diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/65029-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65029-0.txt | 4872 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 4872 deletions
diff --git a/old/65029-0.txt b/old/65029-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6010177..0000000 --- a/old/65029-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4872 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Two-Legs, by Carl Ewald, Translated by -Alexander Teixeira De Mattos, Illustrated by Johan Briede and Helen Jacobs - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Two-Legs - - -Author: Carl Ewald - - - -Release Date: April 8, 2021 [eBook #65029] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO-LEGS*** - - -E-text prepared by D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which - includes the lovely original illustrations, some in full color. - See 65029-h.htm or 65029-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/65029/65029-h/65029-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/65029/65029-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/twolegs00ewal3 - - - - -TWO-LEGS - - -[Illustration: A HUGE NUMBER OF VISITORS] - - - TWO-LEGS - - BY CARL EWALD - - TRANSLATED FROM - THE DANISH BY - ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS - AND - ILLUSTRATED BY - JOHAN BRIEDE - AND - HELEN JACOBS - - FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY - PUBLISHERS NEW YORK - - Printed in the United States of America - - - - -For LILY TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS. - - -DEAR, - -Of all Carl Ewald’s stories _Two-Legs_ has always been your favourite. -Now that I am reissuing it, amplified by four chapters which did not -appear in the original edition, it is only fit that I should dedicate this -translation, with my love, to you. - - A. T. DE M. - -CHELSEA, _2 September, 1921_. - - - - -CONTENTS - -[Illustration] - - - _Prologue_ _Page_ - - THE STORY OF THE FAIRY-TALE - - _Chapter_ - - I. THE OLD ANIMALS 15 - - II. MRS. TWO-LEGS HAS A SON 27 - - III. TWO-LEGS KILLS 33 - - IV. TIME PASSES 45 - - V. TWO-LEGS ENLARGES HIS POSSESSIONS 55 - - VI. TWO-LEGS WANDERS 61 - - VII. TWO-LEGS SOWS 69 - - VIII. TWO-LEGS ENJOYS LIFE 77 - - IX. THE OLD ANIMALS TAKE COUNSEL 85 - - X. THE LION 93 - - XI. MANY YEARS AFTER 99 - - XII. TWO-LEGS CONQUERS THE WIND 105 - - XIII. TWO-LEGS CONQUERS STEAM 117 - - XIV. TWO-LEGS CONQUERS ELECTRICITY 133 - - XV. TWO-LEGS’ FUTURE 157 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -[Illustration] - - - A huge number of visitors (_Colour_) _Frontispiece_ - - There came two through the forest _Facing page_ 16 - - One day the rain came ” ” 34 - - She pulled out his feathers ” ” 48 - - Two-Legs had made a good choice (_Colour_) ” ” 74 - - ‘He shot an arrow into my left wing’ ” ” 78 - - He stood at the edge of the wood ” ” 82 - - There was no time to lose (_Colour_) ” ” 98 - - ‘Very well, you are neither bad nor good’ ” ” 108 - - ‘Catch me! Use me!’ (_Colour_) ” ” 122 - - Two-Legs stood up (_Colour_) ” ” 154 - - - - -PROLOGUE - -THE STORY OF THE FAIRY-TALE - -[Illustration] - - -Once upon a time, ever so many years ago, Truth suddenly vanished from out -of the world. - -When people perceived this, they were greatly alarmed and at once sent -five wise men in search of it. They set out, one in this direction and -one in that, all plentifully equipped with travelling-expenses and good -intentions. They sought for ten long years. Then they returned, each -separately. While still at a distance, they waved their hats and shouted -that they had found Truth. - -The first stepped forward and declared that Truth was Science. He was -not able to finish his report, however, for, before he had done, another -thrust him aside and shouted that that was a lie, that Truth was Theology -and that he had found it. Now, while these two were at loggerheads—for the -Science man replied vigorously to the attack—there came a third and said, -in beautiful words, that Truth was Love, without a doubt. Then came the -fourth and stated, quite curtly, that he had Truth in his pocket, that it -was Gold and that all the rest was childish nonsense. At last came the -fifth. He could not stand on his legs, gave a hiccoughing laugh and said -that Truth was Wine. He had found Truth in Wine, after looking for it -everywhere. - -Then the five wise men began to fight and they pummelled one another so -lustily that it was horrible to see. Science had its head broken and Love -was so ill-treated that it had to change its clothes before it could show -itself again in respectable society. Gold was so thoroughly stripped of -every covering that people felt awkward about knowing it; and the bottle -broke and Wine flowed away into the mud. But Theology came off worst of -all; everybody had a blow at it; and it received such a basting that it -became the laughing-stock of all beholders. - -And people took sides, some with this one and some with that, and they -shouted so loud that they could neither see nor hear for the din. But far -away, at the extreme end of the earth, sat a few and mourned because they -thought that Truth had gone to pieces and would never be made whole again. - -Now, as they sat there, a little girl came running up and said that she -had found Truth. If they would just come with her ... it was not very -far.... Truth was sitting in the midst of the world, in a green meadow. - -Then there came a pause in the fighting, for the little girl looked so -very sweet. First one went with her; then another; and ever more and -more.... At last they were all in the meadow and there discovered a figure -the like of which they had never seen before. There was no distinguishing -whether it was a man or a woman, an adult or a child. Its forehead was -pure as that of one who knows no sin; its eyes deep and serious as those -of one who has read into the heart of the whole world. Its mouth opened -with the brightest smile and then quivered with a sadness greater than any -could describe. Its hand was soft as a mother’s and strong as the hand of -a king; its foot trod the earth firmly, yet crushed not a flower. And then -the figure had large, soft wings, like the birds that fly at night. - -Now, as they stood there and stared, the figure drew itself erect and -cried, in a voice that sounded like ringing bells: - -“I am Truth!” - -“It’s a Fairy-tale!” said Science. - -“It’s a Fairy-tale!” cried Theology and Love and Gold and Wine. - -Then the five wise men and their followers departed and they went on -fighting till the earth was shaken to its centre. - -But a few old and tired men and a few young men with ardent and eager -souls and many women and thousands of children with great wide eyes: these -remained in the meadow where the Fairy-tale was.... - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE OLD ANIMALS - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -It was once upon a time, many, many, many years ago. - -And it was in the warm lands where the sun shines stronger than here and -the rain falls closer and all animals and plants thrive better, because -the winter does not stunt their growth. - -The forest was full of life and noise. - -The flies buzzed, the sparrow ate the flies and the hawk ate the sparrow. -The bees crept into the flowers in search of honey, the lion roared and -the birds sang, the brook rippled and the grass grew. The trees stood and -rustled, while their roots sucked sap from the earth. The flowers were -radiant and fragrant. - -All at once, it became strangely still. - -It was as though everything held its breath and listened and stared. The -rustling of the trees ceased. The violet woke from her dreams and looked -up in wonder. The lion raised his head and stood with one paw uplifted. -The stag stopped grazing, the eagle rested high in the air on his wings, -the little mouse ran out of his hole and pricked up his ears. - -There came two through the forest who were different from the others and -whom no one had ever seen before. - -They walked erect. Their foreheads were high, their eyes firm and steady. -They went hand in hand and looked around them as though they did not know -where they were. - -“Who, in the name of wonder, are these?” asked the lion. - -“They’re animals,” said the stag. “They can walk. But how oddly they do -it! Why don’t they leap on all fours, seeing that they have four legs? -Then they would get along much faster.” - -“Oh,” said the snake, “I have no legs at all and it seems to me I get -along pretty fast!’ - -“I don’t believe they are animals,” said the nightingale. “They have no -feathers and no hair, except that bit on their heads.” - -“Scales would do quite as well,” said the pike, popping his head out of -the river. - -“Some of us have to manage with our bare skin,” said the earth-worm, -quietly. - -“They have no tails,” said the mouse. “Never in their lives have they been -animals!” - -“I have no tail,” said the toad. “And nobody can deny that I am an animal.” - -“Look!” said the lion. “Just look! One of them is taking up a stone in his -fore-paws: I couldn’t do that.” - -“But I could,” said the orang-outang. “There’s nothing in that. For the -rest, I can satisfy your curiosity. Those two, in point of fact, are -animals. They are husband and wife, their name is Two-Legs and they are -distant relations of my own.” - -“Oh, really?” said the lion. “Then how is it they have no fur?” - -“I daresay they’ve lost it,” said the orang-outang. - -“Why don’t you go and talk to them?” asked the lion. - -[Illustration: THERE CAME TWO THROUGH THE FOREST] - -“I don’t know them,” replied the orang-outang. “And I’m not at all -anxious to have anything to do with them. I have only heard of them. You -must know, they are a sort of very inferior, second-rate ape. I shall be -pleased to give them an apple or an orange now and again, but I won’t -undertake the smallest responsibility for them.” - -“They look very nice,” said the lion. “I shouldn’t mind trying what they -taste like.” - -“Pray do, for all that I care,” said the orang-outang. “They will never be -a credit to the family and, sooner or later, they will come to a bad end.” - -The lion went towards them, as they came, but, when he stood before them, -he suddenly lost courage. He could not understand this himself, for there -was not another thing in the forest that he feared. But the two new -animals had such strange eyes and walked the earth so fearlessly that he -thought they must possess some mysterious power which he could not see. -There was nothing particular about their teeth; and their claws were not -worth speaking of. But something about them there must be. - -So he hung his head and moved out of their way. - -“Why didn’t you eat them?” asked the lioness. - -“I wasn’t feeling hungry,” he answered. - -He lay down to rest in the high grass and did as though he were no longer -thinking of them. The other animals did the same, for he was their chief. -But none of them meant it. They were all taken up with the new animals. - - -2 - -Meanwhile, Two-Legs and his wife walked on; and, the farther they walked, -the more they wondered at the splendour of the world. They had no -suspicion of the attention which they attracted and they did not see that -all the animals were stealthily following in their tracks. Wherever they -came, the trees put their tops together and whispered, the birds flew in -the air above their heads and astonished eyes started at them from every -bush. - -“We will live here,” said Two-Legs and pointed to a wonderful little -meadow, where the river flowed between flowers and grass. - -“No, here!” cried his wife and ran into the adjoining wood, where the -trees dispensed a deep shade and the moss was thick and soft. - -[Illustration] - -“How strange their voices sound!” said the nightingale. “They have more -notes than I.” - -“If they were not so big, I should advise them to build a nest beside me -in the rushes,” said the reed-warbler. - -The two new animals walked on and constantly found a place which was -prettier than the last which they had seen; and they could not make up -their minds to stay anywhere. Then they met the dog, who was limping -badly, having cut his foot on a sharp stone. He tried to run away from -them, but could not. Mrs. Two-Legs took hold of him and looked at the -injured foot: - -“I’ll help you, you poor fellow,” she said. “Wait a minute. I hurt my own -foot the other day and healed it with leaves.” - -The dog saw that she meant well by him. He waited patiently while she ran -into the copsewood for leaves. Two-Legs patted him on the back and talked -kindly to him. Then she came back with the leaves, put them on his foot -and bound a tendril round them: - -“Run away now,” she said. “To-morrow you’ll be quite well again.” - -They went on, but the dog stood looking after them and wagging his tail. -The other animals came out of the bushes and copses: - -“You’ve been talking to the strangers. What did they say? What are they -like?” they all asked in chorus. - -“They are better than the other animals in the forest,” replied the dog. -“They have healed my foot and stroked my skin. I shall never forget it.” - -“They have healed the dog’s foot.... They have stroked the dog’s skin....” - -It ran from mouth to mouth through the forest. The trees whispered it to -one another, the flowers sighed and nodded, the lizards rushed round with -the story and the nightingale set it to music. The new animals went on and -thought no more of the dog. - - -3 - -At last, however, they were so tired that they sat down. They stooped over -the spring and drank and laughed at their own image in the water. They -plucked juicy fruits from the trees and ate them. When the sun went down, -they lay down to rest in the grass and went to sleep with their arms about -each other’s necks. A little way off, the dog, who had followed in their -footsteps, lay with his head on his paws, watching them. The round full -moon shone straight down upon them. She also shone in the big face of the -ox, who stood looking at them. - -“Boo!” said the ox. - -“Bo!” said the moon. “What are you staring at?” - -“I’m looking at those two who are lying there asleep,” said the ox. “Do -you know them?” - -“I believe something of the kind used to crawl over my face years and -years ago,” replied the moon. “But I’m not sure. My memory has become very -bad in the last hundred thousand years. It’s almost more than I can do to -concentrate my thoughts upon my celestial course.” - -“Yes, thinking is not my strong point either,” said the ox. “But I am -frightened.” - -“Of those two there?” asked the moon. - -“I don’t know why,” said the ox, “but I can’t bear them.” - -“Then trample them to death!” cried the moon. - -“I dare not,” said the ox. “Not by myself. But perhaps I can persuade some -one to help me.” - -“That’s your look-out,” said the moon. “It’s all one to me.” - -And she sailed on. But the ox stood and chewed the cud and thought and got -no further. - -“Are you asleep?” asked the sheep, sticking out her long face beside the -ox. - -And suddenly the whole meadow came to life. - -All the animals were there who had followed the two on their walk. There -were both those who sleep by day and hunt at night and those who do their -work while the sun shines. None of them was now thinking of working or -resting. None thought of hurting the others. The lion and the stag, the -wolf and the sheep, the cat and the mouse and the horse and the ox and -many others stood side by side on the grass. The eagle sat in a tree-top, -surrounded by all the little birds of the forest. The orang-outang sat -on one of the lower branches eating an orange. The hen stood on a mound -beside the fox; the duck and the goose lay in the brook and stuck out -their necks. - -“Now that we are all here together, let us discuss the matter,” said the -lion. - -“Have you had enough to eat?” asked the ox. - -“Quite,” answered the lion. “To-night we shall keep the peace and be -friends.” - -“Then I move that we kill those two strange animals forthwith and without -more ado,” said the ox. - -[Illustration] - -“What in the wide world is the matter with you?” asked the lion. -“Generally you’re such a peaceful fellow, grazing, attending to your -business and not hurting a living thing. What makes you so bloodthirsty -all of a sudden?” - -“I can’t account for it,” said the ox. “But I have a decided conviction -that we ought to kill them as soon as possible. They bring misfortune. -They are evil. If you don’t follow my advice, rely upon it, one day you -will all regret it.” - -“I agree with the ox,” cried the horse. “Bite them to death! Kick them to -pieces! And the sooner the better!” - -“Kill them, kill them!” cried the sheep, the goat and the stag, with one -voice. - -“Yes, do, do!” screamed the duck, the goose and the hen. - -“I have never heard anything like this in my life,” said the lion, looking -round in surprise at the crowd. “It’s just the most peaceable and timid -animals in the forest that want to take the strangers’ lives. What have -they done to you? What are you afraid of?” - -“I can’t tell you any more than the ox can,” said the horse. “But I feel -that they are dangerous. I have such pains in my loins and legs.” - -“When I think of those two, I feel as if I were being skinned,” said the -ox. “I feel teeth biting into my flesh.” - -“There’s a tugging at my udders,” said the cow. - -“I’m shivering all over, as though all my wool had been shorn off,” said -the sheep. - -“I have a feeling as if I were being roasted before the fire and eaten,” -said the goose. - -“So have I! So have I!” screamed the duck and the hen. - -“This is most remarkable,” said the lion. “I have never heard anything -like it and I can’t understand your fears. What can those strangers do to -you? They go about naked among us, eat an apple or an orange and don’t do -the least harm. They go on two poor legs, whereas you have four, so that -you can run away from them anyhow. You have horns and claws and teeth: -what are you afraid of?” - -“You’ll be sorry one day,” said the ox. “The new animals will be the ruin -of us all. The danger threatens you as well as the rest of us.” - -[Illustration] - -“I see no danger and I know no fear,” said the lion, proudly. “But is -there really not one of you to take the strangers’ part?” - -“If they did not belong to my family, I would do so gladly,” said the -orang-outang. “But it looks bad to recommend one’s own relations. Let them -go their way and starve. They are quite harmless.” - -“Then I at least will say a good word for them,” said the dog. “My foot is -almost well again and I believe that they are cleverer than all the rest -of you put together. I shall never forget what they did for me.” - -“That’s right, cousin,” said the lion. “You’re a fine fellow and one can -see that you come of a good stock. I don’t believe that these Two-Legs are -dangerous and I have no intention of doing them any harm. To be sure, if -I meet them one day when I’m hungry, I shall eat them. That’s a different -thing. Hunger knows no law. But to-night I have had enough to eat and I am -going home to bed. Good night, all of you!” - -Then none of the animals said another word. They went away as noiselessly -as they had come. The night came to an end and the day broke in the east. - - -4 - -Then suddenly the ox and the horse and the sheep and the goat came -galloping over the meadow. Behind them, as fast as they could, came the -goose and the duck and the hen. The ox was at their head and rushed with -lowered horns to the place where the strangers lay sleeping. - -But then the dog sprang up and barked like mad. The two new animals woke -and leapt to their feet. And, when they stood there, tall and slender, -with their white limbs and their steady eyes, and the sun shone down upon -them, the old animals were seized with terror and ran back the way they -came. - -“Thank you, friend,” said Two-Legs and patted the dog. - -Mrs. Two-Legs looked to his bad foot and spoke to him in her pretty voice. -He licked their hands with delight. - -Then the new animals bathed in the river. And then Two-Legs climbed up an -apple-tree to get some breakfast for himself and his wife. - -In the tree sat the orang-outang eating an apple. - -“Get out of that!” said Two-Legs, in a threatening tone. “This is my tree -and don’t you forget it. Don’t you dare touch a single apple!” - -“Goodness gracious me!” said the orang-outang. “What a tone to take up! -And I who defended you last night when all the other animals wanted to -kill you!” - -“Get out, you disgusting ape!” said Two-Legs. - -He broke a branch off the tree and caught the orang-outang a couple of -such lusty cracks that he ran off crying into the forest. - -[Illustration] - - - - -MRS TWO-LEGS HAS A SON - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -The days passed. - -Things were busy in the forest, both above and below. All the wives had -eggs or young and all the husbands had their work cut out to provide food -for their families. Every one attended to his business and took no heed of -his neighbour, except when he wanted to eat him. - -The new animals had taken up their abode on an island in the river. - -This was because the lion had met them one day on the borders of the -copsewood. He had got out of their way, as on the first occasion; but he -had given them such a look that Mrs. Two-Legs trembled with fright: - -“He’ll eat us one day,” she said. “I dare not sleep in the meadow again.” - -Then Two-Legs discovered the little island and built a hut on it of -branches and grass. Every day they waded through the river and went -to gather fruit in the forest. At night they slept in their hut. The -other animals had gradually all got used to them and spoke of them but -seldom. Only the dog never forgot to run down to the river every morning -to look across at the island and bark “Good morning!” to them. And the -orang-outang slandered them wherever he went. - -“Who minds what he says?” asked the stag. “They’re relations; and we all -know what that means.” - -[Illustration] - - -2 - -One night, a child was born to the new animals. - -“The Two-Legs have had a youngster,” said the sparrow, who went everywhere -and always had some news to tell. - -“Really! I must run and have a look at the baby,” said Mrs. Nightingale. -“My eggs will keep warm for four or five minutes.” - -“Mrs. Fox has gone there herself, so I can leave my goslings alone for a -moment,” said the goose. - -Down by the river was a huge number of visitors and enquirers. - -All the wives had hurried from hearth and home to have a look at the -Two-Legs. Mrs. Two-Legs was sitting on the grass in front of the hut with -her child at her breast. Two-Legs sat beside her, eating an orange. - -“He’s just the same as other husbands,” observed Mrs. Stag. - -“There are some who are worse,” said Mrs. Mole. “My husband eats the -children, if I don’t look after them.” - -“Husbands are mere rubbish,” said Mrs. Spider. “I ate mine as soon as I -had laid my eggs.” - -“Do spare us those gruesome stories,” said Mrs. Nightingale. “But he might -sing to her a little. That’s what my husband does.” - -“Oh, but look at the baby! Isn’t he sweet?” exclaimed Mrs. Reed-Warbler. - -“Poor little thing!” said Mrs. Stag. “He can’t even stand on his legs and -the sparrow was saying that he was born at eleven o’clock last night. When -my fawn was an hour old, he was jumping merrily over the