{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_6746/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_6746","id":"gutenberg_6746","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6746","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Children's Literature","Fairy tales","Folklore"],"text":"Produced by JC Byers, Wendy Crockett, Sally Gellert, Christine Sturrock\nand David Widger\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GREY FAIRY BOOK\n\nBy Various\n\n\nEdited by Andrew Lang\n\n\n\n\nPreface\n\n\nThe tales in the Grey Fairy Book are derived from many\ncountries--Lithuania, various parts of Africa, Germany, France, Greece,\nand other regions of the world. They have been translated and adapted by\nMrs. Dent, Mrs. Lang, Miss Eleanor Sellar, Miss Blackley, and Miss hang.\n\u2018The Three Sons of Hali\u2019 is from the last century \u2018Cabinet des Fees,\u2019\na very large collection. The French author may have had some Oriental\noriginal before him in parts; at all events he copied the Eastern method\nof putting tale within tale, like the Eastern balls of carved ivory. The\nstories, as usual, illustrate the method of popular fiction. A certain\nnumber of incidents are shaken into many varying combinations, like the\nfragments of coloured glass in the kaleidoscope. Probably the possible\ncombinations, like possible musical combinations, are not unlimited in\nnumber, but children may be less sensitive in the matter of fairies than\nMr. John Stuart Mill was as regards music.\n\n\nContents\n\n     Donkey Skin\n     The Goblin Pony\n     An Impossible Enchantment\n     The Story of Dschemil and Dachemila\n     Janni and the Draken\n     The Partnership of the Thief and the Liar\n     Fortunatus and his Purse\n     The Goat-faced Girl\n     What came of picking Flowers\n     The Story of Bensurdatu\n     The Magician\u2019s Horse\n     The Little Gray Man\n     Herr Lazarus and the Draken\n     The Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles\n     Udea and her Seven Brothers\n     The White Wolf\n     Mohammed with the Magic Finger\n     Bobino\n     The Dog and the Sparrow\n     The Story of the Three Sons of Hali\n     The Story of the Fair Circassians\n     The Jackal and the Spring The Bear\n     The Sunchild The Daughter of Buk Ettemsuch\n     Laughing Eye and Weeping Eye, or the Limping Fox\n     The Unlooked for Prince\n     The Simpleton\n     The Street Musicians\n     The Twin Brothers\n     Cannetella\n     The Ogre\n     A Fairy\u2019s Blunder\n     Long, Broad, and Quickeye\n     Prunella\n\n\n\n\n\nDonkey Skin\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a king who was so much beloved by his\nsubjects that he thought himself the happiest monarch in the whole\nworld, and he had everything his heart could desire. His palace was\nfilled with the rarest of curiosities, and his gardens with the sweetest\nflowers, while in the marble stalls of his stables stood a row of\nmilk-white Arabs, with big brown eyes.\n\nStrangers who had heard of the marvels which the king had collected,\nand made long journeys to see them, were, however, surprised to find the\nmost splendid stall of all occupied by a donkey, with particularly large\nand drooping ears. It was a very fine donkey; but still, as far as they\ncould tell, nothing so very remarkable as to account for the care with\nwhich it was lodged; and they went away wondering, for they could\nnot know that every night, when it was asleep, bushels of gold pieces\ntumbled out of its ears, which were picked up each morning by the\nattendants.\n\nAfter many years of prosperity a sudden blow fell upon the king in the\ndeath of his wife, whom he loved dearly. But before she died, the\nqueen, who had always thought first of his happiness, gathered all her\nstrength, and said to him:\n\n\u2018Promise me one thing: you must marry again, I know, for the good of\nyour people, as well as of yourself. But do not set about it in a hurry.\nWait until you have found a woman more beautiful and better formed than\nmyself.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, do not speak to me of marrying,\u2019 sobbed the king; \u2018rather let me\ndie with you!\u2019 But the queen only smiled faintly, and turned over on her\npillow and died.\n\nFor some months the king\u2019s grief was great; then gradually he began to\nforget a little, and, besides, his counsellors were always urging him to\nseek another wife. At first he refused to listen to them, but by-and-by\nhe allowed himself to be persuaded to think of it, only stipulating that\nthe bride should be more beautiful and attractive than the late queen,\naccording to the promise he had made her.\n\nOverjoyed at having obtained what they wanted, the counsellors sent\nenvoys far and wide to get portraits of all the most famous beauties of\nevery country. The artists were very busy and did their best, but, alas!\nnobody could even pretend that any of the ladies could compare for a\nmoment with the late queen.\n\nAt length, one day, when he had turned away discouraged from a fresh\ncollection of pictures, the king\u2019s eyes fell on his adopted daughter,\nwho had lived in the palace since she was a baby, and he saw that, if\na woman existed on the whole earth more lovely than the queen, this was\nshe! He at once made known what his wishes were, but the young girl, who\nwas not at all ambitious, and had not the faintest desire to marry him,\nwas filled with dismay, and begged for time to think about it. That\nnight, when everyone was asleep, she started in a little car drawn by a\nbig sheep, and went to consult her fairy godmother.\n\n\u2018I know what you have come to tell me,\u2019 said the fairy, when the maiden\nstepped out of the car; \u2018and if you don\u2019t wish to marry him, I will show\nyou how to avoid it. Ask him to give you a dress that exactly matches\nthe sky. It will be impossible for him to get one, so you will be quite\nsafe.\u2019 The girl thanked the fairy and returned home again.\n\nThe next morning, when her father (as she had always called him) came\nto see her, she told him that she could give him no answer until he had\npresented her with a dress the colour of the sky. The king, overjoyed\nat this answer, sent for all the choicest weavers and dressmakers in the\nkingdom, and commanded them to make a robe the colour of the sky without\nan instant\u2019s delay, or he would cut off their heads at once. Dreadfully\nfrightened at this threat, they all began to dye and cut and sew, and in\ntwo days they brought back the dress, which looked as if it had been cut\nstraight out of the heavens! The poor girl was thunderstruck, and did\nnot know what to do; so in the night she harnessed her sheep again, and\nwent in search of her godmother.\n\n\u2018The king is cleverer than I thought,\u2019 said the fairy; \u2018but tell him you\nmust have a dress of moonbeams.\u2019\n\nAnd the next day, when the king summoned her into his presence, the girl\ntold him what she wanted.\n\n\u2018Madam, I can refuse you nothing,\u2019 said he; and he ordered the dress to\nbe ready in twenty-four hours, or every man should be hanged.\n\nThey set to work with all their might, and by dawn next day, the dress\nof moonbeams was laid across her bed. The girl, though she could not\nhelp admiring its beauty, began to cry, till the fairy, who heard her,\ncame to her help.\n\n\u2018Well, I could not have believed it of him!\u2019 said she; \u2018but ask for a\ndress of sunshine, and I shall be surprised indeed if he manages that!\u2019\n\nThe goddaughter did not feel much faith in the fairy after her two\nprevious failures; but not knowing what else to do, she told her father\nwhat she was bid.\n\nThe king made no difficulties about it, and even gave his finest\nrubies and diamonds to ornament the dress, which was so dazzling, when\nfinished, that it could not be looked at save through smoked glasses!\n\nWhen the princess saw it, she pretended that the sight hurt her eyes,\nand retired to her room, where she found the fairy awaiting her, very\nmuch ashamed of herself.\n\n\u2018There is only one thing to be done now,\u2019 cried she; \u2018you must demand\nthe skin of the ass he sets such store by. It is from that donkey he\nobtains all his vast riches, and I am sure he will never give it to\nyou.\u2019\n\nThe princess was not so certain; however, she went to the king, and told\nhim she could never marry him till he had given her the ass\u2019s skin.\n\nThe king was both astonished and grieved at this new request, but did\nnot hesitate an instant. The ass was sacrificed, and the skin laid at\nthe feet of the princess.\n\nThe poor girl, seeing no escape from the fate she dreaded, wept afresh,\nand tore her hair; when, suddenly, the fairy stood before her.\n\n\u2018Take heart,\u2019 she said, \u2018all will now go well! Wrap yourself in this\nskin, and leave the palace and go as far as you can. I will look after\nyou. Your dresses and your jewels shall follow you underground, and if\nyou strike the earth whenever you need anything, you will have it at\nonce. But go quickly: you have no time to lose.\u2019\n\nSo the princess clothed herself in the ass\u2019s skin, and slipped from the\npalace without being seen by anyone.\n\nDirectly she was missed there was a great hue and cry, and every corner,\npossible and impossible, was searched. Then the king sent out parties\nalong all the roads, but the fairy threw her invisible mantle over the\ngirl when they approached, and none of them could see her.\n\nThe princess walked on a long, long way, trying to find some one who\nwould take her in, and let her work for them; but though the cottagers,\nwhose houses she passed, gave her food from charity, the ass\u2019s skin was\nso dirty they would not allow her to enter their houses. For her flight\nhad been so hurried she had had no time to clean it.\n\nTired and disheartened at her ill-fortune, she was wandering, one day,\npast the gate of a farmyard, situated just outside the walls of a large\ntown, when she heard a voice calling to her. She turned and saw the\nfarmer\u2019s wife standing among her turkeys, and making signs to her to\ncome in.\n\n\u2018I want a girl to wash the dishes and feed the turkeys, and clean out\nthe pig-sty,\u2019 said the w omen, \u2018and, to judge by your dirty clothes, you\nwould not be too fine for the work.\u2019\n\nThe girl accepted her offer with joy, and she was at once set to work in\na corner of the kitchen, where all the farm servants came and made fun\nof her, and the ass\u2019s skin in which she was wrapped. But by-and-by they\ngot so used to the sight of it that it ceased to amuse them, and she\nworked so hard and so well, that her mistress grew quite fond of her.\nAnd she was so clever at keeping sheep and herding turkeys that you\nwould have thought she had done nothing else during her whole life!\n\nOne day she was sitting on the banks of a stream bewailing her wretched\nlot, when she suddenly caught sight of herself in the water. Her hair\nand part of her face was quite concealed by the ass\u2019s head, which was\ndrawn right over like a hood, and the filthy matted skin covered her\nwhole body. It was the first time she had seen herself as other people\nsaw her, and she was filled with shame at the spectacle. Then she threw\noff her disguise and jumped into the water, plunging in again and again,\ntill she shone like ivory. When it was time to go back to the farm, she\nwas forced to put on the skin which disguised her, and now seemed more\ndirty than ever; but, as she did so, she comforted herself with the\nthought that to-morrow was a holiday, and that she would be able for\na few hours to forget that she was a farm girl, and be a princess once\nmore.\n\nSo, at break of day, she stamped on the ground, as the fairy had told\nher, and instantly the dress like the sky lay across her tiny bed. Her\nroom was so small that there was no place for the train of her dress to\nspread itself out, but she pinned it up carefully when she combed her\nbeautiful hair and piled it up on the top of her head, as she had always\nworn it. When she had done, she was so pleased with herself that\nshe determined never to let a chance pass of putting on her splendid\nclothes, even if she had to wear them in the fields, with no one to\nadmire her but the sheep and turkeys.\n\nNow the farm was a royal farm, and, one holiday, when \u2018Donkey Skin\u2019 (as\nthey had nicknamed the princess) had locked the door of her room and\nclothed herself in her dress of sunshine, the king\u2019s son rode through\nthe gate, and asked if he might come and rest himself a little after\nhunting. Some food and milk were set before him in the garden, and when\nhe felt rested he got up, and began to explore the house, which was\nfamous throughout the whole kingdom for its age and beauty. He opened\none door after the other, admiring the old rooms, when he came to a\nhandle that would not turn. He stooped and peeped through the keyhole to\nsee what was inside, and was greatly astonished at beholding a beautiful\ngirl, clad in a dress so dazzling that he could hardly look at it.\n\nThe dark gallery seemed darker than ever as he turned away, but he went\nback to the kitchen and inquired who slept in the room at the end of the\npassage. The scullery maid, they told him, whom everybody laughed\nat, and called \u2018Donkey Skin;\u2019 and though he perceived there was some\nstrange mystery about this, he saw quite clearly there was nothing to be\ngained by asking any more questions. So he rode back to the palace, his\nhead filled with the vision he had seen through the keyhole.\n\nAll night long he tossed about, and awoke the next morning in a high\nfever. The queen, who had no other child, and lived in a state of\nperpetual anxiety about this one, at once gave him up for lost, and\nindeed his sudden illness puzzled the greatest doctors, who tried the\nusual remedies in vain. At last they told the queen that some secret\nsorrow must be at the bottom of all this, and she threw herself on her\nknees beside her son\u2019s bed, and implored him to confide his trouble to\nher. If it was ambition to be king, his father would gladly resign the\ncares of the crown, and suffer him to reign in his stead; or, if it\nwas love, everything should be sacrificed to get for him the wife he\ndesired, even if she were daughter of a king with whom the country was\nat war at present!\n\n\u2018Madam,\u2019 replied the prince, whose weakness would hardly allow him to\nspeak, \u2018do not think me so unnatural as to wish to deprive my father of\nhis crown. As long as he lives I shall remain the most faithful of his\nsubjects! And as to the princesses you speak of, I have seen none that\nI should care for as a wife, though I would always obey your wishes,\nwhatever it might cost me.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah! my son,\u2019 cried she, \u2018we will do anything in the world to save your\nlife----and ours too, for if you die, we shall die also.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, then,\u2019 replied the prince, \u2018I will tell you the only thing that\nwill cure me----a cake made by the hand of \u201cDonkey Skin.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018Donkey Skin?\u2019 exclaimed the queen, who thought her son had gone mad;\n\u2018and who or what is that?\u2019\n\n\u2018Madam,\u2019 answered one of the attendants present, who had been with\nthe prince at the farm, \u2018\u201cDonkey Skin\u201d is, next to the wolf, the most\ndisgusting creature on the face of the earth. She is a girl who wears a\nblack, greasy skin, and lives at your farmer\u2019s as hen-wife.\u2019\n\n\u2018Never mind,\u2019 said the queen; \u2018my son seems to have eaten some of her\npastry. It is the whim of a sick man, no doubt; but send at once and let\nher bake a cake.\u2019\n\nThe attendant bowed and ordered a page to ride with the message.\n\nNow it is by no means certain that \u2018Donkey Skin\u2019 had not caught a\nglimpse of the prince, either when his eyes looked through the keyhole,\nor else from her little window, which was over the road. But whether she\nhad actually seen him or only heard him spoken of, directly she received\nthe queen\u2019s command, she flung off the dirty skin, washed herself from\nhead to foot, and put on a skirt and bodice of shining silver. Then,\nlocking herself into her room, she took the richest cream, the finest\nflour, and the freshest eggs on the farm, and set about making her cake.\n\nAs she was stirring the mixture in the saucepan a ring that she\nsometimes wore in secret slipped from her finger and fell into the\ndough. Perhaps \u2018Donkey Skin\u2019 saw it, or perhaps she did not; but, any\nway, she went on stirring, and soon the cake was ready to be put in the\noven. When it was nice and brown she took off her dress and put on her\ndirty skin, and gave the cake to the page, asking at the same time for\nnews of the prince. But the page turned his head aside, and would not\neven condescend to answer.\n\nThe page rode like the wind, and as soon as he arrived at the palace\nhe snatched up a silver tray and hastened to present the cake to the\nprince. The sick man began to eat it so fast that the doctors thought he\nwould choke; and, indeed, he very nearly did, for the ring was in one\nof the bits which he broke off, though he managed to extract it from his\nmouth without anyone seeing him.\n\nThe moment the prince was left alone he drew the ring from under his\npillow and kissed it a thousand times. Then he set his mind to find how\nhe was to see the owner---for even he did not dare to confess that he\nhad only beheld \u2018Donkey Skin\u2019 through a keyhole, lest they should laugh\nat this sudden passion. All this worry brought back the fever, which the\narrival of the cake had diminished for the time; and the doctors, not\nknowing what else to say, informed the queen that her son was simply\ndying of love. The queen, stricken with horror, rushed into the king\u2019s\npresence with the news, and together they hastened to their son\u2019s\nbedside.\n\n\u2018My boy, my dear boy!\u2019 cried the king, \u2018who is it you want to marry?\nWe will give her to you for a bride; even if she is the humblest of our\nslaves. What is there in the whole world that we would not do for you?\u2019\n\nThe prince, moved to tears at these words, drew the ring, which was an\nemerald of the purest water, from under his pillow.\n\n\u2018Ah, dear father and mother, let this be a proof that she whom I love\nis no peasant girl. The finger which that ring fits has never been\nthickened by hard work. But be her condition what it may, I will marry\nno other.\u2019\n\nThe king and queen examined the tiny ring very closely, and agreed, with\ntheir son, that the wearer could be no mere farm girl. Then the king\nwent out and ordered heralds and trumpeters to go through the town,\nsummoning every maiden to the palace. And she whom the ring fitted would\nsome day be queen.\n\nFirst came all the princesses, then all the duchesses\u2019 daughters, and\nso on, in proper order. But not one of them could slip the ring over the\ntip of her finger, to the great joy of the prince, whom excitement\nwas fast curing. At last, when the high-born damsels had failed, the\nshopgirls and chambermaids took their turn; but with no better fortune.\n\n\u2018Call in the scullions and shepherdesses,\u2019 commanded the prince; but the\nsight of their fat, red fingers satisfied everybody.\n\n\u2018There is not a woman left, your Highness,\u2019 said the chamberlain; but\nthe prince waved him aside.\n\n\u2018Have you sent for \u201cDonkey Skin,\u201d who made me the cake?\u2019 asked he, and\nthe courtiers began to laugh, and replied that they would not have dared\nto introduce so dirty a creature into the palace.\n\n\u2018Let some one go for her at once,\u2019 ordered the king. \u2018I commanded the\npresence of every maiden, high or low, and I meant it.\u2019\n\nThe princess had heard the trumpets and the proclamations, and knew\nquite well that her ring was at the bottom of it all. She, too, had\nfallen in love with the prince in the brief glimpse she had had of him,\nand trembled with fear lest someone else\u2019s finger might be as small as\nher own. When, therefore, the messenger from the palace rode up to the\ngate, she was nearly beside herself with delight. Hoping all the time\nfor such a summons, she had dressed herself with great care, putting on\nthe garment of moonlight, whose skirt was scattered over with emeralds.\nBut when they began calling to her to come down, she hastily covered\nherself with her donkey-skin and announced she was ready to present\nherself before his Highness. She was taken straight into the hall, where\nthe prince was awaiting her, but at the sight of the donkey-skin his\nheart sank. Had he been mistaken after all?\n\n\u2018Are you the girl,\u2019 he said, turning his eyes away as he spoke, \u2018are you\nthe girl who has a room in the furthest corner of the inner court of the\nfarmhouse?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, my lord, I am,\u2019 answered she.\n\n\u2018Hold out your hand then,\u2019 continued the prince, feeling that he must\nkeep his word, whatever the cost, and, to the astonishment of every one\npresent, a little hand, white and delicate, came from beneath the black\nand dirty skin. The ring slipped on with the utmost ease, and, as it did\nso, the skin fell to the ground, disclosing a figure of such beauty that\nthe prince, weak as he was, fell on his knees before her, while the\nking and queen joined their prayers to his. Indeed, their welcome was so\nwarm, and their caresses so bewildering, that the princess hardly knew\nhow to find words to reply, when the ceiling of the hall opened, and the\nfairy godmother appeared, seated in a car made entirely of white lilac.\nIn a few words she explained the history of the princess, and how she\ncame to be there, and, without losing a moment, preparations of the most\nmagnificent kind were made for the wedding.\n\nThe kings of every country in the earth were invited, including, of\ncourse, the princess\u2019s adopted father (who by this time had married a\nwidow), and not one refused.\n\nBut what a strange assembly it was! Each monarch travelled in the way\nhe thought most impressive; and some came borne in litters, others\nhad carriages of every shape and kind, while the rest were mounted on\nelephants, tigers, and even upon eagles. So splendid a wedding had never\nbeen seen before; and when it was over the king announced that it was\nto be followed by a coronation, for he and the queen were tired of\nreigning, and the young couple must take their place. The rejoicings\nlasted for three whole months, then the new sovereigns settled down\nto govern their kingdom, and made themselves so much beloved by their\nsubjects, that when they died, a hundred years later, each man mourned\nthem as his own father and mother.\n\n[From le Cabinet de Fees.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Goblin Pony\n\n\n\u2018Don\u2019t stir from the fireplace to-night,\u2019 said old Peggy, \u2018for the\nwind is blowing so violently that the house shakes; besides, this is\nHallow-e\u2019en, when the witches are abroad, and the goblins, who are their\nservants, are wandering about in all sorts of disguises, doing harm to\nthe children of men.\u2019\n\n\u2018Why should I stay here?\u2019 said the eldest of the young people. \u2018No,\nI must go and see what the daughter of old Jacob, the rope-maker, is\ndoing. She wouldn\u2019t close her blue eyes all night if I didn\u2019t visit her\nfather before the moon had gone down.\u2019\n\n\u2018I must go and catch lobsters and crabs\u2019 said the second, \u2018and not all\nthe witches and goblins in the world shall hinder me.\u2019\n\nSo they all determined to go on their business or pleasure, and scorned\nthe wise advice of old Peggy. Only the youngest child hesitated a\nminute, when she said to him, \u2018You stay here, my little Richard, and I\nwill tell you beautiful stories.\u2019\n\nBut he wanted to pick a bunch of wild thyme and some blackberries by\nmoonlight, and ran out after the others. When they got outside the house\nthey said: \u2018The old woman talks of wind and storm, but never was the\nweather finer or the sky more clear; see how majestically the moon\nstalks through the transparent clouds!\u2019\n\nThen all of a sudden they noticed a little black pony close beside them.\n\n\u2018Oh, ho!\u2019 they said, \u2018that is old Valentine\u2019s pony; it must have escaped\nfrom its stable, and is going down to drink at the horse-pond.\u2019\n\n\u2018My pretty little pony,\u2019 said the eldest, patting the creature with his\nhand, \u2018you mustn\u2019t run too far; I\u2019ll take you to the pond myself.\u2019\n\nWith these words he jumped on the pony\u2019s back and was quickly followed\nby his second brother, then by the third, and so on, till at last they\nwere all astride the little beast, down to the small Richard, who didn\u2019t\nlike to be left behind.\n\nOn the way to the pond they met several of their companions, and they\ninvited them all to mount the pony, which they did, and the little\ncreature did not seem to mind the extra weight, but trotted merrily\nalong.\n\nThe quicker it trotted the more the young people enjoyed the fun; they\ndug their heels into the pony\u2019s sides and called out, \u2018Gallop, little\nhorse, you have never had such brave riders on your back before!\u2019\n\nIn the meantime the wind had risen again, and the waves began to howl;\nbut the pony did not seem to mind the noise, and instead of going to the\npond, cantered gaily towards the sea-shore.\n\nRichard began to regret his thyme and blackberries, and the eldest\nbrother seized the pony by the mane and tried to make it turn round, for\nhe remembered the blue eyes of Jacob the rope-maker\u2019s daughter. But he\ntugged and pulled in vain, for the pony galloped straight on into the\nsea, till the waves met its forefeet. As soon as it felt the water it\nneighed lustily and capered about with glee, advancing quickly into the\nfoaming billows. When the waves had covered the children\u2019s legs they\nrepented their careless behaviour, and cried out: \u2018The cursed little\nblack pony is bewitched. If we had only listened to old Peggy\u2019s advice\nwe shouldn\u2019t have been lost.\u2019\n\nThe further the pony advanced, the higher rose the sea; at last the\nwaves covered the children\u2019s heads and they were all drowned.\n\nTowards morning old Peggy went out, for she was anxious about the fate\nof her grandchildren. She sought them high and low, but could not\nfind them anywhere. She asked all the neighbours if they had seen the\nchildren, but no one knew anything about them, except that the eldest\nhad not been with the blue-eyed daughter of Jacob the rope-maker.\n\nAs she was going home, bowed with grief, she saw a little black pony\ncoming towards her, springing and curveting in every direction. When it\ngot quite near her it neighed loudly, and galloped past her so quickly\nthat in a moment it was out of her sight.\n\n[From the French, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nAn Impossible Enchantment\n\n\nThere once lived a king who was much loved by his people, and he, too,\nloved them warmly. He led a very happy life, but he had the greatest\ndislike to the idea of marrying, nor had he ever felt the slightest\nwish to fall in love. His subjects begged him to marry, and at last he\npromised to try to do so. But as, so far, he had never cared for any\nwoman he had seen, he made up his mind to travel in hopes of meeting\nsome lady he could love.\n\nSo he arranged all the affairs of state in an orderly manner, and set\nout, attended by only one equerry, who, though not very clever, had most\nexcellent good sense. These people indeed generally make the best fellow\ntravellers.\n\nThe king explored several countries, doing all he could to fall in love,\nbut in vain; and at the end of two years\u2019 journeys he turned his face\ntowards home, with as free a heart as when he set out.\n\nAs he was riding along through a forest he suddenly heard the most awful\nmiawing and shrieking of cats you can imagine. The noise drew nearer,\nand nearer, and at last they saw a hundred huge Spanish cats rush\nthrough the trees close to them. They were so closely packed together\nthat you could easily have covered them with a large cloak, and all\nwere following the same track. They were closely pursued by two enormous\napes, dressed in purple suits, with the prettiest and best made boots\nyou ever saw.\n\nThe apes were mounted on superb mastiffs, and spurred them on in hot\nhaste, blowing shrill blasts on little toy trumpets all the time.\n\nThe king and his equerry stood still to watch this strange hunt, which\nwas followed by twenty or more little dwarfs, some mounted on wolves,\nand leading relays, and others with cats in leash. The dwarfs were all\ndressed in purple silk liveries like the apes.\n\nA moment later a beautiful young woman mounted on a tiger came in sight.\nShe passed close to the king, riding at full speed, without taking any\nnotice of him; but he was at once enchanted by her, and his heart was\ngone in a moment.\n\nTo his great joy he saw that one of the dwarfs had fallen behind the\nrest, and at once began to question him.\n\nThe dwarf told him that the lady he had just seen was the Princess\nMutinosa, the daughter of the king in whose country they were at that\nmoment. He added that the princess was very fond of hunting, and that\nshe was now in pursuit of rabbits.\n\nThe king then asked the way to the court, and having been told it,\nhurried off, and reached the capital in a couple of hours.\n\nAs soon as he arrived, he presented himself to the king and queen, and\non mentioning his own name and that of his country, was received with\nopen arms. Not long after, the princess returned, and hearing that the\nhunt had been very successful, the king complimented her on it, but she\nwould not answer a word.\n\nHer silence rather surprised him, but he was still more astonished when\nhe found that she never spoke once all through supper-time. Sometimes\nshe seemed about to speak, but whenever this was the case her father or\nmother at once took up the conversation. However, this silence did not\ncool the king\u2019s affection, and when he retired to his rooms at night he\nconfided his feelings to his faithful equerry. But the equerry was by no\nmeans delighted at his king\u2019s love affair, and took no pains to hide his\ndisappointment.\n\n\u2018But why are you vexed?\u2019 asked the king. \u2018Surely the princess is\nbeautiful enough to please anyone?\u2019\n\n\u2018She is certainly very handsome,\u2019 replied the equerry, \u2018but to be really\nhappy in love something more than beauty is required. To tell the truth,\nsire,\u2019 he added, \u2018her expression seems to me hard.\u2019\n\n\u2018That is pride and dignity,\u2019 said the king, \u2018and nothing can be more\nbecoming.\u2019\n\n\u2018Pride or hardness, as you will,\u2019 said the equerry; \u2018but to my mind the\nchoice of so many fierce creatures for her amusements seems to tell of\na fierce nature, and I also think there is something suspicious in the\ncare taken to prevent her speaking.\u2019\n\nThe equerry\u2019s remarks were full of good sense; but as opposition is only\napt to increase love in the hearts of men, and especially of kings who\nhate being contradicted, this king begged, the very next day, for the\nhand of the Princess Mutinosa. It was granted him on two conditions.\n\nThe first was that the wedding should take place the very next day; and\nthe second, that he should not speak to the princess till she was\nhis wife; to all of which the king agreed, in spite of his equerry\u2019s\nobjections, so that the first word he heard his bride utter was the\n\u2018Yes\u2019 she spoke at their marriage.\n\nOnce married, however, she no longer placed any check on herself, and\nher ladies-in-waiting came in for plenty of rude speeches----even the\nking did not escape scolding; but as he was a good-tempered man, and\nvery much in love, he bore it patiently. A few days after the wedding\nthe newly married pair set out for their kingdom without leaving many\nregrets behind.\n\nThe good equerry\u2019s fears proved only too true, as the king found out\nto his cost. The young queen made her self most disagreeable to all her\ncourt, her spite and bad temper knew no bounds, and before the end of a\nmonth she was known far and wide as a regular vixen.\n\nOne day, when riding out, she met a poor old woman walking along\nthe road, who made a curtsy and was going on, when the queen had her\nstopped, and cried: \u2018You are a very impertinent person; don\u2019t you know\nthat I am the queen? And how dare you not make me a deeper curtsy?\u2019\n\n\u2018Madam,\u2019 said the old woman, \u2018I have never learnt how to measure\ncurtsies; but I had no wish to fail in proper respect.\u2019\n\n\u2018What!\u2019 screamed the queen; \u2018she dares to answer! Tie her to my horse\u2019s\ntail and I\u2019ll just carry her at once to the best dancing-master in the\ntown to learn how to curtsy.\u2019\n\nThe old woman shrieked for mercy, but the queen would not listen, and\nonly mocked when she said she was protected by the fairies. At last the\npoor old thing submitted to be tied up, but when the queen urged her\nhorse on he never stirred. In vain she spurred him, he seemed turned to\nbronze. At the same moment the cord with which the old woman was tied\nchanged into wreaths of flowers, and she herself into a tall and stately\nlady.\n\nLooking disdainfully at the queen, she said, \u2018Bad woman, unworthy of\nyour crown; I wished to judge for myself whether all I heard of you was\ntrue. I have now no doubt of it, and you shall see whether the fairies\nare to be laughed at.\u2019\n\nSo saying the fairy Placida (that was her name) blew a little gold\nwhistle, and a chariot appeared drawn by six splendid ostriches. In it\nwas seated the fairy queen, escorted by a dozen other fairies mounted on\ndragons.\n\nAll having dismounted, Placida told her adventures, and the fairy queen\napproved all she had done, and proposed turning Mutinosa into bronze\nlike her horse.\n\nPlacida, however, who was very kind and gentle, begged for a milder\nsentence, and at last it was settled that Mutinosa should become her\nslave for life unless she should have a child to take her place.\n\nThe king was told of his wife\u2019s fate and submitted to it, which, as he\ncould do nothing to help it, was the only course open to him.\n\nThe fairies then all dispersed, Placida taking her slave with her, and\non reaching her palace she said: \u2018You ought by rights to be scullion,\nbut as you have been delicately brought up the change might be too great\nfor you. I shall therefore only order you to sweep my rooms carefully,\nand to wash and comb my little dog.\u2019\n\nMutinosa felt there was no use in disobeying, so she did as she was bid\nand said nothing.\n\nAfter some time she gave birth to a most lovely little girl, and when\nshe was well again the fairy gave her a good lecture on her past life,\nmade her promise to behave better in future, and sent her back to the\nking, her husband.\n\nPlacida now gave herself up entirely to the little princess who was left\nin her charge. She anxiously thought over which of the fairies she would\ninvite to be godmothers, so as to secure the best gift, for her adopted\nchild.\n\nAt last she decided on two very kindly and cheerful fairies, and asked\nthem to the christening feast. Directly it was over the baby was\nbrought to them in a lovely crystal cradle hung with red silk curtains\nembroidered with gold.\n\nThe little thing smiled so sweetly at the fairies that they decided to\ndo all they could for her. They began by naming her Graziella, and then\nPlacida said: \u2018You know, dear sisters, that the commonest form of\nspite or punishment amongst us consists of changing beauty to ugliness,\ncleverness to stupidity, and oftener still to change a person\u2019s form\naltogether. Now, as we can only each bestow one gift, I think the\nbest plan will be for one of you to give her beauty, the other good\nunderstanding, whilst I will undertake that she shall never be changed\ninto any other form.\u2019\n\nThe two godmothers quite agreed, and as soon as the little princess had\nreceived their gifts, they went home, and Placida gave herself up to the\nchild\u2019s education. She succeeded so well with it, and little Graziella\ngrew so lovely, that when she was still quite a child her fame was\nspread abroad only too much, and one day Placida was surprised by\na visit from the Fairy Queen, who was attended by a very grave and\nsevere-looking fairy.\n\nThe queen began at once: \u2018I have been much surprised by your behaviour\nto Mutinosa; she had insulted our whole race, and deserved punishment.\nYou might forgive your own wrongs if you chose, but not those of others.\nYou treated her very gently whilst she was with you, and I come now to\navenge our wrongs on her daughter. You have ensured her being lovely and\nclever, and not subject to change of form, but I shall place her in an\nenchanted prison, which she shall never leave till she finds herself\nin the arms of a lover whom she herself loves. It will be my care to\nprevent anything of the kind happening.\u2019\n\nThe enchanted prison was a large high tower in the midst of the sea,\nbuilt of shells of all shapes and colours. The lower floor was like a\ngreat bathroom, where the water was let in or off at will. The first\nfloor contained the princess\u2019s apartments, beautifully furnished. On\nthe second was a library, a large wardrobe-room filled with beautiful\nclothes and every kind of linen, a music-room, a pantry with bins\nfull of the best wines, and a store-room with all manner of preserves,\nbonbons, pastry and cakes, all of which remained as fresh as if just out\nof the oven.\n\nThe top of the tower was laid out like a garden, with beds of the\nloveliest flowers, fine fruit trees, and shady arbours and shrubs, where\nmany birds sang amongst the branches.\n\nThe fairies escorted Graziella and her governess, Bonnetta, to the\ntower, and then mounted a dolphin which was waiting for them. At a\nlittle distance from the tower the queen waved her wand and summoned two\nthousand great fierce sharks, whom she ordered to keep close guard, and\nnot to let a soul enter the tower.\n\nThe good governess took such pains with Graziella\u2019s education that when\nshe was nearly grown up she was not only most accomplished, but a very\nsweet, good girl.\n\nOne day, as the princess was standing on a balcony, she saw the most\nextraordinary figure rise out of the sea. She quickly called Bonnetta to\nask her what it could be. It looked like some kind of man, with a bluish\nface and long sea-green hair. He was swimming towards the tower, but the\nsharks took no notice of him.\n\n\u2018It must be a merman,\u2019 said Bonnetta.\n\n\u2018A man, do you say?\u2019 cried Graziella; \u2018let us hurry down to the door and\nsee him nearer.\u2019\n\nWhen they stood in the doorway the merman stopped to look at the\nprincess and made many signs of admiration. His voice was very hoarse\nand husky, but when he found that he was not understood he took to\nsigns. He carried a little basket made of osiers and filled with rare\nshells, which he presented to the princess.\n\nShe took it with signs of thanks; but as it was getting dusk she\nretired, and the merman plunged back into the sea.\n\nWhen they were alone, Graziella said to her governess: \u2018What a\ndreadful-looking creature that was! Why do those odious sharks let him\ncome near the tower? I suppose all men are not like him?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, indeed,\u2019 replied Bonnetta. \u2018I suppose the sharks look on him as a\nsort of relation, and so did not attack him.\u2019\n\nA few days later the two ladies heard a strange sort of music, and\nlooking out of the window, there was the merman, his head crowned with\nwater plants, and blowing a great sea-shell with all his might.\n\nThey went down to the tower door, and Graziella politely accepted some\ncoral and other marine curiosities he had brought her. After this he\nused to come every evening, and blow his shell, or dive and play antics\nunder the princess\u2019s window. She contented herself with bowing to him\nfrom the balcony, but she would not go down to the door in spite of all\nhis signs.\n\nSome days later he came with a person of his own kind, but of another\nsex. Her hair was dressed with great taste, and she had a lovely voice.\nThis new arrival induced the ladies to go down to the door. They were\nsurprised to find that, after trying various languages, she at last\nspoke to them in their own, and paid Graziella a very pretty compliment\non her beauty.\n\nThe mermaid noticed that the lower floor was full of water. \u2018Why,\u2019 cried\nshe, \u2018that is just the place for us, for we can\u2019t live quite out of\nwater.\u2019 So saying, she and her brother swam in and took up a position in\nthe bathroom, the princess and her governess seating themselves on the\nsteps which ran round the room.\n\n\u2018No doubt, madam,\u2019 said the mermaid, \u2018you have given up living on land\nso as to escape from crowds of lovers; but I fear that even here you\ncannot avoid them, for my brother is already dying of love for you, and\nI am sure that once you are seen in our city he will have many rivals.\u2019\n\nShe then went on to explain how grieved her brother was not to be able\nto make himself understood, adding: \u2018I interpret for him, having been\ntaught several languages by a fairy.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, then, you have fairies, too?\u2019 asked Graziella, with a sigh.\n\n\u2018Yes, we have,\u2019 replied the mermaid; \u2018but if I am not mistaken you have\nsuffered from the fairies on earth.\u2019\n\nThe princess, on this, told her entire history to the mermaid, who\nassured her how sorry she felt for her, but begged her not to lose\ncourage; adding, as she took her leave: Perhaps, some day, you may find\na way out of your difficulties.\u2019\n\nThe princess was delighted with this visit and with the hopes the\nmermaid held out. It was something to meet someone fresh to talk to.\n\n\u2018We will make acquaintance with several of these people,\u2019 she said to\nher governess, \u2018and I dare say they are not all as hideous as the first\none we saw. Anyhow, we shan\u2019t be so dreadfully lonely.\u2019\n\n\u2018Dear me,\u2019 said Bonnetta, \u2018how hopeful young people are to be sure! As\nfor me I feel afraid of these folk. But what do you think of the lover\nyou have captivated?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I could never love him,\u2019 cried the princess; \u2018I can\u2019t bear him.\nBut, perhaps, as his sister says they are related to the fairy Marina,\nthey may be of some use to us.\u2019\n\nThe mermaid often returned, and each time she talked of her brother\u2019s\nlove, and each time Graziella talked of her longing to escape from her\nprison, till at length the mermaid promised to bring the fairy Marina to\nsee her, in hopes she might suggest something.\n\nNext day the fairy came with the mermaid, and the princess received her\nwith delight. After a little talk she begged Graziella to show her the\ninside of the tower and let her see the garden on the top, for with the\nhelp of crutches she could manage to move about, and being a fairy could\nlive out of water for a long time, provided she wetted her forehead now\nand then.\n\nGraziella gladly consented, and Bonnetta stayed below with the mermaid.\n\nWhen they were in the garden the fairy said: \u2018Let us lose no time, but\ntell me how I can be of use to you.\u2019 Graziella then told all her story\nand Marina replied: \u2018My dear princess, I can do nothing for you as\nregards dry land, for my power does not reach beyond my own element. I\ncan only say that if you will honour my cousin by accepting his hand,\nyou could then come and live amongst us. I could teach you in a moment\nto swim and dive with the best of us. I can harden your skin without\nspoiling its colour. My cousin is one of the best matches in the sea,\nand I will bestow so many gifts on him that you will be quite happy.\u2019\n\nThe fairy talked so well and so long that the princess was rather\nimpressed, and promised to think the matter over.\n\nJust as they were going to leave the garden they saw a ship sailing\nnearer the tower than any other had done before. On the deck lay a young\nman under a splendid awning, gazing at the tower through a spy-glass;\nbut before they could see anything clearly the ship moved away, and the\ntwo ladies parted, the fairy promising to return shortly.\n\nAs soon as she was gone Graziella told her governess what she had said.\nBonnetta was not at all pleased at the turn matters were taking, for she\ndid not fancy being turned into a mermaid in her old age. She thought\nthe matter well over, and this was what she did. She was a very clever\nartist, and next morning she began to paint a picture of a handsome\nyoung man, with beautiful curly hair, a fine complexion, and lovely blue\neyes. When it was finished she showed it to Graziella, hoping it would\nshow her the difference there was between a fine young man and her\nmarine suitor.\n\nThe princess was much struck by the picture, and asked anxiously whether\nthere could be any man so good looking in the world. Bonnetta assured\nher that there were plenty of them; indeed, many far handsomer.\n\n\u2018I can hardly believe that,\u2019 cried the princess; \u2018but, alas! If there\nare, I don\u2019t suppose I shall ever see them or they me, so what is the\nuse? Oh, dear, how unhappy I am!\u2019\n\nShe spent the rest of the day gazing at the picture, which certainly had\nthe effect of spoiling all the merman\u2019s hopes or prospects.\n\nAfter some days, the fairy Marina came back to hear what was decided;\nbut Graziella hardly paid any attention to her, and showed such dislike\nto the idea of the proposed marriage that the fairy went off in a\nregular huff.\n\nWithout knowing it, the princess had made another conquest. On board the\nship which had sailed so near was the handsomest prince in the world. He\nhad heard of the enchanted tower, and determined to get as near it as he\ncould. He had strong glasses on board, and whilst looking through them\nhe saw the princess quite clearly, and fell desperately in love with her\nat once. He wanted to steer straight for the tower and to row off to it\nin a small boat, but his entire crew fell at his feet and begged him not\nto run such a risk. The captain, too, urged him not to attempt it. \u2018You\nwill only lead us all to certain death,\u2019 he said. \u2018Pray anchor nearer\nland, and I will then seek a kind fairy I know, who has always been most\nobliging to me, and who will, I am sure, try to help your Highness.\u2019\n\nThe prince rather unwillingly listened to reason. He landed at the\nnearest point, and sent off the captain in all haste to beg the fairy\u2019s\nadvice and help. Meantime he had a tent pitched on the shore, and spent\nall his time gazing at the tower and looking for the princess through\nhis spyglass.\n\nAfter a few days the captain came back, bringing the fairy with him. The\nprince was delighted to see her, and paid her great attention. \u2018I have\nheard about this matter,\u2019 she said; \u2018and, to lose no time, I am going to\nsend off a trusty pigeon to test the enchantment. If there is any weak\nspot he is sure to find it out and get in. I shall bid him bring a\nflower back as a sign of success; and if he does so I quite hope to get\nyou in too.\u2019\n\n\u2018But,\u2019 asked the prince, \u2018could I not send a line by the pigeon to tell\nthe princess of my love?\u2019\n\n\u2018Certainly,\u2019 replied the fairy, \u2018it would be a very good plan.\u2019\n\nSo the prince wrote as follows:---\n\n \u2018Lovely Princess,---I adore you, and beg you to accept my heart,\nand to believe there is nothing I will not do to end your\nmisfortunes.---BLONDEL.\n\nThis note was tied round the pigeon\u2019s neck, and he flew off with it at\nonce. He flew fast till he got near the tower, when a fierce wind blew\nso hard against him that he could not get on. But he was not to be\nbeaten, but flew carefully round the top of the tower till he came to\none spot which, by some mistake, had not been enchanted like the rest.\nHe quickly slipped into the arbour and waited for the princess.\n\nBefore long Graziella appeared alone, and the pigeon at once fluttered\nto meet her, and seemed so tame that she stopped to caress the pretty\ncreature. As she did so she saw it had a pink ribbon round its neck, and\ntied to the ribbon was a letter. She read it over several times and then\nwrote this answer:---\n\n\u2018You say you love me; but I cannot promise to love you without seeing\nyou. Send me your portrait by this faithful messenger. If I return it to\nyou, you must give up hope; but if I keep it you will know that to help\nme will be to help yourself.---GRAZIELA.\n\nBefore flying back the pigeon remembered about the flower, so, seeing\none in the princess\u2019s dress, he stole it and flew away.\n\nThe prince was wild with joy at the pigeon\u2019s return with the note. After\nan hour\u2019s rest the trusty little bird was sent back again, carrying a\nminiature of the prince, which by good luck he had with him.\n\nOn reaching the tower the pigeon found the princess in the garden. She\nhastened to untie the ribbon, and on opening the miniature case what was\nher surprise and delight to find it very like the picture her governess\nhad painted for her. She hastened to send the pigeon back, and you can\nfancy the prince\u2019s joy when he found she had kept his portrait.\n\n\u2018Now,\u2019 said the fairy, \u2018let us lose no more time. I can only make you\nhappy by changing you into a bird, but I will take care to give you back\nyour proper shape at the right time.\u2019\n\nThe prince was eager to start, so the fairy, touching him with her wand,\nturned him into the loveliest humming-bird you ever saw, at the same\ntime letting him keep the power of speech. The pigeon was told to show\nhim the way.\n\nGraziella was much surprised to see a perfectly strange bird, and still\nmore so when it flew to her saying, \u2018Good-morning, sweet princess.\u2019\n\nShe was delighted with the pretty creature, and let him perch on her\nfinger, when he said, \u2018Kiss, kiss, little birdie,\u2019 which she gladly did,\npetting and stroking him at the same time.\n\nAfter a time the princess, who had been up very early, grew tired, and\nas the sun was hot she went to lie down on a mossy bank in the shade\nof the arbour. She held the pretty bird near her breast, and was just\nfalling asleep, when the fairy contrived to restore the prince to his\nown shape, so that as Graziella opened her eyes she found herself in the\narms of a lover whom she loved in return!\n\nAt the same moment her enchantment came to an end. The tower began to\nrock and to split. Bonnetta hurried up to the top so that she might at\nleast perish with her dear princess. Just as she reached the garden, the\nkind fairy who had helped the prince arrived with the fairy Placida, in\na car of Venetian glass drawn by six eagles.\n\n\u2018Come away quickly,\u2019 they cried, \u2018the tower is about to sink!\u2019 The\nprince, princess, and Bonnetta lost no time in stepping into the car,\nwhich rose in the air just as, with a terrible crash, the tower sank\ninto the depths of the sea, for the fairy Marina and the mermen had\ndestroyed its foundations to avenge themselves on Graziella. Luckily\ntheir wicked plans were defeated, and the good fairies took their way to\nthe kingdom of Graziella\u2019s parents.\n\nThey found that Queen Mutinosa had died some years ago, but her kind\nhusband lived on peaceably, ruling his country well and happily. He\nreceived his daughter with great delight, and there were universal\nrejoicings at the return of the lovely princess.\n\nThe wedding took place the very next day, and, for many days after,\nballs, dinners, tournaments, concerts and all sorts of amusements went\non all day and all night.\n\nAll the fairies were carefully invited, and they came in great state,\nand promised the young couple their protection and all sorts of good\ngifts. Prince Blondel and Princess Graziella lived to a good old age,\nbeloved by every one, and loving each other more and more as time went\non.\n\n\n\n\nThe Story Of Dschemil and Dschemila\n\n\nThere was once a man whose name was Dschemil, and he had a cousin who\nwas called Dschemila. They had been betrothed by their parents when they\nwere children, and now Dschemil thought that the time had come for them\nto be married, and he went two or three days\u2019 journey, to the nearest\nbig town, to buy furniture for the new house.\n\nWhile he was away, Dschemila and her friends set off to the neighbouring\nwoods to pick up sticks, and as she gathered them she found an iron\nmortar lying on the ground. She placed it on her bundle of sticks, but\nthe mortar would not stay still, and whenever she raised the bundle to\nput it on her shoulders it slipped off sideways. At length she saw the\nonly way to carry the mortar was to tie it in the very middle of\nher bundle, and had just unfastened her sticks, when she heard her\ncompanions\u2019 voices.\n\n\u2018Dschemila, what are you doing? it is almost dark, and if you mean to\ncome with us you must be quick!\u2019\n\nBut Dschemila only replied, \u2018You had better go back without me, for I am\nnot going to leave my mortar behind, if I stay here till midnight.\u2019\n\n\u2018Do as you like,\u2019 said the girls, and started on their walk home.\n\nThe night soon fell, and at the last ray of light the mortar suddenly\nbecame an ogre, who threw Dschemila on his back, and carried her off\ninto a desert place, distant a whole month\u2019s journey from her native\ntown. Here he shut her into a castle, and told her not to fear, as her\nlife was safe. Then he went back to his wife, leaving Dschemila weeping\nover the fate that she had brought upon herself.\n\nMeanwhile the other girls had reached home, and Dschemila\u2019s mother came\nout to look for her daughter.\n\n\u2018What have you done with her?\u2019 she asked anxiously.\n\n\u2018We had to leave her in the wood,\u2019 they replied, \u2018for she had picked up\nan iron mortar, and could not manage to carry it.\u2019\n\nSo the old woman set off at once for the forest, calling to her daughter\nas she hurried along.\n\n\u2018Do go home,\u2019 cried the townspeople, as they heard her; \u2018we will go\nand look for your daughter; you are only a woman, and it is a task that\nneeds strong men.\u2019\n\nBut she answered, \u2018Yes, go; but I will go with you! Perhaps it will be\nonly her corpse that we shall find after all. She has most likely been\nstung by asps, or eaten by wild beasts.\u2019\n\nThe men, seeing her heart was bent on it, said no more, but told one of\nthe girls she must come with them, and show them the place where they\nhad left Dschemila. They found the bundle of wood lying where she had\ndropped it, but the maiden was nowhere to be seen.\n\n\u2018Dschemila! Dschemila!\u2019 cried they; but nobody answered.\n\n\u2018If we make a fire, perhaps she will see it,\u2019 said one of the men. And\nthey lit a fire, and then went, one this way, and one that, through the\nforest, to look for her, whispering to each other that if she had been\nkilled by a lion they would be sure to find some trace of it; or if she\nhad fallen asleep, the sound of their voices would wake her; or if a\nsnake had bitten her, they would at least come on her corpse.\n\nAll night they searched, and when morning broke and they knew no more\nthan before what had become of the maiden, they grew weary, and said to\nthe mother: \u2018It is no use. Let us go home, nothing has happened to your\ndaughter, except that she has run away with a man.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, I will come,\u2019 answered she, \u2018but I must first look in the river.\nPerhaps some one has thrown her in there.\u2019 But the maiden was not in the\nriver.\n\nFor four days the father and mother waited and watched for their child\nto come back; then they gave up hope, and said to each other: \u2018What\nis to be done? What are we to say to the man to whom Dschemila is\nbetrothed? Let us kill a goat, and bury its head in the grave, and when\nthe man returns we must tell him Dschemila is dead.\u2019\n\nVery soon the bridegroom came back, bringing with him carpets and\nsoft cushions for the house of his bride. And as he entered the town\nDschemila\u2019s father met him, saying, \u2018Greeting to you. She is dead.\u2019\n\nAt these words the young man broke into loud cries, and it was some\ntime before he could speak. Then he turned to one of the crowd who had\ngathered round him, and asked: \u2018Where have they buried her?\u2019\n\n\u2018Come to the churchyard with me,\u2019 answered he; and the young man went\nwith him, carrying with him some of the beautiful things he had brought.\nThese he laid on the grass and then began to weep afresh. All day he\nstayed, and at nightfall he gathered up his stuffs and carried them\nto his own house. But when the day dawned he took them in his arms\nand returned to the grave, where he remained as long as it was light,\nplaying softly on his flute. And this he did daily for six months.\n\nOne morning, a man who was wandering through the desert, having lost his\nway, came upon a lonely castle. The sun was very hot, and the man was\nvery tired, so he said to himself, \u2018I will rest a little in the shadow\nof this castle.\u2019 He stretched himself out comfortably, and was almost\nasleep, when he heard a voice calling to him softly:\n\n\u2018Are you a ghost,\u2019 it said, \u2018or a man?\u2019\n\nHe looked up, and saw a girl leaning out of a window, and he answered:\n\n\u2018I am a man, and a better one, too, than your father or your\ngrandfather.\u2019\n\n\u2018May all good luck be with you,\u2019 said she; \u2018but what has brought you\ninto this land of ogres and horrors?\u2019\n\n\u2018Does an ogre really live in this castle?\u2019 asked he.\n\n\u2018Certainly he does,\u2019 replied the girl, \u2018and as night is not far off he\nwill be here soon. So, dear friend, depart quickly, lest he return and\nsnap you up for supper.\u2019\n\n\u2018But I am so thirsty!\u2019 said the man. \u2018Be kind, and give me some drink,\nor else I shall die! Surely, even in this desert there must be some\nspring?\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, I have noticed that whenever the ogre brings back water he always\ncomes from that side; so if you follow the same direction perhaps you\nmay find some.\u2019\n\nThe man jumped up at once and was about to start, when the maiden spoke\nagain: \u2018Tell me, where are you going?\u2019\n\n\u2018Why do you want to know?\u2019\n\n\u2018I have an errand for you; but tell me first whether you go east or\nwest.\u2019\n\n\u2018I travel to Damascus.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then do this for me. As you pass through our village, ask for a man\ncalled Dschemil, and say to him: \u201cDschemila greets you, from the castle,\nwhich lies far away, and is rocked by the wind. In my grave lies only a\ngoat. So take heart.\u201d\u2019\n\nAnd the man promised, and went his way, till he came to a spring of\nwater. And he drank a great draught and then lay on the bank and slept\nquietly. When he woke he said to himself, \u2018The maiden did a good deed\nwhen she told me where to find water. A few hours more, and I should\nhave been dead. So I will do her bidding, and seek out her native town\nand the man for whom the message was given.\u2019\n\nFor a whole month he travelled, till at last he reached the town where\nDschemil dwelt, and as luck would have it, there was the young man\nsitting before his door with his beard unshaven and his shaggy hair\nhanging over his eyes.\n\n\u2018Welcome, stranger,\u2019 said Dschemil, as the man stopped. \u2018Where have you\ncome from?\u2019\n\n\u2018I come from the west, and go towards the east,\u2019 he answered.\n\n\u2018Well, stop with us awhile, and rest and eat!\u2019 said Dschemil. And the\nman entered; and food was set before him, and he sat down with the\nfather of the maiden and her brothers, and Dschemil. Only Dschemil\nhimself was absent, squatting on the threshold.\n\n\u2018Why do you not eat too?\u2019 asked the stranger. But one of the young men\nwhispered hastily: \u2018Leave him alone. Take no notice! It is only at night\nthat he ever eats.\u2019\n\nSo the stranger went on silently with his food. Suddenly one of\nDschemil\u2019s brothers called out and said: \u2018Dschemil, bring us some water!\u2019\nAnd the stranger remembered his message and said:\n\n\u2018Is there a man here named \u201cDschemil\u201d? I lost my way in the desert, and\ncame to a castle, and a maiden looked out of the window and...\u2019\n\n\u2018Be quiet,\u2019 they cried, fearing that Dschemil might hear. But Dschemil\nhad heard, and came forward and said:\n\n\u2018What did you see? Tell me truly, or I will cut off your head this\ninstant!\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 replied the stranger, \u2018as I was wandering, hot and tired,\nthrough the desert, I saw near me a great castle, and I said aloud, \u201cI\nwill rest a little in its shadow.\u201d And a maiden looked out of a window\nand said, \u201cAre you a ghost or a man?\u201d And I answered, \u201cI am a man, and\na better one, too, than your father or your grandfather.\u201d And I was\nthirsty and asked for water, but she had none to give me, and I felt\nlike to die. Then she told me that the ogre, in whose castle she dwelt,\nbrought in water always from the same side, and that if I too went that\nway most likely I should come to it. But before I started she begged me\nto go to her native town, and if I met a man called Dschemil I was to\nsay to him, \u201cDschemila greets you, from the castle which lies far\naway, and is rocked by the wind. In my grave lies only a goat. So take\nheart.\u201d\u2019\n\nThen Dschemil turned to his family and said: \u2018Is this true? and is\nDschemila not dead at all, but simply stolen from her home?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, no,\u2019 replied they, \u2018his story is a pack of lies. Dschemila is\nreally dead. Everybody knows it.\u2019\n\n\u2018That I shall see for myself,\u2019 said Dschemil, and, snatching up a spade,\nhastened off to the grave where the goat\u2019s head lay buried.\n\nAnd they answered, \u2018Then hear what really happened. When you were away,\nshe went with the other maidens to the forest to gather wood. And there\nshe found an iron mortar, which she wished to bring home; but she\ncould not carry it, neither would she leave it. So the maidens returned\nwithout her, and as night was come, we all set out to look for her, but\nfound nothing. And we said, \u201cThe bridegroom will be here to-morrow, and\nwhen he learns that she is lost, he will set out to seek her, and we\nshall lose him too. Let us kill a goat, and bury it in her grave, and\ntell him she is dead.\u201d Now you know, so do as you will. Only, if you go\nto seek her, take with you this man with whom she has spoken that he may\nshow you the way.\u2019 \u2018Yes; that is the best plan,\u2019 replied Dschemil; \u2018so\ngive me food, and hand me my sword, and we will set out directly.\u2019\n\nBut the stranger answered: \u2018I am not going to waste a whole month in\nleading you to the castle! If it were only a day or two\u2019s journey I\nwould not mind; but a month--no!\u2019\n\n\u2018Come with me then for three days,\u2019 said Dschemil, \u2018and put me in the\nright road, and I will reward you richly.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 replied the stranger, \u2018so let it be.\u2019\n\nFor three days they travelled from sunrise to sunset, then the stranger\nsaid: \u2018Dschemil?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 replied he.\n\n\u2018Go straight on till you reach a spring, then go on a little farther,\nand soon you will see the castle standing before you.\u2019\n\n\u2018So I will,\u2019 said Dschemil.\n\n\u2018Farewell, then,\u2019 said the stranger, and turned back the way he had\ncome.\n\nIt was six and twenty days before Dschemil caught sight of a green spot\nrising out of the sandy desert, and knew that the spring was near at\nlast. He hastened his steps, and soon was kneeling by its side, drinking\nthirstily of the bubbling water. Then he lay down on the cool grass,\nand began to think. \u2018If the man was right, the castle must be somewhere\nabout. I had better sleep here to-night, and to-morrow I shall be able\nto see where it is.\u2019 So he slept long and peacefully. When he awoke\nthe sun was high, and he jumped up and washed his face and hands in the\nspring, before going on his journey. He had not walked far, when the\ncastle suddenly appeared before him, though a moment before not a trace\nof it could be seen. \u2018How am I to get in?\u2019 he thought. \u2018I dare not\nknock, lest the ogre should hear me. Perhaps it would be best for me\nto climb up the wall, and wait to see what will happen. So he did, and\nafter sitting on the top for about an hour, a window above him opened,\nand a voice said: \u2018Dschemil!\u2019 He looked up, and at the sight of\nDschemila, whom he had so long believed to be dead, he began to weep.\n\n\u2018Dear cousin,\u2019 she whispered, \u2018what has brought you here?\u2019\n\n\u2018My grief at losing you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! go away at once. If the ogre comes back he will kill you.\u2019\n\n\u2018I swear by your head, queen of my heart, that I have not found you only\nto lose you again! If I must die, well, I must!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, what can I do for you?\u2019\n\n\u2018Anything you like!\u2019\n\n\u2018If I let you down a cord, can you make it fast under your arms, and\nclimb up?\u2019\n\n\u2018Of course I can,\u2019 said he.\n\nSo Dschemila lowered the cord, and Dschemil tied it round him, and\nclimbed up to her window. Then they embraced each other tenderly, and\nburst into tears of joy.\n\n\u2018But what shall I do when the ogre returns?\u2019 asked she.\n\n\u2018Trust to me,\u2019 he said.\n\nNow there was a chest in the room, where Dschemila kept her clothes. And\nshe made Dschemil get into it, and lie at the bottom, and told him to\nkeep very still.\n\nHe was only hidden just in time, for the lid was hardly closed when\nthe ogre\u2019s heavy tread was heard on the stairs. He flung open the door,\nbringing men\u2019s flesh for himself and lamb\u2019s flesh for the maiden. \u2018I\nsmell the smell of a man!\u2019 he thundered. \u2018What is he doing here?\u2019\n\n\u2018How could any one have come to this desert place?\u2019 asked the girl, and\nburst into tears.\n\n\u2018Do not cry,\u2019 said the ogre; \u2018perhaps a raven has dropped some scraps\nfrom his claws.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, yes, I was forgetting,\u2019 answered she. \u2018One did drop some bones\nabout.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, burn them to powder,\u2019 replied the ogre, \u2018so that I may swallow\nit.\u2019\n\nSo the maiden took some bones and burned them, and gave them to the\nogre, saying, \u2018Here is the powder, swallow it.\u2019\n\nAnd when he had swallowed the powder the ogre stretched himself out and\nwent to sleep.\n\nIn a little while the man\u2019s flesh, which the maiden was cooking for the\nogre\u2019s supper, called out and said:\n\n     \u2018Hist! Hist!\n     A man lies in the kist!\u2019\n\nAnd the lamb\u2019s flesh answered:\n\n     \u2018He is your brother,\n     And cousin of the other.\u2019\n\nThe ogre moved sleepily, and asked, \u2018What did the meat say, Dschemila?\u2019\n\n\u2018Only that I must be sure to add salt.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, add salt.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, I have done so,\u2019 said she.\n\nThe ogre was soon sound asleep again, when the man\u2019s flesh called out a\nsecond time:\n\n     \u2018Hist! Hist!\n     A man lies in the kist!\u2019\n\nAnd the lamb\u2019s flesh answered:\n\n     \u2018He is your brother,\n     And cousin of the other.