produced by charles keller for tina

the violet fairy book

by various

edited by andrew lang

to violet myers is dedicated the violet fairy book

preface

he is accustomed to being asked , by ladies , ' have you written anything else except the fairy books ? '

these stories are as old as anything that men have invented .

they are narrated by naked savage women to naked savage children .

the stories are full of the oldest ideas of ages when science did not exist , and magic took the place of science .

who were the first authors of them nobody knows probably the first men and women .

eve may have told these tales to amuse cain and abel .

as people grew more civilised and had kings and queens , princes and princesses , these exalted persons generally were chosen as heroes and heroines .

then learned men collected and printed the country people 's stories , and these we have translated , to amuse children .

this is the whole truth of the matter .

i have said so before , and i say so again .

but nothing will prevent children from thinking that i invented the stories , or some ladies from being of the same opinion .

but who really invented the stories nobody knows ; it is all so long ago , long before reading and writing were invented .

mr w a craigie translated from the scandinavian , ' jasper who herded the hares . '

mrs lang did the rest .

some of the most interesting are from the roumanion , and three were previously published in the late dr steere 's ' swahili tales . '

by the permission of his representatives these three african stories have here been abridged and simplified for children .

contents

a tale of the tontlawald

the men were as dirty and ragged as gipsies , and there were besides a quantity of old women and half-naked children .

a few miles from the tontlawald was a large village , where dwelt a peasant who had recently married a young wife .

as not uncommonly happens in such cases , she turned the whole house upside down , and the two quarrelled and fought all day long .

for two years elsa suffered all this ill-treatment , when one day she went out with the other village children to pluck strawberries .

' run , run as fast as you can !

we are in the tontlawald ! '

like the others , she heard the boy 's cry , but could not make up her mind to leave the strawberries .

' after all , what does it matter ? ' thought she .

nobody will dare to beat you if i tell them not .

oh ! what wonders and splendours unfolded themselves before elsa 's astonished eyes !

she thought she really must be in heaven .

and the birds were not shy , but let the girls take them in their hands , and stroke their gold and silver feathers .

' what sort of a guest are you bringing to me ? '

' i found her alone in the wood , ' replied her daughter , ' and brought her back with me for a companion .

you will let her stay ? '

the mother laughed , but said nothing , only she looked elsa up and down sharply .

elsa stooped and kissed her hand , then , kneeling down , buried her face in the woman 's lap , and sobbed out :

' my mother has lain for many years under the ground .

my father is still alive , but i am nothing to him , and my stepmother beats me all the day long .

i can do nothing right , so let me , i pray you , stay with you .

she will half kill me for not having come back with the other children . '

then the daughter said to elsa , ' fear nothing , my mother will be your friend .

elsa meanwhile was tossed about between hope and fear , and felt as if the girl would never come .

at last elsa saw her crossing the grass with a box in her hand .

' my mother says we may play together to-day , as she wants to make up her mind what to do about you .

but i hope you will stay here always , as i can't bear you to go away .

have you ever been on the sea ? '

' the sea ? ' asked elsa , staring ; ' what is that ?

i 've never heard of such a thing ! '

two drops of water were glistening on the cloak , and these the girl shook on the ground .

only under their feet was a tiny dry spot .

then the girl placed the mussel shell on the water and took the fish scales in her hand .

the mussel shell grew bigger and bigger , and turned into a pretty little boat , which would have held a dozen children .

elsa asked what it meant , and the girl replied that it was her name .

everything round them was dry and firm , and there was no water anywhere .

the mussel shell and the fish scales were put back in the box , and the girls went in .

at the head of the table sat the lady of the house in a golden chair .

elsa did not know which way to look , for everything that met her eyes was more beautiful than she could have dreamed possible .

but she sat down with the rest , and ate some delicious fruit , and thought she must be in heaven .

the guests talked softly , but their speech was strange to elsa , and she understood nothing of what was said .

he bowed low to the lady and then stood quietly near the door .

' do you see this girl ? ' said the lady of the house , pointing to elsa .

' i wish to adopt her for my daughter .

make me a copy of her , which we can send to her native village instead of herself . '

is that so ? '

my waiting-maid , who teaches kisika all sorts of fine handiwork , shall teach you too . '

' now , ' he said to the lady , ' all we want is a drop of the maiden 's blood . '

when she heard this elsa grew white with horror , for she thought she was selling her soul to the evil one .

who could have taken them ?

well , she was to know that by-and-by .

but we can guess that the doll had been dressed in them , which was to go back to the village in her stead .

by the time the sun rose the doll had attained her full size , and no one could have told one girl from the other .

elsa started back when she met herself as she looked only yesterday .

it is for your stepmother , that she may beat it instead of you .

let her flog it as hard as she will , it can never feel any pain .

at the third blow , out sprang a large golden cock , and stood upon the stone .

whenever he crowed and flapped his wings the rock opened and something came out of it .

after everybody had had enough , the old man struck the rock again .

the golden cock crowed afresh , and back went dishes , table , chairs , and plates into the middle of the block .

there they all remained , till they were joined by the old man .

and this wonderful stone contained not only food , but clothes and everything you could possibly want in the house .

' do not worry yourself with useless wondering .

you wish to know why we never eat of the thirteenth dish ?

greed is man 's worst fault . '

nine years slipped away in this manner , when one day the lady called elsa into her room .

elsa was surprised at the summons , for it was unusual , and her heart sank , for she feared some evil threatened her .

' dearest child , ' she began , ' the time has come when we must part . '

' part ? ' cried elsa , burying her head in the lady 's lap .

' no , dear lady , that can never be till death parts us .

you once opened your arms to me ; you cannot thrust me away now . '

now you are a woman , and i have no right to keep you here .

you must return to the world of men , where joy awaits you . '

' dear lady , ' entreated elsa again .

' do not , i beseech you , send me from you .

i want no other happiness but to live and die beside you .

make me your waiting maid , or set me to any work you choose , but do not cast me forth into the world .

but it has to be .

you are only a common mortal , who will have to die one day , and you cannot stay here any longer .

though we have the bodies of men , we are not men at all , though it is not easy for you to understand why .

life seemed to stretch before her like a dark starless night .

if the father ever tried to come to his daughter 's help , his wife turned upon him , and things were rather worse than before .

one day the stepmother had given the girl a frightful beating , and then threatened to kill her outright .

his screams brought the neighbours from their cottages , but they were unable to explain how it had all come about .

the rest of the day all was still , but no one had seen anything of the daughter .

on the table he saw a slice of bread lying , and , being hungry , he ate it before going to sleep .

a few days later he was placed in the grave beside his wife , but nothing more was ever heard of their daughter .

then she soared high in the air , and floated up towards the clouds , as if she had really been hatched an eagle .

for several days she flew steadily south , resting from time to time when her wings grew tired , for hunger she never felt .

suddenly a sharp pain quivered through her body , and she fell to the ground , pierced by an arrow .

when elsa recovered her senses , she found herself lying under a bush in her own proper form .

what had befallen her , and how she got there , lay behind her like a bad dream .

every night , for half a year , have i dreamed , dear lady , that i should one day find you in this wood .

and although i have passed through it hundreds of times in vain , i have never given up hope .

to-day i was going in search of a large eagle that i had shot , and instead of the eagle i have found you . '

then he took elsa on his horse , and rode with her to the town , where the old king received her graciously .

and after the king 's death elsa became queen , and when she was old she told this story .

but that was the last that was ever heard of the tontlawald .

( from ehstnische marchen . )

the finest liar in the world

' good greeting , beardless one ! ' cried he .

' good greeting , sonny , ' replied the man .

' could i grind something here ? '

' yes , certainly !

i will finish what i am doing and then you can grind as long as you like . '

but this time also the beardless man had been too clever for him , and had arrived first by another road .

' look here , sonny : if we share this cake we shall neither of us have enough .

let us see who can tell the biggest lie , and the one who lies the best shall have the whole cake . '

the boy , not knowing what else to do , answered , ' all right ; you begin . '

listen to me , and i will tell you a true story .

' in my youth , when i was an old man , we had a quantity of beehives .

i traced him as far as the shore , and knew that he had crossed the sea , and that i must follow .

' " that is my bee ! "

i shouted .

" where did you get him from ? " '

" brother , " replied the man , " if he is yours , take him . "

but when i awoke with the sun what a scene met my eyes !

during the night wolves had come and had eaten my bee .

and honey lay ankle-deep in the valley and knee-deep on the hills .

then i began to consider how i could best collect some , to take home with me .

and more than that , it was even cut by an invisible hand , and made into a cake .

ah , how vexed i was at its loss when i was safe on earth again .

' suddenly i remembered that my hair was very long .

if i stood it touched the ground , although if i was sitting it only reached my ears .

but what was i to do for a fire ?

a tinder box i had , but no wood .

but ill-luck still pursued me .

while i was sleeping a spark from the fire lighted on the hair , which was burnt up in a moment .

in despair i threw myself on the ground , and instantly sank in it as far as my waist .

i put up my hand and discovered that i really had no head , and that i must have left it in the well .

with these words the boy rose , took the cake , and went home , while the beardless one remained behind to swallow his disappointment .

( volksmarchen der serben . )

the story of three wonderful beggars

there once lived a merchant whose name was mark , and whom people called ' mark the rich . '

' dear daddy , let the poor old men sleep here to-night , do to please me . '

' what news is there ? ' asked the eldest .

' in the next village the peasant ivan has just had his seventh son .

what shall we name him , and what fortune shall we give him ? ' said the second .

after a little more talk the three made themselves ready and crept softly away .

anastasia , who had heard every word , ran straight to her father , and told him all .

he went first to the priest , and asked him about the children in his parish .

' yesterday , ' said the priest , ' a boy was born in the poorest house in the village .

i named the unlucky little thing " vassili . "

he is the seventh son , and the eldest is only seven years old , and they hardly have a mouthful amongst them all .

who can be got to stand godfather to such a little beggar boy ? '

the merchant 's heart beat fast , and his mind was full of bad thoughts about that poor little baby .

after the ceremony was over he took ivan aside and said :

' look here , my friend , you are a poor man .

how can you afford to bring up the boy ?

give him to me and i 'll make something of him , and i 'll give you a present of a thousand crowns .

is that a bargain ? '

ivan scratched his head , and thought , and thought , and then he agreed .

the merchants picked up the child , wrapped it up carefully , and drove on .

when they saw mark they told him what a strange thing they had found .

mark guessed at once that the child must be his godson , asked to see him , and said :

' that 's a nice little fellow ; i should like to keep him .

if you will make him over to me , i will let you off your debt . '

the merchants were very pleased to make so good a bargain , left the child with mark , and drove off .

at night mark took the child , put it in a barrel , fastened the lid tight down , and threw it into the sea .

the barrel floated away to a great distance , and at last it floated close up to a monastery .

the monks were just spreading out their nets to dry on the shore , when they heard the sound of crying .

it seemed to come from the barrel which was bobbing about near the water 's edge .

they drew it to land and opened it , and there was a little child !

when the abbot heard the news , he decided to bring up the boy , and named him ' vassili . '

the boy lived on with the monks , and grew up to be a clever , gentle , and handsome young man .

now , it happened about this time that the merchant , mark , came to the monastery in the course of a journey .

the monks were very polite to him and showed him their house and church and all they had .

he said to the abbot : ' i can't tell you how much i enjoy that young man 's singing .

if he could only come to me i would make him overseer of all my business .

as you say , he is so good and clever .

do spare him to me .

i will make his fortune , and will present your monastery with twenty thousand crowns . '

vassili had a good voyage , and on landing set off on foot for mark 's home .

on the way he met three beggars , who asked him : ' where are you going , vassili ? '

' i am going to the house of mark the merchant , and have a letter for his wife , ' replied vassili .

' show us the letter . '

vassili handed them the letter .

they blew on it and gave it back to him , saying : ' now go and give the letter to mark 's wife .

you will not be forsaken . '

vassili reached the house and gave the letter .

when the mistress read it she could hardly believe her eyes and called for her daughter .

if you don't obey my orders i shall be very angry . '

anastasia saw the bearer of the letter and he pleased her very much .

they dressed vassili in fine clothes and next day he was married to anastasia .

in due time , mark returned from his travels .

his wife , daughter , and son-in-law all went out to meet him .

when mark saw vassili he flew into a terrible rage with his wife .

' how dared you marry my daughter without my consent ? ' he asked .

' i only carried out your orders , ' said she .

' here is your letter . '

mark read it .

it certainly was his handwriting , but by no means his wishes .

and he waited a month and was very kind and pleasant to his daughter and her husband .

twelve years ago he built a castle on some land of mine .

vassili dared not disobey .

i really cannot tell you whether the journey was long or short .

as he tramped along he suddenly heard a voice saying : ' vassili ! where are you going ? '

vassili looked about him , and , seeing no one , called out : ' who spoke to me ? '

' i did ; this old wide-spreading oak .

tell me where you are going . '

' i am going to the serpent king to receive twelve years ' rent from him . '

is it to stand much longer on the earth ? " '

vassili went on further .

he came to a river and got into the ferryboat .

the old ferryman asked : ' are you going far , my friend ? '

' i am going to the serpent king . '

' then think of me and say to the king : " for thirty years the ferryman has rowed to and fro .

will the tired old man have to row much longer ? " '

' very well , ' said vassili ; ' i 'll ask him . '

and he walked on .

as he stepped on it the whale said , ' do tell me where you are going . '

' i am going to the serpent king . '

is he to lie there much longer ? " '

' i will remember , ' said vassili , and he went on .

he walked , and walked , and walked , till he came to a great green meadow .

in the meadow stood a large and splendid castle .

vassili walked in , and went from one room to another astonished at all the splendour he saw .

when he reached the last room of all , he found a beautiful girl sitting on a bed .

as soon as she saw him she said : ' oh , vassili , what brings you to this accursed place ? '

vassili told her why he had come , and all he had seen and heard on the way .

she had not time to say more , when the whole castle shook , and a rustling , hissing , groaning sound was heard .

then she rose up to receive the serpent king .

the monster rushed into the room , and threw itself panting on the bed , crying : ' i 've flown half over the world .

i 'm tired , very tired , and want to sleep scratch my head . '

after you left , i had such a wonderful dream .

will you tell me what it means ? '

' out with it then , quick !

what was it ? '

is it to stand much longer on the earth ? " '

' it must stand till some one comes and pushes it down with his foot .

then it will fall , and under its roots will be found more gold and silver than even mark the rich has got . '

will the tired old man have to row much longer ? " '

' that depends on himself .

the man in the boat will then have to take his place . '

must i lie here much longer ? " '

' he will have to lie there till he has thrown up the twelve ships of mark the rich which he swallowed .

then he may plunge back into the sea and heal his back . '

and the serpent king closed his eyes , turned round on his other side , and began to snore so loud that the windows rattled .

in all haste the lovely girl helped vassili out of the chest , and showed him part of his way back .

he thanked her very politely , and hurried off .

when he reached the strait the whale asked : ' have you thought of me ? '

' yes , as soon as i am on the other side i will tell you what you want to know . '

the great fish heaved itself up and threw up all the twelve ships and their crews .

then he shook himself for joy , and plunged into the sea .

vassili went on further till he reached the ferry , where the old man asked : ' did you think of me ? '

' yes , and as soon as you have ferried me across i will tell you what you want to know . '

there , at the roots , was more gold and silver than even mark the rich had .

and now the twelve ships which the whale had thrown up came sailing along and anchored close by .

then they vanished away and he never saw them again .

the sailors carried all the gold and silver into the ship , and then they set sail for home with vassili on board .

mark was more furious than ever .

when he reached the river he sprang into the ferryboat .

the ferryman , however , did not get in but pushed the boat off ....y .

vassili led a good and happy life with his dear wife , and his kind mother-in-law lived with them .

he helped the poor and fed and clothed the hungry and naked and all mark 's riches became his .

for many years mark has been ferrying people across the river .

his face is wrinkled , his hair and beard are snow white , and his eyes are dim ; but still he rows on .

( from the serbian . )

schippeitaro

he hastened quickly towards it , and curling himself up in a warm corner soon fell asleep .

keep it hidden and secret !

do not tell schippeitaro ! '

then , the midnight hour having passed , they all vanished , and the youth was left alone .

exhausted by all that had been going on round him , he flung himself on the ground and slept till the sun rose .

the moment he woke he felt very hungry , and began to think how he could get something to eat .

he followed the track , and by-and-by came on some scattered huts , beyond which lay a village .

as he listened to this story , the young man was filled with a great longing to rescue the maiden from her dreadful fate .

' who is schippeitaro ? ' he suddenly asked ; ' can any of you tell me ? '

and they began to laugh at the question , which seemed to them so odd and useless .

in the evening he knew that the cask would be placed in the chapel , so he hid himself there and waited .

the monster looked eagerly about him , and his eyes sparkled with joy when he saw the cask .

he bounded high into the air with delight and uttered cries of pleasure ; then he drew near and undid the bolts .

( japanische marchen . )

the three princes and their beasts ( lithuanian fairy tale )

once on a time there were three princes , who had a step-sister .

one day they all set out hunting together .

when they had gone some way through a thick wood they came on a great grey wolf with three cubs .

it will be a faithful friend to you . '

so the princes went on their way , and a little wolf followed each of them .

soon after they came on a lioness with three cubs .

and she too begged them not to shoot her , and she would give each of them a cub .

towards evening they came to a clearing in the wood , where three birches grew at the crossing of three roads .

the eldest prince took an arrow , and shot it into the trunk of one of the birch trees .

turning to his brothers he said :

' let each of us mark one of these trees before we part on different ways .

' with the eldest , ' she answered .

then the brothers separated from each other , and each of them set out down a different road , followed by their beasts .

and the step-sister went with the eldest prince .

the prince walked up to the door and knocked .

then the prince and his step-sister entered the castle and took up their abode in it .

the next morning the prince went out hunting .

before leaving he told his step-sister that she might go into every room in the house except into the cave where the dead robbers lay .

as soon as she looked in the robber who had only pretended to be dead sat up and said to her :

' don't be afraid .

do what i tell you , and i will be your friend .

if you marry me you will be much happier with me than with your brother .

but you must first go into the sitting-room and look in the cupboard .

there you will find three bottles .

if i were to fasten your thumbs behind your back with a stout silk cord , could you wrench yourself free ? "

and when you see that he cannot do it , call me . '

when the brother came home , the step-sister did as the robber had told her , and fastened her brother 's thumbs behind his back .

but again he freed himself , though not so easily as the first time , and he said to his sister :

' even that cord is not strong enough . '

the third day , on his return from the wood he consented to have his strength tested for the last time .

so he called to her and said : ' sister , this time the cord is so strong i cannot break it .

come and unfasten it for me . '

but the prince spoke and said :

' have patience for one minute .

so the robber consented , and the prince blew the horn .

so he awoke the wolf by flicking him across the eyes with his brush .

then the prince turned to the step-sister and said :

' i will not kill you , but i will leave you here to repent . '

so saying , he called his beasts , and set out on his travels .

when he had gone a little way he came to an inn .

everyone in the inn seemed so sad that he asked them what was the matter .

' ah , ' replied they , ' to-day our king 's daughter is to die .

she is to be handed over to a dreadful nine-headed dragon . '

then the prince said : ' why should she die ?

i am very strong , i will save her . '

and he set out to the sea-shore , where the dragon was to meet the princess .

but the prince remained , and soon he saw a movement in the water a long way off .

as it came nearer , he knew what it was , for skimming swiftly along the waters came a monster dragon with nine heads .

then the prince rushed forward with his sword and killed the dragon , and the beasts tore the body in pieces .

then the princess turned to the prince and thanked him for delivering her from the dragon , and she said to him :

' step into this carriage with me , and we will drive back to my father 's palace . '

and she gave him a ring and half of her handkerchief .

but on the way back the coachman and footman spoke to one another and said :

' why should we drive this stranger back to the palace ?

so they killed the prince , and left him dead on the roadside .

and the faithful beasts came round the dead body and wept , and wondered what they should do .

soon after a crow flew past , and began to peck at the dead ox .

in a moment the fox had caught it and brought it to the lion .

then the lion said to the crow :

then he set out for the town , accompanied by his faithful beasts .

i have her token here this ring and half her handkerchief . '

and when the king saw these tokens he knew that the prince was speaking the truth .

one day , soon after his marriage , the prince was walking through the woods in the evening , followed by his faithful beasts .

as he was very tired , and the night was very dark , the prince determined not to wander further .

so he asked the old woman if he might spend the night beside her fire .

' of course you may , ' she answered .

' but i am afraid of your beasts .

let me hit them with my rod , and then i shall not be afraid of them . '

and when he came into the town all the people were in great sorrow because their prince had disappeared .

then they led him to the king , and he too thought that it was his son-in-law .

so the youngest prince set out to look for his brother , and he too lost his way in the wood and night overtook him .

and she answered : ' certainly you may .

but i am afraid of your beasts .

may i give them a stroke with my rod , then i shall not be afraid of them . '

and he said she might , for he did not know that she was a witch .

so she stretched out her rod , and in a moment the beasts and their master were turned into stone .

it happened soon after that the second brother returned from his wanderings and came to the cross-roads where the three birches grew .

as he went round the trees he saw that blood poured from the cuts in the bark of two of the trees .

then he wept and said :

' alas ! both my brothers are dead . '

and he too set out towards the town in which his brother had ruled , and his faithful beasts followed him .

and they led him to the king 's palace , but the princess knew that he was not her husband .

so when they were alone together she besought him to go and seek for his brother and bring him home .

calling his beasts round him , he set out and wandered through the woods .

and he put his ear down to the earth , to listen if he could hear the sound of his brother 's beasts .

and it seemed to him as if he heard a faint sound far off , but he did not know from what direction it came .

so he blew on his hunting horn and listened again .

and again he heard the sound , and this time it seemed to come from the direction of a fire burning in the wood .

so he went towards the fire , and there the old woman was raking sticks and leaves into the embers .

and he asked her if he might spend the night beside her fire .

but he answered her :

' certainly not .

i am their master , and no one shall strike them but i myself .

give me the rod ' ; and he touched the fox with it , and in a moment it was turned into stone .

then he knew that the old woman was a witch , and he turned to her and said :

' unless you restore my brothers and their beasts back to life at once , my lion will tear you in pieces . '

and in a moment the two princes stood before their brother , and their beasts stood round them .

then the three princes set off together to the town .

the goat's ears of the emperor trojan

once upon a time there lived an emperor whose name was trojan , and he had ears like a goat .

when the youth was taken to the emperor 's bedroom , he was asked why he had come and not his master .

the young man replied that the master was ill , and there was no one but himself who could be trusted with the honour .

the emperor was satisfied with the answer , and sat down , and let a sheet of fine linen be put round him .

from this time the apprentice went regularly up to the palace , receiving each morning twelve ducats in payment .

his master saw there was something on his mind , and asked what it was .

the youth replied that he had been tormenting himself for some months , and should never feel easy until some one shared his secret .

then put back the earth and come away . '

and as he said so a great burden seemed to roll off him , and he shovelled the earth carefully back and ran lightly home .

weeks passed away , and there sprang up in the hole an elder tree which had three stems , all as straight as poplars .

he instantly sent for the apprentice and said to him :

' what have you been saying about me to all my people ? '

( volksmarchen der serben . )

the nine pea-hens and the golden apples

once upon a time there stood before the palace of an emperor a golden apple tree , which blossomed and bore fruit each night .

he felt very much ashamed of himself , and went with lagging feet to tell his father !

next came the turn of the youngest son , who made himself a comfortable bed under the apple tree , and prepared himself to sleep .

towards midnight he awoke , and sat up to look at the tree .

and behold ! the apples were beginning to ripen , and lit up the whole palace with their brightness .

then she changed herself back into a pea-hen , and the whole nine flew away .

that evening the prince returned to the apple tree , and everything passed as before , and so it happened for several nights .

so , when the evening came , the old woman hid herself under the tree and waited for the prince .

before long he arrived and laid down on his bed , and was soon fast asleep .

he dragged her out , and in his fury called his guards , and ordered them to put her to death as fast as possible .

but that did no good as far as the pea-hens went .

the prince would listen to nothing , and , accompanied by only one servant , set out on his quest .

and she hastened to him , and took his hand , and drew him into the palace .

