white flag of truce in one hand, and the real
+table in the other, and set out to look for Jack.
+
+'I committed a crime,' said he; 'but I will do my best to make up for
+it. Here is your table, which I own with shame that I tried to steal,
+and you shall have besides, my daughter as your wife!'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+There was no need to delay the marriage when the table was able to
+furnish the most splendid banquet that ever was seen, and after
+everyone had eaten and drunk as much as they wanted, Jack took his bag
+and commanded a castle filled with all sorts of treasures to arise in
+the park for himself and his bride.
+
+At this proof of his power the king's heart died within him.
+
+'Your magic is greater than mine,' he said; 'and you are young and
+strong, while I am old and tired. Take, therefore, the sceptre from my
+hand, and my crown from my head, and rule my people better than I have
+done.'
+
+So at last Jack's ambition was satisfied. He could not hope to be more
+than a king, and as long as he had his cornet to provide him with
+soldiers he was secure against his enemies. He never forgave his
+brothers for the way they had treated him, though he presented his
+mother with a beautiful castle, and everything she could possibly wish
+for. In the centre of his own palace was a treasure chamber, and in
+this chamber the table, the cornet, and the bag were kept as the most
+prized of all his possessions, and not a week passed without a visit
+from king John to make sure they were safe. He reigned long and well,
+and died a very old man, beloved by his people. But his good example
+was not followed by his sons and his grandsons. They grew so proud
+that they were ashamed to think that the founder of their race had
+once been a poor boy; and as they and all the world could not fail to
+remember it, as long as the table, the cornet, and the bag were shown
+in the treasure chamber, one king, more foolish than the rest, thrust
+them into a dark and damp cellar.
+
+For some time the kingdom remained, though it became weaker and weaker
+every year that passed. Then, one day, a rumour reached the king that
+a large army was marching against him. Vaguely he recollected some
+tales he had heard about a magic cornet which could provide as many
+soldiers as would serve to conquer the earth, and which had been
+removed by his grandfather to a cellar. Thither he hastened that he
+might renew his power once more, and in that black and slimy spot he
+found the treasures indeed. But the table fell to pieces as he touched
+it, in the cornet there remained only a few fragments of leathern
+belts which the rats had gnawed, and in the bag nothing but broken
+bits of stone.
+
+And the king bowed his head to the doom that awaited him, and in his
+heart cursed the ruin wrought by the pride and foolishness of himself
+and his forefathers.
+
+(From _Contes Populaires Slaves_, par Louis Leger.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ROVER OF THE PLAIN_
+
+
+A long way off, near the sea coast of the east of Africa, there dwelt,
+once upon a time, a man and his wife. They had two children, a son and
+a daughter, whom they loved very much, and, like parents in other
+countries, they often talked of the fine marriages the young people
+would make some day. Out there both boys and girls marry early, and
+very soon, it seemed to the mother, a message was sent by a rich man
+on the other side of the great hills offering a fat herd of oxen in
+exchange for the daughter. Everyone in the house and in the village
+rejoiced, and the maiden was despatched to her new home. When all was
+quiet again the father said to his son:
+
+'Now that we own such a splendid troop of oxen you had better hasten
+and get yourself a wife, lest some illness should overtake them.
+Already we have seen in the villages round about one or two damsels
+whose parents would gladly part with them for less than half the herd.
+Therefore tell us which you like best, and we will buy her for you.'
+
+But the son answered:
+
+'Not so; the maidens I have seen do not please me. If, indeed, I must
+marry, let me travel and find a wife for myself.'
+
+'It shall be as you wish,' said his parents; 'but if by-and-by trouble
+should come of it, it will be your fault and not ours.'
+
+The youth, however, would not listen; and bidding his father and
+mother farewell, set out on his search. Far, far away he wandered,
+over mountains and across rivers, till he reached a village where the
+people were quite different to those of his own race. As he glanced
+about him he noticed that the girls were fair to look upon, as they
+pounded maize or stewed something that smelt very nice in earthen
+pots--especially if you were hot and tired; and when one of the
+maidens turned round and offered the stranger some dinner, he made up
+his mind that he would wed her and nobody else.
+
+So he sent a message to her parents asking their leave to take her for
+his wife, and they came next day to bring their answer.
+
+'We will give you our daughter,' said they, 'if you can pay a good
+price for her. Never was there so hard-working a girl; and how we
+shall do without her we cannot tell! Still no doubt your father and
+mother will come themselves and bring the dowry?'
+
+'No; I have the dowry with me,' replied the young man; laying down a
+handful of gold pieces. 'Here it is--take it.'
+
+The old couple's eyes glittered greedily; but custom forbade them to
+touch the dowry before all was arranged.
+
+'At least,' said they, after a moment's pause, 'we may expect them to
+fetch your wife to her new home?'
+
+'No; they are not used to travelling,' answered the bridegroom. 'Let
+the ceremony be performed without delay, and we will set forth at
+once. It is a long journey.'
+
+Then the parents called in the girl, who was lying in the sun outside
+the hut, and, in the presence of all the village, a goat was killed,
+the sacred dance took place, and a blessing was said over the heads of
+the young people. After that the bride was led aside by her father,
+whose duty it was to bestow on her some parting advice as to her
+conduct in her married life.
+
+'Be good to your husband's parents,' added he, 'and always do the will
+of your husband.' And the girl nodded her head obediently. Next it
+was the mother's turn; and, as was the custom of the tribe, she spoke
+to her daughter:
+
+'Will you choose which of your sisters shall go with you to cut your
+wood and carry your water?'
+
+'I do not want any of them,' answered she; 'they are no use. They will
+drop the wood and spill the water.'
+
+'Then will you have any of the other children? There are enough and to
+spare,' asked the mother again. But the bride said quickly:
+
+'I will have none of them! You must give me our buffalo, the Rover of
+the Plain; he alone shall serve me.'
+
+'What folly you talk!' cried the parents. 'Give you our buffalo, the
+Rover of the Plain? Why, you know that our life depends on him. Here
+he is well fed and lies on soft grass; but how can you tell what will
+befall him in another country? The food may be bad, he will die of
+hunger; and, if he dies we die also.'
+
+'No, no,' said the bride; 'I can look after him as well as you. Get
+him ready, for the sun is sinking and it is time we set forth.'
+
+So she went away and put together a small pot filled with healing
+herbs, a horn that she used in tending sick people, a little knife,
+and a calabash containing deer fat; and, hiding these about her, took
+leave of her father and mother and started across the mountains by the
+side of her husband.
+
+But the young man did not see the buffalo that followed them, which
+had left his home to be the servant of his wife.
+
+No one ever knew how the news spread to the kraal that the young man
+was coming back, bringing a wife with him; but, somehow or other, when
+the two entered the village, every man and woman was standing in the
+road uttering shouts of welcome.
+
+'Ah, you are not dead after all,' cried they; 'and have found a wife
+to your liking, though you would have none of our girls. Well, well,
+you have chosen your own path; and if ill comes of it beware lest you
+grumble.'
+
+Next day the husband took his wife to the fields and showed her which
+were his, and which belonged to his mother. The girl listened
+carefully to all he told her, and walked with him back to the hut; but
+close to the door she stopped, and said:
+
+'I have dropped my necklace of beads in the field, and I must go back
+and look for it.' But in truth she had done nothing of the sort, and
+it was only an excuse to go and seek the buffalo.
+
+ [Illustration: THE ROVER OF THE PLAIN DOES THE GIRL'S WORK]
+
+The beast was crouching under a tree when she came up, and snorted
+with pleasure at the sight of her.
+
+'You can roam about this field, and this, and this,' she said, 'for
+they belong to my husband; and that is his wood, where you may hide
+yourself. But the other fields are his mother's, so beware lest you
+touch them.'
+
+'I will beware,' answered the buffalo; and, patting his head, the girl
+left him.
+
+Oh, how much better a servant he was than any of the little girls the
+bride had refused to bring with her! If she wanted water, she had only
+to cross the patch of maize behind the hut and seek out the place
+where the buffalo lay hidden, and put down her pail beside him. Then
+she would sit at her ease while he went to the lake and brought the
+bucket back brimming over. If she wanted wood, he would break the
+branches off the trees and lay them at her feet. And the villagers
+watched her return laden, and said to each other:
+
+'Surely the girls of her country are stronger than our girls, for none
+of _them_ could cut so quickly or carry so much!' But then, nobody
+knew that she had a buffalo for a servant.
+
+Only, all this time she never gave the poor buffalo anything to eat,
+because she had just one dish, out of which she and her husband ate;
+while in her old home there was a dish put aside expressly for the
+Rover of the Plain. The buffalo bore it as long as he could; but, one
+day, when his mistress bade him go to the lake and fetch water, his
+knees almost gave way from hunger. He kept silence, however, till the
+evening, when he said to his mistress:
+
+'I am nearly starved; I have not touched food since I came here. I can
+work no more.'
+
+'Alas!' answered she, 'what can I do? I have only one dish in the
+house. You will have to steal some beans from the fields. Take a few
+here and a few there; but be sure not to take too many from one place,
+or the owner may notice it.'
+
+Now the buffalo had always lived an honest life, but if his mistress
+did not feed him, he must get it for himself. So that night, when all
+the village was asleep, he came out from the wood and ate a few beans
+here and a few there, as his mistress had bidden him. And when at last
+his hunger was satisfied, he crept back to his lair. But a buffalo is
+not a fairy, and the next morning, when the women arrived to work in
+the fields, they stood still with astonishment, and said to each
+other:
+
+'Just look at this; a savage beast has been destroying our crops, and
+we can see traces of his feet!' And they hurried to their homes to
+tell their tale.
+
+In the evening the girl crept out to the buffalo's hiding-place, and
+said to him:
+
+'They perceived what happened, of course; so to-night you had better
+seek your supper further off.' And the buffalo nodded his head and
+followed her counsel; but in the morning, when these women also went
+out to work, the traces of hoofs were plainly to be seen, and they
+hastened to tell their husbands, and begged them to bring their guns,
+and to watch for the robber.
+
+It happened that the stranger girl's husband was the best marksman in
+all the village, and he hid himself behind the trunk of a tree and
+waited.
+
+The buffalo, thinking that they would probably make a search for him
+in the fields he had laid waste the evening before, returned to the
+bean patch belonging to his mistress.
+
+The young man saw him coming with amazement.
+
+'Why, it is a buffalo!' cried he; 'I never have beheld one in this
+country before!' And raising his gun, he aimed just behind the ear.
+
+The buffalo gave a leap into the air, and then fell dead.
+
+'It was a good shot,' said the young man. And he ran to the village to
+tell them that the thief was punished.
+
+When he entered his hut he found his wife, who had somehow heard the
+news, twisting herself to and fro and shedding tears.
+
+'Are you ill?' asked he. And she answered: 'Yes; I have pains all
+over my body.' But she was not ill at all, only very unhappy at the
+death of the buffalo which had served her so well. Her husband felt
+anxious, and sent for the medicine man; but though she pretended to
+listen to him, she threw all his medicine out of the door directly he
+had gone away.
+
+With the first rays of light the whole village was awake, and the
+women set forth armed with baskets and the men with knives in order to
+cut up the buffalo. Only the girl remained in her hut; and after a
+while she too went to join them, groaning and weeping as she walked
+along.
+
+'What are you doing here?' asked her husband when he saw her. 'If you
+are ill you are better at home.'
+
+'Oh! I could not stay alone in the village,' said she. And her
+mother-in-law left off her work to come and scold her, and to tell her
+that she would kill herself if she did such foolish things. But the
+girl would not listen and sat down and looked on.
+
+When they had divided the buffalo's flesh, and each woman had the
+family portion in her basket, the stranger wife got up and said:
+
+'Let me have the head.'
+
+'You could never carry anything so heavy,' answered the men, 'and now
+you are ill besides.'
+
+'You do not know how strong I am,' answered she. And at last they gave
+it her.
+
+She did not walk to the village with the others, but lingered behind,
+and, instead of entering her hut, she slipped into the little shed
+where the pots for cooking and storing maize were kept. Then she laid
+down the buffalo's head and sat beside it. Her husband came to seek
+her, and begged her to leave the shed and go to bed, as she must be
+tired out; but the girl would not stir, neither would she attend to
+the words of her mother-in-law.
+
+'I wish you would leave me alone!' she answered crossly. 'It is
+impossible to sleep if somebody is always coming in.' And she turned
+her back on them, and would not even eat the food they had brought. So
+they went away, and the young man soon stretched himself out on his
+mat; but his wife's odd conduct made him anxious, and he lay awake all
+night, listening.
+
+ [Illustration: LAST OF ALL SHE SANG IN A LOW VOICE A DIRGE OVER THE
+ ROVER OF THE PLAIN]
+
+When all was still the girl made a fire and boiled some water in a
+pot. As soon as it was quite hot she shook in the medicine that she
+had brought from home, and then, taking the buffalo's head, she made
+incisions with her little knife behind the ear, and close to the
+temple where the shot had struck him. Next she applied the horn to the
+spot and blew with all her force till, at length, the blood began to
+move. After that she spread some of the deer fat out of the calabash
+over the wound, which she held in the steam of the hot water. Last of
+all, she sang in a low voice a dirge over the Rover of the Plain.
+
+As she chanted the final words the head moved, and the limbs came
+back. The buffalo began to feel alive again and shook his horns, and
+stood up and stretched himself. Unluckily it was just at this moment
+that the husband said to himself:
+
+'I wonder if she is crying still, and what is the matter with her!
+Perhaps I had better go and see.' And he got up and, calling her by
+name, went out to the shed.
+
+'Go away! I don't want you!' she cried angrily. But it was too late.
+The buffalo had fallen to the ground, dead, and with the wound in his
+head as before.
+
+The young man who, unlike most of his tribe, was afraid of his wife,
+returned to his bed without having seen anything, but wondering very
+much what she could be doing all this time. After waiting a few
+minutes, she began her task over again, and at the end the buffalo
+stood on his feet as before. But just as the girl was rejoicing that
+her work was completed, in came the husband once more to see what his
+wife was doing; and this time he sat himself down in the hut, and said
+that he wished to watch whatever was going on. Then the girl took up
+the pitcher and all her other things and left the shed, trying for the
+third time to bring the buffalo back to life.
+
+She was too late; the dawn was already breaking, and the head fell to
+the ground, dead and corrupt as it was before.
+
+The girl entered the hut, where her husband and his mother were
+getting ready to go out.
+
+'I want to go down to the lake, and bathe,' said she.
+
+'But you could never walk so far,' answered they. 'You are so tired,
+as it is, that you can hardly stand!'
+
+However, in spite of their warnings, the girl left the hut in the
+direction of the lake. Very soon she came back weeping, and sobbed
+out:
+
+'I met some one in the village who lives in my country, and he told me
+that my mother is very, very ill, and if I do not go to her at once
+she will be dead before I arrive. I will return as soon as I can, and
+now farewell.' And she set forth in the direction of the mountains.
+But this story was not true; she knew nothing about her mother, only
+she wanted an excuse to go home and tell her family that their
+prophecies had come true, and that the buffalo was dead.
+
+Balancing her basket on her head, she walked along, and directly she
+had left the village behind her she broke out into the song of the
+Rover of the Plain, and at last, at the end of the day, she came to
+the group of huts where her parents lived. Her friends all ran to meet
+her, and, weeping, she told them that the buffalo was dead.
+
+This sad news spread like lightning through the country, and the
+people flocked from far and near to bewail the loss of the beast who
+had been their pride.
+
+'If you only had listened to _us_,' they cried, 'he would be alive
+now. But you refused all the little girls we offered you, and would
+have nothing but the buffalo. And remember what the medicine-man said:
+"If the buffalo dies you die also!"'
+
+So they bewailed their fate, one to the other, and for a while they
+did not perceive that the girl's husband was sitting in their midst,
+leaning his gun against a tree. Then one man, turning, beheld him, and
+bowed mockingly.
+
+'Hail, murderer! hail! you have slain us all!'
+
+The young man stared, not knowing what he meant, and answered,
+wonderingly:
+
+'I shot a buffalo; is that why you call me a murderer?'
+
+'A buffalo--yes; but the servant of your wife! It was he who carried
+the wood and drew the water. Did you not know it?'
+
+'No; I did not know it,' replied the husband in surprise. 'Why did no
+one tell me? Of course I should not have shot him!'
+
+'Well, he is dead,' answered they, 'and we must die too.'
+
+At this the girl took a cup in which some poisonous herbs had been
+crushed, and holding it in her hands, she wailed: 'O my father, Rover
+of the Plain!' Then drinking a deep draught from it, fell back dead.
+One by one her parents, her brothers and her sisters, drank also and
+died, singing a dirge to the memory of the buffalo.
+
+The girl's husband looked on with horror; and returned sadly home
+across the mountains, and, entering his hut, threw himself on the
+ground. At first he was too tired to speak; but at length he raised
+his head and told all the story to his father and mother, who sat
+watching him. When he had finished they shook their heads and said:
+
+'Now you see that we spoke no idle words when we told you that ill
+would come of your marriage! We offered you a good and hard-working
+wife, and you would have none of her. And it is not only your wife you
+have lost, but your fortune also. For who will give you back your
+dowry if they are all dead?'
+
+'It is true, O my father,' answered the young man. But in his heart he
+thought more of the loss of his wife than of the money he had given
+for her.
+
+(From _L'Etude Ethnographique sur Les Baronga_, par Henri Junod.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE WHITE DOE_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who loved each other
+dearly, and would have been perfectly happy if they had only had a
+little son or daughter to play with. They never talked about it, and
+always pretended that there was nothing in the world to wish for; but,
+sometimes, when they looked at other people's children, their faces
+grew sad, and their courtiers and attendants knew the reason why.
+
+One day the queen was sitting alone by the side of a waterfall which
+sprung from some rocks in the large park adjoining the castle. She was
+feeling more than usually miserable, and had sent away her ladies so
+that no one might witness her grief. Suddenly she heard a rustling
+movement in the pool below the waterfall, and, on glancing up, she saw
+a large crab climbing on to a stone beside her.
+
+'Great queen,' said the crab, 'I am here to tell you that the desire
+of your heart will soon be granted. But first you must permit me to
+lead you to the palace of the fairies, which, though hard by, has
+never been seen by mortal eyes because of the thick clouds that
+surround it. When there you will know more; that is, if you will
+trust, yourself to me.'
+
+The queen had never before heard an animal speak and was struck dumb
+with surprise. However, she was so enchanted at the words of the crab
+that she smiled sweetly and held out her hand; it was taken, not by
+the crab, which had stood there only a moment before, but by a little
+old woman smartly dressed in white and crimson with green ribbons in
+her grey hair. And, wonderful to say, not a drop of water fell from
+her clothes.
+
+The old woman ran lightly down a path along which the queen had been a
+hundred times before, but it seemed so different she could hardly
+believe it was the same. Instead of having to push her way through
+nettles and brambles, roses and jasmine hung about her head, while
+under her feet the ground was sweet with violets. The orange trees
+were so tall and thick that, even at midday, the sun was never too
+hot, and at the end of the path was a glimmer of something so dazzling
+that the queen had to shade her eyes, and peep at it only between her
+fingers.
+
+'What can it be?' she asked, turning to her guide; who answered:
+
+'Oh, that is the fairies' palace, and here are some of them coming to
+meet us.'
+
+As she spoke the gates swung back and six fairies approached, each
+bearing in her hand a flower made of precious stones, but so like a
+real one that it was only by touching you could tell the difference.
+
+'Madam,' they said, 'we know not how to thank you for this mark of
+your confidence, but have the happiness to tell you that in a short
+time you will have a little daughter.'
+
+The queen was so enchanted at this news that she nearly fainted with
+joy; but when she was able to speak, she poured out all her gratitude
+to the fairies for their promised gift.
+
+'And now,' she said, 'I ought not to stay any longer, for my husband
+will think that I have run away, or that some evil beast has devoured
+me.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+In a little while it happened just as the fairies had foretold, and a
+baby girl was born in the palace. Of course both the king and queen
+were delighted, and the child was called Désirée, which means
+'desired,' for she had been 'desired' for five long years before her
+birth.
+
+ [Illustration: THE QUEEN & THE CRAB]
+
+At first the queen could think of nothing but her new plaything, but
+then she remembered the fairies who had sent it to her. Bidding her
+ladies bring her the posy of jewelled flowers which had been given her
+at the palace, she took each flower in her hand and called it by name,
+and, in turn, each fairy appeared before her. But, as unluckily often
+happens, the one to whom she owed most, the crab-fairy, was forgotten,
+and by this, as in the case of other babies you have read about, much
+mischief was wrought.
+
+However, for the moment all was gaiety in the palace, and everybody
+inside ran to the windows to watch the fairies' carriages, for no two
+were alike. One had a car of ebony, drawn by white pigeons, another
+was lying back in her ivory chariot, driving ten black crows, while
+the rest had chosen rare woods or many-coloured sea-shells, with
+scarlet and blue macaws, long-tailed peacocks, or green love-birds for
+horses. These carriages were only used on occasions of state, for when
+they went to war flying dragons, fiery serpents, lions or leopards,
+took the place of the beautiful birds.
+
+The fairies entered the queen's chamber followed by little dwarfs who
+carried their presents and looked much prouder than their mistresses.
+One by one their burdens were spread upon the ground, and no one had
+ever seen such lovely things. Everything a baby could possibly wear or
+play with was there, and, besides, they had other and more precious
+gifts to give her, which only children who have fairies for godmothers
+can ever hope to possess.
+
+They were all gathered round the heap of pink cushions on which the
+baby lay asleep, when a shadow seemed to fall between them and the
+sun, while a cold wind blew through the room. Everybody looked up, and
+there was the crab-fairy, who had grown as tall as the ceiling in her
+anger.
+
+'So I am forgotten!' cried she, in a voice so loud that the queen
+trembled as she heard it. 'Who was it soothed you in your trouble? Who
+was it led you to the fairies? Who was it brought you back in safety
+to your home again? Yet I--I--am overlooked, while _these_ who have
+done nothing in comparison, are petted and thanked.'
+
+The queen, almost dumb with terror, in vain tried to think of some
+explanation or apology; but there was none, and she could only confess
+her fault and implore forgiveness. The fairies also did their best to
+soften the wrath of their sister, and knowing that, like many plain
+people, who are _not_ fairies, she was very vain, they entreated her
+to drop her crab's disguise, and to become once more the charming
+person they were accustomed to see.
+
+For some time the enraged fairy would listen to nothing; but at length
+the flatteries began to take effect. The crab's shell fell from her,
+she shrank into her usual size, and lost some of her fierce
+expression.
+
+'Well,' she said, 'I will not cause the princess' death, as I had
+meant to do, but at the same time she will have to bear the punishment
+of her mother's fault, as many other children have done before her.
+The sentence I pass upon her is, that if she is allowed to see one ray
+of daylight before her fifteenth birthday she will rue it bitterly,
+and it may perhaps cost her her life.' And with these words she
+vanished by the window through which she came, while the fairies
+comforted the weeping queen and took counsel how best the princess
+might be kept safe during her childhood.
+
+ [Illustration: THE UNINVITED FAIRY]
+
+At the end of half an hour they had made up their minds what to do,
+and at the command of the fairies, a beautiful palace sprung up, close
+to that of the king and queen, but different from every other palace
+in the world, in having no windows, and only a door right under the
+earth. However, once within, daylight was hardly missed, so
+brilliant were the multitudes of tapers that were burning on the
+walls.
+
+Now up to this time the princess's history has been like the history
+of many a princess that you have read about; but, when the period of
+her imprisonment was nearly over, her fortunes took another turn. For
+almost fifteen years the fairies had taken care of her, and amused her
+and taught her, so that when she came into the world she might be no
+whit behind the daughters of other kings in all that makes a princess
+charming and accomplished. They all loved her dearly, but the fairy
+Tulip loved her most of all; and as the princess's fifteenth birthday
+drew near, the fairy began to tremble lest something terrible should
+happen--some accident which had not been foreseen. 'Do not let her out
+of your sight,' said Tulip to the queen, 'and meanwhile, let her
+portrait be painted and carried to the neighbouring Courts, as is the
+custom, in order that the kings may see how far her beauty exceeds
+that of every other princess, and that they may demand her in marriage
+for their sons.'
+
+And so it was done; and as the fairy had prophesied, all the young
+princes fell in love with the picture; but the last one to whom it was
+shown could think of nothing else, and refused to let it be removed
+from his chamber, where he spent whole days gazing at it.
+
+The king his father was much surprised at the change which had come
+over his son, who generally passed all his time in hunting or hawking,
+and his anxiety was increased by a conversation he overheard between
+two of his courtiers that they feared the prince must be going out of
+his mind, so moody had he become. Without losing a moment the king
+went to visit his son, and no sooner had he entered the room than the
+young man flung himself at his father's feet.
+
+'You have betrothed me already to a bride I can never love!' cried he;
+'but if you will not consent to break off the match, and ask for the
+hand of the princess Désirée, I shall die of misery, thankful to be
+alive no longer.'
+
+These words much displeased the king, who felt that, in breaking off
+the marriage already arranged, he would almost certainly be bringing
+on his subjects a long and bloody war; so, without answering, he
+turned away, hoping that a few days might bring his son to reason. But
+the prince's condition grew rapidly so much worse that the king, in
+despair, promised to send an embassy at once to Désirée's father.
+
+This news cured the young man in an instant of all his ills; and he
+began to plan out every detail of dress and of horses and carriages
+which were necessary to make the train of the envoy, whose name was
+Becasigue, as splendid as possible. He longed to form part of the
+embassy himself, if only in the disguise of a page; but this the king
+would not allow, and so the prince had to content himself with
+searching the kingdom for everything that was rare and beautiful to
+send to the princess. Indeed, he arrived, just as the embassy was
+starting, with his portrait, which had been painted in secret by the
+court painter.
+
+The king and queen wished for nothing better than that their daughter
+should marry into such a great and powerful family, and received the
+ambassador with every sign of welcome. They even wished him to see the
+princess Désirée, but this was prevented by the fairy Tulip, who
+feared some ill might come of it.
+
+'And be sure you tell him,' added she, 'that the marriage cannot be
+celebrated till she is fifteen years old, or else some terrible
+misfortune will happen to the child.'
+
+So when Becasigue, surrounded by his train, made a formal request that
+the princess Désirée might be given in marriage to his master's son,
+the king replied that he was much honoured, and would gladly give his
+consent; but that no one could even see the princess till her
+fifteenth birthday, as the spell laid upon her in her cradle by a
+spiteful fairy, would not cease to work till that was past. The
+ambassador was greatly surprised and disappointed, but he knew too
+much about fairies to venture to disobey them, therefore he had to
+content himself with presenting the prince's portrait to the queen,
+who lost no time in carrying it to the princess. As the girl took it
+in her hands it suddenly spoke, as it had been taught to do, and
+uttered a compliment of the most delicate and charming sort, which
+made the princess flush with pleasure.
+
+'How would you like to have a husband like that?' asked the queen,
+laughing.
+
+'As if I knew anything about husbands!' replied Désirée, who had long
+ago guessed the business of the ambassador.
+
+'Well, he will be your husband in three months,' answered the queen,
+ordering the prince's presents to be brought in. The princess was very
+pleased with them, and admired them greatly, but the queen noticed
+that all the while her eyes constantly strayed from the softest silks
+and most brilliant jewels to the portrait of the prince.
+
+The ambassador, finding that there was no hope of his being allowed to
+see the princess, took his leave, and returned to his own court; but
+here a new difficulty appeared. The prince, though transported with
+joy at the thought that Désirée was indeed to be his bride, was
+bitterly disappointed that she had not been allowed to return with
+Becasigue, as he had foolishly expected; and never having been taught
+to deny himself anything or to control his feelings, he fell as ill as
+he had done before. He would eat nothing nor take pleasure in
+anything, but lay all day on a heap of cushions, gazing at the picture
+of the princess.
+
+'If I have to wait three months before I can marry the princess I
+shall die!' was all this spoilt boy would say; and at length the
+king, in despair, resolved to send a fresh embassy to Désirée's father
+to implore him to permit the marriage to be celebrated at once. 'I
+would have presented my prayer in person,' he added in his letter,
+'but my great age and infirmities do not suffer me to travel; however
+my envoy has orders to agree to any arrangement that you may propose.'
