himself; he was too noble-hearted for that. No, he rather thought of
some means by which he might make himself indispensable, and liked
by his enemies. He then recollected his little staff, which he had
forgotten in his fortunate circumstances; if he discovered treasures,
he thought, then perhaps his companions might look upon him with a more
favourable eye.
He had often been told that the father of the present King had buried
a great part of his treasures at a time when the enemy invaded his
country; it was also said that he had died since, without having been
able to communicate his secret to his son. Henceforward Muck always
took his little cane with him, hoping that some day he might pass the
place where the money of the old King lay buried. One evening chance
led him to a lonely spot in the King's garden, a place which he little
frequented, when suddenly he felt his little cane jerking in his hand,
and striking the ground three times. He was already aware what this
meant. He therefore drew his dagger, notched the trees surrounding the
place, and returned to the castle: he now procured a spade, and waited
until nightfall for his enterprise.
His searching for the treasures gave Little Muck more trouble than
he had expected. His arms were very weak, his spade too large and
heavy, and he worked for more than two hours before he had dug two
feet in depth. At length he struck against something hard, which gave
a metallic sound. He now dug away more vigorously, and soon succeeded
in bringing to light a large iron lid; he himself got into the hole
in order to discover what the lid might cover, and he really found a
large urn filled with gold pieces. His feeble powers, however, were
insufficient to lift the urn, and he therefore put into his trousers
and girdle as much as he could carry; he stuffed his little cloak
with as much as he could, and put it on his back, having concealed
the rest very carefully. But, as a matter of fact, if he had not had
his slippers on, he would not have been able to proceed, so heavily
the gold weighed on him. Unobserved, he reached his room, and there
concealed his gold underneath the cushions of his couch.
When Little Muck found himself the owner of so much gold he thought
matters would now undergo a change, and that he would gain amongst his
enemies at court many patrons and warm friends. Judging from this, it
was but too obvious that Little Muck could not have received a very
careful education, otherwise he would not have imagined that it was
possible to gain real friends with gold. Alas! he had much better have
greased his slippers then, and made his escape with his little cloak
filled with gold as quickly as he could.
The gold which Little Muck now freely distributed excited the jealousy
of the other courtiers. The chief cook Ahuli said: 'He is a coiner.'
Achmet, the overseer of the slaves, said: 'He has obtained it from
the King by talking.' Archaz, the treasurer, however, his bitterest
enemy, who himself from time to time dipped into the King's cash-box,
said openly: 'He has stolen it.' Now in order to make quite sure of
their affair, they plotted together, and the chief cup-bearer Korchuz
presented himself one day very sad and downcast before the King. He
dissimulated in such a way that the King asked him what was the matter
with him. 'Alas!' he answered, 'I am sad for having lost the grace of
my master.' 'What are you raving about, friend Korchuz?' said the King.
'How long has the sunshine of my favour ceased to fall on you?' The
chief cup-bearer answered him that he had lavished so much gold on his
private chief runner, and forgotten him, his poor and faithful servant,
altogether.
The King was much astonished at this news, and caused little Muck's
distributions of gold to be related to him, and the conspirators easily
made him suspect that Muck by some means or other had stolen the money
from the treasury. The treasurer was very pleased at this turn of
affairs, and besides, was reluctant to give an account of the state of
his books. The King therefore ordered them to watch all the movements
of Little Muck, in order to surprise him if possible in the act of
stealing. When, therefore, during the night following this fatal day,
Little Muck took the spade in order to go into the King's garden to
get a fresh supply from his secret treasure, because he had exhausted
his store through his liberality, he was followed by the sentries,
headed by the chief cook Ahuli and the treasurer Archaz; and just as
he was about to put the gold into his little cloak they attacked him,
bound him, and brought him immediately before the King. The latter,
whose disturbed slumbers had not put him in a very good humour,
received his poor chief private runner very ungraciously, and examined
him immediately. The pot had been dug completely out of the ground, and
with the spade, as well as the little cloak filled with gold, had been
placed before the King. The treasurer alleged that he had surprised
Muck with his sentinels at the moment when he had buried this pot of
gold in the ground.