\u2019\n\n\u2018What did it say, Dschemila?\u2019 asked the ogre.\n\n\u2018Only that I must add pepper.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, add pepper.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, I have done so,\u2019 said she.\n\nThe ogre had had a long day\u2019s hunting, and could not keep himself awake.\nIn a moment his eyes were tight shut, and then the man\u2019s flesh called\nout for the third time:\n\n     \u2018Hist! Hist\n     A man lies in the kist,\u2019\n\nAnd the lamb\u2019s flesh answered:\n\n     \u2018He is your brother,\n     And cousin of the other.\u2019\n\n\u2018What did it say, Dschemila?\u2019 asked the ogre.\n\n\u2018Only that it was ready, and that I had better take it off the fire.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then if it is ready, bring it to me, and I will eat it.\u2019\n\nSo she brought it to him, and while he was eating she supped off the\nlamb\u2019s flesh herself, and managed to put some aside for her cousin.\n\nWhen the ogre had finished, and had washed his hands, he said to\nDschemila: \u2018Make my bed, for I am tired.\u2019\n\nSo she made his bed, and put a nice soft pillow for his head, and tucked\nhim up.\n\n\u2018Father,\u2019 she said suddenly.\n\n\u2018Well, what is it?\u2019\n\n\u2018Dear father, if you are really asleep, why are your eyes always open?\u2019\n\n\u2018Why do you ask that, Dschemila? Do you want to deal treacherously with\nme?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, of course not, father. How could I, and what would be the use of\nit?\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, why do you want to know?\u2019\n\n\u2018Because last night I woke up and saw the whole place shining in a red\nlight, which frightened me.\u2019\n\n\u2018That happens when I am fast asleep.\u2019\n\n\u2018And what is the good of the pin you always keep here so carefully?\u2019\n\n\u2018If I throw that pin in front of me, it turns into an iron mountain.\u2019\n\n\u2018And this darning needle?\u2019\n\n\u2018That becomes a sea.\u2019\n\n\u2018And this hatchet?\u2019\n\n\u2018That becomes a thorn hedge, which no one can pass through. But why do\nyou ask all these questions? I am sure you have something in your head.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I just wanted to know; and how could anyone find me out here?\u2019 and\nshe began to cry.\n\n\u2018Oh, don\u2019t cry, I was only in fun,\u2019 said the ogre.\n\nHe was soon asleep again, and a yellow light shone through the castle.\n\n\u2018Come quick!\u2019 called Dschemil from the chest; \u2018we must fly now while the\nogre is asleep.\u2019\n\n\u2018Not yet,\u2019 she said, \u2018there is a yellow light shining. I don\u2019t think he\nis asleep.\u2019\n\nSo they waited for an hour. Then Dschemil whispered again: \u2018Wake up!\nThere is no time to lose!\u2019\n\n\u2018Let me see if he is asleep,\u2019 said she, and she peeped in, and saw a red\nlight shining. Then she stole back to her cousin, and asked, \u2018But how\nare we to get out?\u2019\n\n\u2018Get the rope, and I will let you down.\u2019\n\nSo she fetched the rope, the hatchet, and the pin and the needles, and\nsaid, \u2018Take them, and put them in the pocket of your cloak, and be sure\nnot to lose them.\u2019\n\nDschemil put them carefully in his pocket, and tied the rope round her,\nand let her down over the wall.\n\n\u2018Are you safe?\u2019 he asked.\n\n\u2018Yes, quite.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then untie the rope, so that I may draw it up.\u2019\n\nAnd Dschemila did as she was told, and in a few minutes he stood beside\nher.\n\nNow all this time the ogre was asleep, and had heard nothing. Then his\ndog came to him and said, \u2018O, sleeper, are you having pleasant dreams?\nDschemila has forsaken you and run away.\u2019\n\nThe ogre got out of bed, gave the dog a kick, then went back again, and\nslept till morning.\n\nWhen it grew light, he rose, and called, \u2018Dschemila! Dschemila!\u2019 but he\nonly heard the echo of his own voice! Then he dressed himself quickly;\nbuckled on his sword and whistled to his dog, and followed the road\nwhich he knew the fugitives must have taken. \u2018Cousin,\u2019 said Dschemila\nsuddenly, and turning round as she spoke.\n\n\u2018What is it?\u2019 answered he.\n\n\u2018The ogre is coming after us. I saw him.\u2019\n\n\u2018But where is he? I don\u2019t see him.\u2019\n\n\u2018Over there. He only looks about as tall as a needle.\u2019\n\nThen they both began to run as fast as they could, while the ogre and\nhis dog kept drawing always nearer. A few more steps, and he would have\nbeen by their side, when Dschemila threw the darning needle behind her.\nIn a moment it became an iron mountain between them and their enemy.\n\n\u2018We will break it down, my dog and I,\u2019 cried the ogre in a rage, and\nthey dashed at the mountain till they had forced a path through, and\ncame ever nearer and nearer.\n\n\u2018Cousin!\u2019 said Dschemila suddenly.\n\n\u2018What is it?\u2019\n\n\u2018The ogre is coming after us with his dog.\u2019\n\n\u2018You go on in front then,\u2019 answered he; and they both ran on as fast as\nthey could, while the ogre and the dog drew always nearer and nearer.\n\n\u2018They are close upon us!\u2019 cried the maiden, glancing behind, \u2018you must\nthrow the pin.\u2019\n\nSo Dschemil took the pin from his cloak and threw it behind him, and a\ndense thicket of thorns sprang up round them, which the ogre and his dog\ncould not pass through.\n\n\u2018I will get through it somehow, if I burrow underground,\u2019 cried he, and\nvery soon he and the dog were on the other side.\n\n\u2018Cousin,\u2019 said Dschemila, \u2018they are close to us now.\u2019\n\n\u2018Go on in front, and fear nothing,\u2019 replied Dschemil.\n\nSo she ran on a little way, and then stopped.\n\n\u2018He is only a few yards away now,\u2019 she said, and Dschemil flung the\nhatchet on the ground, and it turned into a lake.\n\n\u2018I will drink, and my dog shall drink, till it is dry,\u2019 shrieked the\nogre, and the dog drank so much that it burst and died. But the ogre\ndid not stop for that, and soon the whole lake was nearly dry. Then he\nexclaimed, \u2018Dschemila, let your head become a donkey\u2019s head, and your\nhair fur!\u2019\n\nBut when it was done, Dschemil looked at her in horror, and said, \u2018She\nis really a donkey, and not a woman at all!\u2019\n\nAnd he left her, and went home.\n\nFor two days poor Dschemila wandered about alone, weeping bitterly.\nWhen her cousin drew near his native town, he began to think over his\nconduct, and to feel ashamed of himself.\n\n\u2018Perhaps by this time she has changed back to her proper shape,\u2019 he said\nto himself, \u2018I will go and see!\u2019\n\nSo he made all the haste he could, and at last he saw her seated on a\nrock, trying to keep off the wolves, who longed to have her for dinner.\nHe drove them off and said, \u2018Get up, dear cousin, you have had a narrow\nescape.\u2019\n\nDschemila stood up and answered, \u2018Bravo, my friend. You persuaded me to\nfly with you, and then left me helplessly to my fate.\u2019\n\n\u2018Shall I tell you the truth?\u2019 asked he.\n\n\u2018Tell it.\u2019\n\n\u2018I thought you were a witch, and I was afraid of you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Did you not see me before my transformation? and did you not watch it\nhappen under your very eyes, when the ogre bewitched me?\u2019\n\n\u2018What shall I do?\u2019 said Dschemil. \u2018If I take you into the town, everyone\nwill laugh, and say, \u201cIs that a new kind of toy you have got? It has\nhands like a woman, feet like a woman, the body of a woman; but its head\nis the head of an ass, and its hair is fur.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, what do you mean to do with me?\u2019 asked Dschemila. \u2018Better take me\nhome to my mother by night, and tell no one anything about it.\u2019\n\n\u2018So I will,\u2019 said he.\n\nThey waited where they were till it was nearly dark, then Dschemil\nbrought his cousin home.\n\n\u2018Is that Dschemil?\u2019 asked the mother when he knocked softly.\n\n\u2018Yes, it is.\u2019\n\n\u2018And have you found her?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, and I have brought her to you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, where is she? let me see her!\u2019 cried the mother.\n\n\u2018Here, behind me,\u2019 answered Dschemil.\n\nBut when the poor woman caught sight of her daughter, she shrieked, and\nexclaimed, \u2018Are you making fun of me? When did I ever give birth to an\nass?\u2019\n\n\u2018Hush!\u2019 said Dschemil, \u2018it is not necessary to let the whole world know!\nAnd if you look at her body, you will see two scars on it.\u2019\n\n\u2018Mother,\u2019 sobbed Dschemila, \u2018do you really not know your own daughter?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, of course I know her.\u2019\n\n\u2018What are her two scars then?\u2019\n\n\u2018On her thigh is a scar from the bite of a dog, and on her breast is the\nmark of a burn, where she pulled a lamp over her when she was little.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then look at me, and see if I am not your daughter,\u2019 said Dschemila,\nthrowing off her clothes and showing her two scars.\n\nAnd at the sight her mother embraced her, weeping.\n\n\u2018Dear daughter,\u2019 she cried, \u2018what evil fate has befallen you?\u2019\n\n\u2018It was the ogre who carried me off first, and then bewitched me,\u2019\nanswered Dschemila.\n\n\u2018But what is to be done with you?\u2019 asked her mother.\n\n\u2018Hide me away, and tell no one anything about me. And you, dear cousin,\nsay nothing to the neighbours, and if they should put questions, you can\nmake answer that I have not yet been found.\u2019\n\n\u2018So I will,\u2019 replied he.\n\nThen he and her mother took her upstairs and hid her in a cupboard,\nwhere she stayed for a whole month, only going out to walk when all the\nworld was asleep.\n\nMeanwhile Dschemil had returned to his own home, where his father and\nmother, his brothers and neighbours, greeted him joyfully.\n\n\u2018When did you come back?\u2019 said they, \u2018and have you found Dschemila?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, I searched the whole world after her, and could hear nothing of\nher.\u2019\n\n\u2018Did you part company with the man who started with you?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes; after three days he got so weak and useless he could not go on.\nIt must be a month by now since he reached home again. I went on and\nvisited every castle, and looked in every house. But there were no signs\nof her; and so I gave it up.\u2019\n\nAnd they answered him: \u2018We told you before that it was no good. An ogre\nor an ogress must have snapped her up, and how can you expect to find\nher?\u2019\n\n\u2018I loved her too much to be still,\u2019 he said.\n\nBut his friends did not understand, and soon they spoke to him again\nabout it.\n\n\u2018We will seek for a wife for you. There are plenty of girls prettier\nthan Dschemila.\u2019\n\n\u2018I dare say; but I don\u2019t want them.\u2019\n\n\u2018But what will you do with all the cushions and carpets, and beautiful\nthings you bought for your house?\u2019\n\n\u2018They can stay in the chests.\u2019\n\n\u2018But the moths will eat them! For a few weeks, it is of no consequence,\nbut after a year or two they will be quite useless.\u2019\n\n\u2018And if they have to lie there ten years I will have Dschemila, and her\nonly, for my wife. For a month, or even two months, I will rest here\nquietly. Then I will go and seek her afresh.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, you are quite mad! Is she the only maiden in the world? There are\nplenty of others better worth having than she is.\u2019\n\n\u2018If there are I have not seen them! And why do you make all this fuss?\nEvery man knows his own business best.\n\n\u2018Why, it is you who are making all the fuss yourself.\u2019\n\nBut Dschemil turned and went into the house, for he did not want to\nquarrel.\n\nThree months later a Jew, who was travelling across the desert, came to\nthe castle, and laid himself down under the wall to rest.\n\nIn the evening the ogre saw him there and said to him, \u2018Jew, what are\nyou doing here? Have you anything to sell?\u2019\n\n\u2018I have only some clothes,\u2019 answered the Jew, who was in mortal terror\nof the ogre.\n\n\u2018Oh, don\u2019t be afraid of me,\u2019 said the ogre, laughing. \u2018I shall not eat\nyou. Indeed, I mean to go a bit of the way with you myself.\u2019\n\n\u2018I am ready, gracious sir,\u2019 replied the Jew, rising to his feet.\n\n\u2018Well, go straight on till you reach a town, and in that town you will\nfind a maiden called Dschemila and a young man called Dschemil. Take\nthis mirror and this comb with you, and say to Dschemila, \u201cYour father,\nthe ogre, greets you, and begs you to look at your face in this mirror,\nand it will appear as it was before, and to comb your hair with this\ncomb, and it will be as formerly.\u201d If you do not carry out my orders, I\nwill eat you the next time we meet.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I will obey you punctually,\u2019 cried the Jew.\n\nAfter thirty days the Jew entered the gate of the town, and sat down in\nthe first street he came to, hungry, thirsty, and very tired.\n\nQuite by chance, Dschemil happened to pass by, and seeing a man sitting\nthere, full in the glare of the sun, he stopped, and said, \u2018Get up at\nonce, Jew; you will have a sunstroke if you sit in such a place.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, good sir,\u2019 replied the Jew, \u2018for a whole month I have been\ntravelling, and I am too tired to move.\u2019\n\n\u2018Which way did you come?\u2019 asked Dschemil.\n\n\u2018From out there,\u2019 answered the Jew pointing behind him.\n\n\u2018And you have been travelling for a month, you say? Well, did you see\nanything remarkable?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, good sir; I saw a castle, and lay down to rest under its shadow.\nAnd an ogre woke me, and told me to come to this town, where I should\nfind a young man called Dschemil, and a girl called Dschemila.\u2019\n\n\u2018My name is Dschemil. What does the ogre want with me?\u2019\n\n\u2018He gave me some presents for Dschemila. How can I see her?\u2019\n\n\u2018Come with me, and you shall give them into her own hands.\u2019\n\nSo the two went together to the house of Dschemil\u2019s uncle, and Dschemil\nled the Jew into his aunt\u2019s room.\n\n\u2018Aunt!\u2019 he cried, \u2018this Jew who is with me has come from the ogre, and\nhas brought with him, as presents, a mirror and a comb which the ogre\nhas sent her.\u2019\n\n\u2018But it may be only some wicked trick on the part of the ogre,\u2019 said\nshe.\n\n\u2018Oh, I don\u2019t think so,\u2019 answered the young man, \u2018give her the things.\u2019\n\nThen the maiden was called, and she came out of her hiding place, and\nwent up to the Jew, saying, \u2018Where have you come from, Jew?\u2019\n\n\u2018From your father the ogre.\u2019\n\n\u2018And what errand did he send you on?\u2019\n\n\u2018He told me I was to give you this mirror and this comb, and to say\n\u201cLook in this mirror, and comb your hair with this comb, and both will\nbecome as they were formerly.\u201d\u2019\n\nAnd Dschemila took the mirror and looked into it, and combed her hair\nwith the comb, and she had no longer an ass\u2019s head, but the face of a\nbeautiful maiden.\n\nGreat was the joy of both mother and cousin at this wonderful sight,\nand the news that Dschemila had returned soon spread, and the neighbours\ncame flocking in with greetings.\n\n\u2018When did you come back?\u2019\n\n\u2018My cousin brought me.\u2019\n\n\u2018Why, he told us he could not find you!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I did that on purpose,\u2019 answered Dschemil. \u2018I did not want everyone\nto know.\u2019\n\nThen he turned to his father and his mother, his brothers and his\nsisters-in-law, and said, \u2018We must set to work at once, for the wedding\nwill be to-day.\u2019\n\nA beautiful litter was prepared to carry the bride to her new home, but\nshe shrank back, saying, \u2018I am afraid, lest the ogre should carry me off\nagain.\u2019\n\n\u2018How can the ogre get at you when we are all here?\u2019 they said. \u2018There\nare two thousand of us all told, and every man has his sword.\u2019\n\n\u2018He will manage it somehow,\u2019 answered Dschemila, \u2018he is a powerful\nking!\u2019\n\n\u2018She is right,\u2019 said an old man. \u2018Take away the litter, and let her go\non foot if she is afraid.\u2019\n\n\u2018But it is absurd!\u2019 exclaimed the rest; \u2018how can the ogre get hold of\nher?\u2019\n\n\u2018I will not go,\u2019 said Dschemila again. \u2018You do not know that monster; I\ndo.\u2019\n\nAnd while they were disputing the bridegroom arrived.\n\n\u2018Let her alone. She shall stay in her father\u2019s house. After all, I can\nlive here, and the wedding feast shall be made ready.\u2019\n\nAnd so they were married at last, and died without having had a single\nquarrel.\n\n[Marehen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis,]\n\n\n\n\nJanni and the Draken\n\n\nOnce there was a man who shunned the world, and lived in the wilderness.\nHe owned nothing but a flock of sheep, whose milk and wool he sold, and\nso procured himself bread to eat; he also carried wooden spoons, and\nsold them. He had a wife and one little girl, and after a long time\nhis wife had another child. The evening it was born the man went to\nthe nearest village to fetch a nurse, and on the way he met a monk who\nbegged him for a night\u2019s lodging. This the man willingly granted, and\ntook him home with him. There being no one far nor near to baptize the\nchild, the man asked the monk to do him this service, and the child was\ngiven the name of Janni.\n\nIn the course of time Janni\u2019s parents died, and he and his sister were\nleft alone in the world; soon affairs went badly with them, so they\ndetermined to wander away to seek their fortune. In packing up, the\nsister found a knife which the monk had left for his godson, and this\nshe gave to her brother.\n\nThen they went on their way, taking with them the three sheep which were\nall that remained of their flocks. After wandering for three days\nthey met a man with three dogs who proposed that they should exchange\nanimals, he taking the sheep, and they the dogs. The brother and sister\nwere quite pleased at this arrangement, and after the exchange was made\nthey separated, and went their different ways.\n\nJanni and his sister in course of time came to a great castle, in which\ndwelt forty Draken, who, when they heard that Janni had come, fled forty\nfathoms underground.\n\nSo Janni found the castle deserted, and abode there with his sister, and\nevery day went out to hunt with the weapons the Draken had left in the\ncastle.\n\nOne day, when he was away hunting, one of the Draken came up to get\nprovisions, not knowing that there was anyone in the castle. When he saw\nJanni\u2019s sister he was terrified, but she told him not to be afraid, and\nby-and-by they fell in love with each other, for every time that Janni\nwent to hunt the sister called the Drakos up. Thus they went on making\nlove to each other till at length, unknown to Janni, they got married.\nThen, when it was too late, the sister repented, and was afraid of\nJanni\u2019s wrath when he found it out.\n\nOne day the Drakos came to her, and said: \u2018You must pretend to be ill,\nand when Janni asks what ails you, and what you want, you must answer:\n\u201cCherries,\u201d and when he inquires where these are to be found, you must\nsay: \u201cThere are some in a garden a day\u2019s journey from here.\u201d Then your\nbrother will go there, and will never come back, for there dwell three\nof my brothers who will look after him well.\u2019\n\nThen the sister did as the Drakos advised, and next day Janni set out to\nfetch the cherries, taking his three dogs with him. When he came to the\ngarden where the cherries grew he jumped off his horse, drank some water\nfrom the spring, which rose there, and fell directly into a deep sleep.\nThe Draken came round about to eat him, but the dogs flung themselves on\nthem and tore them in pieces, and scratched a grave in the ground with\ntheir paws, and buried the Draken so that Janni might not see their dead\nbodies. When Janni awoke, and saw his dogs all covered with blood, he\nbelieved that they had caught, somewhere, a wild beast, and was angry\nbecause they had left none of it for him. But he plucked the cherries,\nand took them back to his sister.\n\nWhen the Drakos heard that Janni had come back, he fled for fear forty\nfathoms underground. And the sister ate the cherries and declared\nherself well again.\n\nThe next day, when Janni was gone to hunt, the Drakos came out, and\nadvised the sister that she should pretend to be ill again, and when her\nbrother asked her what she would like, she should answer \u2018Quinces,\u2019 and\nwhen he inquired where these were to be found, she should say: \u2018In a\ngarden distant about two days\u2019 journey.\u2019 Then would Janni certainly be\ndestroyed, for there dwelt six brothers of the Drakos, each of whom had\ntwo heads.\n\nThe sister did as she was advised, and next day Janni again set\noff, taking his three dogs with him. When he came to the garden he\ndismounted, sat down to rest a little, and fell fast asleep. First there\ncame three Draken round about to eat him, and when these three had been\nworried by the dogs, there came three others who were worried in like\nmanner. Then the dogs again dug a grave and buried the dead Draken, that\ntheir master might not see them. When Janni awoke and beheld the dogs\nall covered with blood, he thought, as before, that they had killed a\nwild beast, and was again angry with them for leaving him nothing. But\nhe took the quinces and brought them back to his sister, who, when she\nhad eaten them, declared herself better. The Drakos, when he heard that\nJanni had come back, fled for fear forty fathoms deeper underground.\n\nNext day, when Janni was hunting, the Drakos went to the sister and\nadvised that she should again pretend to be ill, and should beg for some\npears, which grew in a garden three days\u2019 journey from the castle. From\nthis quest Janni would certainly never return, for there dwelt nine\nbrothers of the Drakos, each of whom had three heads.\n\nThe sister did as she was told, and next day Janni, taking his three\ndogs with him, went to get the pears. When he came to the garden he laid\nhimself down to rest, and soon fell asleep.\n\nThen first came three Draken to eat him, and when the dogs had worried\nthese, six others came and fought the dogs a long time. The noise of\nthis combat awoke Janni, and he slew the Draken, and knew at last why\nthe dogs were covered with blood.\n\nAfter that he freed all whom the Draken held prisoners, amongst others,\na king\u2019s daughter. Out of gratitude she would have taken him for her\nhusband; but he put her off, saying: \u2018For the kindness that I have been\nable to do to you, you shall receive in this castle all the blind and\nlame who pass this way.\u2019 The princess promised him to do so, and on his\ndeparture gave him a ring.\n\nSo Janni plucked the pears and took them to his sister, who, when she\nhad eaten them, declared she felt better. When, however, the Drakos\nheard that Janni had come back yet a third time safe and sound, he fled\nfor fright forty fathoms deeper underground; and, next day, when Janni\nwas away hunting, he crept out and said to the sister: \u2018Now are we\nindeed both lost, unless you find out from him wherein his strength\nlies, and then between us we will contrive to do away with him.\u2019\n\nWhen, therefore, Janni had come back from hunting, and sat at evening\nwith his sister by the fire, she begged him to tell her wherein lay\nhis strength, and he answered: \u2018It lies in my two fingers; if these are\nbound together then all my strength disappears.\u2019\n\n\u2018That I will not believe,\u2019 said the sister, \u2018unless I see it for\nmyself.\u2019\n\nThen he let her tie his fingers together with a thread, and immediately\nhe became powerless. Then the sister called up the Drakos, who, when he\nhad come forth, tore out Janni\u2019s eyes, gave them to his dogs to eat, and\nthrew him into a dry well.\n\nNow it happened that some travellers, going to draw water from this\nwell, heard Janni groaning at the bottom. They came near, and asked him\nwhere he was, and he begged them to draw him up from the well, for he\nwas a poor unfortunate man.\n\nThe travellers let a rope down and drew him up to daylight. It was not\ntill then that he first became aware that he was blind, and he begged\nthe travellers to lead him to the country of the king whose daughter he\nhad freed, and they would be well repaid for their trouble.\n\nWhen they had brought him there he sent to beg the princess to come to\nhim; but she did not recognise him till he had shown her the ring she\nhad given him.\n\nThen she remembered him, and took him with her into the castle.\n\nWhen she learnt what had befallen him she called together all the\nsorceresses in the country in order that they should tell her where the\neyes were. At last she found one who declared that she knew where they\nwere, and that she could restore them. This sorceress then went straight\nto the castle where dwelt the sister and the Drakos, and gave something\nto the dogs to eat which caused the eyes to reappear. She took them with\nher and put them back in Janni\u2019s head, so that he saw as well as before.\n\nThen he returned to the castle of the Drakos, whom he slew as well as\nhis sister; and, taking his dogs with him, went back to the princess and\nthey were immediately married.\n\n\n\n\nThe Partnership of the Thief and the Liar.\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a thief, who, being out of a job, was\nwandering by himself up and down the seashore. As he walked he passed a\nman who was standing still, looking at the waves.\n\n\u2018I wonder,\u2019 said the thief, addressing the stranger, \u2018if you have ever\nseen a stone swimming?\u2019\n\n\u2018Most certainly I have,\u2019 replied the other man, \u2018and, what is more, I\nsaw the same stone jump out of the water and fly through the air.\u2019\n\n\u2018This is capital,\u2019 replied the thief. \u2018You and I must go into\npartnership. We shall certainly make our fortunes. Let us start together\nfor the palace of the king of the neighbouring country. When we get\nthere, I will go into his presence alone, and will tell him the most\nstartling thing I can invent. Then you must follow and back up my lie.\u2019\n\nHaving agreed to do this, they set out on their travels. After several\ndays\u2019 journeying, they reached the town where the king\u2019s palace was, and\nhere they parted for a few hours, while the thief sought an interview\nwith the king, and begged his majesty to give him a glass of beer.\n\n\u2018That is impossible,\u2019 said the king, \u2018as this year there has been a\nfailure of all the crops, and of the hops and the vines; so we have\nneither wine nor beer in the whole kingdom.\u2019\n\n\u2018How extraordinary!\u2019 answered the thief. \u2018I have just come from a\ncountry where the crops were so fine that I saw twelve barrels of beer\nmade out of one branch of hops.\u2019\n\n\u2018I bet you three hundred florins that is not true,\u2019 answered the king.\n\n\u2018And I bet you three hundred florins it is true,\u2019 replied the thief.\n\nThen each staked his three hundred florins, and the king said he would\ndecide the question by sending a servant into that country to see if it\nwas true.\n\nSo the servant set out on horseback, and on the way he met a man, and\nhe asked him whence he came. And the man told him that he came from the\nself-same country to which the servant was at that moment bound.\n\n\u2018If that is the case,\u2019 said the servant, \u2018you can tell me how high the\nhops grow in your country, and how many barrels of beer can be brewed\nfrom one branch?\u2019\n\n\u2018I can\u2019t tell you that,\u2019 answered the man, \u2018but I happened to be present\nwhen the hops were being gathered in, and I saw that it took three men\nwith axes three days to cut down one branch.\u2019\n\nThen the servant thought that he might save himself a long journey; so\nhe gave the man ten florins, and told him he must repeat to the king\nwhat he had just told him. And when they got back to the palace, they\ncame together into the king\u2019s presence.\n\nAnd the king asked him: \u2018Well, is it true about the hops?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, sire, it is,\u2019 answered the servant; \u2018and here is a man I have\nbrought with me from the country to confirm the tale.\u2019\n\nSo the king paid the thief the three hundred florins; and the partners\nonce more set out together in search of adventures. As they journeyed,\nthe thief said to his comrade: \u2018I will now go to another king, and will\ntell him something still more startling; and you must follow and back up\nmy lie, and we shall get some money out of him; just see if we don\u2019t.\u2019\n\nWhen they reached the next kingdom, the thief presented himself to\nthe king, and requested him to give him a cauliflower. And the\nking answered: \u2018Owing to a blight among the vegetables we have no\ncauliflower.\u2019\n\n\u2018That is strange,\u2019 answered the thief. \u2018I have just come from a country\nwhere it grows so well that one head of cauliflower filled twelve\nwater-tubs.\u2019\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t believe it,\u2019 answered the king.\n\n\u2018I bet you six hundred florins it is true,\u2019 replied the thief.\n\n\u2018And I bet you six hundred florins it is not true,\u2019 answered the king.\nAnd he sent for a servant, and ordered him to start at once for the\ncountry whence the thief had come, to find out if his story of the\ncauliflower was true. On his journey the servant met with a man.\nStopping his horse he asked him where he came from, and the man replied\nthat he came from the country to which the other was travelling.\n\n\u2018If that is the case,\u2019 said the servant, \u2018you can tell me to what size\ncauliflower grows in your country? Is it so large that one head fills\ntwelve water-tubs?\u2019\n\n\u2018I have not seen that,\u2019 answered the man. \u2018But I saw twelve waggons,\ndrawn by twelve horses, carrying one head of cauliflower to the market.\u2019\n\nAnd the servant answered: \u2018Here are ten florins for you, my man, for you\nhave saved me a long journey. Come with me now, and tell the king what\nyou have just told me.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 said the man, and they went together to the palace; and\nwhen the king asked the servant if he had found out the truth about\nthe cauliflower, the servant replied: \u2018Sire, all that you heard was\nperfectly true; here is a man from the country who will tell you so.\u2019\n\nSo the king had to pay the thief the six hundred florins. And the two\npartners set out once more on their travels, with their nine hundred\nflorins. When they reached the country of the neighbouring king, the\nthief entered the royal presence, and began conversation by asking if\nhis majesty knew that in an adjacent kingdom there was a town with a\nchurch steeple on which a bird had alighted, and that the steeple was\nso high, and the bird\u2019s beak so long, that it had pecked the stars till\nsome of them fell out of the sky.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t believe it,\u2019 said the king.\n\n\u2018Nevertheless I am prepared to bet twelve hundred florins that it is\ntrue,\u2019 answered the thief.\n\n\u2018And I bet twelve hundred florins that it is a lie,\u2019 replied the king.\nAnd he straightway sent a servant into the neighbouring country to find\nout the truth.\n\nAs he rode, the servant met a man coming in the opposite direction. So\nhe hailed him and asked him where he came from. And the man replied\nthat he came out of the very town to which the man was bound. Then the\nservant asked him if the story they had heard about the bird with the\nlong beak was true.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t know about that,\u2019 answered the man, \u2018as I have never seen the\nbird; but I once saw twelve men shoving all their might and main with\nbrooms to push a monster egg into a cellar.\u2019\n\n\u2018That is capital,\u2019 answered the servant, presenting the man with ten\nflorins. \u2018Come and tell your tale to the king, and you will save me a\nlong journey.\u2019\n\nSo, when the story was repeated to the king, there was nothing for him\nto do but to pay the thief the twelve hundred florins.\n\nThen the two partners set out again with their ill-gotten gains, which\nthey proceeded to divide into two equal shares; but the thief kept back\nthree of the florins that belonged to the liar\u2019s half of the booty.\nShortly afterwards they each married, and settled down in homes of their\nown with their wives. One day the liar discovered that he had been\ndone out of three florins by his partner, so he went to his house and\ndemanded them from him.\n\n\u2018Come next Saturday, and I will give them to you,\u2019 answered the thief.\nBut as he had no intention of giving the liar the money, when Saturday\nmorning came he stretched himself out stiff and stark upon the bed, and\ntold his wife she was to say he was dead. So the wife rubbed her eyes\nwith an onion, and when the liar appeared at the door, she met him in\ntears, and told him that as her husband was dead he could not be paid\nthe three florins.\n\nBut the liar, who knew his partner\u2019s tricks, instantly suspected the\ntruth, and said: \u2018As he has not paid me, I will pay him out with three\ngood lashes of my riding whip.\u2019\n\nAt these words the thief sprang to his feet, and, appearing at the door,\npromised his partner that if he would return the following Saturday he\nwould pay him. So the liar went away satisfied with this promise.\n\nBut when Saturday morning came the thief got up early and hid himself\nunder a truss of hay in the hay-loft.\n\nWhen the liar appeared to demand his three florins, the wife met him\nwith tears in her eyes, and told him that her husband was dead.\n\n\u2018Where have you buried him?\u2019 asked the liar.\n\n\u2018In the hay-loft,\u2019 answered the wife.\n\n\u2018Then I will go there, and take away some hay in payment of his debt,\u2019\nsaid the liar. And proceeding to the hay-loft, he began to toss about\nthe hay with a pitchfork, prodding it into the trusses of hay, till, in\nterror of his life, the thief crept out and promised his partner to pay\nhim the three florins on the following Saturday.\n\nWhen the day came he got up at sunrise, and going down into the crypt of\na neighbouring chapel, stretched himself out quite still and stiff in an\nold stone coffin. But the liar, who was quite as clever as his partner,\nvery soon bethought him of the crypt, and set out for the chapel,\nconfident that he would shortly discover the hiding-place of his friend.\nHe had just entered the crypt, and his eyes were not yet accustomed\nto the darkness, when he heard the sound of whispering at the grated\nwindows. Listening intently, he overheard the plotting of a band of\nrobbers, who had brought their treasure to the crypt, meaning to hide\nit there, while they set out on fresh adventures. All the time they were\nspeaking they were removing the bars from the window, and in another\nminute they would all have entered the crypt, and discovered the liar.\nQuick as thought he wound his mantle round him and placed himself,\nstanding stiff and erect, in a niche in the wall, so that in the dim\nlight he looked just like an old stone statue. As soon as the robbers\nentered the crypt, they set about the work of dividing their treasure.\nNow, there were twelve robbers, but by mistake the chief of the band\ndivided the gold into thirteen heaps. When he saw his mistake he said\nthey had not time to count it all over again, but that the thirteenth\nheap should belong to whoever among them could strike off the head of\nthe old stone statue in the niche with one stroke. With these words he\ntook up an axe, and approached the niche where the liar was standing.\nBut, just as he had waved the axe over his head ready to strike, a voice\nwas heard from the stone coffin saying, in sepulchral tones: \u2018Clear out\nof this, or the dead will arise from their coffins, and the statues\nwill descend from the walls, and you will be driven out more dead than\nalive.\u2019 And with a bound the thief jumped out of his coffin and the\nliar from his niche, and the robbers were so terrified that they ran\nhelter-skelter out of the crypt, leaving all their gold behind them, and\nvowing that they would never put foot inside the haunted place again.\nSo the partners divided the gold between them, and carried it to their\nhomes; and history tells us no more about them.\n\n\n\n\nFortunatus and His Purse\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived in the city of Famagosta, in the island of\nCyprus, a rich man called Theodorus. He ought to have been the happiest\nperson in the whole world, as he had all he could wish for, and a wife\nand little son whom he loved dearly; but unluckily, after a short time\nhe always grew tired of everything, and had to seek new pleasures. When\npeople are made like this the end is generally the same, and before\nFortunatus (for that was the boy\u2019s name) was ten years old, his father\nhad spent all his money and had not a farthing left.\n\nBut though Theodorus had been so foolish he was not quite without\nsense, and set about getting work at once. His wife, too, instead of\nreproaching him sent away the servants and sold their fine horses, and\ndid all the work of the house herself, even washing the clothes of her\nhusband and child.\n\nThus time passed till Fortunatus was sixteen. One day when they were\nsitting at supper, the boy said to Theodorus, \u2018Father, why do you look\nso sad. Tell me what is wrong, and perhaps I can help you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, my son, I have reason enough to be sad; but for me you would now\nhave been enjoying every kind of pleasure, instead of being buried in\nthis tiny house.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, do not let that trouble you,\u2019 replied Fortunatus, \u2018it is time I\nmade some money for myself. To be sure I have never been taught any\ntrade. Still there must be something I can do. I will go and walk on the\nseashore and think about it.\u2019\n\nVery soon--sooner than he expected--a chance came, and Fortunatus, like\na wise boy, seized on it at once. The post offered him was that of page\nto the Earl of Flanders, and as the Earl\u2019s daughter was just going to\nbe married, splendid festivities were held in her honour, and at some of\nthe tilting matches Fortunatus was lucky enough to win the prize. These\nprizes, together with presents from the lords and ladies of the court,\nwho liked him for his pleasant ways, made Fortunatus feel quite a rich\nman.\n\nBut though his head was not turned by the notice taken of him, it\nexcited the envy of some of the other pages about the Court, and one of\nthem, called Robert, invented a plot to move Fortunatus out of his way.\nSo he told the young man that the Earl had taken a dislike to him and\nmeant to kill him; Fortunatus believed the story, and packing up his\nfine clothes and money, slipped away before dawn.\n\nHe went to a great many big towns and lived well, and as he was generous\nand not wiser than most youths of his age, he very soon found himself\npenniless. Like his father, he then began to think of work, and tramped\nhalf over Brittany in search of it. Nobody seemed to want him, and he\nwandered about from one place to another, till he found himself in a\ndense wood, without any paths, and not much light. Here he spent two\nwhole days, with nothing to eat and very little water to drink, going\nfirst in one direction and then in another, but never being able to find\nhis way out. During the first night he slept soundly, and was too tired\nto fear either man or beast, but when darkness came on for the second\ntime, and growls were heard in the distance, he grew frightened and\nlooked about for a high tree out of reach of his enemies. Hardly had he\nsettled himself comfortably in one of the forked branches, when a lion\nwalked up to a spring that burst from a rock close to the tree, and\ncrouching down drank greedily. This was bad enough, but after all, lions\ndo not climb trees, and as long as Fortunatus stayed up on his perch, he\nwas quite safe. But no sooner was the lion out of sight, than his\nplace was taken by a bear, and bears, as Fortunatus knew very well, are\ntree-climbers. His heart beat fast, and not without reason, for as the\nbear turned away he looked up and saw Fortunatus!\n\nNow in those days every young man carried a sword slung to his belt, and\nit was a fashion that came in very handily for Fortunatus. He drew his\nsword, and when the bear got within a yard of him he made a fierce lunge\nforward. The bear, wild with pain, tried to spring, but the bough he was\nstanding on broke with his weight, and he fell heavily to the ground.\nThen Fortunatus descended from his tree (first taking good care to see\nno other wild animals were in sight) and killed him with a single blow.\nHe was just thinking he would light a fire and make a hearty dinner off\nbear\u2019s flesh, which is not at all bad eating, when he beheld a beautiful\nlady standing by his side leaning on a wheel, and her eyes hidden by a\nbandage.\n\n\u2018I am Dame Fortune,\u2019 she said, \u2018and I have a gift for you. Shall it be\nwisdom, strength, long life, riches, health, or beauty? Think well, and\ntell me what you will have.\u2019\n\nBut Fortunatus, who had proved the truth of the proverb that \u2018It\u2019s ill\nthinking on an empty stomach,\u2019 answered quickly, \u2018Good lady, let me have\nriches in such plenty that I may never again be as hungry as I am now.\u2019\n\nAnd the lady held out a purse and told him he had only to put his hand\ninto it, and he and his children would always find ten pieces of gold.\nBut when they were dead it would be a magic purse no longer.\n\nAt this news Fortunatus was beside himself with joy, and could hardly\nfind words to thank the lady. But she told him that the best thing he\ncould do was to find his way out of the wood, and before bidding him\nfarewell pointed out which path he should take. He walked along it as\nfast as his weakness would let him, until a welcome light at a little\ndistance showed him that a house was near. It turned out to be an inn,\nbut before entering Fortunatus thought he had better make sure of the\ntruth of what the lady had told him, and took out the purse and looked\ninside. Sure enough there were the ten pieces of gold, shining brightly.\nThen Fortunatus walked boldly up to the inn, and ordered them to get\nready a good supper at once, as he was very hungry, and to bring him the\nbest wine in the house. And he seemed to care so little what he spent\nthat everybody thought he was a great lord, and vied with each other who\nshould run quickest when he called.\n\nAfter a night passed in a soft bed, Fortunatus felt so much better that\nhe asked the landlord if he could find him some men-servants, and tell\nhim where any good horses were to be got. The next thing was to provide\nhimself with smart clothes, and then to take a big house where he\ncould give great feasts to the nobles and beautiful ladies who lived in\npalaces round about.\n\nIn this manner a whole year soon slipped away, and Fortunatus was so\nbusy amusing himself that he never once remembered his parents whom he\nhad left behind in Cyprus. But though he was thoughtless, he was not\nbad-hearted. As soon as their existence crossed his mind, he set about\nmaking preparations to visit them, and as he was not fond of being alone\nhe looked round for some one older and wiser than himself to travel with\nhim. It was not long before he had the good luck to come across an\nold man who had left his wife and children in a far country many years\nbefore, when he went out into the world to seek the fortune which he\nnever found. He agreed to accompany Fortunatus back to Cyprus, but only\non condition he should first be allowed to return for a few weeks to\nhis own home before venturing to set sail for an island so strange and\ndistant. Fortunatus agreed to his proposal, and as he was always fond of\nanything new, said that he would go with him.\n\nThe journey was long, and they had to cross many large rivers, and climb\nover high mountains, and find their way through thick woods, before they\nreached at length the old man\u2019s castle. His wife and children had almost\ngiven up hopes of seeing him again, and crowded eagerly round him.\nIndeed, it did not take Fortunatus five minutes to fall in love with the\nyoungest daughter, the most beautiful creature in the whole world, whose\nname was Cassandra.\n\n\u2018Give her to me for my wife,\u2019 he said to the old man, \u2018and let us all go\ntogether to Famagosta.\u2019\n\nSo a ship was bought big enough to hold Fortunatus, the old man and his\nwife, and their ten children--five of them sons and five daughters. And\nthe day before they sailed the wedding was celebrated with magnificent\nrejoicings, and everybody thought that Fortunatus must certainly be\na prince in disguise. But when they reached Cyprus, he learned to his\nsorrow that both his father and mother were dead, and for some time\nhe shut himself up in his house and would see nobody, full of shame at\nhaving forgotten them all these years. Then he begged that the old man\nand his wife would remain with him, and take the place of his parents.\n\nFor twelve years Fortunatus and Cassandra and their two little boys\nlived happily in Famagosta. They had a beautiful house and everything\nthey could possibly want, and when Cassandra\u2019s sisters married the purse\nprovided them each with a fortune. But at last Fortunatus grew tired of\nstaying at home, and thought he should like to go out and see the\nworld again. Cassandra shed many tears at first when he told her of his\nwishes, and he had a great deal of trouble to persuade her to give her\nconsent. But on his promising to return at the end of two years she\nagreed to let him go. Before he went away he showed her three chests\nof gold, which stood in a room with an iron door, and walls twelve feet\nthick. \u2018If anything should happen to me,\u2019 he said, \u2018and I should never\ncome back, keep one of the chests for yourself, and give the others to\nour two sons.\u2019 Then he embraced them all and took ship for Alexandria.\n\nThe wind was fair and in a few days they entered the harbour, where\nFortunatus was informed by a man whom he met on landing, that if he\nwished to be well received in the town, he must begin by making a\nhandsome present to the Sultan. \u2018That is easily done,\u2019 said Fortunatus,\nand went into a goldsmith\u2019s shop, where he bought a large gold cup,\nwhich cost five thousand pounds. This gift so pleased the Sultan that he\nordered a hundred casks of spices to be given to Fortunatus; Fortunatus\nput them on board his ship, and commanded the captain to return to\nCyprus and deliver them to his wife, Cassandra. He next obtained an\naudience of the Sultan, and begged permission to travel through the\ncountry, which the Sultan readily gave him, adding some letters to the\nrulers of other lands which Fortunatus might wish to visit.\n\nFilled with delight at feeling himself free to roam through the world\nonce more, Fortunatus set out on his journey without losing a day. From\ncourt to court he went, astonishing everyone by the magnificence of his\ndress and the splendour of his presents. At length he grew as tired of\nwandering as he had been of staying at home, and returned to Alexandria,\nwhere he found the same ship that had brought him from Cyprus lying in\nthe harbour. Of course the first thing he did was to pay his respects to\nthe Sultan, who was eager to hear about his adventures.\n\nWhen Fortunatus had told them all, the Sultan observed: \u2018Well, you\nhave seen many wonderful things, but I have something to show you more\nwonderful still;\u2019 and he led him into a room where precious stones lay\nheaped against the walls. Fortunatus\u2019 eyes were quite dazzled, but the\nSultan went on without pausing and opened a door at the farther end. As\nfar as Fortunatus could see, the cupboard was quite bare, except for a\nlittle red cap, such as soldiers wear in Turkey.\n\n\u2018Look at this,\u2019 said the Sultan.\n\n\u2018But there is nothing very valuable about it,\u2019 answered Fortunatus.\n\u2018I\u2019ve seen a dozen better caps than that, this very day.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 said the Sultan, \u2018you do not know what you are talking about.\nWhoever puts this cap on his head and wishes himself in any place, will\nfind himself there in a moment.\u2019\n\n\u2018But who made it?\u2019 asked Fortunatus.\n\n\u2018That I cannot tell you,\u2019 replied the Sultan.\n\n\u2018Is it very heavy to wear?\u2019 asked Fortunatus.\n\n\u2018No, quite light,\u2019 replied the Sultan, \u2018just feel it.\u2019\n\nFortunatus took the cap and put it on his head, and then, without\nthinking, wished himself back in the ship that was starting for\nFamagosta. In a second he was standing at the prow, while the anchor\nwas being weighed, and while the Sultan was repenting of his folly in\nallowing Fortunatus to try on the cap, the vessel was making fast for\nCyprus.\n\nWhen it arrived, Fortunatus found his wife and children well, but the\ntwo old people were dead and buried. His sons had grown tall and strong,\nbut unlike their father had no wish to see the world, and found their\nchief pleasure in hunting and tilting. In the main, Fortunatus was\ncontent to stay quietly at home, and if a restless fit did seize upon\nhim, he was able to go away for a few hours without being missed, thanks\nto the cap, which he never sent back to the Sultan.\n\nBy-and-by he grew old, and feeling that he had not many days to live,\nhe sent for his two sons, and showing them the purse and cap, he said to\nthem: \u2018Never part with these precious possessions. They are worth more\nthan all the gold and lands I leave behind me. But never tell their\nsecret, even to your wife or dearest friend. That purse has served me\nwell for forty years, and no one knows whence I got my riches.\u2019 Then\nhe died and was buried by his wife Cassandra, and he was mourned in\nFamagosta for many years.\n\n\n\n\nThe Goat-faced Girl\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a peasant called Masaniello who had twelve\ndaughters. They were exactly like the steps of a staircase, for there\nwas just a year between each sister. It was all the poor man could do to\nbring up such a large family, and in order to provide food for them he\nused to dig in the fields all day long. In spite of his hard work he\nonly just succeeded in keeping the wolf from the door, and the poor\nlittle girls often went hungry to bed.\n\nOne day, when Masaniello was working at the foot of a high mountain, he\ncame upon the mouth of a cave which was so dark and gloomy that even\nthe sun seemed afraid to enter it. Suddenly a huge green lizard appeared\nfrom the inside and stood before Masaniello, who nearly went out of his\nmind with terror, for the beast was as big as a crocodile and quite as\nfierce looking.\n\nBut the lizard sat down beside him in the most friendly manner, and\nsaid: \u2018Don\u2019t be afraid, my good man, I am not going to hurt you; on the\ncontrary, I am most anxious to help you.\u2019\n\nWhen the peasant heard these words he knelt before the lizard and said:\n\u2018Dear lady, for I know not what to call you, I am in your power; but I\nbeg of you to be merciful, for I have twelve wretched little daughters\nat home who are dependent on me.\u2019\n\n\u2018That\u2019s the very reason why I have come to you,\u2019 replied the lizard.\n\u2018Bring me your youngest daughter to-morrow morning. I promise to bring\nher up as if she were my own child, and to look upon her as the apple of\nmy eye.\u2019\n\nWhen Masaniello heard her words he was very unhappy, because he felt\nsure, from the lizard\u2019s wanting one of his daughters, the youngest and\ntenderest too, that the poor little girl would only serve as dessert for\nthe terrible creature\u2019s supper. At the same time he said to himself,\n\u2018If I refuse her request, she will certainly eat me up on the spot. If\nI give her what she asks she does indeed take part of myself, but if I\nrefuse she will take the whole of me. What am I to do, and how in the\nworld am I to get out of the difficulty?\u2019\n\nAs he kept muttering to himself the lizard said, \u2018Make up your mind to\ndo as I tell you at once. I desire to have your youngest daughter, and\nif you won\u2019t comply with my wish, I can only say it will be the worse\nfor you.\u2019\n\nSeeing that there was nothing else to be done, Masaniello set off for\nhis home, and arrived there looking so white and wretched that his wife\nasked him at once: \u2018What has happened to you, my dear husband? Have you\nquarrelled with anyone, or has the poor donkey fallen down?\u2019\n\n\u2018Neither the one nor the other,\u2019 answered her husband,\u2019 but something\nfar worse than either. A terrible lizard has nearly frightened me out\nof my senses, for she threatened that if I did not give her our youngest\ndaughter, she would make me repent it. My head is going round like a\nmill-wheel, and I don\u2019t know what to do. I am indeed between the Devil\nand the Deep Sea. You know how dearly I love Renzolla, and yet, if I\nfail to bring her to the lizard to-morrow morning, I must say farewell\nto life. Do advise me what to do.\u2019\n\nWhen his wife had heard all he had to say, she said to him: \u2018How do you\nknow, my dear husband, that the lizard is really our enemy? May she not\nbe a friend in disguise? And your meeting with her may be the beginning\nof better things and the end of all our misery. Therefore go and take\nthe child to her, for my heart tells me that you will never repent doing\nso.\u2019\n\nMasaniello was much comforted by her words, and next morning as soon as\nit was light he took his little daughter by the hand and led her to the\ncave.\n\nThe lizard, who was awaiting the peasant\u2019s arrival, came forward to meet\nhim, and taking the girl by the hand, she gave the father a sack full\nof gold, and said: \u2018Go and marry your other daughters, and give them\ndowries with this gold, and be of good cheer, for Renzolla will have\nboth father and mother in me; it is a great piece of luck for her that\nshe has fallen into my hands.\u2019\n\nMasaniello, quite overcome with gratitude, thanked the lizard, and\nreturned home to his wife.\n\nAs soon as it was known how rich the peasant had become, suitors for the\nhands of his daughters were not wanting, and very soon he married them\nall off; and even then there was enough gold left to keep himself and\nhis wife in comfort and plenty all their days.\n\nAs soon as the lizard was left alone with Renzolla, she changed the cave\ninto a beautiful palace, and led the girl inside. Here she brought her\nup like a little princess, and the child wanted for nothing. She gave\nher sumptuous food to eat, beautiful clothes to wear, and a thousand\nservants to wait on her.\n\nNow, it happened, one day, that the king of the country was hunting in a\nwood close to the palace, and was overtaken by the dark. Seeing a light\nshining in the palace he sent one of his servants to ask if he could get\na night\u2019s lodging there.\n\nWhen the page knocked at the door the lizard changed herself into\na beautiful woman, and opened it herself. When she heard the king\u2019s\nrequest she sent him a message to say that she would be delighted to see\nhim, and give him all he wanted.\n\nThe king, on hearing this kind invitation, instantly betook himself\nto the palace, where he was received in the most hospitable manner. A\nhundred pages with torches came to meet him, a hundred more waited on\nhim at table, and another hundred waved big fans in the air to keep the\nflies from him. Renzolla herself poured out the wine for him, and, so\ngracefully did she do it, that his Majesty could not take his eyes off\nher.\n\nWhen the meal was finished and the table cleared, the king retired\nto sleep, and Renzolla drew the shoes from his feet, at the same time\ndrawing his heart from his breast. So desperately had he fallen in love\nwith her, that he called the fairy to him, and asked her for Renzolla\u2019s\nhand in marriage. As the kind fairy had only the girl\u2019s welfare at\nheart, she willingly gave her consent, and not her consent only, but a\nwedding portion of seven thousand golden guineas.\n\nThe king, full of delight over his good fortune, prepared to take his\ndeparture, accompanied by Renzolla, who never so much as thanked the\nfairy for all she had done for her. When the fairy saw such a base want\nof gratitude she determined to punish the girl, and, cursing her, she\nturned her face into a goat\u2019s head. In a moment Renzolla\u2019s pretty mouth\nstretched out into a snout, with a beard a yard long at the end of it,\nher cheeks sank in, and her shining plaits of hair changed into two\nsharp horns. When the king turned round and saw her he thought he must\nhave taken leave of his senses. He burst into tears, and cried out:\n\u2018Where is the hair that bound me so tightly, where are the eyes that\npierced through my heart, and where are the lips I kissed? Am I to be\ntied to a goat all my life? No, no! nothing will induce me to become the\nlaughing-stock of my subjects for the sake of a goat-faced girl!\u2019\n\nWhen they reached his own country he shut Renzolla up in a little turret\nchamber of his palace, with a waiting-maid, and gave each of them ten\nbundles of flax to spin, telling them that their task must be finished\nby the end of the week.\n\nThe maid, obedient to the king\u2019s commands, set at once to work and\ncombed out the flax, wound it round the spindle, and sat spinning at her\nwheel so diligently that her work was quite done by Saturday evening.\nBut Renzolla, who had been spoilt and petted in the fairy\u2019s house, and\nwas quite unaware of the change that had taken place in her appearance,\nthrew the flax out of the window and said: \u2018What is the king thinking\nof that he should give me this work to do? If he wants shirts he can\nbuy them. It isn\u2019t even as if he had picked me out of the gutter, for he\nought to remember that I brought him seven thousand golden guineas as\nmy wedding portion, and that I am his wife and not his slave. He must be\nmad to treat me like this.\u2019\n\nAll the same, when Saturday evening came, and she saw that the\nwaiting-maid had finished her task, she took fright lest she should\nbe punished for her idleness. So she hurried off to the palace of\nthe fairy, and confided all her woes to her. The fairy embraced her\ntenderly, and gave her a sack full of spun flax, in order that she\nmight show it to the king, and let him see what a good worker she was.\nRenzolla took the sack without one word of thanks, and returned to\nthe palace, leaving the kind fairy very indignant over her want of\ngratitude.\n\nWhen the king saw the flax all spun, he gave Renzolla and the\nwaiting-maid each a little dog, and told them to look after the animals\nand train them carefully.\n\nThe waiting-maid brought hers up with the greatest possible care, and\ntreated it almost as if it were her son. But Renzolla said: \u2018I don\u2019t\nknow what to think. Have I come among a lot of lunatics? Does the king\nimagine that I am going to comb and feed a dog with my own hands?\u2019 With\nthese words she opened the window and threw the poor little beast out,\nand he fell on the ground as dead as a stone.\n\nWhen a few months had passed the king sent a message to say he would\nlike to see how the dogs were getting on. Renzolla, who felt very\nuncomfortable in her mind at this request, hurried off once more to the\nfairy. This time she found an old man at the door of the fairy\u2019s palace,\nwho said to her: \u2018Who are you, and what do you want?\u2019\n\nWhen Renzolla heard his question she answered angrily: \u2018Don\u2019t you know\nme, old Goat-beard? And how dare you address me in such a way?\u2019\n\n\u2018The pot can\u2019t call the kettle black,\u2019 answered the old man, \u2018for it\nis not I, but you who have a goat\u2019s head. Just wait a moment, you\nungrateful wretch, and I will show you to what a pass your want of\ngratitude has brought you.\u2019\n\nWith these words he hurried away, and returned with a mirror, which he\nheld up before Renzolla. At the sight of her ugly, hairy face, the girl\nnearly fainted with horror, and she broke into loud sobs at seeing her\ncountenance so changed.\n\nThen the old man said: \u2018You must remember, Renzolla, that you are a\npeasant\u2019s daughter, and that the fairy turned you into a queen; but you\nwere ungrateful, and never as much as thanked her for all she had done\nfor you. Therefore she has determined to punish you. But if you wish\nto lose your long white beard, throw yourself at the fairy\u2019s feet and\nimplore her to forgive you. She has a tender heart, and will, perhaps,\ntake pity on you.\u2019\n\nRenzolla, who was really sorry for her conduct, took the old man\u2019s\nadvice, and the fairy not only gave her back her former face, but she\ndressed her in a gold embroidered dress, presented her with a beautiful\ncarriage, and brought her back, accompanied by a host of servants, to\nher husband. When the king saw her looking as beautiful as ever, he fell\nin love with her once more, and bitterly repented having caused her so\nmuch suffering.\n\nSo Renzolla lived happily ever afterwards, for she loved her husband,\nhonoured the fairy, and was grateful to the old man for having told her\nthe truth.\n\n[From the Italian. Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nWhat Came of Picking Flowers\n\n\nThere was once a woman who had three daughters whom she loved very much.\nOne day the eldest was walking in a water-meadow, when she saw a pink\ngrowing in the stream. She stooped to pick the flower, but her hand had\nscarcely touched it, when she vanished altogether. The next morning the\nsecond sister went out into the meadow, to see if she could find any\ntraces of the lost girl, and as a branch of lovely roses lay trailing\nacross her path, she bent down to move it away, and in so doing,\ncould not resist plucking one of the roses. In a moment she too had\ndisappeared. Wondering what could have become of her two sisters, the\nyoungest followed in their footsteps, and fell a victim to a branch\nof delicious white jessamine. So the old woman was left without any\ndaughters at all.\n\nShe wept, and wept, and wept, all day and all night, and went on weeping\nso long, that her son, who had been a little boy when his sisters\ndisappeared, grew up to be a tall youth. Then one night he asked his\nmother to tell him what was the matter.\n\nWhen he had heard the whole story, he said, \u2018Give me your blessing,\nmother, and I will go and search the world till I find them.\u2019\n\nSo he set forth, and after he had travelled several miles without any\nadventures, he came upon three big boys fighting in the road. He stopped\nand inquired what they were fighting about, and one of them answered:\n\n\u2018My lord! our father left to us, when he died, a pair of boots, a key,\nand a cap. Whoever puts on the boots and wishes himself in any place,\nwill find himself there. The key will open every door in the world, and\nwith the cap on your head no one can see you. Now our eldest brother\nwants to have all three things for himself, and we wish to draw lots for\nthem.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, that is easily settled,\u2019 said the youth. \u2018I will throw this stone\nas far as I can, and the one who picks it up first, shall have the three\nthings.\u2019 So he took the stone and flung it, and while the three brothers\nwere running after it, he drew hastily on the boots, and said, \u2018Boots,\ntake me to the place where I shall find my eldest sister.\u2019\n\nThe next moment the young man was standing on a steep mountain before\nthe gates of a strong castle guarded by bolts and bars and iron chains.\nThe key, which he had not forgotten to put in his pocket, opened the\ndoors one by one, and he walked through a number of halls and corridors,\ntill he met a beautiful and richly-dressed young lady who started back\nin surprise at the sight of him, and exclaimed, \u2018Oh, sir, how did\nyou contrive _to_ get in here?\u2019 The young man replied that he was her\nbrother, and told her by what means he had been able to pass through the\ndoors. In return, she told him how happy she was, except for one thing,\nand that was, her husband lay under a spell, and could never break it\ntill there should be put to death a man who could not die.\n\nThey talked together for a long time, and then the lady said he had\nbetter leave her as she expected her husband back at any moment, and he\nmight not like him to be there; but the young man assured her she need\nnot be afraid, as he had with him a cap which would make him invisible.\nThey were still deep in conversation when the door suddenly opened, and\na bird flew in, but he saw nothing unusual, for, at the first noise, the\nyouth had put on his cap. The lady jumped up and brought a large\ngolden basin, into which the bird flew, reappearing directly after as\na handsome man. Turning to his wife, he cried, \u2018I am sure someone is in\nthe room!\u2019 She got frightened, and declared that she was quite alone,\nbut her husband persisted, and in the end she had to confess the truth.\n\n\u2018But if he is really your brother, why did you hide him?\u2019 asked he.\n\u2018I believe you are telling me a lie, and if he comes back I shall kill\nhim!\u2019\n\nAt this the youth took off his cap, and came forward. Then the husband\nsaw that he was indeed so like his wife that he doubted her word no\nlonger, and embraced his brother-in-law with delight. Drawing a feather\nfrom his bird\u2019s skin, he said, \u2018If you are in danger and cry, \u201cCome and\nhelp me, King of the Birds,\u201d everything will go well with you.\u2019\n\nThe young man thanked him and went away, and after he had left the\ncastle he told the boots that they must take him to the place where his\nsecond sister was living. As before, he found himself at the gates of\na huge castle, and within was his second sister, very happy with her\nhusband, who loved her dearly, but longing for the moment when he should\nbe set free from the spell that kept him half his life a fish. When he\narrived and had been introduced by his wife to her brother, he welcomed\nhim warmly, and gave him a fish-scale, saying, \u2018If you are in danger,\ncall to me, \u201cCome and help me, King of the Fishes,\u201d and everything will\ngo well with you.\u2019\n\nThe young man thanked him and took his leave, and when he was outside\nthe gates he told the boots to take him to the place where his youngest\nsister lived. The boots carried him to a dark cavern, with steps of iron\nleading up to it. Inside she sat, weeping and sobbing, and as she had\ndone nothing else the whole time she had been there, the poor girl had\ngrown very thin. When she saw a man standing before her, she sprang to\nher feet and exclaimed, \u2018Oh, whoever you are, save me and take me from\nthis horrible place!\u2019 Then he told her who he was, and how he had seen\nher sisters, whose happiness was spoilt by the spell under which both\ntheir husbands lay, and she, in turn, related her story. She had been\ncarried off in the water-meadow by a horrible monster, who wanted to\nmake her marry him by force, and had kept her a prisoner all these years\nbecause she would not submit to his will. Every day he came to beg her\nto consent to his wishes, and to remind her that there was no hope of\nher being set free, as he was the most constant man in the world, and\nbesides that he could never die. At these words the youth remembered his\ntwo enchanted brothers-in-law, and he advised his sister to promise to\nmarry the old man, if he would tell her why he could never die. Suddenly\neverything began to tremble, as if it was shaken by a whirlwind, and the\nold man entered, and flinging himself at the feet of the girl, he said:\n\u2018Are you still determined never to marry me? If so you will have to sit\nthere weeping till the end of the world, for I shall always be faithful\nto my wish to marry you!