+
+On his arrival at the palace Becasigue pleaded his young master's
+cause as fervently as the king his father could have done, and
+entreated that the princess might be consulted in the matter. The
+queen hastened to the marble tower, and told her daughter of the sad
+state of the prince. Désirée sank down fainting at the news, but soon
+came to herself again, and set about inventing a plan which would
+enable her to go to the prince without risking the doom pronounced
+over her by the wicked fairy.
+
+'I see!' she exclaimed joyfully at last. 'Let a carriage be built
+through which no light can come, and let it be brought into my room. I
+will then get into it, and we can travel swiftly during the night and
+arrive before dawn at the palace of the prince. Once there, I can
+remain in some underground chamber, where no light can come.'
+
+'Ah, how clever you are,' cried the queen, clasping her in her arms.
+And she hurried away to tell the king.
+
+'What a wife our prince will have!' said Becasigue bowing low; 'but I
+must hasten back with the tidings, and to prepare the underground
+chamber for the princess.' And so he took his leave.
+
+In a few days the carriage commanded by the princess was ready. It was
+of green velvet, scattered over with large golden thistles, and lined
+inside with silver brocade embroidered with pink roses. It had no
+windows, of course; but the fairy Tulip, whose counsel had been asked,
+had managed to light it up with a soft glow that came no one knew
+whither.
+
+It was carried straight up into the great hall of the tower, and the
+princess stepped into it, followed by her faithful maid of honour,
+Eglantine, and by her lady in waiting Cérisette, who also had fallen
+in love with the prince's portrait and was bitterly jealous of her
+mistress. The fourth place in the carriage was filled by Cérisette's
+mother, who had been sent by the queen to look after the three young
+people.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Now the Fairy of the Fountain was the godmother of the princess Nera,
+to whom the prince had been betrothed before the picture of Désirée
+had made him faithless. She was very angry at the slight put upon her
+godchild, and from that moment kept careful watch on the princess. In
+this journey she saw her chance, and it was she who, invisible, sat by
+Cérisette, and put bad thoughts into the minds of both her and her
+mother.
+
+The way to the city where the prince lived ran for the most part
+through a thick forest, and every night when there was no moon, and
+not a single star could be seen through the trees, the guards who
+travelled with the princess opened the carriage to give it an airing.
+This went on for several days, till only twelve hours journey lay
+between them and the palace. Then Cérisette persuaded her mother to
+cut a great hole in the side of the carriage with a sharp knife which
+she herself had brought for the purpose. In the forest the darkness
+was so intense that no one perceived what she had done, but when they
+left the last trees behind them, and emerged into the open country,
+the sun was up, and for the first time since her babyhood, Désirée
+found herself in the light of day.
+
+She looked up in surprise at the dazzling brilliance that streamed
+through the hole; then gave a sigh which seemed to come from her
+heart. The carriage door swung back, as if by magic, and a white doe
+sprung out, and in a moment was lost to sight in the forest. But,
+quick as she was, Eglantine, her maid of honour, had time to see where
+she went, and jumped from the carriage in pursuit of her, followed at
+a distance by the guards.
+
+Cérisette and her mother looked at each other in surprise and joy.
+They could hardly believe in their good fortune, for everything had
+happened exactly as they wished. The first thing to be done was to
+conceal the hole which had been cut, and when this was managed (with
+the help of the angry fairy, though they did not know it), Cérisette
+hastened to take off her own clothes, and put on those of the
+princess, placing the crown of diamonds on her head. She found this
+heavier than she expected; but then, she had never been accustomed to
+wear crowns, which makes all the difference.
+
+At the gates of the city the carriage was stopped by a guard of honour
+sent by the king as an escort to his son's bride. Though Cérisette and
+her mother could of course see nothing of what was going on outside,
+they heard plainly the shouts of welcome from the crowds along the
+streets.
+
+The carriage stopped at length in the vast hall which Becasigue had
+prepared for the reception of the princess. The grand chamberlain and
+the lord high steward were awaiting her, and when the false bride
+stepped into the brilliantly lighted room, they bowed low, and said
+they had orders to inform his highness the moment she arrived. The
+prince, whom the strict etiquette of the court had prevented from
+being present in the underground hall, was burning with impatience in
+his own apartments.
+
+'So she has come!' cried he, throwing down the bow he had been
+pretending to mend. 'Well, was I not right? Is she not a miracle of
+beauty and grace? And has she her equal in the whole world?' The
+ministers looked at each other, and made no reply; till at length the
+chamberlain, who was the bolder of the two, observed:
+
+'My lord, as to her beauty, you can judge of that for yourself. No
+doubt it is as great as you say; but at present it seems to have
+suffered, as is natural, from the fatigues of the journey.'
+
+This was certainly not what the prince expected to hear. Could the
+portrait have flattered her? He had known of such things before, and a
+cold shiver ran through him; but with an effort he kept silent from
+further questioning, and only said:
+
+'Has the king been told that the princess is in the palace?'
+
+'Yes, your highness; and he has probably already joined her.'
+
+'Then I will go too,' said the prince.
+
+Weak as he was from his long illness, the prince descended the
+staircase, supported by the ministers, and entered the room just in
+time to hear his father's loud cry of astonishment and disgust at the
+sight of Cérisette.
+
+'There has been treachery at work,' he exclaimed, while the prince
+leant, dumb with horror, against the doorpost. But the lady in
+waiting, who had been prepared for something of the sort, advanced,
+holding in her hand the letters which the king and queen had entrusted
+to her.
+
+'This is the princess Désirée,' said she, pretending to have heard
+nothing, 'and I have the honour to present to you these letters from
+my liege lord and lady, together with the casket containing the
+princess' jewels.'
+
+The king did not move or answer her; so the prince, leaning on the arm
+of Becasigue, approached a little closer to the false princess, hoping
+against hope that his eyes had deceived him. But the longer he looked
+the more he agreed with his father that there was some treason
+somewhere, for in no single respect did the portrait resemble the
+woman before him. Cérisette was so tall that the dress of the princess
+did not reach her ankles, and so thin that her bones showed through
+the stuff. Besides that her nose was hooked, and her teeth black and
+ugly.
+
+In his turn, the prince stood rooted to the spot. At last he spoke,
+and his words were addressed to his father and not to the bride who
+had come so far to marry him.
+
+'We have been deceived,' he said, 'and it will cost me my life.' And
+he leaned so heavily on the envoy that Becasigue feared he was going
+to faint, and hastily laid him on the floor. For some minutes no one
+could attend to anybody but the prince; but as soon as he revived the
+lady in waiting made herself heard.
+
+'Oh, my lovely princess, why did we ever leave home?' cried she. 'But
+the king your father will avenge the insults that have been heaped on
+you when we tell him how you have been treated.'
+
+'I will tell him myself,' replied the king in wrath; 'he promised me a
+wonder of beauty, he has sent me a skeleton! I am not surprised that
+he has kept her for fifteen years hidden from the eyes of the world.
+Take them both away,' he continued, turning to his guards, 'and lodge
+them in the state prison. There is something more I have to learn of
+this matter.'
+
+His orders were obeyed, and the prince, loudly bewailing his sad fate,
+was led back to his bed, where for many days he lay in a high fever.
+At length he slowly began to gain strength, but his sorrow was still
+so great that he could not bear the sight of a strange face, and
+shuddered at the notion of taking his proper part in the court
+ceremonies. Unknown to the king, or to anybody but Becasigue, he
+planned that, as soon as he was able, he would make his escape and
+pass the rest of his life in some solitary place. It was some weeks
+before he had regained his health sufficiently to carry out his
+design; but finally, one beautiful starlight night, the two friends
+stole away, and when the king woke next morning he found a letter
+lying by his bed, saying that his son had gone, he knew not whither.
+He wept bitter tears at the news, for he loved the prince dearly; but
+he felt that perhaps the young man had done wisely, and he trusted to
+time and Becasigue's influence to bring the wanderer home.
+
+And while these things were happening, what had become of the white
+doe? Though when she sprang from the carriage she was aware that some
+unkind fate had changed her into an animal, yet, till she saw herself
+in a stream, she had no idea what it was.
+
+'Is it really, I, Désirée?' she said to herself, weeping. 'What wicked
+fairy can have treated me so; and shall I never, never take my own
+shape again? My only comfort that, in this great forest, full of lions
+and serpents, my life will be a short one.'
+
+Now the fairy Tulip was as much grieved at the sad fate of the
+princess as Désirée's own mother could have been if she had known of
+it. Still, she could not help feeling that if the king and queen had
+listened to her advice the girl would by this time be safely in the
+walls of her new home. However, she loved Désirée too much to let her
+suffer more than could be helped, and it was she who guided Eglantine
+to the place where the white doe was standing, cropping the grass
+which was her dinner.
+
+At the sound of footsteps the pretty creature lifted her head, and
+when she saw her faithful companion approaching she bounded towards
+her, and rubbed her head on Eglantine's shoulder. The maid of honour
+was surprised; but she was fond of animals, and stroked the white doe
+tenderly, speaking gently to her all the while. Suddenly the beautiful
+creature lifted her head, and looked up into Eglantine's face, with
+tears streaming from her eyes. A thought flashed through her mind, and
+quick as lightning the girl flung herself on her knees, and lifting
+the animal's feet kissed them one by one. 'My princess! O my dear
+princess!' cried she; and again the white doe rubbed her head against
+her, for though the spiteful fairy had taken away her power of
+speech, she had not deprived her of her reason!
+
+All day long the two remained together, and when Eglantine grew hungry
+she was led by the white doe to a part of the forest where pears and
+peaches grew in abundance; but, as night came on, the maid of honour
+was filled with the terrors of wild beasts which had beset the
+princess during her first night in the forest.
+
+'Is there no hut or cave we could go into?' asked she. But the doe
+only shook her head; and the two sat down and wept with fright.
+
+The fairy Tulip who, in spite of her anger, was very softhearted, was
+touched at their distress, and flew quickly to their help.
+
+'I cannot take away the spell altogether,' she said, 'for the Fairy of
+the Fountain is stronger than I; but I can shorten the time of your
+punishment, and am able to make it less hard, for as soon as darkness
+falls you shall resume your own shape.'
+
+To think that by-and-by she would cease to be a white doe--indeed,
+that she would at once cease to be one during the night--was for the
+present joy enough for Désirée, and she skipped about on the grass in
+the prettiest manner.
+
+'Go straight down the path in front of you,' continued the fairy,
+smiling as she watched her; 'go straight down the path and you will
+soon reach a little hut where you will find shelter.' And with these
+words she vanished, leaving her hearers happier than they ever thought
+they could be again.
+
+An old woman was standing at the door of the hut when Eglantine drew
+near, with the white doe trotting by her side.
+
+'Good evening!' she said; 'could you give me a night's lodging for
+myself and my doe?'
+
+'Certainly I can,' replied the old woman. And she led them into a room
+with two little white beds, so clean and comfortable that it made you
+sleepy even to look at them.
+
+The door had hardly closed behind the old woman when the sun sank
+below the horizon, and Désirée became a girl again.
+
+'Oh, Eglantine! what should I have done if you had not followed me,'
+she cried. And she flung herself into her friend's arms in a transport
+of delight.
+
+Early in the morning Eglantine was awakened by the sound of someone
+scratching at the door, and on opening her eyes she saw the white doe
+struggling to get out. The little creature looked up and into her
+face, and nodded her head as the maid of honour unfastened the latch,
+but bounded away into the woods, and was lost to sight in a moment.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Meanwhile, the prince and Becasigue were wandering through the wood,
+till at last the prince grew so tired, that he lay down under a tree,
+and told Becasigue that he had better go in search of food, and of
+some place where they could sleep. Becasigue had not gone very far,
+when a turn of the path brought him face to face with the old woman,
+who was feeding her doves before her cottage.
+
+'Could you give me some milk and fruit?' asked he. 'I am very hungry
+myself, and, besides, I have left a friend behind me who is still weak
+from illness.'
+
+'Certainly I can,' answered the old woman. 'But come and sit down in
+my kitchen while I catch the goat and milk it.'
+
+Becasigue was glad enough to do as he was bid, and in a few minutes
+the old woman returned with a basket brimming over with oranges and
+grapes.
+
+'If your friend has been ill he should not pass the night in the
+forest,' said she. 'I have a room in my hut--tiny enough, it is true;
+but better than nothing, and to that you are both heartily welcome.'
+
+Becasigue thanked her warmly, and by this time it was almost sunset,
+he set out to fetch the prince. It was while he was absent that
+Eglantine and the white doe entered the hut, and having, of course, no
+idea that in the very next room was the man whose childish impatience
+had been the cause of all their troubles.
+
+In spite of his fatigue, the prince slept badly, and directly it was
+light he rose, and bidding Becasigue remain where he was, as he wished
+to be alone, he strolled out into the forest. He walked on slowly,
+just as his fancy led him, till, suddenly, he came to a wide open
+space, and in the middle was the white doe quietly eating her
+breakfast. She bounded off at the sight of a man, but not before the
+prince, who had fastened on his bow without thinking, had let fly
+several arrows, which the fairy Tulip took care should do her no harm.
+But, quickly as she ran, she soon felt her strength failing her, for
+fifteen years of life in a tower had not taught her how to exercise
+her limbs.
+
+Luckily, the prince was too weak to follow her far, and a turn of a
+path brought her close to the hut, where Eglantine was awaiting her.
+Panting for breath, she entered their room, and flung herself down on
+the floor.
+
+When it was dark again, and she was once more the princess Désirée,
+she told Eglantine what had befallen her.
+
+'I feared the Fairy of the Fountain, and the cruel beasts,' said she;
+'but somehow I never thought of the dangers that I ran from men. I do
+not know now what saved me.'
+
+'You must stay quietly here till the time of your punishment is over,'
+answered Eglantine. But when the morning dawned, and the girl turned
+into a doe, the longing for the forest came over her, and she sprang
+away as before.
+
+As soon as the prince was awake he hastened to the place where, only
+the day before, he had found the white doe feeding; but of course she
+had taken care to go in the opposite direction. Much disappointed, he
+tried first one green path and then another, and at last, wearied with
+walking, he threw himself down and went fast asleep.
+
+ [Illustration: FOR A MINUTE THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER]
+
+Just at this moment the white doe sprang out of a thicket near by, and
+started back trembling when she beheld her enemy lying there. Yet,
+instead of turning to fly, something bade her go and look at him
+unseen. As she gazed a thrill ran through her, for she felt that, worn
+and wasted though he was by illness, it was the face of her destined
+husband. Gently stooping over him she kissed his forehead, and at her
+touch he awoke.
+
+For a minute they looked at each other, and to his amazement he
+recognised the white doe which had escaped him the previous day. But
+in an instant the animal was aroused to a sense of her danger, and she
+fled with all her strength into the thickest part of the forest. Quick
+as lightning the prince was on her track, but this time it was with no
+wish to kill or even wound the beautiful creature.
+
+'Pretty doe! pretty doe! stop! I won't hurt you,' cried he, but his
+words were carried away by the wind.
+
+At length the doe could run no more, and when the prince reached her,
+she was lying stretched out on the grass, waiting for her death blow.
+But instead the prince knelt at her side, and stroked her, and bade
+her fear nothing, as he would take care of her. So he fetched a little
+water from the stream in his horn hunting cup, then, cutting some
+branches from the trees, he twisted them into a litter which he
+covered with moss, and laid the white doe gently on it.
+
+For a long time they remained thus, but when Désirée saw by the way
+that the light struck the trees, that the sun must be near its
+setting, she was filled with alarm lest the darkness should fall, and
+the prince should behold her in her human shape.
+
+'No, he must not see me for the first time here,' she thought, and
+instantly began to plan how to get rid of him. Then she opened her
+mouth and let her tongue hang out, as if she were dying of thirst, and
+the prince, as she expected, hastened to the stream to get her some
+more water.
+
+When he returned, the white doe was gone.
+
+That night Désirée confessed to Eglantine that her pursuer was no
+other than the prince, and that far from flattering him, the portrait
+had never done him justice.
+
+'Is it not hard to meet him in this shape,' wept she, 'when we both
+love each other so much?' But Eglantine comforted her, and reminded
+her that in a short time all would be well.
+
+The prince was very angry at the flight of the white doe, for whom he
+had taken so much trouble, and returning to the cottage he poured out
+his adventures and his wrath to Becasigue, who could not help smiling.
+
+'She shall not escape me again,' cried the prince. 'If I hunt her
+every day for a year, I will have her at last.' And in this frame of
+mind he went to bed.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+When the white doe entered the forest next morning, she had not made
+up her mind whether she would go and meet the prince, or whether she
+would shun him, and hide in the thickets of which he knew nothing. She
+decided that the last plan was the best; and so it would have been if
+the prince had not taken the very same direction in search of her.
+
+Quite by accident he caught sight of her white skin shining through
+the bushes, and at the same instant she heard a twig snap under his
+feet. In a moment she was up and away, but the prince, not knowing how
+else to capture her, aimed an arrow at her leg, which brought her to
+the ground.
+
+The young man felt like a murderer as he ran hastily up to where the
+white doe lay, and did his best to soothe the pain she felt, which, in
+reality, was the last part of the punishment sent by the Fairy of the
+Fountain. First he brought her some water, and then he fetched some
+healing herbs, and having crushed them in his hands, laid them on the
+wound.
+
+'Ah! what a wretch I was to have hurt you,' cried he, resting her head
+upon his knees; 'and now you will hate me and fly from me for ever!'
+
+For some time the doe lay quietly where she was, but, as before, she
+remembered that the hour of her transformation was near. She struggled
+to her feet, but the prince would not hear of her walking, and
+thinking the old woman might be able to dress her wound better than he
+could, he took her in his arms to carry her back to the hut. But,
+small as she was, she made herself so heavy that, after staggering a
+few steps under her weight, he laid her down, and tied her fast to a
+tree with some of the ribbons off his hat. This done he went away to
+get help.
+
+Meanwhile Eglantine had grown very uneasy at the long absence of her
+mistress, and had come out to look for her. Just as the prince passed
+out of sight the fluttering ribbons danced before her eyes, and she
+descried her beautiful princess bound to a tree. With all her might
+she worked at the knots, but not a single one could she undo, though
+all appeared so easy. She was still busy with them when a voice behind
+her said:
+
+'Pardon me, fair lady, but it is _my_ doe you are trying to steal!'
+
+'Excuse me, good knight,' answered Eglantine, hardly glancing at him,
+'but it is _my_ doe that is tied up here! And if you wish for a proof
+of it, you can see if she knows me or not. Touch my heart, my little
+one,' she continued, dropping on her knees. And the doe lifted up its
+fore-foot and laid it on her side. 'Now put your arms round my neck,
+and sigh.' And again the doe did as she was bid.
+
+'You are right,' said the prince; 'but it is with sorrow I give her up
+to you, for though I have wounded her yet I love her deeply.'
+
+To this Eglantine answered nothing; but carefully raising up the doe,
+she led her slowly to the hut.
+
+Now both the prince and Becasigue were quite unaware that the old
+woman had any guests besides themselves, and, following afar, were
+much surprised to behold Eglantine and her charge enter the cottage.
+They lost no time in questioning the old woman, who replied that she
+knew nothing about the lady and her white doe, who slept next the
+chamber occupied by the prince and his friend, but that they were very
+quiet, and paid her well. Then she went back to her kitchen.
+
+'Do you know,' said Becasigue, when they were alone, 'I am certain
+that the lady that we saw is the maid of honour to the Princess
+Désirée, whom I met at the palace. And, as her room is next to this,
+it will be easy to make a small hole through which I can satisfy
+myself whether I am right or not.'
+
+So, taking a knife out of his pocket, he began to saw away the
+woodwork. The girls heard the grating noise, but fancying it was a
+mouse, paid no attention, and Becasigue was left in peace to pursue
+his work. At length the hole was large enough for him to peep through,
+and the sight was one to strike him dumb with amazement. He had
+guessed truly: the tall lady was Eglantine herself; but the
+other--where had he seen her? Ah! now he knew--it was the lady of the
+portrait!
+
+Désirée, in a flowing dress of green silk, was lying stretched out
+upon cushions, and as Eglantine bent over her to bathe the wounded
+leg, she began to talk:
+
+'Oh! let me die!' cried she, 'rather than go on leading this life. You
+cannot tell the misery of being a beast all the day, and unable to
+speak to the man I love, to whose impatience I owe my cruel fate. Yet,
+even so, I cannot bring myself to hate him.'
+
+These words, low though they were spoken, reached Becasigue, who could
+hardly believe his ears. He stood silent for a moment; then, crossing
+to the window out of which the prince was gazing, he took his arm and
+led him across the room. A single glance was sufficient to show the
+prince that it was indeed Désirée; and how another had come to the
+palace bearing her name, at that instant he neither knew nor cared.
+Stealing on tiptoe from the room, he knocked at the next door, which
+was opened by Eglantine, who thought it was the old woman bearing
+their supper.
+
+She started back at the sight of the prince, whom this time she also
+recognised. But he thrust her aside, and flung himself at the feet of
+Désirée, to whom he poured out all his heart!
+
+Dawn found them still conversing; and the sun was high in the heavens
+before the princess perceived that she retained her human form. Ah!
+how happy she was when she knew that the days of her punishment were
+over; and with a glad voice she told the prince the tale of her
+enchantment.
+
+So the story ended well after all; and the fairy Tulip, who turned out
+to be the old woman of the hut, made the young couple such a wedding
+feast as had never been seen since the world began. And everybody was
+delighted, except Cérisette and her mother, who were put in a boat and
+carried to a small island, where they had to work hard for their
+living.
+
+(_Contes des Fées_, par Madame d'Aulnoy.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE GIRL-FISH_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived, on the bank of a stream, a man and a
+woman who had a daughter. As she was an only child, and very pretty
+besides, they never could make up their minds to punish her for her
+faults or to teach her nice manners; and as for work--she laughed in
+her mother's face if she asked her to help cook the dinner or to wash
+the plates. All the girl would do was to spend her days in dancing and
+playing with her friends; and for any use she was to her parents they
+might as well have had no daughter at all.
+
+However, one morning her mother looked so tired that even the selfish
+girl could not help seeing it, and asked if there was anything she was
+able to do, so that her mother might rest a little.
+
+The good woman looked so surprised and grateful for this offer that
+the girl felt rather ashamed, and at that moment would have scrubbed
+down the house if she had been requested; but her mother only begged
+her to take the fishing-net out to the bank of the river and mend some
+holes in it, as her father intended to go fishing that night.
+
+The girl took the net and worked so hard that soon there was not a
+hole to be found. She felt quite pleased with herself, though she had
+had plenty to amuse her, as everybody who passed by had stopped and
+had a chat with her. But by this time the sun was high over head, and
+she was just folding her net to carry it home again, when she heard a
+splash behind her, and looking round she saw a big fish jump into the
+air. Seizing the net with both hands, she flung it into the water
+where the circles were spreading one behind the other, and, more by
+luck than skill, drew out the fish.
+
+'Well, you are a beauty!' she cried to herself; but the fish looked up
+to her and said:
+
+'You had better not kill me, for, if you do, I will turn you into a
+fish yourself!'
+
+The girl laughed contemptuously, and ran straight in to her mother.
+
+'Look what I have caught,' she said gaily; 'but it is almost a pity to
+eat it, for it can talk, and it declares that, if I kill it, it will
+turn me into a fish too.'
+
+'Oh, put it back, put it back!' implored the mother. 'Perhaps it is
+skilled in magic. And I should die, and so would your father, if
+anything should happen to you.'
+
+'Oh, nonsense, mother; what power could a creature like that have over
+me? Besides, I am hungry, and if I don't have my dinner very soon, I
+shall be cross.' And off she went to gather some flowers to stick in
+her hair.
+
+About an hour later the blowing of a horn told her that dinner was
+ready.
+
+'Didn't I say that fish would be delicious?' she cried; and plunging
+her spoon into the dish the girl helped herself to a large piece. But
+the instant it touched her mouth a cold shiver ran through her. Her
+head seemed to flatten, and her eyes to look oddly round the corners;
+her legs and her arms were stuck to her sides, and she gasped wildly
+for breath. With a mighty bound she sprang through the window and fell
+into the river, where she soon felt better, and was able to swim to
+the sea, which was close by.
+
+No sooner had she arrived there than the sight of her sad face
+attracted the notice of some of the other fishes, and they pressed
+round her, begging her to tell them her story.
+
+'I am not a fish at all,' said the new-comer, swallowing a great deal
+of salt water as she spoke; for you cannot learn how to be a proper
+fish all in a moment. 'I am not a fish at all, but a girl; at least I
+was a girl a few minutes ago, only----' And she ducked her head under
+the waves so that they should not see her crying.
+
+'Only you did not believe that the fish you caught had power to carry
+out its threat,' said an old tunny. 'Well, never mind, that has
+happened to all of us, and it really is not a bad life. Cheer up and
+come with us and see our queen, who lives in a palace that is much
+more beautiful than any _your_ queens can boast of.'
+
+The new fish felt a little afraid of taking such a journey; but as she
+was still more afraid of being left alone, she waved her tail in token
+of consent, and off they all set, hundreds of them together. The
+people on the rocks and in the ships that saw them pass said to each
+other:
+
+'Look what a splendid shoal!' and had no idea that they were hastening
+to the queen's palace; but, then, dwellers on land have so little
+notion of what goes on in the bottom of the sea! Certainly the little
+new fish had none. She had watched jelly-fish and nautilus swimming a
+little way below the surface, and beautiful coloured sea-weeds
+floating about; but that was all. _Now_, when she plunged deeper her
+eyes fell upon strange things.
+
+Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, inestimable stones,
+unvalued jewels--all scattered in the bottom of the sea! Dead men's
+bones were there also, and long white creatures who had never seen the
+light, for they mostly dwelt in the clefts of rocks where the sun's
+rays could not come. At first our little fish felt as if she were
+blind also, but by-and-by she began to make out one object after
+another in the green dimness, and by the time she had swum for a few
+hours all became clear.
+
+'Here we are at last,' cried a big fish, going down into a deep
+valley, for the sea has its mountains and valleys just as much as the
+land. 'That is the palace of the queen of the fishes, and I think you
+must confess that the emperor himself has nothing so fine.'
+
+'It is beautiful indeed,' gasped the little fish, who was very tired
+with trying to swim as fast as the rest, and beautiful beyond words
+the palace was. The walls were made of pale pink coral, worn smooth by
+the waters, and round the windows were rows of pearls; the great doors
+were standing open, and the whole troop floated into a chamber of
+audience, where the queen, who was half a woman after all, was seated
+on a throne made of a green and blue shell.
+
+'Who are you, and where do you come from?' said she to the little
+fish, whom the others had pushed in front. And in a low, trembling
+voice, the visitor told her story.
+
+'I was once a girl too,' answered the queen, when the fish had ended;
+'and my father was the king of a great country. A husband was found
+for me, and on my wedding-day my mother placed her crown on my head
+and told me that as long as I wore it I should likewise be queen. For
+many months I was as happy as a girl could be, especially when I had a
+little son to play with. But, one morning, when I was walking in my
+gardens, there came a giant and snatched the crown from my head.
+Holding me fast, he told me that he intended to give the crown to his
+daughter, and to enchant my husband the prince, so that he should not
+know the difference between us. Since then she has filled my place and
+been queen in my stead. As for me, I was so miserable that I threw
+myself into the sea, and my ladies, who loved me, declared that they
+would die too; but, instead of dying, some wizard, who pitied my
+fate, turned us all into fishes, though he allowed me to keep the face
+and body of a woman. And fishes we must remain till someone brings me
+back my crown again!'
+
+'_I_ will bring it back if you will tell me what to do!' cried the
+little fish; who would have promised anything that was likely to carry
+her up to earth again. And the queen answered:
+
+'Yes, I will tell you what to do.'
+
+She sat silent for a moment, and then went on:
+
+'There is no danger if you will only follow my counsel; and first you
+must return to earth, and go up to the top of a high mountain, where
+the giant has built his castle. You will find him sitting on the steps
+weeping for his daughter, who has just died while the prince was away
+hunting. At the last she sent her father my crown by a faithful
+servant. But I warn you to be careful, for if he sees you he may kill
+you. Therefore I will give you the power to change yourself into any
+creature that may help you best. You have only to strike your
+forehead, and call out its name.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+This time the journey to land seemed much shorter than before, and
+when once the fish reached the shore she struck her forehead sharply
+with her tail, and cried:
+
+'Deer, come to me.'
