Hokey Pokey was the youngest of a large family of children. His elder
brothers, as they grew up, all became either butchers or bakers or
makers of candle-sticks, for such was the custom of the family. But
Hokey Pokey would be none of these things; so when he was grown to be
a tall youth he went to his father and said, "Give me my fortune."
"'Will you be a butcher?' asked his father.
"'No,' said Hokey Pokey.
"'Will you be a baker?'
"'No, again.'
"'Will you make candlesticks?'
"'Nor that either.'
"'Then,' said his father, 'this is the only fortune I can give
you;' and with that he took up his cudgel and gave the youth a stout
beating. 'Now you cannot complain that I gave you nothing,' said he.
"'That is true,' said Hokey Pokey. 'But give me also the wooden mallet
which lies on the shelf, and I will make my way through the world.'
"His father gave him the mallet, glad to be so easily rid of him, and
Hokey Pokey went out into the world to seek his fortune. He walked
all day, and at nightfall he came to a small village. Feeling hungry,
he went into a baker's shop, intending to buy a loaf of bread for his
supper. There was a great noise and confusion in the back part of the
shop; and on going to see what was the matter, he found the baker on
his knees beside a large box or chest, which he was trying with might
and main to keep shut. But there was something inside the box which
was trying just as hard to get out, and it screamed and kicked, and
pushed the lid up as often as the baker shut it down.
"'What have you there in the box?' asked Hokey Pokey.
"'I have my wife,' replied the baker. 'She is so frightfully
ill-tempered that whenever I am going to bake bread I am obliged to
shut her up in this box, lest she push me into the oven and bake me
with the bread, as she has often threatened to do. But to-day she has
broken the lock of the box, and I know not how to keep her down.'
"'That is easily managed,' said Hokey Pokey. 'Do you but tell her,
when she asks who I am, that I am a giant with three heads, and all
will be well.' So saying, he took his wooden mallet and dealt three
tremendous blows on the box, saying in a loud voice,--
'Hickory Hox!
I sit by the box,
Waiting to give you a few of my knocks.'
"'Husband, husband! whom have you there?' cried the wife in terror.
"'Alas!' said the baker; 'it is a frightful giant with three heads. He
is sitting by the box, and if you open it so much as the width of your
little finger, he will pull you out and beat you to powder.'
"When the wife heard that she crouched down in the box, and said never
a word, for she was afraid of her life.
"The baker then took Hokey Pokey into the other part of the shop,
thanked him warmly, and gave him a good supper and a bed. The next
morning he gave him for a present the finest loaf of bread in his
shop, which was shaped like a large round ball; and Hokey Pokey, after
knocking once more on the lid of the box, continued his travels.
"He had not gone far before he came to another village, and wishing
to inquire his way he entered the first shop he came to, which proved
to be that of a confectioner. The shop was full of the most beautiful
sweetmeats imaginable, and everything was bright and gay; but the
confectioner himself sat upon a bench, weeping bitterly.
"'What ails you, friend?' asked Hokey Pokey; 'and why do you weep,
when you are surrounded by the most delightful things in the world?'
"'Alas!' replied the confectioner. 'That is just the cause of my
trouble. The sweetmeats that I make are so good that their fame has
spread far and wide, and the Rat King, hearing of them, has taken
up his abode in my cellar. Every night he comes up and eats all the
sweetmeats I have made the day before. There is no comfort in my life,
and I am thinking of becoming a rope-maker and hanging myself with the
first rope I make.'
"'Why don't you set a trap for him?' asked Hokey Pokey.
"'I have set fifty-nine traps,' replied the confectioner, 'but he is
so strong that he breaks them all.'
"'Poison him,' suggested Hokey Pokey.
"'He dislikes poison,' said the confectioner, 'and will not take it in
any form.'
"'In that case,' said Hokey Pokey, 'leave him to me. Go away, and hide
yourself for a few minutes, and all will be well.'
"The confectioner retired behind a large screen, having first showed
Hokey Pokey the hole of the Rat King, which was certainly a very large
one. Hokey Pokey sat down by the hole, with his mallet in his hand,
and said in a squeaking voice,--
'Ratly King! Kingly Rat!
Here your mate comes pit-a-pat.
Come and see; the way is free;
Hear my signal: one! two! three!'
And he scratched three times on the floor. Almost immediately the head
of a rat popped up through the hole. He was a huge rat, quite as large
as a cat; but his size was no help to him, for as soon as he appeared,
Hokey Pokey dealt him such a blow with his mallet that he fell down
dead without even a squeak. Then Hokey Pokey called the confectioner,
who came out from behind the screen and thanked him warmly; he also
bade him choose anything he liked in the shop, in payment for his
services.
"'Can you match this?' asked Hokey Pokey, showing his round ball of
bread.
"'That can I!' said the confectioner; and he brought out a most
beautiful ball, twice as large as the loaf, composed of the finest
sweetmeats in the world, red and yellow and white. Hokey Pokey took
it with many thanks, and then went on his way.
"The next day he came to a third village in the streets of which the
people were all running to and fro in the wildest confusion.
"'What is the matter?' asked Hokey Pokey, as one man ran directly into
his arms.
"'Alas!' replied the man. 'A wild bull has got into the principal
china-shop, and is breaking all the beautiful dishes.'
"'Why do you not drive him out?' asked Hokey Pokey.
"'We are afraid to do that,' said the man; 'but we are running up and
down to express our emotion and sympathy, and that is something.'
"'Show me the china-shop,' said Hokey Pokey.
