of his knife, went home to dinner in a very downcast frame of mind. On
his way he met a horseman, who was so tall and so strange-looking and
who rode on such a gigantic horse, that he stopped and looked at him in
astonishment, wondering who he was, and from what country he came.
The stranger stopped also, and asked him his trade and on hearing that
he was a seal catcher, he immediately ordered a great number of seal
skins. The seal catcher was delighted, for such an order meant a large
sum of money to him. But his face fell when the horseman added that it
was absolutely necessary that the skins should be delivered that
evening.
"I cannot do it," he said in a disappointed voice, "for the seals will
not come back to the rocks again until to-morrow morning."
"I can take you to a place where there are any number of seals,"
answered the stranger, "if you will mount behind me on my horse and come
with me."
The seal catcher agreed to this, and climbed up behind the rider, who
shook his bridle rein, and off the great horse galloped at such a pace
that he had much ado to keep his seat.
On and on they went, flying like the wind, until at last they came to
the edge of a huge precipice, the face of which went sheer down to the
sea. Here the mysterious horseman pulled up his steed with a jerk.
"Get off now," he said shortly.
The seal catcher did as he was bid, and when he found himself safe on
the ground, he peeped cautiously over the edge of the cliff, to see if
there were any seals lying on the rocks below.
To his astonishment he saw no rocks, only the blue sea, which came right
up to the foot of the cliff.
"Where are the seals that you spoke of?" he asked anxiously, wishing
that he had never set out on such a rash adventure.
"You will see presently," answered the stranger, who was attending to
his horse's bridle.
The seal catcher was now thoroughly frightened, for he felt sure that
some evil was about to befall him, and in such a lonely place he knew
that it would be useless to cry out for help.
And it seemed as if his fears would prove only too true, for the next
moment the stranger's hand was laid upon his shoulder, and he felt
himself being hurled bodily over the cliff, and then he fell with a
splash into the sea.
He thought that his last hour had come, and he wondered how anyone could
work such a deed of wrong upon an innocent man.
But, to his astonishment, he found that some change must have passed
over him, for instead of being choked by the water, he could breathe
quite easily, and he and his companion, who was still close at his side,
seemed to be sinking as quickly down through the sea as they had flown
through the air.
Down and down they went, nobody knows how far, till at last they came to
a huge arched door, which appeared to be made of pink coral, studded
over with cockle-shells. It opened, of its own accord, and when they
entered they found themselves in a huge hall, the walls of which were
formed of mother-of-pearl, and the floor of which was of sea-sand,
smooth, and firm, and yellow.
The hall was crowded with occupants, but they were seals, not men, and
when the seal catcher turned to his companion to ask him what it all
meant, he was aghast to find that he, too, had assumed the form of a
seal. He was still more aghast when he caught sight of himself in a
large mirror that hung on the wall, and saw that he also no longer bore
the likeness of a man, but was transformed into a nice, hairy, brown
seal.
"Ah, woe to me," he said to himself, "for no fault of mine own this
artful stranger hath laid some baneful charm upon me, and in this awful
guise will I remain for the rest of my natural life."
At first none of the huge creatures spoke to him. For some reason or
other they seemed to be very sad, and moved gently about the hall,
talking quietly and mournfully to one another, or lay sadly upon the
sandy floor, wiping big tears from their eyes with their soft furry
fins.
But presently they began to notice him, and to whisper to one another,
and presently his guide moved away from him, and disappeared through a
door at the end of the hall. When he returned he held a huge knife in
his hand.
"Didst thou ever see this before?" he asked, holding it out to the
unfortunate seal catcher, who, to his horror, recognised his own hunting
knife with which he had struck the seal in the morning, and which had
been carried off by the wounded animal.
At the sight of it he fell upon his face and begged for mercy, for he at
once came to the conclusion that the inhabitants of the cavern, enraged
at the harm which had been wrought upon their comrade, had, in some
magic way, contrived to capture him, and to bring him down to their
subterranean abode, in order to wreak their vengeance upon him by
killing him.
But, instead of doing so, they crowded round him, rubbing their soft
noses against his fur to show their sympathy, and implored him not to
put himself about, for no harm would befall him, and they would love him
all their lives long if he would only do what they asked him.