+
+In a moment the small slimy body disappeared, and in its place stood a
+beautiful beast with branching horns and slender legs, quivering with
+longing to be gone. Throwing back her head and snuffing the air, she
+broke into a run, leaping easily over the rivers and walls that stood
+in her way.
+
+It happened that the king's son had been hunting since daybreak, but
+had killed nothing, and when the deer crossed his path as he was
+resting under a tree he determined to have her. He flung himself on
+his horse, which went like the wind, and as the prince had often
+hunted the forest before, and knew all the short cuts, he at last came
+up with the panting beast.
+
+'By your favour let me go, and do not kill me,' said the deer, turning
+to the prince with tears in her eyes, 'for I have far to run and much
+to do.' And as the prince, struck dumb with surprise, only looked at
+her, the deer cleared the next wall and was soon out of sight.
+
+'That can't _really_ be a deer,' thought the prince to himself,
+reining in his horse and not attempting to follow her. 'No deer ever
+had eyes like that. It must be an enchanted maiden, and I will marry
+her and no other.'
+
+So, turning his horse's head, he rode slowly back to his palace.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The deer reached the giant's castle quite out of breath, and her heart
+sank as she gazed at the tall, smooth walls which surrounded it. Then
+she plucked up courage and cried:
+
+'Ant, come to me!' And in a moment the branching horns and beautiful
+shape had vanished, and a tiny brown ant, invisible to all who did not
+look closely, was climbing up the walls.
+
+It was wonderful how fast she went, that little creature! The wall
+must have appeared miles high in comparison with her own body; yet, in
+less time than would have seemed possible, she was over the top and
+down in the courtyard on the other side. Here she paused to consider
+what had best be done next, and looking about her she saw that one of
+the walls had a tall tree growing by it, and in this corner was a
+window very nearly on a level with the highest branches of the tree.
+
+'Monkey, come to me!' cried the ant; and before you could turn round a
+monkey was swinging herself from the topmost branches into the room
+where the giant lay snoring.
+
+'Perhaps he will be so frightened at the sight of me that he may die
+of fear, and I shall never get the crown,' thought the monkey. 'I had
+better become something else.' And she called softly: 'Parrot, come to
+me!'
+
+Then a pink and grey parrot hopped up to the giant, who by this time
+was stretching himself and giving yawns which shook the castle. The
+parrot waited a little until he was really awake, and then she said
+boldly that she had been sent to take away the crown, which was not
+his any longer, now his daughter the queen was dead.
+
+On hearing these words the giant leapt out of bed with an angry roar,
+and sprang at the parrot in order to wring her neck with his great
+hands. But the bird was too quick for him, and, flying behind his
+back, begged the giant to have patience, as her death would be of no
+use to him.
+
+'That is true,' answered the giant; 'but I am not so foolish as to
+give you that crown for nothing. Let me think what I will have in
+exchange!' And he scratched his huge head for several minutes, for
+giants' minds always move slowly.
+
+'Ah, yes, that will do!' exclaimed the giant at last, his face
+brightening. 'You shall have the crown if you will bring me a collar
+of blue stones from the Arch of St. Martin, in the great City.'
+
+Now when the parrot had been a girl she had often heard of this
+wonderful arch and the precious stones and marbles that had been let
+into it. It sounded as if it would be a very hard thing to get them
+away from the building of which they formed a part, but all had gone
+well with her so far, and at any rate she could but try. So she bowed
+to the giant, and made her way back to the window where the giant
+could not see her. Then she called quickly:
+
+'Eagle, come to me!'
+
+Before she had even reached the tree she felt herself borne up on
+strong wings ready to carry her to the clouds if she wished to go
+there, and, seeming a mere speck in the sky, she was swept along till
+she beheld the Arch of St. Martin far below, with the rays of the sun
+shining on it. Then she swooped down, and, hiding herself behind a
+buttress so that she could not be detected from below, she set herself
+to dig out the nearest blue stones with her beak. It was even harder
+work than she had expected; but at last it was done, and hope arose in
+her heart. She next drew out a piece of string that she had found
+hanging from a tree, and sitting down to rest strung the stones
+together. When the necklace was finished she hung it round her neck,
+and called: 'Parrot, come to me!' And a little later the pink and grey
+parrot stood before the giant.
+
+'Here is the necklace you asked for,' said the parrot. And the eyes of
+the giant glistened as he took the heap of blue stones in his hand.
+But for all that he was not minded to give up the crown.
+
+'They are hardly as blue as I expected,' he grumbled, though the
+parrot knew as well as he did that he was not speaking the truth; 'so
+you must bring me something else in exchange for the crown you covet
+so much. If you fail it will cost you not only the crown but your life
+also.'
+
+'What is it you want now?' asked the parrot; and the giant answered:
+
+'If I give you my crown I must have another still more beautiful; and
+this time you shall bring me a crown of stars.'
+
+The parrot turned away, and as soon as she was outside she murmured:
+
+'Toad, come to me!' And sure enough a toad she was, and off she set in
+search of the starry crown.
+
+She had not gone far before she came to a clear pool, in which the
+stars were reflected so brightly that they looked quite real to touch
+and handle. Stooping down she filled a bag she was carrying with the
+shining water and, returning to the castle, wove a crown out of the
+reflected stars. Then she cried as before:
+
+'Parrot, come to me!' And in the shape of a parrot she entered the
+presence of the giant.
+
+'Here is the crown you asked for,' she said; and this time the giant
+could not help crying out with admiration. He knew he was beaten, and
+still holding the chaplet of stars, he turned to the girl.
+
+'Your power is greater than mine: take the crown; you have won it
+fairly!'
+
+The parrot did not need to be told twice. Seizing the crown, she
+sprang on to the window, crying: 'Monkey, come to me!' And to a
+monkey, the climb down the tree into the courtyard did not take half a
+minute. When she had reached the ground she said again: 'Ant, come to
+me!' And a little ant at once began to crawl over the high wall. How
+glad the ant was to be out of the giant's castle, holding fast the
+crown which had shrunk into almost nothing, as she herself had done,
+but grew quite big again when the ant exclaimed:
+
+'Deer, come to me!'
+
+Surely no deer ever ran so swiftly as that one! On and on she went,
+bounding over rivers and crashing through tangles till she reached the
+sea. Here she cried: for the last time:
+
+'Fish, come to me!' And, plunging in, she swam along the bottom as far
+as the palace, where the queen and all the fishes were gathered
+together awaiting her.
+
+The hours since she had left had gone very slowly--as they always do
+to people that are waiting--and many of them had quite given up hope.
+
+'I am tired of staying here,' grumbled a beautiful little creature,
+whose colours changed with every movement of her body, 'I want to see
+what is going on in the upper world. It must be _months_ since that
+fish went away.'
+
+'It was a very difficult task, and the giant must certainly have
+killed her or she would have been back long ago,' remarked another.
+
+'The young flies will be coming out now,' murmured a third, 'and they
+will all be eaten up by the river fish! It is really _too_ bad!' When,
+suddenly, a voice was heard from behind: 'Look! look! what is that
+bright thing that is moving so swiftly towards us?' And the queen
+started up, and stood on her tail, so excited was she.
+
+A silence fell on all the crowd, and even the grumblers held their
+peace and gazed like the rest. On and on came the fish, holding the
+crown tightly in her mouth, and the others moved back to let her pass.
+On she went right up to the queen, who bent, and taking the crown,
+placed it on her own head. Then a wonderful thing happened. Her tail
+dropped away or, rather, it divided and grew into two legs and a pair
+of the prettiest feet in the world, while her maidens, who were
+grouped around her, shed their scales and became girls again. They all
+turned and looked at each other first, and next at the little fish who
+had regained her own shape and was more beautiful than any of them.
+
+'It is _you_ who have given us back our life; _you_, _you_!' they
+cried; and fell to weeping for very joy.
+
+So they all went back to earth and the queen's palace, and quite
+forgot the one that lay under the sea. But they had been so long away
+that they found many changes. The prince, the queen's husband, had
+died some years since, and in his place was her son, who had grown up
+and was king! Even in his joy at seeing his mother again an air of
+sadness clung to him, and at last the queen could bear it no longer,
+and begged him to walk with her in the garden. Seated together in a
+bower of jessamine--where she had passed long hours as a bride--she
+took her son's hand and entreated him to tell her the cause of his
+sorrow. 'For,' said she, 'if I can give you happiness you shall have
+it.'
+
+ [Illustration: THE CROWN RETURNS TO THE QUEEN OF THE FISHES]
+
+'It is no use,' answered the prince; 'nobody can help me. I must bear
+it alone.'
+
+'But at least let me share your grief,' urged the queen.
+
+'No one can do that,' said he. 'I have fallen in love with what I can
+never marry, and I must get on as best I can.'
+
+'It may not be so impossible as you think,' answered the queen. 'At
+any rate, tell me.'
+
+There was silence between them for a moment, then, turning away his
+head, the prince answered gently:
+
+'I have fallen in love with a beautiful deer!'
+
+'Ah, if _that_ is all,' exclaimed the queen joyfully. And she told him
+in broken words that, as he had guessed, it was no deer but an
+enchanted maiden who had won back the crown and brought her home to
+her own people.
+
+'She is here, in my palace,' added the queen. 'I will take you to
+her.'
+
+But when the prince stood before the girl, who was so much more
+beautiful than anything he had ever dreamed of, he lost all his
+courage, and stood with bent head before her.
+
+Then the maiden drew near, and her eyes, as she looked at him, were
+the eyes of the deer that day in the forest. She whispered softly:
+
+'By your favour let me go, and do not kill me.'
+
+And the prince remembered her words, and his heart was filled with
+happiness. And the queen, his mother, watched them and smiled.
+
+(From _Cuentos Populars Catalans_ por lo Dr. D. Francisco de S.
+Maspons y Labros.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE OWL AND THE EAGLE_
+
+
+Once upon a time, in a country where the snow lies deep for many
+months in the year, there lived an owl and an eagle. Though they were
+so different in many ways they became great friends, and at length set
+up house together, one passing the day in hunting and the other the
+night. In this manner they did not see very much of each other--and
+perhaps agreed all the better for that; but at any rate they were
+perfectly happy, and only wanted one thing, or, rather, two things,
+and that was a wife for each.
+
+'I really am too tired when I come home in the evening to clean up the
+house,' said the eagle.
+
+'And I am much too sleepy at dawn after a long night's hunting to
+begin to sweep and dust,' answered the owl. And they both made up
+their minds that wives they must have.
+
+They flew about in their spare moments to the young ladies of their
+acquaintance, but the girls all declared they preferred one husband to
+two. The poor birds began to despair, when, one evening, after they
+had been for a wonder hunting together, they found two sisters fast
+asleep on their two beds. The eagle looked at the owl and the owl
+looked at the eagle.
+
+'They will make capital wives if they will only stay with us,' said
+they. And they flew off to give themselves a wash, and to make
+themselves smart before the girls awoke.
+
+For many hours the sisters slept on, for they had come a long way,
+from a town where there was scarcely anything to eat, and felt weak
+and tired. But by-and-by they opened their eyes and saw the two birds
+watching them.
+
+'I hope you are rested?' asked the owl politely.
+
+'Oh, yes, thank you,' answered the girls. 'Only we are so very hungry.
+Do you think we could have something to eat?'
+
+'Certainly!' replied the eagle. And he flew away to a farm-house a
+mile or two off, and brought back a nest of eggs in his strong beak;
+while the owl, catching up a tin pot, went to a cottage where lived an
+old woman and her cow, and entering the shed by the window dipped the
+pot into the pail of new milk that stood there.
+
+The girls were so much delighted with the kindness and cleverness of
+their hosts that, when the birds inquired if they would marry them and
+stay there for ever, they accepted without so much as giving it a
+second thought. So the eagle took the younger sister to wife, and the
+owl the elder, and never was a home more peaceful than theirs!
+
+All went well for several months, and then the eagle's wife had a son,
+while, on the same day, the owl's wife gave birth to a frog, which she
+placed directly on the banks of a stream near by, as he did not seem
+to like the house. The children both grew quickly, and were never
+tired of playing together, or wanted any other companions.
+
+One night in the spring, when the ice had melted, and the snow was
+gone, the sisters sat spinning in the house, awaiting their husbands'
+return. But long though they watched, neither the owl nor the eagle
+ever came; neither that day nor the next, nor the next, nor the next.
+At last the wives gave up all hope of their return; but, being
+sensible women, they did not sit down and cry, but called their
+children, and set out, determined to seek the whole world over till
+the missing husbands were found.
+
+Now the women had no idea in which direction the lost birds had gone,
+but they knew that some distance off was a thick forest, where good
+hunting was to be found. It seemed a likely place to find them, or, at
+any rate, they might hear something of them, and they walked quickly
+on, cheered by the thought that they were doing something. Suddenly
+the young sister, who was a little in front, gave a cry of surprise.
+
+'Oh! look at that lake!' she said, 'we shall never get across it.'
+
+'Yes we shall,' answered the elder; 'I know what to do.' And taking a
+long piece of string from her pocket, fastened it into the frog's
+mouth, like a bit.
+
+'You must swim across the lake,' she said, stooping to put him in,
+'and we will walk across on the line behind you.' And so they did,
+till they got to about the middle of the lake, when the frog boy
+stopped.
+
+'I don't like it, and I won't go any further,' cried he sulkily. And
+his mother had to promise him all sorts of nice things before he would
+go on again.
+
+When at last they reached the other side, the owl's wife untied the
+line from the frog's mouth and told him he might rest and play by the
+lake till they got back from the forest. Then she and her sister and
+the boy walked on, with the great forest looming before them. But they
+had by this time come far and were very tired, and felt glad enough to
+see some smoke curling up from a little hut in front of them.
+
+'Let us go in and ask for some water,' said the eagle's wife; and in
+they went.
+
+The inside of the hut was so dark that at first they could see nothing
+at all; but presently they heard a feeble croak from one corner. Both
+sisters turned to look, and there, tied by wings and feet, and their
+eyes sunken, were the husbands that they sought. Quick as lightning
+the wives cut the deer-thongs which bound them; but the poor birds
+were too weak from pain and starvation to do more than utter soft
+sounds of joy. Hardly, however, were they set free, than a voice of
+thunder made the two sisters jump, while the little boy clung tightly
+round his mother's neck.
+
+'What are you doing in my house?' cried she. And the wives answered
+boldly that now they had found their husbands they meant to save them
+from such a wicked witch.
+
+'Well, I will give you your chance,' answered the ogress, with a
+hideous grin; 'we will see if you can slide down this mountain. If you
+can reach the bottom of the cavern, you shall have your husbands back
+again.' And as she spoke she pushed them before her out of the door to
+the edge of a precipice, which went straight down several hundreds of
+feet. Unseen by the witch, the frog's mother fastened one end of the
+magic line about her, and whispered to the little boy to hold fast to
+the other. She had scarcely done so when the witch turned round.
+
+'You don't seem to like your bargain,' said she; but the girl
+answered:
+
+'Oh, yes, I am quite ready. I was only waiting for you!' And sitting
+down she began her slide. On, on, she went, down to such a depth that
+even the witch's eyes could not follow her; but she took for granted
+that the woman was dead, and told the sister to take her place. At
+that instant, however, the head of the elder appeared, above the rock,
+brought upwards by the magic line. The witch gave a howl of disgust,
+and hid her face in her hands; thus giving the younger sister time to
+fasten the cord to her waist before the ogress looked up.
+
+'You can't expect such luck twice,' she said; and the girl sat down
+and slid over the edge. But in a few minutes she too was back again,
+and the witch saw that she had failed, and feared lest her power was
+going. Trembling with rage though she was, she dared not show it, and
+only laughed hideously.
+
+'I sha'n't let my prisoners go as easily as all that!' she said.
+'Make my hair grow as thick and as black as yours, or else your
+husbands shall never see daylight again.'
+
+'That is quite simple,' replied the elder sister; 'only you must do as
+we did--and perhaps you won't like the treatment.'
+
+'If _you_ can bear it, of course _I_ can,' answered the witch. And so
+the girls told her they had first smeared their heads with pitch and
+then laid hot stones upon them.
+
+'It is very painful,' said they, 'but there is no other way that we
+know of. And in order to make sure that all will go right, one of us
+will hold you down while the other pours on the pitch.'
+
+And so they did; and the elder sister let down her hair till it hung
+over the witch's eyes, so that she might believe it was her own hair
+growing. Then the other brought a huge stone and clove in her skull,
+and she died, groaning terribly.
+
+So when the sisters saw that she was dead they went to the hut and
+nursed their husbands till they grew strong. Then they picked up the
+frog, and all went to make another home on the other side of the great
+lake.
+
+(From the _Journal of the Anthropological Institute_.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE FROG AND THE LION FAIRY_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived a king who was always at war with his
+neighbours, which was very strange, as he was a good and kind man,
+quite content with his own country, and not wanting to seize land
+belonging to other people. Perhaps he may have tried too much to
+please everybody, and that often ends in pleasing nobody; but, at any
+rate, he found himself, at the end of a hard struggle, defeated in
+battle, and obliged to fall back behind the walls of his capital city.
+Once there, he began to make preparations for a long siege, and the
+first thing he did was to plan how best to send his wife to a place of
+security.
+
+The queen, who loved her husband dearly, would gladly have remained
+with him and share his dangers, but he would not allow it. So they
+parted, with many tears, and the queen set out with a strong guard to
+a fortified castle on the outskirts of a great forest, some two
+hundred miles distant. She cried nearly all the way, and when she
+arrived she cried still more, for everything in the castle was dusty
+and old, and outside there was only a gravelled courtyard, and the
+king had forbidden her to go beyond the walls without at least two
+soldiers to take care of her.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Now the queen had only been married a few months, and in her own home
+she had been used to walk and ride all over the hills without any
+attendants at all; so she felt very dull at her being shut up in this
+way. However, she bore it for a long while because it was the king's
+wish, but when time passed and there were no signs of the war drifting
+in the direction of the castle, she grew bolder, and sometimes strayed
+outside the walls, in the direction of the forest.
+
+Then came a dreadful period, when news from the king ceased entirely.
+
+'He must surely be ill or dead,' thought the poor girl, who even now
+was only sixteen. 'I can bear it no longer, and if I do not get a
+letter from him soon I shall leave this horrible place, and go back to
+see what is the matter. Oh! I do wish I had never come away!'
+
+So, without telling anyone what she intended to do, she ordered a
+little low carriage to be built, something like a sledge, only it was
+on two wheels--just big enough to hold one person.
+
+'I am tired of being always in the castle,' she said to her
+attendants; 'and I mean to hunt a little. Quite close by, of course,'
+she added, seeing the anxious look on their faces. 'And there is no
+reason that you should not hunt too.'
+
+All the faces brightened at that, for, to tell the truth, they were
+nearly as dull as their mistress; so the queen had her way, and two
+beautiful horses were brought from the stable to draw the little
+chariot. At first the queen took care to keep near the rest of the
+hunt, but gradually she stayed away longer and longer, and at last,
+one morning, she took advantage of the appearance of a wild boar,
+after which her whole court instantly galloped, to turn into a path in
+the opposite direction.
+
+Unluckily, it did not happen to lead towards the king's palace, where
+she intended to go, but she was so afraid her flight would be noticed
+that she whipped up her horses till they ran away.
+
+ [Illustration: HOW THE QUEEN MET THE LION-FAIRY]
+
+When she understood what was happening the poor young queen was
+terribly frightened, and, dropping the reins, clung to the side of the
+chariot. The horses, thus left without any control, dashed blindly
+against a tree, and the queen was flung out on the ground, where she
+lay for some minutes unconscious.
+
+A rustling sound near her at length caused her to open her eyes;
+before her stood a huge woman, almost a giantess, without any clothes
+save a lion's skin, which was thrown over her shoulders, while a dried
+snake's skin was plaited into her hair. In one hand she held a club on
+which she leaned, and in the other a quiver full of arrows.
+
+At the sight of this strange figure the queen thought she must be
+dead, and gazing on an inhabitant of another world. So she murmured
+softly to herself:
+
+'I am not surprised that people are so loth to die when they know that
+they will see such horrible creatures.' But, low as she spoke, the
+giantess caught the words, and began to laugh.
+
+'Oh, don't be afraid; you are still alive, and perhaps, after all, you
+may be sorry for it. I am the Lion Fairy, and you are going to spend
+the rest of your days with me in my palace, which is quite near this.
+So come along.' But the queen shrank back in horror.
+
+'Oh, Madam Lion, take me back, I pray you, to my castle; and fix what
+ransom you like, for my husband will pay it, whatever it is.' But the
+giantess shook her head.
+
+'I am rich enough already,' she answered, 'but I am often dull, and I
+think you may amuse me a little.' And, so saying, she changed her
+shape into that of a lion, and throwing the queen across her back, she
+went down the ten thousand steps that led to her palace. The lion had
+reached the centre of the earth before she stopped in front of a
+house, lighted with lamps, and built on the edge of a lake of
+quicksilver. In this lake various huge monsters might be seen playing
+or fighting--the queen did not know which--and around flew rooks and
+ravens, uttering dismal croaks. In the distance was a mountain down
+whose sides waters slowly course--these were the tears of unhappy
+lovers--and nearer the gate were trees without either fruit or
+flowers, while nettles and brambles covered the ground. If the castle
+had been gloomy, what did the queen feel about this?
+
+For some days the queen was so much shaken by all she had gone through
+that she lay with her eyes closed, unable either to move or speak.
+When she got better, the Lion Fairy told her that if she liked she
+could build herself a cabin, as she would have to spend her life in
+that place. At these words the queen burst into tears, and implored
+her gaoler to put her to death rather than condemn her to such a life;
+but the Lion Fairy only laughed, and counselled her to try and make
+herself pleasant, as many worse things might befall her.
+
+'Is there _no_ way in which I can touch your heart?' asked the poor
+girl in despair.
+
+'Well, if you _really_ wish to please me you will make me a pasty out
+of the stings of bees, and be sure it is good.'
+
+'But I don't see any bees,' answered the queen, looking round.
+
+'Oh, no, there aren't any,' replied her tormentor; 'but you will have
+to find them all the same.' And, so saying, she went away.
+
+'After all, what does it matter?' thought the queen to herself, 'I
+have only one life, and I can but lose it.' And not caring what she
+did, she left the palace and seating herself under a yew tree, poured
+out all her grief.
+
+'Oh, my dear husband,' wept she, 'what will you think when you come to
+the castle to fetch me and find me gone? Rather a thousand times that
+you should fancy me dead than imagine that I had forgotten you! Ah,
+how fortunate that the broken chariot should be lying in the wood, for
+then you may grieve for me as one devoured by wild beasts. And if
+another should take my place in your heart---- Well, at least I shall
+never know it.'
+
+She might have continued for long in this fashion had not the voice
+of a crow directly overhead attracted her attention. Looking up to see
+what was the matter she beheld, in the dim light, a crow holding a fat
+frog in his claws, which he evidently intended for his supper. The
+queen rose hastily from the seat, and striking the bird sharply on the
+claws with the fan which hung from her side, she forced him to drop
+the frog, which fell to the ground more dead than alive. The crow,
+furious at his disappointment, flew angrily away.
+
+As soon as the frog had recovered her senses she hopped up to the
+queen, who was still sitting under the yew. Standing on her hind legs,
+and bowing low before her, she said gently:
+
+'Beautiful lady, by what mischance do you come here? You are the only
+creature that I have seen do a kind deed since a fatal curiosity lured
+me to this place.'
+
+'What sort of a frog can you be that knows the language of mortals?'
+asked the queen in her turn. 'But if you do, tell me, I pray, if I
+alone am a captive, for hitherto I have beheld no one but the monsters
+of the lake.'
+
+'Once upon a time they were men and women like yourself,' answered the
+frog, 'but having power in their hands, they used it for their own
+pleasure. Therefore fate has sent them here for a while to bear the
+punishment of their misdoings.'
+
+'But you, friend frog, you are not one of these wicked people, I am
+sure?' asked the queen.
+
+'I am half a fairy,' replied the frog; 'but, although I have certain
+magic gifts, I am not able to do all I wish. And if the Lion Fairy
+were to know of my presence in her kingdom she would hasten to kill
+me.'
+
+'But if you are a fairy, how was it that you were so nearly slain by
+the crow?' said the queen, wrinkling her forehead.
+
+'Because the secret of my power lies in my little cap that is made of
+rose leaves; but I had laid it aside for the moment, when that
+horrible crow pounced upon me. Once it is on my head I fear nothing.
+But let me repeat; had it not been for you I could not have escaped
+death, and if I can do anything to help you, or soften your hard fate,
+you have only to tell me.'
+
+'Alas,' sighed the queen, 'I have been commanded by the Lion Fairy to
+make her a pasty out of the stings of bees, and, as far as I can
+discover, there are none here; as how should there be, seeing there
+are no flowers for them to feed on? And, even if there were, how could
+I catch them?'
+
+'Leave it to me,' said the frog, 'I will manage it for you.' And,
+uttering a strange noise, she struck the ground thrice with her foot.
+In an instant six thousand frogs appeared before her, one of them
+bearing a little cap.
+
+'Cover yourselves with honey, and hop round by the bee-hives,'
+commanded the frog, putting on the cap which her friend was holding in
+her mouth. And turning to the queen, he added:
+
+'The Lion Fairy keeps a store of bees in a secret place near to the
+bottom of the ten thousand steps leading into the upper world. Not
+that she wants them for herself, but they are sometimes useful to her
+in punishing her victims. However, this time we will get the better of
+her.'
+
+Just as she had finished speaking the six thousand frogs returned,
+looking so strange with bees sticking to every part of them that, sad
+as she felt, the poor queen could not help laughing. The bees were all
+so stupefied with what they had eaten that it was possible to draw
+their stings without hunting them. So, with the help of her friend,
+the queen soon made ready her pasty and carried it to the Lion Fairy.
+
+'It is not bad,' said the giantess, gulping down large morsels, in
+order to hide the surprise she felt. 'Well, you have escaped this
+time, and I am glad to find I have got a companion a little more
+intelligent than the others I have tried. Now, you had better go and
+build yourself a house.'
+
+ [Illustration: 'A SMALL DRAGON CREPT IN AND TERRIFIED HER']
+
+So the queen wandered away, and picking up a small axe which lay near
+the door she began with the help of her friend the frog to cut down
+some cypress trees for the purpose. And not content with that the six
+thousand froggy servants were told to help also, and it was not long
+before they had built the prettiest little cabin in the world, and
+made a bed in one corner of dried ferns which they fetched from the
+top of the ten thousand steps. It looked soft and comfortable, and the
+queen was very glad to lie down upon it, so tired was she with all
+that had happened since the morning. Scarcely, however, had she fallen
+asleep when the lake monsters began to make the most horrible noises
+just outside, while a small dragon crept in and terrified her so that
+she ran away, which was just what the dragon wanted!
+
+The poor queen crouched under a rock for the rest of the night, and
+the next morning, when she woke from her troubled dreams, she was
+cheered at seeing the frog watching by her.
+
+'I hear we shall have to build you another palace,' said she. 'Well,
+this time we won't go so near the lake.' And she smiled with her funny
+wide mouth, till the queen took heart, and they went together to find
+wood for the new cabin.
+
+The tiny palace was soon ready, and a fresh bed made of wild thyme,
+which smelt delicious. Neither the queen nor the frog said anything
+about it, but somehow, as always happens, the story came to the ears
+of the Lion Fairy, and she sent a raven to fetch the culprit.
+
+'What gods or men are protecting you?' she asked, with a frown. 'This
+earth, dried up by a constant rain of sulphur and fire, produces
+nothing, yet I hear that _your_ bed is made of sweet smelling herbs.
+However, as you can get flowers for yourself, of course you can get
+them for me, and in an hour's time I must have in my room a nosegay of
+the rarest flowers. If not----! Now you can go.'
+
+The poor queen returned to her house looking so sad that the frog, who
+was waiting for her, noticed it directly.
+
+'What is the matter?' said she, smiling.
+
+'Oh, how can you laugh!' replied the queen. 'This time I have to bring
+her in an hour a posy of the rarest flowers, and where am I to find
+them? If I fail I know she will kill me.'
+
+'Well, I must see if _I_ can't help you,' answered the frog. 'The only
+person I have made friends with here is a bat. She is a good creature,
+and always does what I tell her, so I will just lend her my cap, and
+if she puts it on, and flies into the world, she will bring back all
+we want. I would go myself, only she will be quicker.'