The King questioned the accused as to whether it was true, and where he
had got the gold which he had buried. Little Muck assured him of his
innocence, and said that he had discovered this pot in the garden, and
that he was not going to bury it, but to dig it out.
All present laughed at this excuse; the King, however, greatly
exasperated at the barefaced impudence of the little man, exclaimed:
'You wretch! You dare to impose on your King in such a gross fashion,
after having robbed him? Treasurer Archaz, I call upon you to say
whether you recognise this sum of gold as the same which is missing
from my treasury?' The treasurer said he was quite sure that so much
and still more had been missing for some time from the royal treasury,
and that he was prepared to affirm it with an oath that this was the
stolen money.
Thereupon the King ordered Little Muck to be put in heavy chains and
taken to the tower; the gold he gave to the treasurer, in order to
restore it to the treasury. Delighted at the fortunate result of the
affair, he left, and counted the glittering gold pieces at home; but
the bad man never announced that there had been at the bottom of the
pot a piece of paper on which was written: 'The enemy has inundated my
country, therefore I bury here part of my treasures; whoever the finder
may be is cursed by the King if he does not immediately deliver it up
to my son. King Sadi.'
Little Muck made sad reflections in his prison; he knew that death was
the punishment for stealing the King's property, yet he did not intend
to reveal the secret of the little staff to the King, fearing he should
be deprived of it as well as of his slippers. His slippers could not
assist him at all, for he was chained close to a wall, and could not,
in spite of his endeavours, turn round on his heel. When, however, on
the next day he was informed that he had to die, he thought it best
after all to live without the magic wand rather than die with it, so
he requested the King for a private interview, and revealed to him the
secret. The King at first had not much faith in his confession; but
Little Muck promised a trial if the King assured him that he should not
be killed. The King gave him his word for it, and, unknown to Muck, had
some gold buried in the ground, and told him to find it with his little
staff. In a few moments he had discovered it, for the little staff
struck three times distinctly upon the ground. The King now recognised
that his treasurer had deceived him, and sent him, as is customary in
the East, a silk cord to hang himself with. But to Little Muck he said:
'Although I have promised to spare your life, yet it seems to me you
possess more than the secret of this little staff; therefore you shall
pass the rest of your days in captivity, unless you reveal the means by
which you run so swiftly.'
Little Muck, for whom one night in the tower had been sufficient
to make him hate captivity, confessed that all his art lay in his
slippers; but he did not tell the King the secret of turning three
times on the heel. The King himself slipped into the slippers in order
to make a trial, and rushed about like a madman in his garden; he
often wanted to stop, but he did not know how it was possible, and
Little Muck, who could not help avenging himself a little, allowed him
to run until he fell down fainting.
When the King had gained consciousness again, he was terribly angry
with Little Muck for having let him run about breathless. 'I have
pledged my word to set you at liberty, and to spare your life. Quit my
kingdom within twelve hours, else I will have you hung.' The slippers
and the little staff, however, were put into his treasury.
As poor as before, Little Muck left the country, cursing his folly
which had deceived him in imagining that he might play a prominent
part at Court. Fortunately, the country from which he was banished was
not extensive, and after eight hours he reached the frontier, although
he had some difficulty in walking, for he was accustomed to his dear
slippers.
After he had crossed the frontier he struck out of the main path to
find the most solitary spot of the forest, intending to live there only
for himself, for he hated all mankind. In a dense forest he chanced
upon a little place, which seemed quite suitable to him according to
the plan which he had formed. A clear stream, surrounded by gigantic
and shady fig-trees and a soft piece of turf, invited him to throw
himself down, and it was here that he intended to take no more
nourishment, but to await death. Over these reflections of death he
fell asleep; but on awaking, and when hunger tormented him, he came to
the conclusion that after all to die of hunger was a terrible thing,
and looked around to see if he could find anything to eat.