meadow.” - -“There’s no sense in carrying a poor little mite like that in one’s arms,” -said Mrs. Kangaroo. “If he were mine, he should stay snugly in my pouch -until he knew how to behave himself. But probably the poor woman hasn’t -even got a pouch.” - -“At least he can see!” said Mrs. Fox. “My children are blind for quite -nine days.” - -“Don’t forget that they are poor people,” said the orang-outang. - -“Stuff!” said Mrs. Nightingale. “It’s a dear little baby, as any mother -can see. Hi! Mrs. Two-Legs! Be sure you feed him on maggots. Then he’ll -grow up nice and fat.” - -“And, for goodness’ sake, sit on him at night!” cried Mrs. Reed-Warbler. -“Else he’ll catch cold.” - -“Don’t mind what any of them say!” cried Mrs. Stag. “You stick to the -milk! That’s good enough. And put him down on the grass and let him run -about. You had much better make him used to it from the start.” - -Mrs. Two-Legs looked at her baby and did not listen to what they said. He -had now finished drinking and began to crow and kick about his little legs -and arms. Two-Legs took him and lifted him high in the air and laughed at -him. - -“Isn’t he sweet?” said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. - -“He’s all that,” said Mrs. Stag. “But his parents are very -self-sufficient. They won’t look at any one else.” And she called across -to the island, “It’s all right, Mrs. Two-Legs. You go on with the milk. -And, if you run short, come to me. My only fawn died the other day, so I -have plenty!” - -Then they all hurried home again, lest their husbands should come and find -out that they had been gossiping. - -“I’m going to fetch a couple of oranges, or something of the sort,” said -Two-Legs. “It may be some time before I’m back, for we’ve eaten everything -on the trees round about here.” - -“Be as quick as you can,” replied his wife. “You know I don’t care to be -alone at this time.” - -He waded through the river and went into the forest. After a long while, -he came back, having found only a couple of poor little fruits. He was -annoyed at this and so was his wife, for she was hungry. Then they sat and -discussed whether they could not find something else that was fit to eat -in the neighbourhood. For, once the evening had come, they did not dare -leave the island. - -“Last evening,” said Two-Legs, “I saw the otter catch a big fish in the -river here and eat him. Perhaps we could do the same.” - -“Do try,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. “One thing is certain, I must have some -food.” - -He went out into the river and with his hands caught a great pike, who -was swimming just past him, not dreaming of danger. He had so often seen -Two-Legs wading through the river and Two-Legs had never looked at him. -But now Two-Legs flung him on the island and there lay the pike gaping and -gasping for breath and yelling with might and main: - -“Hi!... Ho!... Murder!... Help!” - -But he was soon dead. Two-Legs and his wife ate him and found him -excellent. - -“Get me another fish like that to-morrow, will you?” said Mrs. Two-Legs. -“Frankly speaking, I was getting rather tired of those apples.” - -Next day, Two-Legs went into the river again. He was not long before he -saw another fine fish, but, just as he wanted to catch it, the otter -snapped it away in front of his nose. - -“Get out of my river, you thief!” shouted Two-Legs and struck at him. - -“Whom are you calling thief?” said the otter, snarling and showing his -white teeth. “I rather thought the river was mine. I was living here long -before you came.” - -Two-Legs leapt on shore and picked up some big stones and flung them at -the otter. One of them caught him on the snout and made it bleed. Then he -hid in his hole and Two-Legs caught another fish and took it home to his -wife. But, when the otter came out again at night, the orang-outang was -sitting there and nodding to him: - -“I have seen all,” said the orang-outang. “I was sitting in the tree over -there and saw him throw the stone at you. The water turned quite red with -your blood. He ill-treated me once too. He said the apples were his and -drove me out of the tree with a stick. And to think that we are relations!” - -“If I could only get at him!” said the otter. “But I am too small.” - -“All in good time,” answered the orang-outang. “We shall be even with him -yet.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS KILLS - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -The sun was scorching and the ground was shockingly dry. - -The trees and bushes hung their leaves and the grass was parched and -yellow, so that the ox could hardly find a green tuft to eat. The water in -the river was so low that the fish swam along the bottom; and the brook -had stopped running altogether. The animals lay in the shade and gasped -for breath. In many places, both flowers and animals had died. Two-Legs -and his wife and child were not much better off. - -The only one who was really happy was the snake. He stretched himself in -the sun and thought it delightful: - -“Shine away, you dear sun,” he said. “The hotter the better. I am only -just beginning to feel alive.” - - -2 - -But one day the rain came. - -It was not the sort of rain against which you can just put up an umbrella -or take shelter in a doorway and wait until it stops. It poured down -from the clouds till you could not see your hand before your face and it -rained day after day as if it would never end. It rattled and pattered and -clattered on the dry leaves so that you could not hear a sound. The river -flowed again and the brook woke from its trance and sang as it had never -sung before. The whole earth was like a thirsty mouth that drank and drank -and could never quench its thirst. - -And a great gladness reigned on every hand. - -The trees stretched themselves and spread out and sent forth new shoots; -and the grass sprang fresh and green from the ground. The flowers -blossomed anew; the frogs croaked till they were heard all over the -forest; and the fish flapped their tails merrily. Two-Legs and his family -sat in front of their leafy hut and rejoiced with the rest. - -But it went on raining. - -The river overflowed its banks and Two-Legs feared lest his island should -go under in the waves. The water soaked through the roof of the hut until -there was not a dry spot inside. - -“Baby’s cold,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. - -They decided to leave the island and crossed the river with great -difficulty, for it was now very deep. They waded through the damp meadow -and carried the child by turns. Then they found a tree which was so -contrived that they could live in it. They twisted the branches together -and built a roof and stopped up the holes as best they could with grass -and moss; and this was their new house. - -“The water can’t reach us here,” said Two-Legs. - -“But it’s raining through the roof,” said his wife. “Baby’s cold and so am -I.” - -[Illustration: ONE DAY THE RAIN CAME] - -“It’s just as I always said,” observed the orang-outang. “They have no -hide or fur or anything and they’ll come to a horrible end.” - -“You ought to have fed your little one on maggots, Mrs. Two-Legs,” said -Mrs. Nightingale. “Then he would have thrived better. My young ones are -already almost as big as myself.” - -“You ought to have put him in the meadow and let him jump about, as I -advised you,” said Mrs. Stag. “Then he would have been able to shift for -himself by now.” - -“You should sit on him,” said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. “That’s how I keep my -young ones warm.” - -Mrs. Two-Legs said nothing, but looked at her boy, who was shivering with -cold. - -[Illustration] - -“It’s really a terribly spoilt child,” said Mrs. Hedgehog. “Of course, -what must be must be; and, once you’ve brought children into the world, -you have to give them a decent bringing-up. But a great big thumping lout -like that, of six months old, still at his mother’s breast: fie, for -shame! What he wants is a good beating and then turn him loose into the -world!” - -“There’s nothing to be done with people like that,” said Mrs. Stag. “They -won’t use their common sense; and, as they have made their bed, so they -must lie on it.” - -Then they went away. - - -3 - -Mrs. Two-Legs sat in the tree and the rain poured and the baby cried with -cold. - -“Look at that silly sheep in the meadow,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. “She’s warm -and comfortable in her thick fleece, while my poor dear little boy lies -shivering.” - -Two-Legs heard what she said, but made no reply. He sat silent for a while -and thought over things. Then he climbed down from the tree and sat on the -ground a little and thought again. The rain splashed and clattered. Up in -the tree, the little baby cried with cold. Down in the meadow, the sheep -moved about and grazed. - -Then Two-Legs rose and went up to the sheep. On his way, he took a sharp -stone and hid it in his hand. He went very slowly and looked to one side, -so as not to frighten the sheep. Then suddenly, with a bound, he caught -hold of her. - -“Baa! Baa! Murder! Help! I’m dying!” cried the sheep. - -Two-Legs struck her on the forehead with the stone and she fell to the -ground. Then he strangled her with his hands, caught her by the fleece and -dragged her to the tree where he had made his home. - -He cut a hole in her hide with the sharp stone and began to pull it off -with his finger-nails. His wife came down and helped him. They used their -teeth also, to finish the work more quickly, and, presently, they stopped -and looked at each other with beaming eyes: - -“How delicious!” he said. - -“Wonderful!” said she. “Let us hurry now and give the boy the fleece. Then -we will go on eating.” - -Two-Legs drank the blood of the sheep and bit into the meat: - -“I feel stronger than I ever did before,” he said. “Let the lion come now, -then he’ll have me to deal with.” - -They wrapped the fleece round the child, who at once went comfortably to -sleep. Then they dragged the rest of the sheep up into the tree and sat -down to eat. Every bite they took made them feel braver and stronger. They -gave no more thought to cold or rain, but sat and talked of the future as -they had never talked before: - -“I should like to have a sheepskin like that for myself,” said she. - -“So you shall,” said he, gnawing a bone, “unless we find another animal -that has a still softer and warmer skin. I want a fur too.... I say, we -might cover the roof with sheepskins: that would keep out the rain. I will -go out to-morrow and find some more sheep and kill them and bring them -home.” - -“Then we’ll eat them,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. - -“Rather!” said he. “We’ll eat meat every day. What a good thing that I -thought of it, for the fish in the river were already growing afraid of -me!” - -“Mind you don’t meet with an accident,” said she. - -“That’s all right,” he said. “I’ll go down to the river the first thing in -the morning and pick out some sharp stones, in case I should lose the one -I have. And, look here, I’ll tell you what: I’ll fasten one of those sharp -stones to the end of a stick, with a shoot or tendril of some kind; a long -stick, do you see? Then I need not go up to the sheep to hit them. I can -throw the stone. For, of course, they’ll be afraid of me when they hear -that I have killed one of them....” - - -4 - -While they were talking like this, all the animals of the forest had -gathered in the meadow, just as on the first night when the new animals -arrived: - -“Two-Legs has killed the sheep!” cried the sparrow and hurried on with -her news, drenched and rumpled though she was with the rain. - -“Two-Legs has murdered the sheep and the ox and the goat!” screamed the -crow and flapped her wet wings. - -“Softly!” said the ox. “I’m alive still, thank goodness, though I’m quite -prepared for the worst.” - -“Two-Legs has killed all the animals in the forest ... he’s sitting in the -meadow eating the lion,” whispered the reeds to one another. - -Then all the animals rushed down to the meadow to hear the exact state of -affairs. The lion stood in their midst, with his head proudly raised: - -“What’s all this noise about?” he asked. - -“May I speak?” said the orang-outang, holding up one finger. “I was -sitting in the palm-tree over there and saw the whole thing. It was -terrible.” - -“What a mean fellow you are!” said the lion. “You’re giving evidence -against your own relations.” - -“Very distant,” replied the orang-outang. “Exceedingly remote. I will -remind you that I expressly refused to take any responsibility for these -Two-Legs, who only bring disgrace upon the family. Well, I was sitting -in the tree and saw him come running up, fling himself on the sheep and -strangle her. Then he dragged the poor beast to the tree in which he is -living. I crept up behind him and saw him skin her. The woman helped him -and then they climbed up the tree and feasted.” - -“Is that all?” asked the lion. “I’ve eaten plenty of sheep in my time, -though I prefer deer on the whole. Why shouldn’t Two-Legs help himself to -a bit of meat if he likes?” - -“If I may speak, I should like to remind you of what I said when we last -met,” said the ox. “It’s easy for you to talk like that, for Two-Legs -can’t do you any harm. It’s we others that he eats. Still, you had better -look out. He may become a dangerous competitor. Suppose he gets a large -family of children and they all take to eating mutton?” - -“Then there’s always beef left!” said the lion, laughing and showing his -terrible teeth. - -“Just so,” said the ox and cautiously took a step backwards. “The oxen -will get their turn, now that he has tasted blood. He looks awfully -greedy. And I feel as if he had eaten me before.” - -“Humph!” said the lion. “There may be something in that. I don’t like -beating about the bush as a rule. Let us go and have a word with the -fellow.” - -[Illustration] - - -5 - -He moved on; and the orang-outang skipped along eagerly in front of him: - -“This way, this way,” he said. - -The lion stopped under the tree where Two-Legs had made his home. All -the other animals of the forest had followed him and stood listening and -staring. - -“Two-Legs!” roared the lion, with his mighty voice. - -It sounded like thunder and they all started with fear. The lion lashed -his tail and looked up at the tree. Not a sound came from it. He called -out again, but there was no answer. - -“The impudent beggars!” said the orang-outang. - -“Perhaps they are dead,” said the nightingale. “Perhaps they have -overeaten themselves with the sheep.” - -“You don’t die of eating too much, but of eating too little,” said the -pig, who kept rooting in the ground with his snout, in search of something -for himself to eat. - -Then the lion roared for the third time; and the noise was so loud that a -little siskin tumbled off her twig right into the jaws of the snake, who -swallowed her before any one could utter a sound, so that nobody ever got -wind of the story. - -And now Two-Legs appeared at the top of the tree. - -He had been fast asleep after the hearty meal which he had enjoyed; and he -was furious at being roused. His hair hung about his face in disorder and -his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth covered with foam: - -“Who dares disturb my sleep?” he shouted. - -“I do: the lion.” - -“The lion, the king of beasts,” they all cried, respectfully, with one -voice. - -“I am king in my own house,” said Two-Legs. “Be off, I want to sleep.” - -“He is defying the lion.... He is mad.... I won’t give a penny for his -life!” cried the animals. - -But Two-Legs took the thigh-bone of the sheep, aimed it and flung it with -all his might at the lion. It hit the king of beasts in the middle of the -forehead. He uttered a frightful roar. All the animals rushed terrified -across the meadow. The lion ran in their midst, roaring constantly, till -it echoed all over the forest. - -But Two-Legs lay down quietly to sleep and slept until broad daylight. - -When he awoke and had climbed down the tree, the dog lay gnawing the bone -which Two-Legs had flung at the lion. He wagged his tail; Two-Legs patted -him and gave him another bone: - -“Will you be my servant and my friend?” asked Two-Legs. - -“Gladly,” said the dog. “You have been kinder to me than the others and -you are stronger and cleverer than they.” - -“Very well,” said Two-Legs. “Then you shall keep watch over me and mine -and help me when I go hunting and bear me company.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -TIME PASSES - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -The rainy season went by, the sun recovered his strength and rain and -sunshine came and went by turns. Time passed, as it must and will pass. - -The Two-Legs family were now living in a new house which was better than -either the leafy hut on the island or the dwelling up in the apple-tree. - -It was a cave in the rocks, which Two-Legs had discovered on one of his -rambles. It was cool in the warm weather and in the cold it was sheltered -against the rain and it could be closed with a big stone at night or when -danger threatened. Two-Legs had hung the walls with skins and carpeted the -floor with moss and now felt comfortably at home with his family and the -dog. - -He had plenty to do, for the family had increased. He now had three -children, who were doing excellently and eating like wolves. He had had to -be careful since the night when he flung the bone at the lion’s head, for -not only had he made an enemy of the king of beasts, but most of the other -animals of the forest looked upon him with suspicion. - -And they were well-advised, for Two-Legs had become a mighty hunter, in no -way inferior to the lion himself. - -In the back room of his cave, he kept two big spears and one little one, -which his eldest son was already able to use very cleverly. They lay in -wait craftily for their prey, just as the lion and the other hunters of -the forest did. The dog drove the game towards them and they threw their -spears and killed it. - -“He’s a better hunter than I,” said the lion, one evening, to his wife. -“With his spear to-day he got a young deer that I had selected for myself.” - -“Why didn’t you take her yourself?” asked the lioness. - -“I was crawling up to her in the grass,” he replied. “But, before I could -make my spring, Two-Legs had killed her. He sent his spear through her -neck and she fell dead on the spot.” - -“Then why didn’t you take her from him after he had killed her?” asked the -lioness again. - -“He had another spear in his hand,” said the lion. “And his youngster had -one also. The spear is a thing I don’t understand. They who are struck by -it fall down and die.” - -“You’re afraid of Two-Legs,” sneered the lioness. “He’s the king of the -forest, not you. If your son proves as big a coward as yourself, we’re -done for.” - -The lion said nothing, but lay staring before him with his yellow eyes. - - -2 - -But, a little before daybreak, he stole up to Two-Legs’ cave, hid in the -bushes and waited patiently until the stone was rolled away. This happened -immediately after sunrise. The lion made ready to leap. He saw blood -before his eyes and sprang, almost without thinking, upon the first form -that appeared, struck it down with his powerful claws and carried it back -with a bound into the bushes. - -A terrible scream brought Two-Legs to the entrance of the cave. He stood -holding a spear in either hand. The lion saw that he had not killed his -enemy, but only one of his children. He let go the corpse and prepared to -make a fresh spring. Two-Legs now saw him among the leaves. He flung one -spear and missed him. Then he threw the other, but the lion was gone, with -great bounds. - -With tears and lamentations, Two-Legs and his wife bore the dead child -into the cave. The lion, hurried by fear, fled through the forest. -Wherever he came, the terrified animals fell aside. - -“The lion is flying from Two-Legs,” announced the sparrow. - -And the rumour spread through the whole forest and grew. - -“Two-Legs has wounded the lion with his spear,” screamed the crow. - -“Two-Legs has killed the lion and is hunting the lioness,” squeaked the -mouse. - -And the lion fled on. - -He rushed past his lair, as though he dare not look his wife in the face. -He did not come home until late at night. - -“Are you still alive?” asked the lioness, scoffing. “The whole forest -believes you dead. And what about Two-Legs?” - -“I have killed one of his young,” answered the lion, angrily. - -“What’s the good of that?” asked she. - -Then he caught her a box on the ear the like of which she had never had -before, lay down and stared before him with his yellow eyes. - -But the animals in the forest wondered and whispered to one another: - -“The lion is afraid.... The lion runs away from Two-Legs.” - -“Didn’t I tell you so?” said the ox. “We ought to have killed him then and -there.” - -“Ah, yes!” said the horse. “If the lion had only taken our advice!” - -“Ah, yes!” sighed the duck and the goose and the hen. - -But the orang-outang went to one side in the forest and reflected: - -“My cousin is not such a fool as I thought,” said he to himself. “I really -don’t know why I shouldn’t go and do the same. I am like him, but have -many advantages which he has not; and I ought to do at least as well as -he.” - -He took a stick and tried if he could walk like Two-Legs. He succeeded -quite nicely and then he made for the other animals. He lifted his stick, -yelled and made terrible eyes. But the animals crowded round and laughed -at him. The fox snatched the stick from his hand, the stag butted him in -the back, the sparrow behaved uncivilly on his head and they all made such -fun of him that he ran away and hid in the copsewood where it was thickest. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: SHE PULLED OUT HIS FEATHERS] - - -3 - -But the next morning the animals had fresh food for thought. - -They saw Two-Legs carry the corpse into the forest and build a great heap -of stones over it. His wife picked the reddest flowers and laid them on -the stones. - -“Well, I never!” said the nightingale. “When another dies, he’s left, if -you please, to lie where he falls. But as much fuss is made about this -child as if his memory were to last for all eternity! I don’t even know -what has become of my live children of last year, not to speak of the poor -little chap who fell out of the nest and broke his neck.” - -“You just wait. There’s worse to come,” said the ox. - -And it came. For, a week later, something happened that enraged the -animals of the forest more than all that had gone before. Mrs. Two-Legs -saw a splendid bird of paradise sitting in a tree: - -“What wonderful feathers!” she said. “If I could only have a tuft like -that to wear in my hair!” - -Two-Legs, who wanted to do everything to console her for the death of the -child, at once went out with his spear and soon came back with the dead -bird of paradise. She pulled out his feathers and tucked them in her hair -and thought she looked charming; and Two-Legs thought so too. - -“Now this is really too bad,” said the nightingale. “To kill a bird in -order to adorn his wife with the feathers! Did you ever in your born days! -It’s well for me that I’m so grey and ugly!” - -The widow of the bird of paradise, followed by a great host, went off to -the lion: - -“The new animals have killed my husband,” she said. “Here am I left a -widow, with four cold eggs. Now that my breadwinner is killed, I can’t -stay at home and sit on the eggs, unless I want to die of hunger. So I -left them, to look for some food. When I returned, they were cold and -dead. I have come to demand vengeance upon the murderer.” - -“What can I say?” said the lion. “There are so many widows in the forest. -I myself don’t ask if the animals which I kill, when I am hungry, have -wives and children at home.” - -“He didn’t do it because he was hungry,” said the widow of the bird of -paradise. “He did it only to present his wife with a tuft of feathers for -her hair.” - -“What’s he to do when his wife asks for it?” said the lion. “It’s no joke -falling out with your wife.” - -Some of the animals laughed. But most of them shook their heads and -thought it a stupid jest, unworthy of the king of beasts. - - -4 - -The next day, the animals of the forest spoke of nothing but Two-Legs. -They one and all had something to complain of: - -“He took my whole nest, the other day, with seventeen new-laid eggs in -it,” said the hen. - -“There are no fish left in the river,” said the otter. “And one gets -bludgeoned into the bargain.” - -“One can no longer graze in peace in the meadows,” said the stag. - -But, if sorrow and terror reigned among the larger, important animals, -some of the smaller, insignificant animals did not mind so much and, in -fact, were rather amused at the misfortunes of their betters: - -“Why should we care?” asked the fly. “Let the big ones eat one another up -as they please: it doesn’t concern us in any case. And I, for my part, -would rather have Two-Legs than the nightingale.” - -“No one is safe,” said the bee. “He took my honey yesterday.” - -“Yes,” said the earth-worm. “And, the day before that, he took my own -brother, stuck him on a hook and caught a perch with him.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS ENLARGES HIS POSSESSIONS - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs sat thinking outside his cave. The dog lay at his feet asleep. -Indoors, Mrs. Two-Legs was busy preparing breakfast. - -Two-Legs was in a bad temper, for he had had bad hunting. - -The day before, he had scoured the forest without coming upon any game -whatever and he had done no better that morning. - -The animals had become afraid of him. His spear had reduced their numbers -so greatly that they fled the moment they saw him come in the distance. -They knew the hours he went hunting and they hid from him. They posted -sentries who warned them with loud cries when he or the dog came in -sight. There was not a stag nor an ox nor a sheep nor a goat in the -country that lay nearest to the cave. Scarcely ever did an animal graze in -the meadow down below in front of it. They had all retired to where the -forest grew thickest and where he could only penetrate with difficulty. -Nor did it give him any pleasure to hunt up there, where the lion might so -easily be lying in ambush. - -“Things are looking bad, Trust,” he said to the dog. “We must invent -something new.” - -He sat and sharpened his knives and axes, which he had made out of flint, -and then Mrs. Two-Legs came out with the breakfast, which consisted -only of apples and nuts. There was not even a fish to be had. The fish -disappeared as soon as they saw Two-Legs’ reflection in the water. - -“I say,” said Two-Legs, suddenly. “It would be much easier if I caught a -couple of sheep and we kept them here in the cave. Then they would get -lambs, which we could kill, and I need not continually and perpetually go -hunting.” - -Mrs. Two-Legs thought this a good idea and, as they sat and talked about -it, he recovered his temper. He wove a long rope of tendrils and then went -off with his spear, the dog and two of his sons. - -He stole along the borders of the forest until at last he caught sight of -a sheep who was grazing in a distant meadow with two lambs. He crept up to -her on all fours, while Trust received orders to be quite still. When he -was near enough, he flung the sling and was lucky enough to drop it just -over the neck of the sheep. She bleated pitifully, but the noose held fast -and tightened. Two-Legs, rejoicing, led the animal home and the two little -lambs came after, for they did not know what else to do. - -When he came home, he fastened the sheep to a tree in front of the cave. -They ate one of the lambs and let the other live. The children ran down -to the meadow and fetched armfuls of grass and the sheep ate and gave her -lamb to drink. - -“Do you mean to eat me too?” she asked Two-Legs, that evening, as he sat -outside the cave with his family, rejoicing over his work. - -“No,” he said, “I do not. I shall keep you with me and you shall be my -servant, like the dog. To-morrow I shall go out and catch your husband. -Then you shall bear me plenty of lambs; and I shall eat some and put some -by, just as I happen to want them.” - -“You killed my sister and pulled off her skin,” said the sheep. - -“I know better now,” said Two-Legs. “You shall see for yourself.” - -Mrs. Two-Legs came with a knife and cut off the old sheep’s wool. The -sheep struggled and yelled grievously, but Two-Legs was determined and she -was bound so tight that resistance was of no avail. - -“Now I shall be cold myself when it rains,” cried the sheep. - -[Illustration] - -“Nonsense!” said Two-Legs. “When it turns cold, I’ll take you into my -cave. I want your wool to make clothes of. It’s no use your raising -difficulties. If you’re good and obedient, you shall have a better time -with me than you ever had in your life.” - - -2 - -At night, while Two-Legs slept, the sheep stood outside and thought over -things. The ox stuck his head over the bushes and, a little afterwards, -the stag stood there too and the horse and the goat and many of the other -animals. - -“What has he hit upon now?” asked the ox. “The sparrow says that he has -tied you up and cut off your wool.” - -“It’s only too true,” replied the sheep. “See for yourself how naked I -am. He has eaten one of my lambs and he is going to catch my husband -to-morrow. But I must say that he has plucked grass for me, so that I have -eaten my fill.” - -“It’s awful,” said the ox. “But it’s only what we expected. Can’t you get -loose?” - -“I’ve tried,” said the sheep. “But it’s no use. The more I pull, the -tighter the noose gets round my neck. I am a prisoner and a prisoner I -remain.” - -“Rather die than live a slave!” said the wolf. “I will do your lamb the -service to eat her.” - -So saying, he caught hold of the lamb and bit her in the throat. The sheep -screamed at the top of her voice; Two-Legs woke up and ran out; and all -the animals rushed away. - -“You’ve been asleep, Trust,” said Two-Legs. “We must see to-morrow how we -can prevent these accidents. A nice thing, if I am to catch sheep for the -wolf and to fatten them for him to eat!” - - -3 - -And the next morning he thought of a remedy. - -He and his sons went into the forest and felled some trees with their -axes. Then they cut them into sharp stakes and, after they had prepared a -quantity of these, they planted them in a circle, outside the cave. Then -they wove twigs between the stakes and, by sunset, they had a safe and -strong pen over which no wolf could jump. Two-Legs put the sheep into it. - -A few days later, he caught the ram with his sling. He went on hunting -and soon the cow was there and the bull and their calves. The pen was too -small and he had to build a bigger one. The whole family went out to fetch -grass, but could never bring enough. The animals in the pen bleated and -lowed. - -At night, they talked together: - -[Illustration] - -“Candidly speaking,” said the sheep, “this existence has its advantages. -Down there, in the meadow, one never felt sure of one’s life; first the -lion was after one, then the wolf and the snake and the eagle, to say -nothing of Two-Legs himself.” - -“There’s something in that,” said the cow. “But I can’t stand the way Mrs. -Two-Legs pulls at my udders. And then I’m not so sure that they don’t mean -to kill me one fine day. There will be too many of us here before long.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS WANDERS - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs began to find it difficult to provide grass for the many animals -which he had in the pen. - -He and his family had long plucked all that grew nearest the cave. Now -they had to go a long way to find any and it was hard work getting it home. - -“We shall have to move,” he said to his wife. “We can’t go on dragging -the grass up for all the animals. And, as the grass won’t come to us, we -must go to the grass. We must go down to the meadow again. You will have -to weave us a woollen tent. Then we will get all the skins we can and dig -stakes into the ground and hang the skins over them. That’s the best way. -And then the animals can go and graze round about the tent.” - -“But, when they have eaten the grass in the meadow, what then?” asked Mrs. -Two-Legs. - -“Then we will pass on to the next one,” Two-Legs answered. “We will pack -up the tent, load it on the back of the cow and move on.” - -“If only the animals don’t run away!” said she. - -“Trust must help me to look after them,” replied he. “And the boys. Then -all will be well. They know us now and they let us stroke them. You shall -see, they will soon be quite tame.” - -The next morning, they began to break up the pen. - -“Is he going to set us free?” asked the cow. - -“I don’t want to go down to the meadow again,” said the sheep and began to -cry. “My legs are stiffer than they were, and I can’t walk as well as I -used to. And my eyesight is worse and I have hardly any scent left: it’s -so long since I used my senses. I want to stay with Two-Legs and feed out -of his hand.” - -“You’ve become a slave already,” said the cow. “And you don’t deserve to -be free. If I see my chance, I shall be off. He killed my calf yesterday: -I shall never forgive him for that.” - -“Oh, well,” said the sheep, “suppose we do lose a youngling or two and -even risk losing our own lives, what other fate could we expect in any -case?” - -“You have the soul of a serf!” said the cow contemptuously. - -Two-Legs had finished breaking down the pen. Meanwhile, his wife had -packed up all their things. They loaded the cow with as much as she could -carry, took up the rest themselves and started on their way to the meadow. - -“My fears are now being realized,” said the cow, groaning under the -unwonted burden. “I am dead-tired in my loins and legs.” - -And, hardly had they come down to where the meadow began, when she threw -off her load and rushed away, followed by the bull. Trust flew after them, -but they turned round and showed him their horns, which made him run back -with his tail between his legs. - -Two-Legs threw his spear at them, but missed them. - -“Time will bring counsel,” he said. “I shall go out and catch them again -to-morrow. Let us put up our tent now and arrange our things.” - - -2 - -They set up the tent on a little hill from which they could look over -the meadow. At the foot bubbled a spring. Trust drove the sheep into the -meadow and home again. Two-Legs caught the hen, the goose and the duck and -clipped their wings, so that they could not fly away. Gradually, he got a -number of sheep and goats and a quantity of poultry. - -[Illustration] - -When the animals had eaten all the grass in that place, he struck his tent -and moved to another meadow; and so it went on. It was as if he had quite -forgotten the cow. But, one day, his wife reminded him of her: - -“You must get the cow back for me,” she said. “I need her milk so badly. -And both I and the children want new calfskin sandals.” - -[Illustration] - -Two-Legs took his spear, hung his sling round his neck and went off to -look for the cow. When he had gone some way, he saw her in the distance; -but she saw him too and trotted away at once. The horse, who was standing -a little way off, looked at Two-Legs mockingly: - -“You would like to have my four quick legs,” he said. - -“I should, indeed!” - -“It’s a good thing that there’s something you can’t manage,” said the -horse. “It’s dangerous otherwise, the way you play at being master of the -forest.” - -Two-Legs made no reply, but very quietly unwound his lasso. Then, when -he had got it right, he suddenly threw it over the horse’s head. It fell -round the animal’s neck and he reared on his hind-legs and darted away -wildly. But, at every leap he took, the noose drew tighter; and Two-Legs -did not let go the rope. At one moment, he was dragged along the ground -and, at the next, recovered his feet again. He twisted the rope round his -hand and it cut into his flesh till the blood came, but he did not let go. - -At last the horse got tired. He stood still quivering in all his limbs. -The foam flew from his mouth. - -“What do you want with me?” he said. “My flesh is not nice to eat and my -milk isn’t sweet and I have no wool for you to cut off.” - -“I want to borrow your four legs,” said Two-Legs. “You were boasting of -them yourself. Come up! Stand still now! If you’re good, I won’t hurt you.” - -He wound the rope round his arm and came closer and closer. He patted the -sweating horse, then suddenly caught hold of his mane and swung himself -upon his back. The horse reared and plunged and kicked his hind-legs high -in the air and tried, in every way, to get rid of his rider. But Two-Legs -held on to the mane and the rope with his hands and gripped tight with -his legs and kept his seat for all the effort it cost him. Gradually, the -horse became quieter again and then Two-Legs patted him on the neck: - -“Now go after the cow!” he cried. - -He pressed his heels into the horse’s flanks and gave him a smack. Then -they flew in a rousing gallop over the meadow. The cow did not even -attempt to run away, but stood staring in amazement at that wonderful -sight. Before she had collected herself, the lasso was round her neck and -Two-Legs proudly rode home with his capture. - -When they reached the tent, he sprang from the horse, patted him and -thanked him, but he made no pretence of taking the noose from the horse’s -neck. - -“Won’t you let me go?” asked the horse. - -“No,” said Two-Legs. “But I’ll do better for you. You shall now drink from -the spring and then you shall have the juiciest grass to eat that you ever -tasted. After that, you shall lie down and reflect that you are now in -my service and that you can spend the remainder of your days free of all -cares, without the very least anxiety, if only you will be faithful and -willing and do the little bit of work that I shall require of you.” - -He fed the horse and fastened him to the door of the tent. The cow stood -tethered close by. - -“Shall we see if we can get loose?” whispered the horse, when night came -and Two-Legs was asleep. - -“No,” said the cow, shaking her head. “I sha’n’t run away again. I accept -my lot. It was a terrible sight to see him on your back. He is the master -of us all. No one can resist him.” - -But the sparrow flew round the forest on her swift wings. - -“Two-Legs has caught the horse.... He rides on his back.... He has -fastened him to his tent.... The horse has become Two-Legs’ servant.” - -“Have you heard the latest?” the lioness asked her husband. “Do you mean -to let him ride on your back too, when he goes hunting?” - -The lion gave a threatening roar: - -“He had better just try!” he said. - -“He knows what he’s about,” answered the lioness, with a sneer. “And you -just keep out of his way, coward and degenerate that you are!” - -The lion laid his head on his paw and said nothing, but brooded dark -thoughts. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS SOWS - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs moved with his herd from one meadow to the other. - -The herd increased year by year, as did his family. Mrs. Two-Legs had now -borne her husband seven sons and seven daughters, who were all doing well -and helping in the house and with the cattle. - -And the animals were more and more pleased to be in his service. - -The horse carried him when he went hunting and walked beside him when he -struck the tent and moved to a new pasturage. He came at Two-Legs’ call -and neither he nor any other animals thought seriously of running away, so -that Trust had an easy job in watching over them. Now and then they felt -an inclination for freedom, especially when they were talking to the wild -animals. But it went no further than the inclination. - -For instance, one night in the rainy season, the stag came to the tent -which Two-Legs had put up to protect his animals: - -“Well, you’re nice and dry here,” said the stag and looked enviously into -the tent. - -“You’re right,” replied the sheep. “It is really much better than in the -old days, when we used to take shelter under a tree and get drenched all -the same.” - -[Illustration] - -“Just so,” said the cow. “And in the dry season too it was pleasant -every day to get our food, which Two-Legs had stored up for us, instead -of having to go all over the country as before, in search of a blade of -grass.” - -“But I thought you had to drudge for it,” said the stag. “I have often -seen you drudging and toiling for your master.” - -“One good turn deserves another,” said the horse. “For the rest, I can’t -deny that my presentiments have been fulfilled. All my limbs hurt me -terribly after the day’s work.” - -“And so do ours,” said the ox and the cow. - -The duck, the goose and the hen agreed. But the sheep shook her fat head, -while she went on chewing the cud: - -“I can’t remember what sort of presentiment I had,” she said. “I am well -off as I am.” - -“Are you grumbling over there?” asked Trust, who was keeping watch and -never slept with more than one eye shut. “Shall I call the master?” - -The stag took fright and ran away. But the horse said: - -“No, please do nothing of the sort. He has worked hard himself to-day and -is no doubt as tired as we are. It would be a sin to wake him.” - -Then it grew still in the tent. - -But Two-Legs in his own tent was not asleep. - -On the contrary, he was wide awake, thinking over things, and his wife -could not sleep either, for she was thinking too. - -“I am sick of wandering about the country,” he said at last. “We are no -longer young, we have a very big family and sometimes the work makes me -tired.” - -“Me too,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. “But that has nothing to do with it. We are -obliged to move about to get the grass we want.” - -Two-Legs said nothing for the moment. - -He rose and went out into the rain, had a look at his animals and then -came back again and sat down in his old place. The lion was roaring -outside in the meadow. - -“Did you hear him?” asked Mrs. Two-Legs. - -Two-Legs nodded. - -“Tell me,” he said, after a while, “where does the grass come from?” - -“You know as well as I do,” she said. “We have often talked of how it -scatters its seed and how the seed shoots up between the old withered -blades when the rain comes.” - -“Quite right,” said Two-Legs. “And why shouldn’t we collect the seed and -sow it ourselves? Now, if we pull up all the old grass and take the seed -of the kind which our animals like best, we ought to be able to make it -grow much thicker. And then we could reap the seed again and sow it again -and go on living in the same place year after year.” - -“Oh, if we could only do that!” cried Mrs. Two-Legs and clapped her hands. - -“Why not?” said Two-Legs. “And, if we succeed in this, then we can build a -proper, solid house for ourselves and our animals. I am sure that we can -fell the biggest trees with our flint axes, if only we have the patience -and persevere. As soon as the rain stops, I shall go out and look for a -place where we can settle down for the rest of our days.” - - -2 - -A week later, the sky was clear again. Two-Legs mounted his horse, took -leave of his family and said that he would not come home before he had -found what he sought. He did not return till the evening of the third day -and ordered them to pack up early next morning and go with him. - -When they came to the place, they had to admit that he had made a good -choice. - -It was easy to see that the ground was good and fertile, everything around -grew so fresh and luxuriant. There was a large, open field and on one side -of it was the forest, on the other a meadow, which, in its turn, ran down -to a great lake, where fish leapt and played. Beyond the lake were the -distant blue mountains, which were beautiful to look at and to dream of. -Just at the edge of the forest lay a hill, at whose foot a brook flowed. -The brook ran into the river, which wound through the meadow, and the -river ran into the lake. - -And the field and the meadow were full of all kinds of grass and flowers. -There were poppies larger and redder than Two-Legs had ever seen. And -there were bluebells and carrots, convolvuluses and corn-flowers. They -grew and spread themselves as they pleased, for they themselves were the -lords of the land. - -“This is where we shall settle,” said Two-Legs. “We shall build a big, -strong house on the hill, with stables for our animals and a palisade -outside to keep off those who wish us harm. Let us start without delay. -You’ll see something, once the house is there!” - -He and his sons set to work at once felling trees. - -They laboured patiently day after day; but they had to chop hard with -their stone axes before the big trees gave way. A cry of dismay went from -tree to tree, far into the forest: - -“What is happening?... What does he want with us?... Why must we die?” -whispered the trees to one another. - - -3 - -But Two-Legs and his sons heard nothing and saw nothing. They worked and -worked till they had what they wanted. And then they built a strong wooden -house on the hill, built two houses, then three: one for themselves, a -stable for the animals and a big long house for which Two-Legs had a -purpose of which he did not speak for the present. - -They closed up all the chinks with moss. And round the whole farm they -built a palisade of tall stakes and woven twigs, which made a good wall to -protect them against their enemies. - -“That’s that,” said Two-Legs. “Now to work!” - -He told his wife to sew a leather bag for himself and one for each of the -family. Then they went to the field and the meadow and filled their bags -with seed of every sort of grass that they wanted to sow. - -“Won’t you have a few of my seeds?” asked the poppy, shedding her scarlet -petals. “I have thousands of them in my head and I am the prettiest in the -land.” - -“You may be pretty,” said Two-Legs, “but I have no use for you.” - -“You’ve passed me by,” said the violet, modestly. - -“You’re forgetting me,” cried the thistle. “I am the proudest and -strongest in the whole meadow.” - -“But I am the toughest,” cried the dock. - -“Mind you take none of their seed,” said Two-Legs to his family. “Our -animals don’t eat them.” - -So they went home with full bags and out and home again, until they had -heaped up a mighty store. - -“Now we will prepare the ground,” said Two-Legs. “Come, my dear horse, and -lend me your strength, as you have done before.” - -He made a plough, harnessed the horse to it and drove it across the field, -step by step and furrow after furrow. He rejoiced when he saw the earth -turn under the stone blades of the plough. - -“What’s the meaning of this?” said the poppy and was forthwith ploughed -over. - -“It’s no use,” cried the thistle. “Our seed will come up and tease you.” - -“We’ll see about that,” said Two-Legs. - -Then he told his family to pull up all the thistles and throw them away. -And, when he had ploughed as much as he wanted, he took the grass-seed -which they had gathered and sowed it in the good, fresh earth. - -“Now we must wait for the rain,” he said, “and see how things go.” - - -4 - -And the rainy season came and things went as Two-Legs had hoped. - -[Illustration: TWO-LEGS HAD MADE A GOOD CHOICE] - -Little green shoots sprouted all over the ploughed field, all alike, all -grass of the kind which the animals loved. Here and there, it is true, a -thistle appeared and a poppy; but most of it was good grass. - -“Look!” said Two-Legs, gladly. “Now we only want the sunshine and then it -will grow.” - -The sun came and the whole field was a lovely green carpet which grew so -that one could see it grow from day to day. - -One morning, the stag came to the edge of the forest and beheld all this -with amazement. Then he shouted into the forest to his family: - -“Come along! Here’s the finest field of grass you ever saw in your lives! -Hurry up and come. I’ve started grazing already.” - -“You’ve started grazing, have you?” cried Two-Legs and came rushing up -with his spear. “Out of this, you thief! Do you imagine that I have sown -corn in the sweat of my brow for you to eat? Get out of it! This field -belongs to me!” - -The stag fled as fast as he could into the forest. But the sparrow flew -round and told the news on every hand: - -“Two-Legs has taken a great piece of land which no one is allowed to -touch. He called the stag a thief when he tried to graze on it.