\u2019 \u2018Well, I will marry you,\u2019 she said, \u2018if you\nwill tell me why it is that you can never die.\u2019\n\nThen the old man burst into peals of laughter. \u2018Ah, ah, ah! You are\nthinking how you would be able to kill me? Well, to do that, you would\nhave to find an iron casket which lies at the bottom of the sea, and has\na white dove inside, and then you would have to find the egg which\nthe dove laid, and bring it here, and dash it against my head.\u2019 And\nhe laughed again in his certainty that no one had ever got down to\nthe bottom of the sea, and that if they did, they would never find the\ncasket, or be able to open it. When he could speak once more, he said,\n\u2018Now you will be obliged to marry me, as you know my secret.\u2019 But she\nbegged so hard that the wedding might be put off for three days, that\nhe consented, and went away rejoicing at his victory. When he had\ndisappeared, the brother took off the cap which had kept him invisible\nall this time, and told his sister not to lose heart as he hoped in\nthree days she would be free. Then he drew on his boots, and wished\nhimself at the seashore, and there he was directly. Drawing out the\nfish-scale, he cried, \u2018Come and help me, King of the Fishes!\u2019 and\nhis brother-in-law swam up, and asked what he could do. The young man\nrelated the story, and when he had finished his listener summoned all\nthe fishes to his presence. The last to arrive was a little sardine, who\napologised for being so late, but said she had hurt herself by knocking\nher head against an iron casket that lay in the bottom of the sea. The\nking ordered several of the largest and strongest of his subjects to\ntake the little sardine as a guide, and bring him the iron casket. They\nsoon returned with the box placed across their backs and laid it down\nbefore him. Then the youth produced the key and said \u2018Key, open that\nbox!\u2019 and the key opened it, and though they were all crowding round,\nready to catch it, the white dove within flew away.\n\nIt was useless to go after it, and for a moment the young man\u2019s heart\nsank. The next minute, however, he remembered that he had still his\nfeather, and drew it out crying, \u2018Come to me, King of the Birds!\u2019 and\na rushing noise was heard, and the King of the Birds perched on his\nshoulder, and asked what he could do to help him. His brother-in-law\ntold him the whole story, and when he had finished the King of the Birds\ncommanded all his subjects to hasten to his presence. In an instant\nthe air was dark with birds of all sizes, and at the very last came the\nwhite dove, apologising for being so late by saying that an old friend\nhad arrived at his nest, and he had been obliged to give him some\ndinner. The King of the Birds ordered some of them to show the young man\nthe white dove\u2019s nest, and when they reached it, there lay the egg which\nwas to break the spell and set them all free. When it was safely in his\npocket, he told the boots to carry him straight to the cavern where his\nyoungest sister sat awaiting him.\n\nNow it was already far on into the third day, which the old man had\nfixed for the wedding, and when the youth reached the cavern with his\ncap on his head, he found the monster there, urging the girl to keep her\nword and let the marriage take place at once. At a sign from her brother\nshe sat down and invited the old monster to lay his head on her lap. He\ndid so with delight, and her brother standing behind her back passed\nher the egg unseen. She took it, and dashed it straight at the horrible\nhead, and the monster started, and with a groan that people took for the\nrumblings of an earthquake, he turned over and died.\n\nAs the breath went out of his body the husbands of the two eldest\ndaughters resumed their proper shapes, and, sending for their\nmother-in-law, whose sorrow was so unexpectedly turned into joy, they\nhad a great feast, and the youngest sister was rich to the end of her\ndays with the treasures she found in the cave, collected by the monster.\n\n[From the Portuguese.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Bensurdatu\n\n\nThere was once a king and a queen who had three wonderfully beautiful\ndaughters, and their one thought, from morning till night, was how they\ncould make the girls happy.\n\nOne day the princesses said to the king, \u2018Dear father, we want so much\nto have a picnic, and eat our dinner in the country.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well, dear children, let us have a picnic by all means,\u2019 answered\nhe, and gave orders that everything should be got ready.\n\nWhen luncheon was prepared it was put into a cart, and the royal family\nstepped into a carriage and drove right away into the country. After\na few miles they reached a house and garden belonging to the king, and\nclose by was their favourite place for lunch. The drive had made them\nvery hungry, and they ate with a hearty appetite, till almost all the\nfood had disappeared.\n\nWhen they had quite done, they said to their parents: \u2018Now we should\nlike to wander about the garden a little, but when you want to go home,\njust call to us.\u2019 And they ran off, laughing, down a green glade, which\nled to the garden.\n\nBut no sooner had they stepped across the fence, than a dark cloud\ncame down and covered them, and prevented them seeing whither they were\ngoing.\n\nMeanwhile the king and queen sat lazily among the heather, and an hour\nor two slipped away. The sun was dropping towards the horizon, and they\nbegan to think it was time to go home. So they called to their daughters\nand called again, but no one answered them.\n\nFrightened at the silence, they searched every corner of the garden, the\nhouse, and the neighbouring wood, but no trace of the girls was to be\nfound anywhere. The earth seemed to have swallowed them up. The poor\nparents were in despair. The queen wept all the way home, and for many\ndays after, and the king issued a proclamation that whoever should bring\nback his lost daughters should have one of them to wife, and should,\nafter his death, reign in his stead.\n\nNow two young generals were at that time living at the court, and when\nthey heard the king\u2019s declaration, they said one to the other: \u2018Let us\ngo in search of them; perhaps we shall be the lucky persons.\u2019\n\nAnd they set out, each mounted on a strong horse, taking with them a\nchange of raiment and some money.\n\nBut though they inquired at every village they rode through, they could\nhear nothing of the princesses, and by-and-by their money was all spent,\nand they were forced to sell their horses, or give up the search. Even\nthis money only lasted a little while longer, and nothing but their\nclothes lay between them and starvation. They sold the spare garments\nthat were bound on their saddles, and went in the coats they stood up\nin to the inn, to beg for some food, as they were really starving. When,\nhowever, they had to pay for what they had eaten and drank, they said to\nthe host: \u2018We have no money, and naught but the clothes we stand up in.\nTake these, and give us instead some old rags, and let us stay here\nand serve you.\u2019 And the innkeeper was content with the bargain, and the\ngenerals remained, and were his servants.\n\nAll this time the king and queen remained in their palace hungering for\ntheir children, but not a word was heard of either of them or of the\ngenerals who had gone to seek for them.\n\nNow there was living in the palace a faithful servant of the king\u2019s\ncalled Bensurdatu, who had served him for many years, and when\nBensurdatu saw how grieved the king was, he lifted up his voice and said\nto him: \u2018Your majesty, let me go and seek your daughters.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, no, Bensurdatu,\u2019 replied the king. \u2018Three daughters have I lost,\nand two generals, and shall I lose you also?\u2019\n\nBut Bensurdatu said again: \u2018Let me now go, your majesty; trust me, and I\nwill bring you back your daughters.\u2019\n\nThen the king gave way, and Bensurdatu set forth, and rode on till he\ncame to the inn, where he dismounted and asked for food. It was brought\nby the two generals, whom he knew at once in spite of their miserable\nclothes, and, much astonished, asked them how in the world they came\nthere.\n\nThey told him all their adventures, and he sent for the innkeeper, and\nsaid to him: \u2018Give them back their garments, and I will pay everything\nthat they owe you.\u2019\n\nAnd the innkeeper did as he was bid, and when the two generals\nwere dressed in their proper clothes, they declared they would join\nBensurdatu, and with him seek for the king\u2019s daughters.\n\nThe three companions rode on for many miles, and at length they came to\na wild place, without sign of a human being. It was getting dark, and\nfearing to be lost on this desolate spot they pushed on their horses,\nand at last saw a light in the window of a tiny hut.\n\n\u2018Who comes there?\u2019 asked a voice, as they knocked at the door.\n\n\u2018Oh! have pity on us, and give us a night\u2019s shelter,\u2019 replied\nBensurdatu; \u2018we are three tired travellers who have lost our way.\u2019\n\nThen the door was opened by a very old woman who stood back, and\nbeckoned them to enter. \u2018Whence do you come, and whither do you go?\u2019\nsaid she.\n\n\u2018Ah, good woman, we have a heavy task before us,\u2019 answered Bensurdatu,\n\u2018we are bound to carry the king\u2019s daughters back to the palace!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, unhappy creatures,\u2019 cried she, \u2018you know not what you are doing!\nThe king\u2019s daughters were covered by a thick cloud, and no one knows\nwhere they may now be.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, tell us, if you know, my good woman,\u2019 entreated Bensurdatu, \u2018for\nwith them lies all our happiness.\u2019\n\n\u2018Even if I were to tell you,\u2019 answered she, \u2018you could not rescue them.\nTo do that you would have to go to the very bottom of a deep river, and\nthough certainly you would find the king\u2019s daughters there, yet the\ntwo eldest are guarded by two giants, and the youngest is watched by a\nserpent with seven heads.\u2019\n\nThe two generals, who stood by listening, were filled with terror at her\nwords, and wished to return immediately; but Bensurdatu stood firm, and\nsaid: \u2018Now we have got so far we must carry the thing through. Tell us\nwhere the river is, so that we may get there as soon as possible.\u2019 And\nthe old woman told them, and gave them some cheese, wine, and bread,\nso that they should not set forth starving; and when they had eaten and\ndrunk they laid themselves down to sleep.\n\nThe sun had only just risen above the hills next morning before they all\nwoke, and, taking leave of the wise woman who had helped them, they rode\non till they came to the river.\n\n\u2018I am the eldest,\u2019 said one of the generals, \u2018and it is my right to go\ndown first.\u2019\n\nSo the others fastened a cord round him, and gave him a little bell, and\nlet him down into the water. But scarcely had the river closed above\nhis head when such dreadful rushing sounds and peals of thunder came\ncrashing round about him that he lost all his courage, and rang his\nbell, if perchance it might be heard amidst all this clamour. Great was\nhis relief when the rope began slowly to pull him upwards.\n\nThen the other general plunged in; but he fared no better than the\nfirst, and was soon on dry ground again.\n\n\u2018Well, you are a brave pair!\u2019 said Bensurdatu, as he tied the rope round\nhis own waist; \u2018let us see what will happen to me.\u2019 And when he heard\nthe thunder and clamour round about him he thought to himself, \u2018Oh, make\nas much noise as you like, it won\u2019t hurt me!\u2019 When his feet touched the\nbottom he found himself in a large, brilliantly lighted hall, and in the\nmiddle sat the eldest princess, and in front of her lay a huge giant,\nfast asleep. Directly she saw Bensurdatu she nodded to him, and asked\nwith her eyes how he had come there.\n\nFor answer he drew his sword, and was about to cut off the giant\u2019s head,\nwhen she stopped him quickly, and made signs to hide himself, as the\ngiant was just beginning to wake. \u2018I smell the flesh of a man!\u2019 murmured\nhe, stretching his great arms.\n\n\u2018Why, how in the world could any man get down here?\u2019 replied she; \u2018you\nhad better go to sleep again.\u2019\n\nSo he turned over and went to sleep. Then the princess signed to\nBensurdatu, who drew his sword and cut off the giant\u2019s head with such a\nblow that it flew into the corner. And the heart of the princess leapt\nwithin her, and she placed a golden crown on the head of Bensurdatu, and\ncalled him her deliverer.\n\n\u2018Now show me where your sisters are,\u2019 he said, \u2018that I may free them\nalso.\u2019\n\nSo the princess opened a door, and led him into another hall, wherein\nsat her next sister, guarded by a giant who was fast asleep. When the\nsecond princess saw them, she made a sign to them to hide themselves,\nfor the giant was showing symptoms of waking.\n\n\u2018I smell man\u2019s flesh!\u2019 murmured he, sleepily.\n\n\u2018Now, how could any man get down here?\u2019 asked she; \u2018go to sleep again.\u2019\nAnd as soon as he closed his eyes, Bensurdatu stole out from his corner,\nand struck such a blow at his head that it flew far, far away. The\nprincess could not find words to thank Bensurdatu for what he had done,\nand she too placed in his hand a golden crown.\n\n\u2018Now show me where your youngest sister is,\u2019 said he, \u2018that I may free\nher also.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah! that I fear you will never be able to do,\u2019 sighed they, \u2018for she is\nin the power of a serpent with seven heads.\u2019\n\n\u2018Take me to him,\u2019 replied Bensurdatu. \u2018It will be a splendid fight.\u2019\n\nThen the princess opened a door, and Bensurdatu passed through, and\nfound himself in a hall that was even larger than the other two. And\nthere stood the youngest sister, chained fast to the wall, and before\nher was stretched a serpent with seven heads, horrible to see. As\nBensurdatu came forward it twisted all its seven heads in his direction,\nand then made a quick dart to snatch him within its grasp. But\nBensurdatu drew his sword and laid about him, till the seven heads were\nrolling on the floor. Flinging down his sword he rushed to the princess\nand broke her chains, and she wept for joy, and embraced him, and took\nthe golden crown from off her head, and placed it in his hand.\n\n\u2018Now we must go back to the upper world,\u2019 said Bensurdatu, and led her\nto the bottom of the river. The other princesses were waiting there, and\nhe tied the rope round the eldest, and rung his bell. And the generals\nabove heard, and drew her gently up. They then unfastened the cord and\nthrew it back into the river, and in a few moments the second princess\nstood beside her sister.\n\nSo now there were left only Bensurdatu and the youngest princess. \u2018Dear\nBensurdatu,\u2019 said she, \u2018do me a kindness, and let them draw you up\nbefore me. I dread the treachery of the generals.\n\n\u2018No, no,\u2019 replied Bensurdatu, \u2018I certainly will not leave you down here.\nThere is nothing to fear from my comrades.\u2019\n\n\u2018If it is your wish I will go up then; but first I swear that if you do\nnot follow to marry me, I shall stay single for the rest of my life.\u2019\nThen he bound the rope round her, and the generals drew her up.\n\nBut instead of lowering the rope again into the river, envy at the\ncourage and success of Bensurdatu so filled the hearts of the two\ngenerals, that they turned away and left him to perish. And, more than\nthat, they threatened the princesses, and forced them to promise to tell\ntheir parents that it was the two generals who had set them free. \u2018And\nif they should ask you about Bensurdatu, you must say you have never\nseen him,\u2019 they added; and the princesses, fearing for their lives,\npromised everything, and they rode back to court together.\n\nThe king and queen were beside themselves with joy when they saw their\ndear children once more. But when the generals had told their story, and\nthe dangers they had run, the king declared that they had gained their\nreward, and that the two eldest princesses should become their wives.\n\nAnd now we must see what poor Bensurdatu was doing.\n\nHe waited patiently a long, long time, but when the rope never came back\nhe knew he had been right, and that his comrades had betrayed him. \u2018Ah,\nnow I shall never reach the world again,\u2019 murmured he; but being a brave\nman, and knowing that moaning his fate would profit him nothing, he rose\nand began to search through the three halls, where, perhaps, he might\nfind something to help him. In the last one stood a dish, covered with\nfood, which reminded him that he was hungry, and he sat down and ate and\ndrank.\n\nMonths passed away, when, one morning, as he was walking through the\nhalls, he noticed a purse hanging on the wall, which had never been\nthere before. He took it down to examine it, and nearly let it fall with\nsurprise when a voice came from the purse saying: \u2018What commands have\nyou?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, take me out of this horrible place, and up into the world again;\n\u2018and in a moment he was standing by the river bank, with the purse\ntightly grasped in his hand.\n\n\u2018Now let me have the most beautiful ship that ever was built, all manned\nand ready for sea.\u2019 And there was the ship, with a flag floating from\nits mast on which were the words, \u2018King with the three crowns.\u2019 Then\nBensurdatu climbed on board, and sailed away to the city where the three\nprincesses dwelt; and when he reached the harbour he blew trumpets and\nbeat drums, so that every one ran to the doors and windows. And the king\nheard too, and saw the beautiful vessel, and said to himself: \u2018That must\nindeed be a mighty monarch, for he has three crowns while I have only\none.\u2019 So he hastened to greet the stranger, and invited him to his\ncastle, for, thought he, \u2018this will be a fine husband for my youngest\ndaughter.\u2019 Now, the youngest princess had never married, and had turned\na deaf ear to all her wooers.\n\nSuch a long time had passed since Bensurdatu had left the palace, that\nthe king never guessed for a moment that the splendidly clad stranger\nbefore him was the man whom he had so deeply mourned as dead. \u2018Noble\nlord,\u2019 said he, \u2018let us feast and make merry together, and then, if\nit seem good to you, do me the honour to take my youngest daughter to\nwife.\u2019\n\nAnd Bensurdatu was glad, and they all sat down to a great feast, and\nthere were great rejoicings. But only the youngest daughter was sad, for\nher thoughts were with Bensurdatu. After they arose from the table the\nking said to her, \u2018Dear child, this mighty lord does you the honour to\nask your hand in marriage.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, father,\u2019 answered she, \u2018spare me, I pray you, for I desire to\nremain single.\u2019\n\nThen Bensurdatu turned to her, and said: \u2018And if I were Bensurdatu,\nwould you give the same answer to me?\u2019\n\nAnd as she stood silently gazing at him, he added: \u2018Yes, I am\nBensurdatu; and this is my story.\u2019\n\nThe king and queen had their hearts stirred within them at the tale of\nhis adventures, and when he had ended the king stretched out his hand,\nand said: \u2018Dear Bensurdatu, my youngest daughter shall indeed be your\nwife; and when I die my crown shall be yours. As for the men who have\nbetrayed you, they shall leave the country and you shall see them no\nmore.\u2019\n\nAnd the wedding feast was ordered, and rejoicings were held for three\ndays over the marriage of Bensurdatu and the youngest princess.\n\n[From the Sicilianische M\u00e4rchen.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Magician\u2019s Horse\n\n\nOnce upon a time, there was a king who had three sons. Now it happened\nthat one day the three princes went out hunting in a large forest at\nsome distance from their father\u2019s palace, and the youngest prince lost\nhis way, so his brothers had to return home without him.\n\nFor four days the prince wandered through the glades of the forest,\nsleeping on moss beneath the stars at night, and by day living on roots\nand wild berries. At last, on the morning of the fifth day, he came to\na large open space in the middle of the forest, and here stood a stately\npalace; but neither within nor without was there a trace of human life.\nThe prince entered the open door and wandered through the deserted rooms\nwithout seeing a living soul. At last he came on a great hall, and in\nthe centre of the hall was a table spread with dainty dishes and choice\nwines. The prince sat down, and satisfied his hunger and thirst, and\nimmediately afterwards the table disappeared from his sight. This struck\nthe prince as very strange; but though he continued his search through\nall the rooms, upstairs and down, he could find no one to speak to.\nAt last, just as it was beginning to get dark, he heard steps in the\ndistance and he saw an old man coming towards him up the stairs.\n\n\u2018What are you doing wandering about my castle?\u2019 asked the old man.\n\nTo whom the prince replied: \u2018I lost my way hunting in the forest. If you\nwill take me into your service, I should like to stay with you, and will\nserve you faithfully.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 said the old man. \u2018You may enter my service. You will have\nto keep the stove always lit, you will have to fetch the wood for it\nfrom the forest, and you will have the charge of the black horse in\nthe stables. I will pay you a florin a day, and at meal times you will\nalways find the table in the hall spread with food and wine, and you can\neat and drink as much as you require.\u2019\n\nThe prince was satisfied, and he entered the old man\u2019s service, and\npromised to see that there was always wood on the stove, so that the\nfire should never die out. Now, though he did not know it, his new\nmaster was a magician, and the flame of the stove was a magic fire,\nand if it had gone out the magician would have lost a great part of his\npower.\n\nOne day the prince forgot, and let the fire burn so low that it very\nnearly burnt out. Just as the flame was flickering the old man stormed\ninto the room.\n\n\u2018What do you mean by letting the fire burn so low?\u2019 he growled. \u2018I have\nonly arrived in the nick of time.\u2019 And while the prince hastily threw a\nlog on the stove and blew on the ashes to kindle a glow, his master gave\nhim a severe box on the ear, and warned him that if ever it happened\nagain it would fare badly with him.\n\nOne day the prince was sitting disconsolate in the stables when, to his\nsurprise, the black horse spoke to him.\n\n\u2018Come into my stall,\u2019 it said, \u2018I have something to say to you. Fetch my\nbridle and saddle from that cupboard and put them on me. Take the bottle\nthat is beside them; it contains an ointment which will make your hair\nshine like pure gold; then put all the wood you can gather together on\nto the stove, till it is piled quite high up.\u2019\n\nSo the prince did what the horse told him; he saddled and bridled the\nhorse, he put the ointment on his hair till it shone like gold, and he\nmade such a big fire in the stove that the flames sprang up and set fire\nto the roof, and in a few minutes the palace was burning like a huge\nbonfire.\n\nThen he hurried back to the stables, and the horse said to him:\n\u2018There is one thing more you must do. In the cupboard you will find a\nlooking-glass, a brush and a riding-whip. Bring them with you, mount\non my back, and ride as hard as you can, for now the house is burning\nmerrily.\u2019\n\nThe prince did as the horse bade him. Scarcely had he got into the\nsaddle than the horse was off and away, galloping at such a pace\nthat, in a short time, the forest and all the country belonging to the\nmagician lay far behind them.\n\nIn the meantime the magician returned to his palace, which he found in\nsmouldering ruins. In vain he called for his servant. At last he went to\nlook for him in the stables, and when he discovered that the black horse\nhad disappeared too, he at once suspected that they had gone together;\nso he mounted a roan horse that was in the next stall, and set out in\npursuit.\n\nAs the prince rode, the quick ears of his horse heard the sound of\npursuing feet.\n\n\u2018Look behind you,\u2019 he said, \u2018and see if the old man is following.\u2019 And\nthe prince turned in his saddle and saw a cloud like smoke or dust in\nthe distance.\n\n\u2018We must hurry,\u2019 said the horse.\n\nAfter they had galloped for some time, the horse said again: \u2018Look\nbehind, and see if he is still at some distance.\u2019\n\n\u2018He is quite close,\u2019 answered the prince.\n\n\u2018Then throw the looking-glass on the ground,\u2019 said the horse. So the\nprince threw it; and when the magician came up, the roan horse stepped\non the mirror, and crash! his foot went through the glass, and he\nstumbled and fell, cutting his feet so badly that there was nothing for\nthe old man to do but to go slowly back with him to the stables, and\nput new shoes on his feet. Then they started once more in pursuit of\nthe prince, for the magician set great value on the horse, and was\ndetermined not to lose it.\n\nIn the meanwhile the prince had gone a great distance; but the quick\nears of the black horse detected the sound of following feet from afar.\n\n\u2018Dismount,\u2019 he said to the prince; \u2018put your ear to the ground, and tell\nme if you do not hear a sound.\u2019\n\nSo the prince dismounted and listened. \u2018I seem to hear the earth\ntremble,\u2019 he said; \u2018I think he cannot be very far off.\u2019\n\n\u2018Mount me at once,\u2019 answered the horse, \u2018and I will gallop as fast as I\ncan.\u2019 And he set off so fast that the earth seemed to fly from under his\nhoofs.\n\n\u2018Look back once more,\u2019 he said, after a short time, \u2018and see if he is in\nsight.\u2019\n\n\u2018I see a cloud and a flame,\u2019 answered the prince; \u2018but a long way off.\u2019\n\n\u2018We must make haste,\u2019 said the horse. And shortly after he said: \u2018Look\nback again; he can\u2019t be far off now.\u2019\n\nThe prince turned in his saddle, and exclaimed: \u2018He is close behind us,\nin a minute the flame from his horse\u2019s nostrils will reach us.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then throw the brush on the ground,\u2019 said the horse.\n\nAnd the prince threw it, and in an instant the brush was changed into\nsuch a thick wood that even a bird could not have got through it,\nand when the old man got up to it the roan horse came suddenly to a\nstand-still, not able to advance a step into the thick tangle. So there\nwas nothing for the magician to do but to retrace his steps, to fetch an\naxe, with which he cut himself a way through the wood. But it took\nhim some time, during which the prince and the black horse got on well\nahead.\n\nBut once more they heard the sound of pursuing feet. \u2018Look back,\u2019 said\nthe black horse, \u2018and see if he is following.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 answered the prince, \u2018this time I hear him distinctly.\n\n\u2018Let us hurry on,\u2019 said the horse. And a little later he said: \u2018Look\nback now, and see if he is in sight.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 said the prince, turning round, \u2018I see the flame; he is close\nbehind us.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then you must throw down the whip,\u2019 answered the horse.\u2019 And in the\ntwinkling of an eye the whip was changed into a broad river. When the\nold man got up to it he urged the roan horse into the water, but as the\nwater mounted higher and higher, the magic flame which gave the magician\nall his power grew smaller and smaller, till, with a fizz, it went out,\nand the old man and the roan horse sank in the river and disappeared.\nWhen the prince looked round they were no longer to be seen.\n\n\u2018Now,\u2019 said the horse, \u2018you may dismount; there is nothing more to fear,\nfor the magician is dead. Beside that brook you will find a willow wand.\nGather it, and strike the earth with it, and it will open and you will\nsee a door at your feet.\u2019\n\nWhen the prince had struck the earth with the wand a door appeared, and\nopened into a large vaulted stone hall.\n\n\u2018Lead me into that hall,\u2019 said the horse, \u2018I will stay there; but you\nmust go through the fields till you reach a garden, in the midst of\nwhich is a king\u2019s palace. When you get there you must ask to be taken\ninto the king\u2019s service. Good-bye, and don\u2019t forget me.\u2019\n\nSo they parted; but first the horse made the prince promise not to let\nanyone in the palace see his golden hair. So he bound a scarf round\nit, like a turban, and the prince set out through the fields, till he\nreached a beautiful garden, and beyond the garden he saw the walls and\ntowers of a stately palace. At the garden gate he met the gardener, who\nasked him what he wanted.\n\n\u2018I want to take service with the king,\u2019 replied the prince.\n\n\u2018Well, you may stay and work under me in the garden,\u2019 said the man; for\nas the prince was dressed like a poor man, he could not tell that he was\na king\u2019s son. \u2018I need someone to weed the ground and to sweep the dead\nleaves from the paths. You shall have a florin a day, a horse to help\nyou to cart the leaves away, and food and drink.\u2019\n\nSo the prince consented, and set about his work. But when his food was\ngiven to him he only ate half of it; the rest he carried to the vaulted\nhall beside the brook, and gave to the black horse. And this he did\nevery day, and the horse thanked him for his faithful friendship.\n\nOne evening, as they were together, after his work in the garden was\nover, the horse said to him: \u2018To-morrow a large company of princes and\ngreat lords are coming to your king\u2019s palace. They are coming from far\nand near, as wooers for the three princesses. They will all stand in a\nrow in the courtyard of the palace, and the three princesses will come\nout, and each will carry a diamond apple in her hand, which she will\nthrow into the air. At whosesoever feet the apple falls he will be the\nbridegroom of that princess. You must be close by in the garden at your\nwork. The apple of the youngest princess, who is much the most beautiful\nof the sisters, will roll past the wooers and stop in front of you. Pick\nit up at once and put it in your pocket.\u2019\n\nThe next day, when the wooers were all assembled in the courtyard of the\ncastle, everything happened just as the horse had said. The princesses\nthrew the apples into the air, and the diamond apple of the youngest\nprincess rolled past all the wooers, out on to the garden, and stopped\nat the feet of the young gardener, who was busy sweeping the leaves\naway. In a moment he had stooped down, picked up the apple and put it in\nhis pocket. As he stooped the scarf round his head slipped a little to\none side, and the princess caught sight of his golden hair, and loved\nhim from that moment.\n\nBut the king was very sad, for his youngest daughter was the one he\nloved best. But there was no help for it; and the next day a threefold\nwedding was celebrated at the palace, and after the wedding the youngest\nprincess returned with her husband to the small hut in the garden where\nhe lived.\n\nSome time after this the people of a neighbouring country went to war\nwith the king, and he set out to battle, accompanied by the husbands of\nhis two eldest daughters mounted on stately steeds. But the husband of\nthe youngest daughter had nothing but the old broken-down horse which\nhelped him in his garden work; and the king, who was ashamed of this\nson-in-law, refused to give him any other.\n\nSo as he was determined not to be left behind, he went into the garden,\nmounted the sorry nag, and set out. But scarcely had he ridden a few\nyards before the horse stumbled and fell. So he dismounted and went down\nto the brook, to where the black horse lived in the vaulted hall. And\nthe horse said to him: \u2018Saddle and bridle me, and then go into the next\nroom and you will find a suit of armour and a sword. Put them on, and we\nwill ride forth together to battle.\u2019\n\nAnd the prince did as he was told; and when he had mounted the horse his\narmour glittered in the sun, and he looked so brave and handsome, that\nno one would have recognised him as the gardener who swept away the dead\nleaves from the paths. The horse bore him away at a great pace, and when\nthey reached the battle-field they saw that the king was losing the\nday, so many of his warriors had been slain. But when the warrior on\nhis black charger and in glittering armour appeared on the scene, hewing\nright and left with his sword, the enemy were dismayed and fled in all\ndirections, leaving the king master of the field. Then the king and his\ntwo sons-in-law, when they saw their deliverer, shouted, and all that\nwas left of the army joined in the cry: \u2018A god has come to our rescue!\u2019\nAnd they would have surrounded him, but his black horse rose in the air\nand bore him out of their sight.\n\nSoon after this, part of the country rose in rebellion against the king,\nand once more he and his two sons-in-law had to fare forth to battle.\nAnd the son-in-law who was disguised as a gardener wanted to fight too.\nSo he came to the king and said: \u2018Dear father, let me ride with you to\nfight your enemies.\u2019\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t want a blockhead like you to fight for me,\u2019 answered the king.\n\u2018Besides, I haven\u2019t got a horse fit for you. But see, there is a carter\non the road carting hay; you may take his horse.\u2019\n\nSo the prince took the carter\u2019s horse, but the poor beast was old and\ntired, and after it had gone a few yards it stumbled and fell. So the\nprince returned sadly to the garden and watched the king ride forth at\nthe head of the army accompanied by his two sons-in-law. When they were\nout of sight the prince betook himself to the vaulted chamber by the\nbrook-side, and having taken counsel of the faithful black horse, he put\non the glittering suit of armour, and was borne on the back of the horse\nthrough the air, to where the battle was being fought. And once more he\nrouted the king\u2019s enemies, hacking to right and left with his sword.\nAnd again they all cried: \u2018A god has come to our rescue!\u2019 But when they\ntried to detain him the black horse rose in the air and bore him out of\ntheir sight.\n\nWhen the king and his sons-in-law returned home they could talk of\nnothing but the hero who had fought for them, and all wondered who he\ncould be.\n\nShortly afterwards the king of a neighbouring country declared war, and\nonce more the king and his sons-in-law and his subjects had to prepare\nthemselves for battle, and once more the prince begged to ride with\nthem, but the king said he had no horse to spare for him. \u2018But,\u2019 he\nadded, \u2018you may take the horse of the woodman who brings the wood from\nthe forest, it is good enough for you.\u2019\n\nSo the prince took the woodman\u2019s horse, but it was so old and useless\nthat it could not carry him beyond the castle gates. So he betook\nhimself once more to the vaulted hall, where the black horse had\nprepared a still more magnificent suit of armour for him than the one\nhe had worn on the previous occasions, and when he had put it on,\nand mounted on the back of the horse, he bore him straight to the\nbattle-field, and once more he scattered the king\u2019s enemies, fighting\nsingle-handed in their ranks, and they fled in all directions. But it\nhappened that one of the enemy struck with his sword and wounded the\nprince in the leg. And the king took his own pocket-handkerchief, with\nhis name and crown embroidered on it, and bound it round the wounded\nleg. And the king would fain have compelled him to mount in a litter and\nbe carried straight to the palace, and two of his knights were to lead\nthe black charger to the royal stables. But the prince put his hand on\nthe mane of his faithful horse, and managed to pull himself up into\nthe saddle, and the horse mounted into the air with him. Then they all\nshouted and cried: \u2018The warrior who has fought for us is a god! He must\nbe a god.\u2019\n\nAnd throughout all the kingdom nothing else was spoken about, and all\nthe people said: \u2018Who can the hero be who has fought for us in so many\nbattles? He cannot be a man, he must be a god.\u2019\n\nAnd the king said: \u2018If only I could see him once more, and if it turned\nout that after all he was a man and not a god, I would reward him with\nhalf my kingdom.\u2019\n\nNow when the prince reached his home--the gardener\u2019s hut where he lived\nwith his wife--he was weary, and he lay down on his bed and slept. And\nhis wife noticed the handkerchief bound round his wounded leg, and she\nwondered what it could be. Then she looked at it more closely and saw in\nthe corner that it was embroidered with her father\u2019s name and the royal\ncrown. So she ran straight to the palace and told her father. And he\nand his two sons-in-law followed her back to her house, and there the\ngardener lay asleep on his bed. And the scarf that he always wore bound\nround his head had slipped off, and his golden hair gleamed on the\npillow. And they all recognised that this was the hero who had fought\nand won so many battles for them.\n\nThen there was great rejoicing throughout the land, and the king\nrewarded his son-in-law with half of his kingdom, and he and his wife\nreigned happily over it.\n\n\n\n\nThe Little Gray Man\n\n\nA nun, a countryman, and a blacksmith were once wandering through the\nworld together. One day they lost their way in a thick, dark forest,\nand were thankful when they saw, in the distance, the walls of a house,\nwhere they hoped they might obtain refuge for the night. When they got\nclose to the house they found that it was an old deserted castle, fast\nfalling into ruins, but with some of the rooms in it still habitable. As\nthey were homeless they determined to take up their abode in the castle,\nand they arranged that one of them should always stay at home and\nkeep house, while the other two went out into the world to seek their\nfortunes.\n\nThe lot of remaining at home fell first to the nun, and when the\ncountryman and the blacksmith had gone out into the wood, she set to\nwork, tidied up the house, and prepared all the food for the day. As her\ncompanions did not come home for their mid-day meal, she ate up her\nown portion and put the rest in the oven to keep warm. Just as she was\nsitting down to sew, the door opened and a little gray man came in, and,\nstanding before her, said: \u2018Oh! how cold I am!\u2019\n\nThe nun was very sorry for him, and said at once: \u2018Sit down by the fire\nand warm yourself.\u2019\n\nThe little man did as he was told, and soon called out: \u2018Oh! how hungry\nI am!\u2019\n\nThe nun answered: \u2018There is food in the oven, help yourself.\u2019\n\nThe little man did not need to be told twice, for he set to work and ate\nup everything with the greatest possible despatch. When the nun saw this\nshe was very angry, and scolded the dwarf because he had left nothing\nfor her companions.\n\nThe little man resented her words, and flew into such a passion that he\nseized the nun, beat her, and threw her first against one wall and then\nagainst the other. When he had nearly killed her he left her lying on\nthe floor, and hastily walked out of the house.\n\nIn the evening the countryman and the blacksmith returned home, and when\nthey found, on demanding their dinner, that there was nothing left for\nthem, they reproached the nun bitterly, and refused to believe her when\nshe tried to tell them what had happened.\n\nThe next day the countryman asked to be left in charge of the house, and\npromised that, if he remained at home, no one should go hungry to bed.\nSo the other two went out into the forest, and the countryman having\nprepared the food for the day, ate up his own portion, and put the rest\nin the oven. Just as he had finished clearing away, the door opened and\nthe little gray man walked in, and this time he had two heads. He shook\nand trembled as before, and exclaimed: \u2018Oh! how cold I am.\u2019\n\nThe countryman, who was frightened out of his wits, begged him to draw\nnear the fire and warm himself.\n\nSoon after the dwarf looked greedily round, and said: \u2018Oh! how hungry I\nam!\u2019\n\n\u2018There is food in the oven, so you can eat,\u2019 replied the countryman.\n\nThen the little man fell to with both his heads, and soon finished the\nlast morsel.\n\nWhen the countryman scolded him for this proceeding he treated him\nexactly as he had done the nun, and left the poor fellow more dead than\nalive.\n\nNow when the blacksmith came home with the nun in the evening, and found\nnothing for supper, he flew into a passion; and swore that he would stay\nat home the following day, and that no one should go supperless to bed.\n\nWhen day dawned the countryman and the nun set out into the wood, and\nthe blacksmith prepared all the food for the day as the others had done.\nAgain the gray dwarf entered the house without knocking, and this time\nhe had three heads. When he complained of cold, the blacksmith told him\nto sit near the fire; and when he said he was hungry, the blacksmith put\nsome food on a plate and gave it to him. The dwarf made short work of\nwhat was provided for him, and then, looking greedily round with his six\neyes, he demanded more. When the blacksmith refused to give him another\nmorsel, he flew into a terrible rage, and proceeded to treat him in the\nsame way as he had treated his companions.\n\nBut the blacksmith was a match for him, for he seized a huge hammer and\nstruck off two of the dwarf\u2019s heads with it. The little man yelled with\npain and rage, and hastily fled from the house. The blacksmith ran after\nhim, and pursued him for a long way; but at last they came to an iron\ndoor, and through it the little creature vanished. The door shut behind\nhim, and the blacksmith had to give up the pursuit and return home. He\nfound that the nun and the countryman had come back in the meantime,\nand they were much delighted when he placed some food before them, and\nshowed them the two heads he had struck off with his hammer. The three\ncompanions determined there and then to free themselves from the power\nof the gray dwarf, and the very next day they set to work to find him.\n\nThey had to walk a long way, and to search for many hours, before they\nfound the iron door through which the dwarf had disappeared; and when\nthey had found it they had the greatest difficulty in opening it. When\nat last they succeeded in forcing the lock, they entered a large hall,\nin which sat a young and lovely girl, working at a table. The moment she\nsaw the nun, the blacksmith, and the countryman, she fell at their feet,\nthanking them with tears in her eyes for having set her free. She told\nthem that she was a king\u2019s daughter, who had been shut up in the castle\nby a mighty magician. The day before, just about noon, she had suddenly\nfelt the magic power over her disappear, and ever since that moment she\nhad eagerly awaited the arrival of her deliverers. She went on to say\nthat there was yet another princess shut up in the castle, who had also\nfallen under the might of the magician.\n\nThey wandered through many halls and rooms till at last they found the\nsecond princess, who was quite as grateful as the first, and thanked the\nthree companions most warmly for having set her free.\n\nThen the princesses told their rescuers that a great treasure lay hidden\nin the cellars of the castle, but that it was carefully guarded by a\nfierce and terrible dog.\n\nNothing daunted, they all went down below at once, and found the fierce\nanimal mounting guard over the treasure as the princesses had said. But\none blow from the blacksmith\u2019s hammer soon made an end of the monster,\nand they found themselves in a vaulted chamber full of gold and silver\nand precious stones. Beside the treasure stood a young and handsome man,\nwho advanced to meet, them, and thanked the nun, the blacksmith, and the\ncountryman, for having freed him from the magic spell he was under. He\ntold them that he was a king\u2019s son, who had been banished to this castle\nby a wicked magician, and that he had been changed into the three-headed\ndwarf. When he had lost two of his heads the magic power over the two\nprincesses had been removed, and when the blacksmith had killed the\nhorrible dog, then he too had been set free.\n\nTo show his gratitude he begged the three companions to divide the\ntreasure between them, which they did; but there was so much of it that\nit took a very long time.\n\nThe princesses, too, were so grateful to their rescuers, that one\nmarried the blacksmith, and the other the countryman.\n\nThen the prince claimed the nun as his bride, and they all lived happily\ntogether till they died.\n\n[From the German. Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nHerr Lazarus and the Draken\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a cobbler called Lazarus, who was very\nfond of honey. One day, as he ate some while he sat at work, the flies\ncollected in such numbers that with one blow he killed forty. Then he\nwent and ordered a sword to be made for him, on which he had written\nthese words: \u2018With one blow I have slain forty.\u2019 When the sword was\nready he took it and went out into the world, and when he was two days\u2019\njourney from home he came to a spring, by which he laid himself down and\nslept.\n\nNow in that country there dwelt Draken, one of whom came to the spring\nto draw water; there he found Lazarus sleeping, and read what was\nwritten on his sword. Then he went back to his people and told them\nwhat he had seen, and they all advised him to make fellowship with this\npowerful stranger. So the Draken returned to the spring, awoke Lazarus,\nand said that if it was agreeable to him they should make fellowship\ntogether.\n\nLazarus answered that he was willing, and after a priest had blessed\nthe fellowship, they returned together to the other Draken, and Lazarus\ndwelt among them. After some days they told him that it was their custom\nto take it in turns to bring wood and water, and as he was now of their\ncompany, he must take his turn. They went first for water and wood, but\nat last it came to be Lazarus\u2019s turn to go for water. The Draken had a\ngreat leathern bag, holding two hundred measures of water. This Lazarus\ncould only, with great difficulty, drag empty to the spring, and\nbecause he could not carry it back full, he did not fill it at all, but,\ninstead, he dug up the ground all round the spring.\n\nAs Lazarus remained so long away, the Draken sent one of their number\nto see what had become of him, and when this one came to the spring,\nLazarus said to him: \u2018We will no more plague ourselves by carrying water\nevery day. I will bring the entire spring home at once, and so we shall\nbe freed from this burden.\u2019\n\nBut the Draken called out: \u2018On no account, Herr Lazarus, else we shall\nall die of thirst; rather will we carry the water ourselves in turns,\nand you alone shall be exempt.\u2019\n\nNext it comes to be Lazarus\u2019s turn to bring the wood. Now the Draken,\nwhen they fetched the wood, always took an entire tree on their\nshoulder, and so carried it home. Because Lazarus could not imitate them\nin this, he went to the forest, tied all the trees together with a thick\nrope, and remained in the forest till evening. Again the Draken sent one\nof them after him to see what had become of him, and when this one asked\nwhat he was about, Lazarus answered: \u2018I will bring the entire forest\nhome at once, so that after that we may have rest.\u2019\n\nBut the Draken called out: \u2018By no means, Herr Lazarus, else we shall all\ndie of cold; rather will we go ourselves to bring wood, and let you be\nfree.\u2019 And then the Draken tore up one tree, threw it over his shoulder,\nand so carried it home.\n\nWhen they had lived together some time, the Draken became weary of\nLazarus, and agreed among themselves to kill him; each Draken, in the\nnight while Lazarus slept, should strike him a blow with a hatchet. But\nLazarus heard of this scheme, and when the evening came, he took a\nlog of wood, covered it with his cloak, laid it in the place where he\nusually slept, and then hid himself. In the night the Draken came, and\neach one hit the log a blow with his hatchet, till it flew in pieces.\n\nThen they believed their object was gained, and they lay down again.\n\nThereupon Lazarus took the log, threw it away, and laid himself down in\nits stead. Towards dawn, he began to groan, and when the Draken heard\nthat, they asked what ailed him, to which he made answer: \u2018The gnats\nhave stung me horribly.\u2019 This terrified the Draken, for they believed\nthat Lazarus took their blows for gnat-stings, and they determined at\nany price to get rid of him. Next morning, therefore, they asked him if\nhe had not wife or child, and said that if he would like to go and visit\nthem they would give him a bag of gold to take away with him. He agreed\nwillingly to this, but asked further that one of the Draken should go\nwith him to carry the bag of gold. They consented, and one was sent with\nhim.\n\nWhen they had come to within a short; distance of Lazarus\u2019s house, he\nsaid to the Draken: \u2018Stop here, in the meantime, for I must go on in\nfront and tie up my children, lest they eat you.\u2019\n\nSo he went and tied his children with strong ropes, and said to them:\n\u2018As soon as the Draken comes in sight, call out as loud as you can,\n\u201cDrakenflesh! Drakenflesh!\u201d\u2019\n\nSo, when the Draken appeared, the children cried out: \u2018Drakenflesh!\nDrakenflesh!\u2019 and this so terrified the Draken that he let the bag fall\nand fled.\n\nOn the road he met a fox, which asked him why he seemed so frightened.\nHe answered that he was afraid of the children of Herr Lazarus, who had\nbeen within a hair-breadth of eating him up. But the fox laughed, and\nsaid: \u2018What! you were afraid of the children of Herr Lazarus? He had\ntwo fowls, one of which I ate yesterday, the other I will go and fetch\nnow--if you do not believe me, come and see for yourself; but you must\nfirst tie yourself on to my tail.\u2019\n\nThe Draken then tied himself on to the fox\u2019s tail, and went back thus\nwith it to Lazarus\u2019s house, in order to see what it would arrange. There\nstood Lazarus with his gun raised ready to fire, who, when he saw the\nfox coming along with the Draken, called out to the fox: \u2018Did I not tell\nyou to bring me all the Draken, and you bring me only one?\u2019\n\nWhen the Draken heard that he made off to the rightabout at once, and\nran so fast that the fox was dashed in pieces against the stones.\n\nWhen Lazarus had got quit of the Draken he built himself, with their\ngold, a magnificent house, in which he spent the rest of his days in\ngreat enjoyment.\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles\n\n\nThere once lived a queen who ruled over the Flowery Isles, whose\nhusband, to her extreme grief, died a few years after their marriage. On\nbeing left a widow she devoted herself almost entirely to the education\nof the two charming princesses, her only children. The elder of them was\nso lovely that as she grew up her mother greatly feared she would excite\nthe jealousy of the Queen of all the Isles, who prided herself on being\nthe most beautiful woman in the world, and insisted on all rivals bowing\nbefore her charms.\n\nIn order the better to gratify her vanity she had urged the king, her\nhusband, to make war on all the surrounding islands, and as his\ngreatest wish was to please her, the only conditions he imposed on any\nnewly-conquered country was that each princess of every royal house\nshould attend his court as soon as she was fifteen years old, and do\nhomage to the transcendent beauty of his queen.\n\nThe queen of the Flowery Isles, well aware of this law, was fully\ndetermined to present her daughter to the proud queen as soon as her\nfifteenth birthday was past.\n\nThe queen herself had heard a rumour of the young princess\u2019s great\nbeauty, and awaited her visit with some anxiety, which soon developed\ninto jealousy, for when the interview took place it was impossible not\nto be dazzled by such radiant charms, and she was obliged to admit that\nshe had never beheld anyone so exquisitely lovely.\n\nOf course she thought in her own mind \u2018excepting myself!\u2019 for nothing\ncould have made her believe it possible that anyone could eclipse her.\n\nBut the outspoken admiration of the entire court soon undeceived her,\nand made her so angry that she pretended illness and retired to her own\nrooms, so as to avoid witnessing the princess\u2019s triumph. She also sent\nword to the Queen of the Flowery Isles that she was sorry not to be well\nenough to see her again, and advised her to return to her own states\nwith the princess, her daughter.\n\nThis message was entrusted to one of the great ladies of the court, who\nwas an old friend of the Queen of the Flowery Isles, and who advised her\nnot to wait to take a formal leave but to go home as fast as she could.\n\nThe queen was not slow to take the hint, and lost no time in obeying it.\nBeing well aware of the magic powers of the incensed queen, she warned\nher daughter that she was threatened by some great danger if she left\nthe palace for any reason whatever during the next six months.\n\nThe princess promised obedience, and no pains were spared to make the\ntime pass pleasantly for her.\n\nThe six months were nearly at an end, and on the very last day a\nsplendid f\u00eate was to take place in a lovely meadow quite near the\npalace. The princess, who had been able to watch all the preparations\nfrom her window, implored her mother to let her go as far as the meadow;\nand the queen, thinking all risk must be over, consented, and promised\nto take her there herself.\n\nThe whole court was delighted to see their much-loved princess at\nliberty, and everyone set off in high glee to join in the f\u00eate.\n\nThe princess, overjoyed at being once more in the open air, was walking\na little in advance of her party when suddenly the earth opened under\nher feet and closed again after swallowing her up!\n\nThe queen fainted away with terror, and the younger princess burst into\nfloods of tears and could hardly be dragged away from the fatal spot,\nwhilst the court was overwhelmed with horror at so great a calamity.\n\nOrders were given to bore the earth to a great depth, but in vain; not a\ntrace of the vanished princess was to be found.\n\nShe sank right through the earth and found herself in a desert place\nwith nothing but rocks and trees and no sign of any human being. The\nonly living creature she saw was a very pretty little dog, who ran up to\nher and at once began to caress her. She took him in her arms, and after\nplaying with him for a little put him down again, when he started off in\nfront of her, looking round from time to time as though begging her to\nfollow.\n\nShe let him lead her on, and presently reached a little hill, from which\nshe saw a valley full of lovely fruit trees, bearing flowers and fruit\ntogether. The ground was also covered with fruit and flowers, and in the\nmiddle of the valley rose a fountain surrounded by a velvety lawn.\n\nThe princess hastened to this charming spot, and sitting down on the\ngrass began to think over the misfortune which had befallen her, and\nburst into tears as she reflected on her sad condition.\n\nThe fruit and clear fresh water would, she knew, prevent her from dying\nof hunger or thirst, but how could she escape if any wild beast appeared\nand tried to devour her?\n\nAt length, having thought over every possible evil which could happen,\nthe princess tried to distract her mind by playing with the little dog.\nShe spent the whole day near the fountain, but as night drew on she\nwondered what she should do, when she noticed that the little dog was\npulling at her dress.\n\nShe paid no heed to him at first, but as he continued to pull her\ndress and then run a few steps in one particular direction, she at last\ndecided to follow him; he stopped before a rock with a large opening in\nthe centre, which he evidently wished her to enter.\n\nThe princess did so and discovered a large and beautiful cave lit up\nby the brilliancy of the stones with which it was lined, with a little\ncouch covered with soft moss in one corner. She lay down on it and the\ndog at once nestled at her feet. Tired out with all she had gone through\nshe soon fell asleep.\n\nNext morning she was awakened very early by the songs of many birds.\nThe little dog woke up too, and sprang round her in his most caressing\nmanner. She got up and went outside, the dog as before running on in\nfront and turning back constantly to take her dress and draw her on.\n\nShe let him have his way and he soon led her back to the beautiful\ngarden where she had spent part of the day before. Here she ate some\nfruit, drank some water of the fountain, and felt as if she had made an\nexcellent meal. She walked about amongst the flowers, played with her\nlittle dog, and at night returned to sleep in the cave.\n\nIn this way the princess passed several months, and as her first terrors\ndied away she gradually became more resigned to her fate. The little\ndog, too, was a great comfort, and her constant companion.\n\nOne day she noticed that he seemed very sad and did not even caress her\nas usual. Fearing he might be ill she carried him to a spot where she\nhad seen him eat some particular herbs, hoping they might do him good,\nbut he would not touch them. He spent all the night, too, sighing and\ngroaning as if in great pain.\n\nAt last the princess fell asleep, and when she awoke her first thought\nwas for her little pet, but not finding him at her feet as usual, she\nran out of the cave to look for him. As she stepped out of the cave she\ncaught sight of an old man, who hurried away so fast that she had barely\ntime to see him before he disappeared.\n\nThis was a fresh surprise and almost as great a shock as the loss of her\nlittle dog, who had been so faithful to her ever since the first day she\nhad seen him. She wondered if he had strayed away or if the old man had\nstolen him.\n\nTormented by all kinds of thoughts and fears she wandered on, when\nsuddenly she felt herself wrapped in a thick cloud and carried through\nthe air. She made no resistance and before very long found herself, to\nher great surprise, in an avenue leading to the palace in which she had\nbeen born. No sign of the cloud anywhere.\n\nAs the princess approached the palace she perceived that everyone was\ndressed in black, and she was filled with fear as to the cause of this\nmourning. She hastened on and was soon recognised and welcomed with\nshouts of joy. Her sister hearing the cheers ran out and embraced the\nwanderer, with tears of happiness, telling her that the shock of her\ndisappearance had been so terrible that their mother had only survived\nit a few days. Since then the younger princess had worn the crown, which\nshe now resigned to her sister to whom it by right belonged.\n\nBut the elder wished to refuse it, and would only accept the crown on\ncondition that her sister should share in all the power.\n\nThe first acts of the new queen were to do honour to the memory of\nher dear mother and to shower every mark of generous affection on her\nsister. Then, being still very grieved at the loss of her little dog,\nshe had a careful search made for him in every country, and when nothing\ncould be heard of him she was so grieved that she offered half her\nkingdom to whoever should restore him to her.\n\nMany gentlemen of the court, tempted by the thought of such a reward,\nset off in all directions in search of the dog; but all returned\nempty-handed to the queen, who, in despair announced that since life was\nunbearable without her little dog, she would give her hand in marriage\nto the man who brought him back.\n\nThe prospect of such a prize quickly turned the court into a desert,\nnearly every courtier starting on the quest. Whilst they were away the\nqueen was informed one day that a very ill-looking man wished to speak\nwith her. She desired him to be shown into a room where she was sitting\nwith her sister.\n\nOn entering her presence he said that he was prepared to give the queen\nher little dog if she on her side was ready to keep her word.\n\nThe princess was the first to speak. She said that the queen had\nno right to marry without the consent of the nation, and that on so\nimportant an occasion the general council must be summoned. The queen\ncould not say anything against this statement; but she ordered an\napartment in the palace to be given to the man, and desired the council\nto meet on the following day.\n\nNext day, accordingly, the council assembled in great state, and by the\nprincess\u2019s advice it was decided to offer the man a large sum of money\nfor the dog, and should he refuse it, to banish him from the kingdom\nwithout seeing the queen again. The man refused the price offered and\nleft the hall.\n\nThe princess informed the queen of what had passed, and the queen\napproved of all, but added that as she was her own mistress she had made\nup her mind to abdicate her throne, and to wander through the world till\nshe had found her little dog.\n\nThe princess was much alarmed by such a resolution, and implored the\nqueen to change her mind. Whilst they were discussing the subject,\none of the chamberlains appeared to inform the queen that the bay was\ncovered with ships. The two sisters ran to the balcony, and saw a large\nfleet in full sail for the port.\n\nIn a little time they came to the conclusion that the ships must come\nfrom a friendly nation, as every vessel was decked with gay flags,\nstreamers, and pennons, and the way was led by a small ship flying a\ngreat white flag of peace.\n\nThe queen sent a special messenger to the harbour, and was soon informed\nthat the fleet belonged to the Prince of the Emerald Isles, who begged\nleave to land in her kingdom, and to present his humble respects to\nher. The queen at once sent some of the court dignitaries to receive the\nprince and bid him welcome.\n\nShe awaited him seated on her throne, but rose on his appearance, and\nwent a few steps to meet him; then begged him to be seated, and for\nabout an hour kept him in close conversation.\n\nThe prince was then conducted to a splendid suite of apartments, and the\nnext day he asked for a private audience. He was admitted to the queen\u2019s\nown sitting-room, where she was sitting alone with her sister.\n\nAfter the first greetings the prince informed the queen that he had some\nvery strange things to tell her, which she only would know to be true.\n\n\u2018Madam,\u2019 said he, \u2018I am a neighbour of the Queen of all the Isles; and\na small isthmus connects part of my states with hers. One day, when\nhunting a stag, I had the misfortune to meet her, and not recognising\nher, I did not stop to salute her with all proper ceremony. You, Madam,\nknow better than anyone how revengeful she is, and that she is also a\nmistress of magic. I learnt both facts to my cost. The ground opened\nunder my feet, and I soon found myself in a far distant region\ntransformed into a little dog, under which shape I had the honour to\nmeet your Majesty. After six months, the queen\u2019s vengeance not being yet\nsatisfied, she further changed me into a hideous old man, and in this\nform I was so afraid of being unpleasant in your eyes, Madam, that I hid\nmyself in the depths of the woods, where I spent three months more. At\nthe end of that time I was so fortunate as to meet a benevolent fairy\nwho delivered me from the proud queen\u2019s power, and told me all your\nadventures and where to find you. I now come to offer you a heart which\nhas been entirely yours, Madam, since first we met in the desert.\u2019\n\nA few days later a herald was sent through the kingdom to proclaim the\njoyful news of the marriage of the Queen of the Flowery Isles with the\nyoung prince. They lived happily for many years, and ruled their people\nwell.\n\nAs for the bad queen, whose vanity and jealousy had caused so much\nmischief, the Fairies took all her power away for a punishment.\n\n[\u2018Cabinet des F\u00e9es.\u2019]\n\n\n\n\nUdea and Her Seven Brothers\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man and his wife who had seven boys. The\nchildren lived in the open air and grew big and strong, and the six\neldest spent part of every day hunting wild beasts. The youngest did not\ncare so much about sport, and he often stayed with his mother.\n\nOne morning, however, as the whole seven were going out for a long\nexpedition, they said to their aunt, \u2018Dear aunt, if a baby sister comes\ninto the world to-day, wave a white handkerchief, and we will return\nimmediately; but if it is only a boy, just brandish a sickle, and we\nwill go on with what we are doing.\u2019\n\nNow the baby when it arrived really proved to be a girl, but as the aunt\ncould not bear the boys, she thought it was a good opportunity to get\nrid of them. So she waved the sickle. And when the seven brothers saw\nthe sign they said, \u2018Now we have nothing to go back for,\u2019 and plunged\ndeeper into the desert.\n\nThe little girl soon grew to be a big girl, and she was called by all\nher friends (though she did not know it) \u2018Udea, who had driven her seven\nbrothers into strange lands.\u2019\n\nOne day, when she had been quarrelling with her playmates, the oldest\namong them said to her, \u2018It is a pity you were born, as ever since, your\nbrothers have been obliged to roam about the world.\u2019\n\nUdea did not answer, but went home to her mother and asked her, \u2018Have I\nreally got brothers?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 replied her mother, \u2018seven of them. But they went away the day\nyou were born, and I have never heard of them since.\u2019\n\nThen the girl said, \u2018I will go and look for them till I find them.\u2019\n\n\u2018My dear child,\u2019 answered her mother, \u2018it is fifteen years since they\nleft, and no man has seen them. How will you know which way to go?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I will follow them, north and south, east and west, and though I\nmay travel far, yet some day I will find them.\u2019\n\nThen her mother said no more, but gave her a camel and some food, and a\nnegro and his wife to take care of her, and she fastened a cowrie shell\nround the camel\u2019s neck for a charm, and bade her daughter go in peace.\n\nDuring the first day the party journeyed on without any adventures, but\nthe second morning the negro said to the girl, \u2018Get down, and let the\nnegress ride instead of you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Mother,\u2019 cried Udea.\n\n\u2018What is it?\u2019 asked her mother.\n\n\u2018Barka wants me to dismount from my camel.\u2019\n\n\u2018Leave her alone, Barka,\u2019 commanded the mother, and Barka did not dare\nto persist.