grotesque drawings that there was no way of stopping him from practising
his silly cleverness wherever he was. And I say silly, because from his
hand came forth some primitive dolls, with heads as round as a billiard
ball, eyes and nose forming a sort of cork, and arms and legs like thin
thread, terminating in hands and feet which required an inscription in
order not to be taken for scourges.
One afternoon he approached the very wall of the school, and there, with
the greatest coolness, commenced to draw with a piece of charcoal some
of his strange figures. Perico, for so the boy was called, traced the
figure of the head of a puppet, made the eyes and the mouth, and, oh,
how strange! the doll began to wink and open its mouth and put its
tongue out like anything.
Perico was not timid, and therefore the moving of the eyes and mouth did
not startle him, and so without paying attention continued with his
sketching the arms and the rest of the body. But he had hardly finished
when the doll's hand came out and gave him such a tremendous knock that
it made him lose his balance, and he would even have fallen to the
ground if another blow with the other hand and on the opposite cheek had
not kept him on his feet. And as if this was not enough, the legs sprang
out of the wall, and two vigorous kicks that Perico received in the pit
of the stomach quite convinced him that there was one too many, and he
was the one. Thus convinced he was about to run away when the whole
doll came away from the stone, and at a bound leapt on his shoulders and
began to bite him in the back of the head.
Perico ran towards his house like a greyhound, feeling on his neck the
weight of that unexpected load, when the latter grew heavy, as if,
instead of a charcoal picture, he had to deal with a bronze statue.
The poor little boy sank to the ground, and on getting up saw at his
side, in the middle of the square, the doll in question, as tall as a
giant and changed into a motionless iron statue.
He tried to fly, but the statue caught him with its great hands by the
neck and, raising him up, placed him on its shoulders, and this being
done commenced to run in the direction of the country. Its footsteps
produced a very disagreeable noise of ironmongery, something like a sack
of nails being shaken up.
It was night-time and our giant, with Perico on its shoulders, ran as
fast as anything to a neighbouring mountain, until he came to a dark
grotto into which he penetrated without any need of matches, because
intense lights shone from his eyes.
During all this Perico, needless to mention, was more afraid than
ashamed, and did not know, nor could even imagine how, it was going to
end.
At length, after some minutes' walk in the grotto, the iron man
straightened himself, and turning the light of his eyes towards a
corner, lighted up by a glance the lamp which hung down from the rocky
ceiling, and this being done, took Perico down from his shoulders and
sat down.
"You do not know who I am," said the doll, opening his mouth with a
horrible smile; "but when you do know, it will make your hair stand on
end from fright."
"I am sure it won't," said the lad, "because it is already doing so; and
as I cannot be any more afraid than I am now, on account of being so
much afraid the fear which I felt is passing away."
"Well, then, I am the magician Adefesio, and I am tired of your drawing
me so ugly and so similar to all the boys. The thing which puts me out
most is that you draw my eyes without pupils and my nose without
nostrils. Moreover, the ears which you sketch look like jug handles,
and I am sick of my portrait going about the world so disfigured and so
badly done. Could you not have learnt to draw a little before
commencing these pictures? Well, the punishment that I reserve for you
is to draw your portrait every day."
"What a punishment!" exclaimed Perico.
"The fact is that I do not know how to draw either," answered the man of
iron, "and the worst of it all is that while I am drawing you, you will
grow like my sketch, so that in a twinkling you will be disfigured.
There, does not that seem a severe punishment to you? Well, you will
see!"
And seizing Perico by one arm he pulled the lamp which hung down. Then
a hole opened in the ceiling and the lamp went up, dragging the doll and
Perico through the air.
The light continued to rise through a sort of well which was lighted up,
and whose walls were lined with books full of badly-made drawings,
spoilt plans, pieces of forms with engravings made with penknives, and
table-covers destroyed through having been drawn on. That was the
museum of the man of iron, and each time he saw it he was filled with
anger towards the young draughtsmen who spoilt everything.
Soon they found themselves in a spacious room decorated in Arabian style
and furnished most luxuriously. In the background there was an easel of
great size, and on it a blackboard on which were drawn a lot of dolls of
the same sort that Perico drew.
