delivering his message that the dwarfs believed every word of it.
Never in all the history of kobolds had anything like this happened.
The giants were the beings that the dwarfs feared more than any other
creatures, and they took very good care always to keep out of their
way. And now their king thought them capable of vanquishing these
gigantic enemies! The whole colony became at once puffed up with pride
and vanity, and clamored to the Council to lead them forth immediately
to fight the giants.
Two of the members of the Council had their wits completely carried
away by the enthusiasm of the colony, and waved their hats, and
shouted, “On to the giants!” But the third member sat quiet until all
the company had shouted themselves hoarse, and were still once more.
Then he said:
“My friends, we can never conquer the giants in an open fight. One
of these huge creatures could crush a dozen of us at a time with one
foot, and a giant’s club would knock our whole colony higher than
a kite. Moreover we know nothing about fighting. The kobolds have
been peaceable people from the beginning of time, and all warfare is
distasteful to us. The giants are big and strong, but everybody knows
they have not much wit, while our small heads are full of brains.
The giants do nothing but mischief, and any fool can do that. But we
spend our time in work that requires intelligence and skill. The king
has honored us by selecting us to punish the giants for their bad
behavior, and I feel sure we can conquer them; but we must do it by
using our brains, and not with weapons of war.”
The name of the dwarf who thus spoke, was Bron, and he was looked upon
by the whole colony as the brightest wit among them. So they listened
attentively to all he had to say. But they were not in the humor for
following this good advice. The king evidently expected them to fight
the giants, and fight them they would.
They sent a message back to the king that they were going forth to
battle, and, in three days, would bring to him, as a trophy, the head
of Kruge, the chief giant.
The dwarfs now consulted as to a plan of action. It was agreed that
they should, in a body, march upon the stronghold of Kruge, surprise
him while asleep, and tie him down, fast and firm, with a great number
of small cords. Then they would cut off his head.
If Kruge was killed, or submitted to them, the remaining giants were as
good as conquered, for they all depended upon Kruge.
The kobolds sharpened their little swords that had only been used for
cutting twigs, and strings. They made bows and arrows, and gathered
sharp sticks, and armed themselves with brooms, and hoes, and spades,
and reaping-hooks. They organized companies, and drilled, and marched,
and counter-marched all night long; and enjoyed it immensely. They
slept soundly the next day; and by night, they were ready for action.
They marched gaily forth in four bands of a hundred each. The first
band was assigned to Bron. He did not approve of the expedition any
more than at first, and his heart was sad, for he thought his tribe was
marching to certain death. But, as they were determined to fight, he
resolved to go with them, and do his best. It was better to die with
them than to live alone.
Kruge lived a long distance from the castle, and, as the dwarfs had to
rest most of the day, it was late in the second night when they drew
near the great cave where the giant dwelt. Fortune favored them, for
Kruge lay outside of the cave stretched upon the ground fast asleep.
He did not hear the delicate footfalls of the tiny creatures who had
come to him with such evil intent, and they could easily tie him down
without awaking him. But the dwarfs saw that their small cords would
avail nothing when the giant did awake. He would snap them in a minute.
And the probability was that as soon as they commenced sawing at his
throat to cut his head off he would wake up. What would become of them
then? He could crush half a dozen of them with one hand. His size too,
was appalling! They had forgotten he was so _very_ big when they sent
the king word they would cut off his head.
While they whispered these things to each other, and became more
frightened every moment, Bron tried to rally them into some sort of
order, and some show of courage.
Suddenly the giant drew in his breath, and sent it out again in a most
tremendous snore. The sound was as loud and terrible to the kobolds
as the roarings of a lion is to men. Those standing in front of the
giant’s mouth were blown by his breath to the distance of a hundred
yards, and fell, badly bruised. And then commenced a mad stampede.
The dwarfs fairly tumbled over each other in their haste to get away,
and they did not stop to take breath until they reached the friendly
shelter of a field of mushrooms, fully a mile from the giant’s cave.
Some of the very little ones finding their legs failing them, sprang
upon the backs of butterflies, and bees, and made the rest of the
journey in that fashion.