\n\nBut on the following day he said again to Udea, \u2018Get down, and let the\nnegress ride instead of you,\u2019 and though Udea called to her mother she\nwas too far away, and the mother never heard her. Then the negro seized\nher roughly and threw her on the ground, and said to his wife, \u2018Climb\nup,\u2019 and the negress climbed up, while the girl walked by the side. She\nhad meant to ride all the way on her camel as her feet were bare and the\nstones cut them till the blood came. But she had to walk on till night,\nwhen they halted, and the next morning it was the same thing again.\nWeary and bleeding the poor girl began to cry, and implored the negro to\nlet her ride, if only for a little. But he took no notice, except to bid\nher walk a little faster.\n\nBy-and-by they passed a caravan, and the negro stopped and asked the\nleader if they had come across seven young men, who were thought to be\nhunting somewhere about. And the man answered, \u2018Go straight on, and by\nmidday you will reach the castle where they live.\u2019\n\nWhen he heard this, the black melted some pitch in the sun, and smeared\nthe girl with it, till she looked as much a negro as he did. Next he\nbade his wife get down from the camel, and told Udea to mount, which she\nwas thankful to do. So they arrived at her brothers\u2019 castle.\n\nLeaving the camel kneeling at the entrance for Udea to dismount, the\nnegro knocked loudly at the door, which was opened by the youngest\nbrother, all the others being away hunting. He did not of course\nrecognise Udea, but he knew the negro and his wife, and welcomed them\ngladly, adding, \u2018But who does the other negress belong to?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, that is your sister!\u2019 said they.\n\n\u2018My sister! but she is coal black!\u2019\n\n\u2018That may be, but she is your sister for all that.\u2019\n\nThe young man asked no more questions, but took them into the castle,\nand he himself waited outside till his brothers came home.\n\nAs soon as they were alone, the negro whispered to Udea, \u2018If you dare\nto tell your brothers that I made you walk, or that I smeared you with\npitch, I will kill you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I will be sure to say nothing,\u2019 replied the girl, trembling, and at\nthat moment the six elder brothers appeared in sight.\n\n\u2018I have some good news for you,\u2019 said the youngest, hastening to meet\nthem; \u2018our sister is here!\u2019\n\n\u2018Nonsense,\u2019 they answered. \u2018We have no sister; you know the child that\nwas born was a boy.\u2019\n\n\u2018But that was not true,\u2019 replied he, \u2018and here she is with the negro and\nhis wife. Only--she too is black,\u2019 he added softly, but his brothers did\nnot hear him, and pushed past joyfully.\n\n\u2018How are you, good old Barka?\u2019 they said to the negro; \u2018and how comes it\nthat we never knew that we had a sister till now?\u2019 and they greeted Udea\nwarmly, while she shed tears of relief and gladness.\n\nThe next morning they all agreed that they would not go out hunting. And\nthe eldest brother took Udea on his knee, and she combed his hair and\ntalked to him of their home till the tears ran down his cheeks and\ndropped on her bare arm. And where the tears fell a white mark was made.\nThen the brother took a cloth and rubbed the place, and he saw that she\nwas not black at all.\n\n\u2018Tell me, who painted you over like this?\u2019 cried he.\n\n\u2018I am afraid to tell you,\u2019 sobbed the girl, \u2018the negro will kill me.\u2019\n\n\u2018Afraid! and with seven brothers!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, I will tell you then,\u2019 she answered. \u2018The negro forced me to\ndismount from the camel and let his wife ride instead. And the stones\ncut my feet till they bled and I had to bind them. And after that, when\nwe heard your castle was near by, he took pitch and smeared my body with\nit.\u2019\n\nThen the brother rushed in wrath from the room, and seizing his sword,\ncut off first the negro\u2019s head and then his wife\u2019s. He next brought in\nsome warm water, and washed his sister all over, till her skin was white\nand shining again.\n\n\u2018Ah, now we see that you are our sister!\u2019 they all said. \u2018What fools the\nnegro must have thought us, to believe for an instant that we could have\na sister who was black!\u2019 And all that day and the next they remained in\nthe castle.\n\nBut on the third morning they said to their sister: \u2018Dear sister, you\nmust lock yourself into this castle, with only the cat for company. And\nbe very careful never to eat anything which she does not eat too. You\nmust be sure to give her a bit of everything. In seven days we shall be\nback again.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 she answered, and locked herself into the castle with the\ncat.\n\nOn the eighth day the brothers came home. \u2018How are you?\u2019 they asked.\n\u2018You have not been anxious?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, why should I be anxious? The gates were fast locked, and in the\ncastle are seven doors, and the seventh is of iron. What is there to\nfrighten me?\u2019\n\n\u2018No one will try to hurt us,\u2019 said the brothers, \u2018for they fear\nus greatly. But for yourself, we implore you to do nothing without\nconsulting the cat, who has grown up in the house, and take care never\nto neglect her advice.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied Udea, \u2018and whatever I eat she shall have half.\u2019\n\n\u2018Capital! and if ever you are in danger the cat will come and tell\nus--only elves and pigeons, which fly round your window, know where to\nfind us.\u2019\n\n\u2018This is the first I have heard of the pigeons,\u2019 said Udea. \u2018Why did you\nnot speak of them before?\u2019\n\nWe always leave them food and water for seven days,\u2019 replied the\nbrothers.\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 sighed the girl, \u2018if I had only known, I would have given them\nfresh food and fresh water; for after seven days anything becomes bad.\nWould it not be better if I fed them every day?\u2019\n\n\u2018Much better,\u2019 said they, \u2018and we shall feel any kindnesses you\ndo towards the cat or the pigeons exactly as if they were shown to\nourselves.\u2019\n\n\u2018Set your minds at ease,\u2019 answered the girl, \u2018I will treat them as if\nthey were my brothers.\u2019\n\nThat night the brothers slept in the castle, but after breakfast next\nmorning they buckled on their weapons and mounted their horses, and rode\noff to their hunting grounds, calling out to their sister, \u2018Mind you let\nnobody in till we come back.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 cried she, and kept the doors carefully locked for seven\ndays and on the eighth the brothers returned as before. Then, after\nspending one evening with her, they departed as soon as they had done\nbreakfast.\n\nDirectly they were out of sight Udea began to clean the house, and among\nthe dust she found a bean which she ate.\n\n\u2018What are you eating?\u2019 asked the cat.\n\n\u2018Nothing,\u2019 said she.\n\n\u2018Open your mouth, and let me see.\u2019 The girl did as she was told, and\nthen the cat said \u2018Why did you not give me half?\u2019\n\n\u2018I forgot,\u2019 answered she, \u2018but there are plenty of beans about, you can\nhave as many as you like.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, that won\u2019t do. I want half of that particular bean.\u2019\n\n\u2018But how can I give it you? I tell you I have eaten it. I can roast you\na hundred others.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, I want half of that one.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! do as you like, only go away!\u2019 cried she.\n\nSo the cat ran straight to the kitchen fire, and spit on it and put it\nout, and when Udea came to cook the supper she had nothing to light it\nwith. \u2018Why did you put the fire out?\u2019 asked she.\n\n\u2018Just to show you how nicely you would be able to cook the supper.\nDidn\u2019t you tell me to do what I liked?\u2019\n\nThe girl left the kitchen and climbed up on the roof of the castle and\nlooked out. Far, far away, so far that she could hardly see it, was the\nglow of a fire. \u2018I will go and fetch a burning coal from there and\nlight my fire,\u2019 thought she, and opened the door of the castle. When she\nreached the place where the fire was kindled, a hideous man-eater was\ncrouching over it.\n\n\u2018Peace be with you, grandfather,\u2019 said she.\n\n\u2018The same to you,\u2019 replied the man-eater. \u2018What brings you here, Udea?\u2019\n\n\u2018I came to ask for a lump of burning coal, to light my fire with.\u2019\n\n\u2018Do you want a big lump or a little lump?\u2019\n\n\u2018Why, what difference does it make?\u2019 said she.\n\n\u2018If you have a big lump you must give me a strip of your skin from your\near to your thumb, and if you have a little lump, you must give me a\nstrip from your ear to your little finger.\u2019\n\nUdea, who thought that one sounded as bad as the other, said she would\ntake the big lump, and when the man-eater had cut the skin, she went\nhome again. And as she hastened on a raven beheld the blood on the\nground, and plastered it with earth, and stayed by her till she reached\nthe castle. And as she entered the door he flew past, and she shrieked\nfrom fright, for up to that moment she had not seen him. In her terror\nshe called after him. \u2018May you get the same start as you have given me!\u2019\n\n\u2018Why should you wish me harm,\u2019 asked the raven pausing in his flight,\n\u2018when I have done you a service?\u2019\n\n\u2018What service have you done me?\u2019 said she.\n\n\u2018Oh, you shall soon see,\u2019 replied the raven, and with his bill he\nscraped away all the earth he had smeared over the blood and then flew\naway.\n\nIn the night the man-eater got up, and followed the blood till he came\nto Udea\u2019s castle. He entered through the gate which she had left open,\nand went on till he reached the inside of the house. But here he was\nstopped by the seven doors, six of wood and one of iron, and all fast\nlocked. And he called through them \u2018Oh Udea, what did you see your\ngrandfather doing?\u2019\n\n\u2018I saw him spread silk under him, and silk over him, and lay himself\ndown in a four-post bed.\u2019\n\nWhen he heard that, the man-eater broke in one door, and laughed and\nwent away.\n\nAnd the second night he came back, and asked her again what she had seen\nher grandfather doing, and she answered him as before, and he broke\nin another door, and laughed and went away, and so each night till\nhe reached the seventh door. Then the maiden wrote a letter to her\nbrothers, and bound it round the neck of a pigeon, and said to it, \u2018Oh,\nthou pigeon that served my father and my grandfather, carry this letter\nto my brothers, and come back at once.\u2019 And the pigeon flew away.\n\nIt flew and it flew and it flew till it found the brothers. The eldest\nunfastened the letter from the pigeon\u2019s neck, and read what his sister\nhad written: \u2018I am in a great strait, my brothers. If you do not rescue\nme to-night, to-morrow I shall be no longer living, for the man-eater\nhas broken open six doors, and only the iron door is left. So haste,\nhaste, post haste.\u2019\n\n\u2018Quick, quick! my brothers,\u2019 cried he.\n\n\u2018What is the matter?\u2019 asked they.\n\n\u2018If we cannot reach our sister to-night, to-morrow she will be the prey\nof the man-eater.\u2019\n\nAnd without more words they sprang on their horses, and rode like the\nwind.\n\nThe gate of the castle was thrown down, and they entered the court and\ncalled loudly to their sister. But the poor girl was so ill with fear\nand anxiety that she could not even speak. Then the brothers dismounted\nand passed through the six open doors, till they stood before the iron\none, which was still shut. \u2018Udea, open!\u2019 they cried, \u2018it is only your\nbrothers!\u2019 And she arose and unlocked the door, and throwing herself on\nthe neck of the eldest burst into tears.\n\n\u2018Tell us what has happened,\u2019 he said, \u2018and how the man-eater traced you\nhere.\u2019 \u2018It is all the cat\u2019s fault,\u2019 replied Udea. \u2018She put out my fire\nso that I could not cook. All about a bean! I ate one and forgot to give\nher any of it.\u2019\n\n\u2018But we told you so particularly,\u2019 said the eldest brother, \u2018never to\neat anything without sharing it with the cat.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, but I tell you I forgot,\u2019 answered Udea.\n\n\u2018Does the man-eater come here every night?\u2019 asked the brothers.\n\n\u2018Every night,\u2019 said Udea, \u2018and he breaks one door in and then goes\naway.\u2019\n\nThen all the brothers cried together, \u2018We will dig a great hole, and\nfill it with burning wood, and spread a covering over the top; and when\nthe man-eater arrives we will push him into it.\u2019 So they all set to\nwork and prepared the great hole, and set fire to the wood, till it was\nreduced to a mass of glowing charcoal. And when the man-eater came, and\ncalled as usual, \u2018Udea, what did you see your grandfather doing?\u2019 she\nanswered, \u2018I saw him pull off the ass\u2019 skin and devour the ass, and he\nfell in the fire, and the fire burned him up.\u2019\n\nThen the man-eater was filled with rage, and he flung himself upon\nthe iron door and burst it in. On the other side stood Udea\u2019s seven\nbrothers, who said, \u2018Come, rest yourself a little on this mat.\u2019 And the\nman-eater sat down, and he fell right into the burning pit which was\nunder the mat, and they heaped on more wood, till nothing was left of\nhim, not even a bone. Only one of his finger-nails was blown away, and\nfell into an upper chamber where Udea was standing, and stuck under one\nof the nails of her own fingers. And she sank lifeless to the earth.\n\nMeanwhile her brothers sat below waiting for her and wondering why she\ndid not come. \u2018What can have happened to her!\u2019 exclaimed the eldest\nbrother. \u2018Perhaps she has fallen into the fire, too.\u2019 So one of the\nothers ran upstairs and found his sister stretched on the floor. \u2018Udea!\nUdea!\u2019 he cried, but she did not move or reply. Then he saw that she was\ndead, and rushed down to his brothers in the courtyard and called out,\n\u2018Come quickly, our sister is dead!\u2019 In a moment they were all beside her\nand knew that it was true, and they made a bier and laid her on it,\nand placed her across a camel, and said to the camel, \u2018Take her to her\nmother, but be careful not to halt by the way, and let no man capture\nyou, and see you kneel down before no man, save him who shall say\n\u201cstring\u201d [Footnote: \u2018Riemen.\u2019] to you. But to him who says \u201cstring,\u201d\n then kneel.\u2019\n\nSo the camel started, and when it had accomplished half its journey it\nmet three men, who ran after it in order to catch it; but they could\nnot. Then they cried \u2018Stop!\u2019 but the camel only went the faster. The\nthree men panted behind till one said to the others, \u2018Wait a minute! The\nstring of my sandal is broken!\u2019 The camel caught the word \u2018string\u2019 and\nknelt down at once, and the men came up and found a dead girl lying on\na bier, with a ring on her finger. And as one of the young men took\nhold of her hand to pull off the ring, he knocked out the man-eater\u2019s\nfinger-nail, which had stuck there, and the maiden sat up and said, \u2018Let\nhim live who gave me life, and slay him who slew me!\u2019 And when the camel\nheard the maiden speak, it turned and carried her back to her brothers.\n\nNow the brothers were still seated in the court bewailing their sister,\nand their eyes were dim with weeping so that they could hardly see. And\nwhen the camel stood before them they said, \u2018Perhaps it has brought back\nour sister!\u2019 and rose to give it a beating. But the camel knelt down and\nthe girl dismounted, and they flung themselves on her neck and wept more\nthan ever for gladness.\n\n\u2018Tell me,\u2019 said the eldest, as soon as he could speak, \u2018how it all came\nabout, and what killed you.\u2019\n\n\u2018I was waiting in the upper chamber,\u2019 said she, \u2018and a nail of the\nman-eater\u2019s stuck under my nail, and I fell dead upon the ground. That\nis all I know.\u2019\n\n\u2018But who pulled out the nail?\u2019 asked he.\n\n\u2018A man took hold of my hand and tried to pull off my ring, and the nail\njumped out and I was alive again. And when the camel heard me say \u201cLet\nhim live who gave me life, slay him who slew me!\u201d it turned and brought\nme back to the castle. That is my story.\u2019\n\nShe was silent and the eldest brother spoke. \u2018Will you listen to what I\nhave to say, my brothers?\u2019\n\nAnd they replied, \u2018How should we not hear you? Are you not our father as\nwell as our brother?\u2019\n\n\u2018Then this is my advice. Let us take our sister back to our father and\nmother, that we may see them once more before they die.\u2019\n\nAnd the young men agreed, and they mounted their horses and placed their\nsister in a litter on the camel. So they set out.\n\nAt the end of five days\u2019 journey they reached the old home where their\nfather and mother dwelt alone. And the heart of their father rejoiced,\nand he said to them, \u2018Dear sons, why did you go away and leave your\nmother and me to weep for you night and day?\u2019\n\n\u2018Dear father,\u2019 answered the son, \u2018let us rest a little now, and then I\nwill tell you everything from the beginning.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the father, and waited patiently for three days.\n\nAnd on the morning of the fourth day the eldest brother said, \u2018Dear\nfather, would you like to hear our adventures?\u2019\n\n\u2018Certainly I should!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, it was our aunt who was the cause of our leaving home, for\nwe agreed that if the baby was a sister she should wave a white\nhandkerchief, and if it was a brother, she should brandish a sickle, for\nthen there would be nothing to come back for, and we might wander far\naway. Now our aunt could not bear us, and hated us to live in the same\nhouse with her, so she brandished the sickle, and we went away. That is\nall our story.\u2019\n\nAnd that is all this story.\n\n[M\u00e4rchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis. Von Hans Stumme.]\n\n\n\n\nThe White Wolf\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a king who had three daughters; they were\nall beautiful, but the youngest was the fairest of the three. Now\nit happened that one day their father had to set out for a tour in a\ndistant part of his kingdom. Before he left, his youngest daughter made\nhim promise to bring her back a wreath of wild flowers. When the king\nwas ready to return to his palace, he bethought himself that he would\nlike to take home presents to each of his three daughters; so he went\ninto a jeweller\u2019s shop and bought a beautiful necklace for the\neldest princess; then he went to a rich merchant\u2019s and bought a dress\nembroidered in gold and silver thread for the second princess, but in\nnone of the flower shops nor in the market could he find the wreath of\nwild flowers that his youngest daughter had set her heart on. So he\nhad to set out on his homeward way without it. Now his journey led him\nthrough a thick forest. While he was still about four miles distant\nfrom his palace, he noticed a white wolf squatting on the roadside, and,\nbehold! on the head of the wolf, there was a wreath of wild flowers.\n\nThen the king called to the coachman, and ordered him to get down from\nhis seat and fetch him the wreath from the wolf\u2019s head. But the wolf\nheard the order and said: \u2018My lord and king, I will let you have the\nwreath, but I must have something in return.\u2019\n\n\u2018What do you want?\u2019 answered the king. \u2018I will gladly give you rich\ntreasure in exchange for it.\u2019\n\n\u2018I do not want rich treasure,\u2019 replied the wolf. \u2018Only promise to give\nme the first thing that meets you on your way to your castle. In three\ndays I shall come and fetch it.\u2019\n\nAnd the king thought to himself: \u2018I am still a good long way from home,\nI am sure to meet a wild animal or a bird on the road, it will be quite\nsafe to promise.\u2019 So he consented, and carried the wreath away with him.\nBut all along the road he met no living creature till he turned into\nthe palace gates, where his youngest daughter was waiting to welcome him\nhome.\n\nThat evening the king was very sad, remembering his promise; and when\nhe told the queen what had happened, she too shed bitter tears. And the\nyoungest princess asked them why they both looked so sad, and why they\nwept. Then her father told her what a price he would have to pay for the\nwreath of wild flowers he had brought home to her, for in three days a\nwhite wolf would come and claim her and carry her away, and they would\nnever see her again. But the queen thought and thought, and at last she\nhit upon a plan.\n\nThere was in the palace a servant maid the same age and the same height\nas the princess, and the queen dressed her up in a beautiful dress\nbelonging to her daughter, and determined to give her to the white wolf,\nwho would never know the difference.\n\nOn the third day the wolf strode into the palace yard and up the great\nstairs, to the room where the king and queen were seated.\n\n\u2018I have come to claim your promise,\u2019 he said. \u2018Give me your youngest\ndaughter.\u2019\n\nThen they led the servant maid up to him, and he said to her: \u2018You must\nmount on my back, and I will take you to my castle.\u2019 And with these\nwords he swung her on to his back and left the palace.\n\nWhen they reached the place where he had met the king and given him the\nwreath of wild flowers, he stopped, and told her to dismount that they\nmight rest a little.\n\nSo they sat down by the roadside.\n\n\u2018I wonder,\u2019 said the wolf, \u2018what your father would do if this forest\nbelonged to him?\u2019\n\nAnd the girl answered: \u2018My father is a poor man, so he would cut down\nthe trees, and saw them into planks, and he would sell the planks, and\nwe should never be poor again; but would always have enough to eat.\u2019\n\nThen the wolf knew that he had not got the real princess, and he swung\nthe servant-maid on to his back and carried her to the castle. And he\nstrode angrily into the king\u2019s chamber, and spoke.\n\n\u2018Give me the real princess at once. If you deceive me again I will cause\nsuch a storm to burst over your palace that the walls will fall in, and\nyou will all be buried in the ruins.\u2019\n\nThen the king and the queen wept, but they saw there was no escape.\nSo they sent for their youngest daughter, and the king said to her:\n\u2018Dearest child, you must go with the white wolf, for I promised you to\nhim, and I must keep my word.\u2019\n\nSo the princess got ready to leave her home; but first she went to her\nroom to fetch her wreath of wild flowers, which she took with her. Then\nthe white wolf swung her on his back and bore her away. But when they\ncame to the place where he had rested with the servant-maid, he told her\nto dismount that they might rest for a little at the roadside. Then\nhe turned to her and said: \u2018I wonder what your father would do if this\nforest belonged to him?\u2019\n\nAnd the princess answered: \u2018My father would cut down the trees and turn\nit into a beautiful park and gardens, and he and his courtiers would\ncome and wander among the glades in the summer time.\u2019\n\n\u2018This is the real princess,\u2019 said the wolf to himself. But aloud he\nsaid: \u2018Mount once more on my back, and I will bear you to my castle.\u2019\n\nAnd when she was seated on his back he set out through the woods, and\nhe ran, and ran, and ran, till at last he stopped in front of a stately\ncourtyard, with massive gates.\n\n\u2018This is a beautiful castle,\u2019 said the princess, as the gates swung back\nand she stepped inside. \u2018If only I were not so far away from my father\nand my mother!\u2019\n\nBut the wolf answered: \u2018At the end of a year we will pay a visit to your\nfather and mother.\u2019\n\nAnd at these words the white furry skin slipped from his back, and the\nprincess saw that he was not a wolf at all, but a beautiful youth, tall\nand stately; and he gave her his hand, and led her up the castle stairs.\n\nOne day, at the end of half a year, he came into her room and said: \u2018My\ndear one, you must get ready for a wedding. Your eldest sister is going\nto be married, and I will take you to your father\u2019s palace. When the\nwedding is over, I shall come and fetch you home. I will whistle outside\nthe gate, and when you hear me, pay no heed to what your father or\nmother say, leave your dancing and feasting, and come to me at once; for\nif I have to leave without you, you will never find your way back alone\nthrough the forests.\u2019\n\nWhen the princess was ready to start, she found that he had put on his\nwhite fur skin, and was changed back into the wolf; and he swung her on\nto his back, and set out with her to her father\u2019s palace, where he left\nher, while he himself returned home alone. But, in the evening, he went\nback to fetch her, and, standing outside the palace gate, he gave a\nlong, loud whistle. In the midst of her dancing the princess heard the\nsound, and at once she went to him, and he swung her on his back and\nbore her away to his castle.\n\nAgain, at the end of half a year, the prince came into her room, as the\nwhite wolf, and said: \u2018Dear heart, you must prepare for the wedding of\nyour second sister. I will take you to your father\u2019s palace to-day, and\nwe will remain there together till to-morrow morning.\u2019\n\nSo they went together to the wedding. In the evening, when the two were\nalone together, he dropped his fur skin, and, ceasing to be a wolf,\nbecame a prince again. Now they did not know that the princess\u2019s mother\nwas hidden in the room. When she saw the white skin lying on the floor,\nshe crept out of the room, and sent a servant to fetch the skin and\nto burn it in the kitchen fire. The moment the flames touched the skin\nthere was a fearful clap of thunder heard, and the prince disappeared\nout of the palace gate in a whirlwind, and returned to his palace alone.\n\nBut the princess was heart-broken, and spent the night weeping bitterly.\nNext morning she set out to find her way back to the castle, but she\nwandered through the woods and forests, and she could find no path or\ntrack to guide her. For fourteen days she roamed in the forest, sleeping\nunder the trees, and living upon wild berries and roots, and at last she\nreached a little house. She opened the door and went in, and found the\nwind seated in the room all by himself, and she spoke to the wind and\nsaid: \u2018Wind, have you seen the white wolf?\u2019\n\nAnd the wind answered: \u2018All day and all night I have been blowing round\nthe world, and I have only just come home; but I have not seen him.\u2019\n\nBut he gave her a pair of shoes, in which, he told her, she would be\nable to walk a hundred miles with every step. Then she walked through\nthe air till she reached a star, and she said: \u2018Tell me, star, have you\nseen the white wolf?\u2019\n\nAnd the star answered: \u2018I have been shining all night, and I have not\nseen him.\u2019\n\nBut the star gave her a pair of shoes, and told her that if she put them\non she would be able to walk two hundred miles at a stride. So she drew\nthem on, and she walked to the moon, and she said: \u2018Dear moon, have you\nnot seen the white wolf?\u2019\n\nBut the moon answered, \u2018All night long I have been sailing through the\nheavens, and I have only just come home; but I did not see him.\u2019\n\nBut he gave her a pair of shoes, in which she would be able to cover\nfour hundred miles with every stride. So she went to the sun, and said:\n\u2018Dear sun, have you seen the white wolf?\u2019\n\nAnd the sun answered, \u2018Yes, I have seen him, and he has chosen another\nbride, for he thought you had left him, and would never return, and he\nis preparing for the wedding. But I will help you. Here are a pair of\nshoes. If you put these on you will be able to walk on glass or ice, and\nto climb the steepest places. And here is a spinning-wheel, with which\nyou will be able to spin moss into silk. When you leave me you will\nreach a glass mountain. Put on the shoes that I have given you and with\nthem you will be able to climb it quite easily. At the summit you will\nfind the palace of the white wolf.\u2019\n\nThen the princess set out, and before long she reached the glass\nmountain, and at the summit she found the white wolf\u2019s palace, as the\nsun had said.\n\nBut no one recognised her, as she had disguised herself as an old woman,\nand had wound a shawl round her head. Great preparations were going on\nin the palace for the wedding, which was to take place next day.\nThen the princess, still disguised as an old woman, took out her\nspinning-wheel, and began to spin moss into silk. And as she spun the\nnew bride passed by, and seeing the moss turn into silk, she said to\nthe old woman: \u2018Little mother, I wish you would give me that\nspinning-wheel.\u2019\n\nAnd the princess answered, \u2018I will give it to you if you will allow me\nto sleep to-night on the mat outside the prince\u2019s door.\u2019\n\nAnd the bride replied, \u2018Yes, you may sleep on the mat outside the door.\u2019\n\nSo the princess gave her the spinning-wheel. And that night, winding the\nshawl all round her, so that no one could recognise her, she lay down on\nthe mat outside the white wolf\u2019s door. And when everyone in the palace\nwas asleep she began to tell the whole of her story. She told how she\nhad been one of three sisters, and that she had been the youngest and\nthe fairest of the three, and that her father had betrothed her to a\nwhite wolf. And she told how she had gone first to the wedding of one\nsister, and then with her husband to the wedding of the other sister,\nand how her mother had ordered the servant to throw the white fur skin\ninto the kitchen fire. And then she told of her wanderings through the\nforest; and of how she had sought the white wolf weeping; and how the\nwind and star and moon and sun had befriended her, and had helped her to\nreach his palace. And when the white wolf heard all the story, he knew\nthat it was his first wife, who had sought him, and had found him, after\nsuch great dangers and difficulties.\n\nBut he said nothing, for he waited till the next day, when many\nguests--kings and princes from far countries--were coming to his\nwedding. Then, when all the guests were assembled in the banqueting\nhall, he spoke to them and said: \u2018Hearken to me, ye kings and princes,\nfor I have something to tell you. I had lost the key of my treasure\ncasket, so I ordered a new one to be made; but I have since found the\nold one. Now, which of these keys is the better?\u2019\n\nThen all the kings and royal guests answered: \u2018Certainly the old key is\nbetter than the new one.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then,\u2019 said the wolf, \u2018if that is so, my former bride is better than my\nnew one.\u2019\n\nAnd he sent for the new bride, and he gave her in marriage to one of\nthe princes who was present, and then he turned to his guests, and said:\n\u2018And here is my former bride\u2019--and the beautiful princess was led\ninto the room and seated beside him on his throne. \u2018I thought she had\nforgotten me, and that she would never return. But she has sought\nme everywhere, and now we are together once more we shall never part\nagain.\u2019\n\n\n\n\nMohammed with the Magic Finger\n\n\nOnce upon a time, there lived a woman who had a son and a daughter. One\nmorning she said to them: \u2018I have heard of a town where there is no such\nthing as death: let us go and dwell there.\u2019 So she broke up her house,\nand went away with her son and daughter.\n\nWhen she reached the city, the first thing she did was to look about and\nsee if there was any churchyard, and when she found none, she exclaimed,\n\u2018This is a delightful spot. We will stay here for ever.\u2019\n\nBy-and-by, her son grew to be a man, and he took for a wife a girl who\nhad been born in the town. But after a little while he grew restless,\nand went away on his travels, leaving his mother, his wife, and his\nsister behind him.\n\nHe had not been gone many weeks when one evening his mother said, \u2018I am\nnot well, my head aches dreadfully.\u2019\n\n\u2018What did you say?\u2019 inquired her daughter-in-law.\n\n\u2018My head feels ready to split,\u2019 replied the old woman.\n\nThe daughter-in-law asked no more questions, but left the house, and\nwent in haste to some butchers in the next street.\n\n\u2018I have got a woman to sell; what will you give me for her?\u2019 said she.\n\nThe butchers answered that they must see the woman first, and they all\nreturned together.\n\nThen the butchers took the woman and told her they must kill her.\n\n\u2018But why?\u2019 she asked.\n\n\u2018Because,\u2019 they said, \u2018it is always our custom that when persons are ill\nand complain of their head they should be killed at once. It is a much\nbetter way than leaving them to die a natural death.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 replied the woman. \u2018But leave, I pray you, my lungs and my\nliver untouched, till my son comes back. Then give both to him.\u2019\n\nBut the men took them out at once, and gave them to the daughter-in-law,\nsaying: \u2018Put away these things till your husband returns.\u2019 And the\ndaughter-in-law took them, and hid them in a secret place.\n\nWhen the old woman\u2019s daughter, who had been in the woods, heard that her\nmother had been killed while she was out, she was filled with fright,\nand ran away as fast as she could. At last she reached a lonely spot far\nfrom the town, where she thought she was safe, and sat down on a stone,\nand wept bitterly. As she was sitting, sobbing, a man passed by.\n\n\u2018What is the matter, little girl? Answer me! I will be your friend.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, sir, they have killed my mother; my brother is far away, and I have\nnobody.\u2019\n\n\u2018Will you come with me?\u2019 asked the man.\n\n\u2018Thankfully,\u2019 said she, and he led her down, down, under the earth, till\nthey reached a great city. Then he married her, and in course of time\nshe had a son. And the baby was known throughout the city as \u2018Mohammed\nwith the magic finger,\u2019 because, whenever he stuck out his little\nfinger, he was able to see anything that was happening for as far as two\ndays\u2019 distance.\n\nBy-and-by, as the boy was growing bigger, his uncle returned from his\nlong journey, and went straight to his wife.\n\n\u2018Where are my mother and sister?\u2019 he asked; but his wife answered: \u2018Have\nsomething to eat first, and then I will tell you.\u2019\n\nBut he replied: \u2018How can I eat till I know what has become of them?\u2019\n\nThen she fetched, from the upper chamber, a box full of money, which\nshe laid before him, saying, \u2018That is the price of your mother. She sold\nwell.\u2019\n\n\u2018What do you mean?\u2019 he gasped.\n\n\u2018Oh, your mother complained one day that her head was aching, so I got\nin two butchers and they agreed to take her. However, I have got her\nlungs and liver hidden, till you came back, in a safe place.\u2019\n\n\u2018And my sister?\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, while the people were chopping up your mother she ran away, and I\nheard no more of her.\u2019\n\n\u2018Give me my mother\u2019s liver and lungs,\u2019 said the young man. And she gave\nthem to him. Then he put them in his pocket, and went away, saying: \u2018I\ncan stay no longer in this horrible town. I go to seek my sister.\u2019\n\nNow, one day, the little boy stretched out his finger and said to his\nmother, \u2018My uncle is coming!\u2019\n\n\u2018Where is he?\u2019 she asked.\n\n\u2018He is still two days\u2019 journey off: looking for us; but he will soon be\nhere.\u2019 And in two days, as the boy had foretold, the uncle had found the\nhole in the earth, and arrived at the gate of the city. All his money\nwas spent, and not knowing where his sister lived, he began to beg of\nall the people he saw.\n\n\u2018Here comes my uncle,\u2019 called out the little boy. \u2018Where?\u2019 asked his\nmother. \u2018Here at the house door;\u2019 and the woman ran out and embraced\nhim, and wept over him. When they could both speak, he said: \u2018My sister,\nwere you by when they killed my mother?\u2019\n\n\u2018I was absent when they slew her,\u2019 replied she, \u2018and as I could do\nnothing, I ran away. But you, my brother, how did you get here?\u2019\n\n\u2018By chance,\u2019 he said, \u2018after I had wandered far; but I did not know\nI should find you!\u2019 \u2018My little boy told me you were coming,\u2019 she\nexplained, \u2018when you were yet two days distant; he alone of all men has\nthat great gift.\u2019\n\nBut she did not tell him that her husband could change himself into a\nserpent, a dog, or a monster, whenever he pleased. He was a very rich\nman, and possessed large herds of camels, goats, sheep, cattle, horses\nand asses; all the best of their kind. And the next morning, the sister\nsaid: \u2018Dear brother, go and watch our sheep, and when you are thirsty,\ndrink their milk!\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 answered he, and he went.\n\nSoon after, she said again, \u2018Dear brother, go and watch our goats.\u2019\n\n\u2018But why? I like tending sheep better!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, it is much nicer to be a goatherd,\u2019 she said; so he took the goats\nout.\n\nWhen he was gone, she said to her husband, \u2018You must kill my brother,\nfor I cannot have him living here with me.\u2019\n\n\u2018But, my dear, why should I? He has done me no harm.\u2019\n\n\u2018I wish you to kill him,\u2019 she answered, \u2018or if not I will leave.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, all right, then,\u2019 said he; \u2018to-morrow I will change myself into a\nserpent, and hide myself in the date barrel; and when he comes to fetch\ndates I will sting him in the hand.\u2019\n\n\u2018That will do very well,\u2019 said she.\n\nWhen the sun was up next day, she called to her brother, \u2018Go and mind\nthe goats.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, of course,\u2019 he replied; but the little boy called out: \u2018Uncle, I\nwant to come with you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Delighted,\u2019 said the uncle, and they started together.\n\nAfter they had got out of sight of the house the boy said to him, \u2018Dear\nuncle, my father is going to kill you. He has changed himself into a\nserpent, and has hidden himself in the date barrel. My mother has told\nhim to do it.\u2019\n\n\u2018And what am I to do?\u2019 asked the uncle.\n\n\u2018I will tell you. When we bring the goats back to the house, and my\nmother says to you, \u201cI am sure you must be hungry: get a few dates out\nof the cask,\u201d just say to me, \u201cI am not feeling very well, Mohammed, you\ngo and get them for me.\u201d\u2019\n\nSo, when they reached the house the sister came out to meet them,\nsaying, \u2018Dear brother, you must certainly be hungry: go and get a few\ndates.\u2019\n\nBut he answered, \u2018I am not feeling very well. Mohammed, you go and get\nthem for me.\u2019\n\n\u2018Of course I will,\u2019 replied the little boy, and ran at once to the cask.\n\n\u2018No, no,\u2019 his mother called after him; \u2018come here directly! Let your\nuncle fetch them himself!\u2019\n\nBut the boy would not listen, and crying out to her \u2018I would rather get\nthem,\u2019 thrust his hand into the date cask.\n\nInstead of the fruit, it struck against something cold and slimy, and he\nwhispered softly, \u2018Keep still; it is I, your son!\u2019\n\nThen he picked up his dates and went away to his uncle.\n\n\u2018Here they are, dear uncle; eat as many as you want.\u2019\n\nAnd his uncle ate them.\n\nWhen he saw that the uncle did not mean to come near the cask, the\nserpent crawled out and regained his proper shape.\n\n\u2018I am thankful I did not kill him,\u2019 he said to his wife; \u2018for, after\nall, he is my brother-in-law, and it would have been a great sin!\u2019\n\n\u2018Either you kill him or I leave you,\u2019 said she.\n\n\u2018Well, well!\u2019 sighed the man, \u2018to-morrow I will do it.\u2019\n\nThe woman let that night go by without doing anything further, but at\ndaybreak she said to her brother, \u2018Get up, brother; it is time to take\nthe goats to pasture!\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 cried he.\n\n\u2018I will come with you, uncle,\u2019 called out the little boy.\n\n\u2018Yes, come along,\u2019 replied he.\n\nBut the mother ran up, saying, \u2018The child must not go out in this cold\nor he will be ill;\u2019 to which he only answered, \u2018Nonsense! I am going, so\nit is no use your talking! I am going! I am! I am!\u2019\n\n\u2018Then go!\u2019 she said.\n\nAnd so they started, driving the goats in front of them.\n\nWhen they reached the pasture the boy said to his uncle: \u2018Dear uncle,\nthis night my father means to kill you. While we are away he will creep\ninto your room and hide in the straw. Directly we get home my mother\nwill say to you, \u201cTake that straw and give it to the sheep,\u201d and, if you\ndo, he will bite you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then what am I to do?\u2019 asked the man.\n\n\u2018Oh, do not be afraid, dear uncle! I will kill my father myself.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the uncle.\n\nAs they drove back the goats towards the house, the sister cried: \u2018Be\nquick, dear brother, go and get me some straw for the sheep.\u2019\n\n\u2018Let me go,\u2019 said the boy.\n\n\u2018You are not big enough; your uncle will get it,\u2019 replied she.\n\n\u2018We will both get it,\u2019 answered the boy; \u2018come, uncle, let us go and\nfetch that straw!\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the uncle, and they went to the door of the room.\n\n\u2018It seems very dark,\u2019 said the boy; \u2018I must go and get a light;\u2019 and\nwhen he came back with one, he set fire to the straw, and the serpent\nwas burnt.\n\nThen the mother broke into sobs and tears. \u2018Oh, you wretched boy! What\nhave you done? Your father was in that straw, and you have killed him!\u2019\n\n\u2018Now, how was I to know that my father was lying in that straw, instead\nof in the kitchen?\u2019 said the boy.\n\nBut his mother only wept the more, and sobbed out, \u2018From this day you\nhave no father. You must do without him as best you can!\u2019\n\n\u2018Why did you marry a serpent?\u2019 asked the boy. \u2018I thought he was a man!\nHow did he learn those odd tricks?\u2019\n\nAs the sun rose, she woke her brother, and said, \u2018Go and take the goats\nto pasture!\u2019\n\n\u2018I will come too,\u2019 said the little boy.\n\n\u2018Go then!\u2019 said his mother, and they went together.\n\nOn the way the boy began: \u2018Dear uncle, this night my mother means to\nkill both of us, by poisoning us with the bones of the serpent, which\nshe will grind to powder and sprinkle in our food.\u2019\n\n\u2018And what are we to do?\u2019 asked the uncle.\n\n\u2018I will kill her, dear uncle. I do not want either a father or a mother\nlike that!\u2019\n\nWhen they came home in the evening they saw the woman preparing supper,\nand secretly scattering the powdered bones of the serpent on one side\nof the dish. On the other, where she meant to eat herself, there was no\npoison.\n\nAnd the boy whispered to his uncle, \u2018Dear uncle, be sure you eat from\nthe same side of the dish as I do!\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 said the uncle.\n\nSo they all three sat down to the table, but before they helped\nthemselves the boy said, \u2018I am thirsty, mother; will you get me some\nmilk?\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 said she, \u2018but you had better begin your supper.\u2019\n\nAnd when she came back with the milk they were both eating busily.\n\n\u2018Sit down and have something too,\u2019 said the boy, and she sat down and\nhelped herself from the dish, but at the very first moment she sank dead\nupon the ground.\n\n\u2018She has got what she meant for us,\u2019 observed the boy; \u2018and now we will\nsell all the sheep and cattle.\u2019\n\nSo the sheep and cattle were sold, and the uncle and nephew took the\nmoney and went to see the world.\n\nFor ten days they travelled through the desert, and then they came to a\nplace where the road parted in two.\n\n\u2018Uncle!\u2019 said the boy.\n\n\u2018Well, what is it?\u2019 replied he.\n\n\u2018You see these two roads? You must take one, and I the other; for the\ntime has come when we must part.\u2019\n\nBut the uncle cried, \u2018No, no, my boy, we will keep together always.\u2019\n\n\u2018Alas! that cannot be,\u2019 said the boy; \u2018so tell me which way you will\ngo.\u2019\n\n\u2018I will go to the west,\u2019 said the uncle.\n\n\u2018One word before I leave you,\u2019 continued the boy. \u2018Beware of any man who\nhas red hair and blue eyes. Take no service under him.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the uncle, and they parted.\n\nFor three days the man wandered on without any food, till he was very\nhungry. Then, when he was almost fainting, a stranger met him and said,\n\u2018Will you work for me?\u2019\n\n\u2018By contract?\u2019 asked the man.\n\n\u2018Yes, by contract,\u2019 replied the stranger, \u2018and whichever of us breaks\nit, shall have a strip of skin taken from his body.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the man; \u2018what shall I have to do?\u2019\n\n\u2018Every day you must take the sheep out to pasture, and carry my old\nmother on your shoulders, taking great care her feet shall never touch\nthe ground. And, besides that, you must catch, every evening, seven\nsinging birds for my seven sons.\u2019\n\n\u2018That is easily done,\u2019 said the man.\n\nThen they went back together, and the stranger said, \u2018Here are your\nsheep; and now stoop down, and let my mother climb on your back.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very good,\u2019 answered Mohammed\u2019s uncle.\n\nThe new shepherd did as he was told, and returned in the evening with\nthe old woman on his back, and the seven singing birds in his pocket,\nwhich he gave to the seven boys, when they came to meet him. So the days\npassed, each one exactly like the other.\n\nAt last, one night, he began to weep, and cried: \u2018Oh, what have I done,\nthat I should have to perform such hateful tasks?\u2019\n\nAnd his nephew Mohammed saw him from afar, and thought to himself, \u2018My\nuncle is in trouble--I must go and help him;\u2019 and the next morning he\nwent to his master and said: \u2018Dear master, I must go to my uncle, and I\nwish to send him here instead of myself, while I serve under his master.\nAnd that you may know it is he and no other man, I will give him my\nstaff, and put my mantle on him.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 said the master.\n\nMohammed set out on his journey, and in two days he arrived at the place\nwhere his uncle was standing with the old woman on his back trying to\ncatch the birds as they flew past. And Mohammed touched him on the arm,\nand spoke: \u2018Dear uncle, did I not warn you never to take service under\nany blue-eyed red-haired man!\n\n\u2018But what could I do?\u2019 asked the uncle. \u2018I was hungry, and he passed,\nand we signed a contract.\u2019\n\n\u2018Give the contract to me!\u2019 said the young man.\n\n\u2018Here it is,\u2019 replied the uncle, holding it out.\n\n\u2018Now,\u2019 continued Mohammed, \u2018let the old woman get down from your back.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh no, I mustn\u2019t do that!\u2019 cried he.\n\nBut the nephew paid no attention, and went on talking: \u2018Do not worry\nyourself about the future. I see my way out of it all. And, first, you\nmust take my stick and my mantle, and leave this place. After two days\u2019\njourney, straight before you, you will come to some tents which are\ninhabited by shepherds. Go in there, and wait.\u2019\n\n\u2018All right!\u2019 answered the uncle.\n\nThen Mohammed with the Magic Finger picked up a stick and struck the old\nwoman with it, saying, \u2018Get down, and look after the sheep; I want to go\nto sleep.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, certainly!\u2019 replied she.\n\nSo Mohammed lay down comfortably under a tree and slept till evening.\nTowards sunset he woke up and said to the old woman: \u2018Where are the\nsinging birds which you have got to catch?\u2019\n\n\u2018You never told me anything about that,\u2019 replied she.\n\n\u2018Oh, didn\u2019t I?\u2019 he answered. \u2018Well, it is part of your business, and if\nyou don\u2019t do it, I shall just kill you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Of course I will catch them!\u2019 cried she in a hurry, and ran about the\nbushes after the birds, till thorns pierced her foot, and she shrieked\nfrom pain and exclaimed, \u2018Oh dear, how unlucky I am! and how abominably\nthis man is treating me!\u2019 However, at last she managed to catch the\nseven birds, and brought them to Mohammed, saying, \u2018Here they are!\u2019\n\n\u2018Then now we will go back to the house,\u2019 said he.\n\nWhen they had gone some way he turned to her sharply:\n\n\u2018Be quick and drive the sheep home, for I do not know where their fold\nis.\u2019 And she drove them before her. By-and-by the young man spoke:\n\n\u2018Look here, old hag; if you say anything to your son about my having\nstruck you, or about my not being the old shepherd, I\u2019ll kill you!\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, no, of course I won\u2019t say anything!\u2019\n\nWhen they got back, the son said to his mother: \u2018That is a good shepherd\nI\u2019ve got, isn\u2019t he?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, a splendid shepherd!\u2019 answered she. \u2018Why, look how fat the sheep\nare, and how much milk they give!\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, indeed!\u2019 replied the son, as he rose to get supper for his mother\nand the shepherd.\n\nIn the time of Mohammed\u2019s uncle, the shepherd had had nothing to eat but\nthe scraps left by the old woman; but the new shepherd was not going to\nbe content with that.\n\n\u2018You will not touch the food till I have had as much as I want,\u2019\nwhispered he.\n\n\u2018Very good!\u2019 replied she. And when he had had enough, he said:\n\n\u2018Now, eat!\u2019 But she wept, and cried: \u2018That was not written in your\ncontract. You were only to have what I left!\u2019\n\n\u2018If you say a word more, I will kill you!\u2019 said he.\n\nThe next day he took the old woman on his back, and drove the sheep in\nfront of him till he was some distance from the house, when he let her\nfall, and said: \u2018Quick! go and mind the sheep!\u2019\n\nThen he took a ram, and killed it. He lit a fire and broiled some of its\nflesh, and called to the old woman:\n\n\u2018Come and eat with me!\u2019 and she came. But instead of letting her eat\nquietly, he took a large lump of the meat and rammed it down her throat\nwith his crook, so that she died. And when he saw she was dead, he said:\n\u2018That is what you have got for tormenting my uncle!\u2019 and left her lying\nwhere she was, while he went after the singing birds. It took him a long\ntime to catch them; but at length he had the whole seven hidden in the\npockets of his tunic, and then he threw the old woman\u2019s body into some\nbushes, and drove the sheep before him, back to their fold. And when\nthey drew near the house the seven boys came to meet him, and he gave a\nbird to each.\n\n\u2018Why are you weeping?\u2019 asked the boys, as they took their birds.\n\n\u2018Because your grandmother is dead!\u2019 And they ran and told their father.\nThen the man came up and said to Mohammed: \u2018What was the matter? How did\nshe die?\u2019\n\nAnd Mohammed answered: \u2018I was tending the sheep when she said to me,\n\u201cKill me that ram; I am hungry!\u201d So I killed it, and gave her the meat.\nBut she had no teeth, and it choked her.\u2019\n\n\u2018But why did you kill the ram, instead of one of the sheep?\u2019 asked the\nman.\n\n\u2018What was I to do?\u2019 said Mohammed. \u2018I had to obey orders!\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, I must see to her burial!\u2019 said the man; and the next morning\nMohammed drove out the sheep as usual, thinking to himself, \u2018Thank\ngoodness I\u2019ve got rid of the old woman! Now for the boys!\u2019\n\nAll day long he looked after the sheep, and towards evening he began to\ndig some little holes in the ground, out of which he took six scorpions.\nThese he put in his pockets, together with one bird which he caught.\nAfter this he drove his flock home.\n\nWhen he approached the house the boys came out to meet him as before,\nsaying: \u2018Give me my bird!\u2019 and he put a scorpion into the hand of each,\nand it stung him, and he died. But to the youngest only he gave a bird.\n\nAs soon as he saw the boys lying dead on the ground, Mohammed lifted up\nhis voice and cried loudly: \u2018Help, help! the children are dead!\u2019\n\nAnd the people came running fast, saying: \u2018What has happened? How have\nthey died?\u2019\n\nAnd Mohammed answered: \u2018It was your own fault! The boys had been\naccustomed to birds, and in this bitter cold their fingers grew stiff,\nand could hold nothing, so that the birds flew away, and their spirits\nflew with them. Only the youngest, who managed to keep tight hold of his\nbird, is still alive.\u2019\n\nAnd the father groaned, and said, \u2018I have borne enough! Bring no more\nbirds, lest I lose the youngest also!\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 said Mohammed.\n\nAs he was driving the sheep out to grass he said to his master: \u2018Out\nthere is a splendid pasture, and I will keep the sheep there for two or,\nperhaps, three days, so do not be surprised at our absence.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very good!\u2019 said the man; and Mohammed started. For two days he drove\nthem on and on, till he reached his uncle, and said to him, \u2018Dear uncle,\ntake these sheep and look after them. I have killed the old woman and\nthe boys, and the flock I have brought to you!\u2019\n\nThen Mohammed returned to his master; and on the way he took a stone and\nbeat his own head with it till it bled, and bound his hands tight,\nand began to scream. The master came running and asked, \u2018What is the\nmatter?\u2019\n\nAnd Mohammed answered: \u2018While the sheep were grazing, robbers came and\ndrove them away, and because I tried to prevent them, they struck me on\nthe head and bound my hands. See how bloody I am!\u2019\n\n\u2018What shall we do?\u2019 said the master; \u2018are the animals far off?\u2019\n\n\u2018So far that you are not likely ever to see them again,\u2019 replied\nMohammed. \u2018This is the fourth day since the robbers came down. How\nshould you be able to overtake them?\u2019\n\n\u2018Then go and herd the cows!\u2019 said the man.\n\n\u2018All right!\u2019 replied Mohammed, and for two days he went. But on the\nthird day he drove the cows to his uncle, first cutting off their tails.\nOnly one cow he left behind him.\n\n\u2018Take these cows, dear uncle,\u2019 said he. \u2018I am going to teach that man a\nlesson.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, I suppose you know your own business best,\u2019 said the uncle. \u2018And\ncertainly he almost worried me to death.\u2019\n\nSo Mohammed returned to his master, carrying the cows\u2019 tails tied up in\na bundle on his back. When he came to the sea-shore, he stuck all the\ntails in the sand, and went and buried the one cow, whose tail he had\nnot cut off, up to her neck, leaving the tail projecting. After he had\ngot everything ready, he began to shriek and scream as before, till\nhis master and all the other servants came running to see what was the\nmatter.\n\n\u2018What in the world has happened?\u2019 they cried\n\n\u2018The sea has swallowed up the cows,\u2019 said Mohammed, \u2018and nothing remains\nbut their tails. But if you are quick and pull hard, perhaps you may get\nthem out again!\u2019\n\nThe master ordered each man instantly to take hold of a tail, but at\nthe first pull they nearly tumbled backwards, and the tails were left in\ntheir hands.\n\n\u2018Stop,\u2019 cried Mohammed, \u2018you are doing it all wrong. You have just\npulled off their tails, and the cows have sunk to the bottom of the\nsea.\u2019\n\n\u2018See if you can do it any better,\u2019 said they; and Mohammed ran to the\ncow which he had buried in the rough grass, and took hold of her tail\nand dragged the animal out at once.\n\n\u2018There! that is the way to do it!\u2019 said he, \u2018I told you you knew nothing\nabout it!\u2019\n\nThe men slunk away, much ashamed of themselves; but the master came up\nto Mohammed. \u2018Get you gone!\u2019 he said, \u2018there is nothing more for you\nto do! You have killed my mother, you have slain my children, you have\nstolen my sheep, you have drowned my cows; I have now no work to give\nyou.\u2019\n\n\u2018First give me the strip of your skin which belongs to me of right, as\nyou have broken your contract!\u2019\n\n\u2018That a judge shall decide,\u2019 said the master; \u2018we will go before him.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, we will,\u2019 replied Mohammed. And they went before the judge.\n\n\u2018What is your case?\u2019 asked the judge of the master.\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 said the man, bowing low, \u2018my shepherd here has robbed me of\neverything. He has killed my children and my old mother; he has stolen\nmy sheep, he has drowned my cows in the sea.\u2019\n\nThe shepherd answered: \u2018He must pay me what he owes me, and then I will\ngo.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, that is the law,\u2019 said the judge.\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 returned the master, \u2018let him reckon up how long he has\nbeen in my service.\u2019\n\n\u2018That won\u2019t do,\u2019 replied Mohammed, \u2018I want my strip of skin, as we\nagreed in the contract.\u2019\n\nSeeing there was no help for it, the master cut a bit of skin, and gave\nit to Mohammed, who went off at once to his uncle.\n\n\u2018Now we are rich, dear uncle,\u2019 cried he; \u2018we will sell our cows and\nsheep and go to a new country. This one is no longer the place for us.\u2019\n\nThe sheep were soon sold, and the two comrades started on their travels.\nThat night they reached some Bedouin tents, where they had supper with\nthe Arabs. Before they lay down to sleep, Mohammed called the owner of\nthe tent aside. \u2018Your greyhound will eat my strip of leather,\u2019 he said\nto the Arab.\n\n\u2018No; do not fear.\u2019\n\n\u2018But supposing he does?\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, then, I will give him to you in exchange,\u2019 replied the Arab.\n\nMohammed waited till everyone was fast asleep, then he rose softly, and\ntearing the bit of skin in pieces, threw it down before the greyhound,\nsetting up wild shrieks as he did so.\n\n\u2018Oh, master, said I not well that your dog would eat my thong?\u2019\n\n\u2018Be quiet, don\u2019t make such a noise, and you shall have the dog.\u2019\n\nSo Mohammed put a leash round his neck, and led him away.\n\nIn the evening they arrived at the tents of some more Bedouin, and asked\nfor shelter. After supper Mohammed said to the owner of the tent, \u2018Your\nram will kill my greyhound.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, no, he won\u2019t.\u2019\n\n\u2018And supposing he does?\u2019\n\n\u2018Then you can take him in exchange.\u2019\n\nSo in the night Mohammed killed the greyhound, and laid his body across\nthe horns of the ram. Then he set up shrieks and yells, till he roused\nthe Arab, who said: \u2018Take the ram and go away.\u2019\n\nMohammed did not need to be told twice, and at sunset he reached another\nBedouin encampment. He was received kindly, as usual, and after supper\nhe said to his host: \u2018Your daughter will kill my ram.\u2019\n\n\u2018Be silent, she will do nothing of the sort; my daughter does not need\nto steal meat, she has some every day.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well, I will go to sleep; but if anything happens to my ram I will\ncall out.\u2019\n\n\u2018If my daughter touches anything belonging to my guest I will kill her,\u2019\nsaid the Arab, and went to his bed.\n\nWhen everybody was asleep, Mohammed got up, killed the ram, and took out\nhis liver, which he broiled on the fire. He placed a piece of it in the\ngirl\u2019s hands, and laid some more on her night-dress while she slept and\nknew nothing about it. After this he began to cry out loudly.\n\n\u2018What is the matter? be silent at once!\u2019 called the Arab.\n\n\u2018How can I be silent, when my ram, which I loved like a child, has been\nslain by your daughter?\u2019\n\n\u2018But my daughter is asleep,\u2019 said the Arab.\n\n\u2018Well, go and see if she has not some of the flesh about her.\u2019\n\n\u2018If she has, you may take her in exchange for the ram;\u2019 and as they\nfound the flesh exactly as Mohammed had foretold, the Arab gave his\ndaughter a good beating, and then told her to get out of sight, for she\nwas now the property of this stranger.\n\nThey wandered in the desert till, at nightfall, they came to a Bedouin\nencampment, where they were hospitably bidden to enter. Before lying\ndown to sleep, Mohammed said to the owner of the tent: \u2018Your mare will\nkill my wife.\u2019\n\n\u2018Certainly not.\u2019\n\n\u2018And if she does?\u2019\n\n\u2018Then you shall take the mare in exchange.\u2019\n\nWhen everyone was asleep, Mohammed said softly to his wife: \u2018Maiden, I\nhave got such a clever plan! I am going to bring in the mare and put\nit at your feet, and I will cut you, just a few little flesh wounds, so\nthat you may be covered with blood, and everybody will suppose you to be\ndead. But remember that you must not make a sound, or we shall both be\nlost.\u2019\n\nThis was done, and then Mohammed wept and wailed louder than ever.\n\nThe Arab hastened to the spot and cried, \u2018Oh, cease making that terrible\nnoise! Take the mare and go; but carry off the dead girl with you. She\ncan lie quite easily across the mare\u2019s back.\u2019\n\nThen Mohammed and his uncle picked up the girl, and, placing her on the\nmare\u2019s back, led it away, being very careful to walk one on each side,\nso that she might not slip down and hurt herself. After the Arab tents\ncould be seen no longer, the girl sat up on the saddle and looked about\nher, and as they were all hungry they tied up the mare, and took out\nsome dates to eat. When they had finished, Mohammed said to his uncle:\n\u2018Dear uncle, the maiden shall be your wife; I give her to you. But the\nmoney we got from the sheep and cows we will divide between us. You\nshall have two-thirds and I will have one. For you will have a wife, but\nI never mean to marry. And now, go in peace, for never more will you see\nme. The bond of bread and salt is at an end between us.\u2019\n\nSo they wept, and fell on each other\u2019s necks, and asked forgiveness for\nany wrongs in the past. Then they parted and went their ways.\n\n[M\u00e4rchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis. Von Haus Stumme.]\n\n\n\n\nBobino\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a rich merchant, who had an only son called\nBobino. Now, as the boy was clever, and had a great desire for\nknowledge, his father sent him to be under a master, from whom he\nthought he would learn to speak all sorts of foreign languages. After\nsome years with this master, Bobino returned to his home.\n\nOne evening, as he and his father were walking in the garden, the\nsparrows in the trees above their heads began such a twittering, that\nthey found it impossible to hear each other speak. This annoyed the\nmerchant very much, so, to soothe him, Bobino said: \u2018Would you like me\nto explain to you what the sparrows are saying to each other?\u2019\n\nThe merchant looked at his son in astonishment, and answered: \u2018What can\nyou mean? How can you explain what the sparrows say? Do you consider\nyourself a soothsayer or a magician?\u2019\n\n\u2018I am neither a soothsayer nor a magician,\u2019 answered Bobino; \u2018but my\nmaster taught me the language of all the animals.\u2019\n\n\u2018Alas! for my good money!\u2019 exclaimed the merchant. \u2018The master has\ncertainly mistaken my intention. Of course I meant you to learn the\nlanguages that human beings talk, and not the language of animals.\u2019\n\n\u2018Have patience,\u2019 answered the son. \u2018My master thought it best to begin\nwith the language of animals, and later to learn the languages of human\nbeings.\u2019\n\nOn their way into the house the dog ran to meet them, barking furiously.\n\n\u2018What can be the matter with the beast?\u2019 said the merchant. \u2018Why should\nhe bark at me like that, when he knows me quite well?\u2019\n\n\u2018Shall I explain to you what he is saying?\u2019 said Bobino.\n\n\u2018Leave me in peace, and don\u2019t trouble me with your nonsense,\u2019 said the\nmerchant quite crossly. \u2018How my money has been wasted!\u2019\n\nA little later, as they sat down to supper, some frogs in a neighbouring\npond set up such a croaking as had never been heard. The noise so\nirritated the merchant that he quite lost his temper and exclaimed:\n\u2018This only was wanting to add the last drop to my discomfort and\ndisappointment.\u2019\n\n\u2018Shall I explain to you?\u2019 began Bobino.\n\n\u2018Will you hold your tongue with your explanations?\u2019 shouted the\nmerchant. \u2018Go to bed, and don\u2019t let me see your face again!\u2019\n\nSo Bobino went to bed and slept soundly. But his father, who could not\nget over his disappointment at the waste of his money, was so angry,\nthat he sent for two servants, and gave them orders, which they were to\ncarry out on the following day.\n\nNext morning one of the servants awakened Bobino early, and made him get\ninto a carriage that was waiting for him. The servant placed himself on\nthe seat beside him, while the other servant rode alongside the carriage\nas an escort. Bobino could not understand what they were going to do\nwith him, or where he was being taken; but he noticed that the servant\nbeside him looked very sad, and his eyes were all swollen with crying.\n\nCurious to know the reason he said to him: \u2018Why are you so sad? and\nwhere are you taking me?\u2019\n\nBut the servant would say nothing. At last, moved by Bobino\u2019s\nentreaties, he said: \u2018My poor boy, I am taking you to your death, and,\nwhat is worse, I am doing so by the order of your father.\u2019\n\n\u2018But why,\u2019 exclaimed Bobino, \u2018does he want me to die? What evil have I\ndone him, or what fault have I committed that he should wish to bring\nabout my death?\u2019\n\n\u2018You have done him no evil,\u2019 answered the servant \u2018neither have you\ncommitted any fault; but he is half mad with anger because, in all these\nyears of study, you have learnt nothing but the language of animals.\nHe expected something quite different from you, that is why he is\ndetermined you shall die.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that is the case, kill me at once,\u2019 said Bobino. \u2018What is the use of\nwaiting, if it must be done?\u2019\n\n\u2018I have not the heart to do it,\u2019 answered the servant. \u2018I would\nrather think of some way of saving your life, and at the same time of\nprotecting ourselves from your father\u2019s anger. By good luck the dog has\nfollowed us. We will kill it, and cut out the heart and take it back to\nyour father. He will believe it is yours, and you, in the meantime, will\nhave made your escape.\u2019\n\nWhen they had reached the thickest part of the wood, Bobino got out of\nthe carriage, and having said good-bye to the servants set out on his\nwanderings.