"Dear me, how fine!" said the boy looking at the sketches; "it seems
that I did them."
"Well, now you will see the consequences," and snapping his fingers he
produced a metallic sound, and immediately a multitude of boys of
different ages came through a door. But what funny boys! All had round
heads, eyes like fishes, flat noses, and mouths like letter boxes, wide
open and showing teeth like saws. Their arms were thin as wire, ending
in long fingers without joints. Perico was not startled when they came
in.
"Well, that is how you will look in a little while," said the iron man.
"He always exaggerates!" exclaimed Perico aside, "but seeing is
believing."
The man of iron seized a piece of chalk, and going near to the board
began to draw Perico's head; but the latter called the doll's attention,
and when he looked the other way rubbed out what he had drawn.
The man could not have seen very well because he went on drawing very
tranquilly, and Perico continued rubbing out what the other drew; and
when he thought that he had finished he caught up the boy, brought him
to the light, and imagine his surprise on seeing him the same as before.
He went back, full of rage, to the blackboard; but Perico tripped him
up, and did it so well that he fell down. Then he threw the board and
easel on him, and climbing on top, began to jump on the doll, and
calling to his companions, shouted:
"Come here so that he will not be able to run away!"
The boys drew near and, climbing on the blackboard, by their weight
prevented the iron doll from moving.
But things did not rest thus, because Perico was a very daring boy, and
taking up a rope, which was close at hand, hung the iron man by the neck
to the lamp, and pulling on the other end of the rope, hauled him up
with the help of his companions.
As he was made of iron he was not choked, but hanging up he could do
nothing except make grimaces like a jack-in-the-box, which was just what
he looked like hanging in the air.
"Let me down!" shouted the unhappy man, "and you may draw whatever you
like."
"That won't do, my friend," answered Perico, laughing at the doll's
movements. "I should not be so stupid as to let you escape."
So that, as the song says:
"Here, sirs, came to an end
The life of Don Crispin."
"Do you think I have forgotten the punch you gave me?"
The other boys tied the rope to a sofa so as not to get tired, and led
by Perico began to explore the rooms of the cave. They were all
beautiful save that the ornaments on the walls were of dolls as
grotesque as the master.
The way out of the grotto could not be seen anywhere. And the reason was
simple, as the means of exit was by the lamp to which the doll was
hanging; but the boys did not like the idea of going down one by one,
with a great risk of breaking their heads.
Perico, now uneasy, recommenced to run about the rooms, and troubled by
seeing on the walls what recalled his unfortunate adventure, pulled out
his handkerchief and rubbed out all the drawings, seeing, with
extraordinary surprise, that the boys recovered their original shapes.
On rubbing out the last drawing a formidable noise was heard: the iron
man vanished as if he were smoke, the palace disappeared, and they found
themselves at the entrance to the cave. From there they marched to the
town, where their parents were anxiously waiting for them, and there
they related what had occurred.
All returned thanks to God and promised not to draw dolls again
anywhere.
Perico became a very honourable man, devoted himself to drawing, and
became a great artist, but he never forgot those dolls, which might have
cost him so dear.
*THE MAN WITH THE NOSE*
The King of Persia, Abe-lan-fui, was sitting one day with his august
feet in a basin of rose-water, an ingenious method which he employed in
order to cause happy ideas to occur to him when he was troubled. Half
slumbering by reason of the sublime thoughts which crowded to his brain,
he nodded two or three times, rubbed his eyes, and reclining his head on
a cushion, fell asleep. The court with silent respect contemplated the
gentle sleep of his majesty, when a loud sneeze filled the courtiers
with horror and suddenly awakened his majesty.
"Who was it?" asked the monarch.
"Sire!" exclaimed a youth, "it was I. I could not help it."
"Shall I hang him?" asked the grand vizier.
"Not yet; wait. You have just interrupted the sweetest dream of my
life. I was just thinking how to marry Princess Chan-ta-lan to a prince
of her rank when your tempestuous sneeze caused it all to go out of my
head. Your duty now is to guess my dream. If you can remind me of it,
I forgive you; but if not, I will have your nose shortened so that you
will never sneeze again as long as you live."
