loved beyond anything. Now when he was grown up into a fine young
prince, the King, his father, went a-hunting one day and lost his way
in the forest, and when he came through it he found a raging stream
between him and his palace. He did not know how to get home, when
suddenly a huge giant came out of the forest and said:
"What would you give if I carried you across?"
"Anything, anything," said the King.
"Will you give me the first thing that meets you as you come to the
palace gate?"
The King thought for a while and then remembered that whenever he came
to the gate of the palace his favourite deerhound Bevis always came to
greet him. So, though he was sorry to lose him, he thought it was
worth while, and agreed with the giant.
Thereupon the giant took the King upon his shoulders and wading across
the raging stream landed him on the farther bank and saying to him,
"Remember what you have promised," went back again to the other side.
The King soon found his way towards the palace, but as he came to the
palace gate it happened that his son Prince Edgar was standing there,
and before Bevis the hound could dash out to greet his master, Prince
Edgar had rushed towards his father and caught him by the hand. The
King was rather startled but thought to himself:
"Oh, how will the giant know who met me? After all I intended to give
him Bevis, and that's what I'll do when he comes."
The next day the giant came to the castle gates and asked to see the
King, and when he was admitted to his presence he said:
"I come for your promise."
"Bring Bevis the hound," said the King to his attendants.
But the giant said: "I want no hound; give me your Prince."
The King was alarmed at finding that the giant knew who had met him;
but he told him that the Prince was away, but he would send and summon
him. Then he called his High Steward and told him to dress up the
herd-boy of the palace in some of the Prince's clothes. And when this
was done he gave him to the giant, who hoisted him on his shoulder and
strode off with him.
When they had gone a little way along the herd-boy in the Prince's
suit called out:
"Stop, stop, I am hungry; this is the time the herd rests and I have
my luncheon."
Then the giant knew that he had been deceived and went back to the
King's palace and said to him:
"Take your herd-boy and give me the Prince."
The King was again startled to find that the giant had found out his
trick, but thought to himself:
"Well, he didn't find out at once; we'll have another try," and
ordered his Steward to dress up the shepherd boy in the Prince's
clothes and give him to the giant.
Again the giant strode off with the shepherd boy in Prince's clothes
upon his shoulder, and they had not gone far when the boy called out:
[Illustration: _The Prince wants his Lunch_]
"Stop, stop, it is time for lunch; this is when the sheep all rest."
Then again the giant knew that he had been tricked and rushed back in
a rage to the King's palace and threw the shepherd boy to the ground
and called out:
"Take your shepherd boy and give me the Prince you promised, or it
will be worse for you."
This time the King dared not refuse and called Prince Edgar to him and
gave him to the giant, who seized him as before and put him on his
shoulder.
After they had gone a little way, the Prince called out:
"'Tis time to stop; this is the time I have always lunched with my
father the King and my mother the Queen."
Then the giant knew that he had got the right Prince and took him home
to his castle. When he got him there he gave him his supper and told
him that he would have to work for him and that his first work would
be next day to clean out the stable.
"That's not much," thought the Prince, and went to bed quite happy and
comfortable.
Next day the giant took Edgar into the giant's stable, which was full
of straw and dirt and all huddled up, and pointing to a pitchfork
said:
"Clear all of this straw out of this stable by to-night," and left him
to his task.
The Prince thought this was an easy thing to do, and before starting
went to get a drink at the well, and there he saw a most beautiful
maiden sitting by the well and knitting.
"Who are you?" said she.
And so he told her all that had happened and said:
"At any rate I have an easy master; all he has given me to do is to
clear out the stable."
"That is not so easy as you think," said the maid. "How are you going
to do it?"
"With a pitchfork."
"You will find that not so easy; if you try to use the pitchfork in
the ordinary way, the more you shove the more there will be; but turn
the pitchfork upside-down and push with the handle and all the straw
and stuff will run away from it."
So Prince Edgar went back to the stable, and sure enough, when he
tried to push the straw with the fork it only grew more and more, but
if he turned the handle towards it the straw moved away from the fork
and so he soon cleared it out of the stable.
When the giant came home the first thing he did was to go to the
stable; and when he saw it had all been cleared out he said to the
Prince:
"Ah, you've been talking to my Master-Maid. Well, to-morrow you'll
have to cut down that clump of trees."