\n\nOn and on he walked, till at last, late in the evening, he came to a\nhouse where some herdsmen lived. He knocked at the door and begged\nfor shelter for the night. The herdsmen, seeing how gentle a youth he\nseemed, made him welcome, and bade him sit down and share their supper.\n\nWhile they were eating it, the dog in the courtyard began to bark.\nBobino walked to the window, listened attentively for a minute, and then\nturning to the herdsmen said: \u2018Send your wives and daughters at once to\nbed, and arm yourselves as best you can, because at midnight a band of\nrobbers will attack this house.\u2019\n\nThe herdsmen were quite taken aback, and thought that the youth must\nhave taken leave of his senses.\n\n\u2018How can you know,\u2019 they said, \u2018that a band of robbers mean to attack\nus? Who told you so?\u2019\n\n\u2018I know it from the dog\u2019s barking,\u2019 answered Bobino. \u2018I understand his\nlanguage, and if I had not been here, the poor beast would have wasted\nhis breath to no purpose. You had better follow my advice, if you wish\nto save your lives and property.\u2019\n\nThe herdsmen were more and more astonished, but they decided to do as\nBobino advised. They sent their wives and daughters upstairs, then,\nhaving armed themselves, they took up their position behind a hedge,\nwaiting for midnight.\n\nJust as the clock struck twelve they heard the sound of approaching\nfootsteps, and a band of robbers cautiously advanced towards the house.\nBut the herdsmen were on the look-out; they sprang on the robbers from\nbehind the hedge, and with blows from their cudgels soon put them to\nflight.\n\nYou may believe how grateful they were to Bobino, to whose timely\nwarning they owed their safety. They begged him to stay and make his\nhome with them; but as he wanted to see more of the world, he thanked\nthem warmly for their hospitality, and set out once more on his\nwanderings. All day he walked, and in the evening he came to a peasant\u2019s\nhouse. While he was wondering whether he should knock and demand shelter\nfor the night, he heard a great croaking of frogs in a ditch behind the\nhouse. Stepping to the back he saw a very strange sight. Four frogs\nwere throwing a small bottle about from one to the other, making a great\ncroaking as they did so. Bobino listened for a few minutes, and then\nknocked at the door of the house. It was opened by the peasant, who\nasked him to come in and have some supper.\n\nWhen the meal was over, his host told him that they were in great\ntrouble, as his eldest daughter was so ill, that they feared she could\nnot recover. A great doctor, who had been passing that way some time\nbefore, had promised to send her some medicine that would have cured\nher, but the servant to whom he had entrusted the medicine had let it\ndrop on the way back, and now there seemed no hope for the girl.\n\nThen Bobino told the father of the small bottle he had seen the frogs\nplay with, and that he knew that was the medicine which the doctor had\nsent to the girl. The peasant asked him how he could be sure of this,\nand Bobino explained to him that he understood the language of animals,\nand had heard what the frogs said as they tossed the bottle about. So\nthe peasant fetched the bottle from the ditch, and gave the medicine\nto his daughter. In the morning she was much better, and the grateful\nfather did not know how to thank Bobino enough. But Bobino would accept\nnothing from him, and having said good-bye, set out once more on his\nwanderings.\n\nOne day, soon after this, he came upon two men resting under a tree in\nthe heat of the day. Being tired he stretched himself on the ground at\nno great distance from them, and soon they all three began to talk to\none another. In the course of conversation, Bobino asked the two men\nwhere they were going; and they replied that they were on their way to a\nneighbouring town, where, that day, a new ruler was to be chosen by the\npeople.\n\nWhile they were still talking, some sparrows settled on the tree under\nwhich they were lying. Bobino was silent, and appeared to be listening\nattentively. At the end of a few minutes he said to his companions, \u2018Do\nyou know what those sparrows are saying? They are saying that to-day one\nof us will be chosen ruler of that town.\u2019\n\nThe men said nothing, but looked at each other. A few minutes later,\nseeing that Bobino had fallen asleep, they stole away, and made with all\nhaste for the town, where the election of a new ruler was to take place.\n\nA great crowd was assembled in the market-place, waiting for the hour\nwhen an eagle should be let loose from a cage, for it had been settled\nthat on whose-soever house the eagle alighted, the owner of that house\nshould become ruler of the town. At last the hour arrived; the eagle was\nset free, and all eyes were strained to see where it would alight. But\ncircling over the heads of the crowd, it flew straight in the direction\nof a young man, who was at that moment entering the town. This was none\nother than Bobino, who had awakened soon after his companions had left\nhim, and had followed in their footsteps. All the people shouted and\nproclaimed that he was their future ruler, and he was conducted by a\ngreat crowd to the Governor\u2019s house, which was for the future to be his\nhome. And here he lived happily, and ruled wisely over the people.\n\n\n\n\nThe Dog and the Sparrow\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a sheep-dog whose master was so unkind that\nhe starved the poor beast, and ill-treated him in the cruellest manner.\nAt last the dog determined to stand this ill-usage no longer, and, one\nday, he ran away from home. As he was trotting along the road he met a\nsparrow, who stopped him and said: \u2018Brother, why do you look so sad?\u2019\n\nThe dog answered: \u2018I am sad because I am hungry, and have nothing to\neat.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that\u2019s all, dear brother,\u2019 said the sparrow, \u2018come to the town with\nme, and I\u2019ll soon get food for you.\u2019\n\nSo they went together to the town, and when they came to a butcher\u2019s\nshop, the sparrow said to the dog: \u2018You stand still and I\u2019ll peck down a\npiece of meat for you.\u2019\n\nFirst she looked all round to see that no one was watching her, and then\nshe set to work to peck at a piece of meat that lay on the edge of a\nshelf, till at last it fell down. The dog seized it ravenously, and ran\nwith it to a dark corner where he gobbled it up in a very few minutes.\n\nWhen he had finished it, the sparrow said: \u2018Now come with me to another\nshop, and I will get you a second piece, so that your hunger may be\nsatisfied.\u2019 When the dog had finished the second piece of meat, the\nsparrow asked him: \u2018Brother, have you had enough now?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 replied the dog, \u2018I\u2019ve had quite enough meat, but I haven\u2019t had\nany bread yet.\u2019\n\nThe sparrow said: \u2018You shall have as much bread as you like, only come\nwith me.\u2019 Then she led him to a baker\u2019s shop, and pecked so long at two\nrolls on a shelf that at last they fell down, and the dog ate them up.\n\nBut still his hunger was not appeased; so the sparrow took him to\nanother baker\u2019s shop, and got some more rolls for him. Then she asked\nhim: \u2018Well, brother, are you satisfied?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 he replied; \u2018and now let us go for a little walk outside the\ntown.\u2019\n\nSo the two went for a stroll into the country; but the day was very hot,\nand after they had gone a short distance the dog said: \u2018I am very tired,\nand would like to go to sleep.\u2019\n\n\u2018Sleep, then,\u2019 said the sparrow, \u2018and I will keep watch meantime on the\nbranch of a tree.\u2019\n\nSo the dog lay down in the middle of the road, and was soon fast asleep.\nWhile he was sleeping a carter passed by, driving a waggon drawn by\nthree horses, and laden with two barrels of wine. The sparrow noticed\nthat the man was not going out of his way to avoid the dog, but was\ndriving right in the middle of the road where the poor animal lay; so\nshe called out: \u2018Carter, take care what you are about, or I shall make\nyou suffer for it.\u2019\n\nBut the carter merely laughed at her words, and, cracking his whip, he\ndrove his waggon right over the dog, so that the heavy wheels killed\nhim.\n\nThen the sparrow called out: \u2018You have caused my brother\u2019s death, and\nyour cruelty will cost you your waggon and horses.\u2019\n\n\u2018Waggon and horses, indeed,\u2019 said the carter; \u2018I\u2019d like to know how you\ncould rob me of them!\u2019\n\nThe sparrow said nothing, but crept under the cover of the waggon and\npecked so long at the bunghole of one of the barrels that at last\nshe got the cork away, and all the wine ran out without the carter\u2019s\nnoticing it.\n\nBut at last he turned round and saw that the bottom of the cart was\nwet, and when he examined it, he found that one of the barrels was quite\nempty. \u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I am!\u2019 he exclaimed.\n\n\u2018You\u2019ll have worse luck still,\u2019 said the sparrow, as she perched on the\nhead of one of the horses and pecked out its eyes.\n\nWhen the carter saw what had happened, he seized an axe and tried to hit\nthe sparrow with it, but the little bird flew up into the air, and the\ncarter only hit the blind horse on the head, so that it fell down dead.\n\u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I am!\u2019 he exclaimed again.\n\n\u2018You\u2019ll have worse luck yet,\u2019 said the sparrow; and when the carter\ndrove on with his two horses she crept under the covering again, and\npecked away at the cork of the second barrel till she got it away, and\nall the wine poured out on to the road.\n\nWhen the carter perceived this fresh disaster he called out once more:\n\u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I am!\u2019\n\nBut the sparrow answered: \u2018Your bad luck is not over yet,\u2019 and flying on\nto the head of the second horse she pecked out its eyes.\n\nThe carter jumped out of the waggon and seized his axe, with which he\nmeant to kill the sparrow; but the little bird flew high into the air,\nand the blow fell on the poor blind horse instead, and killed it on the\nspot. Then the carter exclaimed: \u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I am!\u2019\n\n\u2018You\u2019ve not got to the end of your bad luck yet,\u2019 sang the sparrow; and,\nperching on the head of the third horse, she pecked out its eyes.\n\nThe carter, blind with rage, let his axe fly at the bird; but once more\nshe escaped the blow, which fell on the only remaining horse, and killed\nit. And again the carter called out: \u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I am!\u2019\n\n\u2018You\u2019ll have worse luck yet,\u2019 said the sparrow, \u2018for now I mean to make\nyour home desolate.\u2019\n\nThe carter had to leave his waggon on the road, and he went home in a\ntowering passion. As soon as he saw his wife, he called out: \u2018Oh! what\nbad luck I have had! all my wine is spilt, and my horses are all three\ndead.\u2019\n\n\u2018My dear husband,\u2019 replied his wife, \u2018your bad luck pursues you, for a\nwicked little sparrow has assembled all the other birds in the world,\nand they are in our barn eating everything up.\u2019\n\nThe carter went out to the barn where he kept his corn and found it was\njust as his wife had said. Thousands and thousands of birds were eating\nup the grain, and in the middle of them sat the little sparrow. When he\nsaw his old enemy, the carter cried out: \u2018Oh! what an unlucky fellow I\nam!\u2019\n\n\u2018Not unlucky enough yet,\u2019 answered the sparrow; \u2018for, mark my words,\ncarter, your cruel conduct will cost you your life;\u2019 and with these\nwords she flew into the air.\n\nThe carter was much depressed by the loss of all his worldly goods, and\nsat down at the fire plotting vengeance on the sparrow, while the little\nbird sat on the window ledge and sang in mocking tones: \u2018Yes, carter,\nyour cruel conduct will cost you your life.\u2019\n\nThen the carter seized his axe and threw it at the sparrow, but he\nonly broke the window panes, and did not do the bird a bit of harm. She\nhopped in through the broken window and, perching on the mantelpiece,\nshe called out; \u2018Yes, carter, it will cost you your life.\u2019\n\nThe carter, quite beside himself with rage, flew at the sparrow again\nwith his axe, but the little creature always eluded his blows, and he\nonly succeeded in destroying all his furniture. At last, however, he\nmanaged to catch the bird in his hands. Then his wife called out: \u2018Shall\nI wring her neck?\u2019\n\n\u2018Certainly not,\u2019 replied her husband, \u2018that would be far too easy a\ndeath for her; she must die in a far crueller fashion than that. I will\neat her alive;\u2019 and he suited the action to his words. But the sparrow\nfluttered and struggled inside him till she got up into the man\u2019s mouth,\nand then she popped out her head and said: \u2018Yes, carter, it will cost\nyou your life.\u2019\n\nThe carter handed his wife the axe, and said: \u2018Wife, kill the bird in my\nmouth dead.\u2019\n\nThe woman struck with all her might, but she missed the bird and hit the\ncarter right on the top of his head, so that he fell down dead. But the\nsparrow escaped out of his mouth and flew away into the air.\n\n[From the German, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Three Sons of Hali\n\n\nTill his eighteenth birthday the young Neangir lived happily in a\nvillage about forty miles from Constantinople, believing that Mohammed\nand Zinebi his wife, who had brought him up, were his real parents.\n\nNeangir was quite content with his lot, though he was neither rich nor\ngreat, and unlike most young men of his age had no desire to leave\nhis home. He was therefore completely taken by surprise when one day\nMohammed told him with many sighs that the time had now come for him to\ngo to Constantinople, and fix on a profession for himself. The choice\nwould be left to him, but he would probably prefer either to be a\nsoldier or one of the doctors learned in the law, who explain the Koran\nto the ignorant people. \u2018You know the holy book nearly by heart,\u2019 ended\nthe old man, \u2018so that in a very short time you would be fitted to teach\nothers. But write to us and tell us how you pass your life, and we, on\nour side, will promise never to forget you.\u2019\n\nSo saying, Mohammed gave Neangir four piastres to start him in the great\ncity, and obtained leave for him to join a caravan which was about to\nset off for Constantinople.\n\nThe journey took some days, as caravans go very slowly, but at last\nthe walls and towers of the capital appeared in the distance. When the\ncaravan halted the travellers went their different ways, and Neangir was\nleft, feeling very strange and rather lonely. He had plenty of courage\nand made friends very easily; still, not only was it the first time he\nhad left the village where he had been brought up, but no one had ever\nspoken to him of Constantinople, and he did not so much as know the name\nof a single street or of a creature who lived in it.\n\nWondering what he was to do next, Neangir stood still for a moment to\nlook about him, when suddenly a pleasant-looking man came up, and bowing\npolitely, asked if the youth would do him the honour of staying in\nhis house till he had made some plans for himself. Neangir, not seeing\nanything else he could do, accepted the stranger\u2019s offer and followed\nhim home.\n\nThey entered a large room, where a girl of about twelve years old was\nlaying three places at the table.\n\n\u2018Zelida,\u2019 said the stranger, \u2018was I not quite right when I told you that\nI should bring back a friend to sup with us?\u2019\n\n\u2018My father,\u2019 replied the girl, \u2018you are always right in what you say,\nand what is better still, you never mislead others.\u2019 As she spoke, an\nold slave placed on the table a dish called pillau, made of rice and\nmeat, which is a great favourite among people in the East, and setting\ndown glasses of sherbet before each person, left the room quietly.\n\nDuring the meal the host talked a great deal upon all sorts of subjects;\nbut Neangir did nothing but look at Zelida, as far as he could without\nbeing positively rude.\n\nThe girl blushed and grew uncomfortable, and at last turned to her\nfather. \u2018The stranger\u2019s eyes never wander from me,\u2019 she said in a low\nand hesitating voice. \u2018If Hassan should hear of it, jealousy will make\nhim mad.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, no,\u2019 replied the father, \u2018you are certainly not for this young man.\nDid I not tell you before that I intend him for your sister Argentine.\nI will at once take measures to fix his heart upon her,\u2019 and he rose\nand opened a cupboard, from which he took some fruits and a jug of\nwine, which he put on the table, together with a small silver and\nmother-of-pearl box.\n\n\u2018Taste this wine,\u2019 he said to the young man, pouring some into a glass.\n\n\u2018Give me a little, too,\u2019 cried Zelida.\n\n\u2018Certainly not,\u2019 answered her father, \u2018you and Hassan both had as much\nas was good for you the other day.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then drink some yourself,\u2019 replied she, \u2018or this young man will think\nwe mean to poison him.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, if you wish, I will do so,\u2019 said the father; \u2018this elixir is not\ndangerous at my age, as it is at yours.\u2019\n\nWhen Neangir had emptied his glass, his host opened the mother-of-pearl\nbox and held it out to him. Neangir was beside himself with delight at\nthe picture of a young maiden more beautiful than anything he had ever\ndreamed of. He stood speechless before it, while his breast swelled with\na feeling quite new to him.\n\nHis two companions watched him with amusement, until at last Neangir\nroused himself. \u2018Explain to me, I pray you,\u2019 he said, \u2018the meaning of\nthese mysteries. Why did you ask me here? Why did you force me to drink\nthis dangerous liquid which has set fire to my blood? Why have you shown\nme this picture which has almost deprived me of reason?\u2019\n\n\u2018I will answer some of your questions,\u2019 replied his host, \u2018but all,\nI may not. The picture that you hold in your hand is that of Zelida\u2019s\nsister. It has filled your heart with love for her; therefore, go and\nseek her. When you find her, you will find yourself.\u2019\n\n\u2018But where shall I find her?\u2019 cried Neangir, kissing the charming\nminiature on which his eyes were fixed.\n\n\u2018I am unable to tell you more,\u2019 replied his host cautiously.\n\n\u2018But I can\u2019 interrupted Zelida eagerly. \u2018To-morrow you must go to the\nJewish bazaar, and buy a watch from the second shop on the right hand.\nAnd at midnight--\u2019\n\nBut what was to happen at midnight Neangir did not hear, for Zelida\u2019s\nfather hastily laid his hand over her mouth, crying: \u2018Oh, be silent,\nchild! Would you draw down on you by imprudence the fate of your unhappy\nsisters?\u2019 Hardly had he uttered the words, when a thick black vapour\nrose about him, proceeding from the precious bottle, which his rapid\nmovement had overturned. The old slave rushed in and shrieked loudly,\nwhile Neangir, upset by this strange adventure, left the house.\n\nHe passed the rest of the night on the steps of a mosque, and with\nthe first streaks of dawn he took his picture out of the folds of his\nturban. Then, remembering Zelida\u2019s words, he inquired the way to the\nbazaar, and went straight to the shop she had described.\n\nIn answer to Neangir\u2019s request to be shown some watches, the merchant\nproduced several and pointed out the one which he considered the best.\nThe price was three gold pieces, which Neangir readily agreed to give\nhim; but the man made a difficulty about handing over the watch unless\nhe knew where his customer lived.\n\n\u2018That is more than I know myself,\u2019 replied Neangir. \u2018I only arrived in\nthe town yesterday and cannot find the way to the house where I went\nfirst.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said the merchant, \u2018come with me, and I will take you to a good\nMussulman, where you will have everything you desire at a small charge.\u2019\n\nNeangir consented, and the two walked together through several streets\ntill they reached the house recommended by the Jewish merchant. By his\nadvice the young man paid in advance the last gold piece that remained\nto him for his food and lodging.\n\nAs soon as Neangir had dined he shut himself up in his room, and\nthrusting his hand into the folds of his turban, drew out his beloved\nportrait. As he did so, he touched a sealed letter which had apparently\nbeen hidden there without his knowledge, and seeing it was written\nby his foster-mother, Zinebi, he tore it eagerly open. Judge of his\nsurprise when he read these words:\n\n\u2018My dearest Child,--This letter, which you will some day find in your\nturban, is to inform you that you are not really our son. We believe\nyour father to have been a great lord in some distant land, and inside\nthis packet is a letter from him, threatening to be avenged on us if you\nare not restored to him at once. We shall always love you, but do not\nseek us or even write to us. It will be useless.\u2019\n\nIn the same wrapper was a roll of paper with a few words as follows,\ntraced in a hand unknown to Neangir:\n\n\u2018Traitors, you are no doubt in league with those magicians who have\nstolen the two daughters of the unfortunate Siroco, and have taken from\nthem the talisman given them by their father. You have kept my son from\nme, but I have found out your hiding-place and swear by the Holy Prophet\nto punish your crime. The stroke of my scimitar is swifter than the\nlightning.\u2019\n\nThe unhappy Neangir on reading these two letters--of which he understood\nabsolutely nothing--felt sadder and more lonely than ever. It soon\ndawned on him that he must be the son of the man who had written to\nMohammed and his wife, but he did not know where to look for him, and\nindeed thought much more about the people who had brought him up and\nwhom he was never to see again.\n\nTo shake off these gloomy feelings, so as to be able to make some plans\nfor the future, Neangir left the house and walked briskly about the\ncity till darkness had fallen. He then retraced his steps and was just\ncrossing the threshold when he saw something at his feet sparkling in\nthe moonlight. He picked it up, and discovered it to be a gold watch\nshining with precious stones. He gazed up and down the street to see\nif there was anyone about to whom it might belong, but there was not\na creature visible. So he put it in his sash, by the side of a silver\nwatch which he had bought from the Jew that morning.\n\nThe possession of this piece of good fortune cheered Neangir up a\nlittle, \u2018for,\u2019 thought he, \u2018I can sell these jewels for at least a\nthousand sequins, and that will certainly last me till I have found my\nfather.\u2019 And consoled by this reflection he laid both watches beside him\nand prepared to sleep.\n\nIn the middle of the night he awoke suddenly and heard a soft voice\nspeaking, which seemed to come from one of the watches.\n\n\u2018Aurora, my sister,\u2019 it whispered gently. \u2018Did they remember to wind you\nup at midnight?\u2019\n\n\u2018No, dear Argentine,\u2019 was the reply. \u2018And you?\u2019\n\n\u2018They forgot me, too,\u2019 answered the first voice, \u2018and it is now\none o\u2019clock, so that we shall not be able to leave our prison till\nto-morrow--if we are not forgotten again--then.\u2019\n\n\u2018We have nothing now to do here,\u2019 said Aurora. \u2018We must resign ourselves\nto our fate--let us go.\u2019\n\nFilled with astonishment Neangir sat up in bed, and beheld by the light\nof the moon the two watches slide to the ground and roll out of the\nroom past the cats\u2019 quarters. He rushed towards the door and on to the\nstaircase, but the watches slipped downstairs without his seeing them,\nand into the street. He tried to unlock the door and follow them, but\nthe key refused to turn, so he gave up the chase and went back to bed.\n\nThe next day all his sorrows returned with tenfold force. He felt\nhimself lonelier and poorer than ever, and in a fit of despair he thrust\nhis turban on his head, stuck his sword in his belt, and left the house\ndetermined to seek an explanation from the merchant who had sold him the\nsilver watch.\n\nWhen Neangir reached the bazaar he found the man he sought was absent\nfrom his shop, and his place filled by another Jew.\n\n\u2018It is my brother you want,\u2019 said he; \u2018we keep the shop in turn, and in\nturn go into the city to do our business.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah! what business?\u2019 cried Neangir in a fury. \u2018You are the brother of a\nscoundrel who sold me yesterday a watch that ran away in the night. But\nI will find it somehow, or else you shall pay for it, as you are his\nbrother!\u2019\n\n\u2018What is that you say?\u2019 asked the Jew, around whom a crowd had rapidly\ngathered. \u2018A watch that ran away. If it had been a cask of wine, your\nstory might be true, but a watch--! That is hardly possible!\u2019\n\n\u2018The Cadi shall say whether it is possible or not,\u2019 replied Neangir, who\nat that moment perceived the other Jew enter the bazaar. Darting up,\nhe seized him by the arm and dragged him to the Cadi\u2019s house; but not\nbefore the man whom he had found in the shop contrived to whisper to his\nbrother, in a tone loud enough for Neangir to hear, \u2018Confess nothing, or\nwe shall both be lost.\u2019\n\nWhen the Cadi was informed of what had taken place he ordered the crowd\nto be dispersed by blows, after the Turkish manner, and then asked\nNeangir to state his complaint. After hearing the young man\u2019s story,\nwhich seemed to him most extraordinary, he turned to question the Jewish\nmerchant, who instead of answering raised his eyes to heaven and fell\ndown in a dead faint.\n\nThe judge took no notice of the swooning man, but told Neangir that his\ntale was so singular he really could not believe it, and that he should\nhave the merchant carried back to his own house. This so enraged Neangir\nthat he forgot the respect due to the Cadi, and exclaimed at the top of\nhis voice, \u2018Recover this fellow from his fainting fit, and force him\nto confess the truth,\u2019 giving the Jew as he spoke a blow with his sword\nwhich caused him to utter a piercing scream.\n\n\u2018You see for yourself,\u2019 said the Jew to the Cadi, \u2018that this young man\nis out of his mind. I forgive him his blow, but do not, I pray you,\nleave me in his power.\u2019\n\nAt that moment the Bassa chanced to pass the Cadi\u2019s house, and hearing a\ngreat noise, entered to inquire the cause. When the matter was explained\nhe looked attentively at Neangir, and asked him gently how all these\nmarvels could possibly have happened.\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 replied Neangir, \u2018I swear I have spoken the truth, and\nperhaps you will believe me when I tell you that I myself have been the\nvictim of spells wrought by people of this kind, who should be rooted\nout from the earth. For three years I was changed into a three-legged\npot, and only returned to man\u2019s shape when one day a turban was laid\nupon my lid.\u2019\n\nAt these words the Bassa rent his robe for joy, and embracing Neangir,\nhe cried, \u2018Oh, my son, my son, have I found you at last? Do you not come\nfrom the house of Mohammed and Zinebi?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, my lord,\u2019 replied Neangir, \u2018it was they who took care of me during\nmy misfortune, and taught me by their example to be less worthy of\nbelonging to you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Blessed be the Prophet,\u2019 said the Bassa, \u2018who has restored one of my\nsons to me, at the time I least expected it! You know,\u2019 he continued,\naddressing the Cadi, \u2018that during the first years of my marriage I had\nthree sons by the beautiful Zambac. When he was three years old a holy\ndervish gave the eldest a string of the finest coral, saying \u201cKeep this\ntreasure carefully, and be faithful to the Prophet, and you will be\nhappy.\u201d To the second, who now stands before you, he presented a copper\nplate on which the name of Mahomet was engraved in seven languages,\ntelling him never to part from his turban, which was the sign of a true\nbeliever, and he would taste the greatest of all joys; while on the\nright arm of the third the dervish clasped a bracelet with the prayer\nthat his right hand should be pure and the left spotless, so that he\nmight never know sorrow.\n\n\u2018My eldest son neglected the counsel of the dervish and terrible\ntroubles fell on him, as also on the youngest. To preserve the second\nfrom similar misfortunes I brought him up in a lonely place, under the\ncare of a faithful servant named Gouloucou, while I was fighting the\nenemies of our Holy Faith. On my return from the wars I hastened to\nembrace my son, but both he and Gouloucou had vanished, and it is only\na few months since that I learned that the boy was living with a man\ncalled Mohammed, whom I suspected of having stolen him. Tell me, my son,\nhow it came about that you fell into his hands.\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 replied Neangir, \u2018I can remember little of the early years\nof my life, save that I dwelt in a castle by the seashore with an old\nservant. I must have been about twelve years old when one day as we were\nout walking we met a man whose face was like that of this Jew, coming\ndancing towards us. Suddenly I felt myself growing faint. I tried to\nraise my hands to my head, but they had become stiff and hard. In a\nword, I had been changed into a copper pot, and my arms formed the\nhandle. What happened to my companion I know not, but I was conscious\nthat someone had picked me up, and was carrying me quickly away.\n\n\u2018After some days, or so it seemed to me, I was placed on the ground near\na thick hedge, and when I heard my captor snoring beside me I resolved\nto make my escape. So I pushed my way among the thorns as well as I\ncould, and walked on steadily for about an hour.\n\n\u2018You cannot imagine, my lord, how awkward it is to walk with three legs,\nespecially when your knees are as stiff as mine were. At length after\nmuch difficulty I reached a market-garden, and hid myself deep down\namong the cabbages, where I passed a quiet night.\n\n\u2018The next morning, at sunrise, I felt some one stooping over me and\nexamining me closely. \u201cWhat have you got there, Zinebi?\u201d said the voice\nof a man a little way off.\n\n\u2018\u201cThe most beautiful pot in the whole world,\u201d answered the woman beside\nme, \u201cand who would have dreamed of finding it among my cabbages!\u201d\n\n\u2018Mohammed lifted me from the ground and looked at me with admiration.\nThat pleased me, for everyone likes to be admired, even if he is only\na pot! And I was taken into the house and filled with water, and put on\nthe fire to boil.\n\n\u2018For three years I led a quiet and useful life, being scrubbed bright\nevery day by Zinebi, then a young and beautiful woman.\n\n\u2018One morning Zinebi set me on the fire, with a fine fillet of beef\ninside me to cook for dinner. Being afraid that some of the steam would\nescape through the lid, and that the taste of her stew would be spoilt,\nshe looked about for something to put over the cover, but could see\nnothing handy but her husband\u2019s turban. She tied it firmly round the\nlid, and then left the room. For the first time during three years I\nbegan to feel the fire burning the soles of my feet, and moved away\na little--doing this with a great deal more ease than I had felt when\nmaking my escape to Mohammed\u2019s garden. I was somehow aware, too, that I\nwas growing taller; in fact in a few minutes I was a man again.\n\n\u2018After the third hour of prayer Mohammed and Zinebi both returned,\nand you can guess their surprise at finding a young man in the kitchen\ninstead of a copper pot! I told them my story, which at first they\nrefused to believe, but in the end I succeeded in persuading them that\nI was speaking the truth. For two years more I lived with them, and was\ntreated like their own son, till the day when they sent me to this city\nto seek my fortune. And now, my lords, here are the two letters which\nI found in my turban. Perhaps they may be another proof in favour of my\nstory.\u2019\n\nWhilst Neangir was speaking, the blood from the Jew\u2019s wound had\ngradually ceased to flow; and at this moment there appeared in the\ndoorway a lovely Jewess, about twenty-two years old, her hair and her\ndress all disordered, as if she had been flying from some great danger.\nIn one hand she held two crutches of white wood, and was followed by\ntwo men. The first man Neangir knew to be the brother of the Jew he\nhad struck with his sword, while in the second the young man thought\nhe recognised the person who was standing by when he was changed into a\npot. Both of these men had a wide linen band round their thighs and held\nstout sticks.\n\nThe Jewess approached the wounded man and laid the two crutches near\nhim; then, fixing her eyes on him, she burst into tears.\n\n\u2018Unhappy Izouf,\u2019 she murmured, \u2018why do you suffer yourself to be led\ninto such dangerous adventures? Look at the consequences, not only to\nyourself, but to your two brothers,\u2019 turning as she spoke to the men who\nhad come in with her, and who had sunk down on the mat at the feet of\nthe Jew.\n\nThe Bassa and his companions were struck both with the beauty of\nthe Jewess and also with her words, and begged her to give them an\nexplanation.\n\n\u2018My lords,\u2019 she said, \u2018my name is Sumi, and I am the daughter of Moizes,\none of our most famous rabbis. I am the victim of my love for Izaf,\u2019\npointing to the man who had entered last, \u2018and in spite of his\ningratitude, I cannot tear him from my heart. Cruel enemy of my life,\u2019\nshe continued turning to Izaf, \u2018tell these gentlemen your story and that\nof your brothers, and try to gain your pardon by repentance.\u2019\n\n\u2018We all three were born at the same time,\u2019 said the Jew, obeying the\ncommand of Sumi at a sign from the Cadi, \u2018and are the sons of the famous\nNathan Ben-Sadi, who gave us the names of Izif, Izouf, and Izaf. From\nour earliest years we were taught the secrets of magic, and as we were\nall born under the same stars we shared the same happiness and the same\ntroubles.\n\n\u2018Our mother died before I can remember, and when we were fifteen our\nfather was seized with a dangerous illness which no spells could cure.\nFeeling death draw near, he called us to his bedside and took leave of\nus in these words:\n\n\u2018\u201cMy sons, I have no riches to bequeath to you; my only wealth was those\nsecrets of magic which you know. Some stones you already have, engraved\nwith mystic signs, and long ago I taught you how to make others. But you\nstill lack the most precious of all talismans--the three rings belonging\nto the daughters of Siroco. Try to get possession of them, but take heed\non beholding these young girls that you do not fall under the power of\ntheir beauty. Their religion is different from yours, and further, they\nare the betrothed brides of the sons of the Bassa of the Sea. And to\npreserve you from a love which can bring you nothing but sorrow, I\ncounsel you in time of peril to seek out the daughter of Moizes the\nRabbi, who cherishes a hidden passion for Izaf, and possesses the Book\nof Spells, which her father himself wrote with the sacred ink that was\nused for the Talmud.\u201d So saying, our father fell back on his cushions\nand died, leaving us burning with desire for the three rings of the\ndaughters of Siroco.\n\n\u2018No sooner were our sad duties finished than we began to make inquiries\nwhere these young ladies were to be found, and we learned after much\ntrouble that Siroco, their father, had fought in many wars, and that his\ndaughters, whose beauty was famous throughout all the land, were named\nAurora, Argentine, and Zelida.\u2019\n\nAt the second of these names, both the Bassa and his son gave a start of\nsurprise, but they said nothing and Izaf went on with his story.\n\n\u2018The first thing to be done was to put on a disguise, and it was in\nthe dress of foreign merchants that we at length approached the young\nladies, taking care to carry with us a collection of fine stones which\nwe had hired for the occasion. But alas! it was to no purpose that\nNathan Ben-Sadi had warned us to close our hearts against their charms!\nThe peerless Aurora was clothed in a garment of golden hue, studded all\nover with flashing jewels; the fair-haired Argentine wore a dress of\nsilver, and the young Zelida, loveliest of them all, the costume of a\nPersian lady.\n\n\u2018Among other curiosities that we had brought with us, was a flask\ncontaining an elixir which had the quality of exciting love in the\nbreasts of any man or woman who drank of it. This had been given me by\nthe fair Sumi, who had used it herself and was full of wrath because I\nrefused to drink it likewise, and so return her passion. I showed this\nliquid to the three maidens who were engaged in examining the precious\nstones, and choosing those that pleased them best; and I was in the act\nof pouring some in a crystal cup, when Zelida\u2019s eyes fell on a paper\nwrapped round the flask containing these words. \u201cBeware lest you\ndrink this water with any other man than him who will one day be your\nhusband.\u201d \u201cAh, traitor!\u201d she exclaimed, \u201cwhat snare have you laid for\nme?\u201d and glancing where her finger pointed I recognised the writing of\nSumi.\n\n\u2018By this time my two brothers had already got possession of the rings\nof Aurora and Argentine in exchange for some merchandise which they\ncoveted, and no sooner had the magic circles left their hands than the\ntwo sisters vanished completely, and in their place nothing was to be\nseen but a watch of gold and one of silver. At this instant the old\nslave whom we had bribed to let us enter the house, rushed into the room\nannouncing the return of Zelida\u2019s father. My brothers, trembling with\nfright, hid the watches in their turbans, and while the slave was\nattending to Zelida, who had sunk fainting to the ground, we managed to\nmake our escape.\n\n\u2018Fearing to be traced by the enraged Siroco, we did not dare to go back\nto the house where we lodged, but took refuge with Sumi.\n\n\u2018\u201cUnhappy wretches!\u201d cried she, \u201cis it thus that you have followed the\ncounsels of your father? This very morning I consulted my magic books,\nand saw you in the act of abandoning your hearts to the fatal passion\nwhich will one day be your ruin. No, do not think I will tamely bear\nthis insult! It was I who wrote the letter which stopped Zelida in the\nact of drinking the elixir of love! As for you,\u201d she went on, turning to\nmy brothers, \u201cyou do not yet know what those two watches will cost you!\nBut you can learn it now, and the knowledge of the truth will only serve\nto render your lives still more miserable.\u201d\n\n\u2018As she spoke she held out the sacred book written by Moizes, and\npointed to the following lines:\n\n\u2018\u201cIf at midnight the watches are wound with the key of gold and the key\nof silver, they will resume their proper shapes during the first hour\nof the day. They will always remain under the care of a woman, and will\ncome back to her wherever they may be. And the woman appointed to guard\nthem is the daughter of Moizes.\u201d\n\n\u2018My brothers were full of rage when they saw themselves outwitted, but\nthere was no help for it. The watches were delivered up to Sumi and\nthey went their way, while I remained behind curious to see what would\nhappen.\n\n\u2018As night wore on Sumi wound up both watches, and when midnight struck\nAurora and her sister made their appearance. They knew nothing of what\nhad occurred and supposed they had just awakened from sleep, but when\nSumi\u2019s story made them understand their terrible fate, they both sobbed\nwith despair and were only consoled when Sumi promised never to forsake\nthem. Then one o\u2019clock sounded, and they became watches again.\n\n\u2018All night long I was a prey to vague fears, and I felt as if something\nunseen was pushing me on--in what direction I did not know. At dawn I\nrose and went out, meeting Izif in the street suffering from the same\ndread as myself. We agreed that Constantinople was no place for us any\nlonger, and calling to Izouf to accompany us, we left the city together,\nbut soon determined to travel separately, so that we might not be so\neasily recognised by the spies of Siroco.\n\n\u2018A few days later I found myself at the door of an old castle near the\nsea, before which a tall slave was pacing to and fro. The gift of one or\ntwo worthless jewels loosened his tongue, and he informed me that he was\nin the service of the son of the Bassa of the Sea, at that time making\nwar in distant countries. The youth, he told me, had been destined from\nhis boyhood to marry the daughter of Siroco, whose sisters were to be\nthe brides of his brothers, and went on to speak of the talisman that\nhis charge possessed. But I could think of nothing but the beautiful\nZelida, and my passion, which I thought I had conquered, awoke in full\nforce.\n\n\u2018In order to remove this dangerous rival from my path, I resolved to\nkidnap him, and to this end I began to act a madman, and to sing and\ndance loudly, crying to the slave to fetch the boy and let him see my\ntricks. He consented, and both were so diverted with my antics that they\nlaughed till the tears ran down their cheeks, and even tried to imitate\nme. Then I declared I felt thirsty and begged the slave to fetch me\nsome water, and while he was absent I advised the youth to take off his\nturban, so as to cool his head. He complied gladly, and in the twinkling\nof an eye was changed into a pot. A cry from the slave warned me that\nI had no time to lose if I would save my life, so I snatched up the pot\nand fled with it like the wind.\n\n\u2018You have heard, my lords, what became of the pot, so I will only say\nnow that when I awoke it had disappeared; but I was partly consoled for\nits loss by finding my two brothers fast asleep not far from me. \u201cHow\ndid you get here?\u201d I inquired, \u201cand what has happened to you since we\nparted?\u201d\n\n\u2018\u201cAlas!\u201d replied Izouf, \u201cwe were passing a wayside inn from which came\nsounds of songs and laughter, and fools that we were--we entered and sat\ndown. Circassian girls of great beauty were dancing for the amusement of\nseveral men, who not only received us politely, but placed us near the\ntwo loveliest maidens. Our happiness was complete, and time flew unknown\nto us, when one of the Circassians leaned forward and said to her\nsister, \u2018Their brother danced, and they must dance too.\u2019 What they meant\nby these words I know not, but perhaps you can tell us?\u201d\n\n\u2018\u201cI understand quite well,\u201d I replied. \u201cThey were thinking of the day\nthat I stole the son of the Bassa, and had danced before him.\u201d\n\n\u2018\u201cPerhaps you are right,\u201d continued Izouf, \u201cfor the two ladies took our\nhands and danced with us till we were quite exhausted, and when at last\nwe sat down a second time to table we drank more wine than was good for\nus. Indeed, our heads grew so confused, that when the men jumped up\nand threatened to kill us, we could make no resistance and suffered\nourselves to be robbed of everything we had about us, including the\nmost precious possession of all, the two talismans of the daughters of\nSiroco.\u201d\n\n\u2018Not knowing what else to do, we all three returned to Constantinople\nto ask the advice of Sumi, and found that she was already aware of\nour misfortunes, having read about them in the book of Moizes. The\nkind-hearted creature wept bitterly at our story, but, being poor\nherself, could give us little help. At last I proposed that every\nmorning we should sell the silver watch into which Argentine was\nchanged, as it would return to Sumi every evening unless it was wound\nup with the silver key--which was not at all likely. Sumi consented,\nbut only on the condition that we would never sell the watch without\nascertaining the house where it was to be found, so that she might also\ntake Aurora thither, and thus Argentine would not be alone if by any\nchance she was wound up at the mystic hour. For some weeks now we have\nlived by this means, and the two daughters of Siroco have never failed\nto return to Sumi each night. Yesterday Izouf sold the silver watch to\nthis young man, and in the evening placed the gold watch on the steps\nby order of Sumi, just before his customer entered the house; from which\nboth watches came back early this morning.\u2019\n\n\u2018If I had only known!\u2019 cried Neangir. \u2018If I had had more presence of\nmind, I should have seen the lovely Argentine, and if her portrait is so\nfair, what must the original be!\u2019\n\n\u2018It was not your fault,\u2019 replied the Cadi, \u2018you are no magician; and who\ncould guess that the watch must be wound at such an hour? But I shall\ngive orders that the merchant is to hand it over to you, and this\nevening you will certainly not forget.\u2019\n\n\u2018It is impossible to let you have it to-day,\u2019 answered Izouf, \u2018for it is\nalready sold.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that is so,\u2019 said the Cadi, \u2018you must return the three gold pieces\nwhich the young man paid.\u2019\n\nThe Jew, delighted to get off so easily, put his hand in his pocket,\nwhen Neangir stopped him.\n\n\u2018No, no,\u2019 he exclaimed, \u2018it is not money I want, but the adorable\nArgentine; without her everything is valueless.\u2019\n\n\u2018My dear Cadi,\u2019 said the Bassa, \u2018he is right. The treasure that my son\nhas lost is absolutely priceless.\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 replied the Cadi, \u2018your wisdom is greater than mine. Give\njudgment I pray you in the matter.\u2019\n\nSo the Bassa desired them all to accompany him to his house, and\ncommanded his slaves not to lose sight of the three Jewish brothers.\n\nWhen they arrived at the door of his dwelling, he noticed two women\nsitting on a bench close by, thickly veiled and beautifully dressed.\nTheir wide satin trousers were embroidered in silver, and their muslin\nrobes were of the finest texture. In the hand of one was a bag of pink\nsilk tied with green ribbons, containing something that seemed to move.\n\nAt the approach of the Bassa both ladies rose, and came towards him.\nThen the one who held the bag addressed him saying, \u2018Noble lord, buy, I\npray you, this bag, without asking to see what it contains.\u2019\n\n\u2018How much do you want for it?\u2019 asked the Bassa.\n\n\u2018Three hundred sequins,\u2019 replied the unknown.\n\nAt these words the Bassa laughed contemptuously, and passed on without\nspeaking.\n\n\u2018You will not repent of your bargain,\u2019 went on the woman. \u2018Perhaps if we\ncome back to-morrow you will be glad to give us the four hundred sequins\nwe shall then ask. And the next day the price will be five hundred.\u2019\n\n\u2018Come away,\u2019 said her companion, taking hold of her sleeve. \u2018Do not\nlet us stay here any longer. It may cry, and then our secret will be\ndiscovered.\u2019 And so saying, the two young women disappeared.\n\nThe Jews were left in the front hall under the care of the slaves,\nand Neangir and Sumi followed the Bassa inside the house, which was\nmagnificently furnished. At one end of a large, brilliantly-lighted\nroom a lady of about thirty-five years old reclined on a couch, still\nbeautiful in spite of the sad expression of her face.\n\n\u2018Incomparable Zambac,\u2019 said the Bassa, going up to her, \u2018give me your\nthanks, for here is the lost son for whom you have shed so many tears,\u2019\nbut before his mother could clasp him in her arms Neangir had flung\nhimself at her feet.\n\n\u2018Let the whole house rejoice with me,\u2019 continued the Bassa, \u2018and let\nmy two sons Ibrahim and Hassan be told, that they may embrace their\nbrother.\u2019\n\n\u2018Alas! my lord!\u2019 said Zambac, \u2018do you forget that this is the hour when\nHassan weeps on his hand, and Ibrahim gathers up his coral beads?\u2019\n\n\u2018Let the command of the Prophet be obeyed,\u2019 replied the Bassa; \u2018then we\nwill wait till the evening.\u2019\n\n\u2018Forgive me, noble lord,\u2019 interrupted Sumi, \u2018but what is this mystery?\nWith the help of the Book of Spells perhaps I may be of some use in the\nmatter.\u2019\n\n\u2018Sumi,\u2019 answered the Bassa, \u2018I owe you already the happiness of my life;\ncome with me then, and the sight of my unhappy sons will tell you of our\ntrouble better than any words of mine.\u2019\n\nThe Bassa rose from his divan and drew aside the hangings leading to\na large hall, closely followed by Neangir and Sumi. There they saw two\nyoung men, one about seventeen, and the other nineteen years of age.\nThe younger was seated before a table, his forehead resting on his right\nhand, which he was watering with his tears. He raised his head for a\nmoment when his father entered, and Neangir and Sumi both saw that this\nhand was of ebony.\n\nThe other young man was occupied busily in collecting coral beads which\nwere scattered all over the floor of the room, and as he picked them up\nhe placed them on the same table where his brother was sitting. He had\nalready gathered together ninety-eight beads, and thought they were all\nthere, when they suddenly rolled off the table and he had to begin his\nwork over again.\n\n\u2018Do you see,\u2019 whispered the Bassa, \u2018for three hours daily one collects\nthese coral beads, and for the same space of time the other laments over\nhis hand which has become black, and I am wholly ignorant what is the\ncause of either misfortune.\u2019\n\n\u2018Do not let us stay here,\u2019 said Sumi, \u2018our presence must add to their\ngrief. But permit me to fetch the Book of Spells, which I feel sure will\ntell us not only the cause of their malady but also its cure.\u2019\n\nThe Bassa readily agreed to Sumi\u2019s proposal, but Neangir objected\nstrongly. \u2018If Sumi leaves us,\u2019 he said to his father, \u2018I shall not see\nmy beloved Argentine when she returns to-night with the fair Aurora. And\nlife is an eternity till I behold her.\u2019\n\n\u2018Be comforted,\u2019 replied Sumi. \u2018I will be back before sunset; and I leave\nyou my adored Izaf as a pledge.\u2019\n\nScarcely had the Jewess left Neangir, when the old female slave entered\nthe hall where the three Jews still remained carefully guarded, followed\nby a man whose splendid dress prevented Neangir from recognising at\nfirst as the person in whose house he had dined two days before. But the\nwoman he knew at once to be the nurse of Zelida.\n\nHe started eagerly forward, but before he had time to speak the slave\nturned to the soldier she was conducting. \u2018My lord,\u2019 she said, \u2018those\nare the men; I have tracked them from the house of the Cadi to this\npalace. They are the same; I am not mistaken, strike and avenge\nyourself.\u2019\n\nAs he listened the face of the stranger grew scarlet with anger. He\ndrew his sword and in another moment would have rushed on the Jews, when\nNeangir and the slaves of the Bassa seized hold of him.\n\n\u2018What are you doing?\u2019 cried Neangir. \u2018How dare you attack those whom the\nBassa has taken under his protection?\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, my son,\u2019 replied the soldier, \u2018the Bassa would withdraw his\nprotection if he knew that these wretches have robbed me of all I have\ndearest in the world. He knows them as little as he knows you.\u2019\n\n\u2018But he knows me very well,\u2019 replied Neangir, \u2018for he has recognised me\nas his son. Come with me now into his presence.\u2019\n\nThe stranger bowed and passed through the curtain held back by Neangir,\nwhose surprise was great at seeing his father spring forward and clasp\nthe soldier in his arms.\n\n\u2018What! is it you, my dear Siroco?\u2019 cried he. \u2018I believed you had been\nslain in that awful battle when the followers of the Prophet were put to\nflight. But why do your eyes kindle with the flames they shot forth on\nthat fearful day? Calm yourself and tell me what I can do to help you.\nSee, I have found my son, let that be a good omen for your happiness\nalso.\u2019\n\n\u2018I did not guess,\u2019 answered Siroco, \u2018that the son you have so long\nmourned had come back to you. Some days since the Prophet appeared to\nme in a dream, floating in a circle of light, and he said to me, \u201cGo\nto-morrow at sunset to the Galata Gate, and there you will find a young\nman whom you must bring home with you. He is the second son of your old\nfriend the Bassa of the Sea, and that you may make no mistake, put your\nfingers in his turban and you will feel the plaque on which my name is\nengraved in seven different languages.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018I did as I was bid,\u2019 went on Siroco, \u2018and so charmed was I with his\nface and manner that I caused him to fall in love with Argentine, whose\nportrait I gave him. But at the moment when I was rejoicing in the\nhappiness before me, and looking forward to the pleasure of restoring\nyou your son, some drops of the elixir of love were spilt on the table,\nand caused a thick vapour to arise, which hid everything. When it had\ncleared away he was gone. This morning my old slave informed me that she\nhad discovered the traitors who had stolen my daughters from me, and I\nhastened hither to avenge them. But I place myself in your hands, and\nwill follow your counsel.\u2019\n\n\u2018Fate will favour us, I am sure,\u2019 said the Bassa, \u2018for this very night I\nexpect to secure both the silver and the gold watch. So send at once and\npray Zelida to join us.\u2019\n\nA rustling of silken stuffs drew their eyes to the door, and Ibrahim and\nHassan, whose daily penance had by this time been performed, entered\nto embrace their brother. Neangir and Hassan, who had also drunk of the\nelixir of love, could think of nothing but the beautiful ladies who had\ncaptured their hearts, while the spirits of Ibrahim had been cheered by\nthe news that the daughter of Moizes hoped to find in the Book of Spells\nsome charm to deliver him from collecting the magic beads.\n\nIt was some hours later that Sumi returned, bringing with her the sacred\nbook.\n\n\u2018See,\u2019 she said, beckoning to Hassan, \u2018your destiny is written here.\u2019\nAnd Hassan stooped and read these words in Hebrew. \u2018His right hand has\nbecome black as ebony from touching the fat of an impure animal, and\nwill remain so till the last of its race is drowned in the sea.\u2019\n\n\u2018Alas!\u2019 sighed the unfortunate youth. \u2018It now comes back to my memory.\nOne day the slave of Zambac was making a cake. She warned me not to\ntouch, as the cake was mixed with lard, but I did not heed her, and in\nan instant my hand became the ebony that it now is.\u2019\n\n\u2018Holy dervish!\u2019 exclaimed the Bassa, \u2018how true were your words! My son\nhas neglected the advice you gave him on presenting him the bracelet,\nand he has been severely punished. But tell me, O wise Sumi, where I can\nfind the last of the accursed race who has brought this doom on my son?\u2019\n\n\u2018It is written here,\u2019 replied Sumi, turning over some leaves. \u2018The\nlittle black pig is in the pink bag carried by the two Circassians.\u2019\n\nWhen he read this the Bassa sank on his cushions in despair.\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 he said, \u2018that is the bag that was offered me this morning for\nthree hundred sequins. Those must be the women who caused Izif and\nIzouf to dance, and took from them the two talismans of the daughters of\nSiroco. They only can break the spell that has been cast on us. Let them\nbe found and I will gladly give them the half of my possessions. Idiot\nthat I was to send them away!\u2019\n\nWhile the Bassa was bewailing his folly, Ibrahim in his turn had opened\nthe book, and blushed deeply as he read the words: \u2018The chaplet of beads\nhas been defiled by the game of \u201cOdd and Even.\u201d Its owner has tried to\ncheat by concealing one of the numbers. Let the faithless Moslem seek\nfor ever the missing bead.\u2019\n\n\u2018O heaven,\u2019 cried Ibrahim, \u2018that unhappy day rises up before me. I had\ncut the thread of the chaplet, while playing with Aurora. Holding the\nninety-nine beads in my hand she guessed \u201cOdd,\u201d and in order that she\nmight lose I let one bead fall from my hand. Since then I have sought it\ndaily, but it never has been found.\u2019\n\n\u2018Holy dervish!\u2019 cried the Bassa, \u2018how true were your words! From the\ntime that the sacred chaplet was no longer complete, my son has borne\nthe penalty. But may not the Book of Spells teach us how to deliver\nIbrahim also?\u2019\n\n\u2018Listen,\u2019 said Sumi, \u2018this is what I find: \u201cThe coral bead lies in the\nfifth fold of the dress of yellow brocade.\u201d\u2019 \u2018Ah, what good fortune!\u2019\nexclaimed the Bassa; \u2018we shall shortly see the beautiful Aurora, and\nIbrahim shall at once search in the fifth fold of her yellow brocade.\nFor it is she no doubt of whom the book speaks.\u2019\n\nAs the Jewess closed the Book of Moizes, Zelida appeared, accompanied\nby a whole train of slaves and her old nurse. At her entrance Hassan,\nbeside himself with joy, flung himself on his knees and kissed her hand.\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 he said to the Bassa, \u2018pardon me these transports. No elixir\nof love was needed to inflame my heart! Let the marriage rite make us\nspeedily one.\u2019\n\n\u2018My son, are you mad?\u2019 asked the Bassa. \u2018As long as the misfortunes of\nyour brothers last, shall you alone be happy? And whoever heard of a\nbridegroom with a black hand? Wait yet a little longer, till the black\npig is drowned in the sea.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes! dear Hassan,\u2019 said Zelida, \u2018our happiness will be increased\ntenfold when my sisters have regained their proper shapes. And here is\nthe elixir which I have brought with me, so that their joy may equal\nours.\u2019 And she held out the flask to the Bassa, who had it closed in his\npresence.\n\nZambac was filled with joy at the sight of Zelida, and embraced her\nwith delight. Then she led the way into the garden, and invited all her\nfriends to seat themselves under the thick overhanging branches of\na splendid jessamine tree. No sooner, however, were they comfortably\nsettled, than they were astonished to hear a man\u2019s voice, speaking\nangrily on the other side of the wall.\n\n\u2018Ungrateful girls!\u2019 it said, \u2018is this the way you treat me? Let me hide\nmyself for ever! This cave is no longer dark enough or deep enough for\nme.\u2019\n\nA burst of laughter was the only answer, and the voice continued, \u2018What\nhave I done to earn such contempt? Was this what you promised me when\nI managed to get for you the talismans of beauty? Is this the reward I\nhave a right to expect when I have bestowed on you the little black pig,\nwho is certain to bring you good luck?\u2019\n\nAt these words the curiosity of the listeners passed all bounds, and the\nBassa commanded his slaves instantly to tear down the wall. It was done,\nbut the man was nowhere to be seen, and there were only two girls of\nextraordinary beauty, who seemed quite at their ease, and came dancing\ngaily on to the terrace. With them was an old slave in whom the Bassa\nrecognised Gouloucou, the former guardian of Neangir.\n\nGouloucou shrank with fear when he saw the Bassa, as he expected nothing\nless than death at his hands for allowing Neangir to be snatched away.\nBut the Bassa made him signs of forgiveness, and asked him how he had\nescaped death when he had thrown himself from the cliff. Gouloucou\nexplained that he had been picked up by a dervish who had cured his\nwounds, and had then given him as slave to the two young ladies now\nbefore the company, and in their service he had remained ever since.\n\n\u2018But,\u2019 said the Bassa, \u2018where is the little black pig of which the voice\nspoke just now?\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 answered one of the ladies, \u2018when at your command the wall\nwas thrown down, the man whom you heard speaking was so frightened at\nthe noise that he caught up the pig and ran away.\u2019\n\n\u2018Let him be pursued instantly,\u2019 cried the Bassa; but the ladies smiled.\n\n\u2018Do not be alarmed, my lord,\u2019 said one, \u2018he is sure to return. Only give\norders that the entrance to the cave shall be guarded, so that when he\nis once in he shall not get out again.\u2019\n\nBy this time night was falling and they all went back to the palace,\nwhere coffee and fruits were served in a splendid gallery, near the\nwomen\u2019s apartments. The Bassa then ordered the three Jews to be brought\nbefore him, so that he might see whether these were the two damsels who\nhad forced them to dance at the inn, but to his great vexation it was\nfound that when their guards had gone to knock down the wall the Jews\nhad escaped.\n\nAt this news the Jewess Sumi turned pale, but glancing at the Book of\nSpells her face brightened, and she said half aloud, \u2018There is no cause\nfor disquiet; they will capture the dervish,\u2019 while Hassan lamented\nloudly that as soon as fortune appeared on one side she fled on the\nother!\n\nOn hearing this reflection one of the Bassa\u2019s pages broke into a laugh.\n\u2018This fortune comes to us dancing my lord,\u2019 said he, \u2018and the other\nleaves us on crutches. Do not be afraid. She will not go very far.\u2019\n\nThe Bassa, shocked at his impertinent interference, desired him to leave\nthe room and not to come back till he was sent for.\n\n\u2018My lord shall be obeyed,\u2019 said the page, \u2018but when I return, it shall\nbe in such good company that you will welcome me gladly.\u2019 So saying, he\nwent out.\n\nWhen they were alone, Neangir turned to the fair strangers and implored\ntheir help. \u2018My brothers and myself,\u2019 he cried, \u2018are filled with love\nfor three peerless maidens, two of whom are under a cruel spell. If\ntheir fate happened to be in your hands, would you not do all in your\npower to restore them to happiness and liberty?\u2019\n\nBut the young man\u2019s appeal only stirred the two ladies to anger. \u2018What,\u2019\nexclaimed one, \u2018are the sorrows of lovers to us? Fate has deprived us of\nour lovers, and if it depends on us the whole world shall suffer as much\nas we do!\u2019\n\nThis unexpected reply was heard with amazement by all present, and the\nBassa entreated the speaker to tell them her story. Having obtained\npermission of her sister, she began:\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Fair Circassians\n\n\n\u2018We were born in Circassia of poor people, and my sister\u2019s name is\nTezila and mine Dely. Having nothing but our beauty to help us in life,\nwe were carefully trained in all the accomplishments that give pleasure.\nWe were both quick to learn, and from our childhood could play all sorts\nof instruments, could sing, and above all could dance. We were besides,\nlively and merry, as in spite of our misfortunes we are to this day.\n\n\u2018We were easily pleased and quite content with our lives at home, when\none morning the officials who had been sent to find wives for the\nSultan saw us, and were struck with our beauty. We had always expected\nsomething of the sort, and were resigned to our lot, when we chanced to\nsee two young men enter our house. The elder, who was about twenty years\nof age, had black hair and very bright eyes. The other could not have\nbeen more than fifteen, and was so fair that he might easily have passed\nfor a girl.\n\n\u2018They knocked at the door with a timid air and begged our parents to\ngive them shelter, as they had lost their way. After some hesitation\ntheir request was granted, and they were invited into the room in which\nwe were. And if our parents\u2019 hearts were touched by their beauty, our\nown were not any harder, so that our departure for the palace, which had\nbeen arranged for the next day, suddenly became intolerable to us.\n\n\u2018Night came, and I awoke from my sleep to find the younger of the two\nstrangers sitting at my bedside and felt him take my hand.\n\n\u2018\u201cFear nothing, lovely Dely,\u201d he whispered, \u201cfrom one who never knew\nlove till he saw you. My name,\u201d he went on, \u201cis Prince Delicate, and\nI am the son of the king of the Isle of Black Marble. My friend, who\ntravels with me, is one of the richest nobles of my country, and the\nsecrets which he knows are the envy of the Sultan himself. And we left\nour native country because my father wished me to marry a lady of great\nbeauty, but with one eye a trifle smaller than the other.\u201d\n\n\u2018My vanity was flattered at so speedy a conquest, and I was charmed with\nthe way the young man had declared his passion. I turned my eyes slowly\non him, and the look I gave him caused him almost to lose his senses.\nHe fell fainting forward, and I was unable to move till Tezila, who had\nhastily put on a dress, ran to my assistance together with Thelamis, the\nyoung noble of whom the Prince had spoken.\n\n\u2018As soon as we were all ourselves again we began to bewail our fate, and\nthe journey that we were to take that very day to Constantinople. But we\nfelt a little comforted when Thelamis assured us that he and the prince\nwould follow in our steps, and would somehow contrive to speak to us.\nThen they kissed our hands, and left the house by a side-way.\n\n\u2018A few moments later our parents came to tell us that the escort had\narrived, and having taken farewell of them we mounted the camels,\nand took our seats in a kind of box that was fixed to the side of the\nanimal. These boxes were large enough for us to sleep in comfortably,\nand as there was a window in the upper part, we were able to see the\ncountry through which we passed.\n\n\u2018For several days we journeyed on, feeling sad and anxious as to what\nmight become of us, when one day as I was looking out of the window of\nour room, I heard my name called, and beheld a beautifully dressed girl\njumping out of the box on the other side of our camel. One glance told\nme that it was the prince, and my heart bounded with joy. It was, he\nsaid, Thelamis\u2019s idea to disguise him like this, and that he himself\nhad assumed the character of a slave-dealer who was taking this peerless\nmaiden as a present to the Sultan. Thelamis had also persuaded the\nofficer in charge of the caravan to let him hire the vacant box, so it\nwas easy for the prince to scramble out of his own window and approach\nours.\n\nThis ingenious trick enchanted us, but our agreeable conversation was\nsoon interrupted by the attendants, who perceived that the camel was\nwalking in a crooked manner and came to find out what was wrong. Luckily\nthey were slow in their movements, and the prince had just time to\nget back to his own box and restore the balance, before the trick was\ndiscovered.\n\n\u2018But neither the prince nor his friend had any intention of allowing\nus to enter the Sultan\u2019s palace, though it was difficult to know how we\nwere to escape, and what was to become of us when once we had escaped.\nAt length, one day as we were drawing near Constantinople, we learned\nfrom the prince that Thelamis had made acquaintance with a holy dervish\nwhom he had met on the road, and had informed him that we were his\nsisters, who were being sold as slaves against his will. The good man\nwas interested in the story, and readily agreed to find us shelter if\nwe could manage to elude the watchfulness of our guards. The risk was\ngreat, but it was our only chance.