"Sire!" answered the unhappy courtier, seizing his nose as if to bid it
a last farewell, "my nose and my person belong to your majesty, but no
doubt, if you grant me five minutes' reflection, with the help of God I
will make you remember your dream."
When the brief respite granted by the king had expired, the courtier
daringly approached the steps of the throne and spoke as follows:
"Mighty monarch! here is the only dream worthy of your illustrious
talent. You dreamed that twelve princes solicited the white hand of the
august Princess Chan-ta-lan; that eleven of them were graceful, but one
had a defect; the former were powerful, and the latter of meagre
fortune; however, your majesty chose the defective candidate as
hereditary prince."
"If you tell me why I chose him," interrupted the monarch, "the nose is
yours."
"You chose him, your majesty, for his surpassing genius, and for having
vanquished his rivals in tests to which your majesty submitted them."
"Excellent. Now I remember it perfectly. May God preserve your nose
for centuries and centuries, and my treasurer shall give you a thousand
pieces of gold as a reward for your extraordinary understanding."
The court greeted this act of the monarch with a murmur of approval,
and, at once, all those who a few minutes before fled from the young
courtier as from a plague approached and felicitated him.
"Well, then," exclaimed the monarch, "I wish to follow the inspirations
of the dream, whose description you have heard. From now on, the
competition for aspirants to the hand of Chan-ta-lan is open. Proclaim
it, grand vizier, to all my ambassadors, and let all courts know what my
decision is. A necessary condition for the princes who aspire to be my
successor is to send their portraits without delay.
"And now," he added, addressing the minstrels of the palace, "I permit
you to sing my praises; and you," he said, facing his courtiers, "I
tolerate to applaud me for the great talent that God has given me."
"Bravo! Bravo!" exclaimed the courtiers all together.
"You are half-hearted!" said the king. "Applaud with more enthusiasm,
then I promise you not to get angry even when you shock my modesty."
"Hurrah! Splendid! Wonderful!" cried the people of the court,
applauding as if they were the claque of a theatre. "What genius! What
penetration! What a pity if it should fail us!"
"Don't be afraid, it will continue to be your pride and the rejoicing of
this land of fools and brutes."
"Oh, what a good lord! What a delicate compliment!"
The ambassadors announced the wish of their lord in all the capitals of
the neighbouring kingdoms, and very soon letters and portraits of
princes in all imaginable attitudes began to arrive. Some were twirling
their moustaches with a martial air; others scratched their chins as if
they were irritated; and others with one hand on the hilt of their
swords but wearing a magnanimous air, as if they would spare everybody's
life. So the King of Persia gathered a varied collection. But amongst
them one excelled for his awful simplicity, that of the Prince of Tokay,
who appeared in full profile, showing such a deformed nose as had never
been seen, not only in that town, but if you searched for ten leagues
around you would not find another to approach it. And saying it is
different from seeing it. For that immense, colossal nose measured from
the base to the tip nearly a yard in the measure of that country, which
is equal to two in Castilian measure. It was as thick as it was large,
which almost caused the other features of the countenance to disappear.
The painter, who undoubtedly was very clever, had expressed the air of
weariness which that badly balanced weight produced in the prince, and
which cried aloud for a counter weight at the back of his head.
The king laughed very much to see this phenomenon, and on seeing him
laugh the courtiers also dared to laugh at the prince; but the princess,
called to see the portrait of that aspirant to marriage, far from
laughing, commenced to cry disconsolately and nearly fainted.
"I do not wish to see the man with the nose!" she cried. "What great
folly! With this face he dares to ask for my hand! Papa, declare war
against him, take him prisoner, and do him the favour of trimming his
nose, if only to oblige me!"
The court also laughed at the remarks of the princess; for to some
people there is nothing more amusing than to laugh at others.
The king did not dare to disregard the Prince of Tokay, and, moreover,
greatly wished to see closely that elephant's trunk; so it was that he
authorised his ambassador to invite him to come to Persia to the place
arranged for the other aspirants.
All Teheran was burning with desire to know the princes, and especially
the big-nosed one: and so on the day of his arrival all the town crowded
to the gate by which he was to enter the capital. The Prince of Tokay,
accompanied by his inseparable nose and a modest escort, entered the
city and proceeded directly to the palace.