There were some delicious ripe figs on the tree under which he had
slept, so he climbed up the tree to gather some, enjoyed them heartily,
and then came down to quench his thirst in the brook. But how great
was his terror when his reflection in the water showed him his head
ornamented with two immense ears and a thick long nose. In dismay he
seized his ears with his hands; indeed they were more than half a yard
long.
'I deserve donkey's ears!' he exclaimed, 'for I have, like an ass,
trampled upon my fortune.' He wandered amongst the trees, and on
feeling hungry again, he ate once more of the figs, for there was
nothing else eatable on the trees. Whilst he was eating the second lot
of figs it occurred to him that there might be room enough for his
ears under his great turban, so as not to appear too ridiculous; but
he felt that his ears had disappeared! He immediately returned to the
brook, in order to make sure of it. And indeed it was true; his ears
had assumed their former appearance, and also his long and unshapely
nose had changed. He now perceived how all this had happened; it was
owing to the figs from the first tree that he had got the long nose and
ears; the second had healed him. Gladly he recognised that his good
fortune had once again given him the means of being happy. He therefore
gathered from each tree as much as he could carry, and returned to the
country which he had recently quitted. In the first little town he
entered he disguised himself, and without stopping went towards the
city where the King resided, and soon arrived there.
It happened to be the season of the year when ripe fruits were scarce;
Little Muck therefore sat down near the gate of the palace, for he
remembered that in former times the chief cook bought such rarities
for the royal table. Muck had only just sat down when he saw the chief
cook coming across the court. He inspected the wares of the sellers
who had collected near the gate of the palace; at last his attention
was directed towards Muck's little basket. 'Ah! a rare bit,' he said,
'which His Majesty will certainly enjoy. How much do you want for the
whole basketful?' Little Muck asked a moderate price, and they were
soon agreed over the bargain. The chief cook gave the basket to a slave
and continued his way. Little Muck, however, ran away in the meantime,
for he feared that if the horrible developments were to appear on the
heads of those at Court, he being the seller might be sought out and
punished.
The King was in high spirits during dinner, and complimented the chief
cook over and over again on account of his excellent cooking, and care
in always selecting the best for him. The chief cook, however, who was
well aware what delicacy was yet to come, smiled significantly, and
merely said, 'The day is not over yet,' or 'All's well that ends well,'
so that the Princesses became very curious what else was to come. When,
therefore, he had the splendid inviting figs served up, there was a
universal cry of 'Ah!' from all present. 'How beautiful, how inviting!'
exclaimed the King. 'Chief cook, you are a capital fellow, and worthy
of our entire favour.' In speaking thus the King himself distributed
these delicacies, with which he was always very frugal, to every one
at table. Each Prince and each Princess received two, the ladies in
waiting, the viziers, and the officers one each, the rest he placed
before himself, and commenced to eat them with a good appetite.
'But dear me, how peculiar you look, father!' exclaimed Princess Amarza
all at once. All looked at the King in surprise: immense ears hung down
on his head, a long nose extended down his chin. All the guests looked
at each other with astonishment and terror; all were more or less
adorned with this peculiar head-dress.
The consternation of the Court may be easily imagined. They immediately
sent for all the physicians in the town, who came in troops, prescribed
pills and mixtures, but the ears and noses remained. An operation was
performed on one of the Princes, but the ears budded out again.
Muck had heard of the whole affair in his hiding-place, and thought
now was the time for him to act. He had already procured for himself
a dress with the money which he had obtained for the figs, and now
appeared as a wise man. A long beard of goat's hair disguised him
completely. He entered the palace of the King with a little bag filled
with figs, and offered his services as a foreign physician. At first
they were somewhat sceptical, but after Little Muck had given a fig to
one of the Princes to eat, and when the latter's ears and nose again
assumed their original shape, then all desired to be cured by the
foreign physician. The King, however, took him silently by the hand and
led him into his apartment; he there unlocked a door which led into the
treasury, beckoning Muck to follow him. 'Here are my treasures,' said
the King; 'make your selection, and whatever it be, you shall have, if
you rid me of this frightful evil.' This was sweet music to the ears of
Little Muck; immediately on entering he had seen his slippers lying
on the floor, together with his little staff. He now went about the
room as if he were desirous of admiring the King's treasures. Scarcely,
however, had he come to his slippers when he quietly slipped into them,
seized his little staff, tore off his false beard, and displayed to the
amazed King the well-known features of the exiled Muck. 'Perfidious
King,' he said, 'who repay with ingratitude faithful services, take as
a well-deserved punishment the deformity which has overtaken you. You
shall wear the long ears in order that they may remind you daily of
Little Muck.'