' what can there be in that twelfth cellar , ' he thought to himself , ' which i must not see ? '

and he went downstairs and unlocked the doors , one after the other .

so the prince went back , and brought some more water , and again a hoop sprang .

take one of my scales , and when you are in danger twist it in your fingers , and i will come ! '

then he went on his way till , some miles further down the road , he found a fox caught in a trap .

pull out one of my hairs , and when you are in danger twist it in your fingers , and i will come . '

so the prince unfastened the trap , pulled out one of the fox 's hairs , and continued his journey .

and as he was going over the mountain he passed a wolf entangled in a snare , who begged to be set at liberty .

' only deliver me from death , ' he said , ' and you will never be sorry for it .

take a lock of my fur , and when you need me twist it in your fingers . '

and the prince undid the snare and let the wolf go .

' oh , brother ! ' asked the prince , ' tell me , if you can , where the dragon-emperor lives ? '

hardly were they out of sight of the palace than the dragon came home and found that his prisoner had flown .

he sent at once for his talking horse , and said to him :

' give me your advice ; what shall i do have my supper as usual , or set out in pursuit of them ? '

' eat your supper with a free mind first , ' answered the horse , ' and follow them afterwards . '

half mad with grief , the prince rode sadly on a little further , hardly knowing what he was doing .

then he could bear it no longer and turned back to the palace , in spite of the dragon 's threats .

again the empress was sitting alone , and once more they began to think of a scheme by which they could escape the dragon 's power .

then , fearing to meet his enemy , he stole out of the castle .

' but tell me about that wonderful horse you were riding yesterday .

there cannot be another like it in the whole world .

where did you get it from ? '

and he answered :

' the way i got it is a way which no one else can take .

he is twin brother to my own horse , and can fly as high as the clouds themselves .

but no one can ever get this horse without first serving the old woman for three whole days .

but if he fails to keep the foal and its mother safe on any one of the three nights his head will pay . '

the prince at once determined to seek the old woman on the top of the mountain , and lost no time in setting out .

it was a long and steep climb , but at last he found her , and with a low bow he began :

' good greeting to you , little mother ! '

' good greeting to you , my son !

what are you doing here ? '

' i wish to become your servant , ' answered he .

' so you shall , ' said the old woman .

one post only was empty , and as they passed it cried out :

' woman , give me the head i am waiting for ! '

the old woman made no answer , but turned to the prince and said :

but the prince did not waver , and declared he would abide by his words .

when evening came he led the mare out of the stable and mounted her , and the colt ran behind .

he had gone some way without a single trace to guide him , when he came to a little river .

it had hardly touched his fingers when the fish appeared in the stream beside him .

' what is it , my brother ? ' asked the fish anxiously .

' the old woman 's mare strayed last night , and i don't know where to look for her . '

' oh , i can tell you that : she has changed herself into a big fish , and her foal into a little one .

the prince did as he was bid , and the mare and her foal stood before him .

then he put the halter round her neck , and rode her home , the foal always trotting behind them .

' you should have gone among the fishes , ' cried the old woman , striking the animal with a stick .

he gave a shriek of dismay , and sprang up in search of the wanderers .

' what is it , my brother ? ' asked the fox , who instantly appeared before him .

' the old witch's mare has run away from me , and i do not know where to look for her . '

he mounted and rode back , and the old woman placed food on the table , and led the mare back to the stable .

' you should have gone to the foxes , as i told you , ' said she , striking the mare with a stick .

' i did go to the foxes , ' replied the mare , ' but they are no friends of mine and betrayed me . '

the third night the prince mounted the mare and rode her out to the meadows , with the foal trotting after .

' what is it , my brother ? ' asked the wolf as it stood before him .

' you should have gone among the wolves , ' said she , striking her with a stick .

' so i did , ' replied the mare , ' but they are no friends of mine and betrayed me . '

the old woman made no answer , and left the stable , but the prince was at the door waiting for her .

' i have served you well , ' said he , ' and now for my reward . '

' what i promised that will i perform , ' answered she .

' choose one of these twelve horses ; you can have which you like . '

' give me , instead , that half-starved creature in the corner , ' asked the prince .

' i prefer him to all those beautiful animals . '

' you can't really mean what you say ? ' replied the woman .

' yes , i do , ' said the prince , and the old woman was forced to let him have his way .

then he mounted , and they flew straight through the air to the dragon 's palace .

but the dragon made no reply to the horse 's words , but sprang on his back and set off in chase of the fugitives .

i shall sink to the earth if i try to keep up with you . '

and the prince 's horse answered , ' why do you serve a monster like that ?

kick him off , and let him break in pieces on the ground , and come and join us . '

and the dragon 's horse plunged and reared , and the dragon fell on a rock , which broke him in pieces .

then the empress mounted his horse , and rode back with her husband to her kingdom , over which they ruled for many years .

( volksmarchen der serben . )

the lute player

once upon a time there was a king and queen who lived happily and comfortably together .

they were very fond of each other and had nothing to worry them , but at last the king grew restless .

if i go myself and the heathen king sees me he will just take me to be one of his wives .

if i were to send one of the ministers ! but i hardly know if i can depend on them . '

she thought , and thought , and at last an idea came into her head .

she cut off all her beautiful long brown hair and dressed herself in boy 's clothes .

then she took her lute and , without saying anything to anyone , she went forth into the wide world .

when she got there she walked all round the palace and at the back she saw the prison .

after she had played for some time she began to sing , and her voice was sweeter than the lark 's :

' oh ! who will thank me for my song , reward my simple lay ?

like lover 's sighs it still shall rise to greet thee day by day .

' of the sad captive 's longing within his prison wall , of hearts that sigh when none are nigh to answer to their call .

no sooner had the heathen king heard this touching song sung by such a lovely voice , than he had the singer brought before him .

' welcome , o lute player , ' said he .

' where do you come from ? '

' my country , sire , is far away across many seas .

for years i have been wandering about the world and gaining my living by my music . '

he cared for nothing but the music , and nodded his head as he declared , ' that 's something like playing and singing .

it makes me feel as if some gentle hand had lifted every care and sorrow from me . '

after three days the lute player came to take leave of the king .

' well , ' said the king , ' what do you desire as your reward ? '

' sire , give me one of your prisoners .

you have so many in your prison , and i should be glad of a companion on my journeys .

when i hear his happy voice as i travel along i shall think of you and thank you . '

' come along then , ' said the king , ' choose whom you will . '

and he took the lute player through the prison himself .

the queen walked about amongst the prisoners , and at length she picked out her husband and took him with her on her journey .

when they reached the frontier the prisoner said :

' let me go now , kind lad ; i am no common prisoner , but the king of this country .

let me go free and ask what you will as your reward . '

' do not speak of reward , ' answered the lute player .

' go in peace . '

' then come with me , dear boy , and be my guest . '

' when the proper time comes i shall be at your palace , ' was the reply , and so they parted .

the queen took a short way home , got there before the king and changed her dress .

an hour later all the people in the palace were running to and fro and crying out : ' our king has come back !

our king has returned to us . '

the king greeted every one very kindly , but he would not so much as look at the queen .

then he called all his council and ministers together and said to them :

' see what sort of a wife i have .

she only returned to-day . '

then the king was very angry and cried , ' judge my faithless wife !

never would you have seen your king again , if a young lute player had not delivered him .

i shall remember him with love and gratitude as long as i live . '

whilst the king was sitting with his council , the queen found time to disguise herself .

she took her lute , and slipping into the court in front of the palace she sang , clear and sweet :

' i sing the captive 's longing within his prison wall , of hearts that sigh when none are nigh to answer to their call .

' here , ' he cried , ' is the boy who released me from my prison .

and now , my true friend , i will indeed give you your heart 's desire . '

' i am sure you will not be less generous than the heathen king was , sire .

i ask of you what i asked and obtained from him .

but this time i don't mean to give up what i get .

i want you yourself ! '

and as she spoke she threw off her long cloak and everyone saw it was the queen .

who can tell how happy the king was ?

i was there too , and ate and drank many good things .

i sha'n't forget that feast as long as i live .

( from the russian . )

the grateful prince

as he was wandering down one path which had looked at first more hopeful than the rest he saw a man coming towards him .

' i have lost myself , ' answered the king , ' and am trying to get home . '

the king did not answer directly , but after awhile he spoke : ' why should i give away my best sporting dog .

i can surely find my way out of the forest as well as this man . '

so the stranger left him , but the king followed path after path for three whole days , with no better success than before .

he was almost in despair , when the stranger suddenly appeared , blocking up his way .

' promise you will give me the first thing that comes out of your house to meet you ? '

but still the king was stiff-necked and would promise nothing .

then for the third time the stranger stood before the king , and said :

' why are you such a fool ?

what can a dog be to you , that you should give your life for him like this ?

just promise me the reward i want , and i will guide you out of the forest . '

i accept your terms , so take me to my palace . '

scarcely had he uttered the words than he found himself at the edge of the wood , with the palace in the dim distance .

the king shrank back , and ordered the nurse to take the baby away at once .

then his great boarhound bounded up to him , but his caresses were only answered by a violent push .

but he did not dare to bring back the baby , lest the trick should be found out .

the peasants were quite contented with this arrangement , which gave them food and money in abundance .

by-and-by the boy grew big and tall , and seemed to lead a happy life in the house of his foster parents .

to become king at the cost of a maiden 's life was too heavy a price to pay .

after he had walked some way he began to cry loudly : ' oh , how unlucky i am !

where can i be ?

is there no one to show me the way out of the wood ? '

then appeared a strange man with a long grey beard , with a leather bag hanging from his girdle .

' what can a beggar such as i promise you ? ' answered the prince .

' it is full of peas , ' was the reply .

' then you are an orphan ? ' asked the stranger .

' why should you not enter my service ?

i want a sharp fellow in the house , and you please me . '

' why not , indeed , if we can strike a bargain ? ' said the other .

' i was born a peasant , and strange bread is always bitter , so it is the same to me whom i serve !

what wages will you give me ? '

' i shall be satisfied with that , ' said the youth .

' somebody else will have to bury my aunt .

i will go with you ! '

at night they slept under a fig tree , and when the sun rose started on their way .

suddenly there appeared under the stone a secret door , which led to what looked like the mouth of a cave .

the old fellow seized the youth by the arm , and said roughly , ' follow me ! '

thick darkness surrounded them , yet it seemed to the prince as if their path led into still deeper depths .

not a rustle or a sound could be heard .

here and there he noticed a bird sitting on a branch , with head erect and swelling throat , but his ear caught nothing .

it sounded as if a troop of horses were ploughing their way over a moor .

then the greybeard opened his mouth , and said : ' the kettle is boiling ; we are expected at home . '

they reached it at last , and found an empty kennel standing in front of the gate .

' creep inside this , ' said the master , ' and wait while i go in and see my grandmother .

like all very old people , she is very obstinate , and cannot bear fresh faces about her . '

the prince crept tremblingly into the kennel , and began to regret the daring which had brought him into this scrape .

by-and-by the master came back , and called him from his hiding-place .

keep your eyes and ears open , and your mouth shut , obey without questions .

be grateful if you will , but never speak unless you are spoken to . '

when the prince stepped over the threshold he caught sight of a maiden of wonderful beauty , with brown eyes and fair curly hair .

then she took out a needle and thread , and began to darn her stockings .

the master sat at table alone , and invited neither his new servant nor the maid to eat with him .

neither was the old grandmother anywhere to be seen .

his appetite was tremendous : he soon cleared all the dishes , and ate enough to satisfy a dozen men .

during the meal he stole many glances at the maiden , and would even have spoken to her , but she gave him no encouragement .

besides , the master was stretched on a bench by the oven after his huge meal , and would have heard everything .

but the day after to-morrow you must come with me , and i will point out the work you have to do .

the maid will show you where you are to sleep . '

' you dog of a servant !

if you disobey the laws of the house you will soon find yourself a head shorter !

hold your tongue , and leave me in peace . '

the girl made a sign to him to follow her , and , throwing open a door , nodded to him to go in .

' it is impossible that she can be his daughter ! ' he said to himself , ' for she has a kind heart .

he got into bed , but it was long before he fell asleep , and even then his dreams gave him no rest .

he seemed to be surrounded by dangers , and it was only the power of the maiden who helped him through it all .

when he woke his first thoughts were for the girl , whom he found hard at work .

on the evening of the second day he went , as he had been told , to receive his orders for the following morning .

' i am going to set you something very easy to do to-morrow , ' said the old man when his servant entered .

' take this scythe and cut as much grass as the white horse will want for its day 's feed , and clean out its stall .

if i come back and find the manger empty it will go ill with you .

so beware ! '

' for to-morrow , ' answered the prince , ' it is really nothing at all !

just to cut hay for the horse , and to clean out his stall ! '

' oh , luckless being ! ' sighed the girl ; ' how will you ever get through with it .

how , then , do you expect to do it all by yourself ?

but listen to me , and do what i tell you .

it is your only chance .

after these words the maiden went away as softly as she had come .

early the next morning he set to work .

his scythe danced through the grass much more easily than he had hoped , and soon he had enough to fill the manger .

he put it in the crib , and returned with a second supply , when to his horror he found the crib empty .

then he knew that without the maiden 's advice he would certainly have been lost , and began to put it into practice .

he took out the rushes which had somehow got mixed up with the hay , and plaited them quickly .

' my son , what are you doing ? ' asked the horse wonderingly .

' oh , nothing ! ' replied he .

' just weaving a chin strap to bind your jaws together , in case you might wish to eat any more ! '

the white horse sighed deeply when it heard this , and made up its mind to be content with what it had eaten .

he had barely finished when in walked the old man , who stood astonished at the door .

' is it really you who have been clever enough to do that ? ' he asked .

' or has some one else given you a hint ? '

' oh , i have had no help , ' replied the prince , ' except what my poor weak head could give me . '

the old man frowned , and went away , and the prince rejoiced that everything had turned out so well .

but take care you milk her dry , or it may be the worse for you . '

i have never milked a cow before , but i have good strong fingers . '

' oh , you are unlucky , ' cried she .

' if you were to try from morning till night you couldn't do it .

the black cow will ask you what is the meaning of all this , and you must answer what i will whisper to you . '

and she stood on tip-toe and whispered something in his ear , and then went away .

the black cow watched him with surprise for some time , and then said : ' what are you doing , sonny ? '

' have you really managed it all yourself , or did somebody help you ? '

' i have nobody to help me , ' answered the prince , ' but my own poor head . '

the old man got up from his seat and went away .

the prince was overjoyed to hear he had nothing worse to do .

i am certainly not going to spare the old grandmother . '

by-and-by the maiden stole up to ask what task he had for the next day .

the young man laughed , and said : ' it appears that i have got to learn all kinds of farmer 's work .

' oh , you unlucky creature ! ' cried she ; ' and how do you think you are to do it .

if you had all the men in the world to help you , you could not clear off this one little hay-rick in a week .

the instant you have thrown down the hay at the top , it will take root again from below .

but listen to what i say .

you must steal out at daybreak to-morrow and bring out the white horse and some good strong ropes .

then get on the hay-stack , put the ropes round it , and harness the horse to the ropes .

when you are ready , climb up the hay-stack and begin to count one , two , three .

the horse will ask you what you are counting , and you must be sure to answer what i whisper to you . '

so the maiden whispered something in his ear , and left the room .

and the prince knew nothing better to do than to get into bed .

the master was dumb with surprise as he came in after breakfast and found his man 's day 's work quite done .

' was it really you who were so clever ? ' asked he .

' or did some one give you good advice ? '

late in the evening the prince went to his master to learn what he was to do next day .

and he went towards his room , where the maiden met him .

' oh , you unlucky being ! ' sighed she .

' do you know that this calf is so swift that in a single day he can run three times round the world ?

take heed to what i tell you .

after this the prince went to bed and slept soundly .

i am sure you have found some clever friend ! '

the young man wondered at this strange freak , and went laughing in search of the maiden .

' ah , it is no laughing matter , ' sighed she .

' he means to eat you , and there is only one way in which i can help you .

you must heat an iron shovel red hot , and hold it out to him instead of your hand . '

so next morning he wakened very early , and had heated the shovel before the old man was awake .

at length he heard him calling , ' you lazy fellow , where are you ?

come and wish me good morning . '

you must return this evening , when i may be better . '

the prince loitered about all day , and in the evening went back to the old man 's room .

come to me at dawn and bring the maiden with you .

i know you have long loved each other , and i wish to make you man and wife . '

the young man nearly jumped into the air for joy , but , remembering the rules of the house , he managed to keep still .

we must escape somehow , or else we shall be lost .

take an axe , and cut off the head of the calf with one blow .

with a second , split its head in two , and in its brain you will see a bright red ball .

bring that to me .

meanwhile , i will do what is needful here .

and the prince thought to himself , ' better kill the calf than be killed ourselves .

if we can once escape , we will go back home .

the peas which i strewed about must have sprouted , so that we shall not miss the way . '

then he went into the stall , and with one blow of the axe killed the calf , and with the second split its brain .

in an instant the place was filled with light , as the red ball fell from the brain of the calf .

the prince picked it up , and , wrapping it round with a thick cloth , hid it in his bosom .

mercifully , the cow slept through it all , or by her cries she would have awakened the master .

he looked round , and at the door stood the maiden , holding a little bundle in her arms .

' where is the ball ? ' she asked .

' here , ' answered he .

so they went on till the day began to dawn .

the old man slept very late that morning , and rubbed his eyes till he was properly awake .

then he remembered that very soon the couple were to present themselves before him .

at last he grew a little uneasy , and cried loudly , ' man and maid ! what has become of you ? '

after repeating this many times , he became quite frightened , but , call as he would , neither man nor maid appeared .

then he went straight to the stable , where the sight of the dead calf told him all .

swearing loudly , he opened the door of the third stall quickly , and cried to his goblin servants to go and chase the fugitives .

' bring them to me , however you may find them , for have them i must ! ' he said .

so spake the old man , and the servants fled like the wind .

the runaways were crossing a great plain , when the maiden stopped .

' something has happened ! ' she said .

then the maiden turned the ball thrice in her hand , and cried ,

' listen to me , my ball , my ball .

be quick and change me into a brook , and my lover into a little fish . '

and in an instant there was a brook with a fish swimming in it .

when they were quite out of sight , the brook and the fish returned to their usual shapes and proceeded on their journey .

' nothing , ' said they ; ' the plain was quite empty , save for a brook and a fish swimming in it . '

' idiots ! ' roared the master ; ' of course it was they ! '

and the goblins jumped up , and flew like the wind .

the young pair had almost reached the edge of the wood , when the maiden stopped again .

' something has happened , ' said she .

' those are our pursuers , ' cried she , and turning the ball three times in her hand she spoke to it thus :

' listen to me , my ball , my ball .

be quick and change us both .

me into a wild rose bush , and him into a rose on my stem . '

and in the twinkling of an eye it was done .

only just in time too , for the goblins were close at hand , and looked round eagerly for the stream and the fish .

but neither stream nor fish was to be seen ; nothing but a rose bush .

' well , did you find them ? ' asked the old man when his goblins came back .

' no , ' replied the leader of the goblins , ' we found neither brook nor fish in the desert . '

' and did you find nothing else at all ? '

' oh , nothing but a rose tree on the edge of a wood , with a rose hanging on it . '

' idiots ! ' cried he .

' why , that was they . '

and he threw open the door of the seventh stall , where his mightiest goblins were locked in .

tear up the rose tree and the roots too , and don't leave anything behind , however strange it may be ! '

the fugitives were resting in the shade of a wood , and were refreshing themselves with food and drink .

suddenly the maiden looked up .

' something has happened , ' said she .

' the ball has nearly jumped out of my bosom !

some one is certainly following us , and the danger is near , but the trees hide our enemies from us . '

as she spoke she took the ball in her hand , and said :

' listen to me , my ball , my ball .

be quick and change me into a breeze , and make my lover into a midge . '

an instant , and the girl was dissolved into thin air , while the prince darted about like a midge .

but they had hardly turned their backs to go home empty-handed when the prince and the maiden stood on the earth again .

worn out and breathless , they came at length to a large stone , and here the ball began to move restlessly .

the maiden , seeing this , exclaimed :

' listen to me , my ball , my ball .

roll the stone quickly to one side , that we may find a door . '

and in a moment the stone had rolled away , and they had passed through the door to the world again .

' now we are safe , ' cried she .

' here the old wizard has no more power over us , and we can guard ourselves from his spells .

but , my friend , we have to part !

you will return to your parents , and i must go in search of mine . '

' no ! no ! ' exclaimed the prince .

' i will never part from you .

you must come with me and be my wife .

we have gone through many troubles together , and now we will share our joys .

the maiden resisted his words for some time , but at last she went with him .

she herself stayed behind in a peasant 's hut , so that father and son might meet alone .

and the councillors cried with one voice , ' let her be your wife , and our liege lady . '

and that is the end of the story .