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS ENJOYS LIFE - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -When the time came, Two-Legs filled the house which he had built for a -barn with the produce of his field. And the harvest was hardly gathered -before he began to think of next year. - -He ploughed a new field and another and sowed them. The year after, he -cleared a part of the forest and tilled that. - -And so he went on year by year, until he had cultivated the land as far as -he could see from his house on the hill. - -Round the house he had planted a garden with the fruit-trees and herbs -which he had a use for. The fields lay in long, even strips, each with its -own sort of grass or corn. The whole was fenced in; and Two-Legs was hard -upon any who destroyed his work or stole his property. - - -2 - -It looked as though he were the lord of the earth. No one dared set -himself up against him. His herd increased from day to day and the wild -animals fled far away as soon as they saw a sign of him or his. In the -depths of the forest, however, and under the cover of the darkness and -whenever they felt safe from him, they talked of the old days when they -themselves were the masters, of the shame that it was that he should -subjugate them so and of their hopes of better times: - -“He throws stones at a poor bird that picks a grain of corn in his field,” -said the sparrow. - -“Yesterday, he drove me out of the hazel-hedge round his garden,” said the -squirrel. - -“He shot an arrow into my left wing because I took a lamb,” said the eagle. - -“He has driven me right out of the forest,” said the wolf. “He told me -that all the game belonged to him and that, if I dared touch it, he would -persecute me and my cubs to the end of the world, if need be.” - -“Perhaps he’ll take it into his head to-morrow to say that all the meadows -are his,” cried the stag. “And where are we to graze then?” - -The thistle, the poppy and the bluebell pressed close against the hedge. -The violet hid herself in the ditch and the stinging-nettle stood gloomily -and angrily outside Two-Legs’ garden fence. - -“Are we any better off?” asked the thistle. “We’ve been driven from home -and have to stand against the hedge and look on while the silly grass -spreads all over the field. We are at his mercy; he can take our lives any -day he pleases.” - -“He has planted some of my sisters in his garden,” said the violet. - -“And some of mine,” said the poppy. “But that’s not liberty.” - -[Illustration: ‘HE SHOT AN ARROW INTO MY LEFT WING’] - -“Prick him, thistle!” said the tall oak. - -“I did and he struck me with his stick,” replied the thistle. - -“Sting him, nettle!” said the oak. - -“I did,” said the nettle, “and I came off no better than the thistle.” - -In the corn, however, a glad whisper ran from one end of the field to the -other. - -“It is we ... it is we ... it is we ... it is we that reign in the land -now.... We are good.... We are useful.... You are nothing but weeds.” - -“Hear them, the cowardly dogs!” said the thistle. - -“We can do nothing,” said the bluebell. “Why don’t you big trees fall down -on him and crush him and his brood?” - -“That’s a ticklish matter, falling down,” said the oak. “But have we not a -king of the forest to protect us? Where is the lion?” - -“Yes the lion ... Where is the lion?” they all cried. - -But the lion was not there and did not come. - -[Illustration] - - -3 - -Two-Legs sat at home in his garden, under a big apple-tree, surrounded by -all his family. - -He cast his eyes over his fields, on which the corn waved, and up into the -apple-tree, which hung full of delicious, yellow fruit. One of his sons -had just come back from the lake with a couple of big fish. Another was -hunting in the forest; now they heard his call and he stood at the edge of -the wood with a fat roebuck over his shoulders. - -A third was busy making a plough: he wanted to improve upon the old one. -And all the rest were working at one thing or another. The girls were busy -in the kitchen or turning the mill-wheel. - -“We have had luck on our side,” said Two-Legs to his wife. “Everything -thrives and grows under our hands. And our children will do better than we -and their children better still. I hardly dare picture the power and glory -which our race may yet achieve.” - -“Yes,” said Mrs. Two-Legs. “Things are going well with us. Remind me to -strew a little corn for the sparrows, when the bad times come.” - -“I sha’n’t forget,” said he. “We have such plenty now that we can afford -to give those little thieves a helping hand. And I like to hear them -twittering when I get up in the morning.” - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: HE STOOD AT THE EDGE OF THE WOOD] - - - - -THE OLD ANIMALS TAKE COUNSEL - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -The complaints of the wild animals increased daily. - -“One no longer knows what one dare do and what not,” said the mole. -“Yesterday, my cousin was throwing up earth, as our family have done ever -since they existed. At that moment, he was caught and killed by one of -Two-Legs’ sons, because the mole-hill appeared in the middle of one of his -flower-beds.” - -“His daughter killed my wife, because she thought her ugly,” said a young -spider. “Not that my wife was nice to me. She wanted to eat me immediately -after the wedding and I had a narrow escape. But, apart from that, she was -the most inoffensive person under the sun and really never hurt a soul. -Except the flies, of course.” - -“He took away my wife and planted her in his garden,” said the hop-vine. - -“And he throws me out if I show the least tiny green shoot,” said the -gout-weed. - -“He shuts us up in hives,” said the bee. - -“He hunts us by clapping his hands and hitting us with cloths,” said the -moth. - -“He locks us up and fattens us and eats us,” grunted the pig. - -“He sets traps for us if we try to get a morsel of food,” said the mouse. - -“He is the master of us all,” said the stag. “We have no one to complain -to. We have no king. The lion is no longer the ruler of the forest. He -kills us with his claws when he is hungry, but he makes no attempt to -defend us.” - - -2 - -While they were talking, the lioness came slowly up and stood in their -midst. They sprang up in alarm, but she lay down quietly and said: - -“Do not be afraid of me. I sha’n’t hurt you. I have hardly eaten a -mouthful this week for grief. The same cares oppress me as yourselves. And -it is worse for me, because my husband ought to have protected us against -these strangers and doesn’t. The disgrace, for that matter, concerns me -personally.” - -“The lion must help us! The lion must set us free!” they all cried -together. - -“The lion does nothing,” said the lioness, sadly. “He lies at home in our -lair, staring and staring before him. But, now, listen to what I have to -say.” - -They all gathered round and listened. - -“We are all concerned,” she said, “each one of us, without exception. I -have taken in all that I have heard and seen of Two-Legs and I know his -character and his plans as though he had confided them to me. He wants to -subdue the whole earth. He and his children intend to reign over us all, -whether we submit or not.” - -“That is true!” cried the animals. - -“Yes, that is true,” continued the lioness. “Let none feel safe! The most -powerful animal and the tallest tree: if he has not laid them low to-day, -their turn will come to-morrow. The lowest vermin and the sorriest weed, -they know not on what day he may need them nor when they are in his way; -and then their last hour has struck.” - -“Yes, yes!” they cried. - -The mighty oak waved his gnarled boughs in assent, the stag sorrowfully -drooped his antlers, the worm whispered his “Yes!” in the earth and the -bees buzzed with fear. - -“Yes,” said the lioness. “To him we are either useful or injurious. If -he thinks a flower pretty, he fences it in; if its scent offends his -nostrils, he tramples her underfoot. If a tree stands where he can sleep -in its shade, he lets it grow. If it is in his way or if he has a use for -its wood, he chops it down. If he is able to use an animal, he catches it -and makes it his slave. He dresses himself in its skin, eats its flesh, -lets it do his work. He does not stop when he has had his fill, as we do. -Greedy as he is, he catches animals and gathers fruit for many days, so -that he may never suffer want.” - -“That’s so, that’s so!” cried the animals, in chorus. - -“Wait a bit!” continued the lioness. “There is more to come. He does not -hunt fair, like ourselves. He does not go after his prey on his own legs. -He rides at it on the back of the horse, whom he has compelled to carry -him. He does not catch it with his claws, does not kill it with his teeth: -he has a curious weapon, which flies through the air and brings death to -whomsoever it strikes.” - -“We all know it!” cried the stag. - -“It has whistled past my ear!” said the wolf. - -“It hit my wing!” said the eagle. - -“He does not drink the blood as we do, does not eat the meat as we do,” -continued the lioness. “He roasts it at the fire: he always has a fire -in his hut. He has done violence to nature: we knew fire only when the -lightning struck an old tree and set it alight; he strikes two stones -against each other till the sparks come, or rubs two pieces of rotten wood -till they catch flame.” - -“True, true!” cried the animals. “He has subdued fire.” - -“He does not wait to pluck the fruit in the forest when it is ripe,” said -the lioness. “He cultivates the plants for which he has a use and roots -out the others. Give him a free hand and he will transform the whole -earth. No herbs will he let grow but those which he can employ. No animals -will he let live but those which serve his use or pleasure. If we want to -remain alive, we must become his servants.” - -“Hear, hear!” cried the animals. - -The lioness paused; all was still. They heard Trust bark a long way off. - -“Listen to the dog,” said the lioness. “His first servant. Now he helps -him watch over others.” - -“The dog has betrayed us! Let us kill the dog!” they cried. - -The lioness raised her paw and silence prevailed again. Then she continued: - -“Do you remember the night when we met here in this same meadow, when the -new animals had just arrived? There were some who warned us: they were -the horse and the ox and the sheep; the goose and the duck agreed with -them: now they are all his subjects; their presentiments did not deceive -them. But do you not remember how the two animals looked when they lay -here asleep? A couple of poor, naked wretches: we could have killed them -without trouble, had we wished.” - -“We could, we could!” cried the animals. - -“But we didn’t!” said the lioness. “And now they are the lords of the -forest. Do you know whence their power comes? It comes from the animals -whom they have subdued. If we could take those animals from them, then -they would be just as poor and helpless as before. Two-Legs’ power -consists in this, that he can make others work for him. If, therefore, you -take my advice, you will try to get his servants away from him. I propose -that we send some one who will endeavour to talk them into their senses. -Surely, we have only to appeal to their sense of honour and to remind -them of the days when they wandered at liberty in the forest! Who will -undertake the mission?” - -“Do you go yourself!” they all cried. - -“No,” said the lioness, “I had better not. It would not be wise. There is -blood between their race and mine. They might remember this; and then my -words would be in vain. It should be one from whom they have never had -anything to fear.” - -They discussed the matter for some time; and then it was resolved that -the fox should be the emissary. He was at odds, it was true, from the old -days, with the goose and the duck and the hen; but there was no one better -at hand. - -And so he sneaked off: none knew so well the shortest and most secret -paths in the forest. He promised to bring back an answer as quickly -as possible. The animals lay down to rest in the meadow and whispered -together. In the midst of the circle lay the lioness, staring silently -before her, with shame and wrath in her eyes. - - -3 - -When the fox reached Two-Legs’ house, he met Trust, who was going his -night rounds to see if there were any foes about. - -“Good evening, cousin,” said the fox, slyly. “Out so late?” - -“I might say the same to you,” replied Trust. “I am keeping watch for my -master. You’re hardly out on so lawful an errand.” - -“I have no master, certainly,” said the fox. “And it’s not long ago since -you were a free dog in the forest. You ought to become so again. Come -down with me to the meadow. The other animals are gathered there. They -will forgive you for entering Two-Legs’ service and look upon you as the -good dog that you were, if you will open the door so that the captive -animals may escape.” - -“There are no captive animals here,” said the dog. “We are all well off -and we wish for no change. If I am Two-Legs’ servant, I am also his -friend. So run away back as fast as you can to those who sent you.” - -[Illustration] - -With that, the dog turned his back on the fox and went in through the -little hole that was left in the fence for his use. But the fox stood -waiting awhile, to see if none of the others appeared. And it was not long -before a fine gosling stuck her head through the hole. - -“Good-evening, little missie!” said the fox. “Please come a little closer.” - -“I dare not,” said the gosling. “I am not allowed out at night. And I -should so awfully like to get away. I am so frightened of Two-Legs. He -roasted my mother the other day and ate her.” - -“Shocking!” exclaimed the fox. “You mustn’t stay a moment longer in this -murderer’s den. Come out to me and I will take you to a place where you -will have nothing to fear.” - -“If I only dared trust you!” said the gosling. “But I have ten sisters. I -can’t leave them in the lurch.” - -“I don’t think you had better wake them to-night,” said the fox. “Young -ladies are so talkative and, if the dog or Two-Legs discovered your -flight, it would be all up with us. You would be roasted forthwith and I -should come in for a certain unpleasantness too: that goes without saying.” - -“That is true,” said the gosling. “But will you promise me to fetch my -sisters another time?” - -“I give you my word that, from to-day, I will come every night and fetch -one of the young ladies, until they are all rescued,” said the fox. “As -far as lies in my power. There may be obstacles.” - -“How kind you are!” whispered the gosling. “And I who thought that the -wild animals were such terrible monsters! That’s what I’ve always been -told. They said I must be particularly careful not to go into the forest, -lest the worst of evils should befall me.” - -“Sheer calumny!” said the fox. “All the animals in the forest are angels. -I never heard of any one being roasted there. But come now, before we are -perceived.” - -“I’m coming,” said the gosling. - -She waddled through the hole and, that very instant, felt the fox’s teeth -in her throat. She was just able to give a scream and then she was done -for. But, the next moment, Trust was there. The fox let go the gosling and -struck out with his teeth as best he could. But he was the weaker and the -dog gave no quarter. Not until the fox lay dead on the ground did Trust go -back through his hole again. - - -4 - -Meanwhile, the animals were lying in the meadow and waiting. - -“The fox has tricked us,” said the stag. - -“Of course, he has been caught and is entering Two-Legs’ service like the -rest,” said the nightingale. - -But, at daybreak, the sparrow came flying up, breathlessly: - -“The fox is dead!” she said. “He is lying on the hill outside Two-Legs’ -house. I saw him myself. There’s a dead goose lying beside him.” - -Then the lioness rose and all the other animals with her: - -“The fox went on his own business,” she said. “He fell in his own hunting. -We can trust nobody now.” - -Then, with bent head, she went sadly home. - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE LION - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -It was one night, some days after the animals had held their meeting in -the meadow. - -The lion lay in his lair, as was his custom, and stared with his yellow -eyes. His spouse was sleeping or pretending to sleep. At every moment she -heaved a deep sigh. All was still in the forest. - -The lion well knew what his consort’s sighing meant. He knew what the -animals had talked of that day and all the other days in the forest. Not -one of their complaints was unfamiliar to him; not one of the taunts -uttered against him had escaped his ears. Not for a moment had he doubted -the feeling in the forest towards the king of beasts. - -Nor had he forgotten which of the animals had spoken of him most -slightingly. He had imprinted the names of more than one in his memory -and he would know how to be even with them when the time came and order -was restored in the forest. Every day he had to bear his consort’s gibes, -but he no longer heeded them. She would have to beg his pardon and yield -him her love and admiration once again. His children would honour him as -they had honoured him of old and even more. He would be remembered in -the history of the forest as the monarch in whose reign the kingdom had -incurred a great danger and misfortune, which he had finally overcome. - - -2 - -The lion rose and went slowly through the forest. - -“The king of beasts is out hunting,” said the hedgehog, creeping under the -bushes. - -“See how thin he is,” said the bat. “His skin is hanging loose on his -bones.” - -“It is many nights since he went hunting,” said the owl. “His eyes are -glaring with hunger.” - -But the king of the forest was not thinking of hunting. He went, as though -in a dream, in the direction of Two-Legs’ house. A deer darted across his -path and he did not see her. Slowly he went until he came to the open -space on the hill where Two-Legs’ house stood. - -He went straight up to it, leapt nimbly over the hedge and crouched in -some bushes that grew at the door. He there lay concealed. No one could -see him, only his yellow eyes gleamed through the leaves. And one bound -would bring him to the door. - - -3 - -Two-Legs slept restlessly that night. - -He tossed about on his bed of skins and, when at last he fell asleep, -Trust began to bark so loudly that Two-Legs had to get up and see what was -happening. He had closed up the hole through which Trust used to get out, -because the goose had lately escaped that way and fallen a prey to the fox. - -“What is it, Trust?” he asked. - -The dog kept on barking and leaping up against him. Two-Legs opened a -little shutter and looked out and listened. But there was nothing to see. -Then he told the dog to lie down and went back to bed. But now he heard -the horse kicking in the stable and the ox began to low and the poultry -to cackle. There was no hearing a word for the noise. He had to go out -again and found all the animals shaking, as though greatly frightened. -The horse stood in a violent sweat and the hens and the ducks and geese -fluttered anxiously round and round their roost. - -“What can it be?” he said. - -He opened the door and stepped out into the night, unarmed and naked, as -he had risen from his bed. At that moment, there was a rustling in the -bushes. The lion leapt forward, but Two-Legs just had time to spring back -into the house and bolt the door behind him. - -He stood for a moment in great alarm and did not know what to do. - -Through a little hole in the door, he saw the lion lying outside in the -bushes, with his eyes fixed on the door, ready to leap again. The yellow -eyes glittered with rage. Two-Legs understood that the fight was now to -come that had been so long delayed. - -He thought first of waking his sons, slipping out through the other door -and attacking the lion in the rear. But they slept in different parts of -the house; and the day was already breaking in the east; and, while he was -gone to fetch them, one of the family might easily go out and fall a prey -to the king of the forest. - -While he stood and reflected, his fear left him. - -He considered he was man enough to kill his foe unaided. He silently took -the best two of his spears, carefully felt the edges, drew a deep breath -and then opened the door. - -The lion was not there. - -Two-Legs looked from one side to the other and could not discover him. But -he was an old, experienced hunter and did not doubt but that the lion was -lurking in ambush. So he stood quietly in the doorway, with every muscle -taut, ready for the fight that must come. - -Then he heard a soft rustling in the bushes and, at that moment, he saw -the animal’s eyes there among the leaves. He knew there was no time to -lose: if the lion sprang first, it was too late. - -He flung one of his spears and struck the lion in the eye. The lion -uttered a roar of rage; and then the other spear pierced his heart. - -All the inmates of the house were now out of bed and came running up. - -There lay the dead lion, a great and splendid sight. Trust barked at him -and wanted to bite him, but Two-Legs drove him away: - -“After all,” he said, “he was king of the forest. But now let it be -declared all over the earth that the lion is dead and that the realm is -mine.” - -Then they stripped the lion’s hide and hung it on a tall pole, which they -set up in the middle of the field, so that it could be seen from far and -wide. - -[Illustration] - -“The lion is slain!” cried the sparrow, from door to door. “Two-Legs has -murdered the king of the forest. His skin is hanging on a pole outside the -house: I saw it myself.” - -Then all crowded up and saw it. From the edge of the forest, full of fear -they peeped at Two-Legs’ house and the birds stared down from the sky. - -“And now all is over,” said the stag. - -And so it was. - - -4 - -But, in the course of that day, the orang-outang came to Two-Legs, who was -sitting outside the house: - -“Good-day, cousin,” said the orang-outang. - -Two-Legs looked at him without answering. - -“Ah, you may have heard,” said the orang-outang, “that I have spoken ill -of you. I will not deny that I have been a little careless in my talk. -But you yourself know, when one meets with poor relations, one is afraid -of hangers-on. One has children of one’s own and it is not easy to make -both ends meet in these hard times. Besides, you once caught me a blow -with your stick; so we can cry quits.” - -“What do you want?” asked Two-Legs. “I have neither time nor inclination -to listen to your drivel.” - -“Now don’t be hasty, cousin,” said the orang-outang and sat down beside -him. “I acknowledge your success. You have been lucky. It does not enter -my head to deny your ability. You have managed things splendidly. That -little business with the horse was really smartly done. And, now that you -have outwitted the lion....” - -“What do you want, you bothersome brute?” said Two-Legs. - -[Illustration] - -“I want to join forces with you, cousin,” said the orang-outang. “We two -as partners ought to conquer the world.” - -“Are you mad?” said Two-Legs. “What should I do with such a ridiculous, -stupid beast as you? You’re no more use to me than a pigeon. Away with -you! Look sharp or I’ll give you a thrashing which you won’t forget in a -hurry.” - -The orang-outang retreated a few paces, but did not give up the game: - -“You should think it over all the same, cousin,” he said. “However clever -you may be, I can be of use to you still. I should be a good intermediary -between you and the animals. I can do things you can’t; and what I can’t -do I can easily learn. Up in the apple-tree where I sat, I have watched -you and studied the way you went about your field; and I have already -picked up many of your tricks. You must know that....” - -Two-Legs stood up and caught the orang-outang by the arm: - -“Come outside!” he shouted into the house. “I want to show you something!” - -They all came and stared at the ape. - -“This fellow wants to go into partnership with me,” said Two-Legs. “He’s -not fair. He says he has already learnt my tricks. Let’s put him in a -cage; then we can amuse ourselves with his tricks when it’s raining.” - -The orang-outang protested, but to no purpose. Two-Legs held him tight and -soon they had built a cage and put him into it. - -“There’s none like one’s own people for meanness!” said the orang-outang, -as he sat on the floor of his cage, catching his fleas. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: THERE WAS NO TIME TO LOSE] - - - - -MANY YEARS AFTER - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -It was many, many years after. - -And it was not in the forest in the warm lands where the sun shines -stronger than here and the rain falls closer and all animals and plants -thrive better, because the winter does not stunt their growth. - -It was in a large village in Jutland. - -It was fair-time and the village was full of people and cattle. On every -side stood booths with wooden shoes and tin goods, cakes and toys and all -sorts of wares. There were refreshment-tents and a dancing-hall. There was -a peep-show, there were two merry-go-rounds, there was a place where the -fattest lady in the world was exhibited. In another place, for twopence, -you could see a tiny dwarf. Then there were white mice and performing -fleas, numbers of barrel-organs, all playing at one time, so that you -could hardly hear for the din, and drunken peasants and boys playing -practical jokes. - -[Illustration] - -But the most remarkable thing of all was hidden in a large tent in the -middle of the market-place. This, too, could be seen for twopence; and, if -you wished to know what it was, you had but to listen to the man who stood -outside and shouted in a hoarse voice: - -“Walk up, ladies and gentlemen, walk up! Only twopence for grown-ups, -children half-price! Here’s something that’s never been exhibited in -this village before, but that’s appeared before all the kings and royal -families in the world. It’s a king himself that I have the honour of -introducing to you: the king of the beasts, ladies and gentlemen, the -terrible lion! He lives in darkest Africa and is so powerful that he can -kill an ox with one blow of his paw. He has two lambs for his breakfast -every morning. If he were to escape from his cage, he would do away with -you all in no time. But you need have no fears, ladies and gentlemen! The -lion is in his cage behind thick iron bars. There he stands and glares in -his bloodthirsty way, at twopence for grown-ups, children half-price. Walk -up, ladies and gentlemen! Hurry up, before it’s too late! Never again, in -all your lives, will you see so fine a sight at so cheap a price!” - -He shouted like this all the time. A crowd of people stood outside the -tent staring. Many went in. When they came out, they told the bystanders -about the lion inside. Then more went in and so it continued all day long. - - -2 - -The lion’s cage stood at the back of the tent. - -It was a low and dirty cage. On the floor lay some filthy straw and a few -bones. The side which was turned to the spectators consisted of thick, -rusty iron bars. In the far corner lay the lion, with his head resting on -his paws. His yellow eyes stared at the onlookers with a dull expression. -There was straw in his tangled mane; and he was terribly thin. Now and -again, he gave a nasty hollow cough. - -The man stood with a long stick in his hand, talking and explaining. The -visitors to the fair stared round-eyed at the great beast that lay there -so quietly. Sick and feeble as he was, they could see, nevertheless, that -he was the lion, the king of beasts; and they felt cold in their backs at -the thought that he might break loose. But, when he did not make a single -movement, one of the spectators said, at last: - -“I believe he’s dead!” - -Then the showman pushed his long stick through the bars and poked the -lion with it. The lion slowly turned his head and looked at him, but gave -no further sign of life. Then the man poked him again and again; and, at -last, the lion sprang up and gave such a roar that the tent shook with it -and the people fell back in affright. - -“He ate his former owner,” said the man. “I bought him of the widow. He is -terrible and intractable. He’s dreaming of his native land, you see, where -he used to hunt in the wild forest and all the animals honoured and feared -him. But now you must go please, so that others may come and see the most -extraordinary sight ever exhibited in this village. Walk up, ladies and -gentlemen! Only twopence each! The king of the forest, the terrible lion!” - -And so it went on until late that evening. Not until the market-place was -empty and there were no more visitors left to listen to him did the man -shut up his tent, after counting the day’s takings: - -“This has been a bad day,” he said, with an angry look at the lion. “You -haven’t really earned your supper!” - -He flung a small piece of half-rotten meat into the cage. Then he shut -the door and locked it and went to the inn, where he sat and drank and -caroused till early morning. - - -3 - -The lion did not touch the putrid meat. With his head on his paws, he lay -staring at the little paraffin-lamp that hung in the tent and flickered -feebly. Suddenly, he heard a sound and raised his head and looked about -him: - -“Can’t I have peace even at night?” he said. - -“It’s only I,” replied a squeaky little voice. “I have been locked in by -accident. I want to get out! I want to get out! My mistress will die of -fright for me.” - -It was a tiny little dog, with a collar and bells round his neck and an -embroidered rug on his back. He tripped to and fro, whined and cried -and scratched at the door, but no one heard him. All was silent in the -market-place outside. - -“Well, I never!” said the lion. “You’re the dog: I can see that. Gracious -me, what a sight they’ve made of you!” - -“I want to get out! I want to get out!” whined the dog. - -The lion laid his head on his paws again and looked at the dog: - -“What’s the use of whimpering like that?” he asked. “No one’s hurting you. -I couldn’t eat you if I wanted to.... The iron bars are strong, believe -me. I used to shake them at first. I have to travel in my cage from place -to place and let people look at me for money, submit to their scorn and -teasing and roar when I am told to, so that they may shudder and yet feel -quite safe from my teeth.” - -“Let me out!” cried the dog. - -“I can’t,” replied the lion. “But I am not so contemptible as you. I am -here against my will, caught in a trap. You voluntarily entered Two-Legs’ -service, betrayed your fellows and helped him against them.” - -“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” said the dog. “I know no one -called Two-Legs. I am in service with human beings. My mistress is a great -baroness and she will die of fright if I don’t come home to her soon.” - -“Just so,” said the lion. “Human beings, that’s what Two-Legs’ confounded -descendants call themselves. They have subdued the whole earth. There is -hardly a place left where an honest lion can go hunting in royal style. -I know the whole story: it has been handed down in my house, from father -to son. I heard it all, the night before I was captured, in the desert -to which the men had driven us: how Two-Legs and his wife came naked and -unarmed to the forest; how my ancestor protected them; how they gradually -outwitted all the animals: you alone entered their service of your own -free will. The others they caught and tamed and dulled their senses until -they no longer knew how to lead the lives of free animals and resigned -themselves to slavery. Finally, Two-Legs killed my ancestor with his -spear: yes, yes, I know the whole shameful story.” - -“I don’t,” said the dog. “And I don’t mind if I never know it. I only know -that I have a cosy little basket at home with my mistress and that she -pets and kisses me and gives me the loveliest food. I want to get out! I -want to go home!” - -The lion made no reply, but thought to himself: - -“When I lie here in my cage, where I shall soon die of sorrow and -coughing, it is a comfort to me to see how wretched Two-Legs’ descendants -have grown. For he was lithe and slender and fair to look upon: he was -an animal! But these people here! One can hardly see a morsel of their -bodies, they are so wrapped up. Two-Legs could bound through the forest -and climb trees: these people here can hardly stir hand or foot. He was -a fighter; and it’s really amusing to watch the terror in these fellows’ -eyes as I get up and move to the bars when I roar. They shake like aspen -leaves, though they know that I am only a wretched prisoner.” - -“I want to get out! I want to go home!” whined the dog. - -The lion rose and went to the bars of his cage. He lashed his lean flanks -with his tail and opened his jaws till his terrible teeth gleamed and -glistened. The little dog trembled with fear before his yellow eyes. - -“And you!” said the lion. “Ha, ha, ha! It’s better to be a captive lion in -a cage than a miserable little lap-dog, with bells and a rug.” - -He gave such a roar that all the people in the village started up in their -beds. Then he lay down at the far end of the cage, turned on one side and -slept. - -The little dog shivered and whined until some one came and let him out. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS CONQUERS THE WIND - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Now you who have read this story will remember how Two-Legs, many years -ago, mastered all the animals on earth. - -Those which he could use and which obeyed him as they should he tamed -and took into his service. Those which he could not employ he let alone, -provided only that they left him and his in peace. If they did not, then -he waged war upon them, nor ceased until he had prevailed against them. -He always ended by prevailing, for he was the cleverest, you see, and -therefore the strongest. - -And, little by little, the tame animals grew so much accustomed to being -with him and so completely lost the qualities with which they had been -wont to shift for themselves that they could no longer do without their -bondage. When, once in a way, they escaped and tried to live like the -other, free, wild animals, they could not manage at all, but perished -miserably. - -But the wild animals which Two-Legs had no use for lurked round about in -their hiding-places and cavilled and muttered and made no progress and did -themselves no good. - - -2 - -At the time when this particular story begins, Two-Legs had put up a new -summer tent in a green meadow, not far from the beach. - -He was sitting outside it one evening, while the twilight was closing -in. All the family had gone to bed and were sleeping soundly after the -exertions of the day. All the cattle lay in the grass, munching and -chewing the cud. The dog, his faithful servant, lay on the ground before -him, pricking up his ears at every sound, sleeping with one eye and -watching with the other. - -Two-Legs did not sleep himself. - -He was old now and no longer needed so much rest. And he was not -tired either as in former days, for he now had so many children and -grandchildren that they were able to do most of the work. Himself, he -loved best to sit quietly, to think of what had happened to him in his -life and to meditate on the things that were yet to come. - -When he sat like that, he often seemed to hear voices on either side of -him. They came from the spring that rippled past him, from the tree whose -leaves whispered over his head, from the evening breeze that cooled his -brow: - -“Two-Legs ... the lord of the earth ... the cleverest ... the strongest,” -rippled the spring. - -“Two-Legs ... the vanquisher of the lion ... the terror of the wild -animals ... the protector of the tame,” whispered the tree. - -“Two-Legs ... whom no one can understand ... to whom all things belong,” -sang the evening breeze. - -Two-Legs sat and listened. He liked to hear that sort of thing, the more -the better. - -But, as the evening wore on, the wind grew stronger and shook the tent. -The gentle whispering in the leaves sounded less home-like than before. -The billows in the brook did not babble softly, but made a mighty uproar -and sent their foam splashing right over his feet. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Two-Legs, who was beginning to feel cold, and -wrapped his cloak round him. - -“Yes, who knows what’s the matter?” whispered the leaves. - -“Who can tell what’s at the bottom of it?” rippled the spring. - -“There is more between heaven and earth than Two-Legs knows of,” said the -wind. - -Two-Legs leant back against the tent and looked about him proudly: - -“Then let it come,” he said. “I have vanquished the lion and subdued the -horse and the wild ox; so I daresay I can conquer what remains.” - -Just as he said this, there came a terrible gust of wind. - -It knocked Two-Legs over, till he rolled along the ground and fell into -the brook. It tore three great deer-skins from the tent and woke all those -who were lying asleep inside. They started up and screamed and did not -know what was happening. The dog howled at the top of his voice, with his -tail between his legs. Two-Legs crawled out of the brook, dripping wet. - -The moment he tried to rise to his feet, another gust came ... and another -... and another. - -Two-Legs crept along the ground on all fours. The whole tent was blown -down and the people inside ran and fell over one another and shouted and -wailed so that it was horrible to hear. - -But no one heard it, for each had enough to do to think of saving his own -life. The cows and the goats and the sheep lowed and bleated with fright -and ran up against one another and trampled on one another. Many of them -fell down the slope and broke their legs. The horses galloped off over the -meadow and ran till they dropped from exhaustion far away inland. The big -tree above Two-Legs’ tent snapped in two like a stalk of grass. - - -3 - -When day broke, Two-Legs sat and wept at all the destruction which he saw -around him. He let the family drive the cattle together and set up the -tent again. He himself sat huddled in his cloak and brooded and stared -before him. Then he said: - -“You bad Wind!” - -And he raised his clenched fist in the direction from which it was still -blowing violently. - -“You destroyed my property last night,” he cried, “and might easily have -killed me and mine. Now, we are setting up the tent and collecting the -cattle; but you may come back, to-night or to-morrow night, and ruin -everything once more.” - -“So I may,” said the wind. - -“You bad Wind!” - -“I am not bad,” said the wind. - -“Would you have me call you good, after the way you’ve treated me?” asked -Two-Legs. - -“I am not good,” said the wind. - -“Very well, you are neither bad nor good,” said Two-Legs. - -“Just so,” said the wind. “You’ve hit it.” - -“I don’t know,” said Two-Legs. “But can you tell me what use it is for -me to vanquish the lion and tame the ox and the horse, the camel and the -elephant, when a puff of wind can destroy all that I have done? Can you -tell me how I can get you into my service and what I am to use you for?” - -“I can tell you nothing,” said the wind. “Catch me, conquer me, use me!” - -He darted across the fields and took with him a great piece of skin that -belonged to the old tent, blew it out, lifted it high in the air and -carried it far away over the water. Two-Legs sat and watched it until it -was out of sight. - -[Illustration: ‘VERY WELL, YOU ARE NEITHER BAD NOR GOOD’] - - -4 - -Then the eldest son came: - -“We can’t stay here any longer,” he said. “The storm has destroyed both -the corn and the grass; and our cattle have nothing to eat. It was the -same wherever I rode this morning, for miles around. I don’t know what we -shall do.” - -Two-Legs sat and looked out over the water, where the wind had carried the -skin away. Far in the distance lay a great land that was ever so green. - -“There’s good grass over there,” he said. - -“What use is that to us?” replied the son. “There’s deep water and a rapid -current in between. We could never get across.” - -“Which way is the wind blowing?” asked Two-Legs. - -“Towards the island,” said his son. “Is it your intention that he should -blow us across?” - -“Just so,” said Two-Legs, throwing off his cloak and standing up. “I have -decided to take the wind into my service.” - -The son stared at him without understanding a word of what his father -said. But Two-Legs called all his family together and bade them put aside -any work that they were doing. He set them to saw planks, to drag the -planks down to the sea and to bind them firmly together into a big raft. -Next he told the men to put up a tall mast made of a young oak-tree, -while the women sat and sewed hides together into a great sail. Then they -hoisted the sail to the top of the mast and fastened the ends below to the -raft. The wind filled the sail, but the raft was tied to the shore with -strong ropes, so that it could not get loose. - -Two-Legs made all his family and all his cattle go on the raft. When the -last had come on board, he let go. The wind stretched the big sail and -bore them swiftly over the water. Towards evening, they landed, rejoicing, -on the good green land. - - -5 - -Henceforward, one of Two-Legs’ sons devoted himself entirely to the raft. -He rebuilt it and improved it, hit upon new methods of setting sail and -invented a rudder to steer with. He made the raft taper in front, so that -it cut more easily through the water. He put ballast at the bottom of it, -so that it could not be readily upset by a sudden squall. He learnt to -make use of the wind, even if it did not blow exactly the way it should. -By degrees, he ventured to sail far out to sea and caught fish and came -home again safe and sound. - -But Two-Legs sat outside his tent again and thought: - -“So I got you into my service after all,” he said to the wind, who was -fanning his cheek. “But the end is not yet. You just wait. You will have -to toil for me like the ox and the horse.” - -“I have no objection,” said the wind. “I am what I am and what I do I -must. Catch me, conquer me, use me!” - -Two-Legs sat and watched them bruise corn in the mill, so that it could be -used for baking. - -Once, many years ago, he had hollowed out a stone and taught the women to -bruise the corn in it with another stone. Since then, he had thought of -letting two stones grind one against the other. He had fixed a pole and -harnessed an ox to it, who went round, turning the mill. At that time, he -was awfully proud of his invention. - -The ox was now going round and round patiently. But, as it happened, one -of Two-Legs’ sons came and asked if the grinding could not wait, for he -had a use for all the cattle out in the fields. The women said that this -would not do, for they were short of flour for the baking. Two-Legs let -them fight it out among themselves and sat and looked at the mill until -evening. - -“What are you thinking about?” asked the wind, who came and blew over his -forehead as usual. - -“That’s it!” said Two-Legs, springing up. “I have it! I put you to the -raft and you carried me and all my belongings across to this green land. -Why should I not also put you to the mill?” - -“Catch me if you can!” said the wind. - -[Illustration] - - -6 - -Next morning early, Two-Legs set to work. He built a big scaffold, which -rose high in the air. At the top, he fixed four broad sails, which were -covered with hides and fastened to an axle, so that they could whirl round -and round easily. That was the cap of the mill. The mill-stones were put -down at the bottom and were connected with the sails, by means of poles -and ropes, in such a way that, when the sails whirled round and round, the -stones turned. Two-Legs’ children stood wondering and looking at it. - -“We are not ready yet,” said Two-Legs. - -He arranged the cap so that it could turn and the sails catch the wind, -whichever side it came from: - -“Now we’ll grind,” said Two-Legs. - -And the wind came and turned the sails; and the mill ground that it was a -joy to see. They poured the grain into the top of the mill and the fine, -white flour dropped into sacks which they fastened underneath. - -“I caught you again, friend Wind,” said Two-Legs. - -“I shall blow the other way to-morrow,” said the wind. - -“Indeed, I thought of that,” said Two-Legs. “I don’t mind if you do.” - -When evening came, he turned the cap round. The next morning the wind came -from the other side and had to grind just as briskly as the day before. - -“I shall go down to-morrow,” said the wind. - -“It’s only right that you should take a rest now and then,” said Two-Legs, -pleasantly. “The horse and the ox do as much and so do the other beasts of -burden in my service. I daresay you will get up again when you must.” - -“Who says I must?” said the wind. - -“I don’t know,” said Two-Legs. “Not yet. But I am meditating upon it and -I shall find out sooner or later. You see, one hits upon everything by -degrees, when one sits and looks at things. I know this much already, that -it’s the sun that gives you your orders.” - -“How do you know that?” asked the wind. - -“I’ve noticed it,” said Two-Legs. “Whenever it changes from cold to warm -or from warm to cold, you blow from a fresh quarter.” - -“What a clever man you are!” said the wind. - -“It helps,” said Two-Legs. - -“But there is still a hard nut for you to crack,” said the wind. “For, -even if you can’t put me to your ship and your mill, I can come rushing -up, for all that, as I did once before, and knock down the mill and smash -up the ship and scatter your cattle all over the country.” - -“You can,” said Two-Legs. “And I can’t be angry with you for it either, -for you are neither bad nor good, as you said.” - -“Well, well, now I’m going down,” said, the wind. “And I don’t think I -shall get up again for ever so many days. Then your mill will stand still.” - -“So it will,” said Two-Legs. “But I have thought of that, too. Come over -here and see.” - -He went down to the brook and showed, the wind another mill which he had -built. It had no sails, but a big wheel with wide floats, which went -down into the water. The wheel was connected with the mill-stones in the -same way as the sails and, as the water ran, the wheel turned and the -mill-stones ground. - -“That’s my water-mill,” said Two-Legs, proudly. - -Then he went into his tent and lay down to sleep, for it was late and all -the others had gone to bed. - -The wind lay down too, as he had said, and so they all lay and slept. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS CONQUERS STEAM - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs was now a very old man. - -His race was constantly increasing. It lived dispersed over a large and -glorious plain, where the rich corn waved in the fields and the cattle -waded through the tall and luscious grass. Some of the men followed the -sea, others tilled the soil and tended the cattle, others felled timber in -the forests. The women kept house and weaved and span. - -Wherever the plain rose into a little hill, a wind-mill strutted. Every -brook that ran turned the wheel of a water-mill. - -Two-Legs himself constantly sat and observed what went on around him in -nature and pondered upon it. All looked up to him with respect, as the -eldest of the race and the cleverest man in the world. All came to him for -advice and help and seldom went away unaided. - -In the middle of the plain rose a tall, cone-shaped mountain. From its -top, off and on, came a column of smoke. Two-Legs often looked at this -mountain. Once he rode up to the top and stood and stared into the hole -whence the smoke ascended, but the heat that came out of it was so great -that he could not endure it or remain there. - -Then he rode back to his house again and sat and gazed at the mountain and -thought and wondered what there could be in its depths. He knew mountains -that contained gold and iron and other metals; and he taught his children -to extract the ore and smelt it and shape the metal into tools and -ornaments. But a mountain like this, which smoked at the top, he had never -seen before. - - -2 - -Now, one day, as he was sitting plunged in thought, he heard voices round -about him, as he was wont to do. They whispered in the stately palm-tree -that raised its crown high above his head: - -“Two-Legs is mighty ... greater than any other in the world ... he rules -the earth and all that is upon it.” - -They sang in the river that ran down to the sea: - -“Two-Legs rules the waters ... they carry his ships wherever he will ... -they breed fish for his table.” - -The warm wind blew over his face: - -“Two-Legs is greater than any other ... he rules me ... I have to toil -in his service, like the ox and the horse.... Blow east, blow west, he -catches me and uses me.” - -Two-Legs passed his hand down his long, white beard and nodded with pride -and contentment. - -At that moment, a peculiar thundering noise was heard. It was as though it -came from the interior of the earth; and, indeed, one could not imagine -where else it should come from. For the sky was cloudless and clear and -the sun shone bright and warm, just at noonday. - -“What was that?” said Two-Legs. - -“Who knows?” said the palm-tree, trembling right down to its roots. “Who -can fathom the forces that prevail in nature?” - -“Who can say?” said the river, tossing its waves in terror, like a rearing -horse. “What do any of us know, after all?” - -“Who has so much as an idea?” said the wind, dropping suddenly, like a -tiger preparing to spring. “The earth is full of mighty forces, which not -one of us knows anything about.” - -There came another booming sound. Two-Legs rose. He looked at the mountain -in the middle of the plain and saw that the column of smoke had turned -into a great black cloud, which grew and spread faster than his eyes could -follow it. - -Now, it masked the sun; now, the waves in the river foamed and met the -waves of the sea, which came dashing over the land; now, the wind rose, in -a moment, into a furious gale. - -And, before Two-Legs could look round, it was suddenly black as midnight. - -He saw, just as the light disappeared, that something dropped from the -sky, but could not see what it was. He groped his way to the stable, where -his horse stood tethered, jumped on its back and darted away from the -region where danger lay. The beast was mortally frightened, like himself, -and ran for its life. - -He could not see his hand before his eyes, but thought he heard a wailing -and crying through the storm, all over the plain, wherever he came. He was -able to tell a voice here and there, but he merely rushed on and on, until -his horse dropped under him. - -Then he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, stumbled and fell and got -up again and ran and ran, while the cries rang out around him, when they -were not drowned in the roar of the storm and the thundering noise from -the mountain. - -He was struck by a stone on the back of the head and felt the blood -trickle down his neck. His foot trod in something that was like boiling -water. He drew it back with a cry and ran the other way. At last, he lost -consciousness and had not himself the least idea how he had managed to -escape. When he recovered, he was lying on a knoll, right at the end -of the plain. Round about him lay half a score of people of his family, -bewildered and exhausted like himself. They did not speak, but gazed at -one another in dismay and wept, with trembling hands. - - -3 - -Two-Legs shaded his brows with his hand and looked out over the plain. - -It had become light again, suddenly, even as it had become dark. The black -clouds had drifted away and the sun was setting in crimson and gold as on -the most perfect summer’s evening. - -Here and there, on the neighbouring hillocks, were some of his family, who -had saved themselves as he had. They also had a few of the tame animals -with them; and Two-Legs suddenly noticed that his faithful dog was licking -his hand. - -But the whole country, except the few hillocks, was buried under an ocean -of boiling and bubbling mud that soon stiffened to a hard crust. All the -houses and mills were destroyed and drowned in the sea of mud. All the -people and animals lay dead and buried under it. All the rich and glorious -plain looked like a desert in which nothing had ever lived; and in its -midst stood the mountain, tall and calm, with the column of smoke on its -top. - -Two-Legs’ kinsmen set to work to collect what had been saved. - -With wailing and lamentation, they withdrew from the ruined country where -they had made their home, together with the poor remnants of their wealth. -The women carried in their arms the babes which they had saved and cried -over those which were dead. The herdsmen counted the few head of cattle -that had been spared. The sailors scanned the sea in vain for a single -ship that had escaped unhurt. - -“Come, Father Two-Legs,” they said. “Let us leave this accursed land. -There must be some place in the world where we can find peace and begin -afresh to build up all that these terrible hours have destroyed.” - -But Two-Legs shook his head: - -“Do you go,” he said. “I will follow you.” - - -4 - -They went; and he did not so much as look after them, but only sat and -gazed at the strange mountain from which the disaster had come. He sat far -into the night, which was clear and mild, and had none with him but the -dog, who would not leave him. The smoke from the mountain was carried past -him, now and then, by the wind; but now it was only like a light, thin -stream. - -“Who caused that? Who caused it?” said Two-Legs and gazed before him. - -“I did,” said Steam. - -“You?” said Two-Legs. “Who are you? You are flowing past me like a mist. -How did you have the strength to do it? Who are you?... Where do you come -from?” - -“I am Steam,” he said. “I come from the mountain up there. I was shut in -until I grew mad and furious and had to get air. Then I broke out and -destroyed the whole country. Now that’s over and I have found peace and am -as you see me.” - -“You bad Steam,” said Two-Legs. - -“I am not bad,” said Steam. - -“Would you have me call you good?” asked Two-Legs. “You have destroyed my -rich land and killed nearly all my children and grandchildren and most of -my cattle. All that I invented so cleverly and successfully to make life -easy and pleasant for me and mine you have spoilt in a few hours, though I -have done nothing to offend you. Are you good?” - -“I am not good,” said Steam. - -“Very well, you are neither bad nor good,” said Two-Legs. “I seem to have -heard that nonsense once before. Wait a bit: it was the wind who made the -same remark, when he too had been the cause of my misfortune.” - -“Exactly,” said Steam. “I am neither bad nor good. It is just as the wind -said. Didn’t you see, at the time, that the wind was right?” - -“Yes,” said Two-Legs, quietly. - -“Didn’t you take the wind into your service?” asked Steam. “You caught him -and put him to your boat and your mill. You watched him and learnt to know -his ways, so that you could use him as he came. Am I not right?” - -“Aye,” said Two-Legs. “I became the wind’s master. But I do not understand -how I am to conquer you, who are mightier than the wind, or how to employ -your formidable power in my service.” - -“Catch me, use me!” said Steam. “I serve the strongest.” - - -5 - -Two-Legs sat and gazed and thought. He looked at the ruined land, at the -sun, which shone as mildly as though nothing had happened, at Steam, who -floated quietly over the wilderness. There was not a house left standing, -not a tree; and not a bird was singing. - -Once, he turned round and looked after his kinsmen. He saw them far away -on the horizon, but still it did not occur to him to follow them. Then he -said to Steam: - -“Who are you? Tell me something about yourself.” - -“I am like this at present,” said Steam. “You see me now and you saw me a -little while ago. Look out across the sea and you shall see me there, too.” - -“I don’t see you there,” said Two-Legs. - -[Illustration: ‘CATCH ME! USE ME!’] - -“That’s because you don’t know,” said Steam. “As a matter of fact I am -water, to start with.” - -“Tell me about it,” said Two-Legs. - -“It’s easily told,” said Steam. “You see, I am the sea water, which soaks -through the ground into the mountain yonder. I ooze in through a thousand -underground passages. But inside the mountain there is a tremendous fire, -which smoulders everlastingly and never goes out. Now, when the water -rises above the fire, it turns to steam; and the steam is collected in -great cavities down the mountain, so long as there is room for it. At -last, there is so much of it that it can’t exist there. Then the mountain -bursts. Rocks and stones ... the whole mountain-lake up there, which is -boiling because of the fire in the ground ... mud and sludge, boiling -water and scalding steam come rushing out over the land, as you have just -seen. I burst everything, when I am tortured beyond endurance. There is -not a wall that can imprison me, not a door which I cannot open ... do you -understand?” - -Two-Legs nodded. - -“You have seen the column of smoke that rises from the mountain every -day,” said Steam. “There is always a little opening, you know, an -air-hole through which some of me can escape. But at last it is no longer -big enough and then I burst the whole concern. Now learn from what has -happened to you to-day that you must never build your abode where you see -a smoking mountain, for you can never be safe there.” - -“It’s not enough for me to be safe,” said Two-Legs. “I don’t want to avoid -you. I want to rule you. You are the strongest force I know in the world. -You must be my servant, like the horse and the ox and the wind.” - -“Catch me and use me, if you can!” said Steam. - -“Well,” said Two-Legs, “I will try. But first tell me what becomes of you -when you float through the air, as you are doing now.” - -“Then I turn cold,” said Steam. “And, when I have turned cold, I become -water ... rain ... mist ... whatever you please.” - -“And then you fall into the sea,” said Two-Legs. “And then you soak into -the mountain, where the fire is, and become steam again; and so on and so -on, for ever and ever.” - -“That’s it,” said Steam. - -Then he floated on across the wilderness and disappeared out at sea. -Two-Legs gazed after him and then stared at the mountain again, which was -smoking peacefully, as it had done before. - -He sat the whole night and pondered. Then he rose, called the dog and went -after the others. - - -6 - -Two-Legs and his family had discovered a new country. - -They built their houses again and tilled the soil and reaped corn and -raised cattle. They cut timber in the forests and the seamen built new -ships. Many years passed before the disaster was overcome, but at last the -whole tribe was recovered to such an extent that they forgot about it, all -excepting Two-Legs. - -He was always sitting and pondering and thinking about it. That is to -say, it was not the disaster itself he thought about: he had forgotten -that, like the others. He had forgotten the dead, for he now had so many -descendants that he no longer knew their number or their names. It was -Steam he thought about. - -When he saw how the wind turned the sails of the mill or carried the ships -across the sea, he gave a scornful smile. It went so terribly slowly, he -considered. And then a storm might come, when they could neither sail nor -grind, or a head-wind so strong that they had to divert their course for -it, or a calm, when everything had to stand still. - -“You’re only a second-rate servant, friend Wind,” he said. “Ah, Steam! Now -there’s a fellow for you!” - -He remembered how the captive steam broke out and, in a moment, obscured -the sun and turned day into night, how it scattered far and wide over -the land great stones and mud and ashes and all that the fiery mountain -or volcano contained. In a few hours, the plain was transformed into a -wilderness. It was all done so quickly and with such force that no one -could possibly imagine it who had not seen it. Surely, Steam must be the -strongest power on earth. - -He thought of what the steam had said, how it came into existence when the -water got above the fire. - -“That’s right,” he said. - -He sat and looked at the pot, which was boiling. As soon as the water grew -hot enough, the white steam floated above it. - -He took a piece of glass and held it over the steam. The steam settled on -the glass in clear drops. - -“That’s right, too,” he said. “The steam turns to water again.” - -He saw them put a lid on the pot to keep in the heat. They made up the -fire and more steam came, so that the lid began to jump. - -“Now it’s getting too close in there,” he said. “Just as Steam told me -about the volcano.” - -They put a stone on the lid to hold it down. Two-Legs added more and more -fuel and more and more steam came. At last it flung off the lid with the -stone and darted out into the room. - -“The mountain is splitting,” said Two-Legs, rubbing his hands. - - -7 - -He built himself a big boiler and a great furnace. Here he kept up a -constant fire and tried the strength of the steam and pondered how to make -use of it. He had only one person with him, one of his grandsons, who was -cleverer than the others, and with whom he often talked of the thought -that dwelt in him. - -Many a time they two would sit long into the night and work and talk, -always of the same thing. It was the question of making the steam work -the way it should and no other and as strongly as it should and no more. -No one ventured to disturb them. All the rest of the tribe looked upon -Two-Legs’ house with awe and reverence, for they knew how clever he was -and that he was working alone for the good of the whole race. Some of -them, also, believed that he would at last succeed in mastering Steam, but -many thought that it would never come to pass and that it would end in -terror, as though he were fighting the most secret and powerful forces in -nature. - -But, whether they held this view or that, they all preferred to keep away -from Two-Legs’ house, because they understood how great the danger was to -which he exposed himself. All those who had survived the calamity of the -volcano were long since dead; but the legend of that terrible day still -lingered in the tribe and Two-Legs’ kinsmen could not help thinking what -terrible things might happen if Steam should suddenly, one day, turn bad -again. - -[Illustration] - -Two-Legs took no heed of what they thought or said. - -Now and again, the elders came to him to report on what was happening, -good or bad, in the family: the number of children born, the losses -suffered or the gain in prosperity. He looked up hastily from his work, -nodded to them and then bade them go and leave him alone. - -Sometimes, a young man would come running up, radiantly happy at some -discovery he had made, to gather praise from the old, wise man whom -they all honoured above any other. Two-Legs scarcely looked up from his -work and did not hear him to the end. He knew that the ideas with which -he himself was busied were far greater and more important and longed -impatiently for the day when they should be realized. - -He built new boilers of strange shapes and bigger, so that they could hold -more steam, and stronger, so that the steam could not burst them. He made -his people dig coal from the mountains and used it for fuel, because he -had discovered that it gave greater heat and therefore more quickly turned -the water into steam. As each year passed, he thought he was nearing the -goal, but as yet he had not reached it and sometimes he was despairing. - -One day, the boiler burst. He himself was struck on the forehead by a -fragment of iron and received a deep wound; but his grandson and assistant -was killed before his eyes. - -They all came running up with wailing and lamentations. But Two-Legs wiped -the blood from his face and stood long and gazed at the burst boiler. Then -he turned and looked at the dead man: - -“Poor fellow!” he said. “He would so much have liked to live and see the -great work finished. Now he had to die; and indeed he had a fine death, -for he died for the greater prosperity of his brethren. Bury him and set a -monument over his grave.” - -They took him and were about to carry him away, but Two-Legs stopped them -and said: - -“Wait a minute ... I must have one in the place of him who died: is there -any of you that will help me? He knows the lot that awaits him: death, -perhaps, and disappointment for many years, before we succeed, and scorn -from the blockheads who do not understand.” - -Seven at once applied. For, though they were certainly afraid, they felt -attracted by the mystery and the danger; and there was no greater honour -in the tribe than to stand by Two-Legs. - -So he chose one of them, took him into his house and initiated him into -his secrets, while the others carried the dead man away and buried him. - - -8 - -The years passed. One day, the people saw Two-Legs stand outside his house -and wave his arms and shout aloud. They ran from every side to hear what -he wanted. - -“I have found it, I have found it,” he shouted. - -He took the elders indoors and showed them a great iron cylinder which -he had constructed. At the top of the cylinder was a hole which joined -another cylinder. In the first cylinder was a piston, also of iron, which -fitted so accurately that it could just slide up and down; and it was -smeared with oil so that it might slide as easily as possible. At the -bottom of the cylinder was the boiler with the water and under the boiler -the furnace. - -Two-Legs lit a fire in the furnace, the water turned to steam and the -steam went up to the top cylinder and lifted the piston right up to the -top end of the cylinder. There it escaped through the hole into the -cylinder beside it, where it was cooled and became water again and ran -down into the boiler and was once more heated by the fire and turned into -steam. - -But, when the steam had escaped through the hole, the piston slid down -again to the bottom of the cylinder, was lifted up by fresh steam and rose -and fell again; and this went on as long as the fire burnt in the furnace. - -“Look, look!” said Two-Legs; and his eyes beamed with pride and delight. -“See, I have caught Steam and imprisoned him in this cylinder. When I make -a fire in the furnace, he rises out of the water and lifts the piston to -the top of the cylinder. Then he has done my bidding and turns to water in -the other cylinder until I once more bid him turn to steam and lift the -piston. See ... see ... I have caught Steam and made him my servant, like -the ox and the horse and the wind!” - -“We see it right enough, Father Two-Legs,” said one of the tribe. “But we -don’t understand what you mean to use your servant for. Tell us, was it -worth while, on this account, for you to live shut up in your house for so -many years, while we have had to dispense with your wise counsel?” - -“You do not understand,” said Two-Legs. “Go away and come back again this -day twelvemonth: then you shall see what I use my new servant for. When I -have shown you, you can continue the work yourselves. I tell you, so great -is the new servant’s strength and cleverness that, if you learn to use him -properly, the whole face of the earth will be changed.” - -Thereupon he went into the house and shut his door. - -He sat contentedly and looked at his new engine: - -“Ho, ho, dear Steam!” he said. “I have you now. I can call you forth and -turn you off. I can make you strong and I can make you weak. The more -fire, the more water, the more steam. And you must always remain inside -the cylinder and do my bidding. I can make the cylinder long and I can -make it short; I can make the piston heavy and I can make it light: you -must needs draw it up and down, my good Steam.” - -“You call me good,” said the steam. “On the day when I burst the mountain -and destroyed all your land, you called me bad. Now I told you that I was -neither good nor bad. I am what I am. You have caught me and, if you can -use me, then use me!” - -Two-Legs laughed merrily and rubbed his hands. He lit the furnace and -poured water into the boiler and sat and watched how the piston slid up -and down: - -“Yes, what shall we use you for now?” he said. “Shall we put you to the -carriage instead of the horse? I think you might get along the road at a -very different pace. Shall I use you to draw the ship? Then you can run -close to the wind and need not care a pin for him. Shall I let you turn -the stones in the mill?... Oh, there are a thousand things that you must -do for me!” - -Two-Legs put out the fire. Then he fastened a rod to the piston and to the -rod he joined another, which was fastened to the axle of a wheel. He lit -the fire under the boiler and, behold, the piston went up and down, the -rod moved and the wheel whirred! - -He made a carriage, put the whole steam-engine on the carriage and -connected the rod with the wheel. He himself stood at the back of the -carriage, where the furnace was, lit the fire and heaped on coal. The -wheels turned and the carriage ran along the road. - -[Illustration] - -The people of the tribe came hurrying from everywhere and stared in -amazement at the strange turn-out. Most of them ran to one side and -screamed in terror of the dangerous monster and said that it must end -badly. Only the cleverest understood the value of it and looked at the new -carriage and talked about it. - -“Father Two-Legs,” said one of the elders, “you must not drive that -carriage. We fear that it will go badly and the steam burst the engine and -kill you, as it once killed your assistant.” - -“It was just his death that taught me to be careful,” said Two-Legs. “Come -and see.” - -Then he explained to them how he had calculated the strength of the steam -and the quantity of the steam which he should use to drive his carriage. - -The more steam there was, the faster the piston slid up and down, the -faster the wheels turned, the faster the carriage moved. The stronger the -boiler was and the cylinder, the more steam it could hold without bursting. - -But in one part of the boiler there was a hole, which was covered with a -valve, fastened by a hinge. The valve was just so heavy that the steam -could not lift it when there was as much as there should be and as the -engine could bear. But, as soon as more steam came, then the valve became -too light and rose and the superfluous steam rushed out of the hole. - -“Father Two-Legs is the cleverest of us all,” they said. - -But Two-Legs stepped down from the carriage: - -“I give it to you,” he said. “Now you can settle for yourselves how you -mean to use it. Some of you can go on searching, as I did, and invent -new things. The smiths can bring their tools and their ingenuity. The -steam-engine is yours and you can do with it what you please.” - -Then he went into his house and sat down anew to look out over the world -and think. - -But the cleverest of the tribe set to work on the steam-engine. As the -years passed, they invented first one improvement and then another, so -that it worked ever more safely and smoothly. - -They laid rails over the ground, so that the steam-carriage ran at a pace -of which none had ever seen the like and drew a number of heavily loaded -coaches after it. A man could now make a journey in a few days or weeks -which formerly had taken him months and years. The produce that grew at -one end of the earth was now sent quickly and cheaply to the other. - -They put the steam-engine in ships, where it turned paddle-wheels, so that -the ships ran against wind and current. They used it to thrash the corn -in the barn, to grind it in the mill: there was no end to the objects for -which they were able to use it. - -[Illustration] - -The steam-engine had changed the face of the earth, as Two-Legs had -foretold. - - - - -TWO-LEGS CONQUERS ELECTRICITY - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs had grown so old that no one now knew his age. - -His family was constantly increasing and dispersed over the whole earth. -When people thought that they were becoming too many in one place, then -some of them broke up and moved to others, where the land was new. They -reclaimed it, extracted metals from the mountains and sailed on the rivers -and the sea. Railways and steamboats ran from one end of the earth to the -other. - -People went so far apart that they spoke different languages and no longer -knew one another. In every country there were clever men who made new and -marvellous discoveries that lightened the work of their brethren and made -them richer and happier. - -Each time that a man made one of these discoveries, he went off to -Two-Legs, wherever he might happen to be, to show it to him and receive -his praise, for he was honoured by them all as the father of the whole -race and the wisest of all who lived on earth. - -Two-Legs himself no longer had any idea of the number of his descendants; -and it seemed as if he simply did not care. He lived now with one tribe -of his people and now with the other, always alone in a house to himself, -where he could quietly indulge in thought. Often, young men came to him to -learn from him. Then he gave them of his wisdom and sent them out into the -world again; but what he thought of in his inmost self he talked about to -no one. - -When he sat outside his house and gazed and pondered, the voices spoke to -him as before: - -“Two-Legs ... the lord of the earth ... the vanquisher of the animals....” - -“Two-Legs ... who conquered the wind and made it his servant, as he did -with the ox and the horse....” - -“Two-Legs ... who tamed the wild steam and imprisoned it in the engine, -which now has to obey his commands and do his errands....” - -Two-Legs listened to the voices. - -He patted the dog, who lay at his feet: - -“You were once a wild and fierce animal and now you are gentle and serve -me faithfully,” he said. - -He listened to the wind, who was whispering in the trees: - -“You can cool my forehead on a hot day and you can rush over the earth -like a wild monster,” he said. “I know you and I use you.” - -He looked across the meadow, where the mist was rising and the fine white -steam floated to and fro: - -“You, too,” he said and nodded. “You are as light as a veil and dainty and -white and innocent. The poets sing of you and you make little children -cough. But you are the same that burst the mountain and destroyed my land. -I watched you and discovered you and caught you and put you in my engine; -and now you must toil for my descendants the wide world over.” - -The thunder rolled in the distance. There came long and deep peals. Now -and again, a flash of lightning gleamed and lit up the darkness. And the -voices spoke again: - -“It is thunder, Two-Legs ... it is lightning.... You do not know what that -is. No one knows what it is.” - -“The world is full of mighty, secret forces ... mightier than the wind ... -harder to understand than steam.” - -“The ox and the horse tremble before the thunder and the lightning. -Two-Legs and all his descendants tremble wherever the thunder-storm -reaches. There is more between heaven and earth than Two-Legs knows of.” - -The storm came nearer. The thunder pealed and the lightning-flashes -crackled. Those who lived close came running to Two-Legs’ house in great -alarm: - -“Father Two-Legs, what shall we do?” they cried. “God’s wrath is upon -us.... Look, look, His fire has struck the house yonder. Now it’s burning; -it is all in flames!” - -Two-Legs did not look at the blazing house, but up at the clouds, where -the thunder pealed and the lightning-flashes darted: - -“That is not God’s wrath,” he said. “It is a strange force up there in the -clouds ... stronger than the wind ... stronger than Steam. Oh, if I could -catch it and compel it to serve me, as I compel the ox and the horse and -the others!” - -They heard what he said and looked at one another in affright. - -Much as they honoured and loved him, they thought that this was madman’s -talk. For how could any one dream of taking the terrible lightning into -his service? - -“Two-Legs has grown old,” said one to the other. “He is in his dotage and -does not know what he is saying.” - -Two-Legs did not listen to them, but continued to gaze at the storm -overhead: - -“Look! See how the lightning darts!” he said. “In a second, it darts from -one horizon to the other!... Oh, if I could put it into my carriage!” - -They recoiled from him, so frightened were they at his words. - -“Look! See how the lightning shines!” he said. “In a second, it is as -light as bright noonday!... Oh, if I could catch the lightning’s light and -hold it fast and compel it to shine peacefully for human beings!” - -One of the elders went up to him and laid his hand on his shoulder: - -“Two-Legs,” he said, “the success you have had has driven you mad. Your -talk is foolish. You are tempting God.” - -“God kindled the lightning and God kindled my understanding,” said -Two-Legs. “He gave me the one that I might explore the other. Go away and -mind your own business and leave me alone.” - -They went away. Two-Legs stood and gazed till the last lightning had -vanished from the sky. - - -2 - -One day, Two-Legs sat on his bench, looking at a boy who was running about -and playing with a piece of amber. - -The boy rubbed it against his breeches to make it bright. Then he held it -up in the air and rejoiced to see it shine so prettily. - -Just then, a fluff of seamews down came flying and fastened on the amber. -Another came ... and another ... and more still. As soon as they came near -the amber, they hurried and settled on it. - -“Look, look!” said the boy and laughed with amusement. “There’s a spirit -in the amber! When I rub it on my breeches, the spirit comes out and -catches the little fluffs.” - -Two-Legs took the amber from the boy and looked at it. He rubbed it and -caught the fluffs. He held it close to husks and little bits of paper. - -“Look, the spirit catches them too!” said the boy and clapped his hands. - -More came and looked on. They told it to others, who left their work and -came and stood and stared at Two-Legs and the amber. - -“Is it a spirit, Father Two-Legs?” asked one of the elders. - -“A mighty spirit,” said Two-Legs. “A new and rare spirit. I do not know -him. Go to your work and leave me alone, so that I can explore him.” - -“Give the spirit a name, Father Two-Legs,” said the man who had spoken -before. - -Two-Legs reflected that the people in the part of the world where he was -then living called amber electron. - -Then he told them that they might call the spirit of the amber Electricity. - - -3 - -From that day, Two-Legs collected as much amber on the beach as he could -find. - -He rubbed it and saw that then the spirit constantly came forth and seized -upon the little things near by. He put his ear to it and listened, but -could hear nothing. He tasted it and smelt it; he broke it to pieces and -gazed at it with his old eyes, but could discover nothing: - -“The spirit is hiding from me,” he said. “But I shall find him, I shall -find him!” - -It occurred to him one day that the strange spirit might dwell elsewhere -than in the amber. - -He began to rub a glass tube and shouted aloud for joy when the spirit -at once appeared and seized upon the down and husks and shreds of paper. -He took a piece of sulphur and rubbed it and exulted when just the same -thing happened. But, in a little while, the spirit disappeared from the -amber, the glass tube and the sulphur alike and did not come back until -he rubbed them again. - -He made himself a big sulphur ball, with an iron bar through the middle. -The iron bar was fixed between two stakes, so that he could turn the ball -with a handle which was at one end of the bar. - -Now, when he turned the handle and laid his hand on the ball, he saw that -the little fluffs which flew in the air at that moment stuck to the ball -and, immediately after, flew out into the air, as though the spirit had -pushed them away. He turned the handle briskly and the fluffs danced about -the ball. One of them flew on his nose and stayed there for a little while -and then flew back to the ball again. - -“The spirit dwells in me too,” said Two-Legs, gladly. “I believe he is -everywhere and in everything, if only one could manage to call him forth -from his hiding-place. Now I will summon the whole tribe and show them -something which they have never seen.” - -He sent word round and they came and stood in crowds about his house. Then -he asked for the little boy who had played with the amber on the beach and -been the first of all to call forth the mysterious spirit: - -“You deserve the honour of sharing in this day,” he said. “You all -remember the spirit to whom I gave the name of Electricity?” - -“We remember him,” said the oldest of those present. “If you have anything -good to tell us about him, we shall be pleased to hear it. If it is -anything bad, then keep it to yourself and we will flee to a new country -where the spirit does not dwell.” - -“The spirit is neither bad nor good,” said Two-Legs. “He is a force ... a -strange, mysterious force, which I have not yet succeeded in discovering. -I do not know if he is worth conquering and giving into your service even -as I gave you the ox and the horse, the wind and Steam. I do not know how -I am to conquer him. But I do know that it is not possible for one of us -to flee from the electric spirit. For he dwells not only in the amber as -you saw. He can take up his abode everywhere and in everything ... even in -me ... even in every one of you.” - -They pressed close together and gazed at him in alarm. - -“Watch me now,” said Two-Legs. “Dismiss all your fears and look in wonder -at what I shall show you.” - -Two-Legs hung the little boy up between two ropes, so that he swung in the -air at some height above the ground. Before him, from another cord, hung -a glass tube. On the ground under him stood a bowl with little pieces of -paper. - -“I shall now rub the glass until the spirit comes forth,” said Two-Legs. -“When that is done, the boy will touch the glass with one hand. The other -he will hold at a distance above the bowl with the shreds of paper.” - -He rubbed the glass tube and the boy did as he said. - -“Look ... look!” said Two-Legs. - -They stared and shouted with surprise. All the bits of paper leapt up and -hung in the hand which the boy held over the dish. - -“Do you see that?” asked Two-Legs. “He is electric. The spirit has taken -up his abode in him.... Can you all see it?” - -The oldest and cleverest bent over the boy and stared and talked of the -remarkable thing that had happened. They did not understand it and shook -their heads. But the others were seized with frenzy and clamoured against -Two-Legs: - -“It is magic!” they shouted. “Father Two-Legs is a magician! He is -tempting God and killing the poor boy with his tricks!” - -“You are fools,” said Two-Legs. “You talk of what you do not understand. -Go away and leave me alone, while I enquire into the mighty spirit of -Electricity. You can come again in a twelvemonth. Then I shall show you -much stranger things than you have seen to-day.” - -They went on clamouring and crowded round Two-Legs, threatened him with -their clenched fists and abusing him: - -“Father Two-Legs must die!” they cried. “He will bring misfortune upon us -all, with his magic! He calls forth spirits whom he cannot lay! Let us -kill him before he has brought down God’s wrath upon us!” - -[Illustration] - -The elders placed themselves between Two-Legs and the infuriated people. -They reminded them of his venerable age and of all the good which he -had done to his kinsfolk. They talked until, at length, they persuaded -the others to go, though they still muttered and cast angry glances at -Two-Legs. The mother of the boy whom he had made electric ran and seized -him by his long white beard: - -“If ever again you use my boy for your odious tricks, I’ll kill you!” she -screamed. - -“You are only a silly woman,” said Two-Legs and pushed her away. “If I -taught your boy the secret of what you call my magic, he would make a name -for himself that would be spoken with respect so long as the world lasts. -However, go away and take him with you too. No harm has happened to him; -and to-morrow he will have forgotten all about it.” - -She went, hand in hand with the boy, who did not cry, but kept his eyes -on Two-Legs. When they were gone, the elders told him he had better move -into another country if he wanted to continue searching for the electric -spirit, otherwise it would end in this, that the people would kill him one -day, when the elders were not there to defend him. - -Two-Legs stood and rubbed the glass tube with a piece of leather and paid -no heed to them. They had to say it once more before he heard. Then he -merely nodded and said: - -“I will go away this very night and seek another country where the people -are cleverer.” - - -4 - -By midnight he was ready to start. He had nothing with him but his sulphur -ball and some other things which he needed for his labours. He hid these -under his cloak, put out the light of his house and prepared to leave. - -Suddenly he heard a noise in the alley where the others lived. He sat down -and waited, not because he was afraid of them, but because he did not -choose to talk with fools any more. And, while he sat and waited, he took -his sulphur ball from under his cloak and began to rub it with his hand, -as he had done thousands of times before. He gazed at it, though he could -see nothing, for the night was pitch-dark. - -All at once, he started up with a cry. - -He dropped the ball, found it again, with difficulty, on the floor and -began to rub and rub like mad. - -Now he saw it quite plainly: light came against his hand when he rubbed. -Time after time, he rubbed and, each time, he saw the light. - -He was so greatly excited that he could hardly breathe. He closed his eyes -and opened them again. No, it was not imagination: the light came as soon -as he rubbed the sulphur ball. - -He held the ball up to his ear, while he rubbed and rubbed like mad.... -Now he plainly heard a faint crackling.... - -Then he jumped up and sang and cried and laughed and danced round the room -like a young man crazy with delight: - -“It’s the lightning!... It’s the thunder!” he shouted, exultantly. “I have -called them and they come at my bidding.” - -The door opened and the little boy whom he had made electric stood on the -threshold: - -“Father Two-Legs, will you take me with you where you are going?” he asked. - -“Do you want to come?” asked Two-Legs. - -“Yes,” said the little boy. “I want to stay with you and go where you go. -I am not afraid of you. You shall teach me your magic and, one day, I -shall become a wise and great man, like yourself.” - -“You do not know what you are doing,” said Two-Legs. “I am no magician, -but I have seen what no other man has seen. You do not know what has -happened to me this night.... I have rubbed my sulphur ball and have -produced lightning from it and thunder. They lie in my hand. I can call -them forth when I please. They are only quite tiny as yet and weak, but -I know that, one day, they will grow strong, like those up there in the -clouds. Do you dare?” - -“I dare,” said the boy. - -“Then come,” said Two-Legs. - -He took him by the hand and went out with him into the dark night, to find -a country where there were fewer fools. - -[Illustration] - - -5 - -Two-Legs found a new country, where he and the boy settled. The people -honoured him for his age and wisdom and knew nothing about his magic -arts. But he occupied himself with them as before, sought and listened -and thought ... whether he could sooner or later lay hold of the strange -spirit who was so weak in the amber and the glass tube and the sulphur and -so powerful in the thunder-storm. - -Every evening, when the day’s work was done, he sat and talked with the -boy, who grew in age and understanding. They were happiest when the -thunder pealed. Then they felt that the mighty spirit was nearer to -them: not only up there, where lightning crackled, but in the air and in -everything round about. - -“There is much electricity up there and only a little here below with -us,” he said. “That is why the flashes strike down upon the ground.... -Look, there is one darting from a cloud that has too much to one that has -too little.... Oh, I understand, I understand! It is like the water that -lies at a different level in two ponds: if I dig a canal between them, it -will flow from that which has more into that which has less and, a moment -after, it will be at the same height in both. Boy, boy, one day I will -collect so much electricity that I can use it for the greatest things!” - -“That you will, since you say so, Father Two-Legs,” said the boy. “But -will you tell me how it is that the mighty spirit dwells in a fragile -glass tube like this and not in that thick iron bar? If I were the spirit, -I would rather dwell in the strong bar. But he is not there. I have rubbed -the iron till my arms ached, but the spirit did not come.” - -“You may depend upon it that he is there,” said Two-Legs. “If only we -could find the right means to call him forth, I believe that there is more -of him in iron and in copper and other metals than in anything else. Just -look how weak he is in the glass tube and the amber: he comes when I rub, -catches the little fluffs and is gone again at once. No, if we can charm -him from the iron, then we shall see him in his might.” - - -6 - -One day, the boy went into the mountains and found a lodestone, which he -thought looked odd. He took it home to Two-Legs, who examined it long -and closely, as he examined everything. Without thinking of it further, -he began to rub the thick iron bar with the lodestone and saw, to his -surprise, that the stone clung to the iron: - -“Boy, what have you found?” he cried. - -Henceforth, he thought of nothing but iron and copper and other metals. - -He forged himself bars of iron, large and small, rubbed them with the -lodestone and saw that they became electric. The spirit was in them and -the spirit came out of them, but differently and not as in the glass tube -and the amber and the sulphur ball. - -It was no use for him to come with fluffs of down and little shreds of -paper. The spirit did not catch at them. But, when he came with iron, the -spirit caught hold of it and held it ever so tight. - -“That is the proper, powerful spirit,” said the boy joyfully. - -Two-Legs saw also that the spirit was only at the two ends of the bar -which he rubbed with the lodestone. The spirit ran into the ends and -stayed there and caught hold of the pieces of iron which he held out to -him. In the middle of the bar there was no spirit. - -One day, as he was working with a very thick bar which he had rubbed, it -seemed to him that it moved without his touching it. Then he took a vessel -of water, put a cork in the water and the iron bar on top of the cork. - -“Look, look, it’s turning!” cried the boy. - -And so it was. It turned one end to the north and the other to the south. -Two-Legs shifted it, but it turned back to the same position as soon as -he let go. He experimented with the other bars, but they did exactly the -same. One day, he laid two side by side, each on its own cork, and saw -that the north end of the one and the south end of the other attracted -each other. When he brought the two north ends or the two south ends -together, they at once pushed each other away. - -“Look, look!” cried the boy. - -Two-Legs sat, plunged in thought, and looked. Then he made a