+
+Then the queen dried her eyes, and waited patiently, and long before
+the hour had gone by the bat flew in with all the most beautiful and
+sweetest flowers that grew on the earth. The girl sprang up overjoyed
+at the sight, and hurried with them to the Lion Fairy, who was so
+astonished that for once she had nothing to say.
+
+Now the smell and touch of the flowers had made the queen sick with
+longing for her home, and she told the frog that she would certainly
+die if she did not manage to escape somehow.
+
+'Let me consult my cap,' said the frog; and taking it off she laid it
+in a box, and threw in after it a few sprigs of juniper, some capers,
+and two peas, which she carried under her right leg; she then shut
+down the lid of the box, and murmured some words which the queen did
+not catch.
+
+In a few moments a voice was heard speaking from the box.
+
+'Fate, who rules us all,' said the voice, 'forbids your leaving this
+place till the time shall come when certain things are fulfilled. But,
+instead, a gift shall be given you, which will comfort you in all your
+troubles.'
+
+And the voice spoke truly, for, a few days after, when the frog peeped
+in at the door she found the most beautiful baby in the world lying by
+the side of the queen.
+
+'So the cap has kept its word,' cried the frog with delight. 'How soft
+its cheeks are, and what tiny feet it has got! What shall we call it?'
+
+This was a very important point, and needed much discussion. A
+thousand names were proposed and rejected for a thousand silly
+reasons. One was too long, and one was too short. One was too harsh,
+and another reminded the queen of somebody she did not like; but at
+length an idea flashed into the queen's head, and she called out:
+
+'I know! We will call her Muffette.'
+
+'That is the very thing,' shouted the frog, jumping high into the
+air; and so it was settled.
+
+The princess Muffette was about six months old when the frog noticed
+that the queen had begun to grow sad again.
+
+'Why do you have that look in your eyes?' she asked one day, when she
+had come in to play with the baby, who could now crawl.
+
+The way they played their game was to let Muffette creep close to the
+frog, and then for the frog to bound high into the air and alight on
+the child's head, or back, or legs, when she always set up a shout of
+pleasure. There is no playfellow like a frog; but then it must be a
+_fairy_ frog, or else you might hurt it, and if you did something
+dreadful might happen to you. Well, as I have said, our frog was
+struck with the queen's sad face, and lost no time in asking her what
+was the reason.
+
+'I don't see what you have to complain of now; Muffette is quite well
+and quite happy, and even the Lion Fairy is kind to her when she sees
+her. What _is_ it?'
+
+'Oh! if her father could only see her!' broke forth the queen,
+clasping her hands. 'Or if I could only tell him all that has happened
+since we parted. But they will have brought him tidings of the broken
+carriage, and he will have thought me dead, or devoured by wild
+beasts. And though he will mourn for me long--I know that well--yet in
+time they will persuade him to take a wife, and she will be young and
+fair, and he will forget me.'
+
+And in all this the queen guessed truly, save that nine long years
+were to pass before he would consent to put another in her place.
+
+The frog answered nothing at the time, but stopped her game and hopped
+away among the cypress trees. Here she sat and thought and thought,
+and the next morning she went back to the queen and said:
+
+'I have come, madam, to make you an offer. Shall I go to the king
+instead of you, and tell him of your sufferings, and that he has the
+most charming baby in the world for his daughter? The way is long, and
+I travel slowly; but, sooner or later, I shall be sure to arrive.
+Only, are you not afraid to be left without my protection? Ponder the
+matter carefully; it is for you to decide.'
+
+'Oh, it needs no pondering,' cried the queen joyfully, holding up her
+clasped hands, and making Muffette do likewise, in token of gratitude.
+'But in order that he may know that you have come from me I will send
+him a letter.' And pricking her arm, she wrote a few words with her
+blood on the corner of her handkerchief. Then tearing it off, she gave
+it to the frog, and they bade each other farewell.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+It took the frog a year and four days to mount the ten thousand steps
+that led to the upper world, but that was because she was still under
+the spell of a wicked fairy. By the time she reached the top, she was
+so tired that she had to remain for another year on the banks of a
+stream to rest, and also to arrange the procession with which she was
+to present herself before the king. For she knew far too well what was
+due to herself and her relations, to appear at Court as if she was a
+mere nobody. At length, after many consultations with her cap, the
+affair was settled, and at the end of the second year after her
+parting with the queen they all set out.
+
+First walked her bodyguard of grasshoppers, followed by her maids of
+honour, who were those tiny green frogs you see in the fields, each
+one mounted on a snail, and seated on a velvet saddle. Next came the
+water-rats, dressed as pages, and lastly the frog herself, in a litter
+borne by eight toads, and made of tortoiseshell. Here she could lie at
+her ease, with her cap on her head, for it was quite large and roomy,
+and could easily have held two eggs when the frog was not in it.
+
+The journey lasted seven years, and all this time the queen suffered
+tortures of hope, though Muffette did her best to comfort her. Indeed,
+she would most likely have died had not the Lion Fairy taken a fancy
+that the child and her mother should go hunting with her in the upper
+world, and, in spite of her sorrows, it was always a joy to the queen
+to see the sun again. As for little Muffette, by the time she was
+seven her arrows seldom missed their mark. So, after all, the years of
+waiting passed more quickly than the queen had dared to hope.
+
+The frog was always careful to maintain her dignity, and nothing would
+have persuaded her to show her face in public places, or even along
+the high road, where there was a chance of meeting anyone. But
+sometimes, when the procession had to cross a little stream, or go
+over a piece of marshy ground, orders would be given for a halt; fine
+clothes were thrown off, bridles were flung aside, and grasshoppers,
+water-rats, even the frog herself, spent a delightful hour or two
+playing in the mud.
+
+But at length the end was in sight, and the hardships were forgotten
+in the vision of the towers of the king's palace; and, one bright
+morning, the cavalcade entered the gates with all the pomp and
+circumstance of a royal embassy. And surely no ambassador had ever
+created such a sensation! Doors and windows, even the roofs of houses,
+were filled with people, whose cheers reached the ears of the king.
+However, he had no time to attend to such matters just then, as, after
+nine years, he had at last consented to the entreaties of his
+courtiers, and was on the eve of celebrating his second marriage.
+
+The frog's heart beat high when her litter drew up before the steps of
+the palace, and leaning forward she beckoned to her side one of the
+guards who were standing in his doorway.
+
+'I wish to see his Majesty,' said he.
+
+'His Majesty is engaged, and can see no one,' answered the soldier.
+
+'His Majesty will see _me_,' returned the frog, fixing her eye upon
+him; and somehow the man found himself leading the procession along
+the gallery into the Hall of Audience, where the king sat surrounded
+by his nobles arranging the dresses which everyone was to wear at his
+marriage ceremony.
+
+All stared in surprise as the procession advanced, and still more when
+the frog gave one bound from the litter on to the floor, and with
+another landed on the arm of the chair of state.
+
+'I am only just in time, sire,' began the frog; 'had I been a day
+later you would have broken your faith which you swore to the queen
+nine years ago.'
+
+'Her remembrance will always be dear to me,' answered the king gently,
+though all present expected him to rebuke the frog severely for her
+impertinence. 'But know, Lady Frog, that a king can seldom do as he
+wishes, but must be bound by the desires of his subjects. For nine
+years I have resisted them; now I can do so no longer, and have made
+choice of the fair young maiden playing at ball yonder.'
+
+'You cannot wed her, however fair she may be, for the queen your wife
+is still alive, and sends you this letter written in her own blood,'
+said the frog, holding out the square of handkerchief as she spoke.
+'And, what is more, you have a daughter who is nearly nine years old,
+and more beautiful than all the other children in the world put
+together.'
+
+The king turned pale when he heard these words, and his hand trembled
+so that he could hardly read what the queen had written. Then he
+kissed the handkerchief twice or thrice, and burst into tears, and it
+was some minutes before he could speak. When at length he found his
+voice he told his councillors that the writing was indeed that of the
+queen, and now that he had the joy of knowing she was alive he could,
+of course, proceed no further with his second marriage. This naturally
+displeased the ambassadors who had conducted the bride to court, and
+one of them inquired indignantly if he meant to put such an insult on
+the princess on the word of a mere frog.
+
+'I am not a "mere frog," and I will give you proof of it,' retorted
+the angry little creature. And putting on her cap, she cried: 'Fairies
+that are my friends, come hither!' And in a moment a crowd of
+beautiful creatures, each one with a crown on her head, stood before
+her. Certainly none could have guessed that they were the snails,
+water-rats, and grasshoppers, from which she had chosen her retinue.
+
+At a sign from the frog the fairies danced a ballet, with which
+everyone was so delighted that they begged to have it repeated; but
+now it was not youths and maidens who were dancing, but flowers. Then
+these again melted into fountains, whose waters interlaced and,
+rushing down the sides of the hall, poured out in a cascade down the
+steps, and formed a river round the castle, with the most beautiful
+little boats upon it, all painted and gilded.
+
+'Oh, let us go in them for a sail!' cried the princess, who had long
+ago left her game of ball for a sight of these marvels; and, as she
+was bent upon it, the ambassadors, who had been charged never to lose
+sight of her, were obliged to go also, though they never entered a
+boat if they could help it.
+
+But the moment they and the princess had seated themselves on the soft
+cushions, river and boats vanished, and the princess and the
+ambassadors vanished too. Instead, the snails and grasshoppers and
+water-rats stood round the frog in their natural shapes.
+
+'Perhaps,' said she, 'your Majesty may now be convinced that I am a
+fairy and speak the truth. Therefore lose no time in setting in order
+the affairs of your kingdom and go in search of your wife. Here is a
+ring that will admit you into the presence of the queen, and will
+likewise allow you to address unharmed the Lion Fairy, though she is
+the most terrible creature that ever existed.'
+
+By this time the king had forgotten all about the princess, whom he
+had only chosen to please his people, and was as eager to depart on
+his journey as the frog was for him to go. He made one of his
+ministers regent of the kingdom, and gave the frog everything her
+heart could desire; and with her ring on his finger he rode away to
+the outskirts of the forest. Here he dismounted, and bidding his horse
+go home, he pushed forward on foot.
+
+Having nothing to guide him as to where he was likely to find the
+entrance of the under-world, the king wandered hither and thither for
+a long while, till, one day, while he was resting under a tree, a
+voice spoke to him.
+
+'Why do you give yourself so much trouble for nought, when you might
+know what you want to know for the asking? Alone you will never
+discover the path that leads to your wife.'
+
+Much startled, the king looked about him. He could see nothing, and
+somehow, when he thought about it, the voice seemed as if it were part
+of himself. Suddenly his eyes fell on the ring, and he understood.
+
+'Fool that I was!' cried he; 'and how much precious time have I
+wasted? Dear ring, I beseech you, grant me a vision of my wife and my
+daughter!' And even as he spoke there flashed past him a huge lioness,
+followed by a lady and a beautiful young maid mounted on fairy horses.
+
+Almost fainting with joy he gazed after them, and then sank back
+trembling on the ground.
+
+'Oh, lead me to them, lead me to them!' he exclaimed. And the ring,
+bidding him take courage, conducted him safely to the dismal place
+where his wife had lived for ten years.
+
+Now the Lion Fairy knew beforehand of his expected presence in her
+dominions, and she ordered a palace of crystal to be built in the
+middle of the lake of quicksilver; and in order to make it more
+difficult of approach she let it float whither it would. Immediately
+after their return from the chase, where the king had seen them, she
+conveyed the queen and Muffette into the palace, and put them under
+the guard of the monsters of the lake, who one and all had fallen in
+love with the princess. They were horribly jealous, and ready to eat
+each other up for her sake, so they readily accepted the charge. Some
+stationed themselves round the floating palace, some sat by the door,
+while the smallest and lightest perched themselves on the roof.
+
+Of course the king was quite ignorant of these arrangements, and
+boldly entered the palace of the Lion Fairy, who was waiting for him,
+with her tail lashing furiously, for she still kept her lion's shape.
+With a roar that shook the walls she flung herself upon him; but he
+was on the watch, and a blow from his sword cut off the paw she had
+put forth to strike him dead. She fell back, and with his helmet still
+down and his shield up, he set his foot on her throat.
+
+'Give me back the wife and the child you have stolen from me,' he
+said, 'or you shall not live another second!'
+
+But the fairy answered:
+
+'Look through the window at that lake and see if it is in my power to
+give them to you.' And the king looked, and through the crystal walls
+he beheld his wife and daughter floating on the quicksilver. At that
+sight the Lion Fairy and all her wickedness was forgotten. Flinging
+off his helmet, he shouted to them with all his might. The queen knew
+his voice, and she and Muffette ran to the window and held out their
+hands. Then the king swore a solemn oath that he would never leave the
+spot without them if it should cost him his life; and he meant it,
+though at the moment he did not know what he was undertaking.
+
+ [Illustration: THE KING ON HIS DRAGON FIGHTS HIS WAY THROUGH THE
+ MONSTERS TO THE QUEEN AND MUFFETTE]
+
+Three years passed by, and the king was no nearer to obtaining his
+heart's desire. He had suffered every hardship that could be
+imagined--nettles had been his bed, wild fruits more bitter than gall
+his food, while his days had been spent in fighting the hideous
+monsters which kept him from the palace. He had not advanced one
+single step, nor gained one solitary advantage. Now he was almost in
+despair, and ready to defy everything and throw himself into the lake.
+
+It was at this moment of his blackest misery that, one night, a dragon
+who had long watched him from the roof crept to his side.
+
+'You thought that love would conquer all obstacles,' said he; 'well,
+you have found it hasn't! But if you will swear to me by your crown
+and sceptre that you will give me a dinner of the food that I never
+grow tired of, whenever I choose to ask for it, I will enable you to
+reach your wife and daughter.'
+
+Ah, how glad the king was to hear that! What oath would he not have
+taken so as to clasp his wife and child in his arms? Joyfully he swore
+whatever the dragon asked of him; then he jumped on his back, and in
+another instant would have been carried by the strong wings into the
+castle if the nearest monster had not happened to awake and hear the
+noise of talking and swum to the shore to give battle. The fight was
+long and hard, and when the king at last beat back his foes another
+struggle awaited him. At the entrance gigantic bats, owls, and crows
+set upon him from all sides; but the dragon had teeth and claws, while
+the queen broke off sharp bits of glass and stabbed and cut in her
+anxiety to help her husband. At length the horrible creatures flew
+away; a sound like thunder was heard, the palace and the monsters
+vanished, while, at the same moment--no one knew how--the king found
+himself standing with his wife and daughter in the hall of his own
+home.
+
+The dragon had disappeared with all the rest, and for some years no
+more was heard or thought of him. Muffette grew every day more
+beautiful, and when she was fourteen the kings and emperors of the
+neighbouring countries sent to ask her in marriage for themselves or
+their sons. For a long time the girl turned a deaf ear to all their
+prayers; but at length a young prince of rare gifts touched her heart,
+and though the king had left her free to choose what husband she
+would, he had secretly hoped that out of all the wooers this one might
+be his son-in-law. So they were betrothed that same day with great
+pomp, and then, with many tears, the prince set out for his father's
+court, bearing with him a portrait of Muffette.
+
+The days passed slowly to Muffette, in spite of her brave efforts to
+occupy herself and not to sadden other people by her complaints. One
+morning she was playing on her harp in the queen's chamber when the
+king burst into the room and clasped his daughter in his arms with an
+energy that almost frightened her.
+
+'Oh, my child! my dear child! why were you ever born?' cried he, as
+soon as he could speak.
+
+'Is the prince dead?' faltered Muffette, growing white and cold.
+
+'No, no; but--oh, how can I tell you!' And he sank down on a pile of
+cushions while his wife and daughter knelt beside him.
+
+At length he was able to tell his tale, and a terrible one it was!
+There had just arrived at court a huge giant, as ambassador from the
+dragon by whose help the king had rescued the queen and Muffette from
+the crystal palace. The dragon had been very busy for many years past,
+and had quite forgotten the princess till the news of her betrothal
+had reached his ears. Then he remembered the bargain he had made with
+her father; and the more he heard of Muffette the more he felt sure
+she would make a delicious dish. So he had ordered the giant who was
+his servant to fetch her at once.
+
+No words would paint the horror of both the queen and the princess as
+they listened to this dreadful doom. They rushed instantly to the
+hall, where the giant was awaiting them, and flinging themselves at
+his feet implored him to take the kingdom if he would, but to have
+pity on the princess. The giant looked at them kindly, for he was not
+at all hard-hearted, but said that he had no power to do anything, and
+that if the princess did not go with him quietly the dragon would come
+himself.
+
+Several days went by, and the king and queen hardly ceased from
+entreating the aid of the giant, who by this time was getting weary of
+waiting.
+
+'There is only one way of helping you,' he said at last, 'and that is
+to marry the princess to my nephew, who, besides being young and
+handsome, has been trained in magic, and will know how to keep her
+safe from the dragon.'
+
+'Oh, thank you, thank you!' cried the parents, clasping his great
+hands to their breasts. 'You have indeed lifted a load from us. She
+shall have half the kingdom for her dowry.' But Muffette stood up and
+thrust them aside.
+
+'I will not buy my life with faithlessness,' she said proudly; 'and I
+will go with you this moment to the dragon's abode.' And all her
+father's and mother's tears and prayers availed nothing to move her.
+
+The next morning Muffette was put into a litter, and, guarded by the
+giant and followed by the king and queen and the weeping maids of
+honour, they started for the foot of the mountain where the dragon had
+his castle. The way, though rough and stony, seemed all too short, and
+when they reached the spot appointed by the dragon the giant ordered
+the men who bore the litter to stand still.
+
+'It is time for you to bid farewell to your daughter,' said he; 'for I
+see the dragon coming to us.'
+
+It was true; a cloud appeared to pass over the sun, for between them
+and it they could all discern dimly a huge body half a mile long
+approaching nearer and nearer. At first the king could not believe
+that this was the small beast who had seemed so friendly on the shore
+of the lake of quicksilver; but then he knew very little of
+necromancy, and had never studied the art of expanding and contracting
+his body. But it was the dragon and nothing else, whose six wings were
+carrying him forward as fast as might be, considering his great weight
+and the length of his tail, which had fifty twists and a half.
+
+He came quickly, yes; but the frog, mounted on a greyhound, and
+wearing her cap on her head, went quicker still. Entering a room where
+the prince was sitting gazing at the portrait of his betrothed, she
+cried to him:
+
+'What are you doing lingering here, when the life of the princess is
+nearing its last moment? In the courtyard you will find a green horse
+with three heads and twelve feet, and by its side a sword eighteen
+yards long. Hasten, lest you should be too late!'
+
+The fight lasted all day, and the prince's strength was well-nigh
+spent, when the dragon, thinking that the victory was won, opened his
+jaws to give a roar of triumph. The prince saw his chance, and before
+his foe could shut his mouth again had plunged his sword far down his
+adversary's throat. There was a desperate clutching of the claws to
+the earth, a slow flagging of the great wings, then the monster rolled
+over on his side and moved no more. Muffette was delivered.
+
+After this they all went back to the palace. The marriage took place
+the following day, and Muffette and her husband lived happy for ever
+after.
+
+(From _Les Contes des Fées_, par Madame d'Aulnoy.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF COVAN THE BROWN-HAIRED_
+
+
+On the shores of the west, where the great hills stand with their feet
+in the sea, dwelt a goat-herd and his wife, together with their three
+sons and one daughter. All day long the young men fished and hunted,
+while their sister took out the kids to pasture on the mountain, or
+stayed at home helping her mother and mending the nets.
+
+For several years they all lived happily together, when, one day, as
+the girl was out on the hill with the kids, the sun grew dark and an
+air cold as a thick white mist came creeping, creeping up from the
+sea. She rose with a shiver, and tried to call to her kids, but the
+voice died away in her throat, and strong arms seemed to hold her.
+
+Loud were the wails in the hut by the sea when the hours passed on and
+the maiden came not. Many times the father and brothers jumped up,
+thinking they heard her steps, but in the thick darkness they could
+scarcely see their own hands, nor could they tell where the river lay,
+nor where the mountain. One by one the kids came home, and at every
+bleat someone hurried to open the door, but no sound broke the
+stillness. Through the night no one slept, and when morning broke and
+the mist rolled back, they sought the maiden by sea and by land, but
+never a trace of her could be found anywhere.
+
+Thus a year and a day slipped by, and at the end of it Gorla of the
+Flocks and his wife seemed suddenly to have grown old. Their sons too
+were sadder than before, for they loved their sister well, and had
+never ceased to mourn for her. At length Ardan the eldest spoke and
+said:
+
+'It is now a year and a day since our sister was taken from us, and we
+have waited in grief and patience for her to return. Surely some evil
+has befallen her, or she would have sent us a token to put our hearts
+at rest; and I have vowed to myself that my eyes shall not know sleep
+till, living or dead, I have found her.'
+
+'If you have vowed, then must you keep your vow,' answered Gorla. 'But
+better had it been if you had first asked your father's leave before
+you made it. Yet, since it is so, your mother will bake you a cake for
+you to carry with you on your journey. Who can tell how long it may
+be?'
+
+So the mother arose and baked not one cake but two, a big one and a
+little one.
+
+'Choose, my son,' said she. 'Will you have the little cake with your
+mother's blessing, or the big one without it, in that you have set
+aside your father and taken on yourself to make a vow?'
+
+'I will have the large cake,' answered the youth; 'for what good would
+my mother's blessing do for me if I was dying of hunger?' And taking
+the big cake he went his way.
+
+Straight on he strode, letting neither hill nor river hinder him.
+Swiftly he walked--swiftly as the wind that blew down the mountain.
+The eagles and the gulls looked on from their nests as he passed,
+leaving the deer behind him; but at length he stopped, for hunger had
+seized on him, and he could walk no more. Trembling with fatigue he
+sat himself on a rock and broke a piece off his cake.
+
+'Spare me a morsel, Ardan son of Gorla,' asked a raven, fluttering
+down towards him.
+
+'Seek food elsewhere, O bearer of ill-news,' answered Ardan son of
+Gorla; 'it is but little I have for myself.' And he stretched himself
+out for a few moments, then rose to his feet again. On and on went he
+till the little birds flew to their nests, and the brightness died out
+of the sky, and a darkness fell over the earth. On and on, and on,
+till at last he saw a beam of light streaming from a house and
+hastened towards it.
+
+The door was opened and he entered, but paused when he beheld an old
+man lying on a bench by the fire, while seated opposite him was a
+maiden combing out the locks of her golden hair with a comb of silver.
+
+'Welcome, fair youth,' said the old man, turning his head. 'Sit down
+and warm yourself, and tell me how fares the outer world. It is long
+since I have seen it.'
+
+'All my news is that I am seeking service,' answered Ardan son of
+Gorla; 'I have come from far since sunrise, and glad was I to see the
+rays of your lamp stream into the darkness.'
+
+'I need someone to herd my three dun cows, which are hornless,' said
+the old man. 'If, for the space of a year, you can bring them back to
+me each evening before the sun sets, I will make you payment that will
+satisfy your soul.'
+
+But here the girl looked up and answered quickly:
+
+'Ill will come of it if he listens to your offer.'
+
+'Counsel unsought is worth nothing,' replied, rudely, Ardan son of
+Gorla. 'It would be little indeed that I am fit for if I cannot drive
+three cows out to pasture and keep them safe from the wolves that may
+come down from the mountains. Therefore, good father, I will take
+service with you at daybreak, and ask no payment till the new year
+dawns.'
+
+Next morning the bell of the deer was not heard amongst the fern
+before the maiden with the hair of gold had milked the cows, and led
+them in front of the cottage where the old man, and Ardan son of Gorla
+awaited them.
+
+'Let them wander where they will,' he said to his servant, 'and never
+seek to turn them from their way, for well they know the fields of
+good pasture. But take heed to follow always behind them, and suffer
+nothing that you see, and nought that you hear, to draw you into
+leaving them. Now go, and may wisdom go with you.'
+
+As he ceased speaking he touched one of the cows on her forehead, and
+she stepped along the path, with the two others one on each side. As
+he had been bidden, behind them came Ardan son of Gorla, rejoicing in
+his heart that work so easy had fallen to his lot. At the year's end,
+thought he, enough money would lie in his pocket to carry him into far
+countries where his sister might be, and, in the meanwhile, someone
+might come past who could give him tidings of her.
+
+Thus he spoke to himself, when his eyes fell on a golden cock and a
+silver hen running swiftly along the grass in front of him. In a
+moment the words that the old man had uttered vanished from his mind
+and he gave chase. They were so near that he could almost seize their
+tails, yet each time he felt sure he could catch them his fingers
+closed on the empty air. At length he could run no more, and stopped
+to breathe, while the cock and hen went on as before. Then he
+remembered the cows, and, somewhat frightened, turned back to seek
+them. Luckily they had not strayed far, and were quietly feeding on
+the thick green grass.
+
+Ardan son of Gorla was sitting under a tree, when he beheld a staff of
+gold and a staff of silver doubling themselves in strange ways on the
+meadow in front of him, and starting up he hastened towards them.
+Though he followed them till he was tired he could not catch them,
+though they seemed ever within his reach. When at last he gave up the
+quest his knees trembled beneath him for very weariness, and glad was
+he to see a tree growing close by laden with fruits of different
+sorts, of which he ate greedily.
+
+The sun was by now low in the heavens, and the cows left off feeding,
+and turned their faces home again, followed by Ardan son of Gorla. At
+the door of their stable the maiden stood awaiting them, and saying
+nought to their herd, she sat down and began to milk. But it was not
+milk that flowed into her pail; instead it was filled with a thin
+stream of water, and as she rose up from the last cow the old man
+appeared outside.
+
+ [Illustration: ARDAN PURSUES THE GOLDEN COCK AND THE SILVER HEN]
+
+'Faithless one, you have betrayed your trust!' he said to Ardan son of
+Gorla. 'Not even for one day could you keep true! Well, you shall have
+your reward at once that others may take warning from you.' And waving
+his wand he touched with it the chest of the youth, who became a
+pillar of stone.
+
+Now Gorla of the Flocks and his wife were full of grief that they had
+lost a son as well as a daughter, for no tidings had come to them of
+Ardan their eldest born. At length, when two years and two days had
+passed since the maiden had led her kids to feed on the mountain and
+had been seen no more, Ruais, second son of Gorla, rose up one
+morning, and said:
+
+'Time is long without my sister and Ardan my brother. So I have vowed
+to seek them wherever they may be.'
+
+And his father answered:
+
+'Better it had been if you had first asked my consent and that of your
+mother; but as you have vowed so must you do.' Then he bade his wife
+make a cake, but instead she made two, and offered Ruais his choice,
+as she had done to Ardan. Like Ardan, Ruais chose the large, unblessed
+cake, and set forth on his way, doing always, though he knew it not,
+that which Ardan had done; so, needless is it to tell what befell him
+till he too stood, a pillar of stone, on the hill behind the cottage,
+so that all men might see the fate that awaited those who broke their
+faith.
+
+Another year and a day passed by, when Covan the Brown-haired,
+youngest son of Gorla of the Flocks, one morning spake to his parents,
+saying:
+
+'It is more than three years since my sister left us. My brothers have
+also gone, no one knows whither, and of us four none remains but I.
+Now, therefore, I long to seek them, and I pray you and my mother to
+place no hindrance in my way.'
+
+And his father answered:
+
+'Go, then, and take our blessing with you.'
+
+So the wife of Gorla of the Flocks baked two cakes, one large, and one
+small; and Covan took the small one, and started on his quest. In the
+wood he felt hungry, for he had walked far, and he sat down to eat.
+Suddenly a voice behind him cried:
+
+'A bit for me! a bit for me!' And looking round he beheld the black
+raven of the wilderness.
+
+'Yes, you shall have a bit,' said Covan the Brown-haired; and breaking
+off a piece he stretched it upwards to the raven, who ate it greedily.
+Then Covan arose and went forward, till he saw the light from the
+cottage streaming before him, and glad was he, for night was at hand.
+
+'Maybe I shall find some work there,' he thought, 'and at least I
+shall gain money to help me in my search; for who knows how far my
+sister and my brothers may have wandered?'
+
+The door stood open and he entered, and the old man gave him welcome,
+and the golden-haired maiden likewise. As happened before, he was
+offered by the old man to herd his cows; and, as she had done to his
+brothers, the maiden counselled him to leave such work alone. But,
+instead of answering rudely, like both Ardan and Ruais, he thanked
+her, with courtesy, though he had no mind to heed her; and he listened
+to the warnings and words of his new master.