After having said this he quickly turned round on his heel, wishing
himself far away, and before the King was able to call for assistance
Little Muck was out of sight. Ever since Little Muck lives here in
great wealth, but secluded, for he hates men. Experience has taught him
wisdom, and notwithstanding his strange exterior, he rather deserves
your admiration than your mockery.
* * * * *
That is the story which my father told me. I repented of my unworthy
conduct towards the good little man, and my father remitted the other
half of the punishment which was yet in store for me. I related to my
comrades the marvellous adventures of the little man, and we became so
fond of him that none of us ever mocked him again. On the contrary, we
respected him as long as he lived, and always bowed to him with as much
respect as we should have done before a Cadi or a Mufti.
[Illustration]
NOSE, THE DWARF
This story is from the collection called _The Sheik of Alexandria
and his Slaves_, and is told by a slave to the Sheik.
Sir, those people are much mistaken who fancy that there were no
fairies and enchanters, except in the time of Haroun Al Raschid, Lord
of Bagdad, or even pronounce those accounts untrue of the deeds of
genii and their princes, which one hears the story-tellers relate in
the market-places of the town. There are fairies nowadays, and it is
but a short time since I myself was witness of an occurrence in which
genii were evidently playing a part, as you will see from my narrative.
In a considerable town of my dear fatherland, Germany, there lived
many years ago a cobbler, with his wife, in a humble but honest way.
In the daytime he used to sit at the corner of a street mending shoes
and slippers; he did not refuse making new ones if anybody would trust
him, but he was obliged to buy the leather first, as his poverty did
not enable him to keep a stock. His wife sold vegetables and fruit,
which she cultivated in a small garden outside the town-gates, and
many people were glad to buy of her, because she was dressed cleanly
and neatly, and knew how to arrange and lay out her things to the best
advantage.
Now this worthy couple had a beautiful boy, of a sweet countenance,
well made, and rather tall for his age, which was eight years. He
was in the habit of sitting in the market with his mother, and often
carried home part of the fruit and vegetables for the women and cooks
who had made large purchases; he seldom, however, returned from one
of these journeys without bringing either a beautiful flower, a piece
of money, or a cake, which the mistresses of such cooks gave him as a
present, because they were always pleased to see the handsome boy come
to the house.
One day the cobbler's wife was sitting as usual in the market-place,
having before her some baskets with cabbages and other vegetables,
various herbs and seeds, besides some early pears, apples, and
apricots, in a small basket. Little Jacob (this was the boy's name) sat
by her, crying out in a loud voice: 'This way, gentlemen, see what
beautiful cabbages, what fragrant herbs; early pears, ladies, early
apples and apricots; who will buy? My mother sells cheap.'
While the boy was thus calling out, an old woman came across the
market; her dress was tattered and in rags, she had a small, sharp
face, quite furrowed with age, red eyes, and a pointed, crooked nose,
which reached down to her chin; in her walk she supported herself on a
long stick, and yet it was difficult to say exactly how she walked, for
she hobbled and shuffled along, and waddled as if she were on casters,
and it was as if she must fall down every instant and break her pointed
nose on the pavement.
The cobbler's wife looked attentively at this old woman. For sixteen
years she had been sitting daily in the market, yet she had never
observed this strange figure, and therefore involuntarily shuddered
when she saw the old hag hobbling towards her and stopping before her
baskets.
'Are you the greengrocer Hannah?' she asked in a disagreeable, croaking
voice, shaking her head to and fro.
'Yes, I am,' replied the cobbler's wife; 'what is your pleasure?'