"Tell me what it is," said the seal catcher, "and I will do it, if it
lies within my power."
"Follow me," answered his guide, and he led the way to the door through
which he had disappeared when he went to seek the knife.
The seal catcher followed him. And there, in a smaller room, he found a
great brown seal lying on a bed of pale pink sea-weed, with a gaping
wound in his side.
"That is my father," said his guide, "whom thou wounded this morning,
thinking that he was one of the common seals who live in the sea,
instead of a Merman who hath speech, and understanding, as you mortals
have. I brought thee hither to bind up his wounds, for no other hand
than thine can heal him."
"I have no skill in the art of healing," said the seal catcher,
astonished at the forbearance of these strange creatures, whom he had so
unwittingly wronged; "but I will bind up the wound to the best of my
power, and I am only sorry that it was my hands that caused it."
He went over to the bed, and, stooping over the wounded Merman, washed
and dressed the hurt as well as he could; and the touch of his hands
appeared to work like magic, for no sooner had he finished than the
wound seemed to deaden and die, leaving only the scar, and the old seal
sprang up, as well as ever.
Then there was great rejoicing throughout the whole Palace of the Seals.
They laughed, and they talked, and they embraced each other in their own
strange way, crowding round their comrade, and rubbing their noses
against his, as if to show him how delighted they were at his recovery.
But all this while the seal catcher stood alone in a corner, with his
mind filled with dark thoughts, for although he saw now that they had no
intention of killing him, he did not relish the prospect of spending the
rest of his life in the guise of a seal, fathoms deep under the ocean.
But presently, to his great joy, his guide approached him, and said,
"Now you are at liberty to return home to your wife and children. I will
take you to them, but only on one condition."
"And what is that?" asked the seal catcher eagerly, overjoyed at the
prospect of being restored safely to the upper world, and to his family.
"That you will take a solemn oath never to wound a seal again."
"That will I do right gladly," he replied, for although the promise
meant giving up his means of livelihood, he felt that if only he
regained his proper shape he could always turn his hand to something
else.
So he took the required oath with all due solemnity, holding up his fin
as he swore, and all the other seals crowded round him as witnesses. And
a sigh of relief went through the halls when the words were spoken, for
he was the most noted seal catcher in the North.
Then he bade the strange company farewell, and, accompanied by his
guide, passed once more through the outer doors of coral, and up, and
up, and up, through the shadowy green water, until it began to grow
lighter and lighter and at last they emerged into the sunshine of earth.
Then, with one spring, they reached the top of the cliff, where the
great black horse was waiting for them, quietly nibbling the green turf.
When they left the water their strange disguise dropped from them, and
they were now as they had been before, a plain seal catcher and a tall,
well-dressed gentleman in riding clothes.
"Get up behind me," said the latter, as he swung himself into his
saddle. The seal catcher did as he was bid, taking tight hold of his
companion's coat, for he remembered how nearly he had fallen off on his
previous journey.
Then it all happened as it happened before. The bridle was shaken, and
the horse galloped off, and it was not long before the seal catcher
found himself standing in safety before his own garden gate.
He held out his hand to say "good-bye," but as he did so the stranger
pulled out a huge bag of gold and placed it in it.
"Thou hast done thy part of the bargain--we must do ours," he said. "Men
shall never say that we took away an honest man's work without making
reparation for it, and here is what will keep thee in comfort to thy
life's end."
Then he vanished, and when the astonished seal catcher carried the bag
into his cottage, and turned the gold out on the table, he found that
what the stranger had said was true, and that he would be a rich man for
the remainder of his days.
[Illustration]
THE PAGE-BOY AND THE SILVER GOBLET
There was once a little page-boy, who was in service in a stately
Castle. He was a very good-natured little fellow, and did his duties so
willingly and well that everybody liked him, from the great Earl whom he
served every day on bended knee, to the fat old butler whose errands he
ran.
Now the Castle stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, and
although the walls at that side were very thick, in them there was a
little postern door, which opened on to a narrow flight of steps that
led down the face of the cliff to the sea shore, so that anyone who
liked could go down there in the pleasant summer mornings and bathe in
the shimmering sea.