+
+Next day he set forth at dawn with the dun cows in front of him, and
+followed patiently wherever they might lead him. On the way he saw the
+gold cock and silver hen, which ran even closer to him than they had
+done to his brothers. Sorely tempted, he longed to give them chase;
+but, remembering in time that he had been bidden to look neither to
+the right nor to the left, with a mighty effort he turned his eyes
+away. Then the gold and silver staffs seemed to spring from the earth
+before him, but this time also he overcame; and though the fruit from
+the magic tree almost touched his mouth, he brushed it aside and went
+steadily on.
+
+That day the cows wandered farther than ever they had done before, and
+never stopped till they had reached a moor where the heather was
+burning. The fire was fierce, but the cows took no heed, and walked
+steadily through it, Covan the Brown-haired following them. Next they
+plunged into a foaming river, and Covan plunged in after them, though
+the water came high above his waist. On the other side of the river
+lay a wide plain, and here the cows lay down, while Covan looked about
+him. Near him was a house built of yellow stone, and from it came
+sweet songs, and Covan listened, and his heart grew light within him.
+
+While he was thus waiting there ran up to him a youth, scarcely able
+to speak so swiftly had he sped; and he cried aloud:
+
+'Hasten, hasten, Covan the Brown-haired, for your cows are in the
+corn, and you must drive them out!'
+
+'Nay,' said Covan smiling, 'it had been easier for you to have driven
+them out than to come here to tell me.' And he went on listening to
+the music.
+
+Very soon the same youth returned, and cried with panting breath:
+
+'Out upon you, Covan son of Gorla, that you stand there agape. For our
+dogs are chasing your cows, and you must drive them off!'
+
+'Nay, then,' answered Covan as before, 'it had been easier for you to
+call off your dogs than to come here to tell me.' And he stayed where
+he was till the music ceased.
+
+Then he turned to look for his cows, and found them all lying in the
+place where he had left them; but when they saw Covan they rose up and
+walked homewards, taking a different path to that they had trod in the
+morning. This time they passed over a plain so bare that a pin could
+not have lain there unnoticed, yet Covan beheld with surprise a foal
+and its mother feeding there, both as fat as if they had pastured on
+the richest grass. Further on they crossed another plain, where the
+grass was thick and green, but on it were feeding a foal and its
+mother, so lean that you could have counted their ribs. And further
+again the path led them by the shores of a lake whereon were floating
+two boats; one full of gay and happy youths, journeying to the land of
+the Sun, and another with grim shapes clothed in black, travelling to
+the land of Night.
+
+'What can these things mean?' said Covan to himself, as he followed
+his cows.
+
+Darkness now fell, the wind howled, and torrents of rain poured upon
+them. Covan knew not how far they might yet have to go, or indeed if
+they were on the right road. He could not even see his cows, and his
+heart sank lest, after all, he should have failed to bring them safely
+back. What was he to do?
+
+He waited thus, for he could go neither forwards nor backwards, till
+he felt a great friendly paw laid on his shoulder.
+
+'My cave is just here,' said the Dog of Maol-mór, of whom Covan son of
+Gorla had heard much. 'Spend the night here, and you shall be fed on
+the flesh of lamb, and shall lay aside three-thirds of thy weariness.'
+
+And Covan entered, and supped, and slept, and in the morning rose up a
+new man.
+
+'Farewell, Covan,' said the Dog of Maol-mór. 'May success go with you,
+for you took what I had to give and did not mock me. So, when danger
+is your companion, wish for me, and I will not fail you.'
+
+At these words the Dog of Maol-mór disappeared into the forest, and
+Covan went to seek his cows, which were standing in the hollow where
+the darkness had come upon them.
+
+At the sight of Covan the Brown-haired, they walked onwards, Covan
+followed ever behind them, and looking neither to the right nor to the
+left. All that day they walked, and when night fell they were in a
+barren plain, with only rocks for shelter.
+
+'We must rest here as best we can,' spoke Covan to the cows. And they
+bowed their heads and lay down in the place where they stood. Then
+came the black raven of Corri-nan-creag, whose eyes never closed, and
+whose wings never tired; and he fluttered before the face of Covan and
+told him that he knew of a cranny in the rock where there was food in
+plenty, and soft moss for a bed.
+
+'Go with me thither,' he said to Covan, 'and you shall lay aside
+three-thirds of your weariness, and depart in the morning refreshed.'
+And Covan listened thankfully to his words, and at dawn he rose up to
+seek his cows.
+
+'Farewell!' cried the black raven. 'You trusted me, and took all I had
+to offer in return for the food you once gave me. So if in time to
+come you need a friend, wish for me, and I will not fail you.'
+
+As before, the cows were standing in the spot where he had left them,
+ready to set out. All that day they walked, on and on, and on, Covan
+son of Gorla walking behind them, till night fell while they were on
+the banks of a river.
+
+'We can go no further,' spake Covan to the cows. And they began to eat
+the grass by the side of the stream, while Covan listened to them, and
+longed for some supper also, for they had travelled far, and his limbs
+were weak under him. Then there was a swish of water at his feet, and
+out peeped the head of the famous otter Doran-donn of the stream.
+
+'Trust to me and I will find you warmth and shelter,' said Doran-donn;
+'and for food fish in plenty.' And Covan went with him thankfully, and
+ate and rested, and laid aside three-thirds of his weariness. At
+sunrise he left his bed of dried sea-weed, which had floated up with
+the tide, and with grateful heart bade farewell to Doran-donn.
+
+'Because you trusted me and took what I had to offer, you have made me
+your friend, Covan,' said Doran-donn. 'And if you should be in danger,
+and need help from one who can swim a river or dive beneath a wave,
+call to me and I will come to you.' Then he plunged into the stream,
+and was seen no more.
+
+The cows were standing ready in the place where Covan had left them,
+and they journeyed on all that day, till, when night fell, they
+reached the cottage. Joyful indeed was the old man as the cows went
+into their stables, and he beheld the rich milk that flowed into the
+pail of the golden-haired maiden with the silver comb.
+
+'You have done well indeed,' he said to Covan son of Gorla. 'And now,
+what would you have as a reward?'
+
+'I want nothing for myself,' answered Covan the Brown-haired; 'but I
+ask you to give me back my brothers and my sister who have been lost
+to us for three years past. You are wise and know the lore of fairies
+and witches; tell me where I can find them, and what I must do to
+bring them back to life again.'
+
+The old man looked grave at the words of Covan.
+
+'Yes, truly I know where they are,' answered he, 'and I say not that
+they may not be brought to life again. But the perils are great--too
+great for you to overcome.'
+
+'Tell me what they are,' said Covan again, 'and I shall know better if
+I may overcome them.'
+
+'Listen, then, and judge. In the mountain yonder there dwells a roe,
+white of foot, with horns that branch like the antlers of a deer. On
+the lake that leads to the land of the Sun floats a duck whose body is
+green and whose neck is of gold. In the pool of Corri-Bui swims a
+salmon with a skin that shines like silver, and whose gills are
+red--bring them all to me, and then you shall know where dwell your
+brothers and your sister!'
+
+'To-morrow at cock-crow I will begone!' answered Covan.
+
+The way to the mountain lay straight before him, and when he had
+climbed high he caught sight of the roe with the white feet and the
+spotted sides, on the peak in front.
+
+Full of hope he set out in pursuit of her, but by the time he had
+reached that peak she had left it and was to be seen on another. And
+so it always happened, and Covan's courage had well-nigh failed him,
+when the thought of the Dog of Maol-mór darted into his mind.
+
+'Oh, that he was here!' he cried. And looking up he saw him.
+
+'Why did you summon me?' asked the Dog of Maol-mór. And when Covan
+had told him of his trouble, and how the roe always led him further
+and further, the Dog only answered:
+
+'Fear nothing; I will soon catch her for you.' And in a short while he
+laid the roe unhurt at Covan's feet.
+
+'What will you wish me to do with her?' said the Dog. And Covan
+answered:
+
+'The old man bade me bring her, and the duck with the golden neck, and
+the salmon with the silver sides, to his cottage; if I shall catch
+them, I know not. But carry you the roe to the back of the cottage,
+and tether her so that she cannot escape.'
+
+'It shall be done,' said the Dog of Maol-mór.
+
+Then Covan sped to the lake which led to the land of the Sun, where
+the duck with the green body and the golden neck was swimming among
+the water-lilies.
+
+'Surely I can catch him, good swimmer as I am,' to himself. But, if he
+could swim well, the duck could swim better, and at length his
+strength failed him, and he was forced to seek the land.
+
+'Oh that the black raven were here to help me!' he thought to himself.
+And in a moment the black raven was perched on his shoulder.
+
+'How can I help you?' asked the raven. And Covan answered:
+
+'Catch me the green duck that floats on the water.' And the raven flew
+with his strong wings, and picked him up in his strong beak, and in
+another moment the bird was laid at the feet of Covan.
+
+This time it was easy for the young man to carry his prize, and after
+giving thanks to the raven for his aid, he went on to the river.
+
+In the deep dark pool of which the old man had spoken the silver-sided
+salmon was lying under a rock.
+
+ [Illustration: DORAN-DONN BRINGS THE SALMON TO COVAN THE
+ BROWN-HAIRED]
+
+'Surely I, good fisher as I am, can catch him,' said Covan son of
+Gorla. And cutting a slender pole from a bush, he fastened a line to
+the end of it. But cast with what skill he might, it availed
+nothing, for the salmon would not even look at the bait.
+
+'I am beaten at last, unless the Doran-donn can deliver me,' he cried.
+And as he spoke there was a swish of the water, and the face of the
+Doran-donn looked up at him.
+
+'O catch me, I pray you, that salmon under the rock!' said Covan son
+of Gorla. And the Doran-donn dived, and laying hold of the salmon by
+his tail, bore it back to the place where Covan was standing.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'The roe, and the duck, and the salmon are here,' said Covan to the
+old man, when he reached the cottage. And the old man smiled on him
+and bade him eat and drink, and after he hungered no more, he would
+speak with him.
+
+And this was what the old man said: 'You began well, my son, so things
+have gone well with you. You set store by your mother's blessing,
+therefore you have been blest. You gave food to the raven when it
+hungered, you were true to the promise you had made to me, and did not
+suffer yourself to be turned aside by vain shows. You were skilled to
+perceive that the boy who tempted you to leave the temple was a teller
+of false tales, and took with a grateful heart what the poor had to
+offer you. Last of all, difficulties gave you courage, instead of
+lending you despair.
+
+'And now, as to your reward, you shall in truth take your sister home
+with you, and your brothers I will restore to life; but idle and
+unfaithful as they are their lot is to wander for ever. And so
+farewell, and may wisdom be with you.'
+
+'First tell me your name?' asked Covan softly.
+
+'I am the Spirit of Age,' said the old man.
+
+(_Taken from a Celtic Story._ Translated by Norman Macleod.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE PRINCESS BELLA-FLOR_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived a man who had two sons. When they grew up
+the elder went to seek his fortune in a far country, and for many
+years no one heard anything about him. Meanwhile the younger son
+stayed at home with his father, who died at last in a good old age,
+leaving great riches behind him.
+
+For some time the son who stayed at home spent his father's wealth
+freely, believing that he alone remained to enjoy it. But, one day, as
+he was coming down stairs, he was surprised to see a stranger enter
+the hall, looking about as if the house belonged to him.
+
+'Have you forgotten me?' asked the man.
+
+'I can't forget a person I have never known,' was the rude answer.
+
+'I am your brother,' replied the stranger, 'and I have returned home
+without the money I hoped to have made. And, what is worse, they tell
+me in the village that my father is dead. I would have counted my lost
+gold as nothing if I could have seen him once more.'
+
+'He died six months ago,' said the rich brother,'and he left you, as
+your portion, the old wooden chest that stands in the loft. You had
+better go there and look for it; I have no more time to waste.' And he
+went his way.
+
+So the wanderer turned his steps to the loft, which was at the top of
+the storehouse, and there he found the wooden chest, so old that it
+looked as if it were dropping to pieces.
+
+'What use is this old thing to me?' he said to himself. 'Oh, well, it
+will serve to light a fire at which I can warm myself; so things might
+be worse after all.'
+
+Placing the chest on his back, the man, whose name was José, set out
+for his inn, and, borrowing a hatchet, began to chop up the box. In
+doing so he discovered a secret drawer, and in it lay a paper. He
+opened the paper, not knowing what it might contain, and was
+astonished to find that it was the acknowledgment of a large debt that
+was owing to his father. Putting the precious writing in his pocket,
+he hastily inquired of the landlord where he could find the man whose
+name was written inside, and he ran out at once in search of him.
+
+The debtor proved to be an old miser, who lived at the other end of
+the village. He had hoped for many months that the paper he had
+written had been lost or destroyed, and, indeed, when he saw it, was
+very unwilling to pay what he owed. However, the stranger threatened
+to drag him before the king, and when the miser saw that there was no
+help for it he counted out the coins one by one. The stranger picked
+them up and put them in his pocket, and went back to his inn feeling
+that he was now a rich man.
+
+A few weeks after this he was walking through the streets of the
+nearest town, when he met a poor woman crying bitterly. He stopped and
+asked her what was the matter, and she answered between her sobs that
+her husband was dying, and, to make matters worse, a creditor whom he
+could not pay was anxious to have him taken to prison.
+
+'Comfort yourself,' said the stranger kindly; 'they shall neither send
+your husband to prison nor sell your goods. I will not only pay his
+debts but, if he dies, the cost of his burial also. And now go home,
+and nurse him as well as you can.'
+
+And so she did; but, in spite of her care, the husband died, and was
+buried by the stranger. But everything cost more than he had
+expected, and when all was paid he found that only three gold pieces
+were left.
+
+'What am I to do now?' said he to himself. 'I think I had better go to
+court, and enter into the service of the king.'
+
+At first he was only a servant, who carried the king the water for his
+bath, and saw that his bed was made in a particular fashion. But he
+did his duties so well that his master soon took notice of him, and in
+a short time he rose to be a gentleman of the bedchamber.
+
+Now, when this happened the younger brother had spent all the money he
+had inherited, and did not know how to make any for himself. He then
+bethought him of the king's favourite, and went whining to the palace
+to beg that his brother, whom he had so ill-used, would give him his
+protection, and find him a place. The elder, who was always ready to
+help everyone, spoke to the king on his behalf, and the next day the
+young man took up his work at court.
+
+Unfortunately, the new-comer was by nature spiteful and envious, and
+could not bear anyone to have better luck than himself. By dint of
+spying through keyholes and listening at doors, he learned that the
+king, old and ugly though he was, had fallen in love with the Princess
+Bella-Flor, who would have nothing to say to him, and had hidden
+herself in some mountain castle, no one knew where.
+
+'That will do nicely,' thought the scoundrel, rubbing his hands. 'It
+will be quite easy to get the king to send my brother in search of
+her, and if he returns without finding her, his head will be the
+forfeit. Either way, he will be out of _my_ path.'
+
+So he went at once to the Lord High Chamberlain and craved an audience
+of the king, to whom he declared he wished to tell some news of the
+highest importance. The king admitted him into the presence chamber
+without delay, and bade him state what he had to say, and to be quick
+about it.
+
+'Oh, sire! the Princess Bella-Flor----' answered the man, and then
+stopped as if afraid.
+
+'What of the Princess Bella-Flor?' asked the king impatiently.
+
+'I have heard--it is whispered at court--that your majesty desires to
+know where she lies in hiding.'
+
+'I would give half my kingdom to the man who will bring her to me,'
+cried the king, eagerly. 'Speak on, knave; has a bird of the air
+revealed to you the secret?'
+
+'It is not I, but my brother, who knows,' replied the traitor; 'if
+your majesty would ask him----' But before the words were out of his
+mouth the king had struck a blow with his sceptre on a golden plate
+that hung on the wall.
+
+'Order José to appear before me instantly,' he shouted to the servant
+who ran to obey his orders, so great was the noise his majesty had
+made; and when José entered the hall, wondering what in the world
+could be the matter, the king was nearly dumb with rage and
+excitement.
+
+'Bring me the Princess Bella-Flor this moment,' stammered he, 'for if
+you return without her I will have you drowned!' And without another
+word he left the hall, leaving José staring with surprise and horror.
+
+'How can I find the Princess Bella-Flor when I have never even seen
+her?' thought he. 'But it is no use staying here, for I shall only be
+put to death.' And he walked slowly to the stables to choose himself a
+horse.
+
+There were rows upon rows of fine beasts with their names written in
+gold above their stalls, and José was looking uncertainly from one to
+the other, wondering which he should choose, when an old white horse
+turned its head and signed to him to approach.
+
+'Take me,' it said in a gentle whisper, 'and all will go well.'
+
+José still felt so bewildered with the mission that the king had
+given him that he forgot to be astonished at hearing a horse talk.
+Mechanically he laid his hand on the bridle and led the white horse
+out of the stable. He was about to mount on his back, when the animal
+spoke again:
+
+'Pick up those three loaves of bread which you see there, and put them
+in your pocket.'
+
+José did as he was told, and being in a great hurry to get away, asked
+no questions, but swung himself into the saddle.
+
+They rode far without meeting any adventures, but at length they came
+to an ant-hill, and the horse stopped.
+
+'Crumble those three loaves for the ants,' he said. But José
+hesitated.
+
+'Why, we may want them ourselves!' answered he.
+
+'Never mind that; give them to the ants all the same. Do not lose any
+chance of helping others.' And when the loaves lay in crumbs on the
+road, the horse galloped on.
+
+By-and-by they entered a rocky pass between two mountains, and here
+they saw an eagle which had been caught in a hunter's net.
+
+'Get down and cut the meshes of that net, and set the poor bird free,'
+said the horse.
+
+'But it will take so long,' objected José, 'and we may miss the
+princess.'
+
+'Never mind that; do not miss a chance of helping others,' answered
+the horse. And when the meshes were cut, and the eagle was free, the
+horse galloped on.
+
+They had ridden many miles, and at last they came to a river, where
+they beheld a little fish lying gasping on the sand, and the horse
+said:
+
+'Do you see that little fish? it will die if you do not put it back in
+the water.'
+
+'But, really, we shall never find the Princess Bella-Flor, if we waste
+our time like this!' cried José.
+
+ [Illustration: DO NOT LOSE A CHANCE OF HELPING OTHERS
+ WE NEVER WASTE TIME WHEN WE ARE HELPING OTHERS]
+
+'We never waste time when we are helping others,' answered the horse.
+And soon the little fish was swimming happily away.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+A little while after they reached a castle, which was built in the
+middle of a very thick wood, and right in front was the Princess
+Bella-Flor feeding her hens.
+
+'Now listen,' said the horse. 'I am going to give all sorts of little
+hops and skips, which will amuse the Princess Bella-Flor. Then she
+will tell you that she would like to ride a little way, and you must
+help her to mount. When she is seated I shall begin to neigh and kick,
+and you must say that I have never carried a woman before, and that
+you had better get up behind so as to be able to manage me. Once on my
+back we will go like wind to the king's palace.'
+
+José did exactly as the horse told him, and everything fell out as the
+animal prophesied; so that it was not until they were galloping
+breathlessly toward the palace that the princess knew that she was
+taken captive. She said nothing, however, but quietly opened her apron
+which contained the bran for the chickens, and in a moment it lay
+scattered on the ground.
+
+'Oh, I have let fall my bran!' cried she; 'please get down and pick it
+up for me.' But José only answered:
+
+'We shall find plenty of bran where we are going.' And the horse
+galloped on.
+
+They were now passing through a forest, and the princess took out her
+handkerchief and threw it upwards, so that it stuck in one of the
+topmost branches of a tree.
+
+'Dear me; how stupid! I have let my handkerchief blow away,' said she.
+'Will you climb up and get it for me?' But José answered:
+
+'We shall find plenty of handkerchiefs where we are going.' And the
+horse galloped on.
+
+After the wood they reached a river, and the princess slipped a ring
+off her finger and let it roll into the water.
+
+'How careless of me,' gasped she, beginning to sob. 'I have lost my
+favourite ring; _do_ stop for a moment and look if you can see it.'
+But José answered:
+
+'You will find plenty of rings where you are going.' And the horse
+galloped on.
+
+At last they entered the palace gates, and the king's heart bounded
+with joy at beholding his beloved Bella-Flor. But the princess brushed
+him aside as if he had been a fly, and locked herself into the nearest
+room, which she would not open for all his entreaties.
+
+'Bring me the three things I lost on the way, and perhaps I may think
+about it,' was all she would say. And, in despair, the king was driven
+to take counsel of José.
+
+'There is no remedy that I can see,' said his majesty, 'but that you,
+who know where they are, should go and bring them back. And if you
+return without them I will have you drowned.'
+
+Poor José was much troubled at these words. He thought that he had
+done all that was required of him, and that his life was safe.
+However, he bowed low, and went out to consult his friend the horse.
+
+'Do not vex yourself,' said the horse, when he had heard the story;
+'jump up, and we will go back and look for the things.' And José
+mounted at once.
+
+They rode on till they came to the ant-hill, and then the horse asked:
+
+'Would you like to have the bran?'
+
+'What is the use of liking?' answered José.
+
+'Well, call the ants, and tell them to fetch it for you; and, if some
+of it has been scattered by the wind, to bring in its stead the grains
+that were in the cakes you gave them.' José listened in surprise. He
+did not much believe in the horse's plan; but he could not think of
+anything better, so he called to the ants, and bade them collect the
+bran as fast as they could.
+
+ [Illustration: HOW JOSÉ FOUND THE PRINCESS BELLA-FLOR]
+
+Then he sat under a tree and waited, while his horse cropped the
+green turf.
+
+'Look there!' said the animal, suddenly raising its head; and José
+looked behind him and saw a little mountain of bran, which he put into
+a bag that was hung over his saddle.
+
+'Good deeds bear fruit sooner or later,' observed the horse; 'but
+mount again, as we have far to go.'
+
+When they arrived at the tree, they saw the handkerchief fluttering
+like a flag from the topmost branch, and José's spirits sank again.
+
+'How am I to get that handkerchief?' cried he; 'why I should need
+Jacob's ladder!' But the horse answered:
+
+'Do not be frightened; call to the eagle you set free from the net, he
+will bring it to you.'
+
+So José called to the eagle, and the eagle flew to the top of the tree
+and brought back the handkerchief in its beak. José thanked him, and
+vaulting on his horse they rode on to the river.
+
+A great deal of rain had fallen in the night, and the river, instead
+of being clear as it was before, was dark and troubled.
+
+'How am I to fetch the ring from the bottom of this river when I do
+not know exactly where it was dropped, and cannot even see it?' asked
+José. But the horse answered: 'Do not be frightened; call the little
+fish whose life you saved, and she will bring it to you.'
+
+So he called to the fish, and the fish dived to the bottom and slipped
+behind big stones, and moved little ones with its tail till it found
+the ring, and brought it to José in its mouth.
+
+Well pleased with all he had done, José returned to the palace; but
+when the king took the precious objects to Bella-Flor, she declared
+that she would never open her door till the bandit who had carried her
+off had been fried in oil.
+
+'I am very sorry,' said the king to José, 'I really would rather not;
+but you see I have no choice.'
+
+ [Illustration: THE KING JUMPS INTO THE CAULDRON]
+
+While the oil was being heated in the great caldron, José went to the
+stables to inquire of his friend the horse if there was no way for him
+to escape.
+
+'Do not be frightened,' said the horse. 'Get on my back, and I will
+gallop till my whole body is wet with perspiration, then rub it all
+over your skin, and no matter how hot the oil may be you will never
+feel it.'
+
+José did not ask any more questions, but did as the horse bade him;
+and men wondered at his cheerful face as they lowered him into the
+caldron of boiling oil. He was left there till Bella-Flor cried that
+he must be cooked enough. Then out came a youth so young and handsome,
+that everyone fell in love with him, and Bella-Flor most of all.
+
+As for the old king, he saw that he had lost the game; and in despair
+he flung himself into the caldron, and was fried instead of José. Then
+José was proclaimed king, on condition that he married Bella-Flor,
+which he promised to do the next day. But first he went to the stables
+and sought out the horse, and said to him: 'It is to you that I owe my
+life and my crown. Why have you done all this for me?'
+
+And the horse answered: 'I am the soul of that unhappy man for whom
+you spent all your fortune. And when I saw you in danger of death I
+begged that I might help you, as you had helped me. For, as I told
+you, Good deeds bear their own fruit!'
+
+(From _Cuentos, Oraciones, y Adivinas_, por Fernan Caballero.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE BIRD OF TRUTH_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived a poor fisher who built a hut on the
+banks of a stream which, shunning the glare of the sun and the noise
+of towns, flowed quietly past trees and under bushes, listening to the
+songs of the birds overhead.
+
+One day, when the fisherman had gone out as usual to cast his nets, he
+saw borne towards him on the current a cradle of crystal. Slipping his
+net quickly beneath it he drew it out and lifted the silk coverlet.
+Inside, lying on a soft bed of cotton, were two babies, a boy and a
+girl, who opened their eyes and smiled at him. The man was filled with
+pity at the sight, and throwing down his lines he took the cradle and
+the babies home to his wife.
+
+The good woman flung up her hands in despair when she beheld the
+contents of the cradle.
+
+'Are not eight children enough,' she cried, 'without bringing us two
+more? How do you think we can feed them?'
+
+'You would not have had me leave them to die of hunger,' answered he,
+'or be swallowed up by the waves of the sea? What is enough for eight
+is also enough for ten.'
+
+The wife said no more; and in truth her heart yearned over the little
+creatures. Somehow or other food was never lacking in the hut, and the
+children grew up and were so good and gentle that, in time, their
+foster-parents loved them as well or better than their own, who were
+quarrelsome and envious. It did not take the orphans long to notice
+that the boys did not like them, and were always playing tricks on
+them, so they used to go away by themselves and spend whole hours by
+the banks of the river. Here they would take out the bits of bread
+they had saved from their breakfast and crumble them for the birds. In
+return, the birds taught them many things: how to get up early in the
+morning, how to sing, and how to talk their language, which very few
+people knew.
+
+But though the little orphans did their best to avoid quarrelling with
+their foster-brothers, it was very difficult always to keep the peace.
+Matters got worse and worse till, one morning, the eldest boy said to
+the twins:
+
+'It is all very well for you to pretend that you have such good
+manners, and are so much better than we, but we have at least a father
+and mother, while _you_ have only got the river, like the toads and
+the frogs.'
+
+The poor children did not answer the insult; but it made them very
+unhappy. And they told each other in whispers that they could not stay
+there any longer, but must go into the world and seek their fortunes.
+
+So next day they arose as early as the birds and stole downstairs
+without anybody hearing them. One window was open, and they crept
+softly out and ran to the side of the river. Then, feeling as if they
+had found a friend, they walked along its banks, hoping that by-and-by
+they should meet some one to take care of them.
+
+The whole of that day they went steadily on without seeing a living
+creature, till, in the evening, weary and footsore, they saw before
+them a small hut. This raised their spirits for a moment; but the door
+was shut, and the hut seemed empty, and so great was their
+disappointment that they almost cried. However, the boy fought down
+his tears, and said cheerfully:
+
+'Well, at any rate here is a bench where we can sit down, and when we
+are rested we will think what is best to do next.'
+
+Then they sat down, and for some time they were too tired even to
+notice anything; but by-and-by they saw that under the tiles of the
+roof a quantity of swallows were sitting, chattering merrily to each
+other. Of course the swallows had no idea that the children understood
+their language, or they would not have talked so freely; but, as it
+was, they said whatever came into their heads.
+
+'Good evening, my fine city madam,' remarked a swallow, whose manners
+were rather rough and countryfied, to another who looked particularly
+distinguished. 'Happy, indeed, are the eyes that behold you! Only
+think of your having returned to your long-forgotten country friends,
+after you have lived for years in a palace!'
+
+'I have inherited this nest from my parents,' replied the other, 'and
+as they left it to me I certainly shall make it my home. But,' she
+added politely, 'I hope that you and all your family are well?'
+
+'Very well indeed, I am glad to say. But my poor daughter had, a short
+time ago, such bad inflammation in her eyes that she would have gone
+blind had I not been able to find the magic herb, which cured her at
+once.'
