THE WONDERFUL BROOK.--THE OVERTURNED CARRIER'S
WAGGON.--NUTCRACKER AND HARLEQUIN COME TO LIFE.--THE
THREE WISHES.--THE BOX OF NUREMBERG TOYS.--THE
WANDERING RATS.--HOW HARLEQUIN BRINGS TO LIFE A WHOLE
NATION AND ARMY.--BATTLE WITH THE
STAR.--HOMAGE.--PROCESSION TO THE ROOT-VALLEY.
The road from Nuremberg to Leipsic, at the time of our story, ran
in one part close to a deep hollow, through which a clear brook
wound its way. The stream flowed directly from Root-Valley, and had
the marvellous property, that whatever fell into it instantly
became alive, provided only that it had previously had the form of
some living thing.
It chanced one day that a carrier's waggon was passing this spot on
its way to the Leipsic Fair, packed full of boxes, when on a sudden
a wheel came off, and the waggon rolled over into a hollow. Now in
the boxes were Nuremberg toys of all kinds, enough to fit out a
whole fair. When the poor carrier saw his waggon overthrown into
the hollow, where he could not get at it, off he ran in despair,
and nobody ever after heard what became of him. Certain it is that
by the upset of the waggon some of the boxes were broken, and, of
the puppets which they contained, a Nutcracker and a Harlequin
rolled into the brook. No sooner were they touched by the water,
than instantly a marvellous animation darted through their limbs.
Slowly they raised themselves, and stared at one another with
amazement. There stood Nutcracker, upon his stiff legs, like a
post, beautifully varnished over, with his bright blue eyes, his
wooden pigtail, and the star upon his breast; while Harlequin, in
his particoloured jacket, with his laughing face, clapped together
his hands and legs over his head for very joy, and hopped about
like a magpie.
When these first signs of animation subsided into more tranquil
reflection, Harlequin opened his lips, and said, "Great Prince!
that you are a Prince, and I your merry councillor, is clear
enough, for otherwise you would have no star on your breast, and I
no merry-andrew's jacket; but what shall we do first?"
"That is a question for _you_ to answer, not for _me_," replied
Nutcracker, whom the consciousness of his high birth had already
made grave and haughty. Muttering in his beard, he kept on moving
his under jaw up and down, and continued, "Dear Harlequin! that I
am, as you rightly say, born to be a great man, is proved, not only
by my star, but also by three wishes which have just come into my
head. The first wish is to have a dishfull of the finest nuts, for
which I have a marvellous appetite; the second is to have a
faithful people and a brilliant army, for unquestionably I am born
to govern; the third and last wish is to marry a rich and beautiful
Princess, who shall bring me as her dowry a pretty portion of land,
where I may live with your assistance in all possible ease and
comfort, eat nuts, govern my people, and pass the time merrily.
Your duty is now to advise me how these wishes may be fulfilled."
"Better do than advise," cried Harlequin: "only trust, my Prince,
to my merriment. Before the sun goes down, you shall be in
possession of all these trifles, or my name is not Harlequin, and
my legs will never more dance and clatter over my head."
So saying, in a twinkling he climbed up the nearest nut-tree, and
shook it with all his might. The large nuts fell like a shower of
hail, and the hungry Prince began to crack and eat them with all
speed; and he did not feel quite revived until he had eaten his
fill.
The second wish it was far more difficult to accomplish;
nevertheless Harlequin found ways and means to counsel in this case
likewise. The contents of the waggon, which lay scattered about,
contained people and soldiers enough; he had only to open the
boxes, and bring to life all the thousands of puppets which were
shut up in them; but unluckily the lids of the boxes were fastened
down so tight, that the united strength of the two little men was
unable to force them open. They toiled and moiled till they were
quite exhausted, but all in vain. In this perplexity a word of
advice was worth something. Nutcracker's big blue eyes started out
of his head from the mere effort of considering and contriving,
till they looked like those of a crayfish; Harlequin, on the
contrary, never lost heart or ceased his merriment for an instant.
He twirled round and round like a top, looking for help on all
sides; and before he himself thought of it, indeed an unexpected
aid came in a marvellous way.
Afar off the brown fields which bordered the forest-glen appeared
all at once to become alive. An immense host of migrating Rats, on
their journey from the South to the North, were advancing this way,
and by chance fell directly upon the scattered heap of boxes.
"Out of the way, my Prince!" cried Harlequin, "if we would not let
ourselves be devoured like hazelnuts."