On the other side of the Castle were gardens and pleasure grounds,
opening on to a long stretch of heather-covered moorland, which, at
last, met a distant range of hills.
The little page-boy was very fond of going out on this moor when his
work was done, for then he could run about as much as he liked, chasing
bumble-bees, and catching butterflies, and looking for birds' nests when
it was nesting time.
And the old butler was very pleased that he should do so, for he knew
that it was good for a healthy little lad to have plenty of fun in the
open air. But before the boy went out the old man always gave him one
warning.
"Now, mind my words, laddie, and keep far away from the Fairy Knowe, for
the Little Folk are not to trust to."
This Knowe of which he spoke was a little green hillock, which stood on
the moor not twenty yards from the garden gate, and folk said that it
was the abode of Fairies, who would punish any rash mortal who came too
near them. And because of this the country people would walk a good
half-mile out of their way, even in broad daylight, rather than run the
risk of going too near the Fairy Knowe and bringing down the Little
Folks' displeasure upon them. And at night they would hardly cross the
moor at all, for everyone knows that Fairies come abroad in the
darkness, and the door of their dwelling stands open, so that any
luckless mortal who does not take care may find himself inside.
Now, the little page-boy was an adventurous wight, and instead of being
frightened of the Fairies, he was very anxious to see them, and to visit
their abode, just to find out what it was like.
So one night, when everyone else was asleep, he crept out of the Castle
by the little postern door, and stole down the stone steps, and along
the sea shore, and up on to the moor, and went straight to the Fairy
Knowe.
To his delight he found that what everyone said was true. The top of the
Knowe was tipped up, and from the opening that was thus made, rays of
light came streaming out.
His heart was beating fast with excitement, but, gathering his courage,
he stooped down and slipped inside the Knowe.
He found himself in a large room lit by numberless tiny candles, and
there, seated round a polished table, were scores of the Tiny Folk,
Fairies, and Elves, and Gnomes, dressed in green, and yellow, and pink;
blue, and lilac, and scarlet; in all the colours, in fact, that you can
think of.
He stood in a dark corner watching the busy scene in wonder, thinking
how strange it was that there should be such a number of these tiny
beings living their own lives all unknown to men, at such a little
distance from them, when suddenly someone--he could not tell who it
was--gave an order.
"Fetch the Cup," cried the owner of the unknown voice, and instantly two
little Fairy pages, dressed all in scarlet livery, darted from the table
to a tiny cupboard in the rock, and returned staggering under the weight
of a most beautiful silver cup, richly embossed and lined inside with
gold.
He placed it in the middle of the table, and, amid clapping of hands and
shouts of joy, all the Fairies began to drink out of it in turn. And
the page could see, from where he stood, that no one poured wine into
it, and yet it was always full, and that the wine that was in it was not
always the same kind, but that each Fairy, when he grasped its stem,
wished for the wine that he loved best, and lo! in a moment the cup was
full of it.
"'Twould be a fine thing if I could take that cup home with me," thought
the page. "No one will believe that I have been here except I have
something to show for it." So he bided his time, and watched.
Presently the Fairies noticed him, and, instead of being angry at his
boldness in entering their abode, as he expected that they would be,
they seemed very pleased to see him, and invited him to a seat at the
table. But by and by they grew rude and insolent, and jeered at him for
being content to serve mere mortals, telling him that they saw
everything that went on at the Castle, and making fun of the old butler,
whom the page loved with all his heart. And they laughed at the food he
ate, saying that it was only fit for animals; and when any fresh dainty
was set on the table by the scarlet-clad pages, they would push the dish
across to him, saying: "Taste it, for you will not have the chance of
tasting such things at the Castle."
At last he could stand their teasing remarks no longer; besides, he knew
that if he wanted to secure the cup he must lose no time in doing so.
So he suddenly stood up, and grasped the stem of it tightly in his hand.
"I'll drink to you all in water," he cried, and instantly the ruby wine
was turned to clear cold water.