The dwarfs were obliged to acknowledge that their expedition had
failed; and they were so heartily ashamed of this attempt at warfare
that they told Bron he might arrange the affair with the giants
according to his best wisdom, and they would faithfully do as he bade
them.
Bron pondered over the matter for several days. He thought of a great
many stratagems for conquering the giants, but dismissed them from his
mind one after another. A giant was a very unwieldy object to manage.
At last he made up his mind he would consult a very cunning fox, who
lived near.
[Illustration: THE FLIGHT OF THE KOBOLDS.]
The fox said to him; “You know that turkeys roost on trees?”
“Yes,” said Bron, wondering what that had to do with the matter.
“And you know that foxes can’t climb trees?”
“Yes.”
“Did you never observe that I can get a turkey whenever I want one?”
“Yes.”
“Now, how do you suppose I get that turkey when it is high up on the
tree, and I can’t climb to it?”
“I never thought anything about it,” said Bron, “but it _is_ curious,
now I do think of it.”
“This is the way I do it. I walk round and round that tree. The silly
turkey turns its head round and round to look after me. Pretty soon it
gets dizzy, and falls off.”
“I see,” said Bron. “Thank you.”
He went at once to the dwarfs, and told them he had resolved to conquer
the giant himself, in single combat.
They tried to dissuade him, and told him he would never come out from
that fight alive, and that the colony could not get along without him.
It would be better to send word to king Rhine that the task he had
assigned the dwarfs was too hard, and that they could not do it.
But Bron said the honor of the kobolds was at stake, and he was
resolved to fight Kruge.
The king laughed when Bron made his proposition. He challenged the
giant Kruge to single combat. If he succeeded in cutting off the
forelock of the giant’s head; Kruge, and all the giants, were to be
servants to the kobolds. If he failed to do this, the kobolds were to
be servants to the giants.
The giants laughed when they accepted the challenge. And all the
Dryads, and Nixies, and Elves, and Sylphs, and Fairies laughed when
they heard the news.
In a few days a great concourse of these creatures assembled to witness
the sport. The combat took place in a grassy field on the bank of the
river. All the giants were there. But the kobolds thought it best not
to attend. The gnomes however, crept out of their dark homes, anxious
for the fate of their cousins, the kobolds.
Bron and Kruge entered the open field, and, for a moment, stood, and
looked steadfastly at each other. The dwarf had to strain his eyes a
little to look up so far as the giant’s head. Bron was pale, but he
had a resolute air. As for Kruge, he burst into a loud laugh at the
ridiculous figure cut by his small antagonist. He laughed so that he
had to bend over, and hold his sides. Everybody laughed except the
gnomes. The king, himself, could not restrain a smile.
Bron now slowly walked around the giant, as if examining him. The giant
looked after him. Presently Bron began to walk more swiftly, and the
giant turned round and round to see what the little fellow was going
to do. Soon Bron was running, and the giant, much amused at this mode
of warfare, turned and turned until he got tired of the sport. “I will
catch the pigmy up and hold him tightly in my fist,” he thought; and he
made a step forward for this purpose. He was so dizzy, by this time,
that he fell headlong upon the ground. As quick as thought, Bron cut
off the forelock from the giant’s head, and held it up with a shout of
triumph.
[Illustration: THE COMBAT.]
All but the giants clapped their hands, and shouted. The crowd
surrounded the plucky little fellow, and bore him to the king, who
immediately conferred upon him a vast estate, consisting of several
acres of marsh grass.
Kruge now offered to Bron the services of himself and of the other
giants, according to the terms of agreement. But Bron modestly said
that he was only an individual member of a community, and that the
dwarfs in a body must decide upon the duties of the giants. He
therefore requested Kruge to carry him on his hand to the home of the
kobolds, where they would settle this affair. The giant was very angry,
but he was forced to comply. Bron stood up on the palm of the giant’s
hand, and Kruge reached the old castle in a few strides. Bron desired
to be put down in front of the cellar door, and he then marched high
up in the ruined tower to a great hall, where the kobolds held their
solemn meetings. As for the giant his head just reached the hall when
he stood upon the ground.
