Ortnit and his wife were very happy together, and smiling peace rested
on the land. Honours were showered upon the hero of so glorious a
campaign, and even the imperial crown of Rome was placed upon his head.
One day when Ortnit and his queen were seated in the banqueting hall,
their warriors feasting around them, a stranger was announced, who said
that he had come from the East, and was the bearer of rich presents to
the royal pair. After a few minutes’ delay, the ambassador was
admitted. He was of gigantic height, wild of aspect, and said that his
name was Welle. He announced that King Machorell had sent him to make
friends with Ortnit in his name and for his fair daughter’s sake; that
the king, in token of his reconciliation with his son-in-law, had sent
him the finest jewels to be found in all Syria. Having thus spoken,
Welle called his wife, Ruotze. She at once appeared, and was even
taller and more hideous than himself. She dragged four great coffers
into the hall, the contents of which she unpacked and displayed before
the king and queen and all the court. The first contained dresses and
steel wares of every sort and kind; the second was full of silver
bracelets and ornaments of wonderful workmanship; the third was the
same, except that the ornaments were of gold instead of silver. The
fourth case was opened by the man himself, who lifted out of it, very
carefully, two enormous eggs of strange form and colour.
“These are the eggs of the Abrahamic magic toad,” said the man. “When
they are hatched, which my wife will see to, you will find in each the
wondrous toad-stone, that shines like the sun in a dark place, or else
a marvellous creature that will defend your coasts against every
invader if you only feed it well. I am King Machorell’s chief huntsman,
and understand how to bring up the beast, and feed, and teach it its
duties. So, I pray you, appoint me and my wife a damp and quiet place
amongst the mountains where we can watch over the eggs. Next year my
royal master himself will cross the seas, make friends with you in
person, and see the miraculous result of our care with his own eyes.”
The queen’s heart was filled with joy at these signs of her father’s
forgiveness, and throwing her arms round her husband’s neck, she
entreated that the proffered friendship should be accepted. The
courtiers were quite of her opinion; but Zacharis, the faithful
heathen, shook his head, and spoke his distrust both loudly and
clearly. No one listened to him. The king gave orders that the giants
should be well treated, and provided with food, and all they needed in
the mountains, by the governor of the province in which the place most
suitable for hatching the eggs was situated.
High up in the mountains near Trient was a marshy bit of ground,
extending far within a cavern at the foot of a precipitous rock. Welle
and his wife took up their abode there, and every day the governor sent
them a supply of food. Ruotze brooded over the eggs untiringly. Before
very long the shells cracked, and two little lind-worms (dragons) crept
out. They were pretty creatures, dainty in all their movements and
obedient to every command of the giant and his wife. The governor used
sometimes to go and see them, and delighted in their agility and funny
ways. The worst of it was that they had enormous appetites, and the
more they ate the faster they grew, and the more they wanted to eat.
They were soon taller than their guardians when they raised themselves
in the air, and began to show themselves malicious and bad-tempered.
The governor hesitated to supply their wants when he found that they
needed more than two oxen a day; the wrath of the creatures at what
they considered semi-starvation was so great that Welle and Ruotze grew
frightened, and took refuge in another cave. As soon as their guardians
deserted them, the monsters crept out of their hole, and began to
wander over the whole district, devouring men and cattle, and whatever
came in their way. The people deserted their old homes and fled to the
mountain fastnesses. All in vain: the lind-worms pursued them, and
continued to devour all who fell into their clutches. The governor sent
out large detachments of horse and foot against them, but hardly a man
returned to tell the tale of defeat and misery. And with every hearty
meal the monsters grew larger and stronger. Every one was in despair,
for it seemed as if the whole kingdom would be devastated.