( ehstnische marchen . )

the child who came from an egg

once upon a time there lived a queen whose heart was sore because she had no children .

now it happened that a war broke out with the king of a neighbouring country , and the queen was left in the palace alone .

' under rough bark lies smooth wood and sweet kernel , ' replied the old woman .

' let me see your hand , that i may read the future . '

the queen held out her hand , and the old woman examined its lines closely .

then she said , ' your heart is heavy with two sorrows , one old and one new .

but your other sorrow is much older than this .

your happiness is spoilt because you have no children . '

at these words the queen became scarlet , and tried to draw away her hand , but the old woman said :

' have a little patience , for there are some things i want to see more clearly . '

' but who are you ? ' asked the queen , ' for you seem to be able to read my heart . '

you must , however , promise to do exactly what i tell you , if any good is to come of it . '

she held it out to the queen , saying , ' in the basket you will find a bird 's egg .

this you must be careful to keep in a warm place for three months , when it will turn into a doll .

the boy you will bring up yourself , but you must entrust the little girl to a nurse .

a fortnight after the old woman had paid her visit , the king came home , having conquered his enemies .

next she sent for the king , who nearly went mad with joy at the sight of the children .

the boy was called willem .

then , kissing the baby three times , she mounted her coach and drove away .

the children throve well , and dotterine 's nurse loved her as if she were the baby 's real mother .

at length she told the queen what she had seen , but they determined to keep it as a secret between themselves .

the twins were by this time nearly two years old , when the queen was taken suddenly ill .

all the best doctors in the country were sent for , but it was no use , for there is no cure for death .

the queen knew she was dying , and sent for dotterine and her nurse , who had now become her lady-in-waiting .

to her , as her most faithful servant , she gave the lucky basket in charge , and besought her to treasure it carefully .

about my son , i have no fears .

he is the heir of the kingdom , and his father will look after him . '

the lady-in-waiting promised to carry out the queen 's directions , and above all to keep the affair a secret .

and that same morning the queen died .

but if they ever strayed across the path of the queen , she would kick them out of her sight like dogs .

two more years slipped by , when one day during the king 's absence the stepmother found dotterine sitting under a lime tree .

she fell as usual into a passion , and beat the child so badly that dotterine went staggering to her own room .

very much disappointed , she lifted the wool , and there lay the goose 's wing .

' what old rubbish , ' said the child to herself , and , turning , threw the wing out of the open window .

in a moment a beautiful lady stood beside her .

' do not be afraid , ' said the lady , stroking dotterine 's head .

' i am your godmother , and have come to pay you a visit .

your red eyes tell me that you are unhappy .

i know that your stepmother is very unkind to you , but be brave and patient , and better days will come .

now come into the garden , that i may talk to you under the lime trees , where no one can hear us . '

' hand me the basket , ' said she , ' for you must have some supper .

i cannot let you go hungry to bed . '

it lasted so long that food began to fail , and even in the palace there was not enough to eat .

so one morning dotterine , who had had neither supper nor breakfast , and was feeling very hungry , let her wing fly away .

she was so weak and miserable , that directly her godmother appeared she burst into tears , and could not speak for some time .

' do not cry so , dear child , ' said the godmother .

' i will carry you away from all this , but the others i must leave to take their chance . '

the queen had already met her death from a spear carelessly thrown .

but you will have to endure a little longer yet . '

then , warning her once more to take care of the basket , the lady bade the girl farewell .

anyhow at the end of three days she could do everything as well as if she had cleaned pots and swept rooms all her life .

one morning dotterine was busy scouring a wooden tub , when a noble lady happened to pass through the village .

' would you not like to come and enter my service ? ' she asked .

' very much , ' replied dotterine , ' if my present mistress will allow me . '

the girl wept bitterly for his loss , but in secrecy , as she had told her mistress nothing about her past life .

nobody will be so fine as you . '

dotterine did not want to be told twice !

she put it on with fingers that trembled with joy , and , looking in the glass , was struck dumb at her own beauty .

the king 's palace was a long way off , yet it seemed only a few minutes before dotterine drew up at the great gates .

she was just going to alight , when she suddenly remembered she had left her basket behind her .

what was she to do ?

but before she could decide , a little swallow flew up with the basket in its beak , and the girl was happy again .

their hopes faded as they gazed , but their mothers whispered together , saying , ' surely this is our lost princess ! '

the young king did not know her again , but he never left her side nor took his eyes from her .

and at midnight a strange thing happened .

a thick cloud suddenly filled the hall , so that for a moment all was dark .

then the mist suddenly grew bright , and dotterine 's godmother was seen standing there .

( ehstnische marchen . )

stan bolovan

once upon a time what happened did happen , and if it had not happened this story would never have been told .

in the house lived a man who had a wife , and the wife was sad all day long .

' dear wife , what is wrong with you that you hang your head like a drooping rosebud ? ' asked her husband one morning .

' you have everything you want ; why cannot you be merry like other women ? '

at length he felt he could bear it no longer , and tried a third time , and then his wife turned and answered him .

' good gracious ! ' cried she , ' why cannot you let things be as they are ?

if i were to tell you , you would become just as wretched as myself .

if you would only believe , it is far better for you to know nothing . '

but no man yet was ever content with such an answer .

the more you beg him not to inquire , the greater is his curiosity to learn the whole .

' well , if you must know , ' said the wife at last , ' i will tell you .

there is no luck in this house no luck at all ! '

' is not your cow the best milker in all the village ?

are not your trees as full of fruit as your hives are full of bees ?

has anyone cornfields like ours ?

really you talk nonsense when you say things like that ! '

' yes , all that you say is true , but we have no children . '

then stan understood , and when a man once understands and has his eyes opened it is no longer well with him .

from that day the little house in the outskirts contained an unhappy man as well as an unhappy woman .

and at the sight of her husband 's misery the woman became more wretched than ever .

and so matters went on for some time .

some weeks had passed , and stan thought he would consult a wise man who lived a day 's journey from his own house .

the wise man was sitting before his door when he came up , and stan fell on his knees before him .

' give me children , my lord , give me children . '

' take care what you are asking , ' replied the wise man .

' will not children be a burden to you ?

are you rich enough to feed and clothe them ? '

he reached home that evening tired and dusty , but with hope in his heart .

' good gracious ! how many there are ! how many ! ' he muttered to himself .

' oh , but not one too many , ' smiled his wife , coming up with a crowd more children clinging to her skirts .

i am hungry i am hungry , ' till stan scratched his head and wondered what he was to do next .

the cow had ceased to give milk , and it was too early for the fruit trees to ripen .

in the shadow of some trees lay the rest of the flock .

and this happened every night .

' one of every three rams , one of every three sheep , one of every three lambs , ' answered the herd .

however , that matter could be settled later .

at present night was not far off , and he must consider how best to fight with the dragon .

he half turned ; then he remembered the children , and turned back .

' you or i , ' said stan to himself , and took up his position on the edge of the flock .

' stop ! ' he suddenly cried , as the air was filled with a rushing noise , and the dragon came dashing past .

' dear me ! ' exclaimed the dragon , looking round .

' who are you , and where do you come from ? '

' i fight you ? ' replied stan , ' why i could slay you with one breath ! '

the dragon did as stan bade him , and brought back a stone out of the brook .

' can you get buttermilk out of your stone ? ' asked stan .

the dragon picked up his stone with one hand , and squeezed it till it fell into powder , but no buttermilk flowed from it .

' of course i can't ! ' he said , half angrily .

' well , if you can't , i can , ' answered stan , and he pressed the cheese till buttermilk flowed through his fingers .

' listen to me , ' he said at last .

' i see you are a very useful person , and my mother has need of a fellow like you .

three times seven sacks full of ducats !

the offer was very tempting , and stan could not resist it .

he did not waste words , but nodded to the dragon , and they started along the road .

' stay here , ' said he , ' and wait for me ; i am going to explain things to my mother . '

' oh , just leave him to me ! ' she said .

' i have never yet let a man slip through my fingers . '

so stan had to stay and do the old mother service .

they walked to the spot where the club lay .

' what are you doing ? ' asked the dragon .

' i was thinking what a beautiful club it was , and what a pity it is that it should cause your death . '

' how do you mean my death ? ' asked the dragon .

' only that i am afraid that if i throw it you will never see another dawn .

you don't know how strong i am ! '

' oh , never mind that be quick and throw . '

then stan seated himself on the sack of provisions , and remained quietly watching the setting moon .

' what are you doing ? ' asked the dragon .

' waiting till the moon gets out of my way . '

' what do you mean ?

i don't understand . '

' don't you see that the moon is exactly in my way ?

but of course , if you like , i will throw the club into the moon . '

at these words the dragon grew uncomfortable for the second time .

' i 'll tell you what , ' he said , after thinking a little .

' don't throw the club at all .

i will throw it a second time , and that will do just as well . '

' no , certainly not ! ' replied stan .

' just wait till the moon sets . '

' oh , dear me , that is indeed a strong man , ' said the dragon , turning to his mother .

' would you believe that i have had the greatest difficulty in preventing him from throwing the club into the moon ? '

then the old woman grew uncomfortable too !

only to think of it !

it was no joke to throw things into the moon !

so no more was heard of the club , and the next day they had all something else to think about .

but he only took an old knife out of his pocket and began to scratch up the earth near the brook .

' what are you doing there ?

how are you going to carry the water into the house ? ' asked the dragon .

' how ?

dear me , that is easy enough !

i shall just take the brook ! '

at these words the dragon 's jaw dropped .

' i 'll tell you what ! ' he said .

' let me carry your skins for you . '

on the third day the old mother sent stan into the forest for wood , and , as usual , the dragon went with him .

and so he did to a whole line of trees .

' what are you doing there ? ' asked the dragon .

' you can see for yourself , ' answered stan , going quietly on with his work .

' why are you tying the trees together ? '

' not to give myself unnecessary work ; when i pull up one , all the others will come up too . '

' but how will you carry them home ? '

' you are a good fellow , and i agree to your proposal , ' answered stan , and the dragon carried the wood .

in the evening the dragon and his mother had a long talk , but stan heard every word through a crack in the ceiling .

' woe be to us , mother , ' said the dragon ; ' this man will soon get us into his power .

give him his money , and let us be rid of him . '

but the old mother was fond of money , and did not like this .

' listen to me , ' said she ; ' you must murder him this very night . '

' i am afraid , ' answered he .

' there is nothing to fear , ' replied the old mother .

' when he is asleep take the club , and hit him on the head with it .

it is easily done . '

and so it would have been , had not stan heard all about it .

then he hid himself underneath , and began to snore loudly .

very soon the dragon stole softly into the room , and gave a tremendous blow on the spot where stan 's head should have been .

stan groaned loudly from under the bed , and the dragon went away as softly as he had come .

the next morning he came into the room when the dragon and his mother were having their breakfast .

' good morning , ' said he .

' good morning .

how did you sleep ? '

' oh , very well , but i dreamed that a flea had bitten me , and i seem to feel it still . '

the dragon and his mother looked at each other .

' do you hear that ? ' whispered he .

' he talks of a flea .

i broke my club on his head . '

this time the mother grew as frightened as her son .

but on his side stan was trembling like an aspen , as he could not lift even one sack from the ground .

so he stood still and looked at them .

' what are you standing there for ? ' asked the dragon .

i am ashamed that when i get home they should see i have brought back so little .

' i 'll tell you what ! ' said stan at last .

' i see you don't want me to stay , and i should be very sorry to make myself disagreeable .

the words were hardly out of his mouth before the dragon had snatched up the sacks and piled them on his back .

then he and stan set forth .

he did not wish the dragon to know where he lived , lest some day he should come to take back his treasure .

was there nothing he could say to get rid of the monster ?

suddenly an idea came into stan 's head , and he turned round .

' i hardly know what to do , ' said he .

' i have a hundred children , and i am afraid they may do you harm , as they are always ready for a fight .

however , i will do my best to protect you . '

a hundred children !

that was indeed no joke !

the dragon let fall the sacks from terror , and then picked them up again .

( adapted from rumanische marchen . )

the two frogs

' oh , that is easily managed , ' returned the kioto frog .

' dear me ! ' cried the osaka frog , ' kioto is exactly like osaka .

it is certainly not worth such a long journey .

i shall go home ! '

( japanische marchen . )

the story of a gazelle

then he jumped up and returned to the dust-heap .

' for who knows , ' he said to himself , ' whether i may not have some good luck again . '

as he was walking down the road , he saw a man coming towards him , carrying a cage made of twigs .

' hi ! you fellow ! ' called he , ' what have you got inside there ? '

' gazelles , ' replied the man .

' bring them here , for i should like to see them . '

and he took up his cage and went towards the scratcher of dust-heaps , and the men went with him .

' what do you ask for your gazelles ? ' said the beggar .

' will you let me have one for an eighth ? '

this he did night and morning , till five days went by .

then , as he slept , the gazelle woke him , saying , ' master . '

and the man answered , ' how is it that i see a wonder ? '

' what wonder ? ' asked the gazelle .

' never mind that , ' said the gazelle , ' but listen to what i say !

first , i took you for my master .

second , you gave for me all you had in the world .

what you find in the dust-heaps is not enough for both of us . '

' go , then , ' answered the master ; and the gazelle went .

in the morning it said to him , ' i am going away to feed . '

and glad he was when the evening came , and he could return home .

he lay on the grass chewing tobacco , when the gazelle trotted up .

' good evening , my master ; how have you fared all day ?

it is far away in the forest , and no one knows of it but me , and to-morrow i shall go again . '

but , instead , it saw something lying in the earth , which turned out to be a diamond , very large and bright .

i had better take it myself to some great rich man , and see what it will do for me . '

the people were standing about the streets doing their marketing , when the gazelle bounded past , the diamond flashing as it ran .

and the gazelle galloped up to him , and laid the diamond at his feet .

and he likewise ordered milk to be brought , and rice , that it might eat and drink and be refreshed .

and when the gazelle was rested , the sultan said to it : ' give me the news you have come with . '

and the gazelle answered : ' i am come with this diamond , which is a pledge from my master the sultan darai .

and the sultan said : ' i am content .

the wife is his wife , the family is his family , the slave is his slave .

let him come to me empty-handed , i am content . '

and the sultan answered : ' so let it be . '

the sultan answered politely , and inquired where it had left its master , whom it had promised to bring back .

and he is now hiding under a bush , lest a passing stranger might see him . '

and the gazelle answered : ' can i take those soldiers to go and put my master to shame as he lies there naked ?

i am enough by myself , my lord . '

' how will you be enough , ' asked the sultan , ' to manage this horse and all these clothes ? '

' oh , that is easily done , ' replied the gazelle .

' farewell , gazelle , ' answered the sultan ; ' when shall we see you again ? '

and in the eyes of the sultan the gazelle became a person of consequence .

leave all the talking to me .

' very good , i will be silent , ' replied the man as he mounted the horse .

' so they went their way , and they went and went till the gazelle saw in the distance the palace of the sultan .

' what is my name , eh , my father ? ' asked the man .

' sultan darai , ' said the gazelle .

very soon some soldiers came to meet them , while others ran off to tell the sultan of their approach .

get off your horse and go to greet him . '

but be careful not to leave the house till i come . '

and the master answered , ' i will not leave the house . '

' very good , ' said the sultan .

and it went and it went through the forest and wilderness , till it arrived at a town full of fine houses .

at the end of the chief road was a great house , beautiful exceedingly , built of sapphire and turquoise and marbles .

for in this town have i as yet seen no people .

if i die , i die , and if i live , i live .

here can i think of no plan , so if anything is to kill me , it will kill me . '

then it knocked twice at the door , and cried ' open , ' but no one answered .

and it cried again , and a voice replied :

' who are you that are crying " open " ? '

and the gazelle said , ' it is i , great mistress , your grandchild . '

' if you are my grandchild , ' returned the voice , ' go back whence you came .

don't come and die here , and bring me to my death as well . '

' open , mistress , i entreat , i have something to say to you . '

' grandchild , ' replied she , ' i fear to put your life in danger , and my own too . '

' oh , mistress , my life will not be lost , nor yours either ; open , i pray you . '

so she opened the door .

' what is the news where you come from , my grandson , ' asked she .

' great lady , where i come from it is well , and with you it is well . '

' ah , my son , here it is not well at all .

and the lord of it all is an exceeding great and wonderful snake . '

' my son , ' returned the old woman , ' do not say words like these ; you risk both our lives .

he has put me here all by myself , and i have to cook his food .

he eats till he has had enough , and then drinks a whole tankful of water .

after that he goes away .

every second day he comes , when the sun is over the house .

and he has seven heads .

how then can you be a match for him , my son ? '

' mind your own business , mother , ' answered the gazelle , ' and don't mind other people 's !

has this snake a sword ? '

' he has a sword , and a sharp one too .

it cuts like a dash of lightning . '

' you must be quick , ' she said , ' for he may be here at any moment .

hark ! is not that the wind rising ?

he has come ! '

and after he had done eating and drinking he came to the door :

' oh , master ! ' answered she , ' i am alone , as i always am !

but to-day , after many days , i have sprinkled fresh scent all over me , and it is that which you smell .

what else could it be , master ? '

all this time the gazelle had been standing close to the door , holding the sword in one of its front paws .

then the sword fell rattling on the ground , for the gazelle had fainted .

and the heart of the old woman was glad , and she gave it more water , till by-and-by the gazelle got up .

so she arose and showed the gazelle rooms full of gold and precious things , and other rooms full of slaves .

' they are all yours , goods and slaves , ' said she .

but the gazelle answered , ' you must keep them safe till i call my master . '

and he said : ' it is for you to speak .

where you go , i will follow . '

' then i shall go to your father-in-law and tell him this news . '

' go , my son . '

' must he really go so quickly ?

at last one day signs of houses appeared , far , far off .

and those who saw cried out , ' gazelle ! '

and it answered , ' ah , my mistresses , that is the house of sultan darai . '

and she answered , ' forgive me , my son .

sultan darai looked about him , and at length he said :

' unfasten those horses that are tied up , and let loose those people that are bound .

but this house , and you , such as you are , we have never seen or heard of . '

after a few days , the ladies said they wished to go home again .

and they all thought the gazelle greater a thousand times than its master , sultan darai .

who is the owner of it ?

and this town , were there no people in it ? "

all good things i have done for the master , and he has not one day done me any good thing .

' good , ' replied the old woman , and they went to bed .

in the morning , when light came , the gazelle was sick in its stomach and feverish , and its legs ached .

and it said ' mother ! '

and she answered , ' here , my son ? '

and it said , ' go and tell my master upstairs the gazelle is very ill . '

' very good , my son ; and if he should ask me what is the matter , what am i to say ? '

' tell him all my body aches badly ; i have no single part without pain . '

' to tell the master the gazelle is ill , ' said she .

' what is the matter ? ' asked the wife .

' all its body pains ; there is no part without pain . '

' well , what can i do ?

make some gruel of red millet , and give to it . '

eh , master , that is not well . '

but he answered , ' oh , you are mad !

rice is only kept for people . '

' eh , master , this is not like a gazelle .

it is the apple of your eye .

if sand got into that , it would trouble you . '

' my wife , your tongue is long , ' and he left the room .

the old woman saw she had spoken vainly , and went back weeping to the gazelle .

and when the gazelle saw her it said , ' mother , what is it , and why do you cry ?

if it be good , give me the answer ; and if it be bad , give me the answer . '

but still the old woman would not speak , and the gazelle prayed her to let it know the words of the master .

and his wife asked what was the matter , and i told her that there was not a part of your body without pain .

and he answered her , ' silly chatterer , your words are many .

i know its price ; i bought it for an eighth .

what loss will it be to me ? '

the gazelle kept silence for a few moments .

so the old woman returned , and found the master and the mistress drinking coffee .

then it happened to get both life and wealth , but now it had no honour with its master .

i cannot sleep , i cannot eat , i cannot drink , for the worry of that gazelle .

shall a creature that i bought for an eighth trouble me from morning till night ?

not so , old woman ! '

the old woman went downstairs , and there lay the gazelle , blood flowing from its nostrils .

and it said , ' mother , i shall die , for my soul is full of anger and bitterness .

my face is ashamed , that i should have done good to my master , and that he should repay me with evil . '

i might have every day half a basinful , and would my master be any the poorer ?

but did not the elders say , " he that does good like a mother ! " '

and it said , ' go and tell my master that the gazelle is nearer death than life . '

how has he failed you ?

the things you do to him are not good , and you will draw on yourself the hatred of the people .

for this gazelle is loved by all , by small and great , by women and men .

ah , my husband !

i thought you had great wisdom , and you have not even a little ! '

but he answered , ' you are mad , my wife . '

' take also this cloth , ' she said , ' to cover it with , and this pillow for its head .

and if the gazelle wants more , let it ask me , and not its master .

and , after all , what is it but a gazelle , that i bought for an eighth ? '

but his wife answered , ' master , we looked upon that gazelle as we looked upon you .

and when the people heard her they lifted up their voices and spoke :

' we never saw you , we saw the gazelle .

it was the gazelle who met with trouble here , it was the gazelle who met with rest here .

so , then , when such an one departs from this world we weep for ourselves , we do not weep for the gazelle . '

and they said furthermore :

' the gazelle did you much good , and if anyone says he could have done more for you he is a liar !

therefore , to us who have done you no good , what treatment will you give ?

the gazelle has died from bitterness of soul , and you ordered your slaves to throw it into the well .

ah ! leave us alone that we may weep . '

but sultan darai would not heed their words , and the dead gazelle was thrown into the well .

and he commanded horses to be saddled , and called the governor and the judges and all the rich men , and said :

' come now with me ; let us go and bury it . '

night and day they travelled , till the sultan came to the well where the gazelle had been thrown .

and when he saw the gazelle lying there he wept afresh , and took it in his arms and carried it away .

' i too have eaten no food , neither have i drunk water , since the day the gazelle died .

i have not spoken , and i have not laughed . '

and the man dreamed that he was on the dust-heap , scratching .

and when he woke , behold ! that also was no dream , but the truth .

( swahili tales . )

how a fish swam in the air and a hare in the water .

once upon a time an old man and his wife lived together in a little village .

they might have been happy if only the old woman had had the sense to hold her tongue at proper times .

one day , he drove to the forest .

when he reached the edge of it he got out of his cart and walked beside it .

suddenly he stepped on such a soft spot that his foot sank in the earth .

' what can this be ? ' thought he .