[Illustration]
He raised the cup to his lips, but he did not drink from it. With a
sudden jerk he threw the water over the candles, and instantly the room
was in darkness. Then, clasping the precious cup tightly in his arms, he
sprang to the opening of the Knowe, through which he could see the stars
glimmering clearly.
He was just in time, for it fell to with a crash behind him; and soon he
was speeding along the wet, dew-spangled moor, with the whole troop of
Fairies at his heels. They were wild with rage, and from the shrill
shouts of fury which they uttered, the page knew well that, if they
overtook him, he need expect no mercy at their hands.
And his heart began to sink, for, fleet of foot though he was, he was no
match for the Fairy Folk, who gained on him steadily.
All seemed lost, when a mysterious voice sounded out of the darkness:
"If thou wouldst gain the Castle door,
Keep to the black stones on the shore."
It was the voice of some poor mortal, who, for some reason or other, had
been taken prisoner by the Fairies--who were really very malicious
Little Folk--and who did not want a like fate to befall the adventurous
page-boy; but the little fellow did not know this.
He had once heard that if anyone walked on the wet sands, where the
waves had come over them, the Fairies could not touch him, and this
mysterious sentence brought the saying into his mind.
So he turned, and dashed panting down to the shore. His feet sank in the
dry sand, his breath came in little gasps, and he felt as if he must
give up the struggle; but he persevered, and at last, just as the
foremost Fairies were about to lay hands on him, he jumped across the
water-mark on to the firm, wet sand, from which the waves had just
receded, and then he knew that he was safe.
For the Little Folk could go no step further, but stood on the dry sand
uttering cries of rage and disappointment, while the triumphant page-boy
ran safely along the shore, his precious cup in his arms, and climbed
lightly up the steps in the rock and disappeared through the postern.
And for many years after, long after the little page-boy had grown up
and become a stately butler, who trained other little page-boys to
follow in his footsteps, the beautiful cup remained in the Castle as a
witness of his adventure.
[Illustration]
THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY
In bygone days, long centuries ago, there lived a widowed Queen who had
three daughters. And this widowed Queen was so poor, and had fallen upon
such evil days, that she and her daughters had often much ado to get
enough to eat.
So the eldest Princess determined that she would set out into the world
to seek her fortune. And her mother was quite willing that she should do
so. "For," said she, "'tis better to work abroad than to starve at
home."
But as there was an old hen-wife living near the Castle who was said to
be a witch, and to be able to foretell the future, the Queen sent the
Princess to her cottage, before she set out on her travels, to ask her
in which of the Four Airts she ought to go, in order to find the best
fortune.
"Thou needst gang nae farther than my back door, hinnie," answered the
old Dame, who had always felt very sorry for the Queen and her pretty
daughters, and was glad to do them a good turn.
So the Princess ran through the passage to the hen-wife's back door and
peeped out, and what should she see but a magnificent coach, drawn by
six beautiful cream-coloured horses, coming along the road.
Greatly excited at this unusual sight, she hurried back to the kitchen,
and told the hen-wife what she had seen.
"Aweel, aweel, ye've seen your fortune," said the old woman, in a tone
of satisfaction, "for that coach-and-six is coming for thee."
Sure enough, the coach-and-six stopped at the gate of the Castle, and
the second Princess came running down to the cottage to tell her sister
to make haste, because it was waiting for her. Delighted beyond measure
at the wonderful luck that had come to her, she hurried home, and,
saying farewell to her mother and sisters, took her seat within, and the
horses galloped off immediately.
And I've heard tell that they drew her to the Palace of a great and
wealthy Prince, who married her; but that is outside my story.
A few weeks afterwards, the second Princess thought that she would do as
her sister had done, and go down to the hen-wife's cottage, and tell her
that she, too, was going out into the world to seek her fortune. And, of
course, in her heart of hearts she hoped that what had happened to her
sister would happen to her also.
And, curious to say, it did. For the old hen-wife sent her to look out
at her back door, and she went, and, lo and behold! another
coach-and-six was coming along the road. And when she went and told the
old woman, she smiled upon her kindly, and told her to hurry home, for
the coach-and-six was her fortune also, and that it had come for her.