+
+'And how is the nightingale singing? Does the lark soar as high as
+ever? And does the linnet dress herself as smartly?' But here the
+country swallow drew herself up.
+
+'I never talk gossip,' she said severely. 'Our people, who were once
+so innocent and well-behaved, have been corrupted by the bad examples
+of men. It is a thousand pities.'
+
+'What! innocence and good behaviour are not to be met with among
+birds, nor in the country! My dear friend, what are you saying?'
+
+'The truth and nothing more. Imagine, when we returned here, we met
+some linnets who, just as the spring and the flowers and the long days
+had come, were setting out for the north and the cold? Out of pure
+compassion we tried to persuade them to give up this folly; but they
+only replied with the utmost insolence.'
+
+'How shocking!' exclaimed the city swallow.
+
+'Yes, it was. And, worse than that, the crested lark, that was
+formerly so timid and shy, is now no better than a thief, and steals
+maize and corn whenever she can find them.'
+
+'I am astonished at what you say.'
+
+'You will be more astonished when I tell you that on my arrival here
+for the summer I found my nest occupied by a shameless sparrow! "This
+is _my_ nest," I said. "_Yours?_" he answered, with a rude laugh.
+"Yes, mine; my ancestors were born here, and my sons will be born here
+also." And at that my husband set upon him and threw him out of the
+nest. I am sure nothing of this sort ever happens in a town.'
+
+'Not exactly, perhaps. But I have seen a great deal--if you only
+knew!'
+
+'Oh! do tell us! do tell us!' cried they all. And when they had
+settled themselves comfortably, the city swallow began:
+
+'You must know, then, that our king fell in love with the youngest
+daughter of a tailor, who was as good and gentle as she was beautiful.
+His nobles hoped that he would have chosen a queen from one of their
+daughters, and tried to prevent the marriage; but the king would not
+listen to them, and it took place. Not many months later a war broke
+out, and the king rode away at the head of his army, while the queen
+remained behind, very unhappy at the separation. When peace was made,
+and the king returned, he was told that his wife had had two babies in
+his absence, but that both were dead; that she herself had gone out of
+her mind and was obliged to be shut up in a tower in the mountains,
+where, in time, the fresh air might cure her.'
+
+'And was this not true?' asked the swallows eagerly.
+
+'Of course not,' answered the city lady, with some contempt for their
+stupidity. 'The children were alive at that very moment in the
+gardener's cottage; but at night the chamberlain came down and put
+them in a cradle of crystal, which he carried to the river.
+
+'For a whole day they floated safely, for though the stream was deep
+it was very still, and the children took no harm. In the morning--so I
+am told by my friend the kingfisher--they were rescued by a fisherman
+who lived near the river bank.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The children had been lying on the bench, listening lazily to the
+chatter up to this point; but when they heard the story of the crystal
+cradle which their foster-mother had always been fond of telling them,
+they sat upright and looked at each other.
+
+'Oh, how glad I am I learnt the birds' language!' said the eyes of one
+to the eyes of the other.
+
+Meanwhile the swallows had spoken again.
+
+'That was indeed good fortune!' cried they.
+
+'And when the children are grown up they can return to their father
+and set their mother free.'
+
+'It will not be so easy as you think,' answered the city swallow,
+shaking her head; 'for they will have to prove that they _are_ the
+king's children, and also that their mother never went mad at all. In
+fact, it is so difficult that there is only one way of proving it to
+the king.'
+
+'And what is that?' cried all the swallows at once. 'And how do you
+know it?'
+
+'I know it,' answered the city swallow 'because, one day, when I was
+passing through the palace garden, I met a cuckoo, who, as I need not
+tell you, always pretends to be able to see into the future. We began
+to talk about certain things which were happening in the palace, and
+of the events of past years. "Ah," said he, "the only person who can
+expose the wickedness of the ministers and show the king how wrong he
+has been is the Bird of Truth, who can speak the language of men."
+
+'"And where can this bird be found?" I asked.
+
+'"It is shut up in a castle guarded by a fierce giant, who only sleeps
+one quarter of an hour out of the whole twenty-four," replied the
+cuckoo.'
+
+'And where is this castle?' inquired the country swallow, who, like
+all the rest, and the children most of all, had been listening with
+deep attention.
+
+'That is just what I don't know,' answered her friend. 'All I can tell
+you is that not far from here is a tower, where dwells an old witch,
+and it is she who knows the way, and she will only teach it to the
+person who promises to bring her the water from the fountain of many
+colours, which she uses for her enchantments. But never will she
+betray the place where the Bird of Truth is hidden, for she hates him,
+and would kill him if she could; knowing well, however, that this bird
+cannot die, as he is immortal, she keeps him closely shut up, and
+guarded night and day by the Birds of Bad Faith, who seek to gag him
+so that his voice should not be heard.'
+
+'And is there no one else who can tell the poor boy where to find the
+bird, if he should ever manage to reach the tower?' asked the city
+swallows.
+
+'No one,' replied she, 'except an owl, who lives a hermit's life in
+that desert, and he knows only one word of man's speech, and that is
+"cross." So that even if the prince did succeed in getting there, he
+could never understand what the owl said. But, look, the sun is
+sinking to his nest in the depths of the sea, and I must go to mine.
+Good-night, friends, good-night!'
+
+Then the swallow flew away, and the children, who had forgotten both
+hunger and weariness in the joy of this strange news, rose up and
+followed in the direction of her flight. After two hours' walking,
+they arrived at a large city, which they felt sure must be the
+capital of their father's kingdom. Seeing a good-natured looking woman
+standing at the door of a house, they asked her if she would give them
+a night's lodging, and she was so pleased with their pretty faces and
+nice manners that she welcomed them warmly.
+
+It was scarcely light the next morning before the girl was sweeping
+out the rooms, and the boy watering the garden, so that by the time
+the good woman came downstairs there was nothing left for her to do.
+This so delighted her that she begged the children to stay with her
+altogether, and the boy answered that he would leave his sister with
+her gladly, but that he himself had serious business on hand and must
+not linger in pursuit of it. So he bade them farewell and set out.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+For three days he wandered by the most out-of-the-way paths, but no
+signs of a tower were to be seen anywhere. On the fourth morning it
+was just the same, and, filled with despair, he flung himself on the
+ground under a tree and hid his face in his hands. In a little while
+he heard a rustling over his head, and looking up, he saw a turtle
+dove watching him with her bright eyes.
+
+'Oh dove!' cried the boy, addressing the bird in her own language, 'Oh
+dove! tell me, I pray you, where is the castle of Come-and-never-go?'
+
+'Poor child,' answered the dove, 'who has sent you on such a useless
+quest?'
+
+'My good or evil fortune,' replied the boy, 'I know not which.'
+
+'To get there,' said the dove, 'you must follow the wind, which to-day
+is blowing towards the castle.'
+
+The boy thanked her, and followed the wind, fearing all the time that
+it might change its direction and lead him astray. But the wind seemed
+to feel pity for him and blew steadily on.
+
+ [Illustration: 'WHO ARE YOU WHO DARE TO KNOCK AT MY DOOR?']
+
+With each step the country became more and more dreary, but at
+nightfall the child could see behind the dark and bare rocks something
+darker still. This was the tower in which dwelt the witch; and seizing
+the knocker he gave three loud knocks, which were echoed in the
+hollows of the rocks around.
+
+The door opened slowly, and there appeared on the threshold an old
+woman holding up a candle to her face, which was so hideous that the
+boy involuntarily stepped backwards, almost as frightened by the troop
+of lizards, beetles, and such creatures that surrounded her, as by the
+woman herself.
+
+'Who are you who dare to knock at my door and wake me?' cried she. 'Be
+quick and tell me what you want, or it will be the worse for you.'
+
+'Madam,' answered the child, 'I believe that you alone know the way to
+the castle of Come-and-never-go, and I pray you to show it to me.'
+
+'Very good,' replied the witch, with something that she meant for a
+smile, 'but to-day it is late. To-morrow you shall go. Now enter, and
+you shall sleep with my lizards.'
+
+'I cannot stay,' said he. 'I must go back at once, so as to reach the
+road from which I started before day dawns.'
+
+'If I tell you, will you promise me that you will bring me this jar
+full of the many-coloured water from the spring in the courtyard of
+the castle?' asked she. 'If you fail to keep your word I will change
+you into a lizard for ever.'
+
+'I promise,' answered the boy.
+
+Then the old woman called to a very thin dog, and said to him:
+
+'Conduct this pig of a child to the castle of Come-and-never-go, and
+take care that you warn my friend of his arrival.' And the dog arose
+and shook itself, and set out.
+
+At the end of two hours they stopped in front of a large castle, big
+and black and gloomy, whose doors stood wide open, although neither
+sound nor light gave sign of any presence within. The dog, however,
+seemed to know what to expect, and, after a wild howl, went on; but
+the boy, who was uncertain whether this was the quarter of an hour
+when the giant was asleep, hesitated to follow him, and paused for a
+moment under a wild olive that grew near by, the only tree which he
+had beheld since he had parted from the dove. 'Oh, heaven, help me!'
+cried he.
+
+'Cross! cross!' answered a voice.
+
+The boy leapt for joy as he recognised the note of the owl of which
+the swallow had spoken, and he said softly in the bird's language:
+
+'Oh, wise owl, I pray you to protect and guide me, for I have come in
+search of the Bird of Truth. And first I must fill this jar with the
+many-coloured water in the courtyard of the castle.'
+
+'Do not do that,' answered the owl, 'but fill the jar from the spring
+which bubbles close by the fountain with the many-coloured water.
+Afterwards, go into the aviary opposite the great door, but be careful
+not to touch any of the bright-plumaged birds contained in it, which
+will cry to you, each one, that he is the Bird of Truth. Choose only a
+small white bird that is hidden in a corner, which the others try
+incessantly to kill, not knowing that it cannot die. And, be
+quick!--for at this very moment the giant has fallen asleep, and you
+have only a quarter of an hour to do everything.'
+
+The boy ran as fast as he could and entered the courtyard, where he
+saw the two springs close together. He passed by the many-coloured
+water without casting a glance at it, and filled the jar from the
+fountain whose water was clear and pure. He next hastened to the
+aviary, and was almost deafened by the clamour that rose as he shut
+the door behind him. Voices of peacocks, voices of ravens, voices of
+magpies, each claiming to be the Bird of Truth. With steadfast face
+the boy walked by them all, to the corner where, hemmed in by a band
+of fierce crows, was the small white bird he sought. Putting her
+safely in his breast, he passed out, followed by the screams of the
+Birds of Bad Faith which he left behind him.
+
+ [Illustration: HOW THE BOY FOUND THE BIRD OF TRUTH]
+
+Once outside, he ran without stopping to the witch's tower, and
+handed to the old woman the jar she had given him.
+
+'Become a parrot!' cried she, flinging the water over him. But instead
+of losing his shape, as so many had done before, he only grew ten
+times handsomer; for the water was enchanted for good and not ill.
+Then the creeping multitude around the witch hastened to roll
+themselves in the water, and stood up, human beings again.
+
+When the witch saw what was happening, she took a broomstick and flew
+away.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Who can guess the delight of the sister at the sight of her brother,
+bearing the Bird of Truth? But although the boy had accomplished much,
+something very difficult yet remained, and that was how to carry the
+Bird of Truth to the king without her being seized by the wicked
+courtiers, who would be ruined by the discovery of their plot.
+
+Soon--no one knew how--the news spread abroad that the Bird of Truth
+was hovering round the palace, and the courtiers made all sorts of
+preparations to hinder her reaching the king.
+
+They got ready weapons that were sharpened, and weapons that were
+poisoned; they sent for eagles and falcons to hunt her down, and
+constructed cages and boxes in which to shut her up if they were not
+able to kill her. They declared that her white plumage was really put
+on to hide her black feathers--in fact there was nothing they did not
+do in order to prevent the king from seeing the bird or from paying
+attention to her words if he did.
+
+As often happens in these cases, the courtiers brought about that
+which they feared. They talked so much about the Bird of Truth that at
+last the king heard of it, and expressed a wish to see her. The more
+difficulties that were put in his way the stronger grew his desire,
+and in the end the king published a proclamation that whoever found
+the Bird of Truth should bring her to him without delay.
+
+As soon as he saw this proclamation the boy called his sister, and
+they hastened to the palace. The bird was buttoned inside his tunic,
+but, as might have been expected, the courtiers barred the way, and
+told the child that he could not enter. It was in vain that the boy
+declared that he was only obeying the king's commands; the courtiers
+only replied that his majesty was not yet out of bed, and it was
+forbidden to wake him.
+
+They were still talking, when, suddenly, the bird settled the question
+by flying upwards through an open window into the king's own room.
+Alighting on the pillow, close to the king's head, she bowed
+respectfully, and said:
+
+'My lord, I am the Bird of Truth whom you wished to see, and I have
+been obliged to approach you in this manner because the boy who
+brought me is kept out of the palace by your courtiers.'
+
+'They shall pay for their insolence,' said the king. And he instantly
+ordered one of his attendants to conduct the boy at once to his
+apartments; and in a moment more the prince entered, holding his
+sister by the hand.
+
+'Who are you?' asked the king; 'and what has the Bird of Truth to do
+with you?'
+
+'If it please your majesty, the Bird of Truth will explain that
+herself,' answered the boy.
+
+And the bird _did_ explain; and the king heard for the first time of
+the wicked plot that had been successful for so many years. He took
+his children in his arms, with tears in his eyes, and hurried off with
+them to the tower in the mountains where the queen was shut up. The
+poor woman was as white as marble, for she had been living almost in
+darkness; but when she saw her husband and children, the colour came
+back to her face, and she was as beautiful as ever.
+
+They all returned in state to the city, where great rejoicings were
+held. The wicked courtiers had their heads cut off, and all their
+property was taken away. As for the good old couple, they were given
+riches and honour, and were loved and cherished to the ends of their
+lives.
+
+(From _Cuentos, Oraciones, y Adivinas_, por Fernan Caballero.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE MINK AND THE WOLF_
+
+
+In the big forest in the north of America lived a quantity of wild
+animals of all sorts. They were always very polite when they met; but,
+in spite of that, they kept a close watch one upon the other, as each
+was afraid of being killed and eaten by somebody else. But their
+manners were so good that no one would ever have guessed that.
+
+One day a smart young wolf went out to hunt, promising his grandfather
+and grandmother that he would be sure to be back before bedtime. He
+trotted along quite happily through the forest till he came to a
+favourite place of his, just where the river runs into the sea. There,
+just as he had hoped, he saw the chief mink fishing in a canoe.
+
+'I want to fish too,' cried the wolf. But the mink said nothing, and
+pretended not to hear.
+
+'I wish you would take me into your boat!' shouted the wolf, louder
+than before, and he continued to beseech the mink so long that at last
+he grew tired of it, and paddled to the shore close enough for the
+wolf to jump in.
+
+'Sit down quietly at that end or we shall be upset,' said the mink;
+'and if you care about sea-urchins' eggs, you will find plenty in that
+basket. But be sure you eat only the white ones, for the red ones
+would kill you.'
+
+So the wolf, who was always hungry, began to eat the eggs greedily;
+and when he had finished he told the mink he thought he would have a
+nap.
+
+'Well, then, stretch yourself out, and rest your head on that piece
+of wood,' said the mink. And the wolf did as he was bid, and was soon
+fast asleep. Then the mink crept up to him and stabbed him to the
+heart with his knife, and he died without moving. After that he landed
+on the beach, skinned the wolf, and taking the skin to his cottage, he
+hung it up before the fire to dry.
+
+Not many days later the wolf's grandmother who, with the help of her
+relations, had been searching for him everywhere, entered the cottage
+to buy some sea-urchins' eggs, and saw the skin, which she at once
+guessed to be that of her grandson.
+
+'I knew he was dead--I knew it! I knew it!' she cried, weeping
+bitterly, till the mink told her rudely that if she wanted to make so
+much noise she had better do it outside as he liked to be quiet. So,
+half-blinded by her tears, the old woman went home the way she had
+come, and running in at the door, she flung herself down in front of
+the fire.
+
+'What are you crying for?' asked the old wolf and some friends who had
+been spending the afternoon with him.
+
+'I shall never see my grandson any more!' answered she. 'Mink has
+killed him, oh! oh!' And putting her head down, she began to weep as
+loudly as ever.
+
+'There! there!' said her husband, laying his paw on her shoulder. 'Be
+comforted; if he _is_ dead, we will avenge him.' And calling to the
+others they proceeded to talk over the best plan. It took them a long
+time to make up their minds, as one wolf proposed one thing and one
+another; but at last it was agreed that the old wolf should give a
+great feast in his house, and that the mink should be invited to the
+party. And in order that no time should be lost it was further agreed
+that each wolf should bear the invitations to the guests that lived
+nearest to him.
+
+Now the wolves thought they were very cunning, but the mink was more
+cunning still; and though he sent a message by a white hare, that was
+going that way, saying he should be delighted to be present, he
+determined that he would take his precautions. So he went to a mouse
+who had often done him a good turn, and greeted her with his best bow.
+
+ [Illustration: THE MINK IS VERY RUDE TO THE GRANDMOTHER WOLF]
+
+'I have a favour to ask of you, friend mouse,' said he, 'and if you
+will grant it I will carry you on my back every night for a week to
+the patch of maize right up the hill.'
+
+'The favour is _mine_,' answered the mouse. 'Tell me what it is that I
+can have the honour of doing for you.'
+
+'Oh, something quite easy,' replied the mink. 'I only want
+you--between to-day and the next full moon--to gnaw through the bows
+and paddles of the wolf people, so that directly they use them they
+will break. But of course you must manage it so that they notice
+nothing.'
+
+'Of course,' answered the mouse, 'nothing is easier; but as the full
+moon is to-morrow night, and there is not much time, I had better
+begin at once.' Then the mink thanked her, and went his way; but
+before he had gone far he came back again.
+
+'Perhaps, while you are about the wolf's house seeing after the bows,
+it would do no harm if you were to make that knot-hole in the wall a
+little bigger,' said he. 'Not large enough to draw attention, of
+course; but it _might_ come in handy.' And with another nod he left
+her.
+
+The next evening the mink washed and brushed himself carefully and set
+out for the feast. He smiled to himself as he looked at the dusty
+track, and perceived that though the marks of wolves' feet were many,
+not a single guest was to be seen anywhere. He knew very well what
+_that_ meant; but he had taken his precautions and was not afraid.
+
+The house door stood open, but through a crack the mink could see the
+wolves crowding in the corner behind it. However, he entered boldly,
+and as soon as he was fairly inside the door was shut with a bang, and
+the whole herd sprang at him, with their red tongues hanging out of
+their mouths. Quick as they were they were too late, for the mink was
+already through the knot-hole and racing for his canoe.
+
+The knot-hole was too small for the wolves, and there were so many of
+them in the hut that it was some time before they could get the door
+open. Then they seized the bows and arrows which were hanging on the
+walls and, once outside, aimed at the flying mink; but as they pulled
+the bows broke in their paws, so they threw them away, and bounded to
+the shore, with all their speed, to the place where their canoes were
+drawn up on the beach.
+
+Now, although the mink could not run as fast as the wolves, he had had
+a good start, and was already afloat when the swiftest among them
+threw themselves into the nearest canoe. They pushed off, but as they
+dipped the paddles into the water, they snapped as the bows had done,
+and were quite useless.
+
+'I know where there are some new ones,' cried a young fellow, leaping
+on shore and rushing to a little cave at the back of the beach. And
+the mink's heart smote him when he heard, for he had not known of this
+secret store.
+
+After a long chase the wolves managed to surround their prey, and the
+mink, seeing it was no good resisting any more, gave himself up. Some
+of the older wolves brought out some cedar bands, which they always
+carried wound round their bodies, but the mink laughed scornfully at
+the sight of them.
+
+'Why I could snap those in a moment,' said he; 'if you want to make
+sure that I cannot escape, better take a line of kelp and bind me with
+that.'
+
+'You are right,' answered the grandfather; 'your wisdom is greater
+than ours.' And he bade his servants gather enough kelp from the rocks
+to make a line, as they had brought none with them.
+
+'While the line is being made you might as well let me have one last
+dance,' remarked the mink. And the wolves replied: 'Very good, you may
+have your dance; perhaps it may amuse us as well as you.' So they
+brought two canoes and placed them one beside the other. The mink
+stood up on his hind legs and began to dance, first in one canoe and
+then in the other; and so graceful was he, that the wolves forgot they
+were going to put him to death, and howled with pleasure.
+
+'Pull the canoes a little apart; they are too close for this new
+dance,' he said, pausing for a moment. And the wolves separated them
+while he gave a series of little springs, sometimes pirouetting while
+he stood with one foot on the prow of both. 'Now nearer, now further
+apart,' he would cry as the dance went on. 'No! further still.' And
+springing into the air, amidst howls of applause, he came down head
+foremost, and dived to the bottom. And though the wolves, whose howls
+had now changed into those of rage, sought him everywhere, they never
+found him, for he hid behind a rock till they were out of sight, and
+then made his home in another forest.
+
+(From the _Journal of the Anthropological Institute_.)
+
+
+
+
+_ADVENTURES OF AN INDIAN BRAVE_
+
+
+A long, long way off, right away in the west of America, there once
+lived an old man who had one son. The country round was covered with
+forests, in which dwelt all kinds of wild beasts, and the young man
+and his companions used to spend whole days in hunting them, and he
+was the finest hunter of all the tribe.
+
+One morning, when winter was coming on, the youth and his companions
+set off as usual to bring back some of the mountain goats and deer to
+be salted down, as he was afraid of a snow-storm; and if the wind blew
+and the snow drifted the forest might be impassable for some weeks.
+The old man and the wife, however, would not go out, but remained in
+the wigwam making bows and arrows.
+
+It soon grew so cold in the forest that at last one of the men
+declared they could walk no more, unless they could manage to warm
+themselves.
+
+'That is easily done,' said the leader, giving a kick to a large tree.
+Flames broke out in the trunk, and before it had burnt up they were as
+hot as if it had been summer. Then they started off to the place where
+the goats and deer were to be found in the greatest numbers, and soon
+had killed as many as they wanted. But the leader killed most, as he
+was the best shot.
+
+'Now we must cut up the game and divide it,' said he; and so they did,
+each one taking his own share; and, walking one behind the other, set
+out for the village. But when they reached a great river the young man
+did not want the trouble of carrying his pack any further, and left
+it on the bank.
+
+'I am going home another way,' he told his companions. And taking
+another road he reached the village long before they did.
+
+'Have you returned with empty hands?' asked the old man, as his son
+opened the door.
+
+'Have I _ever_ done that, that you put me such a question?' asked the
+youth. 'No; I have slain enough to feast us for many moons, but it was
+heavy, and I left the pack on the bank of the great river. Give me the
+arrows, I will finish making them, and you can go to the river and
+bring home the pack!'
+
+So the old man rose and went, and strapped the meat on his shoulder;
+but as he was crossing the ford the strap broke and the pack fell into
+the river. He stooped to catch it, but it swirled past him. He
+clutched again; but in doing so he over-balanced himself and was
+hurried into some rapids, where he was knocked against some rocks, and
+he sank and was drowned, and his body was carried down the stream into
+smoother water when it rose to the surface again. But by this time it
+had lost all likeness to a man, and was changed into a piece of wood.
+
+The wood floated on, and the river got bigger and bigger and entered a
+new country. There it was borne by the current close to the shore, and
+a woman who was down there washing her clothes caught it as it passed,
+and drew it out, saying to herself: 'What a nice smooth plank! I will
+use it as a table to put my food upon.' And gathering up her clothes
+she took the plank with her into her hut.
+
+When her supper time came she stretched the board across two strings
+which hung from the roof, and set upon it the pot containing a stew
+that smelt very good. The woman had been working hard all day and was
+very hungry, so she took her biggest spoon and plunged it into the
+pot. But what was her astonishment and disgust when both pot and food
+vanished instantly before her.
+
+'Oh, you horrid plank, you have brought me ill-luck!' she cried. And
+taking it up she flung it away from her.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The woman had been surprised before at the disappearance of her food,
+but she was more astonished still when, instead of the plank, she
+beheld a baby. However, she was fond of children and had none of her
+own, so she made up her mind that she would keep it and take care of
+it. The baby grew and throve as no baby in that country had ever done,
+and in four days he was a man, and as tall and strong as any brave of
+the tribe.
+
+'You have treated me well,' he said, 'and meat shall never fail in
+your house. But now I must go, for I have much work to do.'
+
+Then he set out for his home.
+
+It took him many days to get there, and when he saw his son sitting in
+his place his anger was kindled, and his heart was stirred to take
+vengeance upon him. So he went out quickly into the forest and shed
+tears, and each tear became a bird. 'Stay there till I want you,' said
+he; and he returned to the hut.
+
+'I saw some pretty new birds, high up in a tree yonder,' he remarked.
+And the son answered: 'Show me the way and I will get them for
+dinner.'
+
+The two went out together, and after walking for about half an hour
+the old man stopped. 'That is the tree,' he said. And the son began to
+climb it.
+
+Now a strange thing happened. The higher the young man climbed the
+higher the birds seemed to be, and when he looked down the earth below
+appeared no bigger than a star. Still he tried to go back, but he
+could not, and though he could not see the birds any longer he felt as
+if something were dragging him up and up.
+
+He thought that he had been climbing that tree for days, and perhaps
+he had, for suddenly a beautiful country, yellow with fields of maize,
+stretched before him, and he gladly left the top of the tree and
+entered it. He walked through the maize without knowing where he was
+going, when he heard a sound of knocking, and saw two old blind women
+crushing their food between two stones. He crept up to them on tiptoe,
+and when one old woman passed her dinner to the other he held out his
+hand and took it and ate it for himself.
+
+'How slow you are kneading that cake,' cried the other old woman at
+last.
+
+'Why, I have given you your dinner, and what more do you want?'
+replied the second.
+
+'You didn't; at least I never got it,' said the other.
+
+'I certainly thought you took it from me; but here is some more.' And
+again the young man stretched out his hand; and the two old women fell
+to quarrelling afresh. But when it happened for the third time the old
+women suspected some trick, and one of them exclaimed:
+
+'I am sure there is a man here; tell me, are you not my grandson?'
+
+'Yes,' answered the young man, who wished to please her, 'and in
+return for your good dinner I will see if I cannot restore your sight;
+for I was taught the art of healing by the best medicine men in the
+tribe.' And with that he left them, and wandered about till he found
+the herb which he wanted. Then he hastened back to the old women, and
+begging them to boil him some water, he threw the herb in. As soon as
+the pot began to sing he took off the lid, and sprinkled the eyes of
+the women the sight came back to them once more.
+
+There was no night in that country, so, instead of going to bed very
+early, as he would have done in his own hut, the young man took
+another walk. A splashing noise near by drew him down to a valley
+through which ran a large river, and up a waterfall some salmon were
+leaping. How their silver sides glistened in the light, and how he
+longed to catch some of the great fellows! But how could he do it? He
+had beheld no one except the old women, and it was not very likely
+that they would be able to help him. So with a sigh he turned away and
+went back to them, but, as he walked, a thought struck him. He pulled
+out one of his hairs which hung nearly to his waist, and it instantly
+became a strong line, nearly a mile in length.
+
+'Weave me a net that I may catch some salmon,' said he. And they wove
+him the net he asked for, and for many weeks he watched by the river,
+only going back to the old women when he wanted a fish cooked.
+
+At last, one day, when he was eating his dinner, the old woman who
+always spoke first, said to him:
+
+'We have been very glad to see you, grandson, but now it is time that
+you went home.' And pushing aside a rock, he saw a deep hole, _so_
+deep that he could not see to the bottom. Then they dragged a basket
+out of the house, and tied a rope to it. 'Get in, and wrap this
+blanket round your head,' said they; 'and, whatever happens, don't
+uncover it till you get to the bottom.' Then they bade him farewell,
+and he curled himself up in the basket.
+
+Down, down, down he went; would he _ever_ stop going? But when the
+basket _did_ stop, the young man forgot what he had been told, and put
+his head out to see what was the matter. In an instant the basket
+moved, but, to his horror, instead of going down, he felt himself
+being drawn upwards, and shortly after he beheld the faces of the old
+women.
+
+'You will never see your wife and son if you will not do as you are
+bid,' said they. 'Now get in, and do not stir till you hear a crow
+calling.'