' i 'll dig a bit and see . '

so he dug and dug , and at last he came on a little pot full of gold and silver .

' oh , what luck !

he sat down and thought over the matter a long time , and at last he made a plan .

then he got into his cart and trotted merrily home .

' wife ! ' cried he , the moment he got indoors .

' you can't think what a piece of good luck has come our way . '

' what , what , dear husband ?

do tell me all about it at once . '

' no , no , you 'll just go off and tell everyone . '

' no , indeed !

how can you think such things !

for shame !

if you like i will swear never to '

' oh , well ! if you are really in earnest then , listen . '

and he whispered in her ear : ' i 've found a pot full of gold and silver in the forest !

hush ! '

' and why didn't you bring it back ? '

' because we 'll drive there together and bring it carefully back between us . '

so the man and his wife drove to the forest .

as they were driving along the man said :

' what strange things one hears , wife !

well ! well ! times are certainly changed . '

' why , you must be crazy , husband !

dear , dear , what nonsense people do talk sometimes . '

' nonsense , indeed !

why , just look .

bless my soul , if there isn't a fish , a real pike i do believe , up in that tree . '

' gracious ! ' cried his wife .

' how did a pike get there ?

it is a pike you needn't attempt to say it 's not .

can people have said true '

' what are you standing staring at there , stupid ? ' said his wife .

' climb up the tree quick and catch the pike , and we 'll cook it for dinner . '

the man climbed up the tree and brought down the pike , and they drove on .

when they got near the stream he drew up .

' what are you staring at again ? ' asked his wife impatiently .

' drive on , can't you ? '

' why , i seem to see something moving in that net i set .

i must just go and see what it is . '

he ran to it , and when he had looked in it he called to his wife :

' just look !

here is actually a four-footed creature caught in the net .

i do believe it 's a hare . '

' good heavens ! ' cried his wife .

' how did the hare get into your net ?

it is a hare , so you needn't say it isn't .

after all , people must have said the truth '

but her husband only shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as if he could not believe his own eyes .

' now what are you standing there for , stupid ? ' cried his wife .

' take up the hare .

a nice fat hare is a dinner for a feast day . '

the old man caught up the hare , and they drove on to the place where the treasure was buried .

they swept the twigs away , dug up the earth , took out the pot , and drove home again with it .

and now the old couple had plenty of money and were cheery and comfortable .

but the wife was very foolish .

every day she asked a lot of people to dinner and feasted them , till her husband grew quite impatient .

he tried to reason with her , but she would not listen .

' you 've got no right to lecture me ! ' said she .

' we found the treasure together , and together we will spend it . '

the old woman was very angry .

' oh , what a good-for-nothing fellow to want to spend all the money himself !

but just wait a bit and see what i shall do . '

off she went to the governor to complain of her husband .

' oh , my lord , protect me from my husband !

ever since he found the treasure there is no bearing him .

he only eats and drinks , and won't work , and he keeps all the money to himself . '

the governor took pity on the woman , and ordered his chief secretary to look into the matter .

the secretary called the elders of the village together , and went with them to the man 's house .

' the governor , ' said he , ' desires you to give all that treasure you found into my care . '

the man shrugged his shoulders and said : ' what treasure ?

i know nothing about a treasure . '

' how ?

you know nothing ?

why your wife has complained of you .

don't attempt to tell lies .

' pardon me , your excellency , but what sort of treasure was it supposed to have been ?

my wife must have dreamt of it , and you gentlemen have listened to her nonsense . '

' nonsense , indeed , ' broke in his wife .

' a kettle full of gold and silver , do you call that nonsense ? '

' you are not in your right mind , dear wife .

sir , i beg your pardon .

ask her how it all happened , and if she convinces you i 'll pay for it with my life . '

' this is how it all happened , mr. secretary , ' cried the wife .

' we were driving through the forest , and we saw a pike up in the top of a tree '

' what , a pike ? ' shouted the secretary .

' do you think you may joke with me , pray ? '

' indeed , i 'm not joking , mr secretary !

i 'm speaking the bare truth . '

' chatter , indeed ?

i ! !

perhaps you have forgotten , too , how we found a live hare in the river ? '

everyone roared with laughter ; even the secretary smiled and stroked his beard , and the man said :

' come , come , wife , everyone is laughing at you .

you see for yourself , gentlemen , how far you can believe her . '

the secretary could make nothing of it all , and drove back to the town .

two in a sack

what a life that poor man led with his wife , to be sure !

he had no peace or comfort at all , and really hardly knew how to bear it .

what kind of bird do you think he caught in his net ?

he caught a crane , and the crane said , ' let me go free , and i 'll show myself grateful . '

the man answered , ' no , my dear fellow .

i shall take you home , and then perhaps my wife won't scold me so much . '

said the crane : ' you had better come with me to my house , ' and so they went to the crane 's house .

when they got there , what do you think the crane took from the wall ?

he took down a sack , and he said :

' two out of a sack ! '

instantly two pretty lads sprang out of the sack .

they brought in oak tables , which they spread with silken covers , and placed all sorts of delicious dishes and refreshing drinks on them .

the man had never seen anything so beautiful in his life , and he was delighted .

then the crane said to him , ' now take this sack to your wife . '

the man thanked him warmly , took the sack , and set out .

' two out of the sack ! '

never in their lives had the cousin and her daughters seen such a supper , and they were delighted and astonished at it .

when the man was safe in the bathroom she told her daughters to make a sack exactly like his , as quickly as possible .

then she changed the two sacks , and hid the man 's sack away .

as soon as he saw his house he began to shout from a distance , ' hallo ! old woman !

come out and meet me ! '

his wife screamed back : ' you come here , and i 'll give you a good thrashing with the poker ! '

the man walked into the house , hung his sack on a nail , and said , as the crane had taught him :

' two out of the sack ! '

but not a soul came out of the sack .

then he said again , exactly as the crane had taught him :

' two out of the sack ! '

his wife , hearing him chattering goodness knows what , took up her wet broom and swept the ground all about him .

why , he took down a sack , and he said :

' two out of the sack ! '

' take this sack , ' said the crane .

the man thanked him heartily , took the sack , and went .

' two out of the sack ! '

and they beat on till the man panted out :

' two into the sack . '

the words were hardly out of his mouth , when the two crept back into the sack .

then the man shouldered the sack , and went off straight to his cousin 's house .

he hung the sack up on a nail , and said : ' please have the bathroom heated , cousin . '

meantime his cousin felt hungry , so she called her daughters , and all four sat down to table .

then the mother said :

' two out of the sack . '

instantly two rough men crept out of the sack , and began to beat the cousin as they cried :

' greedy pack !

thievish pack !

one two give the peasant back his sack !

one two '

and they went on beating till the woman called to her eldest daughter : ' go and fetch your cousin from the bathroom .

tell him these two ruffians are beating me black and blue . '

' i 've not finished rubbing myself yet , ' said the peasant .

and the two ruffians kept on beating as they sang :

' greedy pack !

thievish pack !

one two give the peasant back his sack !

one two '

then the woman sent her second daughter and said : ' quick , quick , get him to come to me . '

' i 'm just washing my head , ' said the man .

then she sent the youngest girl , and he said : ' i 've not done drying myself . '

at last the woman could hold out no longer , and sent him the sack she had stolen .

now he had quite finished his bath , and as he left the bathroom he cried :

' two into the sack . '

and the two crept back at once into the sack .

then the man took both sacks , the good and the bad one , and went away home .

when he was near the house he shouted : ' hallo , old woman , come and meet me ! '

his wife only screamed out :

' you broomstick , come here !

your back shall pay for this . '

the man went into the cottage , hung his sack on a nail , and said , as the crane had taught him :

' two out of the sack . '

the woman ate and drank , and praised her husband .

' well , now , old man , i won't beat you any more , ' said she .

then he lounged up and down in the yard .

meantime his wife became thirsty .

she looked with longing eyes at the sack , and at last she said , as her husband had done :

' two out of the sack . '

and at once the two rogues with their big sticks crept out of the sack , and began to belabour her as they sang :

' would you beat your husband true ?

don't cry so !

now we 'll beat you black and blue !

oh !

oh ! '

the woman screamed out : ' old man , old man !

come here , quick !

here are two ruffians pommelling me fit to break my bones . '

her husband only strolled up and down and laughed , as he said : ' yes , they 'll beat you well , old lady . '

and the two thumped away and sang again :

for how it hurts , you now can tell , one two '

at last her husband took pity on her , and cried :

' two into the sack . '

he had hardly said the words before they were back in the sack again .

( from russiche marchen . )

the envious neighbour

one day the old man was working in his garden , with his dog , as usual , close by .

curious to know if the dog had really found anything , the husband began to dig , and very soon the spade struck against something .

he stooped down and pulled out a large box , filled quite full with shining gold pieces .

' how can you ask such a thing ? ' answered the old man indignantly .

' you know how much we love him , and that he is never out of our sight for five minutes . '

but when he had dug up the ground , what did he find ?

why , nothing but a parcel of old bones , which smelt so badly that he could not stay there a moment longer .

and i thought i had better come straight and tell you . '

from morning till night he and his wife mourned over their loss , and nothing could comfort them .

at the sight of all this gold the hearts of the old people were glad , and once more they blessed their faithful dog .

we may be sure that in a very little while the envious neighbour had heard this also , and his bosom was filled with hate .

his heart beat with pleasure when he caught the first glimpses of the daimio 's train , and he held himself ready for the right moment .

then the prince ordered the evil-doer to be seized and bound and thrown into prison , where he was kept for many months .

( japanische marchen . )

the fairy of the dawn

once upon a time what should happen did happen ; and if it had not happened this tale would never have been told .

and all the while the emperor 's sons were growing up .

and such sons !

all three like the morning stars in the sky !

florea , the eldest , was so tall and broad-shouldered that no man in the kingdom could approach him .

costan , the second , was quite different .

small of stature , and slightly built , he had a strong arm and stronger wrist .

petru , the third and youngest , was tall and thin , more like a girl than a boy .

he spoke very little , but laughed and sang , sang and laughed , from morning till night .

but florea would not go .

he had learnt by experience that this question always put the emperor in a rage .

petru next went to costan , but did not succeed any better with him .

' well , well , as everyone else is afraid , i suppose i must do it myself , ' observed petru at length .

no sooner said than done ; the boy went straight to his father and put his question .

' i wonder if it has anything to do with my question , ' thought he .

' i 'll try again !

after all , what do two boxes on the ear matter ? '

' it really must be true , ' thought petru .

' now i know what i have to do .

i shall have to go on putting that question , and getting boxes on the ear , till both eyes laugh together . '

no sooner said than done .

petru never , never forswore himself .

well , i will let you into the secret .

thus spoke the emperor , and petru picked up his hat and went to find his brothers .

the three young men took counsel together , and talked the subject well over , as brothers should do .

so saying he disappeared round a corner of the palace .

for three days and three nights he never drew rein .

like a spirit the horse flew over mountains and valleys till he came to the borders of the empire .

at this awful sight florea did not wait to give battle .

he put spurs to his horse and dashed off , where he neither knew nor cared .

the dragon heaved a sigh and vanished without leaving a trace behind him .

a week went by .

florea did not return home .

two passed ; and nothing was heard of him .

after a month costan began to haunt the stables and to look out a horse for himself .

' if i fail , then you come , ' said he , and followed the path that florea had taken .

nothing more was heard either of him or florea ; and petru remained alone .

' i must go after my brothers , ' said petru one day to his father .

petru stopped for a moment when he caught sight of this terrible creature .

then he found his voice .

' get out of the way ! ' cried he .

' get out of the way ! ' he repeated again , as the dragon did not move .

' get out of the way ! ' and with this last summons he drew his sword and rushed upon him .

the horse neighed and reared at the horrible sight , and petru could not use the sword he had in readiness .

but even so he got on no better , for he could see nothing but fire and smoke .

at the gate of the palace his nurse , old birscha , was waiting for him eagerly .

' ah , petru , my son , i knew you would have to come back , ' she cried .

' you did not set about the matter properly . '

' how ought i to have set about it ? ' asked petru , half angrily , half sadly .

' look here , my boy , ' replied old birscha .

go and ask where it is to be found , and then mount it and be off with you . '

petru thanked her heartily for her advice , and went at once to make inquiries about the horse .

' by the light of my eyes ! ' exclaimed the emperor when petru had put his question .

' who has told you anything about that ?

it must have been that old witch of a birscha ?

have you lost your wits ?

i have forgotten all about him long ago . '

petru turned away in anger , and went back to his old nurse .

go and fetch the scrap of the reins ; i shall soon know what must be done . '

the place was full of saddles , bridles , and bits of leather .

' take the reins , ' said she , ' and strike them violently against the pillars of the house . '

a splendid horse , a splendid saddle , and a splendid bridle , all ready for the splendid young prince !

' jump on the back of the brown horse , ' said the old woman , and she turned round and went into the house .

the moment petru was seated on the horse he felt his arm three times as strong as before , and even his heart felt braver .

but , horrible though he was , he had met his match .

petru showed no fear , but rolled up his sleeves , that his arms might be free .

petru wasted no more words , but drew his sword and prepared to throw himself on the bridge .

and in this fashion they passed the bridge .

' but we have got to go further still , ' said petru , after he had taken a farewell glance at his native land .

like the wind ?

like thought ?

like desire ? or like a curse ? '

petru looked about him , up at the heavens and down again to the earth .

a desert lay spread out before him , whose aspect made his hair stand on end .

before petru lay a wood made of copper , with copper trees and copper leaves , with bushes and flowers of copper also .

petru stood and stared as a man does when he sees something that he has never seen , and of which he has never heard .

then he rode right into the wood .

' take me , for i am lovely , and can give strength to whoever plucks me , ' said one .

petru was not deaf to their persuasion , and was just stooping to pick one when the horse sprang to one side .

' why don't you stay still ? ' asked petru roughly .

' do not pick the flowers ; it will bring you bad luck ; answered the horse .

' why should it do that ? '

' these flowers are under a curse .

whoever plucks them must fight the welwa ( @number@ ) of the woods . '

( @number@ ) a goblin .

' what kind of a goblin is the welwa ? '

' oh , do leave me in peace !

but listen .

look at the flowers as much as you like , but pick none , ' and the horse walked on slowly .

but in vain !

if a man is fated to be unlucky , unlucky he will be , whatever he may do !

the flowers went on beseeching him , and his heart grew ever weaker and weaker .

' you have done very wrong , ' said the horse sadly .

' but it can't be helped now .

get yourself ready for battle , for here is the welwa ! '

hardly had he done speaking , scarcely had petru twisted his wreath , when a soft breeze arose on all sides at once .

' are you afraid ? ' asked the horse , shaking his mane .

' not yet , ' replied petru stoutly , though cold shivers were running down his back .

' what must come will come , whatever it is . '

' don't be afraid , ' said the horse .

' i will help you .

take the bridle from my neck , and try to catch the welwa with it . '

she had not exactly a head , yet neither was she without one .

she did not fly through the air , but neither did she walk upon the earth .

and that was the welwa .

petru planted himself firmly in his stirrups , and began to lay about him with his sword , but could feel nothing .

a day and a night went by , and the fight was still undecided , but at last the welwa began to pant for breath .

' let us wait a little and rest , ' gasped she .

petru stopped and lowered his sword .

the welwa gave a neigh like a horse and a howl like a wolf , and threw herself afresh on petru .

for another day and night the battle raged more furiously than before .

and petru grew so exhausted he could scarcely move his arm .

' you must not stop an instant , ' said the horse .

and petru went on fighting , though he barely had strength to move his arm .

in a moment , from the welwa sprang a horse the most beautiful horse in the world .

and he told petru all his story , and how he had been bewitched for many years .

so petru tied the welwa to his own horse and rode on .

where did he ride ?

that i cannot tell you , but he rode on fast till he got out of the copper wood .

for in front of him stretched a forest that was far more wonderful , as it was made of glistening trees and shining flowers .

it was the silver wood .

as before , the flowers began to beg the young man to gather them .

for three days and three nights they fought , but at last petru cast the bridle over the head of the second welwa .

he drew his sword and made himself ready for the fight .

' i will die ! ' cried he , ' or he shall have my bridle over his head . '

by dawn of the second day it had vanished altogether , and the sun shone brightly in the heavens .

it seemed to petru that he had been born again .

and the welwa ?

she had vanished .

' you had better take breath now you can , for the fight will have to begin all over again , ' said the horse .

' what was it ? ' asked petru .

' it was the welwa , ' replied the horse , ' changed into a fog ' listen !

she is coming ! '

and petru had hardly drawn a long breath when he felt something approaching from the side , though what he could not tell .

' woe be to me ! ' cried petru , frightened at last .

the battle began anew .

for a day and a night petru fought on , without knowing at whom or what he struck .

at dawn on the second , he felt that both his feet were lame .

' now i am done for , ' thought he , and his blows fell thicker and harder in his desperation .

and the sun came out and the water disappeared , without his knowing how or when .

' take breath , ' said the horse , ' for you have no time to lose .

the welwa will return in a moment . '

petru made no reply , only wondered how , exhausted as he was , he should ever be able to carry on the fight .

but he settled himself in his saddle , grasped his sword , and waited .

and then something came to him what i cannot tell you .

at least , that was what the welwa seemed like to petru .

as the day wore on , his strength began to fail , and when darkness fell he could hardly keep his eyes open .

when the grey light of morning came , he was past standing on his feet , but fought now upon his knees .

' make one more struggle ; it is nearly over now , ' said the horse , seeing that petru 's strength was waning fast .

petru wiped the sweat from his brow with his gauntlet , and with a desperate effort rose to his feet .

' strike the welwa on the mouth with the bridle , ' said the horse , and petru did it .

so the four horses galloped fast , and by nightfall they were at the borders of the golden forest .

then petru began to think of the crowns that he wore , and what they had cost him .

' after all , what do i want with so many ?

' stay ! ' cried the horse , ' do not throw them away !

perhaps we shall find them of use .

get down and pick them up . '

so petru got down and picked them up , and they all went on .

at the same instant the horse stood still of itself .

' what is the matter ? ' asked petru .

' i am afraid that something evil will happen to us , ' answered the horse .

' but why should it ? '

but all along the road there are huge fires , and i dread lest you should stop and warm yourself at them . '

( @number@ ) in german ' mittwoch , ' the feminine form of mercury .

' and why should i not warm myself ? '

' something fearful will happen to you if you do , ' replied the horse sadly .

' well , forward ! ' cried petru lightly , ' and if i have to bear cold , i must bear it ! '

but petru was no coward ; the fight he had gone through had strengthened his powers of endurance , and he stood the test bravely .

the breath froze in his mouth , but he took no notice , only bade his horse ride on the faster .

' good-day , little mother ! ' said he .

' very well , thank you , my frozen friend ! '

petru laughed , and waited for her to speak .

' you have borne yourself bravely , ' went on the goddess , tapping him on the shoulder .

' now you shall have your reward , ' and she opened an iron chest , out of which she took a little box .

take it , and treasure it , for some day it may help you .

if you open it , it will tell you anything you want , and give you news of your fatherland . '

petru thanked her gratefully for her gift , mounted his horse , and rode away .

when he was some distance from the hut , he opened the casket .

' what are your commands ? ' asked a voice inside .

' give me news of my father , ' he replied , rather nervously .

' he is sitting in council with his nobles , ' answered the casket .

' is he well ? '

' not particularly , for he is furiously angry . '

' what has angered him ? '

' your brothers costan and florea , ' replied the casket .

' stop !

i have some advice to give you , ' said the horse at last .

' what is it ? ' asked petru .

' you have known what it is to suffer cold ; you will have to endure heat , such as you have never dreamed of .

be as brave now as you were then .

let no one tempt you to try to cool yourself , or evil will befall you . '

' forwards ! ' answered petru .

' do not worry yourself .

if i have escaped without being frozen , there is no chance of my melting . '

' why not ?

( @number@ ) in the german ' donnerstag ' the day of the thunder god , i.e. jupiter .

and it was hot .

the very iron of the horse 's shoes began to melt , but petru gave no heed .

the sweat ran down his face , but he dried it with his gauntlet .

when petru looked at them his heart burned within him , and his mouth grew parched .

' come , my hero , come and rest ; the heat will kill you , ' said they .

petru shook his head and said nothing , for he had lost the power of speech .

long he rode in this awful state , how long none can tell .

suddenly the heat seemed to become less , and , in the distance , he saw a little hut on a hill .

she welcomed him , and kindly invited him in , and bade him tell her all his adventures .

' for , ' he said , ' who knows how far the fairy of the dawn may yet be ? '

' stay for one moment , for i have a word of advice to give you .

on your way back , come to me again , and i will give you something that may be of use to you . '

( @number@ ) ' vineri ' is friday , and also ' venus . '

so petru mounted his horse , and had hardly ridden three steps when he found himself in a new country .

then he stopped in front of the house , and petru jumped off and went to the door .

' do not be in such a hurry , ' cried the horse .

' there are several things i must tell you first .

you cannot enter the house of the goddess venus like that .

she is always watched and guarded by the whirlwind . '

' what am i to do then ? '

' take the copper wreath , and go with it to that little hill over there .

when you reach it , say to yourself , " were there ever such lovely maidens ! such angels ! such fairy souls ! "

' and why should i do all this ? ' said petru .

' ask no questions , but go and do it , ' replied the horse .

and petru did .

scarcely had he flung away the copper wreath than the whirlwind flung himself upon it , and tore it in pieces .

then petru turned once more to the horse .

' stop ! ' cried the horse again .

' i have other things to tell you .

take the silver wreath and knock at the windows of the goddess venus .

when she says , " who is there ? " answer that you have come on foot and lost your way on the heath .

she will then tell you to go your way back again ; but take care not to stir from the spot .

this is what you must say .

what happens after is your affair . '

petru asked no more , but went towards the house .

' which of those dogs is barking ?

is he tired of life ? ' asked the goddess venus .

' it is i , o goddess ! ' replied petru , rather timidly .

' i have lost my way on the heath , and do not know where i am to sleep this night . '

' where did you leave your horse ? ' asked the goddess sharply .

petru did not answer .

he was not sure if he was to lie , or whether he had better tell the truth .

' go away , my son , there is no place for you here , ' replied she , drawing back from the window .

' let me see this wreath , my son , ' and petru held it out to her .

' come into the house , ' went on the goddess ; ' do not fear the dogs , they always know my will . '

and so they did , for as the young man passed they wagged their tails to him .

but petru agreed with her in everything , as he had been taught was only polite .

but was anybody ever so old as she !

but venus was joyful in her heart when she saw petru 's eyes fixed upon her .