little bar, -rubbed it with the lodestone and put it on a pivot, so that it could turn -easily as it pleased: - -“Go and give this thing to the skipper,” he said. “When he goes far out to -sea and cannot sight land anywhere, he will always be able to see by it -which is north and which is south and direct his course accordingly.” - -Thus Two-Legs invented the compass. - -But he forgot it as soon as the boy had gone with it. He thought how much -stronger the spirit was in the iron than in the other things from which he -had produced it and pondered how he should make the spirit obey him with -all his power. - -“I found the stone that did it,” said the boy, when he returned. “Give it -a name, Father Two-Legs.” - -As the country where he was then living was called Magnesia, Two-Legs -called the stone the magnet. And he showed the boy how he could make any -piece of iron into a magnet by rubbing it with another iron in which the -spirit was: - -“Oh, if I could only draw the spirit from up there, in the thunder-clouds, -down hither with a magnet!” said Two-Legs. - -He made a kite, such as boys play with, and gave it a huge long string. At -the top of it he put an iron tip. Then he and the boy went and waited for -the thunder to come one day; and, at last, it came. - -When the thunder-storm was exactly over head, he flew the kite in the -air. They stood and watched it till it disappeared right up in the -thunder-clouds. - -“Now hold the string, boy, if you dare,” said Two-Legs. - -“I dare,” said the boy. - -The lightning crackled and the thunder crashed. In the midst of it, -Two-Legs, with his fingers, touched the string of the kite; and a great -spark leapt upon his finger. He touched it again and again; and, each -time, a new spark leapt out. - -“Look, look!” he said. “I have drawn down the lightning from up there!” - -“Oh, Father Two-Legs!” said the boy, shaking with fear. “Suppose the -lightning had killed you!” - -“It could have done,” said Two-Legs. “To play with the mighty forces of -nature is dangerous. That is why I so often asked you if you were not -afraid. I once had a helper who was killed by the spirit of Steam before -I had learnt to conquer him. It may happen that you will fare as he did. -I know myself that I am never safe from death. But I would rather die -fighting to conquer the spirits than at home, in my bed, of disease.” - -“So would I,” said the boy and drew himself up. “Only, I meant ... only, -I don’t understand.... The lightning once struck and burnt my mother’s -house. It killed my brother and my little sister; and all that we -possessed was burnt: that was a calamity. Is there always a calamity when -the lightning strikes? If so, why do you want to bring it down? Do you -think you can imprison it and use it as you used Steam?” - -“No,” said Two-Legs. “I don’t think that. I don’t know how it is to -be done, but I dream, day and night, that, sooner or later, I shall -succeed in preparing lightning as strong as that up there, but different -nevertheless.... I want to rule over it and imprison it and compel it to -labour in my service. It is only a dream as yet. It was not the lightning -either that I drew down with my kite: only a little spark of the spirit -that flames up there.” - -“Yes, Father Two-Legs,” said the boy. “But, if you can catch a little -spark, you can also catch a bigger one ... and a bigger one still ... and, -at last, the whole lightning.” - -Two-Legs gazed at the boy. Then he took him in his arms and kissed him: - -“You’re a glorious boy,” he said. “You found the magnet and knew nothing -about it. Now, in your ignorance, you have spoken a great word: come and -see what you can make of it.” - - -7 - -He forthwith set up a tall pole, close to his house. At the top of it was -a metal spike, from which a long iron wire ran far down in the ground. -People came and looked at his work and wondered what it meant. - -“See,” he said to them. “The pole will catch the lightning when it comes.” - -“Do you want to lure the lightning down to the earth ... the bad -lightning?” asked one of them. “And close to your house besides?” - -“The lightning is not bad,” said Two-Legs. - -“Would you have me call it good?” said the man. “It set my barn on fire -and burnt it. And there’s a man standing yonder whose wife was killed and -all his cattle.” - -Two-Legs gave a scornful smile. He quite forgot that he himself had once -thought just like that of the wind and of Steam: - -“The lightning is neither good nor bad,” he said. “It is a mighty force -that comes and darts as it must. I don’t want to lure it down to the earth -either. But, if it comes here, over my house, and thinks of striking ... -then it will be caught by the spike at the top of the pole and fly down -the wire into the earth; and my house will escape.” - -“Two-Legs is mad,” said the man. “He is calling the lightning down upon -himself.” - -The others said the same and then they went away. The boy remained -with him and looked at the lightning-conductor. And, when the next -thunder-storm came, the lightning struck two farm-houses in the valley and -burnt them to the ground. It also struck the pole near Two-Legs’ house and -rushed down into the earth, as he had said. This was easy to see by the -way in which it had rooted up and flung stones and gravel around. - -They came running from every side and saw it and wondered. They bowed low -before Two-Legs and honoured his wisdom; and one and all of them set a -lightning-conductor beside their houses. - -But Two-Legs thought no more of it: - -“That’s nothing,” he said. “It is just as when I killed the wild animals. -It was a bigger thing when I tamed them and took them into my service. I -want to tame the lightning also and make it my servant.” - -“Two-Legs wants to tame the lightning,” said one to the other and laughed -and thought that he had certainly lost his reason. - -“I want to make lightning,” said Two-Legs. - -“Two-Legs wants to make lightning,” they said and nudged one another. -“Take care it doesn’t strike you!” - -They laughed and went away. Two-Legs sat and meditated and thought and did -not mind their scorn. The boy sat at his feet. - - -8 - -The years passed and the boy grew to be a man. He was always with -Two-Legs, listening to his talk, helping him in his work and rejoicing -with him each time that he came a step nearer to the goal. - -They moved more than once from one country to another. Either it was -the folk of the country who drove them away with their foolish fears, -when they heard reports or saw sparks come from Two-Legs’ workshop, or -else it occurred to him that his labours would meet with better success -under another climate. But, whether he was in one place or another, he -constantly thought of the same thing: how he was to catch the electric -spirit and make him strong, so that he might be useful in man’s service. - -He thought no more of the thunder and the lightning up in the sky. He knew -well that it was the electric spirit that struck sparks up there and he -wanted him to do the same in his workshop. Since he had begun the work -with the magnetic iron, he no longer troubled about the glass tube and the -amber and the sulphur ball. He did not even care to rub them any more, so -small was the spirit when he came from them and so soon did he disappear -again. - -“The lightning also lasts only for a moment,” said his disciple. “It is -mighty, Father Two-Legs, a thousand times mightier than any spark that you -can rub out of the sulphur ball; but it only flames for a moment and then -it is all over.” - -“That’s just why I can’t use it,” said Two-Legs. “I want the lightning -to last as long as I please ... for ever if I please. I must be able to -kindle it and extinguish it and kindle it again, as easily as I can snap -my fingers. Oh, if I only knew where the spirit really dwelt!” - -“We know that,” said the disciple. “He lives in the amber and in the glass -tube and in the sulphur ball, in iron and in the thunder-cloud and in me -and in you and in everything in the world, you said.” - -Two-Legs sat long and pondered with his head in his hands. His disciple -waited in silence; and, at last, Two-Legs looked up: - -“You know ... you know ...” he said and then was silent again for a while. - -Then he said: - -“You know ... sometimes I don’t believe at all that the spirit lives in -any of the places that you say.” - -“Where does he live then, Father Two-Legs?” asked his disciple. - -“I believe he lives in the air,” said Two-Legs. “Not in the clouds, -which are mere water and vapour, but in the pure air ... in the ether: -the ether, do you understand? He lives there and goes now into one and -now into the other and rather into the one than into the other. Do you -remember how long we had to rub the glass before the spirit came? He -was there reluctantly. Do you remember that, when the glass was wet, he -did not come at all? He would sooner be in the water. He likes to dwell -in iron and copper and zinc and silver and all the other metals. In the -string that held the kite which we sent up into the thunder-cloud, he ran -down as fast as the lightning and sent a spark into my finger. You know -how he runs down the wire of the lightning-conductor into the ground. He -remains there because the ground is moist. That is why you and I see no -more of him, because we walk on the ground: he runs right through us into -the ground and disappears. Yes, that’s how it is, that’s how it is!” - -His eyes beamed. He could not explain it, but he saw, as in a vision, that -this was how it must be. He went on talking about it; and his disciple -knew that it was true, even though he could not understand it. - -But then Two-Legs grew sad again: - -“What is the use of it all, when I cannot even produce the spirit,” he -said, “nor build him a house in which he would rather dwell than anywhere -else in the world, so that I may always have plenty of him to come and go -at my pleasure?” - -He began to gaze at his magnetic needle: how two north ends or two south -ends always repelled each other, while a north end and a south end -immediately flew together. - -“Now, if there were two spirits,” he said, “if the spark came and then -the two rushed towards each other, if the powerful force were just the -attraction of one for the other ...” - -“Is that it?” asked the disciple. - -“I don’t know,” said Two-Legs. “I could see and feel the wind; and the -same with Steam. I discovered, at length, where he came from and where he -was going. But I don’t know what the mighty spirit of electricity is, for -all the years that I have been watching him. Perhaps I shall never come to -know. But we will explore his ways nevertheless, diligently, by day and by -night.” - -He hammered wires of iron and zinc, of copper and silver, twisted them -together, bent them against one another, rubbing them with the magnet and -with the leather and with anything else that he could hit on. Gradually, -he had no room for all of this in his house; and then he threw it outside -the door. - - -9 - -One evening, he and his disciple were sitting on the bench before the -wall, tired with their fruitless labours. They gazed at the sun until it -went down. Then twilight fell upon the land. - -Two-Legs looked at a fat old toad who came crawling from under the -threshold. - -He moved his legs heavily and looked with his frightened eyes at Two-Legs -and wondered if he meant him any harm. Then he crawled on ... under some -wire that lay there. And, as the toad touched the wire, he jumped as if he -had been struck a blow. - -Two-Legs saw it, for he saw everything. He saw how the toad again -touched the wires and again jumped. He stooped down and saw that it was -copper-wire and zinc-wire. He saw that the toad jumped highest when he -touched both wires. He caught the toad and held him in his hand and put -both the wires to him. The toad gave a start. And, every time he touched -him with the wire, he started afresh. - -Then he let the toad go and remained sitting for a long time with the -copper-wire and the zinc-wire in his hand and gazed before him, plunged in -thought. Then he said: - -“Come, let us go in.” - -“Yes, it’s time for bed,” said the disciple. “It’s quite dark.” - -“It’s time for work,” said Two-Legs. “To-night a light has been kindled -for me, brighter than any before.” - -He told the disciple what he had noticed and explained his thought to him: - -“It was the electric spirit,” he said. “I think it was the toad’s moist -skin that made him show himself. Now we will experiment with copper and -zinc.” - -He took a glass and filled if half with water and put into it a small -piece of zinc and a small piece of copper. Then he fastened a slender wire -to the zinc, let the wire stand up in a wide curve and fastened the other -end to the copper: - -“What shall we put into the water?” he said. “There is sulphur and there -is lime and there are a thousand things, in the toad’s skin.... The -question is how to hit upon just the right one.” - -He experimented patiently. When he put a piece of sulphur into the water, -it began to bubble round the zinc. - -“Look, look, now the water is jumping just as the toad did!” he said. - -He grasped the wire and felt that it was getting hot. Breathlessly, he -dropped it and stared at the whole apparatus: - -“That’s it, that’s it,” he said and talked quite low, in his excitement. -“Wait a bit, now, and see.” - -He filed the wire quite thin in one place: - -“Feel it,” he said. “It’s glowing.” - -The disciple did so and quickly drew back his fingers, for he had burnt -himself. Two-Legs stood and stared. Then he cut the wire; and the bubbling -in the water stopped at once and the thin piece became cold again. He held -the two cut ends together; and, the moment they touched each other, the -water bubbled and the wire grew hot. He tried it time after time; and, -each time, the same thing happened. - -“At last, at last, I have found it,” he said. - -He sat for a long time silent, with his face buried in his hands, overcome -with emotion. The disciple did not quite understand it, but dared not ask. -And, in a little while, Two-Legs himself explained it to him: - -“Look here, look here!” he said; and his eyes beamed as they had never -beamed before. “Don’t you see that I am making electricity in this little -glass? I am making it and it’s here. The wonderful force, the force of -the lightning, flows along the wire. I cut the wire and the current is -interrupted. I connect it again and the force flows once more. Praise -be to the loathsome toad who set my thoughts travelling in the right -direction!” - -“I don’t see the lightning,” said the disciple. - -“You shall see it,” said Two-Legs. - -He put a little piece of charcoal at each end of the wire where he had cut -it. Then he put out the light in the room and brought the two charcoal -tips together. Then they both saw that the charcoal glowed and gave a -faint light. - -“Do you see that? Do you see that?” cried Two-Legs, exultantly. “I have -my thunder-cloud in this little glass: there’s the lightning for you. It -only shines faintly as yet, but it is easily made stronger. I can put a -thousand thunder-clouds together and you shall see how bright the light -becomes. I can put two thousand together and you shall see how strong the -electric power is: stronger than the wind, stronger than the steam; there -is not a weight it cannot raise, not a wheel it cannot turn. Look, look, -I have caught the lightning and imprisoned it in this little glass! I am -lord of the mighty electric spirit: he will have to serve me like the ox -and the horse, like the wind and Steam!” - -He ran and flung open the door. The night was past and it was morning. He -shouted till his voice rang over the valley. The people heard and woke and -sprang from their beds: - -“Father Two-Legs is calling,” they said to one another. “Let us go to his -house and hear what he has to tell us.” - -They hurried from every side; and Two-Legs stood up, with his great white -beard, and told them the marvellous thing that had happened: - -“I have caught the electric spirit ... the mysterious, mighty spirit,” he -said. “I can produce as strong a current of his immense force as I please -and I can carry it whither I please, even to the end of the earth, along -a thin wire. I can kindle the lightning, so that it shines calmly and -gently, and put it out and kindle it again as easily as I snap my fingers.” - -They listened open-mouthed and stared, while he showed them and explained -it to them: - -[Illustration: TWO-LEGS STOOD UP] - -“The electric spirit is my captive,” he said. “I have imprisoned him in -this little glass and compelled him to obey me. I give him to you; and in -him you have a servant whose like you have never known. He will alter the -face of the whole earth. If those who died a hundred years ago were to -rise again ten years hence, they would not know the world in which they -had lived.” - -The fools laughed and mocked at him, as was their wont. But the clever -ones asked Two-Legs to explain it again and again and never tired of -listening to him. At last, they all went home and began to enquire further -into the matter, while Two-Legs went into his house and shut his door and -wondered what would come next. - - -10 - -Out in the world it happened as he had said. - -The electric spirit served mankind as none other had ever done. Electric -light glowed in every house. Electric cars ran in every direction at -lightning speed. The electric telegraph carried men’s messages from one -end of the world to the other. - -Soon there was nothing left that Electricity could not do more easily and -better. - -[Illustration] - - - - -TWO-LEGS’ FUTURE - -[Illustration] - - -1 - -Two-Legs still lives. - -He will not die as long as the world exists. - -He lives now in one country and now in another. No one knows for certain -where he is; and there are not many who think of him in the ordinary -course of things. Only very few have seen him, but those who have will -never forget him either, so old is he and venerable, so clever and radiant -his eyes. - -He is the same that he always was. - -In the beginning, he supplied himself with food and clothes, shelter -against the weather and defence against his foes. He built himself huts -and houses, killed some of the wild animals and tamed others. He taught -his children to sow and reap. Misfortune overtook him and he conquered it. -His descendants multiplied and filled the earth. - -Since then he conquered the wind and Steam and Electricity. He bound them -and gave them to man for his servants. And man trained them, even as he -had trained the horse and the ox and the dog. - -The steam-engine gives bread to many times more people than all the beasts -of the field. The electric spirit does a thousand times more tricks in -man’s service than the horse or the dog. - -[Illustration] - -In the evening, when Two-Legs sits outside his house, the voices speak to -him as before: - -“Two-Legs ... the vanquisher of the animals ... the lord of the ox and the -horse and the dog ... the strongest of all creatures.” - -“Two-Legs ... who conquered the wind and took him into his service.... He -made him turn the mill ... made him carry the ship over the sea.” - -“Two-Legs ... the lord of Steam.... He forced him into his engine and -told him to do the tasks which men put him to.” - -“Two-Legs, the wisest, the strongest.... He explored the lightning and -bound it.... He compelled it to draw the greatest weights and to shine -calmly and gently in men’s small rooms and to carry their messages from -one end of the world to the other.” - -Two-Legs listened to the voices, but only for a moment. He was examining a -piece of metal which he held in his hand and into which he had been long -and secretly enquiring: - -“Look,” he said to the young man who was now his pupil. “I wish I knew -what the queer rays are that come out of this substance. It shall be -called Radium; that means the thing that beams. I will search until I know -its nature. Who knows what secret forces it conceals and what benefits it -can perform for mankind?” - - -2 - -Two-Legs explored the new force. - -The world round about him went its course. Each year brought new -incidents, new discoveries, new wealth and new happiness. Two-Legs paid -no heed. He sat with his radium and would not let it go until he knew it -through and through. - -There were clever people who knew he must succeed some time and who waited -eagerly and gladly for him to make mankind the master of a new power, -mightier, perhaps, than any of those which he had yet conquered. - -There were fools who said that it was all very well with Steam and -Electricity and the rest. They could understand that. But this new thing -here was quite senseless and absurd. Besides, one must not tempt God. -There were mysteries in nature which mankind should never seek to explore. -There was a limit to what was allowed to men; and the man who overstepped -that limit was either a fool or a presumptuous person who ought to be -locked up or punished. - -Two-Legs listened just as little to them now as he had done in the old -days. - -Their folly was the same now as then. What they saw before their eyes and -felt with their hands they believed in. The new thing which was in its -first stages, they mocked at and condemned. - -But, sometimes, a man would come to Two-Legs with his little son, so that -the boy might see the wisest man in the world. Then, if he had the luck to -find words that could divert Two-Legs’ attention from his work, Two-Legs -would look up and fix his steady glance on the boy, lay his hand on the -boy’s head and say: - -“Do not grow up to be a fool, my lad. The fool is he who judges what he -does not understand.” - -[Illustration] - - -[Illustration] - - -_Bristol: Burleigh Ltd., at the Burleigh Press._ - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO-LEGS*** - - -******* This file should be named 65029-0.txt or 65029-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/5/0/2/65029 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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 in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. 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 -www.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 unprotected by copyright law 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 in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (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 The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, 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 -works not protected by U.S. copyright law 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 MERCHANTABILITY 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 information page at -www.gutenberg.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. 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 in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, 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 contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -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 www.gutenberg.org/donate - -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: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty 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 not protected by copyright 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: 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. - |