+
+This time the young man was wiser, and though the basket often
+stopped, and strange creatures seemed to rest on him and to pluck at
+his blanket, he held it tight till he heard the crow calling. Then he
+flung off the blanket and sprang out, while the basket vanished in the
+sky.
+
+He walked on quickly down the track that led to the hut, when, before
+him, he saw his wife with his little son on her back.
+
+'Oh! there is father at last,' cried the boy; but the mother bade him
+cease from idle talking.
+
+'But, mother, it is true; father is coming!' repeated the child. And,
+to satisfy him, the woman turned round and perceived her husband.
+
+Oh, how glad they all were to be together again! And when the wind
+whistled through the forest, and the snow stood in great banks round
+the door, the father used to take the little boy on his knee and tell
+him how he caught salmon in the Land of the Sun.
+
+(From the _Journal of the Anthropological Institute_.)
+
+
+
+
+_HOW THE STALOS WERE TRICKED_
+
+
+'Mother, I have seen such a wonderful man,' said a little boy one day,
+as he entered a hut in Lapland, bearing in his arms the bundle of
+sticks he had been sent out to gather.
+
+'Have you, my son; and what was he like?' asked the mother, as she
+took off the child's sheep-skin coat and shook it on the doorstep.
+
+'Well, I was tired of stooping for the sticks, and was leaning against
+a tree to rest, when I heard a noise of 'sh-'sh, among the dead
+leaves. I thought perhaps it was a wolf, so I stood very still. But
+soon there came past a tall man--oh! twice as tall as father--with a
+long red beard and a red tunic fastened with a silver girdle, from
+which hung a big silver-handled knife. Behind him followed a great
+dog, which looked stronger than any wolf, or even a bear. But why are
+you so pale, mother?'
+
+'It was the Stalo,' replied she, her voice trembling; 'Stalo the
+man-eater! You did well to hide, or you might never have come back.
+But, remember that, though he is so tall and strong, he is very
+stupid, and many a Lapp has escaped from his clutches by playing him
+some clever trick.'
+
+Not long after the mother and son had held this talk, it began to be
+whispered in the forest that the children of an old man called Patto
+had vanished one by one, no one knew whither. The unhappy father
+searched the country for miles round without being able to find as
+much as a shoe or a handkerchief, to show him where they had passed,
+but at length a little boy came with news that he had seen the Stalo
+hiding behind a well, near which the children used to play. The boy
+had waited behind a clump of bushes to see what would happen, and
+by-and-by he noticed that the Stalo had laid a cunning trap in the
+path to the well, and that anybody who fell over it would roll into
+the water and drown there.
+
+And, as he watched, Patto's youngest daughter ran gaily down the path,
+till her foot caught in the strings that were stretched across the
+steepest place. She slipped and fell, and in another instant had
+rolled into the water within reach of the Stalo.
+
+As soon as Patto heard this tale his heart was filled with rage, and
+he vowed to have his revenge. So he straightway took an old fur coat
+from the hook where it hung, and putting it on went out into the
+forest. When he reached the path that led to the well he looked
+hastily round to be sure that no one was watching him, then laid
+himself down as if he had been caught in the snare and had rolled into
+the well, though he took care to keep his head out of the water.
+
+Very soon he heard the 'sh-'sh of the leaves, and there was the Stalo
+pushing his way through the undergrowth to see what chance he had of a
+dinner. At the first glimpse of Patto's head in the well, he laughed
+loudly, crying:
+
+'Ha! ha! This time it is the old ass! I wonder how _he_ will taste?'
+And drawing Patto out of the well, he flung him across his shoulders
+and carried him home. Then he tied a cord round him and hung him over
+the fire to roast, while he finished a box that he was making before
+the door of the hut, which he meant to hold Patto's flesh when it was
+cooked. In a very short time the box was so nearly done that it only
+wanted a little more chipping out with an axe; but this part of the
+work was easier accomplished indoors, and he called to one of his
+sons, who were lounging inside, to bring him the tool.
+
+ [Illustration: THE LITTLE BOY SEES THE STALO IN THE WOOD]
+
+The young man looked everywhere, but he could not find the axe, for
+the very good reason that Patto had managed to pick it up and hide it
+in his clothes.
+
+'Stupid fellow! what is the use of you?' grumbled his father angrily;
+and he bade first one and then another of his sons to fetch him the
+tool, but they had no better success than their brother.
+
+'I must come myself, I suppose!' said Stalo, putting aside the box.
+But, meanwhile, Patto had slipped from the hook and concealed himself
+behind the door, so that, as Stalo stepped in, his prisoner raised the
+axe, and with one blow the ogre's head was rolling on the ground. His
+sons were so frightened at the sight that they all ran away.
+
+And in this manner Patto avenged his dead children.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+But though Stalo was dead, his three sons were still living, and not
+very far off either. They had gone to their mother, who was tending
+some reindeer on the pastures, and told her that by some magic, they
+knew not what, their father's head had rolled from his body, and they
+had been so afraid that something dreadful would happen to them that
+they had come to take refuge with her. The ogress said nothing. Long
+ago she had found out how stupid her sons were, so she just sent them
+out to milk the reindeer, while she returned to the other house to
+bury her husband's body.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Now, three days' journey from the hut on the pastures two brothers
+named Sodno dwelt in a small cottage with their sister Lyma, who
+tended a large herd of reindeer while they were out hunting. Of late
+it had been whispered from one to another that the three young Stalos
+were to be seen on the pastures, but the Sodno brothers did not
+disturb themselves, the danger seemed too far away.
+
+Unluckily, however, one day, when Lyma was left by herself in the hut,
+the three Stalos came down and carried her and the reindeer off to
+their own cottage. The country was very lonely, and perhaps no one
+would have known in which direction she had gone had not the girl
+managed to tie a ball of thread to the handle of a door at the back of
+the cottage and let it trail behind her. Of course the ball was not
+long enough to go all the way, but it lay on the edge of a snowy track
+which led straight to the Stalos' house.
+
+When the brothers returned from their hunting they found both the hut
+and the sheds empty. Loudly they cried: 'Lyma! Lyma!' But no voice
+answered them; and they fell to searching all about, lest perchance
+their sister might have dropped some clue to guide them. At length
+their eyes dropped on the thread which lay on the snow, and they set
+out to follow it.
+
+On and on they went, and when at length the thread stopped the
+brothers knew that another day's journey would bring them to the
+Stalos' dwelling. Of course they did not dare to approach it openly,
+for the Stalos had the strength of giants, and besides, there were
+three of them; so the two Sodnos climbed into a big bushy tree which
+overhung a well.
+
+'Perhaps our sister may be sent to draw water here,' they said to each
+other.
+
+But it was not till the moon had risen that the sister came, and as
+she let down her bucket into the well, the leaves seemed to whisper
+'Lyma! Lyma!'
+
+The girl started and looked up, but could see nothing, and in a moment
+the voice came again.
+
+'Be careful--take no notice, fill your buckets, but listen carefully
+all the while, and we will tell you what to do so that you may escape
+yourself and set free the reindeer also.'
+
+So Lyma bent over the well lower than before, and seemed busier than
+ever.
+
+'You know,' said her brother, 'that when a Stalo finds that anything
+has been dropped into his food he will not eat a morsel, but throws it
+to his dogs. Now, after the pot has been hanging some time over the
+fire, and the broth is nearly cooked, just rake up the log of wood so
+that some of the ashes fly into the pot. The Stalo will soon notice
+this, and will call you to give all the food to the dogs; but,
+instead, you must bring it straight to us, as it is three days since
+we have eaten or drunk. That is all you need do for the present.'
+
+Then Lyma took up her buckets and carried them into the house, and did
+as her brothers had told her. They were so hungry that they ate the
+food up greedily without speaking, but when there was nothing left in
+the pot, the eldest one said:
+
+'Listen carefully to what I have to tell you. After the eldest Stalo
+has cooked and eaten a fresh supper, he will go to bed and sleep so
+soundly that not even a witch could wake him. You can hear him snoring
+a mile off, and then you must go into his room and pull off the iron
+mantle that covers him, and put it on the fire till it is almost red
+hot. When that is done, come to us and we will give you further
+directions.'
+
+'I will obey you in everything, dear brothers,' answered Lyma; and so
+she did.
+
+It had happened that on this very evening the Stalos had driven in
+some of the reindeer from the pasture, and had tied them up to the
+wall of the house so that they might be handy to kill for next day's
+dinner. The two Sodnos had seen what they were doing, and where the
+beasts were secured; so, at midnight, when all was still, they crept
+down from their tree and seized the reindeer by the horns which were
+locked together. The animals were frightened, and began to neigh and
+kick, as if they were fighting together, and the noise became so
+great that even the eldest Stalo was awakened by it, and _that_ was a
+thing which had never occurred before. Raising himself in his bed, he
+called to his youngest brother to go out and separate the reindeer or
+they would certainly kill themselves.
+
+The young Stalo did as he was bid, and left the house; but no sooner
+was he out of the door than he was stabbed to the heart by one of the
+Sodnos, and fell without a groan. Then they went back to worry the
+reindeer, and the noise became as great as ever, and a second time the
+Stalo awoke.
+
+'The boy does not seem able to part the beasts,' he cried to his
+second brother; 'go and help him, or I shall never get to sleep.' So
+the brother went, and in an instant was struck dead as he left the
+house by the sword of the eldest Sodno. The Stalo waited in bed a
+little longer for things to get quiet, but as the clatter of the
+reindeers' horns was as bad as ever, he rose angrily from his bed
+muttering to himself:
+
+'It is extraordinary that they cannot unlock themselves; but as no one
+else seems able to help them I suppose I must go and do it.'
+
+Rubbing his eyes, he stood up on the floor and stretched his great
+arms and gave a yawn which shook the walls. The Sodnos heard it below,
+and posted themselves, one at the big door and one at the little door
+at the back, for they did not know which their enemy would come out
+at.
+
+The Stalo put out his hand to take his iron mantle from the bed, where
+it always lay, but the mantle was not there. He wondered where it
+could be, and who could have moved it, and after searching through all
+the rooms, he found it hanging over the kitchen fire. But the first
+touch burnt him so badly that he let it alone, and went with nothing,
+except a stick in his hand, through the back door.
+
+The young Sodno was standing ready for him, and as the Stalo passed
+the threshold struck him such a blow on the head that he rolled over
+with a crash and never stirred again. The two Sodnos did not trouble
+about him, but quickly stripped the younger Stalos of their clothes,
+in which they dressed themselves. Then they sat still till the dawn
+should break and they could find out from the Stalos' mother where the
+treasure was hidden.
+
+With the first rays of the sun the young Sodno went upstairs and
+entered the old woman's room. She was already up and dressed, and
+sitting by the window knitting, and the young man crept in softly and
+crouched down on the floor, laying his head on her lap. For a while he
+kept silence, then he whispered gently:
+
+'Tell me, dear mother, where did my eldest brother conceal his
+riches?'
+
+'What a strange question! Surely you must know,' answered she.
+
+'No, I have forgotten; my memory is so bad.'
+
+'He dug a hole under the doorstep and placed it there,' said she. And
+there was another pause.
+
+By-and-by the Sodno asked again:
+
+'And where may my second brother's money be?'
+
+'Don't you know that either?' cried the mother in surprise.
+
+'Oh, yes; I did once. But since I fell upon my head I can remember
+nothing.'
+
+'It is behind the oven,' answered she. And again was silence.
+
+'Mother, dear mother,' said the young man at last, 'I am almost afraid
+to ask you; but I really have grown so stupid of late. Where did I
+hide my own money?'
+
+But at this question the old woman flew into a passion, and vowed that
+if she could find a rod she would bring his memory back to him.
+Luckily, no rod was within her reach, and the Sodno managed, after a
+little, to coax her back into good humour, and at length she told him
+that the youngest Stalo had buried his treasure under the very place
+where she was sitting.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Dear mother,' said Lyma, who had come in unseen, and was kneeling in
+front of the fire. 'Dear mother, do you know who it is you have been
+talking with?'
+
+The old woman started, but answered quietly:
+
+'It is a Sodno, I suppose?'
+
+'You have guessed right,' replied Lyma.
+
+The mother of the Stalos looked round for her iron cane, which she
+always used to kill her victims, but it was not there, for Lyma had
+put it in the fire.
+
+'Where is my iron cane?' asked the old woman.
+
+'There!' answered Lyma, pointing to the flames.
+
+The old woman sprang forward and seized it, but her clothes caught
+fire, and in a few minutes she was burned to ashes.
+
+So the Sodno brothers found the treasure, and they carried it, and
+their sister and the reindeer, to their own home, and were the richest
+men in all Lapland.
+
+(From _Lappländische Mährchen_, J. C. Poestion.)
+
+
+
+
+_ANDRAS BAIVE_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived in Lapland a man who was so very strong
+and swift of foot that nobody in his native town of Vadsö could come
+near him if they were running races in the summer evenings. The people
+of Vadsö were very proud of their champion, and thought that there was
+no one like him in the world, till, by-and-by, it came to their ears
+that there dwelt among the mountains a Lapp, Andras Baive by name, who
+was said by his friends to be even stronger and swifter than the
+bailiff. Of course not a creature in Vadsö believed _that_, and
+declared that if it made the mountaineers happier to talk such
+nonsense, why, let them!
+
+The winter was long and cold, and the thoughts of the villagers were
+much busier with wolves than with Andras Baive, when suddenly, on a
+frosty day, he made his appearance in the little town of Vadsö. The
+bailiff was delighted at this chance of trying his strength, and at
+once went out to seek Andras and to coax him into giving proof of his
+vigour. As he walked along his eyes fell upon a big eight-oared boat
+that lay upon the shore, and his face shone with pleasure. 'That is
+the very thing,' laughed he, 'I will make him jump over that boat.'
+Andras was quite ready to accept the challenge, and they soon settled
+the terms of the wager. He who could jump over the boat without so
+much as touching it with his heel was to be the winner, and would get
+a large sum of money as the prize. So, followed by many of the
+villagers, the two men walked down to the sea.
+
+An old fisherman was chosen to stand near the boat to watch fair
+play, and to hold the stakes, and Andras, as the stranger, was told to
+jump first. Going back to the flag which had been stuck into the sand
+to mark the starting place, he ran forward, with his head well thrown
+back, and cleared the boat with a mighty bound. The lookers on cheered
+him, and indeed he well deserved it; but they waited anxiously all the
+same to see what the bailiff would do. On he came, taller than Andras
+by several inches, but heavier of build. He too sprang high and well,
+but as he came down his heel just grazed the edge of the boat. Dead
+silence reigned amidst the townsfolk, but Andras only laughed and said
+carelessly:
+
+'Just a little too short, bailiff; next time you must do better than
+that.'
+
+The bailiff turned red with anger at his rival's scornful words, and
+answered quickly: 'Next time you will have something harder to do.'
+And turning his back on his friends, he went sulkily home. Andras,
+putting the money he had earned in his pocket, went home also.
+
+In the following spring Andras happened to be driving his reindeer
+along a great fiord to the west of Vadsö. A boy who had met him
+hastened to tell the bailiff that his enemy was only a few miles off;
+and the bailiff, disguising himself as a Stalo, or ogre, called his
+son and his dog and rowed away across the fiord to the place where the
+boy had met Andras.
+
+Now the mountaineer was lazily walking along the sands, thinking of
+the new hut that he was building with the money that he had won on the
+day of his lucky jump. He wandered on, his eyes fixed on the sands, so
+that he did not see the bailiff drive his boat behind a rock, while he
+changed himself into a heap of wreckage which floated in on the waves.
+A stumble over a stone recalled Andras to himself, and looking up he
+beheld the mass of wreckage. 'Dear me! I may find some use for that,'
+he said; and hastened down to the sea, waiting till he could lay hold
+of some stray rope which might float towards him. Suddenly--he could
+not have told why--a nameless fear seized upon him, and he fled away
+from the shore as if for his life. As he ran he heard the sound of a
+pipe, such as only ogres of the Stalo kind were wont to use; and there
+flashed into his mind what the bailiff had said when they jumped the
+boat: 'Next time you will have something harder to do.' So it was no
+wreckage after all that he had seen, but the bailiff himself.
+
+It happened that in the long summer nights up in the mountain, where
+the sun never set, and it was very difficult to get to sleep, Andras
+had spent many hours in the study of magic, and this stood him in good
+stead now. The instant he heard the Stalo music he wished himself to
+become the feet of a reindeer, and in this guise he galloped like the
+wind for several miles. Then he stopped to take breath and find out
+what his enemy was doing. Nothing could he see, but to his ears the
+notes of a pipe floated over the plain, and ever, as he listened, it
+drew nearer.
+
+A cold shiver shook Andras, and this time he wished himself the feet
+of a reindeer calf. For when a reindeer calf has reached the age when
+he begins first to lose his hair he grows so swift that neither beast
+nor bird can come near him. A reindeer calf is the swiftest of all
+things living. Yes; but not so swift as a Stalo, as Andras found out
+when he stopped to rest, and heard the pipe playing!
+
+For a moment his heart sank, and he gave himself up for dead, till he
+remembered that, not far off, were two little lakes joined together by
+a short though very broad river. In the middle of the river lay a
+stone that was always covered by water, except in very dry seasons,
+and as the winter rains had been very heavy, he felt quite sure that
+not even the top of it could be seen. The next minute, if anyone had
+been looking that way, he would have beheld a small reindeer calf
+speeding northwards, and by-and-by give a great spring, which landed
+him in the midst of the stream. But, instead of sinking to the bottom,
+he paused to steady himself, then gave a second spring which landed
+him on the further shore. He next ran on to a little hill where he sat
+down and began to neigh loudly, so that the Stalo might know exactly
+where he was.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+'Ah! _there_ you are,' cried the Stalo, appearing on the opposite
+bank; 'for a moment I really thought I had lost you.'
+
+'No such luck,' answered Andras, shaking his head sorrowfully. By this
+time he had taken his own shape again.
+
+'Well, but I don't see how I am to get to you!' said the Stalo,
+looking up and down.
+
+'Jump over, as I did,' answered Andras; 'it is quite easy.'
+
+'But I could not jump this river; and I don't know how you did,'
+replied the Stalo.
+
+'I should be ashamed to say such things,' exclaimed Andras. 'Do you
+mean to tell me that a jump, which the weakest Lapp boy would make
+nothing of, is beyond your strength?'
+
+The Stalo grew red and angry when he heard these words, just as Andras
+meant him to do. He bounded into the air and fell straight into the
+river. Not that _that_ would have mattered, for he was a good swimmer;
+but Andras drew out the bow and arrows which every Lapp carries, and
+took aim at him. His aim was good, but the Stalo sprang so high into
+the air that the arrow flew between his feet. A second shot, directed
+at his forehead, fared no better, for this time the Stalo jumped so
+high to the other side that the arrow passed between his finger and
+thumb. Then Andras aimed his third arrow a little over the Stalo's
+head, and when he sprang up, just an instant too soon, it hit him
+between the ribs.
+
+ [Illustration: ANDRAS BAIVE SHOOTS THE STALO]
+
+Mortally wounded as he was, the Stalo was not yet dead, and managed to
+swim to the shore. Stretching himself on the sand, he said slowly to
+Andras:
+
+'Promise that you will give me honourable burial, and when my body is
+laid in the grave go in my boat across the fiord, and take whatever
+you find in my house which belongs to me. My dog you must kill, but
+spare my son, Andras.'
+
+Then he died; and Andras sailed in his boat away across the fiord and
+found the dog and boy. The dog, a fierce, wicked-looking creature, he
+slew with one blow from his fist, for it is well-known that if a
+Stalo's dog licks the blood that flows from his dead master's wounds
+the Stalo comes to life again. That is why no _real_ Stalo is ever
+seen without his dog; but the bailiff, being only half a Stalo, had
+forgotten his, when he went to the little lakes in search of Andras.
+Next, Andras put all the gold and jewels which he found in the boat
+into his pockets, and bidding the boy get in, pushed it off from the
+shore, leaving the little craft to drift as it would, while he himself
+ran home. With the treasures he possessed he was able to buy a great
+herd of reindeer; and he soon married a rich wife, whose parents would
+not have him as a son-in-law when he was poor, and the two lived happy
+for ever after.
+
+(From _Lappländische Mährchen_, J. C. Poestion.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE WHITE SLIPPER_
+
+
+Once upon a time there lived a king who had a daughter just fifteen
+years old. And _what_ a daughter!
+
+Even the mothers who had daughters of their own could not help
+allowing that the princess was much more beautiful and graceful than
+any of them; and as for the fathers, if one of them ever beheld her by
+accident he could talk of nothing else for a whole day afterwards.
+
+Of course the king, whose name was Balancin, was the complete slave of
+his little girl from the moment he lifted her from the arms of her
+dead mother; indeed, he did not seem to know that there was anyone
+else in the world to love.
+
+Now Diamantina, for that was her name, did not reach her fifteenth
+birthday without proposals of marriage from every country under
+heaven; but be the suitor who he might, the king always said him nay.
+
+Behind the palace a large garden stretched away to the foot of some
+hills, and more than one river flowed through. Hither the princess
+would come each evening towards sunset, attended by her ladies, and
+gather herself the flowers that were to adorn her rooms. She also
+brought with her a pair of scissors to cut off the dead blooms, and a
+basket to put them in, so that when the sun rose next morning he might
+see nothing unsightly. When she had finished this task she would take
+a walk through the town, so that the poor people might have a chance
+of speaking with her, and telling her of their troubles; and then she
+would seek out her father, and together they would consult over the
+best means of giving help to those who needed it.
+
+But what has all this to do with the White Slipper? my readers will
+ask.
+
+Have patience, and you will see.
+
+Next to his daughter, Balancin loved hunting, and it was his custom to
+spend several mornings every week chasing the boars which abounded in
+the mountains a few miles from the city. One day, rushing downhill as
+fast as he could go, he put his foot into a hole and fell, rolling
+into a rocky pit full of brambles. The king's wounds were not very
+severe, but his face and hands were cut and torn, while his feet were
+in a worse plight still, for, instead of proper hunting boots, he only
+wore sandals, to enable him to run more swiftly.
+
+In a few days the king was as well as ever, and the signs of the
+scratches were almost gone; but one foot still remained very sore,
+where a thorn had pierced deeply and had festered. The best doctors in
+the kingdom treated it with all their skill; they bathed, and
+poulticed, and bandaged, but it was in vain. The foot only grew worse
+and worse, and became daily more swollen and painful.
+
+After everyone had tried his own particular cure, and found it fail,
+there came news of a wonderful doctor in some distant land who had
+healed the most astonishing diseases. On inquiring, it was found that
+he never left the walls of his own city, and expected his patients to
+come to see _him_; but, by dint of offering a large sum of money, the
+king persuaded the famous physician to undertake the journey to his
+own court.
+
+On his arrival the doctor was led at once into the king's presence,
+and made a careful examination of his foot.
+
+'Alas! your majesty,' he said, when he had finished, 'the wound is
+beyond the power of man to heal; but though I cannot cure it, I can
+at least deaden the pain, and enable you to walk without so much
+suffering.'
+
+'Oh, if you can only do that,' cried the king, 'I shall be grateful to
+you for life! Give your own orders; they shall be obeyed.'
+
+'Then let your majesty bid the royal shoemaker make you a shoe of
+goat-skin very loose and comfortable, while I prepare a varnish to
+paint over it of which I alone have the secret!' So saying, the doctor
+bowed himself out, leaving the king more cheerful and hopeful than he
+had been for long.
+
+The days passed very slowly with him during the making of the shoe and
+the preparation of the varnish, but on the eighth morning the
+physician appeared, bringing with him the shoe in a case. He drew it
+out to slip it on the king's foot, and over the goat-skin he had
+rubbed a polish so white that the snow itself was not more dazzling.
+
+'While you wear this shoe you will not feel the slightest pain,' said
+the doctor. 'For the balsam with which I have rubbed it inside and out
+has, besides its healing balm, the quality of strengthening the
+material it touches, so that, even were your majesty to live a
+thousand years, you would find the slipper just as fresh at the end of
+that time as it is now.'
+
+The king was so eager to put it on that he hardly gave the physician
+time to finish. He snatched it from the case and thrust his foot into
+it, nearly weeping for joy when he found he could walk and run as
+easily as any beggar boy.
+
+'What can I give you?' he cried, holding out both hands to the man who
+had worked this wonder. 'Stay with me, and I will heap on you riches
+greater than ever you dreamed of.' But the doctor said he would accept
+nothing more than had been agreed on, and must return at once to his
+own country, where many sick people were awaiting him. So king
+Balancin had to content himself with ordering the physician to be
+treated with royal honours, and desiring that an escort should attend
+him on his journey home.
+
+ [Illustration: BALANCIN'S DELIGHT AT THE WHITE SLIPPER]
+
+For two years everything went smoothly at court, and to king Balancin
+and his daughter the sun no sooner rose than it seemed time for it to
+set. Now, the king's birthday fell in the month of June, and as the
+weather happened to be unusually fine, he told the princess to
+celebrate it in any way that pleased her. Diamantina was very fond of
+being on the river, and she was delighted at this chance of indulging
+her tastes. She would have a merry-making such as never had been seen
+before, and in the evening, when they were tired of sailing and
+rowing, there should be music and dancing, plays and fireworks. At the
+very end, before the people went home, every poor person should be
+given a loaf of bread, and every girl who was to be married within
+the year a new dress.
+
+The great day appeared to Diamantina to be long in coming, but, like
+other days, it came at last. Before the sun was fairly up in the
+heavens the princess, too full of excitement to stay in the palace,
+was walking about the streets so covered with precious stones that you
+had to shade your eyes before you could look at her. By-and-by a
+trumpet sounded, and she hurried home, only to appear again in a few
+moments walking by the side of her father down to the river. Here a
+splendid barge was waiting for them, and from it they watched all
+sorts of races and feats of swimming and diving. When these were over
+the barge proceeded up the river to the field where the dancing and
+concerts were to take place, and after the prizes had been given away
+to the winners, and the loaves and the dresses had been distributed by
+the princess, they bade farewell to their guests, and turned to step
+into the barge which was to carry them back to the palace.
+
+Then a dreadful thing happened. As the king stepped on board the boat
+one of the sandals of the white slipper, which had got loose, caught
+in a nail that was sticking out, and caused the king to tumble. The
+pain was great, and unconsciously he turned and shook his foot, so
+that the sandals gave way, and in a moment the precious shoe was in
+the river.
+
+It had all occurred so quickly that nobody had noticed the loss of the
+slipper, not even the princess, whom the king's cries speedily brought
+to his side.
+
+'What is the matter, dear father?' asked she. But the king could not
+tell her; and only managed to gasp out: 'My shoe! my shoe!' While the
+sailors stood round staring, thinking that his majesty had suddenly
+gone mad.
+
+Seeing her father's eyes fixed on the stream, Diamantina looked
+hastily in that direction. There, dancing on the current, was the
+point of something white, which became more and more distant the
+longer they watched it. The king could bear the sight no more, and,
+besides, now that the healing ointment in the shoe had been removed
+the pain in his foot was as bad as ever; he gave a sudden cry,
+staggered, and fell over the bulwarks into the water.
+
+In an instant the river was covered with bobbing heads all swimming
+their fastest towards the king, who had been carried far down by the
+swift current. At length one swimmer, stronger than the rest, seized
+hold of his tunic, and drew him to the bank, where a thousand eager
+hands were ready to haul him out. He was carried, unconscious, to the
+side of his daughter, who had fainted with terror on seeing her father
+disappear below the surface, and together they were placed in a coach
+and driven to the palace, where the best doctors in the city were
+awaiting their arrival.
+
+In a few hours the princess was as well as ever; but the pain, the
+wetting, and the shock of the accident, all told severely on the king,
+and for three days he lay in a high fever. Meanwhile, his daughter,
+herself nearly mad with grief, gave orders that the white slipper
+should be sought for far and wide; and so it was, but even the
+cleverest divers could find no trace of it at the bottom of the river.
+
+When it became clear that the slipper must have been carried out to
+sea by the current, Diamantina turned her thoughts elsewhere, and sent
+messengers in search of the doctor who had brought relief to her
+father, begging him to make another slipper as fast as possible, to
+supply the place of the one which was lost. But the messengers
+returned with the sad news that the doctor had died some weeks before,
+and, what was worse, his secret had died with him.