' nothing was that is , and the world was not a world when i was born , ' said she .

but every hundred years there came a wrinkle on my face .

and now i am old . '

petru did not know what to do .

' close to the fairy 's house is a well , and whoever drinks from it will blossom again like a rose .

bring me a flagon of it , and i will do anything to prove my gratitude .

it is not easy ! no one knows that better than i do !

then she rose and lifted the lid of an iron-bound chest , and took out of it a very tiny flute .

' do you see this ? ' she asked .

so petru bade her good-night , put the flute in its case , and laid himself down in the lowest chamber to sleep .

then he dressed himself and made ready to start .

' stop , ' cried venus from her window , ' i have still a piece of advice to give you .

leave one of your horses here , and only take three .

ride slowly till you get to the fairy 's kingdom , then dismount and go on foot .

when you return , see that all your three horses remain on the road , while you walk .

she is hideous , more hideous than anything you can imagine , with owl 's eyes , foxy face , and cat 's claws .

do you hear ? do you hear ?

be sure you never look at her . '

petru thanked her , and managed to get off at last .

he did not know there was such a beautiful castle in the world .

he had hardly gone many steps when he stumbled over a huge giant , who had been lulled to sleep by the music .

this was one of the guards of the castle !

as he lay there on his back , he seemed so big that in spite of petru 's haste he stopped to measure him .

it is needless to say what the dragons were like , for nowadays everyone knows , and dragons are not things to joke about .

petru ran through them like the wind .

was it haste or fear that spurred him on ?

at last he came to a river , but let nobody think for a moment that this river was like other rivers ?

instead of water , there flowed milk , and the bottom was of precious stones and pearls , instead of sand and pebbles .

and it ran neither fast nor slow , but both fast and slow together .

all this saw petru from the other side .

but how was he to get over ?

who could tell what it was made of ?

it looked like soft little woolly clouds !

so he stood thinking what was to be done , for get across he must .

after a while , he determined to take the risk , and strode back to the sleeping giant .

' wake up , my brave man ! ' he cried , giving him a shake .

the giant woke and stretched out his hand to pick up petru , just as we should catch a fly .

but petru played on his flute , and the giant fell back again .

when the giant saw the trick which had been played on him he said to petru .

' do you call this a fair fight ?

fight according to rules , if you really are a hero ! '

' i will by-and-by , but first i want to ask you a question !

will you swear that you will carry me over the river if i fight honourably with you ? '

and the giant swore .

when his hands were freed , the giant flung himself upon petru , hoping to crush him by his weight .

but he had met his match .

it was not yesterday , nor the day before , that petru had fought his first battle , and he bore himself bravely .

' let me go ! let me go ! ' shrieked he .

' i own that i am beaten ! '

' will you take me over the river ? ' asked petru .

' i will , ' gasped the giant .

' what shall i do to you if you break your word ? '

' kill me , any way you like !

but let me live now . '

' that is all right , ' said petru .

then he played a few notes on his flute , and the giant went to sleep again .

even the fairies who had been bathing a little lower down heard the music and fell asleep among the flowers on the bank .

but he dared not linger , and pushed on .

and now he was in the wonderful gardens , which seemed more wonderful still than they had done from afar .

but petru could see no faded flowers , nor any birds , as he hastened through them to the castle .

no one was there to bar his way , for all were asleep .

even the leaves had ceased to move .

he passed through the courtyard , and entered the castle itself .

petru went up the stairs and walked quickly through eight-and-forty rooms , hung with silken stuffs , and all empty .

in the forty-ninth he found the fairy of the dawn herself .

and by the well slept the fairy of the dawn the fairy of the dawn herself !

and as petru looked at her the magic flute dropped by his side , and he held his breath .

near the well was a table , on which stood bread made with does ' milk , and a flagon of wine .

it was the bread of strength and the wine of youth , and petru longed for them .

as he looked a mist came over his senses .

then he filled a flask with water from the well , and vanished swiftly .

as he passed through the garden it seemed quite different from what it was before .

the flowers were lovelier , the streams ran quicker , the sunbeams shone brighter , and the fairies seemed gayer .

and all this had been caused by the three kisses petru had given the fairy of the dawn .

he passed everything safely by , and was soon seated in his saddle again .

faster than the wind , faster than thought , faster than longing , faster than hatred rode petru .

at length he dismounted , and , leaving his horses at the roadside , went on foot to the house of venus .

the goddess venus knew that he was coming , and went to meet him , bearing with her white bread and red wine .

' welcome back , my prince , ' said she .

' good day , and many thanks , ' replied the young man , holding out the flask containing the magic water .

she received it with joy , and after a short rest petru set forth , for he had no time to lose .

' stay , i have a warning to give you , ' said she .

go , and take care , for the way is long , the world is bad , and you hold something very precious .

but i will give you this cloth to help you .

petru thanked her and rode off , and , taking out his treasure box , inquired how matters were going at home .

not well , it said .

then the brothers had gone to consult old birscha , who told them that petru was already on his way home bearing the water .

' you are lying ! ' cried petru angrily , throwing the box on the ground , where it broke into a thousand pieces .

he was still gazing , when he heard a sound in the distance as if some one was calling hit by his name .

' you , petru ! ' it said .

' on ! on ! ' cried the horse ; ' it will fare ill with you if you stop . '

he had a thousand questions to ask , and a thousand things to tell .

but his brown horse stood sadly hanging his head .

some one might try to take it from you on the road , while no one would suspect us . '

' so it would , ' added costan .

' florea speaks well . '

but petru shook his head , and told them what the goddess of thunder had said , and about the cloth she had given him .

and both brothers understood there was only one way in which they could kill him .

at a stone 's throw from where they stood ran a rushing stream , with clear deep pools .

' don't you feel thirsty , costan ? ' asked florea , winking at him .

' yes , ' replied costan , understanding directly what was wanted .

' come , petru , let us drink now we have the chance , and then we will set out on our way home .

it is a good thing you have us with you , to protect you from harm . '

the horse neighed , and petru knew what it meant , and did not go with his brothers .

no , he went home to his father , and cured his blindness ; and as for his brothers , they never returned again .

( from rumanische marchen . )

the enchanted knife

one day he plucked up all his courage and went to the palace to ask the emperor for his daughter .

' very well , my son , if you can win the princess you shall have her , and the conditions are these .

in eight days you must manage to tame and bring to me three horses that have never felt a master .

the first is pure white , the second a foxy-red with a black head , the third coal black with a white head and feet .

the sun had hardly risen the following morning when the princess 's nurse brought the young man to her apartments .

then the maiden said :

' take my horse , and ride straight through the wood towards the sunset till you come to a hill with three peaks .

out of these you must pick out the three described to you by my father .

go to it , and cut away the roots with your knife , and you will come to countless bags of gold .

the princess had finished all she had to say , and now it depended on the young man to do his part .

he hid the knife in the folds of his girdle , mounted his horse , and rode off in search of the meadow .

this he found without much difficulty , but the horses were all so shy that they galloped away directly he approached them .

from all sides the horses rushed pressing round , and each one that passed him fell on its knees to do him honour .

but he only chose from them all the three that the emperor had described .

these he secured by a silken rope to his own horse , and then looked about for the cypress tree .

it was standing by itself in one corner , and in a moment he was beside it , tearing away the earth with his knife .

then he asked his newly made son-in-law what dowry he would require with his bride .

( volksmarchen der serben . )

jesper who herded the hares

there was once a king who ruled over a kingdom somewhere between sunrise and sunset .

but as it was all his own , he was very proud of it , and often wondered how it would get along without him .

at last he devised a plan .

there were plenty who tried to fulfil the terms which the king proposed .

at the end of several weeks the stream of suitors began to fall off , and still there was no prospect of a suitable son-in-law .

peter and paul were grown men , while jesper was just coming to manhood .

it was a fact , however , as we shall see in the course of our story .

one day the fisherman went out fishing , and among his catch for the day he brought home three dozen oysters .

when these were opened , every shell was found to contain a large and beautiful pearl .

hereupon the three brothers , at one and the same moment , fell upon the idea of offering themselves as suitors for the princess .

next morning peter put his pearls in a little basket , and set off for the king 's palace .

' come and help me , ' said the king of the ants ; ' the beetles are too big for us .

i may help you some day in return . '

a little further on the way he met an old woman .

' good morning , young man , ' said she ; ' you are early astir .

what have you got in your basket ? '

' cinders , ' said peter promptly , and walked on , adding to himself , ' take that for being so inquisitive . '

' very well , cinders be it , ' the old woman called after him , but he pretended not to hear her .

very soon he reached the palace , and was at once brought before the king .

to his father and brothers , however , he gave no account of his attempt , except that it had been a failure .

next day paul set out to try his luck .

' come and help me , ' said the king of the ants ; ' we got the worst of it yesterday .

i may help you some day in return . '

' i don't care though you get the worst of it to-day too , ' said paul .

' i have more important business on hand than mixing myself up in your quarrels . '

so he walked on , and presently the same old woman met him .

' good morning , ' said she ; ' what have you got in your basket ? '

' very well , cinders be it , ' the old woman shouted after him , but paul neither looked back nor answered her .

the third day came , and with it came jesper 's turn to try his fortune .

jesper made no reply , but put his pearls in the little basket and walked off .

' come and help us , ' said their king to jesper , ' or we shall be completely defeated .

i may help you some day in return . '

' just call on me when you want me , ' he said , ' where-ever you are .

i 'm never far away from anywhere , and if i can possibly help you , i shall not fail to do it . '

jesper was inclined to laugh at this , but he kept a grave face , said he would remember the offer , and walked on .

at a turn of the road he suddenly came upon the old woman .

' good morning , ' said she ; ' what have you got in your basket ? '

' pearls , ' said jesper ; ' i 'm going to the palace to win the princess with them . '

and in case she might not believe him , he lifted the cover and let her see them .

however , ' she said , ' i see you have brought something with you to eat .

won't you give that to me : you are sure to get a good dinner at the palace . '

he had already taken a few steps on the way again , when the old woman called him back .

' here , ' she said ; ' take this whistle in return for your lunch .

when jesper presented his pearls to the king there were exclamations of wonder and delight from everyone who saw them .

in spite of the softness of the bed , he was very glad when morning came at last .

he led him out to the barn , and there in the middle of the floor was a large pile of grain .

the king walked off , and jesper looked in despair at the task before him .

assistance was out of the question unless , he suddenly thought unless the king of the ants could help .

on him he began to call , and before many minutes had passed that royal personage made his appearance .

jesper explained the trouble he was in .

' is that all ? ' said the ant ; ' we shall soon put that to rights . '

' wonderful , ' said he ; ' i couldn't have believed it possible .

however , the hardest is yet to come , as you will see to-morrow . '

jesper thought so too when the next day 's task was set before him .

' now , ' said the king , ' as he walked away , ' let's see what your cleverness can do here . '

here he found something which turned out to be the whistle given to him by the old woman .

after that , jesper allowed them to run about as they pleased , so long as they stayed in the field .

' one of them must be got out of his hands by hook or crook , ' said he .

' i 'll go and see the queen about it ; she 's good at devising plans . '

a little later , a girl in a shabby dress came into the field and walked up to jesper .

' i can't , ' said jesper .

' very well ; give me a kiss and you shall have one of them . '

not long after this the hare-herd had another visit .

jesper again refused , but the old lady was so pressing , and would take no refusal , that at last he said :

they would think i had taken leave of my senses . '

' just as you like , ' said jesper ; ' you know best whether you want the hare or not . '

as soon as she had left the field , the whistle was sounded again , and back came long-legs-and-ears at a marvellous speed .

' all right , ' said jesper ; ' you can have one at an easy rate .

just stand on your head , whack your heels together , and cry " hurrah , " and the hare is yours . '

' eh , what ! ' said the old fellow ; ' me stand on my head , what an idea ! '

of course , it wasn't long in coming back again , like the others .

evening came , and home came jesper with the hundred hares behind him .

' well , well , ' said the king ; ' you have done that very well indeed .

the king and queen sat on their thrones , with the princess beside them , and the lords and ladies were all round the hall .

' but how are we to know when the tub is full ? ' said jesper .

' don't you trouble about that , ' said the king ; ' that 's my part of the business . '

she got the hare , but she had to give me a kiss for it ; and that girl was the princess .

isn't that true ? ' said he , looking at her .

the princess blushed and looked very uncomfortable , but had to admit that it was true .

' that hasn't filled much of the tub , ' said the king .

' go on again . '

' after that , ' said jesper , ' a stout old woman , in a peasant 's dress , came and begged for a hare .

isn't that true , now ? '

the queen turned very red and hot , but couldn't deny it .

' h-m , ' said the king ; ' that is something , but the tub isn't full yet . '

to the queen he whispered , ' i didn't think you would be such a fool . '

' what did you do ? ' she whispered in return .

' do you suppose i would do anything for him ? ' said the king , and then hurriedly ordered jesper to go on .

' in the next place , ' said jesper , ' there came a fat old fellow on the same errand .

' stop , stop , ' shouted the king ; ' you needn't say another word ; the tub is full . '

( scandinavian . )

the underground workers

on a bitter night somewhere between christmas and the new year , a man set out to walk to the neighbouring village .

here he resolved to spend the night , thinking that when the sun rose he would be able to see his path again .

so he tucked his legs snugly under him like a hedgehog , rolled himself up in his sheepskin , and went to sleep .

the sleeper slowly raised his head from his furs , and opened his heavy eyes .

near him stood a long thin man , holding in his hand a young fir tree taller than himself .

the sleeper did not wait to be asked twice , but rose at once and followed the stranger .

very soon they reached a wood , and saw the friendly glow of a fire .

' what is your name ? ' asked the stranger , suddenly turning round .

' i am called hans , the son of long hans , ' said the peasant .

the moss was dry and the plants green , while the grass seemed all alive with the hum of bees and cockchafers .

then , after a hot drink which warmed both their hearts , they lay down on the ground .

when he awoke , neither wood nor fire was to be seen , and he did not know where he was .

suddenly a loud noise struck on his ear , and he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet .

he found himself at length at the mouth of a rocky cave in which a fire seemed burning .

from time to time he would give his workmen a sign with his staff , for it was useless to speak amid such a noise .

then the master got down from his seat and said to hans :

' i saw you come in , but the work was pressing , and i could not stop to speak to you .

to-day you must be my guest , and i will show you something of the way in which i live .

wait here for a moment , while i lay aside these dirty clothes . '

with these words he unlocked a door in the cave , and bade hans pass in before him .

oh , what riches and treasures met hans ' astonished eyes !

gold and silver bars lay piled on the floor , and glittered so that you could not look at them !

if they fell into the hands of men , everyone would be rich , and none need work or suffer hunger . '

' and it is exactly for that reason , ' answered he , ' that i must keep these riches out of their way .

the whole world would sink to idleness if men were not forced to earn their daily bread .

it is only through work and care that man can ever hope to be good for anything . '

to none comes wealth without trouble : we must first dig out the gold and mix the grains with earth , clay , and sand .

then , after long and hard seeking , it will be found in this state , by those who have good luck or much patience .

but , my friend , the hour of dinner is at hand .

if you wish to remain in this place , and feast your eyes on this gold , then stay till i call you . '

after awhile his host came back , but so changed that hans could not believe it was really he .

table and seats were all of silver , while the dishes and plates were of solid gold .

but as far as i have seen and heard i cannot speak well of them .

the greater part of them are always quarrelling and complaining of each other 's faults , while nobody thinks of his own . '

then he went to sleep in his chair , and knew nothing of what was happening .

wonderful dreams came to him during his sleep , where the bars of gold continually hovered before his eyes .

he felt stronger than he had ever felt during his waking moments , and lifted two bars quite easily on to his back .

he did this so often that at length his strength seemed exhausted , and he sank almost breathless on the ground .

in this way hans suddenly became rich rich enough to buy a property of his own .

( ehstnische marchen . )

the history of dwarf long nose

in a large town in germany there lived , some couple of hundred years ago , a cobbler and his wife .

they were poor and hard-working .

the man sat all day in a little stall at the street corner and mended any shoes that were brought him .

the couple had one boy called jem .

a handsome , pleasant-faced boy of twelve , and tall for his age .

jem cried his wares at the top of his voice :

' this way , gentlemen !

see these lovely cabbages and these fresh herbs !

early apples , ladies ; early pears and apricots , and all cheap .

come , buy , buy ! '

as he cried an old woman came across the market place .

in this fashion she came along till she got to the stall where jem and his mother were , and there she stopped .

' are you hannah the herb seller ? ' she asked in a croaky voice as her head shook to and fro .

' yes , i am , ' was the answer .

' can i serve you ? '

' we 'll see ; we 'll see !

let me look at those herbs .

the cobbler 's wife felt much disgusted at seeing her wares treated like this , but she dared not speak .

this made jem very angry

' you are a very rude old woman , ' he cried out .

the old woman looked sharply at the saucy boy , laughed unpleasantly , and said :

' so you don't like my long nose , sonny ?

well , you shall have one yourself , right down to your chin . '

' don't waggle your head in that horrid way , ' begged jem anxiously .

' don't you like thin necks ? ' laughed the old woman .

' don't talk such nonsense to the child , ' said the mother at last .

' if you wish to buy , please make haste , as you are keeping other customers away . '

' very well , i will do as you ask , ' said the old woman , with an angry look .

' i will buy these six cabbages , but , as you see , i can only walk with my stick and can carry nothing .

let your boy carry them home for me and i 'll pay him for his trouble . '

she drew a rusty old hook from her pocket and stuck it into a little hole in the door , which suddenly flew open .

how surprised jem was when they went in !

the old woman took out a silver whistle and blew it till the sound rang through the house .

' where are my slippers , lazy crew ? ' cried the old woman , and hit about with her stick .

' how long am i to stand waiting here ? '

they rushed upstairs again and returned with a pair of cocoa nuts lined with leather , which she put on her feet .

now all limping and shuffling was at an end .

she threw away her stick and walked briskly across the glass floor , drawing little jem after her .

' sit down , you 've had a long walk and a heavy load to carry , and i must give you something for your trouble .

wait a bit , and i 'll give you some nice soup , which you 'll remember as long as you live . '

so saying , she whistled again .

first came in guinea pigs in men 's clothing .

they had tied on large kitchen aprons , and in their belts were stuck carving knives and sauce ladles and such things .

after them hopped in a number of squirrels .

they too walked on their hind legs , wore full turkish trousers , and little green velvet caps on their heads .

here the old woman was bustling about , and jem could see that she was cooking something very special for him .

and you shall be a clever cook too , but the real herb no , the real herb you 'll never find .

why had your mother not got it in her basket ? '

the child could not think what she was talking about , but he quite understood the soup , which tasted most delicious .

his mother had often given him nice things , but nothing had ever seemed so good as this .

as he was finishing it the guinea pigs lit some arabian incense , which gradually filled the room with clouds of blue vapour .

they grew thicker and thicker and the scent nearly overpowered the boy .

strange dreams came to him .

first he learned to clean her cocoa-nut shoes with oil and to rub them up .

here he worked his way up from under-scullion to head-pastrycook , and reached the greatest perfection .

he did this quite according to rule .

then he went to fetch the herbs to stuff it with .

in the store-room he noticed a half-opened cupboard which he did not remember having seen before .

he peeped in and saw a lot of baskets from which came a strong and pleasant smell .

he opened one and found a very uncommon herb in it .

the stems and leaves were a bluish green , and above them was a little flower of a deep bright red , edged with yellow .

but the smell was so sharp that he began to sneeze again and again , and at last he woke up !

there he lay on the old woman 's sofa and stared about him in surprise .

' well , what odd dreams one does have to be sure ! ' he said to himself .

how mother will laugh when i tell her !

but won't she scold me , though , for sleeping away here in a strange house , instead of helping her at market ! '

he was quite puzzled when he reached the market-place .

are you angry with me ? '

she turned round quickly and jumped up with a cry of horror .

' what do you want , you hideous dwarf ? ' she cried ; ' get away ; i can't bear such tricks . '

' but , mother dear , what 's the matter with you ? ' repeated jem , quite frightened .

' you can't be well .

why do you want to drive your son away ? '

' i have said already , get away , ' replied hannah , quite angrily .

' you won't get anything out of me by your games , you monstrosity . '

' oh dear , oh dear ! she must be wandering in her mind , ' murmured the lad to himself .

' how can i manage to get her home ?

dearest mother , do look at me close .

can't you see i am your own son jem ? '

' well , did you ever hear such impudence ? ' asked hannah , turning to a neighbour .

' just see that frightful dwarf would you believe that he wants me to think he is my son jem ? '

poor jem did not know what to make of it all .

and they called him a horrid dwarf !

why , what had happened to him ?

' now i 'll see whether he will know me , ' thought he .

' i 'll stand by the door and talk to him . '

when he got to the stall he stood in the doorway and looked in .

' good evening , master , ' said the boy , as he stepped in .

' how do you do ? '

' very ill , little sir , replied the father , to jem 's surprise , for he did not seem to know him .

' business does not go well .

i am all alone , and am getting old , and a workman is costly . '

' but haven't you a son who could learn your trade by degrees ? ' asked jem .

well , well ! so goes the world ! '

' but where is your son ? ' asked jem , with a trembling voice .

' seven years ago ! ' cried jem , with horror .

i always thought and said that something of the kind would happen .

' and that was seven years ago , you say ? '

' yes , seven years : we had him cried we went from house to house .

many knew the pretty boy , and were fond of him , but it was all in vain .

as he thought it over rage filled his heart .

seven years of his youth had been stolen from him , and what had he got in return ?

to learn to rub up cocoa nuts , and to polish glass floors , and to be taught cooking by guinea pigs !

he stood there thinking , till at last his father asked him :

' is there anything i can do for you , young gentleman ?

shall i make you a pair of slippers , or perhaps ' with a smile ' a case for your nose ? '

' what have you to do with my nose ? ' asked jem .

' and why should i want a case for it ? '

here is a nice piece ; and think what a protection it would be to you .

as it is , you must be constantly knocking up against things . '

the lad was dumb with fright .

he felt his nose .

it was thick , and quite two hands long .

' master , ' said he , ' have you got a glass that i could see myself in ? '

good morning . '

so saying , he gently pushed jem into the street , shut the door , and went back to his work .

jem stepped across to the barber , whom he had known in old days .

' good morning , urban , ' said he ; ' may i look at myself in your glass for a moment ? '

' with pleasure , ' said the barber , laughing , and all the people in his shop fell to laughing also .