"What beauty!" cried the people. "With such a nose, well distributed,
there would be an end to all the pug-nosed people in the world."
The king, who came out to receive him, wished to embrace him as
etiquette required, but knocked against his nose and nearly tore out his
eye. At last a courtier held carefully aside the nose and he was able
to accomplish the palatine ceremony.
"His nose is tremendous," said the king, putting wet cloths on his
injured eye; "but it does not seem to me so large as the one in the
portrait."
"I am of the same opinion," added the princess. "It seems to me three
or four inches shorter than that the painter represented. If an artist
here had done the same to me as he did to the Prince of Tokay I am sure
that I should order him to receive a sound thrashing!"
"Then, to blow his nose how many handkerchiefs are wanted!" said a
courtier.
"He blows his nose on a sheet," added another.
The following day all the princes were summoned to give proof of their
talents. All went about very thoughtfully except he of Tokay, who
arrived with a most natural and quiet demeanour.
"My lord princes," said the sovereign, taking his seat on the throne,
"in order to decide who is the son-in-law who suits me best I have
arranged to put your knowledge to a test, now that your personal charms
are to be seen."
All the spectators looked at the big-nosed prince, who seemed as
tranquil as if he were not the object of general curiosity.
"Here are the questions that you have to answer. Which is the most
valuable thing in the world? How many baskets full of earth could be
taken from the mountain which is to be seen from the palace? And who is
the most treacherous companion that we all have?"
He granted them an hour in which to think out the answers, each being
shut up separately. He formed a tribunal composed of the wisest men of
his kingdom, and afterwards compared the aspirants to his daughter's
hand one with the other.
Some stated that these questions were too difficult for such rapid
answers; others said what they thought about them in such a stupid way
that the tribunal and the court could not refrain from laughter.
At length it came to the turn of the Prince of Tokay, who, bowing
respectfully, answered, "The most valuable thing in the world is life,
because it is God's most wonderful work. The mountain which is to be
seen from the palace has exactly two baskets full of earth, provided a
basket is made large enough to hold half the mountain. And the most
treacherous companion is time, which is our friend in youth, our
companion in middle age, and finally kills us treacherously in old age."
The king smiled, the tribunal approved, and the court applauded. The
princess herself appeared enchanted.
"Without any doubt," said the monarch, "you are the the victor in this
contest of intelligence; now it remains for you to vanquish in strength
and skill."
A stand was erected in the public place for the king, the judges, and
the court, and shortly afterwards the princes, bearing their arms and
mounted on superb horses, rode into the lists.
Each one was given a lance and the struggle began. The first of the
princes fought with the second, the conqueror with the third, and so on.
The Prince of Muscovy, who was a robust man, won the greater part of the
contest, wounding his adversaries seriously by lance-thrusts, throwing
them from their horses, and making them declare themselves vanquished
under the threat of finishing them off like lambs. When the last one
appeared, the feeble Prince of Tokay, a murmur of pity went round the
spectators. He of Muscovy had nothing even to start on! Moreover, as
that nose could not be covered by any known helmet, the prince kept it
outside with his visor raised. This was a manifest disadvantage, for
the other was cased in armour from top to toe.
He of Muscovy approached the stand where the princess was and said to
her:
"Beautiful Chan-ta-lan, I know that you have a whim to have the Prince
of Tokay's nose shortened, and I intend to pull it out by the roots and
offer it to you as a wedding gift."
And saying this, he attacked his adversary, who was quietly awaiting
him. Their lances struck against their shields and broke into
splinters; the horses reared, but neither one nor the other moved from
the saddle. The lances being broken, they seized their swords and
struck at each other furiously until the blades were broken also. The
Prince of Tokay approached his adversary, and with only one
hand--incredible strength!--took him from the saddle and threw him
rolling on the ground.
Tremendous applause followed, and the Prince of Tokay was cheered on all
sides. The latter alighted from his horse, and drawing near to his
enemy, who was not yet able to rise, made him admit his defeat. The
princess looked at him in amazement and confusion, and the king said to
her: "So you have got to have the big-nosed one! However, console
yourself, we will give him a case for it."