+
+In his weakness this intelligence had such an effect on the king that
+the physicians feared he would become as ill as before. He could
+hardly be persuaded to touch food, and all night long he lay moaning,
+partly with pain, and partly over his own folly in not having begged
+the doctor to make him several dozens of white slippers, so that in
+case of accidents he might always have one to put on. However,
+by-and-by he saw that it was no use weeping and wailing, and commanded
+that they should search for his lost treasure more diligently than
+ever.
+
+What a sight the river banks presented in those days! It seemed as if
+all the people in the country were gathered on them. But this second
+search was no more fortunate than the first, and at last the king
+issued a proclamation that whoever found the missing slipper should be
+made heir to the crown, and should marry the princess.
+
+Now many daughters would have rebelled at being disposed of in this
+manner; and it must be admitted that Diamantina's heart sank when she
+heard what the king had done. Still, she loved her father so much that
+she desired his comfort more than anything else in the world, so she
+said nothing, and only bowed her head.
+
+Of course the result of the proclamation was that the river banks
+became more crowded than before; for all the princess's suitors from
+distant lands flocked to the spot, each hoping that he might be the
+lucky finder. Many times a shining stone at the bottom of the stream
+was taken for the slipper itself, and every evening saw a band of
+dripping downcast men returning homewards. But one youth always
+lingered longer than the rest, and night would still see him engaged
+in the search, though his clothes stuck to his skin and his teeth
+chattered.
+
+One day, when the king was lying on his bed racked with pain, he heard
+the noise of a scuffle going on in his antechamber, and rang a golden
+bell that stood by his side to summon one of his servants.
+
+'Sire,' answered the attendant, when the king inquired what was the
+matter, 'the noise you heard was caused by a young man from the town,
+who has had the impudence to come here to ask if he may measure your
+majesty's foot, so as to make you another slipper in place of the lost
+one.'
+
+'And what have you done to the youth?' said the king.
+
+'The servants pushed him out of the palace, and added a few blows to
+teach him not to be insolent,' replied the man.
+
+'Then they did very ill,' answered the king, with a frown. 'He came
+here from kindness, and there was no reason to maltreat him.'
+
+'Oh, my lord, he had the audacity to wish to touch your majesty's
+sacred person--he, good-for-nothing boy, a mere shoemaker's
+apprentice, perhaps! And even if he could make shoes to perfection
+they would be no use without the healing balsam.'
+
+The king remained silent for a few moments, then he said:
+
+'Never mind. Go and fetch the youth and bring him to me. I would
+gladly try any remedy that may relieve my pain.'
+
+So, soon afterwards, the youth, who had not gone far from the palace,
+was caught and ushered into the king's presence.
+
+He was tall and handsome and, though he professed to make shoes, his
+manners were good and modest, and he bowed low as he begged the king
+not only to allow him to take the measure of his foot, but also to
+suffer him to place a healing plaster over the wound.
+
+Balancin was pleased with the young man's voice and appearance, and
+thought that he looked as if he knew what he was doing. So he
+stretched out his bad foot which the youth examined with great
+attention, and then gently laid on the plaster.
+
+Very shortly the ointment began to soothe the sharp pain, and the
+king, whose confidence increased every moment, begged the young man to
+tell him his name.
+
+'I have no parents; they died when I was six, sire,' replied the
+youth, modestly. 'Everyone in the town calls me Gilguerillo,[1]
+because, when I was little, I went singing through the world in spite
+of my misfortunes. Luckily for me I was born happy.'
+
+ [1] Linnet.
+
+'And you really think you can cure me?' asked the king.
+
+'Completely, my lord,' answered Gilguerillo.
+
+'And how long do you think it will take?'
+
+'It is not an easy task; but I will try to finish it in a fortnight,'
+replied the youth.
+
+A fortnight seemed to the king a long time to make one slipper. But he
+only said:
+
+'Do you need anything to help you?'
+
+'Only a good horse, if your majesty will be kind enough to give me
+one,' answered Gilguerillo. And the reply was so unexpected that the
+courtiers could hardly restrain their smiles, while the king stared
+silently.
+
+'You shall have the horse,' he said at last, 'and I shall expect you
+back in a fortnight. If you fulfil your promise you know your reward;
+if not, I will have you flogged for your impudence.'
+
+Gilguerillo bowed, and turned to leave the palace, followed by the
+jeers and scoffs of everyone he met. But he paid no heed, for he had
+got what he wanted.
+
+He waited in front of the gates till a magnificent horse was led up to
+him, and vaulting into the saddle with an ease which rather surprised
+the attendant, rode quickly out of the town amidst the jests of the
+assembled crowd, who had heard of his audacious proposal. And while he
+is on his way let us pause for a moment and tell who he is.
+
+Both father and mother had died before the boy was six years old; and
+he had lived for many years with his uncle, whose life had been
+passed in the study of chemistry. He could leave no money to his
+nephew, as he had a son of his own; but he taught him all he knew, and
+at his death Gilguerillo entered an office, where he worked for many
+hours daily. In his spare time, instead of playing with the other
+boys, he passed hours poring over books, and because he was timid and
+liked to be alone he was held by every one to be a little mad.
+Therefore, when it became known that he had promised to cure the
+king's foot, and had ridden away--no one knew where--a roar of
+laughter and mockery rang through the town, and jeers and scoffing
+words were sent after him.
+
+ [Illustration: GILGUERILLO FALLS IN LOVE WITH PRINCESS DIAMANTINA]
+
+But if they had only known what were Gilguerillo's thoughts they would
+have thought him madder than ever.
+
+The real truth was that, on the morning when the princess had walked
+through the streets before making holiday on the river, Gilguerillo
+had seen her from his window, and had straightway fallen in love with
+her. Of course he felt quite hopeless. It was absurd to imagine that
+the apothecary's nephew could ever marry the king's daughter; so he
+did his best to forget her, and study harder than before, till the
+royal proclamation suddenly filled him with hope. When he was free he
+no longer spent the precious moments poring over books, but, like the
+rest, he might have been seen wandering along the banks of the river,
+or diving into the stream after something that lay glistening in the
+clear water, but which turned out to be a white pebble or a bit of
+glass.
+
+And at the end he understood that it was not by the river that he
+would win the princess; and, turning to his books for comfort, he
+studied harder than ever.
+
+There is an old proverb which says: 'Everything comes to him who knows
+how to wait.' It is not all men who know how to wait, any more than it
+is all men who can learn by experience; but Gilguerillo was one of the
+few, and instead of thinking his life wasted because he could not have
+the thing he wanted most, he tried to busy himself in other
+directions. So, one day, when he expected it least, his reward came to
+him.
+
+He happened to be reading a book many hundreds of years old, which
+told of remedies for all kinds of diseases. Most of them, he knew,
+were merely invented by old women, who sought to prove themselves
+wiser than other people; but at length he came to something which
+caused him to sit up straight in his chair, and made his eyes
+brighten. This was a description of a balsam--which would cure every
+kind of a sore or wound--distilled from a plant only to be found in a
+country so distant that it would take a man on foot two months to go
+and come back again.
+
+When I say that the book declared that the balsam could heal _every_
+sort of sore or wound, there were a few against which it was
+powerless, and it gave certain signs by which these might be known.
+This was the reason why Gilguerillo demanded to see the king's foot
+before he would undertake to cure it; and to obtain admittance he gave
+out that he was a shoemaker. However, the dreaded signs were absent,
+and his heart bounded at the thought that the princess was within his
+reach.
+
+Perhaps she was; but a great deal had to be accomplished yet, and he
+had allowed himself a very short time in which to do it.
+
+He spared his horse only so much as was needful, yet it took him six
+days to reach the spot where the plant grew. A thick wood lay in front
+of him, and, fastening the bridle tightly to a tree, he flung himself
+on his hands and knees and began to hunt for the treasure. Many times
+he fancied it was close to him, and many times it turned out to be
+something else; but, at last, when light was fading, and he had almost
+given up hope, he came upon a large bed of the plant, right under his
+feet! Trembling with joy, he picked every scrap he could see, and
+placed it in his wallet. Then, mounting his horse, he galloped quickly
+back towards the city.
+
+It was night when he entered the gates, and the fifteen days allotted
+were not up till the next day. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and his
+body ached with the long strain, but, without pausing to rest, he
+kindled a fire on his hearth, and quickly filling a pot with water,
+threw in the herbs and left them to boil. After that he lay down and
+slept soundly.
+
+The sun was shining when he awoke, and he jumped up and ran to the
+pot. The plant had disappeared and in its stead was a thick syrup,
+just as the book had said that there would be. He lifted the syrup out
+with a spoon, and after spreading it in the sun till it was partly
+dry, poured it into a small flask of crystal. He next washed himself
+thoroughly, and dressed himself in his best clothes, and putting the
+flask in his pocket, set out for the palace, and begged to see the
+king without delay.
+
+Now Balancin, whose foot had been much less painful since Gilguerillo
+had wrapped it in the plaster, was counting the days to the young
+man's return; and when he was told Gilguerillo was there, ordered him
+to be admitted at once. As he entered, the king raised himself eagerly
+on his pillows, but his face fell when he saw no signs of a slipper.
+
+'You have failed, then?' he said, throwing up his hands in despair.
+
+'I hope not, your majesty; I think not,' answered the youth. And
+drawing the flask from his pocket, he poured two or three drops on the
+wound.
+
+'Repeat this for three nights, and you will find yourself cured,' said
+he. And before the king had time to thank him he had bowed himself
+out.
+
+Of course the news soon spread through the city, and men and women
+never tired of calling Gilguerillo an impostor, and prophesying that
+the end of the three days would see him in prison, if not on the
+scaffold. But Gilguerillo paid no heed to their hard words, and no
+more did the king, who took care that no hand but his own should put
+on the healing balsam.
+
+On the fourth morning the king awoke and instantly stretched out his
+wounded foot that he might prove the truth or falsehood of
+Gilguerillo's remedy. The wound was certainly cured on that side, but
+how about the other? Yes, that was cured also; and not even a scar was
+left to show where it had been!
+
+Was ever any king so happy as Balancin when he satisfied himself of
+this?
+
+Lightly as a deer he jumped from his bed, and began to turn head over
+heels, and to perform all sorts of antics, so as to make sure that his
+foot was in truth as well as it looked. And when he was quite tired he
+sent for his daughter, and bade the courtiers bring the lucky young
+man to his room.
+
+'He is _really_ young and handsome,' said the princess to herself,
+heaving a sigh of relief that it was not some dreadful old man who had
+healed her father; and while the king was announcing to his courtiers
+the wonderful cure that had been made, Diamantina was thinking that if
+Gilguerillo looked so well in his common dress, how much he would be
+improved by the splendid garments of a king's son. However, she held
+her peace, and only watched with amusement when the courtiers, knowing
+there was no help for it, did homage and obeisance to the chemist's
+boy.
+
+Then they brought to Gilguerillo a magnificent tunic of green velvet
+bordered with gold, and a cap with three white plumes stuck in it; and
+at the sight of him so arrayed, the princess fell in love with him in
+a moment. The wedding was fixed to take place in eight days, and at
+the ball afterwards nobody danced so long or so lightly as king
+Balancin.
+
+(From _Capullos de Rosa_, por D. Enrique Ceballos Quintana.)
+
+
+
+
+_THE MAGIC BOOK_
+
+
+There was once an old couple named Peder and Kirsten who had an only
+son called Hans. From the time he was a little boy he had been told
+that on his sixteenth birthday he must go out into the world and serve
+his apprenticeship. So, one fine summer morning, he started off to
+seek his fortune with nothing but the clothes he wore on his back.
+
+For many hours he trudged on merrily, now and then stopping to drink
+from some clear spring or to pick some ripe fruit from a tree. The
+little wild creatures peeped at him from beneath the bushes, and he
+nodded and smiled, and wished them 'Good-morning.' After he had been
+walking for some time he met an old white-bearded man who was coming
+along the foot-path. The boy would not step aside, and the man was
+determined not to do so either, so they ran against one another with a
+bump.
+
+'It seems to me,' said the old fellow, 'that a boy should give way to
+an old man.'
+
+'The path is for me as well as for you,' answered young Hans saucily,
+for he had never been taught politeness.
+
+'Well, that's true enough,' answered the other mildly. 'And where are
+you going?'
+
+'I am going into service,' said Hans.
+
+'Then you can come and serve me,' replied the man.
+
+Well, Hans could do that; but what would his wages be?
+
+'Two pounds a year, and nothing to do but keep some rooms clean,' said
+the new-comer.
+
+This seemed to Hans to be easy enough; so he agreed to enter the old
+man's service, and they set out together. On their way they crossed a
+deep valley and came to a mountain, where the man opened a trap-door,
+and bidding Hans follow him, he crept in and began to go down a long
+flight of steps. When they got to the bottom Hans saw a large number
+of rooms lit by many lamps and full of beautiful things. While he was
+looking round the old man said to him:
+
+'Now you know what you have to do. You must keep these rooms clean,
+and strew sand on the floor every day. Here is a table where you will
+always find food and drink, and there is your bed. You see there are a
+great many suits of clothes hanging on the wall, and you may wear any
+you please; but remember that you are never to open this locked door.
+If you do ill will befall you. Farewell, for I am going away again and
+cannot tell when I may return.'
+
+No sooner had the old man disappeared than Hans sat down to a good
+meal, and after that went to bed and slept until the morning. At first
+he could not remember what had happened to him, but by-and-by he
+jumped up and went into all the rooms, which he examined carefully.
+
+'How foolish to bid me to put sand on the floors,' he thought, 'when
+there is nobody here but myself! I shall do nothing of the sort.' And
+so he shut the doors quickly, and only cleaned and set in order his
+own room. And after the first few days he felt that that was
+unnecessary too, because no one came there to see if the rooms were
+clean or not. At last he did no work at all, but just sat and wondered
+what was behind the locked door, till he determined to go and look for
+himself.
+
+The key turned easily in the lock. Hans entered, half frightened at
+what he was doing, and the first thing he beheld was a heap of bones.
+That was not very cheerful; and he was just going out again when his
+eye fell on a shelf of books. Here was a good way of passing the
+time, he thought, for he was fond of reading, and he took one of the
+books from the shelf. It was all about magic, and told you how you
+could change yourself into anything in the world you liked. Could
+anything be more exciting or more useful? So he put it in his pocket,
+and ran quickly away out of the mountain by a little door which had
+been left open.
+
+When he got home his parents asked him what he had been doing and
+where he had got the fine clothes he wore.
+
+'Oh, I earned them myself,' answered he.
+
+'You never earned them in this short time,' said his father. 'Be off
+with you; I won't keep you here. I will have no thieves in my house!'
+
+'Well I only came to help you,' replied the boy sulkily. 'Now I'll be
+off, as you wish; but to-morrow morning when you rise you will see a
+great dog at the door. Do not drive it away, but take it to the castle
+and sell it to the duke, and they will give you ten dollars for it;
+only you must bring the strap you lead it with, back to the house.'
+
+Sure enough the next day the dog was standing at the door waiting to
+be let in. The old man was rather afraid of getting into trouble, but
+his wife urged him to sell the dog as the boy had bidden him, so he
+took it up to the castle and sold it to the duke for ten dollars. But
+he did not forget to take off the strap with which he had led the
+animal, and to carry it home. When he got there old Kirsten met him at
+the door.
+
+'Well, Peder, and have you sold the dog?' asked she.
+
+'Yes, Kirsten; and I have brought back ten dollars, as the boy told
+us,' answered Peder.
+
+'Ay! but that's fine!' said his wife. 'Now you see what one gets by
+doing as one is bid; if it had not been for me you would have driven
+the dog away again, and we should have lost the money. After all, I
+always know what is best.'
+
+'Nonsense!' said her husband; 'women always think they know best. I
+should have sold the dog just the same whatever you had told me. Put
+the money away in a safe place, and don't talk so much.'
+
+The next day Hans came again; but though everything had turned out as
+he had foretold, he found that his father was still not quite
+satisfied.
+
+'Be off with you!' said he, 'you'll get us into trouble.'
+
+'I haven't helped you enough yet,' replied the boy. 'To-morrow there
+will come a great fat cow, as big as the house. Take it to the king's
+palace and you'll get as much as a thousand dollars for it. Only you
+must unfasten the halter you lead it with and bring it back, and don't
+return by the high road, but through the forest.'
+
+The next day, when the couple arose, they saw an enormous head looking
+in at their bedroom window, and behind it was a cow which was nearly
+as big as their hut. Kirsten was wild with joy to think of the money
+the cow would bring them.
+
+'But how are you going to put the rope over her head?' asked she.
+
+'Wait and you'll see, mother,' answered her husband. Then Peder took
+the ladder that led up to the hayloft and set it against the cow's
+neck, and he climbed up and slipped the rope over her head. When he
+had made sure that the noose was fast they started for the palace, and
+met the king himself walking in his grounds.
+
+'I heard that the princess was going to be married,' said Peder, 'so
+I've brought your majesty a cow which is bigger than any cow that was
+ever seen. Will your majesty deign to buy it?'
+
+ [Illustration: 'JUST AS HE WAS GOING TO STRIKE']
+
+The king had, in truth, never seen so large a beast, and he willingly
+paid the thousand dollars, which was the price demanded; but Peder
+remembered to take off the halter before he left. After he was gone
+the king sent for the butcher and told him to kill the animal for the
+wedding feast. The butcher got ready his pole-axe; but just as he was
+going to strike, the cow changed itself into a dove and flew away; and
+the butcher stood staring after it as if he were turned to stone.
+However, as the dove could not be found, he was obliged to tell the
+king what had happened, and the king in his turn despatched messengers
+to capture the old man and bring him back. But Peder was safe in the
+woods, and could not be found. When at last he felt the danger was
+over, and he might go home, Kirsten nearly fainted with joy at the
+sight of all the money he brought with him.
+
+'Now that we are rich people we must build a bigger house,' cried she;
+and was vexed to find that Peder only shook his head and said: 'No; if
+they did that people would talk, and say that they got their wealth by
+ill-doing.'
+
+ * * * * *
+
+A few mornings later Hans came again.
+
+'Be off before you get us into trouble,' said his father. 'So far the
+money has come right enough, but I don't trust it.'
+
+'Don't worry over that, father,' said Hans. 'To-morrow you will find a
+horse outside by the gate. Ride it to market and you will get a
+thousand dollars for it. Only don't forget to loosen the bridle when
+you sell it.'
+
+Well, in the morning there was the horse; Kirsten had never seen so
+fine an animal. 'Take care it doesn't hurt you, Peder,' said she.
+
+'Nonsense, wife,' answered he crossly. 'When I was a lad I lived with
+horses, and could ride anything for twenty miles round.' But that was
+not quite the truth, for he had never mounted a horse in his life.
+
+Still, the animal was quiet enough, so Peder got safely to market on
+its back. There he met a man who offered nine hundred and ninety-nine
+dollars for it, but Peder would take nothing less than a thousand. At
+last there came an old, grey-bearded man who looked at the horse and
+agreed to buy it; but the moment he touched it the horse began to kick
+and plunge. 'I must take the bridle off,' said Peder. 'It is not to be
+sold with the animal as is usually the case.'
+
+'I'll give you a hundred dollars for the bridle,' said the old man,
+taking out his purse.
+
+'No, I can't sell it,' replied Hans's father.
+
+'Five hundred dollars!'
+
+'No.'
+
+'A thousand!'
+
+At this splendid offer Peder's prudence gave way; it was a shame to
+let so much money go. So he agreed to accept it. But he could hardly
+hold the horse, it became so unmanageable. So he gave the animal in
+charge to the old man, and went home with his two thousand dollars.
+
+Kirsten, of course, was delighted at this new piece of good fortune,
+and insisted that the new house should be built and land bought. This
+time Peder consented, and soon they had quite a fine farm.
+
+Meanwhile the old man rode off on his new purchase, and when he came
+to a smithy he asked the smith to forge shoes for the horse. The smith
+proposed that they should first have a drink together, and the horse
+was tied up by the spring whilst they went indoors. The day was hot,
+and both men were thirsty, and, besides, they had much to say; and so
+the hours slipped by and found them still talking. Then the servant
+girl came out to fetch a pail of water, and, being a kind-hearted
+lass, she gave some to the horse to drink. What was her surprise when
+the animal said to her: 'Take off my bridle and you will save my
+life.'
+
+'I dare not,' said she; 'your master will be so angry.'
+
+'He cannot hurt you,' answered the horse, 'and you will save my life.'
+
+At that she took off the bridle; but nearly fainted with astonishment
+when the horse turned into a dove and flew away just as the old man
+came out of the house. Directly he saw what had happened he changed
+himself into a hawk and flew after the dove. Over the woods and fields
+they went, and at length they reached a king's palace surrounded by
+beautiful gardens. The princess was walking with her attendants in the
+rose garden when the dove turned itself into a gold ring and fell at
+her feet.
+
+'Why, here is a ring!' she cried, 'where could it have come from?' And
+picking it up she put it on her finger. As she did so the hill-man
+lost his power over Hans--for of course you understand that it was he
+who had been the dog, the cow, the horse and the dove.
+
+'Well, that is really strange,' said the princess. 'It fits me as
+though it had been made for me!'
+
+Just at that moment up came the king.
+
+'Look what I have found!' cried his daughter.
+
+'Well, that is not worth much, my dear,' said he. 'Besides, you have
+rings enough, I should think.'
+
+'Never mind, I like it,' replied the princess.
+
+But as soon as she was alone, to her amazement, the ring suddenly left
+her finger and became a man. You can imagine how frightened she was,
+as, indeed, anybody would have been; but in an instant the man became
+a ring again, and then turned back into a man, and so it went on for
+some time until she began to get used to these sudden changes.
+
+'I am sorry I frightened you,' said Hans, when he thought he could
+safely speak to the princess without making her scream. 'I took refuge
+with you because the old hill-man, whom I have offended, was trying to
+kill me, and here I am safe.'
+
+'You had better stay here then,' said the princess. So Hans stayed,
+and he and she became good friends; though, of course, he only became
+a man when no one else was present.
+
+This was all very well; but, one day, as they were talking together,
+the king happened to enter the room, and although Hans quickly changed
+himself into a ring again it was too late.
+
+The king was terribly angry.
+
+'So this is why you have refused to marry all the kings and princes
+who have sought your hand?' he cried.
+
+And, without waiting for her to speak, he commanded that his daughter
+should be walled up in the summer-house and starved to death with her
+lover.
+
+ [Illustration: THE PRINCESS IMPRISONED IN THE SUMMER-HOUSE]
+
+That evening the poor princess, still wearing her ring, was put
+into the summer-house with enough food to last for three days, and the
+door was bricked up. But at the end of a week or two the king thought
+it time to give her a grand funeral, in spite of her bad behaviour,
+and he had the summer-house opened. He could hardly believe his eyes
+when he found that the princess was not there, nor Hans either.
+Instead, there lay at his feet a large hole, big enough for two people
+to pass through.
+
+Now what had happened was this.
+
+When the princess and Hans had given up hope, and cast themselves down
+on the ground to die, they fell down into this hole, and right through
+the earth as well, and at last they stumbled into a castle built of
+pure gold, at the other side of the world, and there they lived
+happily. But of this, of course, the king knew nothing.
+
+'Will any one go down and see where the passage leads to?' he asked,
+turning to his guards and courtiers. 'I will reward splendidly the man
+who is brave enough to explore it.'
+
+For a long time nobody answered. The hole was dark and deep, and if it
+had a bottom no one could see it. At length a soldier, who was a
+careless sort of fellow, offered himself for the service, and
+cautiously lowered himself into the darkness. But in a moment he, too,
+fell down, down, down. Was he going to fall for ever, he wondered! Oh,
+how thankful he was in the end to reach the castle, and to meet the
+princess and Hans, looking quite well and not at all as if they had
+been starved. They began to talk, and the soldier told them that the
+king was very sorry for the way he had treated his daughter, and
+wished day and night that he could have her back again.
+
+Then they all took ship and sailed home, and when they came to the
+princess's country, Hans disguised himself as the sovereign of a
+neighbouring kingdom, and went up to the palace alone. He was given a
+hearty welcome by the king, who prided himself on his hospitality, and
+a banquet was commanded in his honour. That evening, whilst they sat
+drinking their wine, Hans said to the king:
+
+'I have heard the fame of your majesty's wisdom, and I have travelled
+from far to ask your counsel. A man in my country has buried his
+daughter alive because she loved a youth who was born a peasant. How
+shall I punish this unnatural father, for it is left to me to give
+judgment?'
+
+The king, who was still truly grieved for his daughter's loss,
+answered quickly:
+
+'Burn him alive, and strew his ashes all over the kingdom.'
+
+Hans looked at him steadily for a moment, and then threw off his
+disguise.
+
+'You are the man,' said he; 'and I am he who loved your daughter, and
+became a gold ring on her finger. She is safe, and waiting not far
+from here; but you have pronounced judgment on yourself.'
+
+Then the king fell on his knees and begged for mercy; and as he had in
+other respects been a good father, they forgave him. The wedding of
+Hans and the princess was celebrated with great festivities which
+lasted a month. As for the hill-man he intended to be present; but
+whilst he was walking along a street which led to the palace a loose
+stone fell on his head and killed him. So Hans and the princess lived
+in peace and happiness all their days, and when the old king died they
+reigned instead of him.
+
+(From _Eventyr fra Jylland samlede og optegnede af Tang Kristensen_.
+Translated from the Danish by Mrs. Skavgaard-Pedersen.)
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+The book includes both by-and-by and by-and-bye. Both forms are
+preserved as printed.
+
+One of the illustrations refers to a cauldron, while the story uses
+caldron. These are preserved as printed.
+
+Punctuation errors have been repaired. Hyphenation and use of accents
+has been made consistent within stories. Archaic spelling is preserved
+as printed.
+
+The following typographic errors have been repaired:
+
+ Page 58--he amended to be--"... it would be unreasonable of
+ me to object to your satisfying your appetite ..."
+
+ Page 60--undertsanding amended to understanding--"And the
+ wolf, understanding all that might happen ..."
+
+ Page 134--windding amended to winding--"He had ridden back
+ along a winding road from which he did not see the palace
+ ..."
+
+ Page 137--principle amended to principal--"... but the cat
+ lay down outside the principal gate, ..."
+
+ Page 143--kindgom amended to kingdom--"... she would bestow
+ on him the third part of her own kingdom, ..."
+
+ Page 148--thoughout amended to throughout--"... and by-and-by
+ 'Pinkel' became his name throughout the village."
+
+ Page 166--Bassel amended to Basset--"(_Nouveaux Contes
+ Berbčres_ par René Basset.)"
+
+ Page 185--forforgetting amended to forgetting--"... quite
+ forgetting that he owed it to a mean trick."
+
+ Page 186--summonned amended to summoned--"Five minutes later
+ he summoned five hundred lancers ..."
+
+ Page 202--belive amended to believe--"... but it seemed so
+ different she could hardly believe it was the same."
+
+ Page 202--apapproached amended to approached--"As she spoke
+ the gates swung back and six fairies approached, ..."
+
+ Page 211--bethrothed amended to betrothed--"... of the
+ princess Nera, to whom the prince had been betrothed ..."
+
+ Page 324--Sodons amended to Sodnos--"... so the two Sodnos
+ climbed into a big bushy tree which overhung a well."
+
+ Page 349--Kristen amended to Kirsten--"There was once an old
+ couple named Peder and Kirsten ..."
+
+ Page 355--Se amended to So--"So he agreed to accept it."
+
+ Page 357--himhimself amended to himself--"... Hans disguised
+ himself as the sovereign of a neighbouring kingdom, ..."
+
+ Page 358--Ćventyr amended to Eventyr, and Zylland amended to
+ Jylland--"From _Eventyr fra Jylland samlede og optegnede af
+ Tang Kristensen_."
+
+The frontispiece has been moved to follow the title page. Other
+illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in
+the middle of a paragraph.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Orange Fairy Book, by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK ***
+
+***** This file should be named 36532-8.txt or 36532-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+ http://www.gutenberg.org/3/6/5/3/36532/
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+ the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+ you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
+ owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+ has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+ Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
+ must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+ prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+ returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+ sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+ address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+ the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+ you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+ does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+ License. You must require such a user to return or
+ destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+ and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+ Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+ money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+ electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+ of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+ distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+ Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+ Chief Executive and Director
+ gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+ http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
generated by cgit v1.2.3 (git 2.25.1) at 2026-06-01 10:10:55 +0000