' you are a pretty youth , with your swan-like neck and white hands and small nose .

no wonder you are rather vain ; but look as long as you like at yourself . '

so spoke the barber , and a titter ran round the room .

meantime jem had stepped up to the mirror , and stood gazing sadly at his reflection .

tears came to his eyes .

he determined to go again to his mother , and found her still in the market-place .

at last she decided to go and talk to her husband about it .

she gathered up her baskets , told jem to follow her , and went straight to the cobbler 's stall .

' look here , ' said she , ' this creature says he is our lost son .

he has been telling me how he was stolen seven years ago , and bewitched by a fairy . '

' indeed ! ' interrupted the cobbler angrily .

' did he tell you this ?

wait a minute , you rascal !

why i told him all about it myself only an hour ago , and then he goes off to humbug you .

so you were bewitched , my son were you ?

wait a bit , and i 'll bewitch you ! '

so saying , he caught up a bundle of straps , and hit out at jem so hard that he ran off crying .

he woke next morning with the first rays of light , and began to think what he could do to earn a living .

suddenly he remembered that he was an excellent cook , and he determined to look out for a place .

don't you know his highness is still asleep ? '

some of the servants ran off at once , and others pointed out jem .

when he heard him ask for a place as cook , he said : ' you make some mistake , my lad .

i think you want to be the grand duke 's dwarf , don't you ? '

' no , sir , ' replied jem .

' well , as you will ; but believe me , you would have an easier place as the grand ducal dwarf . '

so saying , the head steward led him to the head cook 's room .

the head cook looked him over from head to foot , and burst out laughing .

' you a cook !

do you suppose our cooking stoves are so low that you can look into any saucepan on them ?

oh , my dear little fellow , whoever sent you to me wanted to make fun of you . '

but the dwarf was not to be put off .

' name any dish you wish to have cooked , and give me the materials i ask for , and you shall see . '

he said much more , and at last persuaded the head cook to give him a trial .

they went into the kitchen a huge place with at least twenty fireplaces , always alight .

a little stream of clear water ran through the room , and live fish were kept at one end of it .

everything in the kitchen was of the best and most beautiful kind , and swarms of cooks and scullions were busy preparing dishes .

when the head cook came in with jem everyone stood quite still .

' what has his highness ordered for luncheon ? ' asked the head cook .

' sir , his highness has graciously ordered a danish soup and red hamburg dumplings . '

' good , ' said the head cook .

' have you heard , and do you feel equal to making these dishes ?

not that you will be able to make the dumplings , for they are a secret receipt . '

' is that all ! ' said jem , who had often made both dishes .

' nothing easier .

' why , ' cried the astonished cook , ' where did you learn cooking ?

and now jem was allowed to try his hand .

he could not nearly reach up to the kitchen range , but by putting a wide plank on two chairs he managed very well .

all the cooks stood round to look on , and could not help admiring the quick , clever way in which he set to work .

at last , when all was ready , jem ordered the two dishes to be put on the fire till he gave the word .

the saucepans were taken off , and he invited the head cook to taste .

' first rate , indeed ! ' he exclaimed .

' you certainly are a master of the art , little fellow , and the herb heal-well gives a particular relish . '

he hurried on his best clothes and followed the messenger .

the grand duke was looking much pleased .

he had emptied the dishes , and was wiping his mouth as the head cook came in .

' who cooked my luncheon to-day ? ' asked he .

' i must say your dumplings are always very good ; but i don't think i ever tasted anything so delicious as they were to-day .

who made them ? '

jem bowed to the ground , and promised to obey his new master in all things .

now all was changed .

he never even grumbled at anything , had five meals instead of three , thought everything delicious , and grew fatter daily .

and so jem lived on for two years , much respected and considered , and only saddened when he thought of his parents .

one day passed much like another till the following incident happened .

one morning he was in the goose market , looking for some nice fat geese .

he noticed one woman sitting apart with a number of geese , but not crying or praising them like the rest .

' that goose is ill , ' said he ; ' i must make haste to kill and dress her . '

but the goose answered him quite distinctly :

' squeeze too tight and i 'll bite , if my neck a twist you gave i 'd bring you to an early grave . '

quite frightened , the dwarf set down the cage , and the goose gazed at him with sad wise-looking eyes and sighed again .

' good gracious ! ' said long nose .

' so you can speak , mistress goose .

i never should have thought it !

well , don't be anxious .

i know better than to hurt so rare a bird .

but i could bet you were not always in this plumage wasn't i a squirrel myself for a time ? '

' you are right , ' said the goose , ' in supposing i was not born in this horrid shape .

ah ! no one ever thought that mimi , the daughter of the great weatherbold , would be killed for the ducal table . '

' be quite easy , mistress mimi , ' comforted jem .

' as sure as i 'm an honest man and assistant head cook to his highness , no one shall harm you .

the goose thanked him with tears in her eyes , and the dwarf kept his word .

he spent all his spare time talking to her and comforting her , and fed her on all the daintiest dishes .

when long nose told her his story she said :

this was but small comfort for jem , for how and where was he to find the herb ?

about this time the grand duke had a visit from a neighbouring prince , a friend of his .

he sent for long nose and said to him :

' now is the time to show what you can really do .

this prince who is staying with me has better dinners than any one except myself , and is a great judge of cooking .

as long as he is here you must take care that my table shall be served in a manner to surprise him constantly .

at the same time , on pain of my displeasure , take care that no dish shall appear twice .

get everything you wish and spare nothing .

if you want to melt down gold and precious stones , do so .

i would rather be a poor man than have to blush before him . '

the dwarf bowed and answered :

' your highness shall be obeyed .

i will do all in my power to please you and the prince . '

the prince had been a fortnight with the grand duke , and enjoyed himself mightily .

on the fifteenth day the duke sent for the dwarf and presented him to the prince .

' you are a wonderful cook , ' said the prince , ' and you certainly know what is good .

all the time i have been here you have never repeated a dish , and all were excellent .

but tell me why you have never served the queen of all dishes , a suzeraine pasty ? '

the dwarf felt frightened , for he had never heard of this queen of pasties before .

but he did not lose his presence of mind , and replied :

however , you will have to invent some other farewell dish , for the pasty must be on my table to-morrow . '

' as your highness pleases , ' said the dwarf , and took leave .

but it did not please him at all .

the moment of disgrace seemed at hand , for he had no idea how to make this pasty .

he went to his rooms very sad .

when she heard she said :

' cheer up , my friend .

i know the dish quite well : we often had it at home , and i can guess pretty well how it was made . '

sure enough , next day a magnificent pasty all wreathed round with flowers was placed on the table .

jem himself put on his best clothes and went into the dining hall .

as he entered the head carver was in the act of cutting up the pie and helping the duke and his guests .

the grand duke took a large mouthful and threw up his eyes as he swallowed it .

don't you think so , dear friend ? '

the prince took several small pieces , tasted and examined carefully , and then said with a mysterious and sarcastic smile :

' the dish is very nicely made , but the suzeraine is not quite complete as i expected . '

the grand duke flew into a rage .

' dog of a cook , ' he shouted ; ' how dare you serve me so ?

i 've a good mind to chop off your great head as a punishment . '

' for mercy 's sake , don't , your highness !

i made the pasty according to the best rules ; nothing has been left out .

ask the prince what else i should have put in . '

the prince laughed .

' i was sure you could not make this dish as well as my cook , friend long nose .

the grand duke was more furious than ever .

' but i will taste it to perfection , ' he roared .

' either the pasty must be made properly to-morrow or this rascal 's head shall come off .

go , scoundrel , i give you twenty-four hours respite . '

the poor dwarf hurried back to his room , and poured out his grief to the goose .

luckily this is a new moon just now , for the herb only springs up at such times .

but tell me , are there chestnut trees near the palace ? '

but why do you ask ? '

take me under your arm and put me down out of doors , and i 'll hunt for it . '

the goose hunted everywhere , but in vain .

suddenly the dwarf noticed a big old tree standing alone on the other side of the lake .

' look , ' cried he , ' let us try our luck there . '

the goose fluttered and skipped in front , and he ran after as fast as his little legs could carry him .

the dwarf stood gazing at the plant .

it gave out a strong sweet scent , which reminded him of the day of his enchantment .

the stems and leaves were a bluish green , and it bore a dark , bright red flower with a yellow edge .

' what a wonder ! ' cried long nose .

' i do believe this is the very herb which changed me from a squirrel into my present miserable form .

shall i try an experiment ? '

' not yet , ' said the goose .

' take a good handful of the herb with you , and let us go to your rooms .

we will collect all your money and clothes together , and then we will test the powers of the herb . '

then he plunged his face into the bunch of herbs , and drew in their perfume .

the goose looked on in amazement .

' oh , how big and how beautiful you are ! ' she cried .

' thank heaven , you are quite changed . '

jem folded his hands in thanks , as his heart swelled with gratitude .

but his joy did not make him forget all he owed to his friend mimi .

i will now take you back to your father , who will certainly know how to disenchant you . '

the goose accepted his offer with joy , and they managed to slip out of the palace unnoticed by anyone .

they got through the journey without accident , and the wizard soon released his daughter , and loaded jem with thanks and valuable presents .

with the money given him by the wizard he opened a shop , which prospered well , and he lived long and happily .

the prince hinted that the duke had allowed his cook to escape , and had therefore broken his word .

the matter ended in a great war between the two princes , which was known in history as the ' herb war . '

the nunda , eater of people

there was no plant and no vegetable which escaped his eye , but he lingered longest of all before his one date tree .

now the sultan had seven sons .

time passed , and one day the sultan , to his great joy , saw signs of fruit on his date tree .

and the eldest son answered , ' i will go , father , ' and he went .

so he lay down and slept , and his slaves slept likewise .

and when the tree was stripped bare , the bird went as it had come .

soon after , one of the slaves woke up and looked for the dates , but there were no dates to see .

then he ran to the young man and shook him , saying :

the lad jumped up and ran to the tree to see for himself , but there was not a date anywhere .

and he cried aloud , ' what am i to say to my father ?

shall i tell him that the dates have been stolen , or that a great rain fell and a great storm blew ?

but he will send me to gather them up and bring them to him , and there are none to bring !

shall i tell him that bedouins drove me away , and when i returned there were no dates ?

and he will answer , " you had slaves , did they not fight with the bedouins ? "

it is the truth that will be best , and that will i tell him . '

' give me the news from the garden , ' said the sultan .

and the youth answered , ' the dates have all been eaten by some bird : there is not one left . '

the sultan was silent for a moment : then he asked , ' where were you when the bird came ? '

and i went to the date tree , and saw it was true ; and that is what i have to tell you . '

and the sultan replied , ' a son like you is only good for eating and sleeping .

i have no use for you .

go your way , and when my date tree bears again , i will send another son ; perhaps he will watch better . '

so he waited many months , till the tree was covered with more dates than any tree had ever borne before .

' good , ' said the sultan .

the youth went to the tree , and lay down and slept .

and about midnight he arose to look at the tree , and the dates were all there beautiful dates , swinging in bunches .

' ah , my father will have a feast , indeed , ' thought he .

' what a fool my brother was not to take more heed !

now he is in disgrace , and we know him no more .

well , i will watch till the bird comes .

i should like to see what manner of bird it is . '

and he sat and read till the cocks crew and it grew light , and the dates were still on the tree .

' oh my father will have his dates ; they are all safe now , ' he thought to himself .

when the sun rose , the head-man came and looked for the dates , and there were no dates .

and he woke the young man , and said to him , ' look at the tree . '

and the young man looked , and there were no dates .

and his ears were stopped , and his legs trembled , and his tongue grew heavy at the thought of the sultan .

his slave became frightened as he looked at him , and asked , ' my master , what is it ? '

he answered , ' i have no pain anywhere , but i am ill everywhere .

and he will drive me away , as he drove away my brother !

i will go away myself , before he sends me . '

and the young man said , ' the dates are not ripe yet ; you must return to-morrow . '

and the slave went with him to the palace , where the sultan was sitting with his four sons .

' good greeting , master ! ' said the youth .

and the sultan answered , ' have you seen the man i sent ? '

' i have , master ; but the dates are not yet ripe . '

go your ways , you are my son no longer ! '

but year by year passed , and he never got them .

but whatever they did , the result was always the same .

towards dawn they fell asleep , and the bird ate the dates on the tree .

the sixth year had come , and the dates on the tree were thicker than ever .

and the head-man went to the palace and told the sultan what he had seen .

but the sultan only shook his head , and said sadly , ' what is that to me ?

now the youngest son was sitting in the kitchen , as was his custom , when he heard his father say those words .

and he rose up , and went to his father , and knelt before him .

' father , this year you shall eat dates , ' cried he .

this time , i will watch the date tree myself . '

but his father and his mother laughed heartily , and thought his words idle talk .

his son , who happened to be standing by , heard the order , and he said :

' how is it that you have bidden a man to watch the tree , when i , your son , am left ? '

and his father answered , ' ah , six were of no use , and where they failed , will you succeed ? '

and the sultan answered : ' i do not refuse to let him go , but my heart distrusts him .

his brothers all promised fair , and what did they do ? '

' go then , ' said his father .

when the boy reached the garden , he told the slaves to leave him , and to return home themselves and sleep .

then he took some indian corn out of one fold of his dress , and some sandy grit out of another .

then the boy stole softly up , and caught it by the wing .

the bird turned and flew quickly away , but the boy never let go , not even when they soared high into the air .

but the boy answered , ' wherever you go , i will go with you .

you cannot get rid of me . '

' i did not eat your dates , ' persisted the bird , ' and the day is dawning .

leave me to go my way . '

and my father 's heart will rejoice . '

' well , if you will not leave me , i will throw you off , ' said the bird .

so it flew up higher still so high that the earth shone like one of the other stars .

' how much of you will be left if you fall from here ? ' asked the bird .

' if i die , i die , ' said the boy , ' but i will not leave you . '

and the bird saw it was no use talking , and went down to the earth again .

' what covenant ? ' said the boy .

' save me from the sun , ' replied the bird , ' and i will save you from rain . '

' how can you do that , and how can i tell if i can trust you ? '

and the boy answered , ' well , i agree ; go your way . '

' farewell , my friend .

when you call me , if it is from the depths of the sea , i will come . '

the lad watched the bird out of sight ; then he went straight to the date tree .

and when he saw the dates his heart was glad , and his body felt stronger and his eyes brighter than before .

and he laughed out loud with joy , and said to himself , ' this is my luck , mine , sit-in-the-kitchen !

farewell , date tree , i am going to lie down .

what ate you will eat you no more . '

' what is it ?

what is it , head-man ? ' cried they .

' ah , it is not a son that the master has , but a lion !

this day sit-in-the-kitchen has uncovered his face before his father ! '

' but how , head-man ? '

' to day the people may eat the dates . '

' is it true , head-man ? '

' oh yes , it is true , but let him sleep till each man has brought forth a present .

and the people did as he had said .

then they took the drum , and went to the tree where the boy lay sleeping .

' what news , my son ? ' said he .

' news ?

i have no news , except that if you will open your mouth you shall see what dates taste like . '

and he plucked a date , and put it into his father 's mouth .

' ah !

you are indeed my son , ' cried the sultan .

' you do not take after those fools , those good-for-nothings .

' yes , it was i who watched for it and who saw it .

and it will not come again , neither for its life , nor for your life , nor for the lives of your children . '

' oh , once i had six sons , and now i have only one .

so they all lived quietly at home , till the sultan 's cat went and caught a calf .

and i shall not kill it .

let it eat the camel : let it even eat a man . '

and it waited till the next day , and caught some one 's child .

and the sultan was told , ' the cat has caught a child . '

and he said , ' the cat is mine and the child mine . '

then it caught a grown-up man .

after that the cat left the town and took up its abode in a thicket near the road .

so if any one passed , going for water , it devoured him .

if it saw a cow going to feed , it devoured him .

if it saw a goat , it devoured him .

whatever went along that road the cat caught and ate .

then the people went to the sultan in a body , and told him of all the misdeeds of that cat .

but he answered as before , ' the cat is mine and the people are mine . '

' the cat !

the cat ! ' shrieked the soldiers who were with him .

and this time the sultan said :

' seek for it and kill it .

it is no longer a cat , but a demon ! '

and he answered : ' true , i said it . '

but he answered : ' what i have said , i cannot take back .

if i am to die , then i die , but every day i must go and seek for the nunda . '

many times his slaves came and told him , ' we have seen footprints , and to-day we shall behold the nunda . '

but the footprints never turned out to be those of the nunda .

they wandered far through deserts and through forests , and at length came to the foot of a great hill .

and something in the boy 's soul whispered that here was the end of all their seeking , and to-day they would find the nunda .

then they began their climb .

suddenly , when they had almost reached the top , a slave who was on in front cried :

' master !

master ! '

and the boy pushed on to where the slave stood , and the slave said :

' cast your eyes down to the foot of the mountain . '

and the boy looked , and his soul told him it was the nunda .

and he crept down with his spear in his hand , and then he stopped and gazed below him .

' this must be the real nunda , ' thought he .

' my mother told me its ears were small , and this one 's are small .

she told me it was broad and not long , and this is broad and not long .

she told me it had spots like a civet-cat , and this has spots like a civet-cat . '

then he left the nunda lying asleep at the foot of the mountain , and went back to his slaves .

and the slaves did as he bade them .

it was now afternoon , and the lad said : ' it is time we went after the nunda . '

and they went till they reached the bottom and came to a great forest which lay between them and the nunda .

here the lad stopped , and ordered every slave that wore two cloths to cast one away and tuck up the other between his legs .

' for , ' said he , ' the wood is not a little one .

and they answered , ' good , master , ' and did as he bade them .

then they crawled on their hands and knees to where the nunda lay asleep .

noiselessly they crept along till they were quite close to it ; then , at a sign from the boy , they threw their spears .

and after they had eaten and were filled , they lay down and slept till morning .

when the dawn broke they rose up and cooked more rice , and drank more water .

( adapted from swahili tales . )

the story of hassebu

once upon a time there lived a poor woman who had only one child , and he was a little boy called hassebu .

and he stayed at home , eating and sleeping .

one day the boy said to his mother : ' what was my father 's business ? '

' he was a very learned doctor , ' answered she .

' where , then , are his books ? ' asked hassebu .

' many days have passed , and i have thought nothing of them .

but look inside and see if they are there . '

so hassebu looked , and saw they were eaten by insects , all but one book , which he took away and read .

for wood-cutting was their trade , and they loaded several donkeys with the wood , and sold it in the town .

and his mother answered , ' very well ; to-morrow i will buy him a donkey , and you can all go together . '

' knock again ! ' cried they .

and he knocked and listened .

' let us dig , ' said the boy .

and they dug , and found a large pit like a well , filled with honey up to the brim .

' this is better than firewood , ' said they ; ' it will bring us more money .

the following day each man brought every bowl and vessel he could find at home , and hassebu filled them all with honey .

and this he did every day for three months .

so he at once began to explore the pit and found it ran back a long way underground .

then suddenly the thought darted into his head , ' this scorpion must have come from somewhere !

perhaps there is a hole .

and when he had got outside , he saw a large open space in front of him , and a path leading out of it .

he went along the path , on and on , till he reached a large house , with a golden door standing open .

and he went in and lay down on it , and fell fast asleep , for he had wandered far .

by-and-by there was a sound of people coming through the courtyard , and the measured tramp of soldiers .

this was the king of the snakes coming in state to his palace .

they entered the hall , but all stopped in surprise at finding a man lying on the king 's own bed .

when he was comfortably seated , he turned to his soldiers , and bade them wake the stranger gently .

' who are you ? ' asked hassebu .

' i am the king of the snakes , ' was the reply , ' and this is my palace .

and will you tell me who you are , and where you come from ? '

' my name is hassebu , but whence i come i know not , nor whither i go . '

so he said to the king of the snakes , ' send me home , i pray . '

but the king of the snakes answered , ' when you go home , you will do me evil ! '

' i will do you no evil , ' replied hassebu ; ' send me home , i pray . '

but the king said , ' i know it .

if i send you home , you will come back , and kill me .

i dare not do it . '

and hassebu swore , and the king ordered his soldiers to take hassebu in sight of his native city .

then he went straight to his mother 's house , and the heart of his mother was glad .

so the vizir had set people to watch at the public baths , to see if such a man came there .

then hassebu cried , ' loose me , that i may take you . '

they went together a long , long way , till they reached the palace of the king of the snakes .

' who has beaten you like this ? ' asked the king .

' it was the vizir , ' replied hassebu .

' then i am already dead , ' said the king sadly , ' but you must carry me there yourself . '

so hassebu carried him .

and on the way the king said , ' when i arrive , i shall be killed , and my flesh will be cooked .

but take some of the water that i am boiled in , and put it in a bottle and lay it on one side .

the vizir will tell you to drink it , but be careful not to do so .

and they went their way into the town , and all happened as the king of the snakes had said .

and the sultan loved hassebu , who became a great physician , and cured many sick people .

but he was always sorry for the poor king of the snakes .

( adapted from swahili tales , )

the maiden with the wooden helmet

in a little village in the country of japan there lived long , long ago a man and his wife .

each day he grew more and more wretched , till at length he took to his bed and never got up again .

his wife and daughter wept bitterly for his loss , and it was many months before they could take pleasure in anything .

then one morning the mother suddenly looked at the girl , and found that she had grown still more lovely than before .

and the girl was a good girl , and listened to all her mother 's lessons , and so the years passed away .

and when she saw this the heart of the mother was at rest , and she lay back in her bed and died .

still she could manage to live , and that was enough .

from this time the girl felt as if all her troubles were ended , but the worst of them was yet to come .

however , they might have spared themselves the trouble , as he knew it was only idle talk .

' i have merely to remain firm , ' thought he , ' and they will have to give in . '

at length one night her mother appeared to her in a dream , and bade her marry the young man .

so the next time he asked her as he did nearly every day to his surprise and joy she consented .

and when they had drunk it all , and the cup was empty , a wonderful thing happened .

( japanische marchen . )

the monkey and the jelly-fish

the sea-queen otohime , whom you read of in the story of uraschimatoro , grew suddenly very ill .

the movement , gentle though it was , woke the turtle .

the other apes , seeing that the turtle was not to be trifled with , ran off , leaving their young brother to his fate .

but you must get on my back and come with me . '

delighted at having secured his prize , the turtle hastened back to the shore and plunged quickly into the water .

he swam faster than he had ever done before , and soon reached the royal palace .

it was during one of these attacks of sadness that a jelly-fish happened to swim by .

at that time jelly-fishes had shells .

the monkey shrank back horrified at these words and asked the jelly-fish what crime he had committed that deserved death .

then he went away , leaving the ape cold with horror .

then with mocking words they hunted him to the shore , and into the sea , which he was only too thankful to reach alive .