'We'll see, we'll see, we'll look at your herbs--look at your herbs,
to see whether you have what I want,' answered the old woman; and
stooping down she thrust her dark brown, unsightly hands into the
herb-basket, and took up some that were beautifully spread out, with
her long spider-like fingers, bringing them one by one up to her long
nose, and smelling them all over. The poor woman felt her heart quake
when she saw the old hag handle her herbs in this manner, but she dared
not say anything to her, the purchasers having a right to examine the
things as they pleased; besides which, she felt a singular awe in the
presence of this old woman. After having searched the whole basket, she
muttered, 'Wretched stuff, wretched herbs, nothing that I want--were
much better fifty years ago--wretched stuff! wretched stuff!'
Little Jacob was vexed at these words. 'Hark ye,' he cried boldly, 'you
are an impudent old woman; first you thrust your nasty brown fingers
into these beautiful herbs and squeeze them together, then you hold
them up to your long nose, so that no one seeing this will buy them
after you, and you abuse our goods, calling them wretched stuff, though
the duke's cook himself buys all his herbs of us.'
The old woman leered at the bold boy, laughed disagreeably, and said
in a hoarse voice, 'Little son, little son, you like my nose then, my
beautiful long nose? You shall have one too in the middle of your face
that shall reach down to your chin.'
While she spoke thus she shuffled up to another basket containing
cabbages. She took the most beautiful white heads up in her hand,
squeezed them together till they squeaked, and then throwing them into
the basket again without regard to order, said as before, 'Wretched
things! wretched cabbages!'
'Don't wriggle your head about in that ugly fashion,' cried the little
boy, rather frightened; 'why your neck is as thin as a cabbage-stalk
and might easily break, then your head would fall into the basket, and
who would buy of us?'
'You don't like such thin necks then, eh?' muttered the old woman, with
a laugh. 'You shall have none at all; your head shall be fixed between
your shoulders, that it may not fall down from the little body.'
'Don't talk such nonsense to the little boy,' at length said the
cobbler's wife, indignant at the long-looking, examining, and smelling
of the things; 'if you wish to buy anything be quick, for you scare
away all my other customers.'
'Well, be it as you say,' cried the old woman, with a furious look; 'I
will buy these six heads of cabbages; but you see I must support myself
on my stick, and cannot carry anything, therefore allow your little
son to carry them home for me, and I will reward him.'
The little boy would not go with her, and began to cry, for he was
terrified at the ugly old woman, but his mother commanded him to go, as
she thought it a sin to load the feeble old soul with the burden. Still
sobbing, he did as he was ordered, and followed the old woman across
the market-place.
She proceeded slowly, and was almost three-quarters of an hour before
she arrived at a very remote part of the town, where she at length
stopped in front of a small dilapidated house. She pulled out of her
pocket an old rusty hook, and thrust it dexterously into a small hole
in the door, which immediately opened with a crash. But what was the
astonishment of little Jacob as he entered! The interior of the house
was magnificently adorned, the ceiling and walls were of marble, the
furniture of the most beautiful ebony, inlaid with gold and polished
stones, the floor was of glass, and so smooth that little Jacob several
times slipped and fell down. The old woman took a small silver whistle
from her pocket, and blew a note on it which sounded shrilly through
the house. Immediately some guinea-pigs came down the stairs, and
little Jacob was much amazed at their walking upright on their hind
legs, wearing on their paws nut-shells instead of shoes, men's clothes
on their bodies, and even hats in the newest fashion on their heads.
'Where are my slippers, ye rascally crew?' cried the old woman,
striking at them with her stick, so that they jumped squeaking into the
air; 'how long am I to stand here waiting?'
They quickly scampered up the stairs and returned with a pair of
cocoa-nut shells lined with leather, which they placed dexterously upon
the old woman's feet.
Now all her limping and shuffling was at an end. She threw away her
stick, and glided with great rapidity over the glass floor, drawing
little Jacob after her. At length she stopped in a room which was
adorned with a great variety of utensils, and which closely resembled
a kitchen, although the tables were of mahogany, and the sofas covered
with rich cloth, more fit for a drawing-room.