\n\n\u2018That night, when the whole caravan was fast asleep, we raised the upper\npart of our boxes and by the help of Thelamis climbed silently out. We\nnext went back some distance along the way we had come, then, striking\ninto another road, reached at last the retreat prepared for us by the\ndervish. Here we found food and rest, and I need not say what happiness\nit was to be free once more.\n\n\u2018The dervish soon became a slave to our beauty, and the day after our\nescape he proposed that we should allow him to conduct us to an inn\nsituated at a short distance, where we should find two Jews, owners of\nprecious talismans which did not really belong to them. \u201cTry,\u201d said the\ndervish, \u201cby some means to get possession of them.\u201d\n\n\u2018The inn, though not on the direct road to Constantinople, was a\nfavourite one with merchants, owing to the excellence of the food, and\non our arrival we discovered at least six or eight other people who had\nstopped for refreshment. They greeted us politely, and we sat down to\ntable together.\n\n\u2018In a short time the two men described by the dervish entered the room,\nand at a sign from him my sister made room at her side for one, while I\ndid the same for the other.\n\n\u2018Now the dervish had happened to mention that \u201ctheir brother had\ndanced.\u201d At the moment we paid no attention to this remark, but it came\nback to our minds now, and we determined that they should dance also.\nTo accomplish this we used all our arts and very soon bent them to our\nwills, so that they could refuse us nothing. At the end of the day we\nremained possessors of the talismans and had left them to their fate,\nwhile the prince and Thelamis fell more in love with us than ever, and\ndeclared that we were more lovely than any women in the world.\n\n\u2018The sun had set before we quitted the inn, and we had made no plans\nas to where we should go next, so we readily consented to the prince\u2019s\nproposal that we should embark without delay for the Isle of Black\nMarble. What a place it was! Rocks blacker than jet towered above its\nshores and shed thick darkness over the country. Our sailors had not\nbeen there before and were nearly as frightened as ourselves, but thanks\nto Thelamis, who undertook to be our pilot, we landed safely on the\nbeach.\n\n\u2018When we had left the coast behind us, with its walls of jet, we entered\na lovely country where the fields were greener, the streams clearer, and\nthe sun brighter than anywhere else. The people crowded round to welcome\ntheir prince, whom they loved dearly, but they told him that the king\nwas still full of rage at his son\u2019s refusal to marry his cousin the\nPrincess Okimpare, and also at his flight. Indeed, they all begged him\nnot to visit the capital, as his life would hardly be safe. So, much as\nI should have enjoyed seeing the home of my beloved prince, I implored\nhim to listen to this wise advice and to let us all go to Thelamis\u2019s\npalace in the middle of a vast forest.\n\n\u2018To my sister and myself, who had been brought up in a cottage, this\nhouse of Thelamis\u2019s seemed like fairyland. It was built of pink marble,\nso highly polished that the flowers and streams surrounding it were\nreflected as in a mirror. One set of rooms was furnished especially for\nme in yellow silk and silver, to suit my black hair. Fresh dresses were\nprovided for us every day, and we had slaves to wait on us. Ah, why\ncould not this happiness have lasted for ever!\n\n\u2018The peace of our lives was troubled by Thelamis\u2019s jealousy of my\nsister, as he could not endure to see her on friendly terms with the\nprince, though knowing full well that his heart was mine. Every day we\nhad scenes of tender reproaches and of explanations, but Tezila\u2019s\ntears never failed to bring Thelamis to his knees, with prayers for\nforgiveness.\n\n\u2018We had been living in this way for some months when one day the news\ncame that the king had fallen dangerously ill. I begged the prince to\nhurry at once to the Court, both to see his father and also to show\nhimself to the senators and nobles, but as his love for me was greater\nthan his desire of a crown, he hesitated as if foreseeing all that\nafterwards happened. At last Tezila spoke to him so seriously in\nThelamis\u2019s presence, that he determined to go, but promised that he\nwould return before night.\n\n\u2018Night came but no prince, and Tezila, who had been the cause of his\ndeparture, showed such signs of uneasiness that Thelamis\u2019s jealousy was\nat once awakened. As for me, I cannot tell what I suffered. Not being\nable to sleep I rose from my bed and wandered into the forest, along the\nroad which he had taken so many hours before. Suddenly I heard in the\ndistance the sound of a horse\u2019s hoofs, and in a few moments the prince\nhad flung himself down and was by my side. \u201cAh, how I adore you!\u201d he\nexclaimed; \u201cThelamis\u2019s love will never equal mine.\u201d The words were\nhardly out of his mouth when I heard a slight noise behind, and before\nwe could turn round both our heads were rolling in front of us, while\nthe voice of Thelamis cried:\n\n\u2018\u201cPerjured wretches, answer me; and you, faithless Tezila, tell me why\nyou have betrayed me like this?\u201d\n\n\u2018Then I understood what had happened, and that, in his rage, he had\nmistaken me for my sister.\n\n\u2018\u201cAlas,\u201d replied my head in weak tones, \u201cI am not Tezila, but Dely,\nwhose life you have destroyed, as well as that of your friend.\u201d At this\nThelamis paused and seemed to reflect for an instant.\n\n\u2018\u201cBe not frightened,\u201d he said more quietly, \u201cI can make you whole\nagain,\u201d and laying a magic powder on our tongues he placed our heads\non our necks. In the twinkling of an eye our heads were joined to our\nbodies without leaving so much as a scar; only that, blinded with rage\nas he still was, Thelamis had placed my head on the prince\u2019s body, and\nhis on mine!\n\n\u2018I cannot describe to you how odd we both felt at this strange\ntransformation. We both instinctively put up our hands--he to feel his\nhair, which was, of course, dressed like a woman\u2019s, and I to raise the\nturban which pressed heavily on my forehead. But we did not know what\nhad happened to us, for the night was still dark.\n\n\u2018At this point Tezila appeared, followed by a troop of slaves bearing\nflowers. It was only by the light of their torches that we understood\nwhat had occurred. Indeed the first thought of both of us was that we\nmust have changed clothes.\n\n\u2018Now in spite of what we may say, we all prefer our own bodies to those\nof anybody else, so notwithstanding our love for each other, at first\nwe could not help feeling a little cross with Thelamis. However, so deep\nwas the prince\u2019s passion for me, that very soon he began to congratulate\nhimself on the change. \u201cMy happiness is perfect,\u201d he said; \u201cmy heart,\nbeautiful Dely, has always been yours, and now I have your head also.\u201d\n\n\u2018But though the prince made the best of it, Thelamis was much ashamed\nof his stupidity. \u201cI have,\u201d he said hesitatingly, \u201ctwo other pastilles\nwhich have the same magic properties as those I used before. Let me cut\noff your heads again, and that will put matters straight.\u201d The proposal\nsounded tempting, but was a little risky, and after consulting together\nwe decided to let things remain as they were. \u201cDo not blame me then,\u201d\n continued Thelamis, \u201cif you will not accept my offer. But take the two\npastilles, and if it ever happens that you are decapitated a second\ntime, make use of them in the way I have shown you, and each will get\nback his own head.\u201d So saying he presented us with the pastilles, and we\nall returned to the castle.\n\n\u2018However, the troubles caused by the unfortunate exchange were only just\nbeginning. My head, without thinking what it was doing, led the prince\u2019s\nbody to my apartments. But my women, only looking at the dress, declared\nI had mistaken the corridor, and called some slaves to conduct me to his\nhighness\u2019s rooms. This was bad enough, but when--as it was still night\nmy servants began to undress me, I nearly fainted from surprise and\nconfusion, and no doubt the prince\u2019s head was suffering in the same\nmanner at the other end of the castle!\n\n\u2018By the next morning--you will easily guess that we slept but little--we\nhad grown partly accustomed to our strange situation, and when we looked\nin the mirror, the prince had become brown-skinned and black-haired,\nwhile my head was covered with his curly golden locks. And after that\nfirst day, everyone in the palace had become so accustomed to the change\nthat they thought no more about it.\n\n\u2018Some weeks after this, we heard that the king of the Isle of Black\nMarble was dead. The prince\u2019s head, which once was mine, was full of\nambitious desires, and he longed to ride straight to the capital and\nproclaim himself king. But then came the question as to whether the\nnobles would recognise the prince with a girl\u2019s body, and indeed, when\nwe came to think of it, which was prince and which was girl?\n\n\u2018At last, after much argument, my head carried the day and we set out;\nbut only to find that the king had declared the Princess Okimpare his\nsuccessor. The greater part of the senators and nobles openly professed\nthat they would much have preferred the rightful heir, but as they could\nnot recognise him either in the prince or me, they chose to consider us\nas impostors and threw us into prison.\n\n\u2018A few days later Tezila and Thelamis, who had followed us to the\ncapital, came to tell us that the new queen had accused us of high\ntreason, and had herself been present at our trial--which was conducted\nwithout us. They had been in mortal terror as to what would be our\nsentence, but by a piece of extraordinary luck we had been condemned to\nbe beheaded.\n\n\u2018I told my sister that I did not see exactly where the luck came in, but\nThelamis interrupted me rudely:\n\n\u2018\u201cWhat!\u201d he cried, \u201cof course I shall make use of the pastilles, and--\u201d\n but here the officers arrived to lead us to the great square where the\nexecution was to take place--for Okimpare was determined there should be\nno delay.\n\n\u2018The square was crowded with people of all ages and all ranks, and in\nthe middle a platform had been erected on which was the scaffold, with\nthe executioner, in a black mask, standing by. At a sign from him I\nmounted first, and in a moment my head was rolling at his feet. With a\nbound my sister and Thelamis were beside me, and like lightning Thelamis\nseized the sabre from the headsman, and cut off the head of the prince.\nAnd before the multitude had recovered from their astonishment at these\nstrange proceedings, our bodies were joined to our right heads, and the\npastilles placed on our tongues. Then Thelamis led the prince to the\nedge of the platform and presented him to the people, saying, \u201cBehold\nyour lawful king.\u201d\n\n\u2018Shouts of joy rent the air at the sound of Thelamis\u2019s words, and the\nnoise reached Okimpare in the palace. Smitten with despair at the news,\nshe fell down unconscious on her balcony, and was lifted up by the\nslaves and taken back to her own house.\n\n\u2018Meanwhile our happiness was all turned to sorrow. I had rushed up\nto the prince to embrace him fondly, when he suddenly grew pale and\nstaggered.\n\n\u2018\u201cI die faithful to you,\u201d he murmured, turning his eyes towards me, \u201cand\nI die a king!\u201d and leaning his head on my shoulder he expired quietly,\nfor one of the arteries in his neck had been cut through.\n\n\u2018Not knowing what I did I staggered towards the sabre which was lying\nnear me, with the intention of following my beloved prince as speedily\nas possible. And when Thelamis seized my hand (but only just in time),\nin my madness I turned the sabre upon him, and he fell struck through\nthe heart at my feet.\u2019\n\n The whole company were listening to the story with breathless\nattention, when it became plain that Dely could go no further, while\nTezila had flung herself on a heap of cushions and hidden her face.\nZambac ordered her women to give them all the attention possible, and\ndesired they should be carried into her own rooms.\n\nWhen the two sisters were in this condition, Ibrahim, who was a very\nprudent young man, suggested to his parents that, as the two Circassians\nwere both unconscious, it would be an excellent opportunity to search\nthem and see if the talismans belonging to the daughters of Siroco were\nconcealed about their persons. But the Bassa, shocked at the notion of\ntreating his guests in so inhospitable a manner, refused to do anything\nof the kind, adding that the next day he hoped to persuade them to give\nthe talismans up of their own free will.\n\nBy this time it was nearly midnight and Neangir, who was standing near\nthe Jewess Sumi, drew out the portrait of Argentine, and heard with\ndelight that she was even more beautiful than her picture. Everyone\nwas waiting on tip-toe for the appearance of the two watches, who were\nexpected when the clock struck twelve to come in search of Sumi, and\nthat there might be no delay the Bassa ordered all the doors to be flung\nwide open. It was done, and there entered not the longed-for watches,\nbut the page who had been sent away in disgrace.\n\nThen the Bassa arose in wrath. \u2018Azemi,\u2019 he said, \u2018did I not order you to\nstand no more in my presence?\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 replied Azemi, modestly, \u2018I was hidden outside the door,\nlistening to the tale of the two Circassians. And as I know you are fond\nof stories, give me also leave to tell you one. I promise you it shall\nnot be long.\u2019\n\n\u2018Speak on,\u2019 replied the Bassa, \u2018but take heed what you say.\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 began Azemi, \u2018this morning I was walking in the town when\nI noticed a man going in the same direction followed by a slave. He\nentered a baker\u2019s shop, where he bought some bread which he gave to the\nslave to carry. I watched him and saw that he purchased many other kinds\nof provisions at other places, and when the slave could carry no\nmore his master commanded him to return home and have supper ready at\nmidnight.\n\n\u2018When left alone the man went up the street, and turning into a\njeweller\u2019s shop, brought out a watch that as far as I could see was made\nof silver. He walked on a few steps, then stooped and picked up a gold\nwatch which lay at his feet. At this point I ran up and told him that\nif he did not give me half its price I would report him to the Cadi; he\nagreed, and conducting me to his house produced four hundred sequins,\nwhich he said was my share, and having got what I wanted I went away.\n\n\u2018As it was the hour for attending on my lord I returned home and\naccompanied you to the Cadi, where I heard the story of the three\nJews and learned the importance of the two watches I had left at the\nstranger\u2019s. I hastened to his house, but he had gone out, and I could\nonly find the slave, whom I told that I was the bearer of important news\nfor his master. Believing me to be one of his friends, he begged me to\nwait, and showed me into a room where I saw the two watches lying on\nthe table. I put them in my pocket, leaving the four hundred sequins\nin place of the gold watch and three gold pieces which I knew to be the\nprice of the other. As you know the watches never remain with the person\nwho buys them, this man may think himself very lucky to get back\nhis money. I have wound them both up, and at this instant Aurora and\nArgentine are locked safely into my own room.\u2019\n\nEverybody was so delighted to hear this news that Azemi was nearly\nstifled with their embraces, and Neangir could hardly be prevented from\nrunning to break in the door, though he did not even know where the page\nslept.\n\nBut the page begged to have the honour of fetching the ladies himself,\nand soon returned leading them by the hand.\n\nFor some minutes all was a happy confusion, and Ibrahim took advantage\nof it to fall on his knees before Aurora, and search in the fifth fold\nof her dress for the missing coral bead. The Book of Spells had told the\ntruth; there it was, and as the chaplet was now complete the young man\u2019s\ndays of seeking were over.\n\nIn the midst of the general rejoicing Hassan alone bore a gloomy face.\n\n\u2018Alas!\u2019 he said, \u2018everyone is happy but the miserable being you see\nbefore you. I have lost the only consolation in my grief, which was to\nfeel that I had a brother in misfortune!\u2019\n\n\u2018Be comforted,\u2019 replied the Bassa; \u2018sooner or later the dervish who\nstole the pink bag is sure to be found.\u2019\n\nSupper was then served, and after they had all eaten of rare fruits\nwhich seemed to them the most delicious in the whole world, the Bassa\nordered the flask containing the elixir of love to be brought and the\nyoung people to drink of it. Then their eyes shone with a new fire, and\nthey swore to be true to each other till death.\n\nThis ceremony was scarcely over when the clock struck one, and in an\ninstant Aurora and Argentine had vanished, and in the place where they\nstood lay two watches. Silence fell upon all the company--they had\nforgotten the enchantment; then the voice of Azemi was heard asking if\nhe might be allowed to take charge of the watches till the next day,\npledging his head to end their enchantment. With the consent of Sumi,\nthis was granted, and the Bassa gave Azemi a purse containing a thousand\nsequins, as a reward for the services he had already rendered to them.\nAfter this everybody went to his own apartment.\n\nAzemi had never possessed so much money before, and never closed his\neyes for joy the whole night long. Very early he got up and went into\nthe garden, thinking how he could break the enchantment of the daughters\nof Siroco. Suddenly the soft tones of a woman fell on his ear, and\npeeping through the bushes he saw Tezila, who was arranging flowers in\nher sister\u2019s hair. The rustling of the leaves caused Dely to start; she\njumped up as if to fly, but Azemi implored her to remain and begged her\nto tell him what happened to them after the death of their lovers, and\nhow they had come to find the dervish.\n\n\u2018The punishment decreed to us by the Queen Okimpare,\u2019 answered Dely,\n\u2018was that we were to dance and sing in the midst of our sorrow, at a\ngreat fete which was to be held that very day for all her people. This\ncruel command nearly turned our brains, and we swore a solemn oath to\nmake all lovers as wretched as we were ourselves. In this design we\nsucceeded so well that in a short time the ladies of the capital came in\na body to Okimpare, and prayed her to banish us from the kingdom, before\ntheir lives were made miserable for ever. She consented, and commanded\nus to be placed on board a ship, with our slave Gouloucou.\n\n\u2018On the shore we saw an old man who was busily engaged in drowning\nsome little black pigs, talking to them all the while, as if they could\nunderstand him.\n\n\u2018\u201cAccursed race,\u201d said he, \u201cit is you who have caused all the\nmisfortunes of him to whom I gave the magic bracelet. Perish all of\nyou!\u201d\n\n\u2018We drew near from curiosity, and recognised in him the dervish who had\nsheltered us on our first escape from the caravan.\n\n\u2018When the old man discovered who we were he was beside himself with\npleasure, and offered us a refuge in the cave where he lived. We gladly\naccepted his offer, and to the cave we all went, taking with us the last\nlittle pig, which he gave us as a present.\n\n\u2018\u201cThe Bassa of the Sea,\u201d he added, \u201cwill pay you anything you like to\nask for it.\u201d\n\n\u2018Without asking why it was so precious I took the pig and placed it in\nmy work bag, where it has been ever since. Only yesterday we offered\nit to the Bassa, who laughed at us, and this so enraged us against the\ndervish that we cut off his beard when he was asleep, and now he dare\nnot show himself.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 exclaimed the page, \u2018it is not fitting that such beauty should\nwaste itself in making other people miserable. Forget the unhappy past\nand think only of the future. And accept, I pray you, this watch, to\nmark the brighter hours in store.\u2019 So saying he laid the watch upon her\nknee. Then he turned to Tezila. \u2018And you fair maiden, permit me to offer\nyou this other watch. True it is only of silver, but it is all I have\nleft to give. And I feel quite sure that you must have somewhere a\nsilver seal, that will be exactly the thing to go with it.\u2019\n\n\u2018Why, so you have,\u2019 cried Dely; \u2018fasten your silver seal to your watch,\nand I will hang my gold one on to mine.\u2019\n\nThe seals were produced, and, as Azemi had guessed, they were the\ntalismans which the two Circassians had taken from Izif and Izouf,\nmounted in gold and silver. As quick as lightning the watches slid\nfrom the hands of Tezila and her sister, and Aurora and Argentine stood\nbefore them, each with her talisman on her finger.\n\nAt first they seemed rather confused themselves at the change which had\ntaken place, and the sunlight which they had not seen for so long, but\nwhen gradually they understood that their enchantment had come to an\nend, they could find no words to express their happiness.\n\nThe Circassians could with difficulty be comforted for the loss of the\ntalismans, but Aurora and Argentine entreated them to dry their tears,\nas their father, Siroco, who was governor of Alexandria, would not\nfail to reward them in any manner they wished. This promise was soon\nconfirmed by Siroco himself, who came into the garden with the Bassa and\nhis two sons, and was speedily joined by the ladies of the family. Only\nHassan was absent. It was the hour in which he was condemned to bewail\nhis ebony hand.\n\nTo the surprise of all a noise was at this moment heard in a corner of\nthe terrace, and Hassan himself appeared surrounded by slaves, clapping\nhis hands and shouting with joy. \u2018I was weeping as usual,\u2019 cried he,\n\u2018when all at once the tears refused to come to my eyes, and on looking\ndown at my hand I saw that its blackness had vanished. And now, lovely\nZelida, nothing prevents me any longer from offering you the hand, when\nthe heart has been yours always.\u2019\n\nBut though Hassan never thought of asking or caring what had caused his\ncure, the others were by no means so indifferent. It was quite clear\nthat the little black pig must be dead--but how, and when? To this the\nslaves answered that they had seen that morning a man pursued by three\nothers, and that he had taken refuge in the cavern which they had been\nleft to guard. Then, in obedience to orders, they had rolled a stone\nover the entrance.\n\nPiercing shrieks interrupted their story, and a man, whom the\nCircassians saw to be the old dervish, rushed round the corner of the\nterrace with the three Jews behind him. When the fugitive beheld so many\npeople collected together, he turned down another path, but the slaves\ncaptured all four and brought them before their master.\n\nWhat was the surprise of the Bassa when he beheld in the old dervish the\nman who had given the chaplet, the copper plaque, and the bracelet to\nhis three sons. \u2018Fear nothing, holy father,\u2019 he said, \u2018you are safe with\nme. But tell us, how came you here?\u2019\n\n\u2018My lord,\u2019 explained the dervish, \u2018when my beard was cut off during my\nsleep by the two Circassians, I was ashamed to appear before the eyes\nof men, and fled, bearing with me the pink silk bag. In the night these\nthree men fell in with me, and we passed some time in conversation, but\nat dawn, when it was light enough to see each other\u2019s faces, one of them\nexclaimed that I was the dervish travelling with the two Circassians who\nhad stolen the talismans from the Jews. I jumped up and tried to fly\nto my cave, but they were too quick for me, and just as we reached your\ngarden they snatched the bag which contained the little black pig and\nflung it into the sea. By this act, which delivers your son, I would\npray you to forgive them for any wrongs they may have done you--nay\nmore, that you will recompense them for it.\u2019 The Bassa granted the holy\nman\u2019s request, and seeing that the two Jews had fallen victims to the\ncharms of the Circassian ladies, gave his consent to their union, which\nwas fixed to take place at the same time as that of Izaf with the wise\nSumi. The Cadi was sent for, and the Jews exchanged the hats of their\nrace for the turbans of the followers of the Prophet. Then, after so\nmany misfortunes, the Bassa\u2019s three sons entreated their father to delay\ntheir happiness no longer, and the six marriages were performed by the\nCadi at the hour of noon.\n\n[Cabinet des Fees.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Jackal and the Spring\n\n\nOnce upon a time all the streams and rivers ran so dry that the animals\ndid not know how to get water. After a very long search, which had been\nquite in vain, they found a tiny spring, which only wanted to be dug\ndeeper so as to yield plenty of water. So the beasts said to each other,\n\u2018Let us dig a well, and then we shall not fear to die of thirst;\u2019 and\nthey all consented except the jackal, who hated work of any kind, and\ngenerally got somebody to do it for him.\n\nWhen they had finished their well, they held a council as to who should\nbe made the guardian of the well, so that the jackal might not come near\nit, for, they said, \u2018he would not work, therefore he shall not drink.\u2019\n\nAfter some talk it was decided that the rabbit should be left in charge;\nthen all the other beasts went back to their homes.\n\nWhen they were out of sight the jackal arrived. \u2018Good morning! Good\nmorning, rabbit!\u2019 and the rabbit politely said, \u2018Good morning!\u2019 Then the\njackal unfastened the little bag that hung at his side, and pulled out\nof it a piece of honeycomb which he began to eat, and turning to the\nrabbit he remarked:\n\n\u2018As you see, rabbit, I am not thirsty in the least, and this is nicer\nthan any water.\u2019\n\n\u2018Give me a bit,\u2019 asked the rabbit. So the jackal handed him a very\nlittle morsel.\n\n\u2018Oh, how good it is!\u2019 cried the rabbit; \u2018give me a little more, dear\nfriend!\u2019\n\nBut the jackal answered, \u2018If you really want me to give you some more,\nyou must have your paws tied behind you, and lie on your back, so that I\ncan pour it into your mouth.\u2019\n\nThe rabbit did as he was bid, and when he was tied tight and popped on\nhis back, the jackal ran to the spring and drank as much as he wanted.\nWhen he had quite finished he returned to his den.\n\nIn the evening the animals all came back, and when they saw the rabbit\nlying with his paws tied, they said to him: \u2018Rabbit, how did you let\nyourself be taken in like this?\u2019\n\n\u2018It was all the fault of the jackal,\u2019 replied the rabbit; \u2018he tied me\nup like this, and told me he would give me something nice to eat. It was\nall a trick just to get at our water.\u2019\n\n\u2018Rabbit, you are no better than an idiot to have let the jackal drink\nour water when he would not help to find it. Who shall be our next\nwatchman? We must have somebody a little sharper than you!\u2019 and the\nlittle hare called out, \u2018I will be the watchman.\u2019\n\nThe following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving\nthe little hare to guard the spring. When they were out of sight the\njackal came back. \u2018Good morning! good morning, little hare,\u2019 and the\nlittle hare politely said, \u2018Good morning.\u2019\n\n\u2018Can you give me a pinch of snuff?\u2019 said the jackal.\n\n\u2018I am so sorry, but I have none,\u2019 answered the little hare.\n\nThe jackal then came and sat down by the little hare, and unfastened his\nlittle bag, pulling out of it a piece of honeycomb. He licked his lips\nand exclaimed, \u2018Oh, little hare, if you only knew how good it is!\u2019\n\n\u2018What is it?\u2019 asked the little hare.\n\n\u2018It is something that moistens my throat so deliciously,\u2019 answered the\njackal, \u2018that after I have eaten it I don\u2019t feel thirsty any more, while\nI am sure that all you other beasts are for ever wanting water.\u2019\n\n\u2018Give me a bit, dear friend,\u2019 asked the little hare.\n\n\u2018Not so fast,\u2019 replied the jackal. \u2018If you really wish to enjoy what\nyou are eating, you must have your paws tied behind you, and lie on your\nback, so that I can pour it into your mouth.\u2019\n\n\u2018You can tie them, only be quick,\u2019 said the little hare, and when he was\ntied tight and popped on his back, the jackal went quietly down to the\nwell, and drank as much as he wanted. When he had quite finished he\nreturned to his den.\n\nIn the evening the animals all came back; and when they saw the little\nhare with his paws tied, they said to him: \u2018Little hare, how did you let\nyourself be taken in like this? Didn\u2019t you boast you were very sharp?\nYou undertook to guard our water; now show us how much is left for us to\ndrink!\u2019\n\n\u2018It is all the fault of the jackal,\u2019 replied the little hare. \u2018He told\nme he would give me something nice to eat if I would just let him tie my\nhands behind my back.\u2019\n\nThen the animals said, \u2018Who can we trust to mount guard now?\u2019 And the\npanther answered, \u2018Let it be the tortoise.\u2019\n\nThe following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving\nthe tortoise to guard the spring. When they were out of sight the jackal\ncame back. \u2018Good morning, tortoise; good morning.\u2019\n\nBut the tortoise took no notice.\n\n\u2018Good morning, tortoise; good morning.\u2019 But still the tortoise pretended\nnot to hear.\n\nThen the jackal said to himself, \u2018Well, to-day I have only got to manage\na bigger idiot than before. I shall just kick him on one side, and then\ngo and have a drink.\u2019 So he went up to the tortoise and said to him in a\nsoft voice, \u2018Tortoise! tortoise!\u2019 but the tortoise took no notice. Then\nthe jackal kicked him out of the way, and went to the well and began to\ndrink, but scarcely had he touched the water, than the tortoise seized\nhim by the leg. The jackal shrieked out: \u2018Oh, you will break my leg!\u2019\nbut the tortoise only held on the tighter. The jackal then took his bag\nand tried to make the tortoise smell the honeycomb he had inside; but\nthe tortoise turned away his head and smelt nothing. At last the jackal\nsaid to the tortoise, \u2018I should like to give you my bag and everything\nin it,\u2019 but the only answer the tortoise made was to grasp the jackal\u2019s\nleg tighter still.\n\nSo matters stood when the other animals came back. The moment he saw\nthem, the jackal gave a violent tug, and managed to free his leg, and\nthen took to his heels as fast as he could. And the animals all said to\nthe tortoise:\n\n\u2018Well done, tortoise, you have proved your courage; now we can drink\nfrom our well in peace, as you have got the better of that thieving\njackal!\u2019\n\n[Contes Populaires des Bassoutos, recueillis et traduits par E.\nJacottet. Paris: Leroux, editeur.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Bear\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a king who had an only daughter. He was so\nproud and so fond of her, that he was in constant terror that something\nwould happen to her if she went outside the palace, and thus, owing to\nhis great love for her, he forced her to lead the life of a prisoner,\nshut up within her own rooms.\n\nThe princess did not like this at all, and one day she complained about\nit very bitterly to her nurse. Now, the nurse was a witch, though the\nking did not know it. For some time she listened and tried to soothe the\nprincess; but when she saw that she would not be comforted, she said to\nher: \u2018Your father loves you very dearly, as you know. Whatever you were\nto ask from him he would give you. The one thing he will not grant you\nis permission to leave the palace. Now, do as I tell you. Go to your\nfather and ask him to give you a wooden wheel-barrow, and a bear\u2019s skin.\nWhen you have got them bring them to me, and I will touch them with my\nmagic wand. The wheel-barrow will then move of itself, and will take\nyou at full speed wherever you want to go, and the bear\u2019s skin will make\nsuch a covering for you, that no one will recognise you.\u2019\n\nSo the princess did as the witch advised her. The king, when he heard\nher strange request, was greatly astonished, and asked her what she\nmeant to do with a wheel-barrow and a bear\u2019s skin. And the princess\nanswered, \u2018You never let me leave the house--at least you might grant me\nthis request\u2019 So the king granted it, and the princess went back to her\nnurse, taking the barrow and the bear\u2019s skin with her.\n\nAs soon as the witch saw them, she touched them with her magic wand,\nand in a moment the barrow began to move about in all directions. The\nprincess next put on the bear\u2019s skin, which so completely changed her\nappearance, that no one could have known that she was a girl and not a\nbear. In this strange attire she seated herself on the barrow, and in\na few minutes she found herself far away from the palace, and moving\nrapidly through a great forest. Here she stopped the barrow with a sign\nthat the witch had shown her, and hid herself and it in a thick grove of\nflowering shrubs.\n\nNow it happened that the prince of that country was hunting with his\ndogs in the forest. Suddenly he caught sight of the bear hiding among\nthe shrubs, and calling his dogs, hounded them on to attack it. But the\ngirl, seeing what peril she was in, cried, \u2018Call off your dogs, or they\nwill kill me. What harm have I ever done to you?\u2019 At these words, coming\nfrom a bear, the prince was so startled that for a moment he stood\nstock-still, then he said quite gently, \u2018Will you come with me? I will\ntake you to my home.\u2019\n\n\u2018I will come gladly,\u2019 replied the bear; and seating herself on the\nbarrow it at once began to move in the direction of the prince\u2019s palace.\nYou may imagine the surprise of the prince\u2019s mother when she saw her son\nreturn accompanied by a bear, who at once set about doing the house-work\nbetter than any servant that the queen had ever seen.\n\nNow it happened that there were great festivities going on in the palace\nof a neighbouring prince, and at dinner, one day, the prince said to his\nmother: \u2018This evening there is to be a great ball, to which I must go.\u2019\n\nAnd his mother answered, \u2018Go and dance, and enjoy yourself.\u2019\n\nSuddenly a voice came from under the table, where the bear had rolled\nitself, as was its wont: \u2018Let me come to the ball; I, too, would like to\ndance.\u2019\n\nBut the only answer the prince made was to give the bear a kick, and to\ndrive it out of the room.\n\nIn the evening the prince set off for the ball. As soon as he had\nstarted, the bear came to the queen and implored to be allowed to go to\nthe ball, saying that she would hide herself so well that no one would\nknow she was there. The kind-hearted queen could not refuse her.\n\nThen the bear ran to her barrow, threw off her bear\u2019s skin, and touched\nit with the magic wand that the witch had given her. In a moment the\nskin was changed into an exquisite ball dress woven out of moon-beams,\nand the wheel-barrow was changed into a carriage drawn by two prancing\nsteeds. Stepping into the carriage the princess drove to the grand\nentrance of the palace. When she entered the ball-room, in her wondrous\ndress of moon-beams, she looked so lovely, so different from all the\nother guests, that everyone wondered who she was, and no one could tell\nwhere she had come from.\n\nFrom the moment he saw her, the prince fell desperately in love with\nher, and all the evening he would dance with no one else but the\nbeautiful stranger.\n\nWhen the ball was over, the princess drove away in her carriage at full\nspeed, for she wished to get home in time to change her ball dress into\nthe bear\u2019s skin, and the carriage into the wheel-barrow, before anyone\ndiscovered who she was.\n\nThe prince, putting spurs into his horse, rode after her, for he was\ndetermined not to let her out of his sight. But suddenly a thick mist\narose and hid her from him. When he reached his home he could talk to\nhis mother of nothing else but the beautiful stranger with whom he had\ndanced so often, and with whom he was so much in love. And the bear\nbeneath the table smiled to itself, and muttered: \u2018I am the beautiful\nstranger; oh, how I have taken you in!\u2019\n\nThe next evening there was a second ball, and, as you may believe, the\nprince was determined not to miss it, for he thought he would once more\nsee the lovely girl, and dance with her and talk to her, and make her\ntalk to him, for at the first ball she had never opened her lips.\n\nAnd, sure enough, as the music struck up the first dance, the beautiful\nstranger entered the room, looking even more radiant than the night\nbefore, for this time her dress was woven out of the rays of the sun.\nAll evening the prince danced with her, but she never spoke a word.\n\nWhen the ball was over he tried once more to follow her carriage, that\nhe might know whence she came, but suddenly a great waterspout fell from\nthe sky, and the blinding sheets of rain hid her from his sight.\n\nWhen he reached his home he told his mother that he had again seen the\nlovely girl, and that this time she had been even more beautiful than\nthe night before. And again the bear smiled beneath the table, and\nmuttered: \u2018I have taken him in a second time, and he has no idea that I\nam the beautiful girl with whom he is so much in love.\u2019\n\nOn the next evening, the prince returned to the palace for the third\nball. And the princess went too, and this time she had changed her\nbear\u2019s skin into a dress woven out of the star-light, studded all over\nwith gems, and she looked so dazzling and so beautiful, that everyone\nwondered at her, and said that no one so beautiful had ever been seen\nbefore. And the prince danced with her, and, though he could not induce\nher to speak, he succeeded in slipping a ring on her finger.\n\nWhen the ball was over, he followed her carriage, and rode at such a\npace that for long he kept it in sight. Then suddenly a terrible wind\narose between him and the carriage, and he could not overtake it.\n\nWhen he reached his home he said to his mother, \u2018I do not know what is\nto become of me; I think I shall go mad, I am so much in love with that\ngirl, and I have no means of finding out who she is. I danced with her\nand I gave her a ring, and yet I do not know her name, nor where I am to\nfind her.\u2019\n\nThen the bear laughed beneath the table and muttered to itself.\n\nAnd the prince continued: \u2018I am tired to death. Order some soup to be\nmade for me, but I don\u2019t want that bear to meddle with it. Every time I\nspeak of my love the brute mutters and laughs, and seems to mock at me.\nI hate the sight of the creature!\u2019\n\nWhen the soup was ready, the bear brought it to the prince; but before\nhanding it to him, she dropped into the plate the ring the prince had\ngiven her the night before at the ball. The prince began to eat his soup\nvery slowly and languidly, for he was sad at heart, and all his thoughts\nwere busy, wondering how and where he could see the lovely stranger\nagain. Suddenly he noticed the ring at the bottom of the plate. In a\nmoment he recognised it, and was dumb with surprise.\n\nThen he saw the bear standing beside him, looking at him with gentle,\nbeseeching eyes, and something in the eyes of the bear made him say:\n\u2018Take off that skin, some mystery is hidden beneath it.\u2019\n\nAnd the bear\u2019s skin dropped off, and the beautiful girl stood before\nhim, in the dress woven out of the star-light, and he saw that she was\nthe stranger with whom he had fallen so deeply in love. And now she\nappeared to him a thousand times more beautiful than ever, and he led\nher to his mother. And the princess told them her story, and how she had\nbeen kept shut up by her father in his palace, and how she had wearied\nof her imprisonment. And the prince\u2019s mother loved her, and rejoiced\nthat her son should have so good and beautiful a wife.\n\nSo they were married, and lived happily for many years, and reigned\nwisely over their kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nThe Sunchild\n\n\nOnce there was a woman who had no children, and this made her very\nunhappy. So she spoke one day to the Sunball, saying: \u2018Dear Sunball,\nsend me only a little girl now, and when she is twelve years old you may\ntake her back again.\u2019\n\nSo soon after this the Sunball sent her a little girl, whom the woman\ncalled Letiko, and watched over with great care till she was twelve\nyears old. Soon after that, while Letiko was away one day gathering\nherbs, the Sunball came to her, and said: \u2018Letiko, when you go home,\ntell your mother that she must bethink herself of what she promised me.\u2019\n\nThen Letiko went straight home, and said to her mother: \u2018While I was\ngathering herbs a fine tall gentleman came to me and charged me to tell\nyou that you should remember what you promised him.\u2019\n\nWhen the woman heard that she was sore afraid, and immediately shut all\nthe doors and windows of the house, stopped up all the chinks and holes,\nand kept Letiko hidden away, that the Sunball should not come and take\nher away. But she forgot to close up the keyhole, and through it the\nSunball sent a ray into the house, which took hold of the little girl\nand carried her away to him.\n\nOne day, the Sunball having sent her to the straw shed to fetch straw,\nthe girl sat down on the piles of straw and bemoaned herself, saying:\n\u2018As sighs this straw under my feet so sighs my heart after my mother.\u2019\n\nAnd this caused her to be so long away that the Sunball asked her, when\nshe came back: \u2018Eh, Letiko, where have you been so long?\u2019\n\nShe answered: \u2018My slippers are too big, and I could not go faster.\u2019\n\nThen the Sunball made the slippers shorter.\n\nAnother time he sent her to fetch water, and when she came to the\nspring, she sat down and lamented, saying: \u2018As flows the water even so\nflows my heart with longing for my mother.\u2019\n\nThus she again remained so long away that the Sunball asked her: \u2018Eh,\nLetiko, why have you remained so long away?\u2019\n\nAnd she answered: \u2018My petticoat is too long and hinders me in walking.\u2019\n\nThen the Sunball cut her petticoat to make it shorter.\n\nAnother time the Sunball sent her to bring him a pair of sandals, and\nas the girl carried these in her hand she began to lament, saying: \u2018As\ncreaks the leather so creaks my heart after my little mother.\u2019\n\nWhen she came home the Sunball asked her again: \u2018Eh, Letiko, why do you\ncome home so late?\u2019\n\n\u2018My red hood is too wide, and falls over my eyes, therefore I could not\ngo fast.\u2019\n\nThen he made the hood narrower.\n\nAt last, however, the Sunball became aware how sad Letiko was. He sent\nher a second time to bring straw, and, slipping in after her, he heard\nhow she lamented for her mother. Then he went home, called two foxes to\nhim, and said: \u2018Will you take Letiko home?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, why not?\u2019\n\n\u2018But what will you eat and drink if you should become hungry and thirsty\nby the way?\u2019\n\n\u2018We will eat her flesh and drink her blood.\u2019\n\nWhen the Sunball heard that, he said: \u2018You are not suited for this\naffair.\u2019\n\nThen he sent them away, and called two hares to him, and said: \u2018Will you\ntake Letiko home to her mother?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, why not?\u2019\n\n\u2018What will you eat and drink if you should become hungry and thirsty by\nthe way?\u2019\n\n\u2018We will eat grass and drink from streamlets.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then take her, and bring her home.\u2019\n\nThen the hares set out, taking Letiko with them, and because it was a\nlong way to her home they became hungry by the way. Then they said to\nthe little girl: \u2018Climb this tree, dear Letiko, and remain there till we\nhave finished eating.\u2019\n\nSo Letiko climbed the tree, and the hares went grazing.\n\nIt was not very long, however, before a lamia came under the tree and\ncalled out: \u2018Letiko, Letiko, come down and see what beautiful shoes I\nhave on.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! my shoes are much finer than yours.\u2019\n\n\u2018Come down. I am in a hurry, for my house is not yet swept.\u2019\n\n\u2018Go home and sweep it then, and come back when you are ready.\u2019\n\nThen the lamia went away and swept her house, and when she was ready\nshe came back and called out: \u2018Letiko, Letiko, come down and see what a\nbeautiful apron I have.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! my apron is much finer than yours.\u2019\n\n\u2018If you will not come down I will cut down the tree and eat you.\u2019\n\n\u2018Do so, and then eat me.\u2019\n\nThen the lamia hewed with all her strength at the tree, but could not\ncut it down. And when she saw that, she called out: \u2018Letiko, Letiko,\ncome down, for I must feed my children.\u2019\n\n\u2018Go home then and feed them, and come back when you are ready.\u2019\n\nWhen the lamia was gone away, Letiko called out: \u2018Little hares! little\nhares!\u2019\n\nThen said one hare to the other: \u2018Listen, Letiko is calling;\u2019 and they\nboth ran back to her as fast as they could go. Then Letiko came down\nfrom the tree, and they went on their way.\n\nThe lamia ran as fast as she could after them, to catch them up, and\nwhen she came to a field where people were working she asked them: \u2018Have\nyou seen anyone pass this way?\u2019\n\nThey answered: \u2018We are planting beans.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh! I did not ask about that; but if anyone had passed this way.\u2019\n\nBut the people only answered the louder: \u2018Are you deaf? It is beans,\nbeans, beans we are planting.\u2019\n\nWhen Letiko had nearly reached her home the dog knew her, and called\nout, \u2018Bow wow! see here comes Letiko!\u2019\n\nAnd the mother said, \u2018Hush! thou beast of ill-omen! wilt thou make me\nburst with misery?\u2019\n\nNext the cat on the roof saw her, and called out \u2018Miaouw! miaouw! see\nhere comes Letiko!\u2019\n\nAnd the mother said, \u2018Keep silence! thou beast of ill-omen! wilt thou\nmake me burst with misery?\u2019\n\nThen the cock spied, and called out: \u2018Cock-a-doodle-do! see here comes\nLetiko!\u2019\n\nAnd the mother said again: \u2018Be quiet! thou bird of ill-omen! wilt thou\nmake me burst with misery?\u2019\n\nThe nearer Letiko and the two hares came to the house the nearer also\ncame the lamia, and when the hare was about to slip in by the house door\nshe caught it by its little tail and tore it out.\n\nWhen the hare came in the mother stood up and said to it: \u2018Welcome, dear\nlittle hare; because you have brought me back Letiko I will silver your\nlittle tail.\u2019\n\nAnd she did so; and lived ever after with her daughter in happiness and\ncontent.\n\n\n\n\nThe Daughter Of Buk Ettemsuch\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a man who had seven daughters. For a long\ntime they dwelt quite happily at home together, then one morning the\nfather called them all before him and said:\n\n\u2018Your mother and I are going on a journey, and as we do not know how\nlong we may be away, you will find enough provisions in the house to\nlast you three years. But see you do not open the door to anyone till we\ncome home again.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well, dear father,\u2019 replied the girls.\n\nFor two years they never left the house or unlocked the door; but one\nday, when they had washed their clothes, and were spreading them out on\nthe roof to dry, the girls looked down into the street where people were\nwalking to and fro, and across to the market, with its stalls of fresh\nmeat, vegetables, and other nice things.\n\n\u2018Come here,\u2019 cried one. \u2018It makes me quite hungry! Why should not\nwe have our share? Let one of us go to the market, and buy meat and\nvegetables.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, we mustn\u2019t do that!\u2019 said the youngest. \u2018You know our father\nforbade us to open the door till he came home again.\u2019\n\nThen the eldest sister sprang at her and struck her, the second spit at\nher, the third abused her, the fourth pushed her, the fifth flung her to\nthe ground, and the sixth tore her clothes. Then they left her lying on\nthe floor, and went out with a basket.\n\nIn about an hour they came back with the basket full of meat and\nvegetables, which they put in a pot, and set on the fire, quite\nforgetting that the house door stood wide open. The youngest sister,\nhowever, took no part in all this, and when dinner was ready and the\ntable laid, she stole softly out to the entrance hall, and hid herself\nbehind a great cask which stood in one corner.\n\nNow, while the other sisters were enjoying their feast, a witch passed\nby, and catching sight of the open door, she walked in. She went up\nto the eldest girl, and said: \u2018Where shall I begin on you, you fat\nbolster?\u2019\n\n\u2018You must begin,\u2019 answered she, \u2018with the hand which struck my little\nsister.\u2019\n\nSo the witch gobbled her up, and when the last scrap had disappeared,\nshe came to the second and asked: \u2018Where shall I begin on you, my fat\nbolster?\u2019\n\nAnd the second answered, \u2018You must begin on my mouth, which spat on my\nsister.\u2019\n\nAnd so on to the rest; and very soon the whole six had disappeared.\nAnd as the witch was eating the last mouthful of the last sister, the\nyoungest, who had been crouching, frozen with horror, behind the barrel,\nran out through the open door into the street. Without looking behind\nher, she hastened on and on, as fast as her feet would carry her, till\nshe saw an ogre\u2019s castle standing in front of her. In a corner near the\ndoor she spied a large pot, and she crept softly up to it and pulled the\ncover over it, and went to sleep.\n\nBy-and-by the ogre came home. \u2018Fee, Fo, Fum,\u2019 cried he, \u2018I smell the\nsmell of a man. What ill fate has brought him here?\u2019 And he looked\nthrough all the rooms, and found nobody. \u2018Where are you?\u2019 he called. \u2018Do\nnot be afraid, I will do you no harm.\u2019\n\nBut the girl was still silent.\n\n\u2018Come out, I tell you,\u2019 repeated the ogre. \u2018Your life is quite safe. If\nyou are an old man, you shall be my father. If you are a boy, you shall\nbe my son. If your years are as many as mine, you shall be my brother.\nIf you are an old woman, you shall be my mother. If you are a young one,\nyou shall be my daughter. If you are middle-aged, you shall be my wife.\nSo come out, and fear nothing.\u2019\n\nThen the maiden came out of her hiding-place, and stood before him.\n\n\u2018Fear nothing,\u2019 said the ogre again; and when he went away to hunt he\nleft her to look after the house. In the evening he returned, bringing\nwith him hares, partridges, and gazelles, for the girl\u2019s supper; for\nhimself he only cared for the flesh of men, which she cooked for him.\nHe also gave into her charge the keys of six rooms, but the key of the\nseventh he kept himself.\n\nAnd time passed on, and the girl and the ogre still lived together.\n\nShe called him \u2018Father,\u2019 and he called her \u2018Daughter,\u2019 and never once\ndid he speak roughly to her.\n\nOne day the maiden said to him, \u2018Father, give me the key of the upper\nchamber.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, my daughter,\u2019 replied the ogre. \u2018There is nothing there that is any\nuse to you.\u2019\n\n\u2018But I want the key,\u2019 she repeated again.\n\nHowever the ogre took no notice, and pretended not to hear. The girl\nbegan to cry, and said to herself: \u2018To-night, when he thinks I am\nasleep, I will watch and see where he hides it;\u2019 and after she and the\nogre had supped, she bade him good-night, and left the room. In a few\nminutes she stole quietly back, and watched from behind a curtain. In a\nlittle while she saw the ogre take the key from his pocket, and hide it\nin a hole in the ground before he went to bed. And when all was still\nshe took out the key, and went back to the house.\n\nThe next morning the ogre awoke with the first ray of light, and the\nfirst thing he did was to look for the key. It was gone, and he guessed\nat once what had become of it.\n\nBut instead of getting into a great rage, as most ogres would have done,\nhe said to himself, \u2018If I wake the maiden up I shall only frighten her.\nFor to-day she shall keep the key, and when I return to-night it will be\ntime enough to take it from her.\u2019 So he went off to hunt.\n\nThe moment he was safe out of the way, the girl ran upstairs and opened\nthe door of the room, which was quite bare. The one window was closed,\nand she threw back the lattice and looked out. Beneath lay a garden\nwhich belonged to the prince, and in the garden was an ox, who was\ndrawing up water from the well all by himself--for there was nobody to\nbe seen anywhere. The ox raised his head at the noise the girl made in\nopening the lattice, and said to her, \u2018Good morning, O daughter of Buk\nEttemsuch! Your father is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and\nthen he will put you on a spit and cook you.\u2019\n\nThese words so frightened the maiden that she burst into tears and ran\nout of the room. All day she wept, and when the ogre came home at night,\nno supper was ready for him.\n\n\u2018What are you crying for?\u2019 said he. \u2018Where is my supper, and is it you\nwho have opened the upper chamber?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, I opened it,\u2019 answered she.\n\n\u2018And what did the ox say to you?\u2019\n\n\u2018He said, \u201cGood morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch. Your father is\nfeeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he will put you on a\nspit and cook you.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, to-morrow you can go to the window and say, \u201cMy father is feeding\nme up till I am nice and fat, but he does not mean to eat me. If I had\none of your eyes I would use it for a mirror, and look at myself before\nand behind; and your girths should be loosened, and you should be\nblind--seven days and seven nights.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018All right,\u2019 replied the girl, and the next morning, when the ox spoke\nto her, she answered him as she had been told, and he fell down straight\nupon the ground, and lay there seven days and seven nights. But the\nflowers in the garden withered, for there was no one to water them.\n\nWhen the prince came into his garden he found nothing but yellow stalks;\nin the midst of them the ox was lying. With a blow from his sword he\nkilled the animal, and, turning to his attendants, he said, \u2018Go and\nfetch another ox!\u2019 And they brought in a great beast, and he drew the\nwater out of the well, and the flowers revived, and the grass grew green\nagain. Then the prince called his attendants and went away.\n\nThe next morning the girl heard the noise of the waterwheel, and she\nopened the lattice and looked out of the window.\n\n\u2018Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch!\u2019 said the new ox. \u2018Your\nfather is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he will put\nyou on a spit and cook you.\u2019\n\nAnd the maiden answered: \u2018My father is feeding me up till I am nice and\nfat, but he does not mean to eat me. If I had one of your eyes I would\nuse it for a mirror, and look at myself before and behind; and your\ngirths should be loosened, and you should be blind--seven days and seven\nnights.\u2019\n\nDirectly she uttered these words the ox fell to the ground and lay\nthere, seven days and seven nights. Then he arose and began to draw the\nwater from the well. He had only turned the wheel once or twice, when\nthe prince took it into his head to visit his garden and see how the\nnew ox was getting on. When he entered the ox was working busily; but in\nspite of that the flowers and grass were dried up. And the prince drew\nhis sword, and rushed at the ox to slay him, as he had done the other.\nBut the ox fell on his knees and said:\n\n\u2018My lord, only spare my life, and let me tell you how it happened.\u2019\n\n\u2018How what happened?\u2019 asked the prince.\n\n\u2018My lord, a girl looked out of that window and spoke a few words to me,\nand I fell to the ground. For seven days and seven nights I lay there,\nunable to move. But, O my lord, it is not given to us twice to behold\nbeauty such as hers.\u2019\n\n\u2018It is a lie,\u2019 said the prince. \u2018An ogre dwells there. Is it likely that\nhe keeps a maiden in his upper chamber?\u2019\n\n\u2018Why not?\u2019 replied the ox. \u2018But if you come here at dawn to-morrow, and\nhide behind that tree, you will see for yourself.\u2019\n\n\u2018So I will,\u2019 said the prince; \u2018and if I find that you have not spoken\ntruth, I will kill you.\u2019\n\nThe prince left the garden, and the ox went on with his work. Next\nmorning the prince came early to the garden, and found the ox busy with\nthe waterwheel.\n\n\u2018Has the girl appeared yet?\u2019 he asked.\n\n\u2018Not yet; but she will not be long. Hide yourself in the branches of\nthat tree, and you will soon see her.\u2019\n\nThe prince did as he was told, and scarcely was he seated when the\nmaiden threw open the lattice.\n\n\u2018Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch!\u2019 said the ox. \u2018Your father\nis feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he will put you on\na spit and cook you.\u2019\n\n\u2018My father is feeding me up till I am nice and fat, but he does not mean\nto eat me. If I had one of your eyes I would use it for a mirror, and\nlook at myself before and behind; and your girths should be loosened,\nand you should be blind--seven days and seven nights.\u2019 And hardly had\nshe spoken when the ox fell on the ground, and the maiden shut the\nlattice and went away. But the prince knew that what the ox had said\nwas true, and that she had not her equal in the whole world. And he came\ndown from the tree, his heart burning with love.\n\n\u2018Why has the ogre not eaten her?\u2019 thought he. \u2018This night I will invite\nhim to supper in my palace and question him about the maiden, and find\nout if she is his wife.\u2019\n\nSo the prince ordered a great ox to be slain and roasted whole, and two\nhuge tanks to be made, one filled with water and the other with wine.\nAnd towards evening he called his attendants and went to the ogre\u2019s\nhouse to wait in the courtyard till he came back from hunting. The ogre\nwas surprised to see so many people assembled in front of his house; but\nhe bowed politely and said, \u2018Good morning, dear neighbours! To what do I\nowe the pleasure of this visit? I have not offended you, I hope?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, certainly not!\u2019 answered the prince.\n\n\u2018Then,\u2019 continued the ogre, \u2018What has brought you to my house to-day for\nthe first time?\u2019\n\n\u2018We should like to have supper with you,\u2019 said the prince.\n\n\u2018Well, supper is ready, and you are welcome,\u2019 replied the ogre, leading\nthe way into the house, for he had had a good day, and there was plenty\nof game in the bag over his shoulder.\n\nA table was quickly prepared, and the prince had already taken his\nplace, when he suddenly exclaimed, \u2018After all, Buk Ettemsuch, suppose\nyou come to supper with me?\u2019\n\n\u2018Where?\u2019 asked the ogre.\n\n\u2018In my house. I know it is all ready.\u2019\n\n\u2018But it is so far off--why not stay here?\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, I will come another day; but this evening I must be your host.\u2019\n\nSo the ogre accompanied the prince and his attendants back to the\npalace. After a while the prince turned to the ogre and said:\n\n\u2018It is as a wooer that I appear before you. I seek a wife from an\nhonourable family.\u2019\n\n\u2018But I have no daughter,\u2019 replied the ogre.\n\n\u2018Oh, yes you have, I saw her at the window.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, you can marry her if you wish,\u2019 said he.\n\nSo the prince\u2019s heart was glad as he and his attendants rode back with\nthe ogre to his house. And as they parted, the prince said to his guest,\n\u2018You will not forget the bargain we have made?\u2019\n\n\u2018I am not a young man, and never break my promises,\u2019 said the ogre, and\nwent in and shut the door.\n\nUpstairs he found the maiden, waiting till he returned to have her\nsupper, for she did not like eating by herself.\n\n\u2018I have had my supper,\u2019 said the ogre, \u2018for I have been spending the\nevening with the prince.\u2019\n\n\u2018Where did you meet him?\u2019 asked the girl.\n\n\u2018Oh, we are neighbours, and grew up together, and to-night I promised\nthat you should be his wife.\u2019\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t want to be any man\u2019s wife,\u2019 answered she; but this was only\npretence, for her heart too was glad.\n\nNext morning early came the prince, bringing with him bridal gifts, and\nsplendid wedding garments, to carry the maiden back to his palace.\n\nBut before he let her go the ogre called her to him, and said, \u2018Be\ncareful, girl, never to speak to the prince; and when he speaks to you,\nyou must be dumb, unless he swears \u201cby the head of Buk Ettemsuch.\u201d Then\nyou may speak.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 answered the girl.\n\nThey set out; and when they reached the palace, the prince led his bride\nto the room he had prepared for her, and said \u2018Speak to me, my wife,\u2019\nbut she was silent; and by-and-by he left her, thinking that perhaps she\nwas shy. The next day the same thing happened, and the next.\n\nAt last he said, \u2018Well, if you won\u2019t speak, I shall go and get another\nwife who will.\u2019 And he did.\n\nNow when the new wife was brought to the palace the daughter of Buk\nEttemsuch rose, and spoke to the ladies who had come to attend on the\nsecond bride. \u2018Go and sit down. I will make ready the feast.\u2019 And the\nladies sat down as they were told, and waited.\n\nThe maiden sat down too, and called out, \u2018Come here, firewood,\u2019 and\nthe firewood came. \u2018Come here, fire,\u2019 and the fire came and kindled the\nwood. \u2018Come here, pot.\u2019 \u2018Come here, oil;\u2019 and the pot and the oil came.\n\u2018Get into the pot, oil!\u2019 said she, and the oil did it. When the oil was\nboiling, the maiden dipped all her fingers in it, and they became ten\nfried fishes. \u2018Come here, oven,\u2019 she cried next, and the oven came.\n\u2018Fire, heat the oven.\u2019 And the fire heated it. When it was hot enough,\nthe maiden jumped in, just as she was, with her beautiful silver and\ngold dress, and all her jewels. In a minute or two she had turned into a\nsnow-white loaf, that made your mouth water.\n\nSaid the loaf to the ladies, \u2018You can eat now; do not stand so far off;\u2019\nbut they only stared at each other, speechless with surprise.\n\n\u2018What are you staring at?\u2019 asked the new bride.\n\n\u2018At all these wonders,\u2019 replied the ladies.\n\n\u2018Do you call these wonders?\u2019 said she scornfully; \u2018I can do that too,\u2019\nand she jumped straight into the oven, and was burnt up in a moment.\n\nThen they ran to the prince and said: \u2018Come quickly, your wife is dead!\u2019\n\n\u2018Bury her, then!\u2019 returned he. \u2018But why did she do it? I am sure I said\nnothing to make her throw herself into the oven.\u2019\n\nAccordingly the burnt woman was buried, but the prince would not go to\nthe funeral as all his thoughts were still with the wife who would not\nspeak to him. The next night he said to her, \u2018Dear wife, are you afraid\nthat something dreadful will happen if you speak to me? If you still\npersist in being dumb, I shall be forced to get another wife.\u2019 The poor\ngirl longed to speak, but dread of the ogre kept her silent, and the\nprince did as he had said, and brought a fresh bride into the palace.\nAnd when she and her ladies were seated in state, the maiden planted a\nsharp stake in the ground, and sat herself down comfortably on it, and\nbegan to spin.\n\n\u2018What are you staring at so?\u2019 said the new bride to her ladies. \u2018Do you\nthink that is anything wonderful? Why, I can do as much myself!\u2019\n\n\u2018I am sure you can\u2019t,\u2019 said they, much too surprised to be polite.\n\nThen the maid sprang off the stake and left the room, and instantly the\nnew wife took her place. But the sharp stake ran through, and she was\ndead in a moment. So they sent to the prince and said, \u2018Come quickly,\nand bury your wife.\u2019\n\n\u2018Bury her yourselves,\u2019 he answered. \u2018What did she do it for? It was not\nby my orders that she impaled herself on the stake.\u2019\n\nSo they buried her; and in the evening the prince came to the daughter\nof Buk Ettemsuch, and said to her, \u2018Speak to me, or I shall have to take\nanother wife.\u2019 But she was afraid to speak to him.\n\nThe following day the prince hid himself in the room and watched. And\nsoon the maiden woke, and said to the pitcher and to the water-jug,\n\u2018Quick! go down to the spring and bring me some water; I am thirsty.\u2019\n\nAnd they went. But as they were filling themselves at the spring, the\nwater-jug knocked against the pitcher and broke off its spout. And the\npitcher burst into tears, and ran to the maiden, and said: \u2018Mistress,\nbeat the water-jug, for he has broken my spout!\u2019\n\n\u2018By the head of Buk Ettemsuch, I implore you not to beat me!\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 she replied, \u2018if only my husband had sworn by that oath, I could\nhave spoken to him from the beginning, and he need never have taken\nanother wife. But now he will never say it, and he will have to go on\nmarrying fresh ones.\u2019\n\nAnd the prince, from his hiding-place, heard her words, and he jumped up\nand ran to her and said, \u2018By the head of Buk Ettemsuch, speak to me.\u2019\n\nSo she spoke to him, and they lived happily to the end of their days,\nbecause the girl kept the promise she had made to the ogre.\n\n[M\u00e4rchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis. Von Hans Stumme.]\n\n\n\n\nLaughing Eye and Weeping Eye, or the Limping Fox\n\n(Servian Story)\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a man whose right eye always smiled, and\nwhose left eye always cried; and this man had three sons, two of them\nvery clever, and the third very stupid. Now these three sons were very\ncurious about the peculiarity of their father\u2019s eyes, and as they could\nnot puzzle out the reason for themselves, they determined to ask their\nfather why he did not have eyes like other people.\n\nSo the eldest of the three went one day into his father\u2019s room and put\nthe question straight out; but, instead of answering, the man flew into\na fearful rage, and sprang at him with a knife. The young fellow ran\naway in a terrible fright, and took refuge with his brothers, who were\nawaiting anxiously the result of the interview.\n\n\u2018You had better go yourselves,\u2019 was all the reply they got, \u2018and see if\nyou will fare any better.\u2019\n\nUpon hearing this, the second son entered his father\u2019s room, only to be\ntreated in the same manner as his brother; and back he came telling the\nyoungest, the fool of the family, that it was his turn to try his luck.