( japanische marchen . )

the headless dwarfs

no bells were rung , and no ringer ever came back .

indeed , there were even those who whispered that the minister himself had murdered the missing men !

' very good , my son , ' replied the minister , ' you shall have the chance of proving your courage this very night .

to-morrow we will settle what your wages are to be . '

and if i do not put it , it will certainly be wiser for you not to do so ! '

then he picked up some cards , and played with the unknown men as if he had known them all his life .

the luck was on his side , and soon the money of the other gamblers found its way from their pockets into his .

' stop , my little friend ! ' cried hans .

' that is not part of the bargain !

perhaps you saw how your comrades walked down stairs , and you are going after them .

but as you are in the highest place you shall make a more dignified exit , and follow them through the window ! '

with these words he began to climb the ladder , in order to take the little man from the bell and carry out his threat .

i am small and weak , but who knows whether some day i shall not be able to reward you . '

' you wretched little shrimp , ' replied hans , ' a great deal of good your gratitude is likely to do me !

but as i happen to be feeling in a cheerful mood to-night i will let you have your life .

but take care how you come across me again , or you may not escape so easily ! '

then hans began to ring lustily .

hans rang the bells for some time , then went to the hay-loft , and fell fast asleep .

this morning everyone was in his place except hans , and no one knew anything about him .

when , however , the servants all gathered round the table for dinner , hans at last made his appearance stretching himself and yawning .

' where have you been all this time ? ' asked the minister .

' asleep , ' said hans .

' asleep ! ' exclaimed the minister in astonishment .

' you don't mean to tell me that you can go on sleeping till mid-day ? '

' that is exactly what i do mean , ' replied hans .

the minister tried to argue the point with him , but at length the following agreement was come to .

' not at all ! ' answered hans .

a few weeks later the minister was asked to attend a christening in the neighbouring town .

' what are you taking that for ? ' asked the minister .

' we shall be there before dark . '

' who knows ? ' replied hans .

if we don't reach the town while it is still daylight i shall leave you to shift for yourself . '

the minister thought he was joking , and made no further remark .

' is there anything behind you ? ' asked the minister .

' or what is it you are always turning round for ? '

' i turn round because i have no eyes in the back of my neck , ' said hans .

' cease talking nonsense , ' replied the minister , ' and give all your mind to getting us to the town before nightfall . '

hans did not answer , but rode on steadily , though every now and then he cast a glance over his shoulder .

when they arrived in the middle of the wood the sun sank altogether .

then hans reined up his horse , took his knapsack , and jumped out of the sledge .

' what are you doing ?

in vain the master prayed and threatened , and promised hans a large reward if he would only drive him on .

the young man was not to be moved .

' are you not ashamed to urge me to break my word ? ' said he .

' if you want to reach the town to-night you must go alone .

the hour of my freedom has struck , and i cannot go with you . '

' my good hans , ' entreated the minister , ' i really ought not to leave you here .

consider what danger you would be in !

yonder , as you see , a gallows is set up , and two evil-doers are hanging on it .

you could not possibly sleep with such ghastly neighbours . '

' why not ? ' asked hans .

as he spoke , he turned his back on the minister , and went his way .

his friends were much surprised to see him drive up without a coachman , and thought some accident had happened .

but when he told them of his conversation with hans they did not know which was the most foolish , master or man .

it would have mattered little to hans had he known what they were saying or thinking of him .

after some hours , he was awakened by a sudden noise , and sat up and looked about him .

the moon was shining brightly above his head , and close by stood two headless dwarfs , talking angrily .

at the sight of hans the little dwarfs cried out :

' it is he !

my bones still ache from my fall down the steps of the tower .

i dare say you have not forgotten that night !

now it is the turn of your bones .

hi ! comrades , make haste ! make haste ! '

hans thought his last hour was come , when just as the fight was at the hottest another little dwarf arrived on the scene .

' hold , comrades ! ' he shouted , turning to the attacking party .

' this man once did me a service , and i am his debtor .

when i was in his power he granted me my life .

the headless dwarfs listened to his words and disappeared as suddenly as they had come .

' ah ! ' said the dwarf , seating himself quietly under the tree .

' you laughed at me when i told you that some day i might do you a good turn .

now you see i was right , and perhaps you will learn for the future not to despise any creature , however small . '

' i thank you from my heart , ' answered hans .

' my bones are still sore from their blows , and had it not been for you i should indeed have fared badly . '

under the stone lies a great treasure , which has been hidden there in time of war .

a third of this money you must give to the poor , but the rest you may keep for yourself . '

as he finished , the cocks in the village crowed , and the little man was nowhere to be seen .

hans found that his limbs no longer pained him , and lay for some time thinking of the hidden treasure .

towards morning he fell asleep .

the sun was high in the heavens when his master returned from the town .

' hans , ' said he , ' what a fool you were not to come with me yesterday !

then he returned to his work .

sure enough , there was the hole , and in the hole lay the treasure , exactly as the little man had said .

as , however , he did not claim any wages , the minister made no objections , but allowed him to do as he wished .

( ehstnische marchen . )

the young man who would have his eyes opened

once upon a time there lived a youth who was never happy unless he was prying into something that other people knew nothing about .

but when the old man had listened attentively to him , he said , warningly :

' my son , do not follow after empty knowledge , which will not bring you happiness , but rather evil .

much is hidden from the eyes of men , because did they know everything their hearts would no longer be at peace .

knowledge kills joy , therefore think well what you are doing , or some day you will repent .

but if you will not take my advice , then truly i can show you the secrets of the night .

only you will need more than a man 's courage to bear the sight . '

it is lucky for you that the serpent-king 's feast happens to fall this year , otherwise you would have had long to wait for it .

but take care to be quick and bold , or it will be the worse for you . '

what he saw was creepier than creepy , and surpassed all he had ever dreamt of .

so , with his hair standing on end and his blood frozen in his veins , he crept forwards .

oh ! what a noise and a whirr rose afresh among the serpents .

at length his breath failed him , and he threw himself almost senseless on the turf .

while he lay there dreadful dreams haunted him .

he thought that the serpent-king with the fiery crown had twined himself round him , and was crushing out his life .

but it was no dream that he had run hard and far , or that he had drunk of the magic goats ' milk .

and once in the forest his doubts were set at rest , for he saw what no mortal eyes had ever seen before .

beneath the trees were golden pavilions , with flags of silver all brightly lighted up .

these were the wood-nymphs , daughters of the earth-mother , who came every night to hold their dances , in the forest .

then a silvery veil seemed to be drawn over the ladies , and they vanished from sight .

but the young man remained where he was till the sun was high in the heavens , and then went home .

he felt that day to be endless , and counted the minutes till night should come , and he might return to the forest .

and that was the way he learned that the wizard had spoken truly when he said , ' blindness is man 's highest good . '

( ehstnische marchen . )

the boys with the golden stars

once upon a time what happened did happen : and if it had not happened , you would never have heard this story .

stana , the second , was so beautiful that when she was driving the flock the wolves protected the sheep .

but it was only the emperor going to hunt with his friends and attendants .

as they drew near the three sisters , and marked their beauty , they checked their horses and rode slowly by .

' listen , sisters ! ' said anna , as they passed on .

and though they spoke low the young men heard , and turned their horses ' heads .

the following morning the marriage ceremony took place , and for three days and three nights there was nothing but feasting over the whole kingdom .

now the emperor had a stepmother , and she had a daughter by her first husband , who lived with her in the palace .

so she hated the girl with all her heart , and only bided her time to do her ill .

this time her scheme was successful .

and hastily assembling whatever soldiers happened to be at hand he set off at once to meet the enemy .

the other king had not reckoned on the swiftness of his movements , and was not ready to receive him .

the emperor fell on him when he was off his guard , and routed his army completely .

the emperor came into the palace , and when they told him the news he went straight to laptitza 's room .

not many days after , the stepmother 's wish was fulfilled .

the emperor took her daughter to wife , and again the rejoicings lasted for three days and three nights .

let us now see what happened to the two little boys .

the poor little babies had found no rest even in their graves .

they are the finest aspens i have ever beheld ! '

and the aspens grew as no aspens had ever grown before .

and when the wind moved them softly , the emperor would sit and listen to them all the day long .

the stepmother knew what it all meant , and her mind never ceased from trying to invent some way of destroying the trees .

it was not an easy thing , but a woman 's will can press milk out of a stone , and her cunning will overcome heroes .

what craft will not do soft words may attain , and if these do not succeed there still remains the resource of tears .

one morning the empress sat on the edge of her husband 's bed , and began to coax him with all sorts of pretty ways .

it was some time before the bait took , but at length even emperors are only men !

and with this the empress was forced to be content .

the aspens were cut down next morning , and before night the new bed had been placed in the emperor 's room .

but the empress felt as if she was lying on thorns and nettles , and could not close her eyes .

when the emperor was fast asleep , the bed began to crack loudly , and to the empress each crack had a meaning .

she felt as if she were listening to a language which no one but herself could understand .

' is it too heavy for you , little brother ? ' asked one of the beds .

' oh , no , it is not heavy at all , ' answered the bed in which the emperor was sleeping .

' i feel nothing but joy now that my beloved father rests over me . '

' it is very heavy for me ! ' said the other bed , ' for on me lies an evil soul . '

and so they talked on till the morning , the empress listening all the while .

by daybreak the empress had determined how to get rid of the beds .

she would have two others made exactly like them , and when the emperor had gone hunting they should be placed in his room .

this was done and the aspen beds were burnt in a large fire , till only a little heap of ashes was left .

yet while they were burning the empress seemed to hear the same words , which she alone could understand .

' but what are we to do with you ? ' asked the fisherman .

' go and collect all the dew that lies on the leaves , and let us swim in it .

and when he came back , what do you think he saw ?

the boys grew fast .

and they grew in other things besides height , too .

thrice in age , and thrice in wisdom , and thrice in knowledge .

and when three days and three nights had passed they were twelve years in age , twenty-four in strength , and thirty-six in wisdom .

' now take us to our father , ' said they .

by the time they arrived there it was midday , and the fisherman and his charges went up to an official who was standing about .

' we wish to speak with the emperor , ' said one of the boys .

' you must wait until he has finished his dinner , ' replied the porter .

' no , while he is eating it , ' said the second boy , stepping across the threshold .

' we desire to enter , ' said one of the princes sharply to a servant who stood near the door .

' that is quite impossible , ' replied the servant .

' is it ? let us see ! ' said the second prince , pushing the servants to right and left .

but the servants were many , and the princes only two .

there was the noise of a struggle , which reached the emperor 's ears .

' what is the matter ? ' asked he angrily .

the princes stopped at the sound of their father 's voice .

' two boys who want to force their way in , ' replied one of the servants , approaching the emperor .

' to force their way in ?

who dares to use force in my palace ?

what boys are they ? ' said the emperor all in one breath .

and they are as proud as they are strong , for they will not take their caps from their heads . '

the emperor , as he listened , grew red with anger .

' thrust them out , ' cried he .

' set the dogs after them . '

they had almost reached the gates when a servant ran up to them .

' the emperor commands you to return , ' panted he : ' the empress wishes to see you . '

he sat at the top of a long table covered with flowers and filled with guests .

and beside him sat the empress , supported by twelve cushions .

when the princes entered one of the cushions fell down , and there remained only eleven .

' take off your caps , ' said one of the courtiers .

' a covered head is among men a sign of honour .

we wish to seem what we are . '

' never mind , ' said the emperor , whose anger had dropped before the silvery tones of the boy 's voice .

' stay as you are , but tell me who you are !

where do you come from , and what do you want ? '

and a second cushion fell down .

' let them take their silliness home , ' said the empress .

' oh , no , let them go on , ' said the emperor .

' you wished to see them , but i wish to hear them .

go on , boys , sing me the story . '

the empress was silent , but the princes began to sing the story of their lives .

' there was once an emperor , ' began they , and the third cushion fell down .

when they reached the warlike expedition of the emperor three of the cushions fell down at once .

and there happened in the end what should have happened in the beginning .

laptitza sat next her husband at the top of the table .

( rumanische marchen . )

the frog

once upon a time there was a woman who had three sons .

though they were peasants they were well off , for the soil on which they lived was fruitful , and yielded rich crops .

one day they all three told their mother they meant to get married .

whoever spins the best will be my favourite daughter-in-law . '

but the youngest brother was greatly troubled , for he had nothing to show for the skein of flax that had been given to him .

sadly he betook himself to the pond , and sitting down on the bank , began to weep .

flop ! and the frog appeared out of the water close beside him .

' take this , ' she said ; ' here is the linen that i have spun for you . '

you may imagine how delighted the youth was .

in the house there are three puppies .

each of you take one , and give it to the woman whom you mean to bring home as your wife .

she must train it and bring it up .

whichever dog turns out the best , its mistress will be my favourite daughter-in-law . '

so the young men set out on their different ways , each taking a puppy with him .

flop ! and close beside him , he saw the frog .

' why are you weeping ? ' she said .

then he told her his difficulty , and that he did not know to whom he should take the puppy .

' give it to me , ' she said , ' and i will bring it up for you . '

and , seeing that the youth hesitated , she took the little creature out of his arms , and disappeared with it into the pond .

the youngest son , as was his custom , went to the pond , and called on the frog to come to his rescue .

in a minute she was at his side , bringing with her the most lovely little dog , which she put into his arms .

in high spirits the youth carried it off to his mother .

as soon as she saw it , she exclaimed : ' this is the most beautiful little dog i have ever seen .

you are indeed fortunate , my son ; you have won a pearl of a wife . '

then , turning to the others , she said : ' here are three shirts ; take them to your chosen wives .

whoever sews the best will be my favourite daughter-in-law . '

you may imagine what the youngest brother felt on hearing these words .

whence was he to fetch a bride ?

would the frog be able to help him in this new difficulty ?

with bowed head , and feeling very sad , he sat down on the edge of the pond .

flop ! and once more the faithful frog was beside him .

' what is troubling you so much ? ' she asked him , and then the youth told her everything .

' will you take me for a wife ? ' she asked .

' what should i do with you as a wife , ' he replied , wondering at her strange proposal .

' once more , will you have me or will you not ? ' she said .

' i will neither have you , nor will i refuse you , ' said he .

the frog was holding the carriage door open for him to step in .

' come with me , ' she said .

and he got up and followed her into the chariot .

their first thought was to reward the frog , who had unconsciously been the means of curing them of their misfortunes .

the first witch waved her magic wand over the frog , and changed her into the loveliest girl that had ever been seen .

the third witch gave the girl a magic purse , filled with money .

having done this , the witches disappeared , and the youth with his lovely bride drove to his mother 's home .

great was the delight of the mother at her youngest son 's good fortune .

( from the italian . )

the princess who was hidden underground

once there was a king who had great riches , which , when he died , he divided among his three sons .

the youngest of the three sons , on the contrary , made good use of his portion .

if he were not capable of finding her then he must die .

many young men sought to discover her , but all perished in the attempt .

when the latter saw the golden lamb , he asked the herd : ' will you sell me this lamb ? '

this the king agreed to do , and he arose and took the lamb to his daughter .

when he had led it into her palace , and through many rooms , he came to a shut door .

then he called ' open , sartara martara of the earth ! ' and the door opened of itself .

after that they went through many more rooms , and came to another closed door .

when the king had embraced the princess , he gave her the lamb , to her great joy .

she stroked it , caressed it , and played with it .

but the king answered : ' it is only a lamb , why should it not be free ? '

then he left the lamb with the princess , and went his way .

in the night , however , the young man threw off the skin .

then i will turn my head back , and with my bill will clean my wings , so that you may know me . '

but the king said : ' i cannot leave it with you , my daughter , for it is only lent to me . '

so he took it away with him , and gave it back to the shepherd .

when the king saw how handsome he was , he said : ' my lad , i have pity on your youth .

this enterprise has already cost the lives of many , and will certainly be your death as well . '

but the young man answered , ' i accept your conditions , oh king ; i will either find her or lose my head . '

thereupon he went before the king , who followed after him , till they came to the great door .

then the young man said to the king : ' speak the words that it may open . '

and the king answered : ' what are the words ?

shall i say something like this : " shut ; shut ; shut " ? '

' no , ' said he ; ' say " open , sartara martara of the earth . " '

then spoke the king and said : ' yes , truly , you have found the princess .

( from the german . )

the girl who pretended to be a boy

once upon a time there lived an emperor who was a great conqueror , and reigned over more countries than anyone in the world .

one thing , however , held him back from this step which day by day he saw more clearly was the only one possible .

his new overlord would demand the service of one of his sons .

and the old emperor had no son ; only three daughters .

' what secret grief is troubling you ?

are your subjects discontented ? or have we given you cause for displeasure ?

' my daughter , ' answered the emperor , ' what you say is true .

never have you given me one moment 's pain .

yet now you cannot help me .

ah ! why is not one of you a boy ! '

' i don't understand , ' she answered in surprise .

' tell us what is wrong : and though we are not boys , we are not quite useless ! '

' but what can you do , my dear children ?

spin , sew , and weave that is all your learning .

only a warrior can deliver me now , a young giant who is strong to wield the battle-axe : whose sword deals deadly blows . '

' but why do you need a son so much at present ?

tell us all about it !

it will not make matters worse if we know ! '

' listen then , my daughters , and learn the reason of my sorrow .

you have heard that as long as i was young no man ever brought an army against me without it costing him dear .

but the years have chilled my blood and drunk my strength .

but who is to give him the ten years ' service that is part of the price which the vanquished must pay ? '

' i will , ' cried the eldest girl , springing to her feet .

but her father only shook his head sadly .

' never will i bring shame upon you , ' urged the girl .

' let me go .

am i not a princess , and the daughter of an emperor ? '

' go then ! ' he said .

the brave girl 's heart almost stopped beating from joy , as she set about her preparations .

she was not still for a single moment , but danced about the house , turning chests and wardrobes upside down .

she set aside enough things for a whole year dresses embroidered with gold and precious stones , and a great store of provisions .

and she chose the most spirited horse in the stable , with eyes of flame , and a coat of shining silver .

then he gave her his blessing , and she touched her horse with the spur .

the silver armour of herself and her steed dazzled the eyes of the people as she darted past .

but though none of his daughters were aware of the fact , the old emperor was a magician , and had laid his plans accordingly .

he managed , unseen , to overtake his daughter , and throw a bridge of copper over a stream which she would have to cross .

then , changing himself into a wolf , he lay down under one of the arches , and waited .

he had chosen his time well , and in about half an hour the sound of a horse 's hoofs was heard .

his feet were almost on the bridge , when a big grey wolf with grinning teeth appeared before the princess .

with a deep growl that froze the blood , he drew himself up , and prepared to spring .

' my father , it is my turn now .

perhaps i shall get the better of that wolf ! '

' what , do you think you are braver than your sisters , vain little one ?

you who have hardly left your long clothes behind you ! ' but she did not mind being laughed at , and answered ,

' for your sake , father , i would cut the devil himself into small bits , or even become a devil myself .

i think i shall succeed , but if i fail , i shall come home without more shame than my sisters . '

still the emperor hesitated , but the girl petted and coaxed him till at last he said ,

' well , well , if you must go , you must .

' he laughs best who laughs last , ' said the princess .

the girl 's eyes filled with tears , and she stood gazing at him .

ah , what a warrior he was , and what good times we shared together !

' and how should you be tended ? ' asked the girl .

' i should like to try the treatment , as you might help me in carrying out my scheme . '

' try it then , mistress , and i promise you will never repent . '

then looking at the princess who had come early to the stable , he said joyfully ,

' may success await on the steps of my master 's daughter , for she has given me back my life .

tell me what i can do for you , princess , and i will do it . '

' i want to go to the emperor who is our over-lord , and i have no one to advise me .

which of all the white-headed boyards shall i choose as counsellor ? '

' i will listen to everything .

can you start in three days ? '

' this moment , if you like , ' said the horse .

the preparations of the emperor 's youngest daughter were much fewer and simpler than those of her sisters .

they only consisted of some boy 's clothes , a small quantity of linen and food , and a little money in case of necessity .

then she bade farewell to her father , and rode away .

then without looking round , she rode across the bridge .

and this time he took the shape of a lion .

but the horse guessed this new danger and told the princess how to escape it .

and if the wolf had made the girl quake with terror , it seemed like a lamb beside this dreadful lion .

at the sound of his roar the very trees quivered and his claws were so large that every one of them looked like a cutlass .

the breath of the princess came and went , and her feet rattled in the stirrups .

then , like a flash , she crossed this bridge also .

' warriors , ' he told her , ' only rest when they have won the victory .

you have still another battle to fight , and it is the hardest of all . '

the fight lasted an hour and the dragon pressed her hard .

you have chosen the right horse , for without his help you would have returned with a bent head and downcast eyes .

when he had done speaking , the princess knelt down to receive his blessing , and they went their different ways .

the princess rode on and on , till at last she came to the mountains which hold up the roof of the world .

there she met two genii who had been fighting fiercely for two years , without one having got the least advantage over the other .

then she crept back to her own bed and fell fast asleep .

she next passed on to the bedside of the princess , who still lay asleep grasping the withered flowers .

but she did not believe any the more that her guest was a man , and so she told her son .

so they put their heads together and laid another trap for her .

after breakfast the genius gave his arm to his guest , and asked her to come with him into the garden .

for some time they walked about looking at the flowers , the genius all the while pressing her to pick any she fancied .

then the genius told his mother that she was quite wrong , and his deliverer was certainly a man .

but the old woman was not convinced for all that .

after this she informed the genius that she would start early next day and take sunlight with her .

and there was nothing for the mother to do but to submit , though she still stuck to her own opinion .