"So the man showed him the china-shop; and there, sure enough, was a
furious bull, making most terrible havoc. He was dancing up and down
on a Dresden dinner set, and butting at the Chinese mandarins, and
switching down finger-bowls and teapots with his tail, bellowing
meanwhile in the most outrageous manner. The floor was covered with
broken crockery, and the whole scene was melancholy to behold.
"Now when Hokey Pokey saw this, he said to the owner of the
china-shop, who was tearing his hair in a frenzy of despair, 'Stop
tearing your hair, which is indeed a senseless occupation, and I will
manage this matter for you. Bring me a red cotton umbrella, and all
will yet be well.'
"So the china-shop man brought him a red cotton umbrella, and Hokey
Pokey began to open and shut it violently in front of the door. When
the bull saw that, he stopped dancing on the Dresden dinner set and
came charging out of the shop, straight towards the red umbrella. When
he came near enough, Hokey Pokey dropped the umbrella, and raising his
wooden mallet hit the bull such a blow on the muzzle that he fell down
dead, and never bellowed again.
"The people all flung up their hats, and cheered, and ran up and down
all the more, to express their gratification. As for the china-shop
man, he threw his arms round Hokey Pokey's neck, called him his
cherished preserver, and bade him choose anything that was left in his
shop in payment for his services.
"'Can you match these?' asked Hokey Pokey, holding up the loaf of
bread and the ball of sweetmeats.
"'That can I,' said the shop-man; and he brought out a huge ball of
solid ivory, inlaid with gold and silver, and truly lovely to behold.
It was very heavy, being twice as large as the ball of sweetmeats; but
Hokey Pokey took it, and, after thanking the shop-man and receiving
his thanks in return, he proceeded on his way.
"After walking for several days, he came to a fair, large castle, in
front of which sat a man on horseback. When the man saw Hokey Pokey,
he called out,--
"'Who are you, and what do you bring to the mighty Dragon, lord of
this castle?'
"'Hokey Pokey is my name,' replied the youth, 'and strange things do I
bring. But what does the mighty Dragon want, for example?'
"'He wants something new to eat,' said the man on horseback. 'He
has eaten of everything that is known in the world, and pines for
something new. He who brings him a new dish, never before tasted by
him, shall have a thousand crowns and a new jacket; but he who fails,
after three trials, shall have his jacket taken away from him, and his
head cut off besides.'
"'I bring strange food,' said Hokey Pokey. 'Let me pass in, that I may
serve the mighty Dragon.'
"Then the man on horseback lowered his lance, and let him pass in, and
in short space he came before the mighty Dragon. The Dragon sat on
a silver throne, with a golden knife in one hand, and a golden fork
in the other. Around him were many people, who offered him dishes of
every description; but he would none of them, for he had tasted them
all before; and he howled with hunger on his silver throne. Then came
forward Hokey Pokey, and said boldly,--
"'Here come I, Hokey Pokey, bringing strange food for the mighty
Dragon.'
"The Dragon howled again, and waving his knife and fork, bade Hokey
Pokey give the food to the attendants, that they might serve him.
"'Not so,' said Hokey Pokey. 'I must serve you myself, most mighty
Dragon, else you shall not taste of my food. Therefore put down your
knife and fork, and open your mouth, and you shall see what you shall
see.'
"So the Dragon, after summoning the man-with-the-thousand-crowns
and the man-with-the-new-jacket to one side of his throne, and the
man-to-take-away-the old-jacket and the executioner to the other, laid
down his knife and fork and opened his mouth. Hokey Pokey stepped
lightly forward, and dropped the round loaf down the great red throat.
The Dragon shut his jaws together with a snap, and swallowed the loaf
in two gulps.
"'That is good,' he said; 'but it is not new. I have eaten much bread,
though never before in a round loaf. Have you anything more? Or shall
the man take away your jacket?'
"'I have this, an it please you,' said Hokey Pokey; and he dropped
the ball of sweetmeats into the Dragon's mouth.
"When the Dragon tasted this, he rolled his eyes round and round,
and was speechless with delight for some time. At length he said,
'Worthy youth, this is very good; it is extremely good; it is better
than anything I ever tasted. Nevertheless, it is not new; for I have
tasted the same kind of thing before, only not nearly so good. And
now, unless you are positively sure that you have something new for
your third trial, you really might as well take off your jacket; and
the executioner shall take off your head at the same time, as it is
getting rather late. Executioner, do your--'
"'Craving your pardon, most mighty Dragon,' said Hokey Pokey, 'I will
first make my third trial;' and with that he dropped the ivory ball
into the Dragon's mouth.
"'Gug-wugg-gllll-grrr!' said the Dragon, for the ball had stuck fast,
being too big for him to swallow.
"Then Hokey Pokey lifted his mallet and struck one tremendous blow
upon the ball, driving it far down the throat of the monster, and
killing him most fatally dead. He rolled off the throne like a scaly
log, and his crown fell off and rolled to Hokey Pokey's feet. The
youth picked it up and put it on his own head, and then called the
people about him and addressed them.
"'People,' he said, 'I am Hokey Pokey, and I have come from a far land
to rule over you. Your Dragon have I slain, and now I am your king;
and if you will always do exactly what I tell you to do, you will have
no further trouble.'
"So the people threw up their caps and cried, 'Long live Hokey Pokey!'
and they always did exactly as he told them, and had no further trouble.
"And Hokey Pokey sent for his three brothers, and made them Chief
Butcher, Chief Baker, and Chief Candlestick-maker of his kingdom. But
to his father he sent a large cudgel made of pure gold, with these
words engraved on it: 'Now you cannot complain that I have given you
nothing!'"