The prince approached the stand, and after receiving the king's
congratulations, the princess said to him:
"I confess, Prince of Tokay, that you are not handsome, that you lack
something, or rather that you have something too much, but such proofs
have you given of your ingenuity and strength that I will be your wife
without feeling any repugnance."
"My beautiful princess," exclaimed the knight, "I am so grateful for
your kindness that I do not wish to embitter your happiness without
making you a present which I think will be very much to your taste. My
adversary offered to give you my nose, the cause of your past antipathy,
and now that he has not succeeded in his project, may I be permitted to
present it to you myself."
So saying, to the great surprise of every one, he gave a sharp tug at
his nose, tearing it off at one stroke. The crowd gave a shout,
believing that the man was going to die, when to the general
astonishment it was seen that under that cardboard nose he wore his own
natural nose, which was so delicate and well proportioned that he had no
need to envy even the best shaped of noses. The Prince of Tokay was
none other than the courtier of the sneeze.
"I appealed to this expedient," he said, "because I wished you to know
and love me only for my qualities, and not for my face, for beauty
passes away quickly, and talent is a divine gift and much more lasting."
The princess nearly died of joy on seeing her sweetheart so clever, and
the rare event formed the conversation of all the city.
The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, and the new couple were very
happy, according to what the chronicles of Persia say.
In one of the princess's rooms, under a pretty lantern, was the
cardboard nose of the false Prince of Tokay. Under it was the following
inscription: "Physical defects count as nothing when the heart is
generous and noble and the understanding clear."
*THE ISLAND OF BRILLIANTS*
The bark _Esperanza_ with all canvas spread was sailing the China Sea,
when a violent storm overtook her. The event was so rapid that it gave
no time to be foreseen, and the captain, who was an old sea-dog, as
sailors are called who have become inured to dangers, did not foresee
that the breeze of an instant ago would change so soon into a violent
hurricane. The rudder was broken by the force of the waves, and the
ship was driven by the cyclone without means of defence--the crew and
the bark were lost.
All believed their last moment had come, since without doubt the boat
would go to pieces on the rocks which could be seen at a short distance,
when the captain gave a shout which calmed the anxiety of all hearts.
"The Island of Brilliants!" he exclaimed, and instantly all appeared in
order to contemplate it.
"Good," said a sailor. "That may be the Island of Brilliants, but if
striking against it breaks my head, I don't care whether it is against a
stone worth twopence or against a diamond worth ten millions."
"You are right," answered the captain, "but the storm has abated a
little, and it remains for us to launch the boats and approach the coast
in them."
This was done. A few minutes afterwards all the sailors save one
embarked in the boats and went to the island, which was visible not far
off.
In the bark there remained an Aragonese passenger called Antonio, who
had set his heart on getting to Manila, and who said he would continue
on the ship even if he arrived alone at the capital of the Magallanico
archipelago.
"But," said they to him, "don't be mad. Don't you see that you will
certainly perish?"
"That we shall see; for I am going to Manila even if I have to swim
there."
And there was no means of convincing him; therefore they left him to his
fate. The boats separated from the ship and went off to the Island of
Brilliants.
The captain, meanwhile, said to his shipwrecked companions:
"The island is inhabited by ill-tempered dwarfs who kill those who cause
them inconvenience, and, on the other hand, to those who appear amiable
they grant whatever they are asked. So, gentlemen, I recommend
moderation."
This they promised him, and in a little while the boats touched dry
land.
They disembarked, running the boats aground so that the surf should not
break them up, and penetrated into the island.
They had gone scarcely a mile when they saw some little white houses of
brick, white as snow, and of a singular shape. They looked like jars
turned upside down. All the houses had very small windows and a small
door.
"This must be," said the captain, "the dwarfs' city. Be very careful
now, because this is a dangerous moment."
"But where are the brilliants?" asked a sailor.
"They are on that mountain which begins at the side of the town. It is
quite inaccessible except by a narrow path whose entrance is carefully
and strongly defended by the dwarfs."
At this moment a kind of bugle sounded and an arrow appeared from each
little window. They had given the alarm and the dwarfs hastened to the
defence.