They both sprang on one side. The Rats, which, as every one knows,
never turn out of their road, but always go straight forward,
through field and wood, over hedge and ditch, gnawing their way
through stick and stone, fell without ado upon the chests and
boxes. The fresh young pine-wood boards were a welcome prize to
their sharp teeth, and so too the strong hempen ropes. Speedily off
fell the box-lids, one here, one there,--crack went a rope on this
side, another on that! The most splendid toys presently lay
scattered about in confusion on the road, and some of the Rats fell
to gratifying their nibbling propensity upon them. When Harlequin
beheld this, he cried aloud to the Rats, "A good appetite to you,
ye board-eaters! have you enough?" And so saying he jumped into the
brook, and flung his legs and arms about him, till the water
splashed over all the other little Nutcrackers, Harlequins, and tin
and wooden soldiers, who instantly became alive and jumped upon
their legs.
"Follow me!" cried Harlequin: "one fool makes many,--one wise man
many wise!" And he was right. Fresh puppets kept continually rising
up and coming to life; the regiments formed themselves, the little
horses were soon harnessed to the cannons and drew them, the tin
Generals put themselves at the head of their troops, and the order
of battle was arranged against the Rats. It was indeed high time,
for many of the puppets had already fallen under the sharp teeth of
their assailants. At the sight of this, Nutcracker's spirit and
heroic courage were aroused; his eyes rolled, his jaws chattered
with very thirst of fight, his wooden pigtail accompanied all the
motions of his mouth with rapid twitchings. Impatiently he drew his
sword, and at the head of his Body-guard (who were also
Nutcrackers, but without the star, and therefore no princes) he led
his army to battle.
And now he gave the signal to fire! Instantly all the firearms and
cannons of the innumerable regiments were discharged at the Rats,
who, terrified by the strange noise, took to flight in all haste.
Thus a brilliant victory was gained, and in place of the late
confusion of overturned boxes, there was now to be seen quite a
new world, glittering in all the colours of the rainbow. Towns
and villages, fortresses and country-houses, kitchens and
drawing-rooms, lay scattered one upon another, whilst thousands of
little men and animals were running about. The first thing now was,
of course, that Prince Nutcracker should receive the homage of his
subjects as their ruler.
But there still remained the third task to be accomplished,--to
find a Princess, and with her hand to obtain a piece of land upon
which the new colony might settle. Here again Harlequin's ingenuity
soon suggested advice and aid. Some of the wounded and captured
Rats were commanded to give a description of all the Princesses
whom they had met with in the course of their travels. When they
came to tell of the beauty of the Princess of Root-Valley, the
wooden heart of Prince Nutcracker, as he listened to their
description, warmed so, that a sound shot through it as if a deal
board were cracking and splitting in a room suddenly heated. This
sound he regarded as an omen; this and no other Princess was to be
his Queen. He therefore resolved instantly to go with all his
People to where the Princess lived, and sue for her hand.
The procession was forthwith marshalled in due order; the Rat
prisoners served as pioneers and guides; after these followed the
cavalry, then the Prince with all his Court, and behind him the
cannons and infantry. Now came rocking-horses, heavily laden with
band-boxes, in which were towns, villages, theatres, fortresses,
kitchens, and so forth, and all the furniture and cooking utensils;
behind these followed the little baggage-waggons, and tin and
wooden coaches crammed full of passengers; then people on foot, of
all sorts, in every fashion of dress from the time of Adam to the
present day. After all these came long droves of animals, large and
small, out of all the Noah's-arks and menageries which had been in
the waggon,--first the tame and then the wild animals, the latter
accompanied by tin Bedouins and Circassians, who had to watch lest
the little roaring beasts should devour each other or any other
harmless beings. And all the while Harlequins, Scaramouches, and
Pantaloons kept jumping and skipping about in the procession, and
by their tricks and merriment kept all the people in good heart and
humour on the long and arduous march.
Meanwhile a large fleet of magnetic ships, with tin swans, ducks,
and fishes swimming around them, floated in state on the wonderful
brook, along the bank of which the procession marched. Now let the
Reader picture to himself this interminable multitude advancing in
the beautiful green woods, all amidst lilies-of-the-valley, violets
and buttercups, lettuce-leaves, nettles, and ferns, marching over
hill and dale, in a sparkling sunshine, and with a blue sky
overhead,--and withal the toil and efforts of the little wights,
the creaking of wheels, the cracking of whips, the word of command
resounding through the ranks, the music and singing when the path
was smooth and easy, and the cries and shrieks upon the bad
roads,--how pretty and animated and merry the whole scene must have
been! No wonder indeed that, along the whole way which the
procession journeyed, the birds came out of the trees and hedges,
the beetles crept out of the flowers, even the worms and snails
came out of their hiding-places, all full of curiosity to see the
sight; and no wonder too that they were all impressed with great
admiration for Prince Nutcracker, who ruled over such a splendid
people, and even made long travels with them!
After long and arduous toil, and incredible efforts, the Colony
arrived at the large Nutfield, of which we have before heard.
[Illustration: Fourth Chapter.]