\n\nThen the youngest son marched boldly up to his father and said to him,\n\u2018My brothers would not let me know what answer you had given to their\nquestion. But now, do tell me why your right eye always laughs and your\nleft eye always weeps.\u2019\n\nAs before, the father grew purple with fury, and rushed forwards with\nhis knife. But the simpleton did not stir a step; he knew that he had\nreally nothing to fear from his father.\n\n\u2018Ah, now I see who is my true son,\u2019 exclaimed the old man; \u2018the others\nare mere cowards. And as you have shown me that you are brave, I will\nsatisfy your curiosity. My right eye laughs because I am glad to have\na son like you; my left eye weeps because a precious treasure has been\nstolen from me. I had in my garden a vine that yielded a tun of wine\nevery hour--someone has managed to steal it, so I weep its loss.\u2019\n\nThe simpleton returned to his brothers and told them of their father\u2019s\nloss, and they all made up their minds to set out at once in search of\nthe vine. They travelled together till they came to some cross roads,\nand there they parted, the two elder ones taking one road, and the\nsimpleton the other.\n\n\u2018Thank goodness we have got rid of that idiot,\u2019 exclaimed the two elder.\n\u2018Now let us have some breakfast.\u2019 And they sat down by the roadside and\nbegan to eat.\n\nThey had only half finished, when a lame fox came out of a wood and\nbegged them to give him something to eat. But they jumped up and chased\nhim off with their sticks, and the poor fox limped away on his three\npads. As he ran he reached the spot where the youngest son was getting\nout the food he had brought with him, and the fox asked him for a crust\nof bread. The simpleton had not very much for himself, but he gladly\ngave half of his meal to the hungry fox.\n\n\u2018Where are you going, brother?\u2019 said the fox, when he had finished his\nshare of the bread; and the young man told him the story of his father\nand the wonderful vine.\n\n\u2018Dear me, how lucky!\u2019 said the fox. \u2018I know what has become of it.\nFollow me!\u2019 So they went on till they came to the gate of a large\ngarden.\n\n\u2018You will find here the vine that you are seeking, but it will not be at\nall easy to get it. You must listen carefully to what I am going to say.\nBefore you reach the vine you will have to pass twelve outposts, each\nconsisting of two guards. If you see these guards looking straight at\nyou, go on without fear, for they are asleep. But if their eyes are shut\nthen beware, for they are wide awake. If you once get to the vine, you\nwill find two shovels, one of wood and the other of iron. Be sure not to\ntake the iron one; it will make a noise and rouse the guards, and then\nyou are lost.\u2019\n\nThe young man got safely through the garden without any adventures till\nhe came to the vine which yielded a tun of wine an hour. But he thought\nhe should find it impossible to dig the hard earth with only a wooden\nshovel, so picked up the iron one instead. The noise it made soon\nawakened the guards. They seized the poor simpleton and carried him to\ntheir master.\n\n\u2018Why do you try to steal my vine?\u2019 demanded he; \u2018and how did you manage\nto get past the guards?\u2019\n\n\u2018The vine is not yours; it belongs to my father, and if you will not\ngive it to me now, I will return and get it somehow.\u2019\n\n\u2018You shall have the vine if you will bring me in exchange an apple off\nthe golden apple-tree that flowers every twenty-four hours, and bears\nfruit of gold.\u2019 So saying, he gave orders that the simpleton should be\nreleased, and this done, the youth hurried off to consult the fox.\n\n\u2018Now you see,\u2019 observed the fox, \u2018this comes of not following my advice.\nHowever, I will help you to get the golden apple. It grows in a garden\nthat you will easily recognise from my description. Near the apple-tree\nare two poles, one of gold, the other of wood. Take the wooden pole, and\nyou will be able to reach the apple.\u2019\n\nMaster Simpleton listened carefully to all that was told him, and\nafter crossing the garden, and escaping as before from the men who were\nwatching it, soon arrived at the apple-tree. But he was so dazzled by\nthe sight of the beautiful golden fruit, that he quite forgot all that\nthe fox had said. He seized the golden pole, and struck the branch a\nsounding blow. The guards at once awoke, and conducted him to their\nmaster. Then the simpleton had to tell his story.\n\n\u2018I will give you the golden apple,\u2019 said the owner of the garden, \u2018if\nyou will bring me in exchange a horse which can go round the world in\nfour-and-twenty hours.\u2019 And the young man departed, and went to find the\nfox.\n\nThis time the fox was really angry, and no wonder.\n\n\u2018If you had listened to me, you would have been home with your father\nby this time. However I am willing to help you once more. Go into the\nforest, and you will find the horse with two halters round his neck. One\nis of gold, the other of hemp. Lead him by the hempen halter, or else\nthe horse will begin to neigh, and will waken the guards. Then all is\nover with you.\u2019\n\nSo Master Simpleton searched till he found the horse, and was struck\ndumb at its beauty.\n\n\u2018What!\u2019 he said to himself, \u2018put the hempen halter on an animal like\nthat? Not I, indeed!\u2019\n\nThen the horse neighed loudly; the guards seized our young friend and\nconducted him before their master.\n\n\u2018I will give you the golden horse,\u2019 said he, \u2018if you will bring me in\nexchange a golden maiden who has never yet seen either sun or moon.\u2019\n\n\u2018But if I am to bring you the golden maiden you must lend me first the\ngolden steed with which to seek for her.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah,\u2019 replied the owner of the golden horse, \u2018but who will undertake\nthat you will ever come back?\u2019\n\n\u2018I swear on the head of my father,\u2019 answered the young man, \u2018that I will\nbring back either the maiden or the horse.\u2019 And he went away to consult\nthe fox.\n\nNow, the fox who was always patient and charitable to other people\u2019s\nfaults, led him to the entrance of a deep grotto, where stood a maiden\nall of gold, and beautiful as the day. He placed her on his horse and\nprepared to mount.\n\n\u2018Are you not sorry,\u2019 said the fox, \u2018to give such a lovely maiden in\nexchange for a horse? Yet you are bound to do it, for you have sworn by\nthe head of your father. But perhaps I could manage to take her place.\u2019\nSo saying, the fox transformed himself into another golden maiden, so\nlike the first that hardly anyone could tell the difference between\nthem.\n\nThe simpleton took her straight to the owner of the horse, who was\nenchanted with her.\n\nAnd the young man got back his father\u2019s vine and married the real golden\nmaiden into the bargain.\n\n[Contes Populaires Slaves. Traduits par Louis L\u00e9ger. Paris: Ernest\nLeroux, \u00e9diteur.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Unlooked-for Prince\n\n(Polish Story)\n\n\nA long time ago there lived a king and queen who had no children,\nalthough they both wished very much for a little son. They tried not to\nlet each other see how unhappy they were, and pretended to take pleasure\nin hunting and hawking and all sorts of other sports; but at length the\nking could bear it no longer, and declared that he must go and visit the\nfurthest corners of his kingdom, and that it would be many months before\nhe should return to his capital.\n\nBy that time he hoped he would have so many things to think about that\nhe would have forgotten to trouble about the little son who never came.\n\nThe country the king reigned over was very large, and full of high,\nstony mountains and sandy deserts, so that it was not at all easy to\ngo from one place to another. One day the king had wandered out alone,\nmeaning to go only a little distance, but everything looked so alike he\ncould not make out the path by which he had come. He walked on and on\nfor hours, the sun beating hotly on his head, and his legs trembling\nunder him, and he might have died of thirst if he had not suddenly\nstumbled on a little well, which looked as if it had been newly dug. On\nthe surface floated a silver cup with a golden handle, but as it bobbed\nabout whenever the king tried to seize it, he was too thirsty to wait\nany longer and knelt down and drank his fill.\n\nWhen he had finished he began to rise from his knees, but somehow his\nbeard seemed to have stuck fast in the water, and with all his efforts\nhe could not pull it out. After two or three jerks to his head, which\nonly hurt him without doing any good, he called out angrily, \u2018Let go at\nonce! Who is holding me?\u2019\n\n\u2018It is I, the King Kostiei,\u2019 said a voice from the well, and looking up\nthrough the water was a little man with green eyes and a big head. \u2018You\nhave drunk from my spring, and I shall not let you go until you promise\nto give me the most precious thing your palace contains, which was not\nthere when you left it.\u2019\n\nNow the only thing that the king much cared for in his palace was the\nqueen herself, and as she was weeping bitterly on a pile of cushions\nin the great hall when he had ridden away, he knew that Kostiei\u2019s words\ncould not apply to her. So he cheerfully gave the promise asked for by\nthe ugly little man, and in the twinkling of an eye, man, spring, and\ncup had disappeared, and the king was left kneeling on the dry sand,\nwondering if it was all a dream. But as he felt much stronger and\nbetter he made up his mind that this strange adventure must really have\nhappened, and he sprang on his horse and rode off with a light heart to\nlook for his companions.\n\nIn a few weeks they began to set out on their return home, which they\nreached one hot day, eight months after they had all left. The king was\ngreatly beloved by his people, and crowds lined the roads, shouting and\nwaving their hats as the procession passed along. On the steps of the\npalace stood the queen, with a splendid golden cushion in her arms, and\non the cushion the most beautiful boy that ever was seen, wrapped about\nin a cloud of lace. In a moment Kostiei\u2019s words rushed into the king\u2019s\nmind, and he began to weep bitterly, to the surprise of everybody, who\nhad expected him nearly to die of joy at the sight of his son. But\ntry as he would and work as hard as he might he could never forget his\npromise, and every time he let the baby out of his sight he thought that\nhe had seen it for the last time.\n\nHowever, years passed on and the prince grew first into a big boy, and\nthen into a fine young man. Kostiei made no sign, and gradually even the\nanxious king thought less and less about him, and in the end forgot him\naltogether.\n\nThere was no family in the whole kingdom happier than the king and queen\nand prince, until one day when the youth met a little old man as he\nwas hunting in a lonely part of the woods. \u2018How are you my unlooked-for\nPrince?\u2019 he said. \u2018You kept them waiting a good long time!\u2019\n\n\u2018And who are you?\u2019 asked the prince.\n\n\u2018You will know soon enough. When you go home give my compliments to your\nfather and tell him that I wish he would square accounts with me. If he\nneglects to pay his debts he will bitterly repent it.\u2019\n\nSo saying the old man disappeared, and the prince returned to the palace\nand told his father what had happened.\n\nThe king turned pale and explained to his son the terrible story.\n\n\u2018Do not grieve over it, father,\u2019 answered the prince. \u2018It is nothing so\ndreadful after all! I will find some way to force Kostiei to give up\nhis rights over me. But if I do not come back in a year\u2019s time, you must\ngive up all hopes of ever seeing me.\u2019\n\nThen the prince began to prepare for his journey. His father gave him\na complete suit of steel armour, a sword, and a horse, while his mother\nhung round his neck a cross of gold. So, kissing him tenderly, with many\ntears they let him go.\n\nHe rode steadily on for three days, and at sunset on the fourth day he\nfound himself on the seashore. On the sand before him lay twelve white\ndresses, dazzling as the snow, yet as far as his eyes could reach there\nwas no one in sight to whom they could belong. Curious to see what would\nhappen, he took up one of the garments, and leaving his horse loose, to\nwander about the adjoining fields, he hid himself among some willows and\nwaited. In a few minutes a flock of geese which had been paddling about\nin the sea approached the shore, and put on the dresses, struck the sand\nwith their feet and were transformed in the twinkling of an eye into\neleven beautiful young girls, who flew away as fast as they could. The\ntwelfth and youngest remained in the water, stretching out her long\nwhite neck and looking about her anxiously. Suddenly, among the willows,\nshe perceived the king\u2019s son, and called out to him with a human voice:\n\n\u2018Oh Prince, give me back my dress, and I shall be for ever grateful to\nyou.\u2019\n\nThe prince hastened to lay the dress on the sand, and walked away. When\nthe maiden had thrown off the goose-skin and quickly put on her proper\nclothes, she came towards him and he saw that none had ever seen or told\nof such beauty as hers. She blushed and held out her hand, saying to him\nin a soft voice:\n\n\u2018I thank you, noble Prince, for having granted my request. I am the\nyoungest daughter of Kostiei the immortal, who has twelve daughters and\nrules over the kingdoms under the earth. Long time my father has waited\nfor you, and great is his anger. But trouble not yourself and fear\nnothing, only do as I bid you. When you see the King Kostiei, fall\nstraightway upon your knees and heed neither his threats nor his cry,\nbut draw near to him boldly. That which will happen after, you will know\nin time. Now let us go.\u2019\n\nAt these words she struck the ground with her foot and a gulf opened,\ndown which they went right into the heart of the earth. In a short time\nthey reached Kostiei\u2019s palace, which gives light, with a light brighter\nthan the sun, to the dark kingdoms below. And the prince, as he had been\nbidden, entered boldly into the hall.\n\nKostiei, with a shining crown upon his head, sat in the centre upon a\ngolden throne. His green eyes glittered like glass, his hands were\nas the claws of a crab. When he caught sight of the prince he uttered\npiercing yells, which shook the walls of the palace. The prince took no\nnotice, but continued his advance on his knees towards the throne. When\nhe had almost reached it, the king broke out into a laugh and said:\n\n\u2018It has been very lucky for you that you have been able to make me\nlaugh. Stay with us in our underground empire, only first you will have\nto do three things. To-night it is late. Go to sleep; to-morrow I will\ntell you.\u2019\n\nEarly the following morning the prince received a message that Kostiei\nwas ready to see him. He got up and dressed, and hastened to the\npresence chamber, where the little king was seated on his throne. When\nthe prince appeared, bowing low before him, Kostiei began:\n\n\u2018Now, Prince, this is what you have to do. By to-night you must build\nme a marble palace, with windows of crystal and a roof of gold. It is to\nstand in the middle of a great park, full of streams and lakes. If\nyou are able to build it you shall be my friend. If not, off with your\nhead.\u2019\n\nThe prince listened in silence to this startling speech, and then\nreturning to his room set himself to think about the certain death that\nawaited him. He was quite absorbed in these thoughts, when suddenly a\nbee flew against the window and tapped, saying, \u2018Let me come in.\u2019 He\nrose and opened the window, and there stood before him the youngest\nprincess.\n\n\u2018What are you dreaming about, Prince?\u2019\n\n\u2018I was dreaming of your father, who has planned my death.\u2019\n\n\u2018Fear nothing. You may sleep in peace, and to-morrow morning when you\nawake you will find the palace all ready.\u2019\n\nWhat she said, she did. The next morning when the prince left his\nroom he saw before him a palace more beautiful than his fancy had\never pictured. Kostiei for his part could hardly believe his eyes, and\npondered deeply how it had got there.\n\n\u2018Well, this time you have certainly won; but you are not going to be let\noff so easily. To-morrow all my twelve daughters shall stand in a row\nbefore you, and if you cannot tell me which of them is the youngest, off\ngoes your head.\u2019\n\n\u2018What! Not recognise the youngest princess!\u2019 said the Prince to himself,\nas he entered his room, \u2018a likely story!\u2019\n\n\u2018It is such a difficult matter that you will never be able to do it\nwithout my help,\u2019 replied the bee, who was buzzing about the ceiling.\n\u2018We are all so exactly alike, that even our father scarcely knows the\ndifference between us.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then what must I do?\u2019\n\n\u2018This. The youngest is she who will have a ladybird on her eyelid. Be\nvery careful. Now good-bye.\u2019\n\nNext morning King Kostiei again sent for the prince. The young\nprincesses were all drawn up in a row, dressed precisely in the same\nmanner, and with their eyes all cast down. As the prince looked at them,\nhe was amazed at their likeness. Twice he walked along the line, without\nbeing able to detect the sign agreed upon. The third time his heart beat\nfast at the sight of a tiny speck upon the eyelid of one of the girls.\n\n\u2018This one is the youngest,\u2019 he said.\n\n\u2018How in the world did you guess?\u2019 cried Kostiei in a fury. \u2018There is\nsome jugglery about it! But you are not going to escape me so easily.\nIn three hours you shall come here and give me another proof of your\ncleverness. I shall set alight a handful of straw, and before it is\nburnt up you will have turned it into a pair of boots. If not, off goes\nyour head.\u2019\n\nSo the prince returned sadly into his room, but the bee was there before\nhim.\n\n\u2018Why do you look so melancholy, my handsome Prince?\u2019\n\n\u2018How can I help looking melancholy when your father has ordered me to\nmake him a pair of boots? Does he take me for a shoemaker?\u2019\n\n\u2018What do you think of doing?\u2019\n\n\u2018Not of making boots, at any rate! I am not afraid of death. One can\nonly die once after all.\u2019\n\n\u2018No, Prince, you shall not die. I will try to save you. And we will fly\ntogether or die together.\u2019\n\nAs she spoke she spat upon the ground, and then drawing the prince after\nher out of the room, she locked the door behind her and threw away the\nkey. Holding each other tight by the hand, they made their way up into\nthe sunlight, and found themselves by the side of the same sea, while\nthe prince\u2019s horse was still quietly feeding in the neighbouring meadow.\nThe moment he saw his master, the horse whinnied and galloped towards\nhim. Without losing an instant the prince sprang into the saddle, swung\nthe princess behind him, and away they went like an arrow from a bow.\n\nWhen the hour arrived which Kostiei had fixed for the prince\u2019s last\ntrial, and there were no signs of him, the king sent to his room to ask\nwhy he delayed so long. The servants, finding the door locked, knocked\nloudly and received for answer, \u2018In one moment.\u2019 It was the spittle,\nwhich was imitating the voice of the prince.\n\nThe answer was taken back to Kostiei. He waited; still no prince. He\nsent the servants back again, and the same voice replied, \u2018Immediately.\u2019\n\n\u2018He is making fun of me!\u2019 shrieked Kostiei in a rage. \u2018Break in the\ndoor, and bring him to me!\u2019\n\nThe servants hurried to do his bidding. The door was broken open. Nobody\ninside; but just the spittle in fits of laughter! Kostiei was beside\nhimself with rage, and commanded his guards to ride after the fugitives.\nIf the guards returned without the fugitives, their heads should pay for\nit.\n\nBy this time the prince and princess had got a good start, and were\nfeeling quite happy, when suddenly they heard the sound of a gallop far\nbehind them. The prince sprang from the saddle, and laid his ear to the\nground.\n\n\u2018They are pursuing us,\u2019 he said.\n\n\u2018Then there is no time to be lost,\u2019 answered the princess; and as she\nspoke she changed herself into a river, the prince into a bridge, the\nhorse into a crow, and divided the wide road beyond the bridge into\nthree little ones. When the soldiers came up to the bridge, they\npaused uncertainly. How were they to know which of the three roads\nthe fugitives had taken? They gave it up in despair and returned in\ntrembling to Kostiei.\n\n\u2018Idiots!\u2019 he exclaimed, in a passion. \u2018They were the bridge and the\nriver, of course! Do you mean to say you never thought of that? Go back\nat once!\u2019 and off they galloped like lightning.\n\nBut time had been lost, and the prince and princess were far on their\nway.\n\n\u2018I hear a horse,\u2019 cried the princess.\n\nThe prince jumped down and laid his ear to the ground.\n\n\u2018Yes,\u2019 he said, \u2018they are not far off now.\u2019\n\nIn an instant prince, princess, and horse had all disappeared, and\ninstead was a dense forest, crossed and recrossed by countless paths.\nKostiei\u2019s soldiers dashed hastily into the forest, believing they saw\nbefore them the flying horse with its double burden. They seemed close\nupon them, when suddenly horse, wood, everything disappeared, and they\nfound themselves at the place where they started. There was nothing for\nit but to return to Kostiei, and tell him of this fresh disaster.\n\n\u2018A horse! a horse!\u2019 cried the king. \u2018I will go after them myself. This\ntime they shall not escape.\u2019 And he galloped off, foaming with anger.\n\n\u2018I think I hear someone pursuing us,\u2019 said the princess\n\n\u2018Yes, so do I.\u2019\n\n\u2018And this time it is Kostiei himself. But his power only reaches as\nfar as the first church, and he can go no farther. Give me your golden\ncross.\u2019 So the prince unfastened the cross which was his mother\u2019s gift,\nand the princess hastily changed herself into a church, the prince into\na priest, and the horse into a belfry.\n\nIt was hardly done when Kostiei came up.\n\n\u2018Greeting, monk. Have you seen some travellers on horseback pass this\nway?\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, the prince and Kostiei\u2019s daughter have just gone by. They have\nentered the church, and told me to give you their greetings if I met\nyou.\u2019\n\nThen Kostiei knew that he had been hopelessly beaten, and the prince and\nprincess continued their journey without any more adventures.\n\n[Contes Populaires Slaves. Traduits par Louis L\u00e9ger. Paris: Leroux,\n\u00e9diteur.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Simpleton\n\n\nThere lived, once upon a time, a man who was as rich as he could be; but\nas no happiness in this world is ever quite complete, he had an only son\nwho was such a simpleton that he could barely add two and two together.\nAt last his father determined to put up with his stupidity no longer,\nand giving him a purse full of gold, he sent him off to seek his fortune\nin foreign lands, mindful of the adage:\n\n     How much a fool that\u2019s sent to roam\n     Excels a fool that stays at home.\n\nMoscione, for this was the youth\u2019s name, mounted a horse, and set out\nfor Venice, hoping to find a ship there that would take him to Cairo.\nAfter he had ridden for some time he saw a man standing at the foot of a\npoplar tree, and said to him: \u2018What\u2019s your name, my friend; where do you\ncome from, and what can you do?\u2019\n\nThe man replied, \u2018My name is Quick-as-Thought, I come from Fleet-town,\nand I can run like lightning.\u2019\n\n\u2018I should like to see you,\u2019 returned Moscione.\n\n\u2018Just wait a minute, then,\u2019 said Quick-as-Thought, \u2018and I will soon show\nyou that I am speaking the truth.\u2019\n\nThe words were hardly out of his mouth when a young doe ran right across\nthe field they were standing in.\n\nQuick-as-Thought let her run on a short distance, in order to give her a\nstart, and then pursued her so quickly and so lightly that you could not\nhave tracked his footsteps if the field had been strewn with flour. In a\nvery few springs he had overtaken the doe, and had so impressed Moscione\nwith his fleetness of foot that he begged Quick-as-Thought to go with\nhim, promising at the same time to reward him handsomely.\n\nQuick-as-Thought agreed to his proposal, and they continued on their\njourney together. They had hardly gone a mile when they met a young man,\nand Moscione stopped and asked him: \u2018What\u2019s your name, my friend; where\ndo you come from, and what can you do?\u2019\n\nThe man thus addressed answered promptly, \u2018I am called Hare\u2019s-ear, I\ncome from Curiosity Valley, and if I lay my ear on the ground, without\nmoving from the spot, I can hear everything that goes on in the world,\nthe plots and intrigues of court and cottage, and all the plans of mice\nand men.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that\u2019s the case,\u2019 replied Moscione, \u2018just tell me what\u2019s going on in\nmy own home at present.\u2019\n\nThe youth laid his ear to the ground and at once reported: \u2018An old\nman is saying to his wife, \u201cHeaven be praised that we have got rid of\nMoscione, for perhaps, when he has been out in the world a little, he\nmay gain some common sense, and return home less of a fool than when he\nset out.\u201d\u2019\n\n\u2018Enough, enough,\u2019 cried Moscione. \u2018You speak the truth, and I believe\nyou. Come with us, and your fortune\u2019s made.\u2019\n\nThe young man consented; and after they had gone about ten miles, they\nmet a third man, to whom Moscione said: \u2018What\u2019s your name, my brave\nfellow; where were you born, and what can you do?\u2019\n\nThe man replied, \u2018I am called Hit-the-Point, I come from the city of\nPerfect-aim, and I draw my bow so exactly that I can shoot a pea off a\nstone.\u2019\n\n\u2018I should like to see you do it, if you\u2019ve no objection,\u2019 said Moscione.\n\nThe man at once placed a pea on a stone, and, drawing his bow, he shot\nit in the middle with the greatest possible ease.\n\nWhen Moscione saw that he had spoken the truth, he immediately asked\nHit-the-Point to join his party.\n\nAfter they had all travelled together for some days, they came upon a\nnumber of people who were digging a trench in the blazing sun.\n\nMoscione felt so sorry for them, that he said: \u2018My dear friends, how can\nyou endure working so hard in heat that would cook an egg in a minute?\u2019\n\nBut one of the workmen answered: \u2018We are as fresh as daisies, for we\nhave a young man among us who blows on our backs like the west wind.\u2019\n\n\u2018Let me see him,\u2019 said Moscione.\n\nThe youth was called, and Moscione asked him: \u2018What\u2019s your name; where\ndo you come from, and what can you do?\u2019\n\nHe answered: \u2018I am called Blow-Blast, I come from Wind-town, and with\nmy mouth I can make any winds you please. If you wish a west wind I can\nraise it for you in a second, but if you prefer a north wind I can blow\nthese houses down before your eyes.\u2019\n\n\u2018Seeing is believing,\u2019 returned the cautious Moscione.\n\nBlow-Blast at once began to convince him of the truth of his assertion.\nFirst he blew so softly that it seemed like the gentle breeze at\nevening, and then he turned round and raised such a mighty storm, that\nhe blew down a whole row of oak trees.\n\nWhen Moscione saw this he was delighted, and begged Blow-Blast to join\nhis company. And as they went on their way they met another man, whom\nMoscione addressed as usual: \u2018What\u2019s your name: where do you come from,\nand what can you do?\u2019\n\n\u2018I am called Strong-Back; I come from Power-borough, and I possess such\nstrength that I can take a mountain on my back, and it seems a feather\nto me.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that\u2019s the case,\u2019 said Moscione, \u2018you are a clever fellow; but I\nshould like some proof of your strength.\u2019\n\nThen Strong-Back loaded himself with great boulders of rock and trunks\nof trees, so that a hundred waggons could not have taken away all that\nhe carried on his back.\n\nWhen Moscione saw this he prevailed on Strong-Back to join his troop,\nand they all continued their journey till they came to a country called\nFlower Vale. Here there reigned a king whose only daughter ran as\nquickly as the wind, and so lightly that she could run over a field\nof young oats without bending a single blade. The king had given out a\nproclamation that anyone who could beat the princess in a race should\nhave her for a wife, but that all who failed in the competition should\nlose their head.\n\nAs soon as Moscione heard of the Royal Proclamation, he hastened to the\nking and challenged the princess to race with him. But on the morning\nappointed for the trial he sent word to the king that he was not feeling\nwell, and that as he could not run himself he would supply someone to\ntake his place.\n\n\u2018It\u2019s just the same to me,\u2019 said Canetella, the princess; \u2018let anyone\ncome forward that likes, I am quite prepared to meet him.\u2019\n\nAt the time appointed for the race the whole place was crowded with\npeople anxious to see the contest, and, punctual to the moment,\nQuick-as-Thought, and Canetella dressed in a short skirt and very\nlightly shod, appeared at the starting-point.\n\nThen a silver trumpet sounded, and the two rivals started on their race,\nlooking for all the world like a greyhound chasing a hare.\n\nBut Quick-as-Thought, true to his name, outran the princess, and when\nthe goal was reached the people all clapped their hands and shouted,\n\u2018Long live the stranger!\u2019\n\nCanetella was much depressed by her defeat; but, as the race had to\nbe run a second time, she determined she would not be beaten again.\nAccordingly she went home and sent Quick-as-Thought a magic ring, which\nprevented the person who wore it, not only from running, but even from\nwalking, and begged that he would wear it for her sake.\n\nEarly next morning the crowd assembled on the race-course, and Canetella\nand Quick as-Thought began their trial afresh. The princess ran as\nquickly as ever, but poor Quick-as-Thought was like an overloaded\ndonkey, and could not go a step.\n\nThen Hit-the-Point, who had heard all about the princess\u2019s deception\nfrom Hare\u2019s-ear, when he saw the danger his friend was in, seized his\nbow and arrow and shot the stone out of the ring Quick-as-Thought was\nwearing. In a moment the youth\u2019s legs became free again, and in five\nbounds he had overtaken Canetella and won the race.\n\nThe king was much disgusted when he saw that he must acknowledge\nMoscione as his future son-in-law, and summoned the wise men of his\ncourt to ask if there was no way out of the difficulty. The council at\nonce decided that Canetella was far too dainty a morsel for the mouth\nof such a travelling tinker, and advised the king to offer Moscione a\npresent of gold, which no doubt a beggar like him would prefer to all\nthe wives in the world.\n\nThe king was delighted at this suggestion, and calling Moscione before\nhim, he asked him what sum of money he would take instead of his\npromised bride.\n\nMoscione first consulted with his friends, and then answered: \u2018I demand\nas much gold and precious stones as my followers can carry away.\u2019\n\nThe king thought he was being let off very easily, and produced coffers\nof gold, sacks of silver, and chests of precious stones; but the more\nStrong-Back was loaded with the treasure the straighter he stood.\n\nAt last the treasury was quite exhausted, and the king had to send\nhis courtiers to his subjects to collect all the gold and silver they\npossessed. But nothing was of any avail, and Strong-Back only asked for\nmore.\n\nWhen the king\u2019s counsellors saw the unexpected result of their advice,\nthey said it would be more than foolish to let some strolling thieves\ntake so much treasure out of the country, and urged the king to send a\ntroop of soldiers after them, to recover the gold and precious stones.\n\nSo the king sent a body of armed men on foot and horse, to take back the\ntreasure Strong-Back was carrying away with him.\n\nBut Hare\u2019s-ear, who had heard what the counsellors had advised the king,\ntold his companions just as the dust of their pursuers was visible on\nthe horizon.\n\nNo sooner had Blow-Blast taken in their danger than he raised such\na mighty wind that all the king\u2019s army was blown down like so many\nnine-pins, and as they were quite unable to get up again, Moscione and\nhis companions proceeded on their way without further let or hindrance.\n\nAs soon as they reached his home, Moscione divided his spoil with his\ncompanions, at which they were much delighted. He, himself, stayed with\nhis father, who was obliged at last to acknowledge that his son was not\nquite such a fool as he looked.\n\n[From the Italian, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Street Musicians\n\n\nA man once possessed a donkey which had served him faithfully for many\nyears, but at last the poor beast grew old and feeble, and every day his\nwork became more of a burden. As he was no longer of any use, his master\nmade up his mind to shoot him; but when the donkey learnt the fate that\nwas in store for him, he determined not to die, but to run away to the\nnearest town and there to become a street musician.\n\nWhen he had trotted along for some distance he came upon a greyhound\nlying on the road, and panting for dear life. \u2018Well, brother,\u2019 said the\ndonkey, \u2018what\u2019s the matter with you? You look rather tired.\u2019\n\n\u2018So I am,\u2019 replied the dog, \u2018but because I am getting old and am growing\nweaker every day, and cannot go out hunting any longer, my master wanted\nto poison me; and, as life is still sweet, I have taken leave of him.\nBut how I am to earn my own livelihood I haven\u2019t a notion.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well,\u2019 said the donkey, \u2018I am on my way to the nearest big town, where\nI mean to become a street musician. Why don\u2019t you take up music as a\nprofession and come along with me? I\u2019ll play the flute and you can play\nthe kettle-drum.\u2019\n\nThe greyhound was quite pleased at the idea, and the two set off\ntogether. When they had gone a short distance they met a cat with a\nface as long as three rainy days. \u2018Now, what has happened to upset your\nhappiness, friend puss?\u2019 inquired the donkey.\n\n\u2018It\u2019s impossible to look cheerful when one feels depressed,\u2019 answered\nthe cat. \u2018I am well up in years now, and have lost most of my teeth;\nconsequently I prefer sitting in front of the fire to catching mice, and\nso my old mistress wanted to drown me. I have no wish to die yet, so I\nran away from her; but good advice is expensive, and I don\u2019t know where\nI am to go to, or what I am to do.\u2019\n\n\u2018Come to the nearest big town with us,\u2019 said the donkey, \u2018and try your\nfortune as a street musician. I know what sweet music you make at night,\nso you are sure to be a success.\u2019\n\nThe cat was delighted with the donkey\u2019s proposal, and they all continued\ntheir journey together. In a short time they came to the courtyard of an\ninn, where they found a cock crowing lustily. \u2018What in the world is the\nmatter with you?\u2019 asked the donkey. \u2018The noise you are making is enough\nto break the drums of our ears.\u2019\n\n\u2018I am only prophesying good weather,\u2019 said the cock; \u2018for to-morrow is\na feast day, and just because it is a holiday and a number of people\nare expected at the inn, the landlady has given orders for my neck to be\nwrung to-night, so that I may be made into soup for to-morrow\u2019s dinner.\u2019\n\n\u2018I\u2019ll tell you what, redcap,\u2019 said the donkey; \u2018you had much better come\nwith us to the nearest town. You have got a good voice, and could join a\nstreet band we are getting up.\u2019 The cock was much pleased with the idea,\nand the party proceeded on their way.\n\nBut the nearest big town was a long way off, and it took them more than\na day to reach it. In the evening they came to a wood, and they made up\ntheir minds to go no further, but to spend the night there. The donkey\nand the greyhound lay down under a big tree, and the cat and the cock\ngot up into the branches, the cock flying right up to the topmost twig,\nwhere he thought he would be safe from all danger. Before he went to\nsleep he looked round the four points of the compass, and saw a little\nspark burning in the distance. He called out to his companions that he\nwas sure there must be a house not far off, for he could see a light\nshining.\n\nWhen he heard this, the donkey said at, once: \u2018Then we must get up,\nand go and look for the house, for this is very poor shelter.\u2019 And the\ngreyhound added: \u2018Yes; I feel I\u2019d be all the better for a few bones and\na scrap or two of meat.\u2019\n\nSo they set out for the spot where the light was to be seen shining\nfaintly in the distance, but the nearer they approached it the brighter\nit grew, till at last they came to a brilliantly lighted house. The\ndonkey being the biggest of the party, went to the window and looked in.\n\n\u2018Well, greyhead, what do you see?\u2019 asked the cock.\n\n\u2018I see a well-covered table,\u2019 replied the donkey, \u2018with excellent food\nand drink, and several robbers are sitting round it, enjoying themselves\nhighly.\u2019\n\n\u2018I wish we were doing the same,\u2019 said the cock.\n\n\u2018So do I,\u2019 answered the donkey. \u2018Can\u2019t we think of some plan for turning\nout the robbers, and taking possession of the house ourselves?\u2019\n\nSo they consulted together what they were to do, and at last they\narranged that the donkey should stand at the window with his fore-feet\non the sill, that the greyhound should get on his back, the cat on the\ndog\u2019s shoulder, and the cock on the cat\u2019s head. When they had grouped\nthemselves in this way, at a given signal, they all began their\ndifferent forms of music. The donkey brayed, the greyhound barked,\nthe cat miawed, and the cock crew. Then they all scrambled through the\nwindow into the room, breaking the glass into a thousand pieces as they\ndid so.\n\nThe robbers were all startled by the dreadful noise, and thinking that\nsome evil spirits at the least were entering the house, they rushed\nout into the wood, their hair standing on end with terror. The four\ncompanions, delighted with the success of their trick, sat down at the\ntable, and ate and drank all the food and wine that the robbers had left\nbehind them.\n\nWhen they had finished their meal they put out the lights, and each\nanimal chose a suitable sleeping-place. The donkey lay down in the\ncourtyard outside the house, the dog behind the door, the cat in front\nof the fire, and the cock flew up on to a high shelf, and, as they were\nall tired after their long day, they soon went to sleep.\n\nShortly after midnight, when the robbers saw that no light was burning\nin the house and that all seemed quiet, the captain of the band said:\n\u2018We were fools to let ourselves be so easily frightened away;\u2019 and,\nturning to one of his men, he ordered him to go and see if all was safe.\n\nThe man found everything in silence and darkness, and going into the\nkitchen he thought he had better strike a light. He took a match, and\nmistaking the fiery eyes of the cat for two glowing coals, he tried to\nlight his match with them. But the cat didn\u2019t see the joke, and sprang\nat his face, spitting and scratching him in the most vigorous manner.\nThe man was terrified out of his life, and tried to run out by the back\ndoor; but he stumbled over the greyhound, which bit him in the leg.\nYelling with pain he ran across the courtyard only to receive a kick\nfrom the donkey\u2019s hind leg as he passed him. In the meantime the cock\nhad been roused from his slumbers, and feeling very cheerful he called\nout, from the shelf where he was perched, \u2018Kikeriki!\u2019\n\nThen the robber hastened back to his captain and said: \u2018Sir, there is a\ndreadful witch in the house, who spat at me and scratched my face with\nher long fingers; and before the door there stands a man with a long\nknife, who cut my leg severely. In the courtyard outside lies a black\nmonster, who fell upon me with a huge wooden club; and that is not all,\nfor, sitting on the roof, is a judge, who called out: \u201cBring the rascal\nto me.\u201d So I fled for dear life.\u2019\n\nAfter this the robbers dared not venture into the house again, and they\nabandoned it for ever. But the four street musicians were so delighted\nwith their lodgings that they determined to take up their abode in the\nrobbers\u2019 house, and, for all I know to the contrary, they may be living\nthere to this day.\n\n[From the German, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Twin Brothers\n\n\nOnce there was a fisherman who had plenty of money but no children.\nOne day an old woman came to his wife and said: \u2018What use is all your\nprosperity to you when you have no children?\u2019\n\n\u2018It is God\u2019s will,\u2019 answered the fisherman\u2019s wife.\n\n\u2018Nay, my child, it is not God\u2019s will, but the fault of your husband;\nfor if he would but catch the little gold-fish you would surely have\nchildren. To-night, when he comes home, tell him he must go back and\ncatch the little fish. He must then cut it in six pieces--one of these\nyou must eat, and your husband the second, and soon after you will have\ntwo children. The third piece you must give to the dog, and she will\nhave two puppies. The fourth piece give to the mare, and she will have\ntwo foals. The fifth piece bury on the right of the house door, and the\nsixth on the left, and two cypress trees will spring up there.\u2019\n\nWhen the fisherman came home at evening his wife told him all that\nthe old woman had advised, and he promised to bring home the little\ngold-fish. Next morning, therefore, he went very early to the water, and\ncaught the little fish. Then they did as the old woman had ordered, and\nin due time the fisherman\u2019s wife had two sons, so like each other that\nno one could tell the difference. The dog had two puppies exactly alike,\nthe mare had two foals, and on each side of the front door there sprang\nup two cypress trees precisely similar.\n\nWhen the two boys were grown up, they were not content to remain at\nhome, though they had wealth in plenty; but they wished to go out into\nthe world, and make a name for themselves. Their father would not allow\nthem both to go at once, as they were the only children he had. He said:\n\u2018First one shall travel, and when he is come back then the other may\ngo.\u2019\n\nSo the one took his horse and his dog, and went, saying to his brother:\n\u2018So long as the cypress trees are green, that is a sign that I am alive\nand well; but if one begins to wither, then make haste and come to me.\u2019\nSo he went forth into the world.\n\nOne day he stopped at the house of an old woman, and as at evening he\nsat before the door, he perceived in front of him a castle standing on\na hill. He asked the old woman to whom it belonged, and her answer was:\n\u2018My son, it is the castle of the Fairest in the Land!\u2019\n\n\u2018And I am come here to woo her!\u2019\n\n\u2018That, my son, many have sought to do, and have lost their lives in the\nattempt; for she has cut off their heads and stuck them on the post you\nsee standing there.\u2019\n\n\u2018And the same will she do to me, or else I shall be victor, for\nto-morrow I go there to court her.\u2019\n\nThen he took his zither and played upon it so beautifully that no one in\nall that land had ever heard the like, and the princess herself came to\nthe window to listen.\n\nThe next morning the Fairest in the Land sent for the old woman and\nasked her, \u2018Who is it that lives with you, and plays the zither so\nwell?\u2019\n\n\u2018It is a stranger, princess, who arrived yesterday evening,\u2019 answered\nthe old woman.\n\nAnd the princess then commanded that the stranger should be brought to\nher.\n\nWhen he appeared before the princess she questioned him about his home\nand his family, and about this and that; and confessed at length that\nhis zither-playing gave her great pleasure, and that she would take him\nfor her husband. The stranger replied that it was with that intent he\nhad come.\n\nThe princess then said: \u2018You must now go to my father, and tell him you\ndesire to have me to wife, and when he has put the three problems before\nyou, then come back and tell me.\u2019\n\nThe stranger then went straight to the king, and told him that he wished\nto wed his daughter.\n\nAnd the king answered: \u2018I shall be well pleased, provided you can do\nwhat I impose upon you; if not you will lose your head. Now, listen; out\nthere on the ground, there lies a thick log, which measures more than\ntwo fathoms; if you can cleave it in two with one stroke of your sword,\nI will give you my daughter to wife. If you fail, then it will cost you\nyour head.\u2019\n\nThen the stranger withdrew, and returned to the house of the old woman\nsore distressed, for he could believe nothing but that next day he must\natone to the king with his head. And so full was he of the idea of how\nto set about cleaving the log that he forgot even his zither.\n\nIn the evening came the princess to the window to listen to his playing,\nand behold all was still. Then she called to him: \u2018Why are you so cast\ndown this evening, that you do not play on your zither?\u2019\n\nAnd he told her his trouble.\n\nBut she laughed at it, and called to him: \u2018And you grieve over that?\nBring quickly your zither, and play something for my amusement, and\nearly to-morrow come to me.\u2019\n\nThen the stranger took his zither and played the whole evening for the\namusement of the princess.\n\nNext morning she took a hair from her locks and gave it to him, saying:\n\u2018Take this hair, and wind it round your sword, then you will be able to\ncleave the log in two.\u2019\n\nThen the stranger went forth, and with one blow cleft the log in two.\n\nBut the king said: \u2018I will impose another task upon you, before you can\nwed my daughter.\u2019\n\n\u2018Speak on,\u2019 said the stranger.\n\n\u2018Listen, then,\u2019 answered the king; \u2018you must mount a horse and ride\nthree miles at full gallop, holding in each hand a goblet full of water.\nIf you spill no drop then I shall give you my daughter to wife, but\nshould you not succeed then I will take your life.\u2019\n\nThen the stranger returned to the house of the old woman, and again he\nwas so troubled as to forget his zither.\n\nIn the evening the princess came to the window as before to listen to\nthe music, but again all was still; and she called to him: \u2018What is the\nmatter that you do not play on your zither?\u2019\n\nThen he related all that the king had ordered him to do, and the\nprincess answered: \u2018Do not let yourself be disturbed, only play now, and\ncome to me to-morrow morning.\u2019\n\nThen next morning he went to her, and she gave him her ring, saying:\n\u2018Throw this ring into the water and it will immediately freeze, so that\nyou will not spill any.\u2019\n\nThe stranger did as the princess bade him, and carried the water all the\nway.\n\nThen the king said: \u2018Now I will give you a third task, and this shall be\nthe last. I have a negro who will fight with you to-morrow, and if you\nare the conqueror you shall wed my daughter.\u2019\n\nThe stranger returned, full of joy, to the house of the old woman, and\nthat evening was so merry that the princess called to him; \u2018You seem\nvery cheerful this evening; what has my father told you that makes you\nso glad?\u2019\n\nHe answered: \u2018Your father has told me that to-morrow I must fight with\nhis negro. He is only another man like myself, and I hope to subdue him,\nand to gain the contest.\u2019\n\nBut the princess answered: \u2018This is the hardest of all. I myself am\nthe black man, for I swallow a drink that changes me into a negro of\nunconquerable strength. Go to-morrow morning to the market, buy twelve\nbuffalo hides and wrap them round your horse; fasten this cloth round\nyou, and when I am let loose upon you to-morrow show it to me, that I\nmay hold myself back and may not kill you. Then when you fight me you\nmust try to hit my horse between the eyes, for when you have killed it\nyou have conquered me.\u2019\n\nNext morning, therefore, he went to the market and bought the twelve\nbuffalo hides which he wrapped round his horse. Then he began to fight\nwith the black man, and when the combat had already lasted a long time,\nand eleven hides were torn, then the stranger hit the negro\u2019s horse\nbetween the eyes, so that it fell dead, and the black man was defeated.\n\nThen said the king: \u2018Because you have solved the three problems I take\nyou for my son-in-law.\u2019\n\nBut the stranger answered: \u2018I have some business to conclude first; in\nfourteen days I will return and bring the bride home.\u2019\n\nSo he arose and went into another country, where he came to a great\ntown, and alighted at the house of an old woman. When he had had supper\nhe begged of her some water to drink, but she answered: \u2018My son, I have\nno water; a giant has taken possession of the spring, and only lets us\ndraw from it once a year, when we bring him a maiden. He eats her up,\nand then he lets us draw water; just now it is the lot of the king\u2019s\ndaughter, and to-morrow she will be led forth.\u2019\n\nThe next day accordingly the princess was led forth to the spring, and\nbound there with a golden chain. After that all the people went away and\nshe was left alone.\n\nWhen they had gone the stranger went to the maiden and asked her what\nailed her that she lamented so much, and she answered that the reason\nwas because the giant would come and eat her up. And the stranger\npromised that he would set her free if she would take him for her\nhusband, and the princess joyfully consented.\n\nWhen the giant appeared the stranger set his dog at him, and it took him\nby the throat and throttled him till he died; so the princess was set\nfree.\n\nNow when the king heard of it he gladly consented to the marriage, and\nthe wedding took place with great rejoicings. The young bridegroom abode\nin the palace one hundred and one weeks. Then he began to find it\ntoo dull, and he desired to go out hunting. The king would fain have\nprevented it, but in this he could not succeed. Then he begged his\nson-in-law at least to take sufficient escort with him, but this, too,\nthe young man evaded, and took only his horse and his dog.\n\nHe had ridden already a long way, when he saw in the distance a hut, and\nrode straight towards it in order to get some water to drink. There\nhe found an old woman from whom he begged the water. She answered that\nfirst he should allow her to beat his dog with her little wand, that it\nmight not bite her while she fetched the water. The hunter consented;\nand as soon as she had touched the dog with her wand it immediately\nturned to stone. Thereupon she touched the hunter and also his horse,\nand both turned to stone. As soon as that had happened, the cypress\ntrees in front of his father\u2019s house began to wither. And when the other\nbrother saw this, he immediately set out in search of his twin. He came\nfirst to the town where his brother had slain the giant, and there fate\nled him to the same old woman where his brother had lodged. When she saw\nhim she took him for his twin brother, and said to him: \u2018Do not take\nit amiss of me, my son, that I did not come to wish you joy on your\nmarriage with the king\u2019s daughter.\u2019\n\nThe stranger perceived what mistake she had made, but only said: \u2018That\ndoes not matter, old woman,\u2019 and rode on, without further speech, to\nthe king\u2019s palace, where the king and the princess both took him for\nhis twin brother, and called out: \u2018Why have you tarried so long away? We\nthought something evil had befallen you.\u2019\n\nWhen night came and he slept with the princess, who still believed him\nto be her husband, he laid his sword between them, and when morning came\nhe rose early and went out to hunt. Fate led him by the same way which\nhis brother had taken, and from a distance he saw him and knew that he\nwas turned to stone. Then he entered the hut and ordered the old woman\nto disenchant his brother. But she answered: \u2018Let me first touch your\ndog with my wand, and then I will free your brother.\u2019\n\nHe ordered the dog, however, to take hold of her, and bite her up to\nthe knee, till she cried out: \u2018Tell your dog to let me go and I will set\nyour brother free!\u2019\n\nBut he only answered: \u2018Tell me the magic words that I may disenchant him\nmyself;\u2019 and as she would not, he ordered his dog to bite her up to the\nhip.\n\nThen the old woman cried out: \u2018I have two wands, with the green one I\nturn to stone, and with the red one I bring to life again.\u2019\n\nSo the hunter took the red wand and disenchanted his brother, also his\nbrother\u2019s horse, and his dog, and ordered his own dog to eat the old\nwoman up altogether.\n\nWhile the brothers went on their way back to the castle of the king, the\none brother related to the other how the cypress tree had all at once\ndried up and withered, how he had immediately set out in search of his\ntwin, and how he had come to the castle of his father-in-law, and had\nclaimed the princess as his wife. But the other brother became furious\non hearing this, and smote him over the forehead till he died, and\nreturned alone to the house of his father-in-law.\n\nWhen night came and he was in bed the princess asked him: \u2018What was the\nmatter with you last night, that you never spoke a word to me?\u2019\n\nThen he cried out: \u2018That was not me, but my brother, and I have slain\nhim, because he told me by the way that he had claimed you for his\nwife!\u2019\n\n\u2018Do you know the place where you slew him?\u2019 asked the princess, \u2018and can\nyou find the body?\u2019\n\n\u2018I know the place exactly.\u2019\n\n\u2018Then to-morrow we shall ride thither,\u2019 said the princess. Next morning\naccordingly they set out together, and when they had come to the place,\nthe princess drew forth a small bottle that she had brought with her,\nand sprinkled the body with some drops of the water so that immediately\nhe became alive again.\n\nWhen he stood up, his brother said to him: \u2018Forgive me, dear brother,\nthat I slew you in my anger.\u2019 Then they embraced and went together to\nthe Fairest in the Land, whom the unmarried brother took to wife.\n\nThen the brothers brought their parents to live with them, and all dwelt\ntogether in joy and happiness.\n\n\n\n\nCannetella\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a king who reigned over a country called\n\u2018Bello Puojo.\u2019 He was very rich and powerful, and had everything in the\nworld he could desire except a child. But at last, after he had been\nmarried for many years, and was quite an old man, his wife Renzolla\npresented him with a fine daughter, whom they called Cannetella.\n\nShe grew up into a beautiful girl, and was as tall and straight as a\nyoung fir-tree. When she was eighteen years old her father called her to\nhim and said: \u2018You are of an age now, my daughter, to marry and settle\ndown; but as I love you more than anything else in the world, and desire\nnothing but your happiness, I am determined to leave the choice of a\nhusband to yourself. Choose a man after your own heart, and you are sure\nto satisfy me.\u2019 Cannetella thanked her father very much for his kindness\nand consideration, but told him that she had not the slightest wish to\nmarry, and was quite determined to remain single.\n\nThe king, who felt himself growing old and feeble, and longed to see an\nheir to the throne before he died, was very unhappy at her words, and\nbegged her earnestly not to disappoint him.\n\nWhen Cannetella saw that the king had set his heart on her marriage, she\nsaid: \u2018Very well, dear father, I will marry to please you, for I do not\nwish to appear ungrateful for all your love and kindness; but you must\nfind me a husband handsomer, cleverer, and more charming than anyone\nelse in the world.\u2019\n\nThe king was overjoyed by her words, and from early in the morning\ntill late at night he sat at the window and looked carefully at all the\npassers-by, in the hopes of finding a son-in-law among them.\n\nOne day, seeing a very good-looking man crossing the street, the king\ncalled his daughter and said: \u2018Come quickly, dear Cannetella, and look\nat this man, for I think he might suit you as a husband.\u2019\n\nThey called the young man into the palace, and set a sumptuous feast\nbefore him, with every sort of delicacy you can imagine. In the middle\nof the meal the youth let an almond fall out of his mouth, which,\nhowever, he picked up again very quickly and hid under the table-cloth.\n\nWhen the feast was over the stranger went away, and the king asked\nCannetella: \u2018Well, what did you think of the youth?\u2019\n\n\u2018I think he was a clumsy wretch,\u2019 replied Cannetella. \u2018Fancy a man of\nhis age letting an almond fall out of his mouth!\u2019\n\nWhen the king heard her answer he returned to his watch at the window,\nand shortly afterwards a very handsome young man passed by. The king\ninstantly called his daughter to come and see what she thought of the\nnew comer.\n\n\u2018Call him in,\u2019 said Cannetella, \u2018that we may see him close.\u2019\n\nAnother splendid feast was prepared, and when the stranger had eaten\nand drunk as much as he was able, and had taken his departure, the king\nasked Cannetella how she liked him.\n\n\u2018Not at all,\u2019 replied his daughter; \u2018what could you do with a man who\nrequires at least two servants to help him on with his cloak, because he\nis too awkward to put it on properly himself?\u2019\n\n\u2018If that\u2019s all you have against him,\u2019 said the king, \u2018I see how the land\nlies. You are determined not to have a husband at all; but marry someone\nyou shall, for I do not mean my name and house to die out.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, then, my dear parent,\u2019 said Cannetella, \u2018I must tell you at once\nthat you had better not count upon me, for I never mean to marry unless\nI can find a man with a gold head and gold teeth.\u2019\n\nThe king was very angry at finding his daughter so obstinate; but as he\nalways gave the girl her own way in everything, he issued a proclamation\nto the effect that any man with a gold head and gold teeth might come\nforward and claim the princess as his bride, and the kingdom of Bello\nPuojo as a wedding gift.\n\nNow the king had a deadly enemy called Scioravante, who was a very\npowerful magician. No sooner had this man heard of the proclamation than\nhe summoned his attendant spirits and commanded them to gild his head\nand teeth. The spirits said, at first, that the task was beyond their\npowers, and suggested that a pair of golden horns attached to his\nforehead would both be easier to make and more comfortable to wear; but\nScioravante would allow no compromise, and insisted on having a head\nand teeth made of the finest gold. When it was fixed on his shoulders he\nwent for a stroll in front of the palace. And the king, seeing the very\nman he was in search of, called his daughter, and said: \u2018Just look out\nof the window, and you will find exactly what you want.\u2019\n\nThen, as Scioravante was hurrying past, the king shouted out to him:\n\u2018Just stop a minute, brother, and don\u2019t be in such desperate haste. If\nyou will step in here you shall have my daughter for a wife, and I will\nsend attendants with her, and as many horses and servants as you wish.\u2019\n\n\u2018A thousand thanks,\u2019 returned Scioravante; \u2018I shall be delighted to\nmarry your daughter, but it is quite unnecessary to send anyone to\naccompany her. Give me a horse and I will carry off the princess in\nfront of my saddle, and will bring her to my own kingdom, where there is\nno lack of courtiers or servants, or, indeed, of anything your daughter\ncan desire.\u2019\n\nAt first the king was very much against Cannetella\u2019s departing in this\nfashion; but finally Scioravante got his way, and placing the princess\nbefore him on his horse, he set out for his own country.\n\nTowards evening he dismounted, and entering a stable he placed\nCannetella in the same stall as his horse, and said to her: \u2018Now listen\nto what I have to say. I am going to my home now, and that is a seven\nyears\u2019 journey from here; you must wait for me in this stable, and never\nmove from the spot, or let yourself be seen by a living soul. If you\ndisobey my commands, it will be the worse for you.\u2019\n\nThe princess answered meekly: \u2018Sir, I am your servant, and will do\nexactly as you bid me; but I should like to know what I am to live on\ntill you come back?\u2019\n\n\u2018You can take what the horses leave,\u2019 was Scioravante\u2019s reply.\n\nWhen the magician had left her Cannetella felt very miserable, and\nbitterly cursed the day she was born. She spent all her time weeping\nand bemoaning the cruel fate that had driven her from a palace into a\nstable, from soft down cushions to a bed of straw, and from the dainties\nof her father\u2019s table to the food that the horses left.\n\nShe led this wretched life for a few months, and during that time\nshe never saw who fed and watered the horses, for it was all done by\ninvisible hands.\n\nOne day, when she was more than usually unhappy, she perceived a little\ncrack in the wall, through which she could see a beautiful garden, with\nall manner of delicious fruits and flowers growing in it. The sight and\nsmell of such delicacies were too much for poor Cannetella, and she said\nto herself, \u2018I will slip quietly out, and pick a few oranges and grapes,\nand I don\u2019t care what happens. Who is there to tell my husband what I\ndo? and even if he should hear of my disobedience, he cannot make my\nlife more miserable than it is already.\u2019\n\nSo she slipped out and refreshed her poor, starved body with the fruit\nshe plucked in the garden.\n\nBut a short time afterwards her husband returned unexpectedly, and\none of the horses instantly told him that Cannetella had gone into the\ngarden, in his absence, and had stolen some oranges and grapes.\n\nScioravante was furious when he heard this, and seizing a huge knife\nfrom his pocket he threatened to kill his wife for her disobedience. But\nCannetella threw herself at his feet and implored him to spare her\nlife, saying that hunger drove even the wolf from the wood. At last she\nsucceeded in so far softening her husband\u2019s heart that he said, \u2018I will\nforgive you this time, and spare your life; but if you disobey me again,\nand I hear, on my return, that you have as much as moved out of the\nstall, I will certainly kill you. So, beware; for I am going away once\nmore, and shall be absent for seven years.\u2019\n\nWith these words he took his departure, and Cannetella burst into a\nflood of tears, and, wringing her hands, she moaned: \u2018Why was I ever\nborn to such a hard fate? Oh! father, how miserable you have made your\npoor daughter! But, why should I blame my father? for I have only myself\nto thank for all my sufferings. I got the cursed head of gold, and it\nhas brought all this misery on me. I am indeed punished for not doing as\nmy father wished!\u2019\n\nWhen a year had gone by, it chanced, one day, that the king\u2019s cooper\npassed the stables where Cannetella was kept prisoner. She recognised\nthe man, and called him to come in. At first he did not know the poor\nprincess, and could not make out who it was that called him by name. But\nwhen he heard Cannetella\u2019s tale of woe, he hid her in a big empty barrel\nhe had with him, partly because he was sorry for the poor girl, and,\neven more, because he wished to gain the king\u2019s favour. Then he slung\nthe barrel on a mule\u2019s back, and in this way the princess was carried\nto her own home. They arrived at the palace about four o\u2019clock in the\nmorning, and the cooper knocked loudly at the door. When the servants\ncame in haste and saw only the cooper standing at the gate, they were\nvery indignant, and scolded him soundly for coming at such an hour and\nwaking them all out of their sleep.\n\nThe king hearing the noise and the cause of it, sent for the cooper, for\nhe felt certain the man must have some important business, to have come\nand disturbed the whole palace at such an early hour.\n\nThe cooper asked permission to unload his mule, and Cannetella crept out\nof the barrel. At first the king refused to believe that it was really\nhis daughter, for she had changed so terribly in a few years, and had\ngrown so thin and pale, that it was pitiful to see her. At last the\nprincess showed her father a mole she had on her right arm, and then he\nsaw that the poor girl was indeed his long-lost Cannetella. He kissed\nher a thousand times, and instantly had the choicest food and drink set\nbefore her.\n\nAfter she had satisfied her hunger, the king said to her: \u2018Who would\nhave thought, my dear daughter, to have found you in such a state? What,\nmay I ask, has brought you to this pass?\u2019\n\nCannetella replied: \u2018That wicked man with the gold head and teeth\ntreated me worse than a dog, and many a time, since I left you, have I\nlonged to die. But I couldn\u2019t tell you all that I have suffered, for you\nwould never believe me. It is enough that I am once more with you, and I\nshall never leave you again, for I would rather be a slave in your house\nthan queen in any other.\u2019\n\nIn the meantime Scioravante had returned to the stables, and one of the\nhorses told him that Cannetella had been taken away by a cooper in a\nbarrel.\n\nWhen the wicked magician heard this he was beside himself with rage,\nand, hastening to the kingdom of Bello Puojo, he went straight to an old\nwoman who lived exactly opposite the royal palace, and said to her: \u2018If\nyou will let me see the king\u2019s daughter, I will give you whatever reward\nyou like to ask for.\u2019\n\nThe woman demanded a hundred ducats of gold, and Scioravante counted\nthem out of his purse and gave them to her without a murmur. Then\nthe old woman led him to the roof of the house, where he could see\nCannetella combing out her long hair in a room in the top story of the\npalace.\n\nThe princess happened to look out of the window, and when she saw her\nhusband gazing at her, she got such a fright that she flew downstairs to\nthe king, and said: \u2018My lord and father, unless you shut me up instantly\nin a room with seven iron doors, I am lost.\u2019\n\n\u2018If that\u2019s all,\u2019 said the king, \u2018it shall be done at once.\u2019 And he gave\norders for the doors to be closed on the spot.\n\nWhen Scioravante saw this he returned to the old woman, and said: \u2018I\nwill give you whatever you like if you will go into the palace, hide\nunder the princess\u2019s bed, and slip this little piece of paper beneath\nher pillow, saying, as you do so: \u201cMay everyone in the palace, except\nthe princess, fall into a sound sleep.\u201d\u2019\n\nThe old woman demanded another hundred golden ducats, and then proceeded\nto carry out the magician\u2019s wishes. No sooner had she slipped the piece\nof paper under Cannetella\u2019s pillow, than all the people in the palace\nfell fast asleep, and only the princess remained awake.\n\nThen Scioravante hurried to the seven doors and opened them one after\nthe other. Cannetella screamed with terror when she saw her husband, but\nno one came to her help, for all in the palace lay as if they were dead.\nThe magician seized her in the bed on which she lay, and was going to\ncarry her off with him, when the little piece of paper which the old\nwoman had placed under her pillow fell on the floor.