"Very well, Master," said Prince Edgar, and thought that would not be
difficult.
But next morning the giant gave him an axe made of glass and told him
that he must cut down every one of the trees before nightfall.
When he had gone away, the Prince went to the Master-Maid and told her
what his task was.
"You cannot do that with such an axe, but never mind, I can help you.
Sleep here in peace and when you wake up you will see what you will
see."
So Prince Edgar trusted the Master-Maid and lay down and slept till
late in the afternoon, when he woke up and looked, and there were the
trees all felled and the Master-Maid was smiling by his side.
"How did you do it?" he said.
"That I may not say, but done it is, and that is all that you need
care for."
When the giant came home, the first thing he did was to go to the
clump of trees and found, to his surprise, that they had all been
felled.
"Ah, you've spoken to my Master-Maid," he said once more.
"Who is she?" said the Prince.
"You know well enough," said the giant. "But for her you could not
have cut down those trees with that glass axe."
"I do not know what you mean," said the Prince. "But at any rate,
there you have your trees cut down, what more do you want?"
"Well, well," grumbled the giant, "we'll see to-morrow whether you can
do what I tell you then," and would not say what his task should be
next day.
When the morning came, the giant pointed to the tallest tree in the
forest near them, and said:
"Do you see that birds' nest in the top of that tree? In it are six
eggs; you must climb up there and get all those eggs for me before
nightfall, and if one is broken woe betide you!"
At that Prince Edgar did not feel so happy, for there were no branches
to the tree till very near the top, and it was as smooth, as smooth as
it could be, and he did not see how possibly he could reach the birds'
nest. But when the giant had gone out for the day he went at once to
the Master-Maid and told her of his new task.
"That is the hardest of all," said the Master-Maid. "There is only one
way to do the task. You must cut me up into small pieces and take out
my bones, and out of the bones you must make a ladder, and with that
ladder you can reach the top."
"That I will never do," said the Prince. "You've been so good to me,
shall I do you harm? Before that, I should suffer whatever punishment
the giant will give me for not carrying out the task."
"But all will be well," said the Master-Maid. "As soon as you have
brought down the nest, all that you will have to do is to put the
bones together and sprinkle on them the water from this flask, and
then I shall be whole again just as before."
After much persuasion the Prince agreed to do what the Master-Maid
had told him, and made a ladder out of her bones and climbed up to the
top of the tree and took the birds' nest with the six eggs in it, and
then he put the bones together, but forgot to put one little bone in
its proper place.
So when he had sprinkled the water over the bones the Master-Maid
stood up before him just as before, but the little finger of her left
hand was not there. She cried and said:
"Ah, why did you not do what I told you--put all my bones together in
their place? You forgot my little finger; I shall never have one all
the days of my life."
When the giant came home, he asked the Prince:
"Where is the birds' nest?"
And the Prince brought it to him with the eggs all safe within it. And
then the giant said:
"Ah, you have spoken to my Master-Maid."
"Whom do you mean by your Master-Maid?" said the Prince. "There are
your eggs, what more do you want?"
But the giant said: "Well, as the Master-Maid has helped you so far
she can help you always. You shall marry her today and sleep in my own
four-poster."
The Prince was well content with that arrangement and went and sought
the Master-Maid and told her what the giant had said.
The Master-Maid wept and said: "You know not what he means. His
four-poster rolls up and would crush us and we would be dead before
the morning. Let me think, let me think."
So the Master-Maid took an apple and divided it into six parts and put
two at the foot of the bed and two at the door of the room and two at
the foot of the stairs.
When night came, the Master-Maid and her Prince went up into the room
with the four-poster, but as soon as it was dark crept down the stairs
and went out to the stable and chose two of the swiftest horses there
and rode away as quickly as they could.
The giant waited for some time after they had gone upstairs and then
called out:
"Are you asleep?"
And the two apple shares near the bed called out:
"Not yet, not yet!"
So after waiting some time he called out again:
"Are you asleep?"
And the apple shares at the door called out:
"Not yet, not yet!"
And still a third time the giant called out:
"Are you asleep?"
And the apple shares on the stairs replied:
"Not yet, not yet!"
Then the giant knew that the voice was outside the bedroom, and rushed
up to find Edgar and his bride, but found they were gone. He rushed to
the stable and chose his great horse Dapplegrim and rode after Prince
Edgar and the Master-Maid.