[Illustration: PRONOUNCING THE SENTENCE.]
Bron found the whole tribe of kobolds there assembled, talking
over the wonderful event. They were very much startled, and not a
little frightened at this sudden appearance of Kruge in their midst,
especially as he did not look at them very pleasantly. But Bron with a
very grand air, presented the giant to them as his captive, and lawful
prize, won in single combat.
It was then decided by the dwarfs that the giants should lay aside
their swords, clubs, and spears, and should become peaceable citizens.
That they should thenceforth work for what they ate, and wore, and not
seize it by plunder. That they should learn the useful arts of farming,
housework, and stable-cleaning. In short that they should become like
the kobolds themselves.
[Illustration: THE DESPAIR OF KRUGE.]
The giants served the dwarfs in these ways for a long time, but it
was very distasteful work. They felt so ashamed and so degraded at
serving these tiny creatures that they shunned all living beings as
much as possible, and hid in the depths of the forest. They knew they
were a laughing-stock to all men, and fairies, and water-spirits, and
wood-nymphs. Kruge fared worst of all. All these people when they saw
him would point at him, and say: “There goes the giant whose head was
turned by a pigmy!” He would sit for hours, when he was not at work,
holding his head, tearing his hair, and grinding his teeth with rage.
It would have been a grievous thing to him to have been conquered
by another giant, but to have been vanquished by a pigmy was too
humiliating!
He finally proposed to the giants that they should all quit that
country. This they did. Thus the king was happily rid of these wicked
and troublesome subjects; and not a giant has been seen on the banks of
the Rhine from that time to the present.
THE MIRAGE.
The small caravan slowly wound its way over the burning sands of the
desert. Fifteen days of unbroken desert travel had greatly weakened the
little band which had left the last oasis in such gay spirits.
The Syrian merchant, Ahmed, was the leader of this band, and with him
was Calvert, a European, and several Arabs. On some of the camels Ahmed
had merchandise that would bring high prices in Damascus. Calvert was
traveling for pleasure.
By some unaccountable means the caravan had wandered from the regular
route, and Ahmed had no idea where they were. The compass told them in
what direction to go, but how were they ever to find any particular
spot in this trackless waste? Eight days from the last oasis should
have brought them to the next on the regular route. Now it was the
fifteenth day. The twelfth day found their supply of water reduced so
low that only a very small quantity could be given to each individual,
Ahmed and Calvert, (to their praise be it told) taking no more than the
others.
As for the camels they had nothing to drink, but they would not suffer
for a long time, as they had an internal arrangement of water-sacks
from which to refresh themselves.
And now, on the fifteenth day, there was not a drop of water. Ahmed
would have given all his merchandise for a pint of the precious fluid.
Death stared them in the face.
The caravan halted. One of the Arab attendants had fallen upon the
sands. He was the first to succumb to the sufferings of thirst,
increased by the burning heat of the desert. Most of the men
dismounted, and gathered around him, but they could do little for him.
A loud shout from a couple of men on the camels caused the whole party
to look up. The men pointed to the westward. Exclamations of delight
burst from the lips of all; for there, not two miles away, lay an
oasis, a palm grove in the midst of a clear lake, whose waters sparkled
invitingly in the sunlight.
[Illustration: A VISION OF DELIGHT.]
Even the sick Arab turned his dim eyes thither, and his feeble lips
uttered a faint cry of joy. The sight so revived him that he was able,
lying on a camel’s back, to go with the others to this oasis.
But, alas! the nearer they drew to the palm grove the more distant it
appeared; and, at last, they lost sight of it altogether.
Then the travelers knew it to have been a _mirage_, and they looked
at each other in despair. But Calvert encouraged them. A mirage, he
said, was a picture of some object painted in the air by the refraction
of the sun’s rays through a peculiar atmosphere. It was a deceptive
appearance, but it was caused by a real thing. In order to produce the
picture of an oasis in the sky the oasis itself must be _somewhere_.
True, it might be at a long distance from them; but he thought it more
probable that it was quite near. And he indicated in what direction it
was likely they would find it.