\n\nIn an instant all the people in the palace woke up, and as Cannetella\nwas still screaming for help, they rushed to her rescue. They seized\nScioravante and put him to death; so he was caught in the trap which he\nhad laid for the princess--and, as is so often the case in this world,\nthe biter himself was bit.\n\n[From the Italian, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nThe Ogre\n\n\nThere lived, once upon a time, in the land of Marigliano, a poor woman\ncalled Masella, who had six pretty daughters, all as upright as young\nfir-trees, and an only son called Antonio, who was so simple as to be\nalmost an idiot. Hardly a day passed without his mother saying to him,\n\u2018What are you doing, you useless creature? If you weren\u2019t too stupid to\nlook after yourself, I would order you to leave the house and never to\nlet me see your face again.\u2019\n\nEvery day the youth committed some fresh piece of folly, till at last\nMasella, losing all patience, gave him a good beating, which so startled\nAntonio that he took to his heels and never stopped running till it was\ndark and the stars were shining in the heavens. He wandered on for some\ntime, not knowing where to go, and at last he came to a cave, at the\nmouth of which sat an ogre, uglier than anything you can conceive.\n\nHe had a huge head and wrinkled brow--eyebrows that met, squinting eyes,\na flat broad nose, and a great gash of a mouth from which two huge tusks\nstuck out. His skin was hairy, his arms enormous, his legs like sword\nblades, and his feet as flat as ducks\u2019. In short, he was the most\nhideous and laughable object in the world.\n\nBut Antonio, who, with all his faults, was no coward, and was moreover\na very civil-spoken lad, took off his hat, and said: \u2018Good-day, sir; I\nhope you are pretty well. Could you kindly tell me how far it is from\nhere to the place where I wish to go?\u2019\n\nWhen the ogre heard this extraordinary question he burst out laughing,\nand as he liked the youth\u2019s polite manners he said to him: \u2018Will you\nenter my service?\u2019\n\n\u2018What wages do you give?\u2019 replied Antonio.\n\n\u2018If you serve me faithfully,\u2019 returned the ogre, \u2018I\u2019ll be bound you\u2019ll\nget enough wages to satisfy you.\u2019\n\nSo the bargain was struck, and Antonio agreed to become the ogre\u2019s\nservant. He was very well treated, in every way, and he had little or\nno work to do, with the result that in a few days he became as fat as a\nquail, as round as a barrel, as red as a lobster, and as impudent as a\nbantam-cock.\n\nBut, after two years, the lad got weary of this idle life, and longed\ndesperately to visit his home again. The ogre, who could see into\nhis heart and knew how unhappy he was, said to him one day: \u2018My dear\nAntonio, I know how much you long to see your mother and sisters again,\nand because I love you as the apple of my eye, I am willing to allow you\nto go home for a visit. Therefore, take this donkey, so that you may not\nhave to go on foot; but see that you never say \u201cBricklebrit\u201d to him, for\nif you do you\u2019ll be sure to regret it.\u2019\n\nAntonio took the beast without as much as saying thank you, and jumping\non its back he rode away in great haste; but he hadn\u2019t gone two hundred\nyards when he dismounted and called out \u2018Bricklebrit.\u2019\n\nNo sooner had he pronounced the word than the donkey opened its mouth\nand poured forth rubies, emeralds, diamonds and pearls, as big as\nwalnuts.\n\nAntonio gazed in amazement at the sight of such wealth, and joyfully\nfilling a huge sack with the precious stones, he mounted the donkey\nagain and rode on till he came to an inn. Here he got down, and going\nstraight to the landlord, he said to him: \u2018My good man, I must ask you\nto stable this donkey for me. Be sure you give the poor beast plenty of\noats and hay, but beware of saying the word \u201cBricklebrit\u201d to him, for if\nyou do I can promise you will regret it. Take this heavy sack, too, and\nput it carefully away for me.\u2019\n\nThe landlord, who was no fool, on receiving this strange warning, and\nseeing the precious stones sparkling through the canvas of the sack, was\nmost anxious to see what would happen if he used the forbidden word. So\nhe gave Antonio an excellent dinner, with a bottle of fine old wine, and\nprepared a comfortable bed for him. As soon as he saw the poor simpleton\nclose his eyes and had heard his lusty snores, he hurried to the stables\nand said to the donkey \u2018Bricklebrit,\u2019 and the animal as usual poured out\nany number of precious stones.\n\nWhen the landlord saw all these treasures he longed to get possession\nof so valuable an animal, and determined to steal the donkey from his\nfoolish guest. As soon as it was light next morning Antonio awoke, and\nhaving rubbed his eyes and stretched himself about a hundred times he\ncalled the landlord and said to him: \u2018Come here, my friend, and produce\nyour bill, for short reckonings make long friends.\u2019\n\nWhen Antonio had paid his account he went to the stables and took out\nhis donkey, as he thought, and fastening a sack of gravel, which the\nlandlord had substituted for his precious stones, on the creature\u2019s\nback, he set out for his home.\n\nNo sooner had he arrived there than he called out: \u2018Mother, come\nquickly, and bring table-cloths and sheets with you, and spread them\nout on the ground, and you will soon see what wonderful treasures I have\nbrought you.\u2019\n\nHis mother hurried into the house, and opening the linen-chest where\nshe kept her daughters\u2019 wedding outfits, she took out table-cloths and\nsheets made of the finest linen, and spread them flat and smooth on the\nground. Antonio placed the donkey on them, and called out \u2018Bricklebrit.\u2019\nBut this time he met with no success, for the donkey took no more notice\nof the magic word than he would have done if a lyre had been twanged in\nhis ear. Two, three, and four times did Antonio pronounce \u2018Bricklebrit,\u2019\nbut all in vain, and he might as well have spoken to the wind.\n\nDisgusted and furious with the poor creature, he seized a thick stick\nand began to beat it so hard that he nearly broke every bone in its\nbody. The miserable donkey was so distracted at such treatment that, far\nfrom pouring out precious stones, it only tore and dirtied all the fine\nlinen.\n\nWhen poor Masella saw her table-cloths and sheets being destroyed, and\nthat instead of becoming rich she had only been made a fool of, she\nseized another stick and belaboured Antonio so unmercifully with it,\nthat he fled before her, and never stopped till he reached the ogre\u2019s\ncave.\n\nWhen his master saw the lad returning in such a sorry plight, he\nunderstood at once what had happened to him, and making no bones about\nthe matter, he told Antonio what a fool he had been to allow himself\nto be so imposed upon by the landlord, and to let a worthless animal be\npalmed off on him instead of his magic donkey.\n\nAntonio listened humbly to the ogre\u2019s words, and vowed solemnly that he\nwould never act so foolishly again. And so a year passed, and once more\nAntonio was overcome by a fit of home-sickness, and felt a great longing\nto see his own people again.\n\nNow the ogre, although he was so hideous to look upon, had a very kind\nheart, and when he saw how restless and unhappy Antonio was, he at once\ngave him leave to go home on a visit. At parting he gave him a beautiful\ntable-cloth, and said: \u2018Give this to your mother; but see that you don\u2019t\nlose it as you lost the donkey, and till you are safely in your own\nhouse beware of saying \u201cTable-cloth, open,\u201d and \u201cTable-cloth, shut.\u201d If\nyou do, the misfortune be on your own head, for I have given you fair\nwarning.\u2019\n\nAntonio set out on his journey, but hardly had he got out of sight\nof the cave than he laid the table-cloth on the ground and said,\n\u2018Table-cloth, open.\u2019 In an instant the table-cloth unfolded itself and\ndisclosed a whole mass of precious stones and other treasures.\n\nWhen Antonio perceived this he said, \u2018Table-cloth, shut,\u2019 and continued\nhis journey. He came to the same inn again, and calling the landlord to\nhim, he told him to put the table-cloth carefully away, and whatever he\ndid not to say \u2018Table-cloth, open,\u2019 or \u2018Table-cloth, shut,\u2019 to it.\n\nThe landlord, who was a regular rogue, answered, \u2018Just leave it to me, I\nwill look after it as if it were my own.\u2019\n\nAfter he had given Antonio plenty to eat and drink, and had provided him\nwith a comfortable bed, he went straight to the table-cloth and said,\n\u2018Table-cloth, open.\u2019 It opened at once, and displayed such costly\ntreasures that the landlord made up his mind on the spot to steal it.\n\nWhen Antonio awoke next morning, the host handed him over a table-cloth\nexactly like his own, and carrying it carefully over his arm, the\nfoolish youth went straight to his mother\u2019s house, and said: \u2018Now we\nshall be rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and need never go about in\nrags again, or lack the best of food.\u2019\n\nWith these words he spread the table-cloth on the ground and said,\n\u2018Table-cloth, open.\u2019\n\nBut he might repeat the injunction as often as he pleased, it was only\nwaste of breath, for nothing happened. When Antonio saw this he turned\nto his mother and said: \u2018That old scoundrel of a landlord has done me\nonce more; but he will live to repent it, for if I ever enter his inn\nagain, I will make him suffer for the loss of my donkey and the other\ntreasures he has robbed me of.\u2019\n\nMasella was in such a rage over her fresh disappointment that she could\nnot restrain her impatience, and, turning on Antonio, she abused him\nsoundly, and told him to get out of her sight at once, for she would\nnever acknowledge him as a son of hers again. The poor boy was very\ndepressed by her words, and slunk back to his master like a dog with his\ntail between his legs. When the ogre saw him, he guessed at once what\nhad happened. He gave Antonio a good scolding, and said, \u2018I don\u2019t know\nwhat prevents me smashing your head in, you useless ne\u2019er-do-well! You\nblurt everything out, and your long tongue never ceases wagging for\na moment. If you had remained silent in the inn this misfortune would\nnever have overtaken you, so you have only yourself to blame for your\npresent suffering.\u2019\n\nAntonio listened to his master\u2019s words in silence, looking for all\nthe world like a whipped dog. When he had been three more years in the\nogre\u2019s service he had another bad fit of home-sickness, and longed very\nmuch to see his mother and sisters again.\n\nSo he asked for permission to go home on a visit, and it was at once\ngranted to him. Before he set out on his journey the ogre presented\nhim with a beautifully carved stick and said, \u2018Take this stick as a\nremembrance of me; but beware of saying, \u201cRise up, Stick,\u201d and \u201cLie\ndown, Stick,\u201d for if you do, I can only say I wouldn\u2019t be in your shoes\nfor something.\u2019\n\nAntonio took the stick and said, \u2018Don\u2019t be in the least alarmed, I\u2019m not\nsuch a fool as you think, and know better than most people what two and\ntwo make.\u2019\n\n\u2018I\u2019m glad to hear it,\u2019 replied the ogre, \u2018but words are women, deeds are\nmen. You have heard what I said, and forewarned is forearmed.\u2019\n\nThis time Antonio thanked his master warmly for all his kindness, and\nstarted on his homeward journey in great spirits; but he had not gone\nhalf a mile when he said \u2018Rise up, Stick.\u2019\n\nThe words were hardly out of his mouth when the stick rose and began to\nrain down blows on poor Antonio\u2019s back with such lightning-like rapidity\nthat he had hardly strength to call out, \u2018Lie down, Stick;\u2019 but as soon\nas he uttered the words the stick lay down, and ceased beating his back\nblack and blue.\n\nAlthough he had learnt a lesson at some cost to himself, Antonio was\nfull of joy, for he saw a way now of revenging himself on the wicked\nlandlord. Once more he arrived at the inn, and was received in the\nmost friendly and hospitable manner by his host. Antonio greeted him\ncordially, and said: \u2018My friend, will you kindly take care of this stick\nfor me? But, whatever you do, don\u2019t say \u201cRise up, Stick.\u201d If you do, you\nwill be sorry for it, and you needn\u2019t expect any sympathy from me.\u2019\n\nThe landlord, thinking he was coming in for a third piece of good\nfortune, gave Antonio an excellent supper; and after he had seen him\ncomfortably to bed, he ran to the stick, and calling to his wife to\ncome and see the fun, he lost no time in pronouncing the words \u2018Rise up,\nStick.\u2019\n\nThe moment he spoke the stick jumped up and beat the landlord so\nunmercifully that he and his wife ran screaming to Antonio, and, waking\nhim up, pleaded for mercy.\n\nWhen Antonio saw how successful his trick had been, he said: \u2018I refuse\nto help you, unless you give me all that you have stolen from me,\notherwise you will be beaten to death.\u2019\n\nThe landlord, who felt himself at death\u2019s door already, cried out: \u2018Take\nback your property, only release me from this terrible stick;\u2019 and with\nthese words he ordered the donkey, the table-cloth, and other treasures\nto be restored to their rightful owner.\n\nAs soon as Antonio had recovered his belongings he said \u2018Stick, lie\ndown,\u2019 and it stopped beating the landlord at once.\n\nThen he took his donkey and table-cloth and arrived safely at his home\nwith them. This time the magic words had the desired effect, and the\ndonkey and table-cloth provided the family with treasures untold.\nAntonio very soon married off his sister, made his mother rich for life,\nand they all lived happily for ever after.\n\n[From the Italian, Kletke.]\n\n\n\n\nA Fairy\u2019s Blunder\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a fairy whose name was Dindonette. She was\nthe best creature in the world, with the kindest heart; but she had\nnot much sense, and was always doing things, to benefit people, which\ngenerally ended in causing pain and distress to everybody concerned. No\none knew this better than the inhabitants of an island far off in the\nmidst of the sea, which, according to the laws of fairyland, she had\ntaken under her special protection, thinking day and night of what she\ncould do to make the isle the pleasantest place in the whole world, as\nit was the most beautiful.\n\nNow what happened was this:\n\nAs the fairy went about, unseen, from house to house, she heard\neverywhere children longing for the time when they would be \u2018grown-up,\u2019\nand able, they thought, to do as they liked; and old people talking\nabout the past, and sighing to be young again.\n\n\u2018Is there no way of satisfying these poor things?\u2019 she thought. And\nthen one night an idea occurred to her. \u2018Oh, yes, of course! It has been\ntried before; but I will manage better than the rest, with their old\nFountain of Youth, which, after all, only made people young again. I\nwill enchant the spring that bubbles up in the middle of the orchard,\nand the children that drink of it shall at once become grown men and\nwomen, and the old people return to the days of their childhood.\u2019\n\nAnd without stopping to consult one single other fairy, who might have\ngiven her good advice, off rushed Dindonette, to cast her spell over the\nfountain.\n\nIt was the only spring of fresh water in the island, and at dawn was\ncrowded with people of all ages, come to drink at its source. Delighted\nat her plan for making them all happy, the fairy hid herself behind a\nthicket of roses, and peeped out whenever footsteps came that way.\nIt was not long before she had ample proof of the success of her\nenchantments. Almost before her eyes the children put on the size\nand strength of adults, while the old men and women instantly became\nhelpless, tiny babies. Indeed, so pleased was she with the result of\nher work, that she could no longer remain hidden, and went about telling\neverybody what she had done, and enjoying their gratitude and thanks.\n\nBut after the first outburst of delight at their wishes being granted,\npeople began to be a little frightened at the rapid effects of the magic\nwater. It was delicious to feel yourself at the height of your power and\nbeauty, but you would wish to keep so always! Now this was exactly what\nthe fairy had been in too much of a hurry to arrange, and no sooner had\nthe children become grown up, and the men and women become babies, than\nthey all rushed on to old age at an appalling rate! The fairy only found\nout her mistake when it was too late to set it right.\n\nWhen the inhabitants of the island saw what had befallen them, they were\nfilled with despair, and did everything they could think of to escape\nfrom such a dreadful fate. They dug wells in their places, so that they\nshould no longer need to drink from the magic spring; but the sandy soil\nyielded no water, and the rainy season was already past. They stored up\nthe dew that fell, and the juice of fruits and of herbs, but all this\nwas as a drop in the ocean of their wants. Some threw themselves\ninto the sea, trusting that the current might carry them to other\nshores--they had no boats--and a few, still more impatient, put\nthemselves to death on the spot. The rest submitted blindly to their\ndestiny.\n\nPerhaps the worst part of the enchantment was, that the change from\none age to another was so rapid that the person had no time to prepare\nhimself for it. It would not have mattered so much if the man who stood\nup in the assembly of the nation, to give his advice as to peace or war,\nhad looked like a baby, as long as he spoke with the knowledge and sense\nof a full-grown man. But, alas! with the outward form of an infant, he\nhad taken on its helplessness and foolishness, and there was no one who\ncould train him to better things. The end of it all was, that before a\nmonth had passed the population had died out, and the fairy Dindonette,\nashamed and grieved at the effects of her folly, had left the island for\never.\n\nMany centuries after, the fairy Selnozoura, who had fallen into bad\nhealth, was ordered by her doctors to make the tour of the world twice\na week for change of air, and in one of these journeys she found herself\nat Fountain Island. Selnozoura never made these trips alone, but always\ntook with her two children, of whom she was very fond--Cornichon, a boy\nof fourteen, bought in his childhood at a slave-market, and Toupette, a\nfew months younger, who had been entrusted to the care of the fairy by\nher guardian, the genius Kristopo. Cornichon and Toupette were intended\nby Selnozoura to become husband and wife, as soon as they were old\nenough. Meanwhile, they travelled with her in a little vessel, whose\nspeed through the air was just a thousand nine hundred and fifty times\ngreater than that of the swiftest of our ships.\n\nStruck with the beauty of the island, Selnozoura ran the vessel to\nground, and leaving it in the care of the dragon which lived in the hold\nduring the voyage, stepped on shore with her two companions. Surprised\nat the sight of a large town whose streets and houses were absolutely\ndesolate, the fairy resolved to put her magic arts in practice to\nfind out the cause. While she was thus engaged, Cornichon and Toupette\nwandered away by themselves, and by-and-by arrived at the fountain,\nwhose bubbling waters looked cool and delicious on such a hot day.\nScarcely had they each drunk a deep draught, when the fairy, who by this\ntime had discovered all she wished to know, hastened to the spot.\n\n\u2018Oh, beware! beware!\u2019 she cried, the moment she saw them. \u2018If you drink\nthat deadly poison you will be ruined for ever!\u2019\n\n\u2018Poison?\u2019 answered Toupette. \u2018It is the most refreshing water I have\never tasted, and Cornichon will say so too!\u2019\n\n\u2018Unhappy children, then I am too late! Why did you leave me? Listen,\nand I will tell you what has befallen the wretched inhabitants of this\nisland, and what will befall you too. The power of fairies is great,\u2019\nshe added, when she had finished her story, \u2018but they cannot destroy the\nwork of another fairy. Very shortly you will pass into the weakness and\nsilliness of extreme old age, and all I can do for you is to make it as\neasy to you as possible, and to preserve you from the death that others\nhave suffered, from having no one to look after them. But the charm is\nworking already! Cornichon is taller and more manly than he was an hour\nago, and Toupette no longer looks like a little girl.\u2019\n\nIt was true; but this fact did not seem to render the young people as\nmiserable as it did Selnozoura.\n\n\u2018Do not pity us,\u2019 said Cornichon. \u2018If we are fated to grow old so soon,\nlet us no longer delay our marriage. What matter if we anticipate our\ndecay, if we only anticipate our happiness too?\u2019\n\nThe fairy felt that Cornichon had reason on his side, and seeing by a\nglance at Toupette\u2019s face that there was no opposition to be feared from\nher, she answered, \u2018Let it be so, then. But not in this dreadful place.\nWe will return at once to Bagota, and the festivities shall be the most\nbrilliant ever seen.\u2019\n\nThey all returned to the vessel, and in a few hours the four thousand\nfive hundred miles that lay between the island and Bagota were passed.\nEveryone was surprised to see the change which the short absence had\nmade in the young people, but as the fairy had promised absolute silence\nabout the adventure, they were none the wiser, and busied themselves in\npreparing their dresses for the marriage, which was fixed for the next\nnight.\n\nEarly on the following morning the genius Kristopo arrived at the Court,\non one of the visits he was in the habit of paying his ward from time to\ntime. Like the rest, he was astonished at the sudden improvement in the\nchild. He had always been fond of her, and in a moment he fell violently\nin love. Hastily demanding an audience of the fairy, he laid his\nproposals before her, never doubting that she would give her consent to\nso brilliant a match. But Selnozoura refused to listen, and even\nhinted that in his own interest Kristopo had better turn his thoughts\nelsewhere. The genius pretended to agree, but, instead, he went straight\nto Toupette\u2019s room, and flew away with her through the window, at the\nvery instant that the bridegroom was awaiting her below.\n\nWhen the fairy discovered what had happened, she was furious, and sent\nmessenger after messenger to the genius in his palace at Ratibouf,\ncommanding him to restore Toupette without delay, and threatening to\nmake war in case of refusal.\n\nKristopo gave no direct answer to the fairy\u2019s envoys, but kept Toupette\nclosely guarded in a tower, where the poor girl used all her powers of\npersuasion to induce him to put off their marriage. All would, however,\nhave been quite vain if, in the course of a few days, sorrow, joined\nto the spell of the magic water, had not altered her appearance so\ncompletely that Kristopo was quite alarmed, and declared that she needed\namusement and fresh air, and that, as his presence seemed to distress\nher, she should be left her own mistress. But one thing he declined to\ndo, and that was to send her back to Bagota.\n\nIn the meantime both sides had been busily collecting armies, and\nKristopo had given the command of his to a famous general, while\nSelnozoura had placed Cornichon at the head of her forces. But before\nwar was actually declared, Toupette\u2019s parents, who had been summoned\nby the genius, arrived at Ratibouf. They had never seen their daughter\nsince they parted from her as a baby, but from time to time travellers\nto Bagota had brought back accounts of her beauty. What was their\namazement, therefore, at finding, instead of a lovely girl, a\nmiddle-aged woman, handsome indeed, but quite faded--looking, in fact,\nolder than themselves. Kristopo, hardly less astonished than they were\nat the sudden change, thought that it was a joke on the part of one of\nhis courtiers, who had hidden Toupette away, and put this elderly lady\nin her place. Bursting with rage, he sent instantly for all the servants\nand guards of the town, and inquired who had the insolence to play him\nsuch a trick, and what had become of their prisoner. They replied that\nsince Toupette had been in their charge she had never left her rooms\nunveiled, and that during her walks in the surrounding gardens, her food\nhad been brought in and placed on her table; as she preferred to eat\nalone no one had ever seen her face, or knew what she was like.\n\nThe servants were clearly speaking the truth, and Kristopo was obliged\nto believe them. \u2018But,\u2019 thought he, \u2018if they have not had a hand in\nthis, it must be the work of the fairy,\u2019 and in his anger he ordered the\narmy to be ready to march.\n\nOn her side, Selnozoura of course knew what the genius had to expect,\nbut was deeply offended when she heard of the base trick which she\nwas believed to have invented. Her first desire was to give battle to\nKristopo at once, but with great difficulty her ministers induced her to\npause, and to send an ambassador to Kristopo to try to arrange matters.\n\nSo the Prince Zeprady departed for the court of Ratibouf, and on his way\nhe met Cornichon, who was encamped with his army just outside the gates\nof Bagota. The prince showed him the fairy\u2019s written order that for the\npresent peace must still be kept, and Cornichon, filled with longing to\nsee Toupette once more, begged to be allowed to accompany Zeprady on his\nmission to Ratibouf.\n\nBy this time the genius\u2019s passion for Toupette, which had caused all\nthese troubles, had died out, and he willingly accepted the terms of\npeace offered by Zeprady, though he informed the prince that he still\nbelieved the fairy to be guilty of the dreadful change in the girl. To\nthis the prince only replied that on that point he had a witness who\ncould prove, better than anyone else, if it was Toupette or not, and\ndesired that Cornichon should be sent for.\n\nWhen Toupette was told that she was to see her old lover again, her\nheart leapt with joy; but soon the recollection came to her of all that\nhad happened, and she remembered that Cornichon would be changed as well\nas she. The moment of their meeting was not all happiness, especially\non the part of Toupette, who could not forget her lost beauty, and the\ngenius, who was present, was at last convinced that he had not been\ndeceived, and went out to sign the treaty of peace, followed by his\nattendants.\n\n\u2018Ah, Toupette: my dear Toupette!\u2019 cried Cornichon, as soon as they were\nleft alone; \u2018now that we are once more united, let our past troubles be\nforgotten.\u2019\n\n\u2018Our past troubles!\u2019 answered she, \u2018and what do you call our lost beauty\nand the dreadful future before us? You are looking fifty years older\nthan when I saw you last, and I know too well that fate has treated me\nno better!\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, do not say that,\u2019 replied Cornichon, clasping her hand. \u2018You are\ndifferent, it is true; but every age has its graces, and surely no woman\nof sixty was ever handsomer than you! If your eyes had been as bright as\nof yore they would have matched badly with your faded skin. The wrinkles\nwhich I notice on your forehead explain the increased fulness of your\ncheeks, and your throat in withering is elegant in decay. Thus the\nharmony shown by your features, even as they grow old, is the best proof\nof their former beauty.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, monster!\u2019 cried Toupette, bursting into tears, \u2018is that all the\ncomfort you can give me?\u2019\n\n\u2018But, Toupette,\u2019 answered Cornichon, \u2018you used to declare that you did\nnot care for beauty, as long as you had my heart.\u2019\n\n\u2018Yes, I know,\u2019 said she, \u2018but how can you go on caring for a person who\nis as old and plain as I?\u2019\n\n\u2018Toupette, Toupette,\u2019 replied Cornichon, \u2018you are only talking nonsense.\nMy heart is as much yours as ever it was, and nothing in the world can\nmake any difference.\u2019\n\nAt this point of the conversation the Prince Zeprady entered the room,\nwith the news that the genius, full of regret for his behaviour, had\ngiven Cornichon full permission to depart for Bagota as soon as he\nliked, and to take Toupette with him; adding that, though he begged they\nwould excuse his taking leave of them before they went, he hoped, before\nlong, to visit them at Bagota.\n\nNeither of the lovers slept that night--Cornichon from joy at returning\nhome, Toupette from dread of the blow to her vanity which awaited her at\nBagota. It was hopeless for Cornichon to try to console her during the\njourney with the reasons he had given the day before. She only grew\nworse and worse, and when they reached the palace went straight to her\nold apartments, entreating the fairy to allow both herself and Cornichon\nto remain concealed, and to see no one.\n\nFor some time after their arrival the fairy was taken up with the\npreparations for the rejoicings which were to celebrate the peace, and\nwith the reception of the genius, who was determined to do all in his\npower to regain Selnozoura\u2019s lost friendship. Cornichon and Toupette\nwere therefore left entirely to themselves, and though this was only\nwhat they wanted, still, they began to feel a little neglected.\n\nAt length, one morning, they saw from the windows that the fairy and\nthe genius were approaching, in state, with all their courtiers in\nattendance. Toupette instantly hid herself in the darkest corner of\nthe room, but Cornichon, forgetting that he was now no longer a boy of\nfourteen, ran to meet them. In so doing he tripped and fell, bruising\none of his eyes severely. At the sight of her lover lying helpless on\nthe floor, Toupette hastened to his side; but her feeble legs gave way\nunder her, and she fell almost on top of him, knocking out three of her\nloosened teeth against his forehead. The fairy, who entered the room at\nthis moment, burst into tears, and listened in silence to the genius,\nwho hinted that by-and-by everything would be put right.\n\n\u2018At the last assembly of the fairies,\u2019 he said, \u2018when the doings of each\nfairy were examined and discussed, a proposal was made to lessen, as\nfar as possible, the mischief caused by Dindonette by enchanting\nthe fountain. And it was decided that, as she had meant nothing but\nkindness, she should have the power of undoing one half of the spell. Of\ncourse she might always have destroyed the fatal fountain, which would\nhave been best of all; but this she never thought of. Yet, in spite of\nthis, her heart is so good, that I am sure that the moment she hears\nthat she is wanted she will fly to help. Only, before she comes, it is\nfor you, Madam, to make up your mind which of the two shall regain their\nformer strength and beauty.\u2019\n\nAt these words the fairy\u2019s soul sank. Both Cornichon and Toupette were\nequally dear to her, and how could she favour one at the cost of the\nother? As to the courtiers, none of the men were able to understand why\nshe hesitated a second to declare for Toupette; while the ladies were\nequally strong on the side of Cornichon.\n\nBut, however undecided the fairy might be, it was quite different with\nCornichon and Toupette.\n\n\u2018Ah, my love,\u2019 exclaimed Cornichon, \u2018at length I shall be able to\ngive you the best proof of my devotion by showing you how I value the\nbeauties of your mind above those of your body! While the most charming\nwomen of the court will fall victims to my youth and strength, I shall\nthink of nothing but how to lay them at your feet, and pay heart-felt\nhomage to your age and wrinkles.\u2019\n\n\u2018Not so fast,\u2019 interrupted Toupette, \u2018I don\u2019t see why you should have it\nall. Why do you heap such humiliations upon me? But I will trust to the\njustice of the fairy, who will not treat me so.\u2019\n\nThen she entered her own rooms, and refused to leave them, in spite of\nthe prayers of Cornichon, who begged her to let him explain.\n\nNo one at the court thought or spoke of any other subject during the few\ndays before the arrival of Dindonette, whom everybody expected to set\nthings right in a moment. But, alas! she had no idea herself what was\nbest to be done, and always adopted the opinion of the person she was\ntalking to. At length a thought struck her, which seemed the only way\nof satisfying both parties, and she asked the fairy to call together all\nthe court and the people to hear her decision.\n\n\u2018Happy is he,\u2019 she began, \u2018who can repair the evil he has caused, but\nhappier he who has never caused any.\u2019\n\nAs nobody contradicted this remark, she continued:\n\n\u2018To me it is only allowed to undo one half of the mischief I have\nwrought. I could restore you your youth,\u2019 she said to Cornichon, \u2018or\nyour beauty,\u2019 turning to Toupette. \u2018I will do both; and I will do\nneither.\u2019\n\nA murmur of curiosity arose from the crowd, while Cornichon and Toupette\ntrembled with astonishment.\n\n\u2018No,\u2019 went on Dindonette, \u2018never should I have the cruelty to leave one\nof you to decay, while the other enjoys the glory of youth. And as I\ncannot restore you both at once to what you were, one half of each of\nyour bodies shall become young again, while the other half goes on\nits way to decay. I will leave it to you to choose which half it shall\nbe--if I shall draw a line round the waist, or a line straight down the\nmiddle of the body.\u2019\n\nShe looked about her proudly, expecting applause for her clever idea.\nBut Cornichon and Toupette were shaking with rage and disappointment,\nand everyone else broke into shouts of laughter. In pity for the unhappy\nlovers, Selnozoura came forward.\n\n\u2018Do you not think,\u2019 she said, \u2018that instead of what you propose, it\nwould be better to let them take it in turns to enjoy their former youth\nand beauty for a fixed time? I am sure you could easily manage that.\u2019\n\n\u2018What an excellent notion!\u2019 cried Dindonette. \u2018Oh, yes, of course that\nis best! Which of you shall I touch first?\u2019\n\n\u2018Touch her,\u2019 replied Cornichon, who was always ready to give way to\nToupette. \u2018I know her heart too well to fear any change.\u2019\n\nSo the fairy bent forward and touched her with her magic ring, and in\none instant the old woman was a girl again. The whole court wept with\njoy at the sight, and Toupette ran up to Cornichon, who had fallen down\nin his surprise, promising to pay him long visits, and tell him of all\nher balls and water parties.\n\nThe two fairies went to their own apartments, where the genius followed\nthem to take his leave.\n\n\u2018Oh, dear!\u2019 suddenly cried Dindonette, breaking in to the farewell\nspeech of the genius. \u2018I quite forgot to fix the time when Cornichon\nshould in his turn grow young. How stupid of me! And now I fear it is\ntoo late, for I ought to have declared it before I touched Toupette with\nthe ring. Oh, dear! oh, dear! why did nobody warn me?\u2019\n\n\u2018You were so quick,\u2019 replied Selnozoura, who had long been aware of\nthe mischief the fairy had again done, \u2018and we can only wait now till\nCornichon shall have reached the utmost limits of his decay, when he\nwill drink of the water, and become a baby once more, so that Toupette\nwill have to spend her life as a nurse, a wife, and a caretaker.\u2019\n\nAfter the anxiety of mind and the weakness of body to which for so long\nToupette had been a prey, it seemed as if she could not amuse herself\nenough, and it was seldom indeed that she found time to visit poor\nCornichon, though she did not cease to be fond of him, or to be kind to\nhim. Still, she was perfectly happy without him, and this the poor man\ndid not fail to see, almost blind and deaf from age though he was.\n\nBut it was left to Kristopo to undo at last the work of Dindonette, and\ngive Cornichon back the youth he had lost, and this the genius did all\nthe more gladly, as he discovered, quite by accident, that Cornichon was\nin fact his son. It was on this plea that he attended the great yearly\nmeeting of the fairies, and prayed that, in consideration of his\nservices to so many of the members, this one boon might be granted\nhim. Such a request had never before been heard in fairyland, and\nwas objected to by some of the older fairies; but both Kristopo and\nSelnozoura were held in such high honour that the murmurs of disgust\nwere set aside, and the latest victim to the enchanted fountain was\npronounced to be free of the spell. All that the genius asked in return\nwas that he might accompany the fairy back to Bagota, and be present\nwhen his son assumed his proper shape.\n\nThey made up their minds they would just tell Toupette that they\nhad found a husband for her, and give her a pleasant surprise at her\nwedding, which was fixed for the following night. She heard the news\nwith astonishment, and many pangs for the grief which Cornichon would\ncertainly feel at his place being taken by another; but she did not\ndream of disobeying the fairy, and spent the whole day wondering who the\nbridegroom could be.\n\nAt the appointed hour, a large crowd assembled at the fairy\u2019s palace,\nwhich was decorated with the sweetest flowers, known only to fairyland.\nToupette had taken her place, but where was the bridegroom?\n\n\u2018Fetch Cornichon!\u2019 said the fairy to her chamberlain.\n\nBut Toupette interposed: \u2018Oh, Madam, spare him, I entreat you, this\nbitter pain, and let him remain hidden and in peace.\u2019\n\n\u2018It is necessary that he should be here,\u2019 answered the fairy, \u2018and he\nwill not regret it.\u2019\n\nAnd, as she spoke, Cornichon was led in, smiling with the foolishness of\nextreme old age at the sight of the gay crowd.\n\n\u2018Bring him here,\u2019 commanded the fairy, waving her hand towards Toupette,\nwho started back from surprise and horror.\n\nSelnozoura then took the hand of the poor old man, and the genius came\nforward and touched him three times with his ring, when Cornichon was\ntransformed into a handsome young man.\n\n\u2018May you live long,\u2019 the genius said, \u2018to enjoy happiness with your\nwife, and to love your father.\u2019\n\nAnd that was the end of the mischief wrought by the fairy Dindonette!\n\n[Cabinet des F\u00e9es.]\n\n\n\n\nLong, Broad, and Quickeye\n\n(A Bohemian Story)\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a king who had an only son whom he loved\ndearly. Now one day the king sent for his son and said to him:\n\n\u2018My dearest child, my hair is grey and I am old, and soon I shall feel\nno more the warmth of the sun, or look upon the trees and flowers. But\nbefore I die I should like to see you with a good wife; therefore marry,\nmy son, as speedily as possible.\u2019\n\n\u2018My father,\u2019 replied the prince, \u2018now and always, I ask nothing better\nthan to do your bidding, but I know of no daughter-in-law that I could\ngive you.\u2019\n\nOn hearing these words the old king drew from his pocket a key of gold,\nand gave it to his son, saying:\n\n\u2018Go up the staircase, right up to the top of the tower. Look carefully\nround you, and then come and tell me which you like best of all that you\nsee.\u2019\n\nSo the young man went up. He had never before been in the tower, and had\nno idea what it might contain.\n\nThe staircase wound round and round and round, till the prince was\nalmost giddy, and every now and then he caught sight of a large room\nthat opened out from the side. But he had been told to go to the top,\nand to the top he went. Then he found himself in a hall, which had an\niron door at one end. This door he unlocked with his golden key, and he\npassed through into a vast chamber which had a roof of blue sprinkled\nwith golden stars, and a carpet of green silk soft as turf. Twelve\nwindows framed in gold let in the light of the sun, and on every window\nwas painted the figure of a young girl, each more beautiful than the\nlast. While the prince gazed at them in surprise, not knowing which\nhe liked best, the girls began to lift their eyes and smile at him. He\nwaited, expecting them to speak, but no sound came.\n\nSuddenly he noticed that one of the windows was covered by a curtain of\nwhite silk.\n\nHe lifted it, and saw before him the image of a maiden beautiful as the\nday and sad as the tomb, clothed in a white robe, having a girdle of\nsilver and a crown of pearls. The prince stood and gazed at her, as if\nhe had been turned into stone, but as he looked the sadness which, was\non her face seemed to pass into his heart, and he cried out:\n\n\u2018This one shall be my wife. This one and no other.\u2019\n\nAs he said the words the young girl blushed and hung her head, and all\nthe other figures vanished.\n\nThe young prince went quickly back to his father, and told him all he\nhad seen and which wife he had chosen. The old man listened to him full\nof sorrow, and then he spoke:\n\n\u2018You have done ill, my son, to search out that which was hidden, and you\nare running to meet a great danger. This young girl has fallen into the\npower of a wicked sorcerer, who lives in an iron castle. Many young men\nhave tried to deliver her, and none have ever come back. But what is\ndone is done! You have given your word, and it cannot be broken. Go,\ndare your fate, and return to me safe and sound.\u2019\n\nSo the prince embraced his father, mounted his horse, and set forth\nto seek his bride. He rode on gaily for several hours, till he found\nhimself in a wood where he had never been before, and soon lost his way\namong its winding paths and deep valleys. He tried in vain to see where\nhe was: the thick trees shut out the sun, and he could not tell which\nwas north and which was south, so that he might know what direction to\nmake for. He felt in despair, and had quite given up all hope of getting\nout of this horrible place, when he heard a voice calling to him.\n\n\u2018Hey! hey! stop a minute!\u2019\n\nThe prince turned round and saw behind him a very tall man, running as\nfast as his legs would carry him.\n\n\u2018Wait for me,\u2019 he panted, \u2018and take me into your service. If you do, you\nwill never be sorry.\u2019\n\n\u2018Who are you?\u2019 asked the prince, \u2018and what can you do?\u2019\n\n\u2018Long is my name, and I can lengthen my body at will. Do you see that\nnest up there on the top of that pine-tree? Well, I can get it for you\nwithout taking the trouble of climbing the tree,\u2019 and Long stretched\nhimself up and up and up, till he was very soon as tall as the pine\nitself. He put the nest in his pocket, and before you could wink your\neyelid he had made himself small again, and stood before the prince.\n\n\u2018Yes; you know your business,\u2019 said he, \u2018but birds\u2019 nests are no use to\nme. I am too old for them. Now if you were only able to get me out of\nthis wood, you would indeed be good for something.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh, there\u2019s no difficulty about that,\u2019 replied Long, and he stretched\nhimself up and up and up till he was three times as tall as the tallest\ntree in the forest. Then he looked all round and said, \u2018We must go in\nthis direction in order to get out of the wood,\u2019 and shortening himself\nagain, he took the prince\u2019s horse by the bridle, and led him along.\nVery soon they got clear of the forest, and saw before them a wide plain\nending in a pile of high rocks, covered here and there with trees, and\nvery much like the fortifications of a town.\n\nAs they left the wood behind, Long turned to the prince and said, \u2018My\nlord, here comes my comrade. You should take him into your service too,\nas you will find him a great help.\u2019\n\n\u2018Well, call him then, so that I can see what sort of a man he is.\u2019\n\n\u2018He is a little too far off for that,\u2019 replied Long. \u2018He would hardly\nhear my voice, and he couldn\u2019t be here for some time yet, as he has so\nmuch to carry. I think I had better go and bring him myself,\u2019 and this\ntime he stretched himself to such a height that his head was lost in the\nclouds. He made two or three strides, took his friend on his back, and\nset him down before the prince. The new-comer was a very fat man, and as\nround as a barrel.\n\n\u2018Who are you?\u2019 asked the prince, \u2018and what can you do?\u2019\n\n\u2018Your worship, Broad is my name, and I can make myself as wide as I\nplease.\u2019\n\n\u2018Let me see how you manage it.\u2019\n\n\u2018Run, my lord, as fast as you can, and hide yourself in the wood,\u2019 cried\nBroad, and he began to swell himself out.\n\nThe prince did not understand why he should run to the wood, but when he\nsaw Long flying towards it, he thought he had better follow his example.\nHe was only just in time, for Broad had so suddenly inflated himself\nthat he very nearly knocked over the prince and his horse too. He\ncovered all the space for acres round. You would have thought he was a\nmountain!\n\nAt length Broad ceased to expand, drew a deep breath that made the whole\nforest tremble, and shrank into his usual size.\n\n\u2018You have made me run away,\u2019 said the prince. \u2018But it is not every day\none meets with a man of your sort. I will take you into my service.\u2019\n\nSo the three companions continued their journey, and when they were\ndrawing near the rocks they met a man whose eyes were covered by a\nbandage.\n\n\u2018Your excellency,\u2019 said Long, \u2018this is our third comrade. You will do\nwell to take him into your service, and, I assure you, you will find him\nworth his salt.\u2019\n\n\u2018Who are you?\u2019 asked the prince. \u2018And why are your eyes bandaged? You\ncan never see your way!\u2019\n\n\u2018It is just the contrary, my lord! It is because I see only too well\nthat I am forced to bandage my eyes. Even so I see as well as people who\nhave no bandage. When I take it off my eyes pierce through everything.\nEverything I look at catches fire, or, if it cannot catch fire, it falls\ninto a thousand pieces. They call me Quickeye.\u2019\n\nAnd so saying he took off his bandage and turned towards the rock. As\nhe fixed his eyes upon it a crack was heard, and in a few moments it\nwas nothing but a heap of sand. In the sand something might be detected\nglittering brightly. Quickeye picked it up and brought it to the prince.\nIt turned out to be a lump of pure gold.\n\n\u2018You are a wonderful creature,\u2019 said the prince, \u2018and I should be a fool\nnot to take you into my service. But since your eyes are so good, tell\nme if I am very far from the Iron Castle, and what is happening there\njust now.\u2019\n\n\u2018If you were travelling alone,\u2019 replied Quickeye, \u2018it would take you at\nleast a year to get to it; but as we are with you, we shall arrive there\nto-night. Just now they are preparing supper.\u2019\n\n\u2018There is a princess in the castle. Do you see her?\u2019\n\n\u2018A wizard keeps her in a high tower, guarded by iron bars.\u2019\n\n\u2018Ah, help me to deliver her!\u2019 cried the prince.\n\nAnd they promised they would.\n\nThen they all set out through the grey rocks, by the breach made by\nthe eyes of Quickeye, and passed over great mountains and through deep\nwoods. And every time they met with any obstacle the three friends\ncontrived somehow to put it aside. As the sun was setting, the prince\nbeheld the towers of the Iron Castle, and before it sank beneath the\nhorizon he was crossing the iron bridge which led to the gates. He was\nonly just in time, for no sooner had the sun disappeared altogether,\nthan the bridge drew itself up and the gates shut themselves.\n\nThere was no turning back now!\n\nThe prince put up his horse in the stable, where everything looked as\nif a guest was expected, and then the whole party marched straight up to\nthe castle. In the court, in the stables, and all over the great halls,\nthey saw a number of men richly dressed, but every one turned into\nstone. They crossed an endless set of rooms, all opening into each\nother, till they reached the dining-hall. It was brilliantly lighted;\nthe table was covered with wine and fruit, and was laid for four. They\nwaited a few minutes expecting someone to come, but as nobody did, they\nsat down and began to eat and drink, for they were very hungry.\n\nWhen they had done their supper they looked about for some place to\nsleep. But suddenly the door burst open, and the wizard entered the\nhall. He was old and hump-backed, with a bald head and a grey beard that\nfell to his knees. He wore a black robe, and instead of a belt three\niron circlets clasped his waist. He led by the hand a lady of wonderful\nbeauty, dressed in white, with a girdle of silver and a crown of pearls,\nbut her face was pale and sad as death itself.\n\nThe prince knew her in an instant, and moved eagerly forward; but the\nwizard gave him no time to speak, and said:\n\n\u2018I know why you are here. Very good; you may have her if for three\nnights following you can prevent her making her escape. If you fail in\nthis, you and your servants will all be turned into stone, like those\nwho have come before you.\u2019 And offering the princess a chair, he left\nthe hall.\n\nThe prince could not take his eyes from the princess, she was so lovely!\nHe began to talk to her, but she neither answered nor smiled, and sat as\nif she were made of marble. He seated himself by her, and determined\nnot to close his eyes that night, for fear she should escape him. And in\norder that she should be doubly guarded, Long stretched himself like a\nstrap all round the room, Broad took his stand by the door and puffed\nhimself out, so that not even a mouse could slip by, and Quickeye leant\nagainst a pillar which stood in the middle of the floor and supported\nthe roof. But in half a second they were all sound asleep, and they\nslept sound the whole night long.\n\nIn the morning, at the first peep of dawn, the prince awoke with a\nstart. But the princess was gone. He aroused his servants and implored\nthem to tell him what he must do.\n\n\u2018Calm yourself, my lord,\u2019 said Quickeye. \u2018I have found her already. A\nhundred miles from here there is a forest. In the middle of the forest,\nan old oak, and on the top of the oak, an acorn. This acorn is the\nprincess. If Long will take me on his shoulders, we shall soon bring\nher back.\u2019 And sure enough, in less time than it takes to walk round a\ncottage, they had returned from the forest, and Long presented the acorn\nto the prince.\n\n\u2018Now, your excellency, throw it on the ground.\u2019\n\nThe prince obeyed, and was enchanted to see the princess appear at his\nside. But when the sun peeped for the first time over the mountains,\nthe door burst open as before, and the wizard entered with a loud laugh.\nSuddenly he caught sight of the princess; his face darkened, he uttered\na low growl, and one of the iron circlets gave way with a crash. He\nseized the young girl by the hand and bore her away with him.\n\nAll that day the prince wandered about the castle, studying the curious\ntreasures it contained, but everything looked as if life had suddenly\ncome to a standstill. In one place he saw a prince who had been turned\ninto stone in the act of brandishing a sword round which his two hands\nwere clasped. In another, the same doom had fallen upon a knight in the\nact of running away. In a third, a serving man was standing eternally\ntrying to convey a piece of beef to his mouth, and all around them were\nothers, still preserving for evermore the attitudes they were in when\nthe wizard had commanded \u2018From henceforth be turned into marble.\u2019 In the\ncastle, and round the castle all was dismal and desolate. Trees there\nwere, but without leaves; fields there were, but no grass grew on them.\nThere was one river, but it never flowed and no fish lived in it. No\nflowers blossomed, and no birds sang.\n\nThree times during the day food appeared, as if by magic, for the prince\nand his servants. And it was not until supper was ended that the wizard\nappeared, as on the previous evening, and delivered the princess into\nthe care of the prince.\n\nAll four determined that this time they would keep awake at any cost.\nBut it was no use. Off they went as they had done before, and when the\nprince awoke the next morning the room was again empty.\n\nWith a pang of shame, he rushed to find Quickeye. \u2018Awake! Awake!\nQuickeye! Do you know what has become of the princess?\u2019\n\nQuickeye rubbed his eyes and answered: \u2018Yes, I see her. Two hundred\nmiles from here there is a mountain. In this mountain is a rock. In the\nrock, a precious stone. This stone is the princess. Long shall take me\nthere, and we will be back before you can turn round.\u2019\n\nSo Long took him on his shoulders and they set out. At every stride they\ncovered twenty miles, and as they drew near Quickeye fixed his burning\neyes on the mountain; in an instant it split into a thousand pieces,\nand in one of these sparkled the precious stone. They picked it up and\nbrought it to the prince, who flung it hastily down, and as the stone\ntouched the floor the princess stood before him. When the wizard came,\nhis eyes shot forth flames of fury. Cric-crac was heard, and another of\nhis iron bands broke and fell. He seized the princess by the hand and\nled her off, growling louder than ever.\n\nAll that day things went on exactly as they had done the day before.\nAfter supper the wizard brought back the princess, and looking him\nstraight in the eyes he said, \u2018We shall see which of us two will gain\nthe prize after all!\u2019\n\nThat night they struggled their very hardest to keep awake, and even\nwalked about instead of sitting down. But it was quite useless. One\nafter another they had to give in, and for the third time the princess\nslipped through their fingers.\n\nWhen morning came, it was as usual the prince who awoke the first, and\nas usual, the princess being gone, he rushed to Quickeye.\n\n\u2018Get up, get up, Quickeye, and tell me where is the princess?\u2019\n\nQuickeye looked about for some time without answering. \u2018Oh, my lord, she\nis far, very far. Three hundred miles away there lies a black sea. In\nthe middle of this sea there is a little shell, and in the middle of the\nshell is fixed a gold ring. That gold ring is the princess. But do not\nvex your soul; we will get her. Only to-day, Long must take Broad with\nhim. He will be wanted badly.\u2019\n\nSo Long took Quickeye on one shoulder, and Broad on the other, and they\nset out. At each stride they left thirty miles behind them. When they\nreached the black sea, Quickeye showed them the spot where they must\nseek the shell. But though Long stretched down his hand as far as it\nwould go, he could not find the shell, for it lay at the bottom of the\nsea.\n\n\u2018Wait a moment, comrades, it will be all right. I will help you,\u2019 said\nBroad.\n\nThen he swelled himself out so that you would have thought the world\ncould hardly have held him, and stooping down he drank. He drank so much\nat every mouthful, that only a minute or so passed before the water had\nsunk enough for Long to put his hand to the bottom. He soon found the\nshell, and pulled the ring out. But time had been lost, and Long had a\ndouble burden to carry. The dawn was breaking fast before they got back\nto the castle, where the prince was waiting for them in an agony of\nfear.\n\nSoon the first rays of the sun were seen peeping over the tops of the\nmountains. The door burst open, and finding the prince standing alone\nthe wizard broke into peals of wicked laughter. But as he laughed a loud\ncrash was heard, the window fell into a thousand pieces, a gold ring\nglittered in the air, and the princess stood before the enchanter. For\nQuickeye, who was watching from afar, had told Long of the terrible\ndanger now threatening the prince, and Long, summoning all his strength\nfor one gigantic effort, had thrown the ring right through the window.\n\nThe wizard shrieked and howled with rage, till the whole castle trembled\nto its foundations. Then a crash was heard, the third band split in two,\nand a crow flew out of the window.\n\nThen the princess at length broke the enchanted silence, and\nblushing like a rose, gave the prince her thanks for her unlooked-for\ndeliverance.\n\nBut it was not only the princess who was restored to life by the flight\nof the wicked black crow. The marble figures became men once more, and\ntook up their occupations just as they had left them off. The horses\nneighed in the stables, the flowers blossomed in the garden, the birds\nflew in the air, the fish darted in the water. Everywhere you looked,\nall was life, all was joy!\n\nAnd the knights who had been turned into stone came in a body to offer\ntheir homage to the prince who had set them free.\n\n\u2018Do not thank me,\u2019 he said, \u2018for I have done nothing. Without my\nfaithful servants, Long, Broad, and Quickeye, I should even have been as\none of you.\u2019\n\nWith these words he bade them farewell, and departed with the princess\nand his faithful companions for the kingdom of his father.\n\nThe old king, who had long since given up all hope, wept for joy at the\nsight of his son, and insisted that the wedding should take place as\nsoon as possible.\n\nAll the knights who had been enchanted in the Iron Castle were invited\nto the ceremony, and after it had taken place, Long, Broad, and Quickeye\ntook leave of the young couple, saying that they were going to look for\nmore work.\n\nThe prince offered them all their hearts could desire if they would only\nremain with him, but they replied that an idle life would not please\nthem, and that they could never be happy unless they were busy, so they\nwent away to seek their fortunes, and for all I know are seeking still.\n\n[Contes populaires. Traduits par Louis L\u00e9ger. Paris: Leroux, \u00e9diteur.]\n\n\n\n\nPrunella\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a woman who had an only daughter. When the\nchild was about seven years old she used to pass every day, on her way\nto school, an orchard where there was a wild plum tree, with delicious\nripe plums hanging from the branches. Each morning the child would pick\none, and put it into her pocket to eat at school. For this reason she\nwas called Prunella. Now, the orchard belonged to a witch. One day the\nwitch noticed the child gathering a plum, as she passed along the road.\nPrunella did it quite innocently, not knowing that she was doing wrong\nin taking the fruit that hung close to the roadside. But the witch was\nfurious, and next day hid herself behind the hedge, and when Prunella\ncame past, and put out her hand to pluck the fruit, she jumped out and\nseized her by the arm.\n\n\u2018Ah! you little thief!\u2019 she exclaimed. \u2018I have caught you at last. Now\nyou will have to pay for your misdeeds.\u2019\n\nThe poor child, half dead with fright, implored the old woman to\nforgive her, assuring her that she did not know she had done wrong,\nand promising never to do it again. But the witch had no pity, and she\ndragged Prunella into her house, where she kept her till the time should\ncome when she could have her revenge.\n\nAs the years passed Prunella grew up into a very beautiful girl. Now her\nbeauty and goodness, instead of softening the witch\u2019s heart, aroused her\nhatred and jealousy.\n\nOne day she called Prunella to her, and said: \u2018Take this basket, go to\nthe well, and bring it back to me filled with water. If you don\u2019t I will\nkill you.\u2019\n\nThe girl took the basket, went and let it down into the well again\nand again. But her work was lost labour. Each time, as she drew up the\nbasket, the water streamed out of it. At last, in despair, she gave\nit up, and leaning against the well she began to cry bitterly, when\nsuddenly she heard a voice at her side saying \u2018Prunella, why are you\ncrying?\u2019\n\nTurning round she beheld a handsome youth, who looked kindly at her, as\nif he were sorry for her trouble.\n\n\u2018Who are you,\u2019 she asked, \u2018and how do you know my name?\u2019\n\n\u2018I am the son of the witch,\u2019 he replied, \u2018and my name is Bensiabel. I\nknow that she is determined that you shall die, but I promise you that\nshe shall not carry out her wicked plan. Will you give me a kiss, if I\nfill your basket?\u2019\n\n\u2018No,\u2019 said Prunella, \u2018I will not give you a kiss, because you are the\nson of a witch.\u2019\n\n\u2018Very well,\u2019 replied the youth sadly. \u2018Give me your basket and I will\nfill it for you.\u2019 And he dipped it into the well, and the water stayed\nin it. Then the girl returned to the house, carrying the basket filled\nwith water. When the witch saw it, she became white with rage, and\nexclaimed \u2018Bensiabel must have helped you.\u2019 And Prunella looked down,\nand said nothing.\n\n\u2018Well, we shall see who will win in the end,\u2019 said the witch, in a great\nrage.\n\nThe following day she called the girl to her and said: \u2018Take this sack\nof wheat. I am going out for a little; by the time I return I shall\nexpect you to have made it into bread. If you have not done it I will\nkill you.\u2019 Having said this she left the room, closing and locking the\ndoor behind her.\n\nPoor Prunella did not know what to do. It was impossible for her to\ngrind the wheat, prepare the dough, and bake the bread, all in the short\ntime that the witch would be away. At first she set to work bravely, but\nwhen she saw how hopeless her task was, she threw herself on a chair,\nand began to weep bitterly. She was roused from her despair by hearing\nBensiabel\u2019s voice at her side saying: \u2018Prunella, Prunella, do not weep\nlike that. If you will give me a kiss I will make the bread, and you\nwill be saved.\u2019\n\n\u2018I will not kiss the son of a witch,\u2019 replied Prunella.\n\nBut Bensiabel took the wheat from her, and ground it, and made the\ndough, and when the witch returned the bread was ready baked in the\noven.\n\nTurning to the girl, with fury in her voice, she said: \u2018Bensiabel must\nhave been here and helped you;\u2019 and Prunella looked down, and said\nnothing.\n\n\u2018We shall see who will win in the end,\u2019 said the witch, and her eyes\nblazed with anger.\n\nNext day she called the girl to her and said: \u2018Go to my sister, who\nlives across the mountains. She will give you a casket, which you must\nbring back to me.\u2019 This she said knowing that her sister, who was a\nstill more cruel and wicked witch than herself, would never allow the\ngirl to return, but would imprison her and starve her to death. But\nPrunella did not suspect anything, and set out quite cheerfully. On the\nway she met Bensiabel.\n\n\u2018Where are you going, Prunella?\u2019 he asked.\n\n\u2018I am going to the sister of my mistress, from whom I am to fetch a\ncasket.\u2019\n\n\u2018Oh poor, poor girl!\u2019 said Bensiabel. \u2018You are being sent straight to\nyour death. Give me a kiss, and I will save you.\u2019\n\nBut again Prunella answered as before, \u2018I will not kiss the son of a\nwitch.\u2019\n\n\u2018Nevertheless, I will save your life,\u2019 said Bensiabel, \u2018for I love you\nbetter than myself. Take this flagon of oil, this loaf of bread, this\npiece of rope, and this broom. When you reach the witch\u2019s house, oil the\nhinges of the door with the contents of the flagon, and throw the loaf\nof bread to the great fierce mastiff, who will come to meet you. When\nyou have passed the dog, you will see in the courtyard a miserable woman\ntrying in vain to let down a bucket into the well with her plaited hair.\nYou must give her the rope. In the kitchen you will find a still more\nmiserable woman trying to clean the hearth with her tongue; to her you\nmust give the broom. You will see the casket on the top of a cupboard,\ntake it as quickly as you can, and leave the house without a moment\u2019s\ndelay. If you do all this exactly as I have told you, you will not be\nkilled.\u2019\n\nSo Prunella, having listened carefully to his instructions, did just\nwhat he had told her. She reached the house, oiled the hinges of the\ndoor, threw the loaf to the dog, gave the poor woman at the well the\nrope, and the woman in the kitchen the broom, caught up the casket from\nthe top of the cupboard, and fled with it out of the house. But the\nwitch heard her as she ran away, and rushing to the window called out to\nthe woman in the kitchen: \u2018Kill that thief, I tell you!\u2019\n\nBut the woman replied: \u2018I will not kill her, for she has given me a\nbroom, whereas you forced me to clean the hearth with my tongue.\u2019\n\nThen the witch called out in fury to the woman at the well: \u2018Take the\ngirl, I tell you, and fling her into the water, and drown her!\u2019\n\nBut the woman answered: \u2018No, I will not drown her, for she gave me this\nrope, whereas you forced me to use my hair to let down the bucket to\ndraw water.\u2019\n\nThen the witch shouted to the dog to seize the girl and hold her fast;\nbut the dog answered: \u2018No, I will not seize her, for she gave me a loaf\nof bread, whereas you let me starve with hunger.\u2019\n\nThe witch was so angry that she nearly choked, as she called out: \u2018Door,\nbang upon her, and keep her a prisoner.\u2019\n\nBut the door answered: \u2018I won\u2019t, for she has oiled my hinges, so that\nthey move quite easily, whereas you left them all rough and rusty.\u2019\n\nAnd so Prunella escaped, and, with the casket under her arm, reached the\nhouse of her mistress, who, as you may believe, was as angry as she was\nsurprised to see the girl standing before her, looking more beautiful\nthan ever. Her eyes flashed, as in furious tones she asked her, \u2018Did you\nmeet Bensiabel?\u2019\n\nBut Prunella looked down, and said nothing.\n\n\u2018We shall see,\u2019 said the witch, \u2018who will win in the end. Listen, there\nare three cocks in the hen-house; one is yellow, one black, and the\nthird is white. If one of them crows during the night you must tell me\nwhich one it is. Woe to you if you make a mistake. I will gobble you up\nin one mouthful.\u2019\n\nNow Bensiabel was in the room next to the one where Prunella slept. At\nmidnight she awoke hearing a cock crow.\n\n\u2018Which one was that?\u2019 shouted the witch.\n\nThen, trembling, Prunella knocked on the wall and whispered: \u2018Bensiabel,\nBensiabel, tell me, which cock crowed?\u2019\n\n\u2018Will you give me a kiss if I tell you?\u2019 he whispered back through the\nwall.\n\nBut she answered \u2018No.\u2019\n\nThen he whispered back to her: \u2018Nevertheless, I will tell you. It was\nthe yellow cock that crowed.\u2019\n\nThe witch, who had noticed the delay in Prunella\u2019s answer, approached\nher door calling angrily: \u2018Answer at once, or I will kill you.\u2019\n\nSo Prunella answered: \u2018It was the yellow cock that crowed.\u2019\n\nAnd the witch stamped her foot and gnashed her teeth.\n\nSoon after another cock crowed. \u2018Tell me now which one it is,\u2019 called\nthe witch. And, prompted by Bensiabel, Prunella answered: \u2018That is the\nblack cock.\u2019\n\nA few minutes after the crowing was heard again, and the voice of the\nwitch demanding \u2018Which one was that?\u2019\n\nAnd again Prunella implored Bensiabel to help her. But this time he\nhesitated, for he hoped that Prunella might forget that he was a witch\u2019s\nson, and promise to give him a kiss. And as he hesitated he heard an\nagonised cry from the girl: \u2018Bensiabel, Bensiabel, save me! The witch is\ncoming, she is close to me, I hear the gnashing of her teeth!\u2019\n\nWith a bound Bensiabel opened his door and flung himself against the\nwitch. He pulled her back with such force that she stumbled, and falling\nheadlong, dropped down dead at the foot of the stairs.\n\nThen, at last, Prunella was touched by Bensiabel\u2019s goodness and kindness\nto her, and she became his wife, and they lived happily ever after.\n\n\nEnd of The Grey Fairy Book.","title":"The Grey Fairy Book","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":97400}