They had gone on a good way in front; but after a time they heard the
trampling of the hoofs of the great horse Dapplegrim, and the
Master-Maid said to Prince Edgar:
"That is the giant; he will soon overtake us if we do not do
something." And she jumped off her horse and bade Prince Edgar do the
same.
Then the Master-Maid took three twigs and threw them behind her with
magic spells; and they grew and they grew and they grew, till they
became a huge thick forest. And the Master-Maid and Edgar jumped upon
their horses again and rode away as fast as they could.
But the giant, as soon as he came to the forest, had to take his axe
from his side and hew his way through the thick trees, so that Edgar
and the Master-Maid got far ahead. But soon they heard once more the
trampling of Dapplegrim close behind them; and the Master-Maid took
the glass axe that the giant had given Edgar on the second day, and
threw it behind her with magic spells. And a huge glass mountain rose
behind them, so that the giant had to stop and split his way through
the glass mountain.
Edgar and the Master-Maid rode on at full speed, but once again they
heard Dapplegrim trampling behind them, and the Master-Maid took the
flask of water from her side and cast it down back of her, and out of
it gushed a huge stream.
When the giant came up to the stream and tried to make Dapplegrim
swim through it he would not; and then he lay down on the bank of the
stream and commenced to drink up as much of it as he could. And he
drank and he drank and he drank, till at last he swallowed so much
that he burst; and that was the end of the giant.
[Illustration: The Giant Tries to Drink the Stream]
Meanwhile Edgar and the Master-Maid had ridden on fast and furious
till they came near where the palace of the King, Edgar's father,
could be seen in the far distance. And Edgar said:
"Let me go on first and tell my father and mother all that you have
done for me, and they will welcome you as their daughter."
The Master-Maid shook her head sadly and said:
"Do as you will, but beware lest any one kiss you before you see me
again."
"I want no kisses from any one but you," said Prince Edgar, and
leaving her in a hut by the roadside he went on to greet the King and
Queen.
When he got to the palace gate everybody was astonished to see him, as
they had all thought he had been destroyed by the giant. And when they
took him to the Queen, his mother, she rushed to him and kissed him
before he could say nay.
No sooner had his mother kissed him than all memory of the Master-Maid
disappeared from his mind. And when he told his mother and his father
what he had done in the giant's castle and how he had escaped, he said
nothing of the help given him by the Master-Maid.
Soon afterwards the King and the Queen arranged for the marriage of
Prince Edgar with a great Princess from a neighbouring country. And
she was brought home with great pomp and ceremony to the King's
palace. And one day after her marriage, when she was out, she passed
by the hut in which the Master-Maid was dwelling.
Now the Master-Maid had put on that day a beautiful dress of rich
silk, and when the Prince's wife saw it she went to the Master-Maid
and said:
"I should like that dress. Will you not sell it to me?"
"Yes," said the Master-Maid, "but at a price you are not likely to
give."
"What do you want for it?" said the Princess.
"I want to spend one night in the room of your bridegroom, Prince
Edgar."
At first the Princess would not think of such a thing; but after
thinking the matter over she thought of a plan, and said:
"Well, you shall have your wish," and took away with her the silken
dress.
But at night, when the Master-Maid came to the palace and claimed her
promise, the Princess put a sleep-giving drug in Edgar's cup.
When the Master-Maid came into Edgar's room she bent over his bed and
cried:
"I cleaned the byre for thee,
I swung the axe for thee,
And now thou'lt not speak to me."
But still Edgar slept on, and in the morning the Master-Maid had to
leave without speaking to him.
Next day, when the Princess went out to see what the Master-Maid had
been doing, she found her dressed in a rich silver dress, and said to
her:
"Will you sell that dress to me?"
And the Master-Maid said, "Yes, at a price."
Then the Princess said, "What price?"
"One night in Edgar's room," replied the Master-Maid.
The Princess knew what had happened the night before, so she agreed to
let the Master-Maid pass still another night with her bridegroom. But
all happened as before; and when the Master-Maid came into the room
she bent over Edgar, lying upon the bed, and called out:
"I gave my bones for thee,
I shared the apples for thee,
And yet thou'lt not speak to me";
and had to leave him as before, without his waking up.