Calvert spoke so earnestly that the courage of the party revived. They
immediately started off again under his direction. And, after seven
hours’ march, they did come upon a real oasis. Whether it was the one
they had seen pictured in the air they did not know, but this was no
matter. It was smaller than the picture, but images of things are often
distorted.
The sick Arab recovered after a couple of days’ rest, and the caravan
renewed its march, men and beasts strengthened and refreshed. They took
with them a liberal supply of water.
At this oasis they also found guides, who conducted them into the
regular caravan route; and they all arrived safely at Damascus.
CORAL.
Coral had been used many hundreds of years before men found out what
it was. The savages used to fashion it into ornaments for their knife
and axe handles; and, when men were more civilized, and had learned
to work in iron, and to make armor, they liked to adorn their shields
and helmets with coral. Women made of this beautiful red substance,
necklaces for the neck, bracelets for the arms, and ornaments for the
hair. But it is not likely that any of these savages or partially
civilized people made any attempt to find out what kind of substance
this coral was. They gathered it near the surface of the sea, and never
stopped to think how it got there.
But when men became still more highly civilized they thought more
deeply about things, and began to ask each other what caused day, and
night; and heat, and cold; why the Moon grew from a little bright
streak into the brilliant full orb, and a multitude of other questions.
There was no one to answer these questions, and so the wisest men
set to work to study it all out. They found out a great deal, but,
of course they made a great many mistakes that had to be set right
afterwards by other learned men.
Very early they made investigations into the nature of coral. For a
long time they were sorely puzzled. In the first place they decided it
was a mineral because it was so very hard, and took such a beautiful
polish. But, after further examination the wise men all came to the
conclusion that it was a plant.
It looked like a plant. There could be no doubt about that. The large
specimens examined had trunks composed of layers or rings, very
much like many trees. From this trunk were branches, covered with a
rose-colored bark in which were some curious depressions.
[Illustration: FISHING FOR CORAL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.]
Others made a still closer examination, and discovered that these
depressions were really little star-shaped flowers, with several
colored rays. This settled the question. Of course, if coral produced
flowers it must be a plant; and, as a plant, it was spoken of, and
written about for two thousand years.
“But,” it was asked, “how can a plant grow into a substance as hard as
a stone? There is nothing else of such growth known in nature. It is
impossible.”
The sailors and coral fishers answered this question by asserting that
the coral was in a soft state under the water, like any other plant;
but when it was exposed to the air it became petrified—that is, turned
into stone. It would not have been a very difficult thing for the
learned men to have investigated this matter, and tried for themselves
whether it was soft and flexible under the water. But they never did,
and so _that_ question was settled.
It was settled for twenty centuries. At the close of that long period
of time a French physician, named Peyssonnel, while traveling along
the Mediterranean coast, became much interested in the coral fisheries
carried on there. He examined the coral flowers with great care, and
found that they were not flowers at all, but animals! The ancients had
been deceived by their flower-like form, for they were unlike flowers
in every other respect, having no stamens, or pistils, or pollen, and
producing no seed.
But the opinions of people were not to be overturned all at once by a
country doctor. Was it reasonable to suppose he should know more about
this matter than all the learned men who had ever lived, or who were
living then? So everybody, but Peyssonnel himself, went on believing
that coral was a plant, and bore flowers; that it grew in the sea like
other marine plants; and that, when broken off, and brought to the
surface, it suddenly hardened into stone.
Not long, however, did they continue in this belief. Nicolai, an
Inspector of coral fisheries, thought it was about time that an
investigation should be made deep down in the ocean to see whether
the coral there was flexible, and soft. He sent down one of his best
divers, and the man brought back word that the coral was just as hard
in the sea, as in the air. This was such surprising news that Nicolai
went down himself to make sure of the fact. There was no doubt about
it. The coral in the ocean was as hard as a stone.
[Illustration: CORAL.]
For hundreds of years wise men had been accepting the statements of
ignorant fishermen without investigation.
