THE BIRDCATCHER AND HIS FAMILY.--HOW THE CHILDREN RETURN
HOME WITH RARE TREASURES.--NUTCRACKER'S DEAD BODY.--THE
LITTLE MAIDEN IN THE STORK'S NEST, AND WHO SHE
WAS.--AFFECTING RECONCILIATION ON THE
NUTFIELD.--THREATENING DANGER TO THE
ROOTMEN.--EMIGRATION OF THE ROOTMEN.
At the time when all these wonderful occurrences happened, there
lived at the entrance of this forest an old Birdcatcher and his
family. During the two years since he had settled here, his
business had prospered remarkably; and, especially in the Spring
and Autumn, so many birds had been taken in his nets, that he had
earned many a bright dollar, and had laid by many a spare penny.
Now once on a Spring day a heavy rain had fallen, and, strange to
say, ever since that time not a bird was longer to be seen there:
every morning the Birdcatcher found his nets torn, his limed twigs
destroyed, and even his screech-owl and other decoy-birds had
vanished from their cages and perches. And yet he knew well enough
there lived no other man in the whole forest who could have done
all this.
One day he had sent his children with the cart deep into the
forest, to fetch brushwood. Evening came on, and they did not
return. It already began to grow dark, and as they still had not
come back, his anxiety increased, and he determined to go in search
of them. He had just crossed the threshold, when suddenly he heard
a shouting and singing at a distance in the wood. Joyous sounds! it
was his dear children, who were dragging and pushing along the
little cart, piled up and closely packed.
"You good-for-nothing little brats, where have you been all this
time?" he exclaimed, half angrily, though overjoyed. But they
laughed, and removing the green brushwood with which they had
covered the loaded cart, they exclaimed, quite red in the face with
delight, "Only see, father, what we have here!" And, lo and behold,
the cart was filled from top to bottom with broken, bent, and
gnaw'd playthings!
And now they went on to tell the whole story of their treasures;
and amidst a Babel of voices, all speaking together, one louder
than another, the sum and substance of the story was this. After
losing their way, they had wandered about till they came to a
narrow, smooth dale, which lost itself like a footpath in the wood.
The ground was all wet and miry from the rain. Suddenly, to their
amazement, they found all these splendid things scattered about in
radiant confusion; and, had not the sun already sunk behind the
pine-trees, they would have followed the path still further. It
seemed to have no end, but disappeared deep in the thicket, and, as
far as they could see, it was all bestrewn with similar treasures.
The story seemed strange to their father, and he resolved to follow
the path they spoke of the next day, hoping in his own mind to
discover a track of the culprit who had decoyed away the birds and
torn his nets.
The next morning, as soon as the dawn glimmered through the still
forest, the Birdcatcher's whole family were on their way with the
wood-cart to the dale; and, truly enough, there they found
everything as the children had described.
"Look, look, father! there is another splendid little wooden
fellow!" exclaimed the youngest child, raking out of the mire a
little Nutcracker, bedaubed with mud, his colours all washed off,
and his pedestal lost.
"Heyday! what a face the fellow has, and what a mouth, and what
goggling eyes!" cried all the children in one voice.
"Silly nonsense! stupid toy!" exclaimed the old man angrily, as he
snatched the Nutcracker from them, and flung it far away into the
wood.
But now a wonderful sight presented itself to his view.
Out of a Crane's nest, high up on an old oak-tree, there rose a
little maiden of human form, quite enveloped in gossamer. She
climbed down from the tree like a squirrel, ran with all speed to
the spot where Nutcracker lay, dug him a grave with her hands, and,
with the aid of the two Cranes, laid him in it, and raked the earth
over the spot; after which she climbed again up the tree, and into
the nest.
The Birdcatcher and his family stood open-mouthed, in silent
astonishment; they feared to frighten away the little maiden, but
this strange sight made them hesitate what to do.
"So, so, then, you are the little witch who robs me of my bread!"
at last exclaimed the Birdcatcher, giving vent to his repressed
anger. "Wait there awhile, my pretty little bird: tomorrow morning
we will come again with axe and nets; we will then cut down your
tree in a trice and catch you. For the present let us see where
this path leads, and whether there are not more of you here."
Before he had finished speaking, he espied the little maiden
peeping anxiously from under her white veil out of the nest, and
making a sign. And instantly the Cranes came flying to her, took up
the nest with their bills, raised it from the branches, and bore it
swiftly through the air.
Who other could the little maiden be than our Princess of
Root-Valley?
Fear of her father and her countrypeople had prevented her
returning to her native Valley. At the same time a feeling of
sorrow for the haughtiness with which she had treated the Birds
whom she had once loved, had grown so strong in her heart, that she
resolved to make amends for her former ill-conduct to these
good-natured creatures. Since the fatal day when her husband and
his people had been all destroyed, she had made her abode in this
tree, and taken under her tender care all the young birds whose
parents had died. Indeed she it really was who, in spite of her
fear of Men, had every night destroyed the Birdcatcher's nets, and
had warned the birds against venturing near him.
At this instant however she saw the danger which threatened her
countrymen, if these selfish people should discover the
Root-kingdom. All other considerations therefore must yield.
Without delay she desired the Cranes to convey her straight to her
own Valley, where she was resolved to alight, happen what might.
In the Nutfield, which had so recently been the scene of her false
splendour and her follies, the Rootmen happened on this very day to
be assembled. Notwithstanding her wrong conduct, they had not yet
given up the Princess, and, at the entreaties of her father, they
were met to consider what steps could be taken to search for her.
The Cranes alighted with the nest. In an instant the repentant
daughter fell on the neck of her overjoyed father, and all the
People compassionated her, and forgave her from the bottom of their
hearts. In their delight at seeing her again, all were ready to
give themselves up to unrestrained rejoicing, but the Princess
checked their merriment. She told her People the danger which
threatened them of being discovered by Men. Anxiety and terror
seized the Rootmen at this news: it was no longer possible to
remain in the forest. They at once resolved to leave Root-Valley,
and to emigrate by subterranean passages to distant lands.
The whole body put themselves forthwith in motion, when just at
that instant there appeared upon the rocky heights, behind the
thick hedge, the Birdcatcher with his family. If these folks had
been astonished at the first instant, how much more so were they
now, when they saw all the little Rootmen disappear in the rocks!
Angry and impatient at not being able to get at them, the
Birdcatcher tried all he could to break through the hedge, but in
vain,--he only came off with scratched and bleeding hands.
"Ill-luck!" he exclaimed; "had I but my axe and nets, to catch
those tiny little creatures, I might sell them in the town, or make
a show of them, and become the richest man in the world!" And
thereupon he took his whistle, and began to whistle an alluring
melody, thinking by this means to entice the little People like
birds; but this attempt was likewise in vain. All the little
Rootmen passed before his eyes into the rock, actually laughing
and making faces at him; and when the very last little elf vanished
in the rock, the opening closed. Since that time no one has ever
again seen the little Rootmen.
The End.
[Illustration: The End.]
[Illustration]