But this time Prince Edgar had heard something of what she said in his
sleep. And when he woke up he asked his chamberlain what had happened
during the night. And he told the Prince that for two nights running a
maiden had been in his room and sung to him, but he had not answered.
Next day the Princess sought out the Master-Maid as before. And this
time she was dressed in a dress of shining gold; and for that the
Princess agreed to let her spend one more night in the Prince's room.
But this time the Prince, guessing what had happened, threw away the
wine-cup, in which the Princess had placed the sleeping draught, and
lay awake on his bed when the Master-Maid came in. She bent over him
and cried:
"I grew the forest for thee,
I made the glass mount for thee,
For thee a stream flowed from my magic flask,
And yet thou'lt not wake and speak to me."
But this time Prince Edgar rose up in bed and recognized the
Master-Maid, and called in his father and his mother and told them all
that had happened, which had now come back to him.
So the Princess was sent back to her home, and Edgar married the
Master-Maid and lived happy ever afterwards.
[Illustration: The Visitor]
A VISITOR FROM PARADISE
There was once a woman, good but simple, who had been twice married.
One day when her husband was in the field--of course that was her
second husband, you know--a weary tramp came trudging by her door and
asked for a drink of water. When she gave it to him, being rather a
gossip, she asked where he came from.
"From Paris," said the man.
The woman was a little bit deaf, and thought the man said from
Paradise.
"From Paradise! Did you meet there my poor dear husband, Lord rest his
soul?"
"What was his name?" asked the man.
"Why, John Goody, of course," said the woman. "Did you know him in
Paradise?"
"What, John Goody!" said the man. "Him and me was as thick as
thieves."
"Does he want for anything?" said the woman. "I suppose up in Paradise
you get all you want."
"All we want! Why, look at me," said the man pointing to his rags and
tatters. "They treat some of us right shabby up there."
"Dear me, that's bad. Are you likely to go back?"
"Go back to Paradise, marm; I should say! We have to be in every night
at ten."
"Well, perhaps you wouldn't mind taking back some things for my poor
old John," said the woman.
"In course, marm, delighted to help my old chum John."
So the woman went indoors and got a big pile of clothes and a long
pipe and three bottles of beer, and a beer jug, and gave them to the
man.
"But," he said, "please marm, I can't carry all these by my own self.
Ain't you got a horse or a donkey that I can take along with me to
carry them? I'll bring them back to-morrow."
Then the woman said, "There's our old Dobbin in the stable; I can't
lend you mare Juniper cos my husband's ploughing with her just now."
"Ah, well, Dobbin'll do as its only till to-morrow."
So the woman got out Dobbin and saddled him, and the man took the
clothes and the beer and the pipe and rode off with them.
Shortly afterwards her husband came home and said,
"What's become of Dobbin? He's not in the stable."
So his wife told him all that had happened. And he said,
"I don't like that. How do we know that he is going to Paradise? And
how do we know that he'll bring Dobbin back to-morrow? I'll saddle
Juniper and get the things back. Which way did he go?"
So he saddled Juniper and rode after the man, who saw him coming afar
off and guessed what had happened. So he got off from Dobbin and drove
him into a clump of trees near the roadside, and then went and laid
down on his back and looked up to the sky.
When the farmer came up to him he got down from Juniper and said,
"What are you doing there?"
"Oh, such a funny thing," said the man; "a fellow came along here on a
horse with some clothes and things, and when he got to the top of the
hill here he simply gave a shout and the horse went right up into the
sky; and I was watching him when you came up."
"Oh, it's all right then," said the farmer. "He's gone to Paradise,
sure enough," and went back to his wife.
Next day they waited, and they waited for the man to bring back
Dobbin; but he didn't come that day nor the next day, nor the next. So
the farmer said to his wife,
"My dear, we've been done. But I'll find that man if I have to trudge
through the whole kingdom. And you must come with me, as you know
him."
"But what shall we do with the house?" said the wife. "You know there
have been robbers around here, and while we are away they'll come and
take my best chiny."
"Oh, that's all right," said the farmer. "He who minds the door minds
the house. So we'll take the door with us and then they can't get in."