' up to this time , mistress , you have obeyed my counsels and all has gone well .

listen to me once more , and do what i tell you .

give me leave , therefore , to return home , and do you continue your journey under the care of my brother .

put your faith in him as you put it in me , and you will never repent .

wisdom has come early to sunlight . '

only , i must have a proof that he loves me as well as you do . '

trust me , mistress , and you shall never regret the absence of my brother .

i know there will be difficulties in our path , but we will face them together . '

then , with tears in her eyes , the princess took leave of her old horse , who galloped back to her father .

she had ridden only a few miles further , when she saw a golden curl lying on the road before her .

checking her horse , she asked whether it would be better to take it or let it lie .

on this the girl dismounted , and picking up the curl , wound it round her neck for safety .

he was sitting on his throne , surrounded by the sons of the other emperors , who served him as pages .

these youths came forward to greet their new companion , and wondered why they felt so attracted towards him .

however , there was no time for talking and concealing her fright .

the princess was led straight up to the throne , and explained , in a low voice , the reason of her coming .

she was , however , very careful in her behaviour towards the other pages , whose way of life did not please her .

and from that moment the princess was left no peace , till she had promised to cook them all a dinner .

when the pages heard of this shocking state of things , they went to their companion and implored her to come to the rescue .

when the dinner was placed before the emperor he found it so nice that he ate much more than was good for him .

' golden hair the fields are green , '

and that to their certain knowledge he had a curl of her hair in his possession .

' fet-fruners , you have hidden from me the fact that you knew the golden-haired iliane !

why did you do this ? for i have treated you more kindly than all my other pages . '

now go ! '

at his first words she brightened up .

go back to the emperor and ask him for twenty ships filled with precious merchandise .

the rest you shall know by-and-by . '

on hearing this advice , the princess went at once into the emperor 's presence .

' may a long life be yours , o sovereign all mighty ! ' said she .

' you shall have all that i possess if you will bring me the golden-haired iliane , ' said the emperor .

the ships were soon ready , and the princess entered the largest and finest , with sunlight at her side .

then the sails were spread and the voyage began .

the most splendid of these was guarded by three slaves , whose greedy eyes were caught by the glistening gold of the slippers .

they hastened up to the owner of these treasures , and inquired who he was .

luckily her gaoler was away , always trying to catch the stud of mares , so for the moment she was free and alone .

the slaves told their tale so well that their mistress insisted on going down to the shore and seeing the beautiful slippers for herself .

thus they arrived at the court of the emperor .

they were just about to land , when the mother of the genius stood before them .

one glance told iliane who the horrible old woman was , and she whispered hastily to her companion .

without saying a word , the princess swung her into sunlight 's saddle , and leaping up behind her , they were off like a flash .

it was not till they drew near the town that the princess stooped and asked sunlight what they should do .

the princess did as she was told , and a huge mountain sprang up behind them .

the mother of the genius began to climb up it , and though they galloped quickly , she was quicker still .

they heard her coming , faster , faster ; and again the princess stooped to ask what was to be done now .

this time there sprang up a great tower of stone , smooth as ivory , hard as steel , which reached up to heaven itself .

and the mother of the genius gave a howl of rage , knowing that she could neither climb it nor get through it .

only her claws could be seen grasping the battlements .

the emperor received iliane with all the respect that was due to her , and fell in love at first sight besides .

so when the emperor asked her to share his throne iliane answered :

when he heard this , the emperor once more sent for fet-fruners , and said :

' fet-fruners , fetch me instantly the stud of mares , with their trappings all complete .

if not , your head shall pay the forfeit . '

' mighty emperor , i kiss your hands !

they say you are a just man ; then why not entrust this quest to one of them ?

where am i to seek these mares that i am to bring you ? '

' how do i know ?

they may be anywhere in heaven or earth ; but , wherever they are , you will have to find them . '

the princess bowed and went to consult sunlight .

he listened while she told her tale , and then said :

' fetch quickly nine buffalo skins ; smear them well with tar , and lay them on my back .

do not fear ; you will succeed in this also ; but , in the end , the emperor 's desires will be his undoing . '

the buffalo skins were soon got , and the princess started off with sunlight .

the way was long and difficult , but at length they reached the place where the mares were grazing .

at last , when her strength was almost gone , the genius lowered his sword for an instant .

the princess saw her chance , and , with one swoop of her arm , severed her enemy 's head from his body .

still trembling from the long struggle , she turned away , and went to the meadow where the stud were feeding .

when the fight was ended , the buffalo skins were in ribbons , and the beaten animal writhing with pain on the grass .

nothing now remained to be done but to drive the whole stud to the emperor 's court .

on reaching the palace , she drove them into a yard , and went to inform the emperor of her arrival .

but they would suffer no one to come near them , and the princess was commanded to perform this service also .

at this , the heart of the girl swelled within her .

the hardest tasks were always given to her , and long before the two years were up , she would be worn out and useless .

then as suddenly it stopped , and , behold ! the water was ice , which held the animals firmly in its grasp .

but fear nothing , for the hour of the emperor has struck . '

' it stands , ' he said , ' on the altar of a little church , and is guarded by a troop of nuns .

but she reached the altar in safety , and found the vase of holy water standing on it .

this she thrust into her dress , and went back with the same care as she came .

in either case he thought that the punishment would be severe .

he drew forth the vase from his tunic and held it up to the emperor , saying : ' mighty sovereign , all hail !

when it was over , iliane summoned fet-fruners before her , and addressed him thus :

' fet-fruners ! it is you who brought me and have saved my life , and obeyed my wishes .

and you , and none other , shall be my husband . '

' but know that in our house , it will be the cock who sings and not the hen ! '

( from sept contes roumains , jules brun and leo bachelin . )

the story of halfman

in a certain town there lived a judge who was married but had no children .

one day he was standing lost in thought before his house , when an old man passed by .

' what is the matter , sir , said he , ' you look troubled ? '

' oh , leave me alone , my good man ! '

' but what is it ? ' persisted the other .

then the old man said , ' here are twelve apples .

if your wife eats them , she will have twelve sons . '

the judge thanked him joyfully as he took the apples , and went to seek his wife .

' eat these apples at once , ' he cried , ' and you will have twelve sons . '

by-and-by they all grew into men , and one day they told their father it was high time he found wives for them .

so the twelve sons saddled their horses and rode for twelve days , till they met an old woman .

follow me into my house . '

and the twelve brothers followed her gladly , and their father 's brother stood at the door , and gave them meat and drink .

this man is no uncle of ours , but an ogre . '

' nonsense ; of course he is our uncle , ' answered they .

' well , this very night you will see ! ' said halfman .

and he did not go to bed , but hid himself and watched .

after that she lay down and was soon snoring loudly .

next he drew their scarlet caps from their heads and exchanged them for the veils which the ogre 's daughters were wearing .

this was hardly done when he heard steps coming along the floor , so he hid himself quickly in the folds of a curtain .

there was only half of him !

yes ! it certainly was red !

then she was quite certain the brothers lay sleeping before her , and began to kill them one by one .

and halfman whispered to his brothers , ' get up and run for your lives , as the ogress is killing her daughters . '

the brothers needed no second bidding , and in a moment were out of the house .

by this time the ogress had slain all her daughters but one , who awoke suddenly and saw what had happened .

' mother , what are you doing ? ' cried she .

' do you know that you have killed my sisters ? '

' oh , woe is me ! ' wailed the ogress .

' halfman has outwitted me after all ! '

and she turned to wreak vengeance on him , but he and his brothers were far away .

they rode all day till they got to the town where their real uncle lived , and inquired the way to his house .

' why have you been so long in coming ? ' asked he , when they had found him .

' oh , dear uncle , we were very nearly not coming at all ! ' replied they .

' we fell in with an ogress who took us home and would have killed us if it had not been for halfman .

he knew what was in her mind and saved us , and here we are .

now give us each a daughter to wife , and let us return whence we came . '

let us put him to death and give his wife to our eldest brother ! '

and they waited for a chance .

' halfman is the youngest , ' said the elder brother , ' he must go . '

so halfman got down and filled a skin with water , and they drew it up by a rope and drank .

then the brothers rode away as fast as they could , with his bride .

and the fish guided him to a shallow place , so that he scrambled out .

' yes ; but what am i to do ? ' asked halfman .

then i will appear before you . '

' thank you , ' said halfman , and went his way , while the fish swam back to its home .

' ah , halfman , have i got you at last ?

you killed my daughters and helped your brothers to escape .

what do you think i shall do with you ? '

' whatever you like ! ' said halfman .

' come into my house , then , ' said the ogress , and he followed her .

' look here ! ' she called to her husband , ' i have got hold of halfman .

i am going to roast him , so be quick and make up the fire ! '

so the ogre brought wood , and heaped it up till the flames roared up the chimney .

then he turned to his wife and said : ' it is all ready , let us put him on ! '

' what is the hurry , my good ogre ? ' asked halfman .

' you have me in your power , and i cannot escape .

i am so thin now , i shall hardly make one mouthful .

better fatten me up ; you will enjoy me much more . '

' that is a very sensible remark , ' replied the ogre ; ' but what fattens you quickest ? '

' butter , meat , and red wine , ' answered halfman .

' very good ; we will lock you into this room , and here you shall stay till you are ready for eating . '

so halfman was locked into the room , and the ogre and his wife brought him his food .

' get out , then ! ' said the ogre .

' yes , that is a good idea , ' answered they .

' all right , ' said she , and held a billet of wood for him to chop .

but he raised his axe and cut off her head , and ran away like the wind .

but halfman was far away .

at last he saw an iron tower which he climbed up .

' oh , there is no door , ' replied halfman .

' then how did you climb up ? '

' a fish carried me on his back . '

' and what am i to do ? '

after that you can easily throw it down . '

and overhead sat halfman , laughing heartily .

but the ogre 's wife was still alive , for she had taken no part in kindling the fire .

' oh , that is easy enough , ' said halfman .

' i will let down a rope , and if you tie it tightly round you , i will draw it up . '

' all right , ' returned the ogress , fastening the rope which halfman let down .

' now pull me up . '

' are you sure it is secure ? '

' yes , quite sure . '

' don't be afraid . '

' oh , i am not afraid at all ! '

' oh , how can i stop it ? ' asked he .

' will you help me ? '

' yes , i will , ' replied the ogress .

' thank you , thank you ! ' cried halfman , kissing her on the forehead .

' very well , i will rid you of him , ' said the ogress , ' but only on one condition .

if a boy is born to you , you must give him to me ! '

' mount on my back , then , and in a quarter of an hour we shall be there . '

here she left him , while she went into the town itself , and found the wedding guests just leaving the brother 's house .

then she returned to halfman and told him to go and claim his bride .

he jumped up hastily from his seat , and took the road to his father 's house .

' the judge 's eldest son was married yesterday , and died suddenly before night . '

he went at once to his father 's room , and found him sitting in tears on the floor .

' dear father , ' said halfman , ' are you not glad to see me ?

if he is dead , i at least am alive . '

' no , no , he was better than you ! ' moaned the father .

' why , dear father ? '

' he told me you had behaved very ill , ' said he .

' well , call my brothers , ' answered halfman , ' as i have a story to tell them . '

so the father called them all into his presence .

but i warned my brothers that the man was not our uncle , but an ogre .

then i woke my brothers , and we all stole softly from the house , and we rode like the wind to our real uncle .

now , you are a judge !

who did well , and who did evil i or my brothers ? '

' is this story true ? ' said the father , turning to his sons .

' it is true , my father , ' answered they .

' it is even as halfman has said , and the girl belongs to him . '

then the judge embraced halfman and said to him : ' you have done well , my son .

take your bride , and may you both live long and happily together ! '

' what is the matter ? ' she asked .

' the matter ? ' said he .

' yes , why are you weeping ? '

' because , ' replied halfman , ' the baby is not really ours , but belongs to an ogress . '

' are you mad ? ' cried the wife .

' what do you mean by talking like that ? '

' and will she take him from us now ? ' said the poor woman .

' no , not quite yet , ' replied halfman ; ' when he is bigger . '

' and is she to have all our children ? ' asked she .

' no , only this one , ' returned halfman .

' all right , ' replied the child , but when he went home forgot all about it .

the next day the ogress came again , and asked the boy what answer the father had given .

' i forgot all about it , ' said he .

' well , put this ring on your finger , and then you won't forget . '

' very well , ' replied the boy , and went home .

at that moment the ogress came up and asked him , ' did you give my message to your father and mother ? '

' yes , dear aunt , i did . '

' and what did they say ? '

' take it away at once ! '

so she took him .

' yes , that will be the best , ' said she .

the year passed away , then halfman saddled his horse , and rode to the place where the ogress had found him sleeping .

she was not there , but not knowing what to do next , he got off his horse and waited .

about midnight she suddenly stood before him .

' halfman , why did you come here ? ' said she .

' i have a question i want to ask you . '

' well , ask it ; but i know quite well what it is .

your wife wishes you to ask whether i shall carry off your second son as i did the first . '

' yes , that is it , ' replied halfman .

and his father clasped him in his arms , and began to cry .

but the boy struggled to be free , saying ' dear father , put me down .

then his father sat him down and said , ' go in peace , my boy , but listen first to me .

tell your father the ogre and your mother the ogress , that never more shall they have any children of mine . '

' all right , ' replied the boy , and called ' mother ! '

' what is it ? '

' you are never to take away any more of my father and mother 's children ! '

' now that i have got you , i don't want any more , ' answered she .

( marchen und gedichte aus der stadt tripolis .

hans von stumme . )

the prince who wanted to see the world

the young man replied that he was very fond of doing so .

cards were brought , and in a very short time the prince had lost every penny he possessed to his new acquaintance .

before he had gone very far he met a woman carrying a child , which was crying from hunger .

the woman thanked him gratefully , and said :

' listen , my lord .

you must walk straight on till you notice a very strong scent , which comes from a garden by the side of the road .

go in and hide yourself close to a tank , where three doves will come to bathe .

the young man did as he was told , and everything happened as the woman had said .

thus the prince went on his way , and in course of time he arrived at the king 's palace .

' fear nothing ; it will be all right , ' replied the dove , as she flew away again .

the next morning when the prince awoke he saw the three loaves standing beside his bed .

taking the loaves in his arm he followed the boy , and , bowing low , laid them down before the king .

the monarch looked at the loaves for a moment without speaking , then he said :

' good .

the man who can do this can also find the ring which my eldest daughter dropped into the sea . '

the prince hastened back to his room and summoned the dove , and when she heard this new command she said : ' now listen .

to-morrow take a knife and a basin and go down to the shore and get into a boat you will find there . '

afterwards you must throw it into the sea . '

wondering at this strange order , the prince picked up his knife and severed the dove 's head from her body at one stroke .

another moment and it had vanished completely , and the prince took the ring and made his way back to the palace .

' this evening you will mount my colt and ride him to the field , and break him in properly . '

my father longs to see you dead , and thinks he will kill you by this means .

he himself is the colt , my mother is the saddle , my two sisters are the stirrups , and i am the bridle .

do not forget to take a good club , to help you in dealing with such a crew . '

the youngest , however , was quite unharmed .

that night she came to the prince and whispered to him :

' now that they are all in too much pain to move , we had better seize our chance and run away .

go to the stable and saddle the leanest horse you can find there . '

however , it was dangerous to go back , and they rode on as fast as the horse would go .

when the king reached the chapel , he pulled up his horse and asked if a girl and a young man had passed that way .

the hermit raised his eyes , which were bent on the ground , and said that he had not seen a living creature .

at these words the king hastened back to the stable , and brought out the lean horse who travelled quicker than thought .

as the king rode up , the gardener looked up from the tree which he was trimming and asked if anything was the matter .

so the king turned his steps homewards and told his wife .

but there is no time to waste .

i shall have to go with you myself . '

but it was no use .

the king then filled it a second time , but again the turtle was too quick for him .

the queen saw that she was beaten , and called down a curse on her daughter that the prince should forget all about her .

after having relieved her feelings in this manner , she and the king went back to the palace .

and another perched on a table and added , ' talk away , it might help him to remember ! '

and it did .

then they hung a collar round his neck , and held a feather on which was written the name of the dove .

and at last his memory came back to him , and he declared he would marry the princess and nobody else .

so the next day the wedding took place , and they lived happy till they died .

( from the portuguese . )

virgilius the sorcerer

long , long ago there was born to a roman knight and his wife maja a little boy called virgilius .

virgilius was fond of books , and pored over them all day long .

in front of him was a cave , and , as no boy ever sees a cave without entering it , he went in .

virgilius ! '

' who calls ? ' he asked , stopping and looking round .

' virgilius ! ' answered the voice , ' do you mark upon the ground where you are standing a slide or bolt ? '

' i do , ' replied virgilius .

' then , ' said the voice , ' draw back that bolt , and set me free . '

' but who are you ? ' asked virgilius , who never did anything in a hurry .

' i am an evil spirit , ' said the voice , ' shut up here till doomsday , unless a man sets me free .

if you will let me out i will give you some magic books , which will make you wiser than any other man . '

the evil spirit , unable to help itself , did as virgilius bade him , and then the bolt was drawn back .

' why , you can't have been as big as that when you were in the hole ! ' cried virgilius .

' but i was ! ' replied the spirit .

' i don't believe it ! ' answered virgilius .

then virgilius drew the bolt , and , picking the books up under his arm , he left the cave .

for the next few weeks virgilius hardly ate or slept , so busy was he in learning the magic the books contained .

soon after this had happened the season of tax-gathering came round , and everyone who owned land was bound to present himself before the emperor .

like the rest , virgilius went to court , and demanded justice from the emperor against the men who had robbed him .

when the enemies of virgilius heard of this , they assembled together and laid siege to his castle .

but virgilius was a match for them .

after which he lifted the spell , and the invading army slunk back to rome , and reported what virgilius had said to the emperor .

but he got together another army , and marched straight off to the castle .

things seemed getting desperate , when a magician arrived in the camp and offered to sell his services to the emperor .

in an instant all his foes seemed turned to stone , and where each man was there he stayed .

the emperor , who by this time was thoroughly frightened , said he would agree to anything virgilius desired .

virgilius was enchanted at this quite unexpected favour , and stepped with glee into the basket .

at last the emperor , hearing of his plight , commanded febilla to release him , and virgilius went home vowing vengeance .

the next morning every fire in rome went out , and as there were no matches in those days this was a very serious matter .

the emperor , guessing that this was the work of virgilius , besought him to break the spell .

then virgilius ordered a scaffold to be erected in the market-place , and febilla to be brought clothed in a single white garment .

and further , he bade every one to snatch fire from the maiden , and to suffer no neighbour to kindle it .

for three days she stood there , till every hearth in rome was alight , and then she was suffered to go where she would .

but the emperor was wroth at the vengeance of virgilius , and threw him into prison , vowing that he should be put to death .

and when everything was ready he was led out to the viminal hill , where he was to die .

he went quietly with his guards , but the day was hot , and on reaching his place of execution he begged for some water .

then they made ready their armies , and marched against the foe .

now there was a country which had long felt bitter jealousy of rome , and was anxious for some way of bringing about its destruction .

have we your leave to dig for it ? '

and leave having been given , the messengers took workmen and dug up the gold and made merry with it .

a week or two passed by , and once more they appeared in the senate house .

and next morning the stone gave way , and the sacred statue fell on its face and was broken .

and the senators knew that their greed had been their ruin .

the emperor , desiring nothing so much as the safety of his subjects , took counsel with virgilius how this violence could be put down .

virgilius thought hard for a long time , and then he spoke :

the emperor did as virgilius advised , but thieves and murderers laughed at the horse , and went about their misdeeds as usual .

thus did virgilius restore peace and order to the city .

the hours passed as if they were minutes , till the princess said that she could be no longer absent from her father .

then the sultan ordered his guards to bind him , and left him there till the following day .

' not so ! ' cried the sultan , ' but a shameful death you shall die ! '

and the princess fell on her knees , and begged she might die with him .

and when the egg shakes the city quakes , and when the egg shall be broken the city shall be destroyed .

and the city virgilius filled full of wonders , such as never were seen before , and he called its name naples .

( adapted from ' virgilius the sorcerer . ' )

mogarzea and his son

there was once a little boy , whose father and mother , when they were dying , left him to the care of a guardian .

he climbed a hill and looked about him to see if there was no light shining from a window .

when the man awoke in the morning he was much surprised to find the boy nestling up close to him .

' dear me ! where do you come from ? ' said he .

' i am your son , born in the night , ' replied the boy .

but take care you never cross the border of my land , or you will repent it . '

then he pointed out where the border of his land lay , and bade the boy begin his work at once .

' mogarzea , ' answered he .

' i wonder you are not tired of living by yourself in this lonely place . '

' there is no reason you should wonder !

don't you know that there was never a bear yet who danced of his own free will ? '

' yes , that is true , ' replied the boy .

' but why is it you are always so sad ?

tell me your history , father . '

' what is the use of my telling you things that would only make you sad too ? '

' oh , never mind that !

i should like to hear .

are you not my father , and am i not your son ? '

and the horrible elves are so ill-natured that if anyone sets one foot on their land he is instantly punished .

that is why i warn you to be careful , lest you should share my fate . '

' all right , i will take great care .

do let me go , father , ' said the boy , as they stretched themselves out to sleep .

but the boy was so absorbed in his flute that he noticed nothing till half the flock were on the other side .

the boy understood what he must do , and played with all his might , but the maidens danced on till evening .

' now let me go , ' he cried at last , ' for poor mogarzea must be dying of hunger .

i will come and play for you to-morrow . '

this being settled , they each returned home .

then the boy let the flute slip through his fingers , and trod on it , as if by accident .

the hearts of the elves were quite melted , and they did all they could to comfort him .

' i shall never find another flute like that , moaned he .

' i have never heard one whose tone was as sweet as mine !

it was cut from the centre of a seven-year-old cherry tree ! '

' there is a cherry tree in our garden that is exactly seven years old , ' said they .

' come with us , and you shall make yourself another flute . '

it was in vain that they shrieked with pain and tried to free themselves .

they could do nothing , and the young man remained cold as marble to all their entreaties .

then he demanded of them mogarzea 's soul .

but they were mistaken .

and he turned towards home , taking his sheep and the soul of mogarzea with him .

mogarzea was waiting at the door , and as the boy drew near he began scolding him for being so late .

but all he did was to point to the boy who had saved him , and had followed him with his flock .

for three days the boy stayed in the palace , receiving the thanks and praises of the whole court .

then he said to mogarzea :

he gazed at her in wonder , when suddenly she began to dance .

suddenly he sprang forward , seized her in his arms and kissed her , and plucked a rose from her hair .

the fairy gave a cry , and begged him to give her back her rose , but he would not .

he only stuck the rose in his hat , and turned a deaf ear to all her prayers .

at last she saw that her entreaties were vain , and agreed to marry him , as he wished .

and they went together to the palace , where mogarzea was still waiting for him , and the marriage was celebrated by the emperor himself .

but every may they returned to the milk lake , they and their children , and bathed in its waters .

( olumanische marchen . )

end of the project gutenberg ebook of the violet fairy book , by various