Further research into the subject proved Peyssonnel to be right. The
little star-like ornaments on the coral branches are animals. We
show here a section of a coral branch as it looks under a magnifying
glass, that you may understand how easy it would be for an ordinary
observer to suppose the little stars to be blossoms. You can also see
the different stages of development of the very singular little coral
animal. B is the _ovule_, or egg, from which it comes, C the _larva_,
or young creature before it undergoes its last change, and A is the
full-grown animal.
[Illustration: A BRANCH OF CORAL, MAGNIFIED.]
Since then, the habits of these coral animals have been more carefully
studied, and their ways are truly wonderful.
They are so small that it requires a magnifying glass to get a good
view of them. They are in the form of tiny cylinders, at one end
of which there is a mouth, surrounded by branching arms, called
_tentacles_. These give them their flower-like form. With these
_tentacles_ they convey their food to their mouths. The food consists
of the smallest particles of dead fish, or other animal matter that may
have escaped the jaws of the larger fish. But, although they feed in
this manner and must therefore possess the senses of touch and taste,
there is no indication that they can see, or hear, or that they are
sensitive when handled. They cannot move about, but remain always in
the place where they were born.
[Illustration: A CORAL ISLAND.]
And yet this minute being, which belongs to the very lowest class of
animals, not only makes the branching masses of coral that look like
great stone forests under the water, but they also build immense walls,
and piles of rocks, sometimes hundreds of miles in extent. The coral is
made from a lime-like substance within the animal, which soon becomes
very hard, and also from their lime-like bodies after they die.
Coral reefs are found only in the warm regions of the globe, for the
little workmen cannot endure the cold of the northern ocean. They
cannot live in the air, and so they never work above the surface of the
water.
Of the branching coral there are three kinds; white, red, and pink. The
white is the most porous and the least valuable, and the pink is the
rarest, and most costly.
These animals are called polyps, or polypi. In some parts of the ocean
there are islands that were formed by them. That is, the coral builders
commenced the business by gradually piling up in the wave a mass of
coral. This they began upon some sand bar far down in the ocean, and
they kept at work until they got a rocky wall up to the surface of the
water; and then they could go no farther. These walls are generally
circular.
When the rocky coral walls reach the surface, the waves rush over them
constantly, carrying with them sand, and broken fragments of corals.
Some of these are left on the rocks, until, finally, they are piled
up so high that the waves cannot roll over them. Thus is formed a
singular-looking island, consisting of a circle of rock, with a pond
of still water in the centre. This little lake is called a lagoon.
Sand is strewn by the waves over the rocky reef, and rolled down into
the lake, which it fills up, and, after a long time the soil becomes
of sufficient depth to support coarse grasses, and sea plants. These
die, and enrich the soil; and the winds, bringing from other shores the
seeds of palm trees, and various plants, scatter them over the island,
which is soon crowned with verdure and flowers.
THE GREAT EASTERN.
The Great Eastern is the largest steamship in the world; and is,
indeed, the largest vessel of any kind in the world. You can see from
the portion of the deck given in the picture that the whole ship must
be of an enormous size.
The scene on the deck is a busy one, for the vessel is being prepared
for a voyage; the workmen are putting on the finishing touches in the
way of carpenter-work and painting; and the sailors are busy with the
sails and rigging. Hundreds of people are employed with steam engines,
hoisting cranes, and various machines, and yet there is plenty of room
for them to do their work without confusion.
For the upper deck of this great steamer measures 680 feet from stem
to stern, which is twice the length of the largest of other ocean
steamers. The deck, in the widest part, is 82 feet wide. From this deck
rise six great masts, and five smoke stacks.
Great care has been taken to make the vessel proof against very heavy
seas. The hull is double, and is made of iron plates. Ten thousand tons
of iron were used to build the hull, and it took no less than 3,000,000
rivets to fasten on the iron plates.
The Great Eastern carries a cargo of 28,500 tons; and can accommodate
10,000 passengers. So, if you went across the ocean in her, when she
has her full complement of passengers, it is not at all likely that you
would know all your fellow-voyagers. It would be very strange if you
were even to see them all.
[Illustration: PREPARING THE VESSEL FOR A VOYAGE.] [Illustration:
PASSENGERS GOING ON BOARD.]