So he took the door off its hinges and put it on his back and they
went along to find the man from Paradise. So they went along, and they
went along, and they went along till night came, and they didn't know
what to do for shelter. So the man said,
"That's a comfortable tree there; let us roost in the branches like
the birds." So they took the door up with them and laid down to sleep
on it as comfortable, as comfortable can be.
[Illustration: Up the Tree]
Now it happened that a band of robbers had just broken into a castle
near by and taken out a great lot of plunder; and they came under the
very tree to divide it. And when they began to settle how much each
should have they began to quarrel and woke up the farmer and his wife.
They were so frightened when they heard the robbers underneath them
that they tried to get up farther into the tree, and in doing so let
the door fall down right on the robbers' heads.
"The heavens are falling," cried the robbers, who were so frightened
that they all rushed away. And the farmer and his wife came down from
the tree and collected all the booty and went home and lived happy
ever afterwards.
It was and it was not.
[Illustration: The Snake]
INSIDE AGAIN
A man was walking through the forest one day when he saw a funny black
thing like a whip wriggling about under a big stone. He was curious to
know what it all meant. So he lifted up the stone and found there a
huge black snake.
"That's well," said the snake. "I have been trying to get out for two
days, and, Oh, how hungry I am. I must have something to eat, and
there is nobody around, so I must eat you."
"But that wouldn't be fair," said the man with a trembling voice. "But
for me you would never have come out from under the stone."
"I do not care for that," said the snake. "Self-preservation is the
first law of life; you ask anybody if that isn't so."
"Any one will tell you," said the man, "that gratitude is a person's
first duty, and surely you owe me thanks for saving your life."
"But you haven't saved my life, if I am to die of hunger," said the
snake.
"Oh yes, I have," said the man; "all you have to do is to wait till
you find something to eat."
"Meanwhile I shall die, and what's the use of being saved!"
So they disputed and they disputed whether the case was to be decided
by the claims of gratitude or the rights of self-preservation, till
they did not know what to do.
"I tell you what I'll do," said the snake, "I'll let the first
passer-by decide which is right."
"But I can't let my life depend upon the word of the first comer."
"Well, we'll ask the first two that pass by."
"Perhaps they won't agree," said the man; "what are we to do then? We
shall be as badly off as we are now."
"Ah, well," said the snake, "let it be the first three. In all law
courts it takes three judges to make a session. We'll follow the
majority of votes."
So they waited till at last there came along an old, old horse. And
they put the case to him, whether gratitude should ward off death.
"I don't see why it should," said the horse. "Here have I been slaving
for my master for the last fifteen years, till I am thoroughly worn
out, and only this morning I heard him say, 'Roger'--that's my
name--'is no use to me any longer; I shall have to send him to the
knacker's and get a few pence for his hide and his hoofs.' There's
gratitude for you."
So the horse's vote was in favour of the snake. And they waited till
at last an old hound passed by limping on three legs, half blind with
scarcely any teeth. So they put the case to him.
"Look at me," said he; "I have slaved for my master for ten years, and
this very day he has kicked me out of his house because I am no use to
him any longer, and he grudged me a few bones to eat. So far as I can
see nobody acts from gratitude."
"Well," said the snake, "there's two votes for me. What's the use of
waiting for the third? he's sure to decide in my favour, and if he
doesn't it's two to one. Come here and I'll eat you!"
"No, no," said the man, "a bargain's a bargain; perhaps the third
judge will be able to convince the other two and my life will be
saved."
So they waited and they waited, till at last a fox came trotting
along; and they stopped him and explained to him both sides of the
case. He sat up and scratched his left ear with his hind paw, and
after a while he beckons the man to come near him. And when he did so
the fox whispered,
"What will you give me if I get you out of this?"
The man whispered back, "A pair of fat chickens."
"Well," said the fox, "if I am to decide this case I must clearly
understand the situation. Let me see! If I comprehend aright, the man
was lying under the stone and the snake----"
"No, no," cried out the horse and the hound and the snake. "It was the
other way."
"Ah, ha, I see! The stone was rolling down and the man sat on it, and
then----"
"Oh, how stupid you are," they all cried; "it wasn't that way at all."
"Dear me, you are quite right. I am very stupid, but, really, you
haven't explained the case quite clearly to me."
"I'll show you," said the snake, impatient from his long hunger; and
he twisted himself again under the stone and wriggled his tail till at
last the stone settled down upon him and he couldn't move out. "That's
the way it was."