So she, too, ran home, and got into her grand carriage, and was driven
away. And, of course, after all these lucky happenings, the youngest
Princess was anxious to try what her fortune might be; so the very
night, in high good humour, she tripped away down to the old witch's
cottage.
She, too, was told to look out at the back door, and she was only too
glad to do so; for she fully expected to see a third coach-and-six
coming rolling along the high road, straight for the Castle door.
But, alas and alack! no such sight greeted her eager eyes, for the high
road was quite deserted, and in great disappointment she ran back to the
hen-wife to tell her so.
"Then it is clear that thy fortune is not coming to meet thee this day,"
said the old Dame, "so thou must e'en come back to-morrow."
So the little Princess went home again, and next day she turned up
once more at the old wife's cottage.
But once more she was disappointed, for although she looked out long and
eagerly, no glad sight of a coach-and-six, or of any other coach,
greeted her eyes. On the third day, however, what should she see but a
great Black Bull coming rushing along the road, bellowing as it came,
and tossing its head fiercely in the air.
In great alarm, the little Princess shut the door, and ran to the
hen-wife to tell her about the furious animal that was approaching.
"Hech, hinnie," cried the old woman, holding up her hands in dismay,
"and who would have thocht that the Black Bull of Norroway wad be your
fate!"
At the words, the poor little maiden grew pale. She had come out to seek
her fortune, but it had never dawned upon her that her fortune could be
anything so terrible as this.
"But the Bull cannot be my fortune," she cried in terror. "I cannot go
away with a bull."
"But ye'll need tae," replied the hen-wife calmly. "For you lookit out
of my door with the intent of meeting your fortune; and when your
fortune has come tae ye, you must just thole it."
And when the poor Princess ran weeping to her mother, to beg to be
allowed to stay at home, she found her mother of the same mind as the
Wise Woman; and so she had to allow herself to be lifted up on to the
back of the enormous Black Bull that had come up to the door of the
Castle, and was now standing there quietly enough. And when she was
settled, he set off again on his wild career, while she sobbed and
trembled with terror, and clung to his horns with all her might.
On and on they went, until at last the poor maiden was so faint with
fear and hunger that she could scarce keep her seat.
Just as she was losing her hold of the great beast's horns, however, and
feeling that she must fall to the ground, he turned his massive head
round a little, and, speaking in a wonderfully soft and gentle voice,
said: "Eat out of my right ear, and drink out of my left ear, so wilt
thou be refreshed for thy journey."
So the Princess put a trembling hand into the Bull's right ear, and drew
out some bread and meat, which, in spite of her terror, she was glad to
swallow; then she put her hand into his left ear, and found there a tiny
flagon of wine, and when she had drunk that, her strength returned to
her in a wonderful way.
Long they went, and sore they rode, till, just as it seemed to the
Princess that they must be getting near the World's End, they came in
sight of a magnificent Castle.
"That's where we maun bide this night," said the Black Bull of Norroway,
"for that is the house of one of my brothers."
The Princess was greatly surprised at these words; but by this time she
was too tired to wonder very much at anything, so she did not answer,
but sat still where she was, until the Bull ran into the courtyard of
the Castle and knocked his great head against the door.
[Illustration: They came in sight of a Magnificent Castle]
The door was opened at once by a very splendid footman, who treated the
Black Bull with great respect, and helped the Princess to alight from
his back. Then he ushered her into a magnificent hall, where the Lord of
the Castle, and his Lady, and a great and noble company were assembled;
while the Black Bull trotted off quite contentedly to the grassy park
which stretched all round the building, to spend the night there.
The Lord and his Lady were very kind to the Princess, and gave her her
supper, and led her to a richly furnished bedroom, all hung round with
golden mirrors, and left her to rest there; and in the morning, just as
the Black Bull came trotting up to the front door, they handed her a
beautiful apple, telling her not to break it, but to put it in her
pocket, and keep it till she was in the greatest strait that mortal
could be in. Then she was to break it, and it would bring her out of it.
So she put the apple in her pocket, and they lifted her once more on to
the Black Bull's back, and she and her strange companion continued on
their journey.
All that day they travelled, far further than I can tell you, and at
night they came in sight of another Castle, which was even bigger and
grander than the first.