milk that I may give the milk to the cat so that the cat will give
back my tail to me."
"I will give you the milk," replied the cow, "if you will get me some
grass."
"Where shall I get the grass?" asked the monkey.
"Go ask the farmer," responded the cow.
The monkey went to the farmer and said, "O, kind farmer, please give
me some grass that I may give the grass to the cow so that the cow
will give me some milk so that I may give the milk to the cat so that
the cat will give back my tail to me."
The farmer said, "I will give you some grass if you will give me some
rain."
"Where shall I get the rain?" asked the monkey.
"Go ask the clouds," responded the farmer.
The monkey went to the clouds and said, "O, kind clouds, please send
me down some rain that I may give the rain to the farmer so that the
farmer will give me some grass so that I may give the grass to the cow
so that the cow will give me some milk so that I may give the milk to
the cat so that the cat will give me back my tail."
"I will give you some rain," replied the clouds, "if you will get me
some fog."
"Where shall I get the fog?" asked the monkey.
"Go ask the rivers," replied the clouds.
The monkey went to the river and said, "O, kind river, please give me
a fog that I may give the fog to the clouds so that the clouds will
give some rain so that I may give the rain to the farmer so that the
farmer will give me some grass so that I may give the grass to the cow
so that the cow will give me some milk so that I may give the milk to
the cat so that the cat will give me back my tail."
"I will give you a fog," replied the river, "if you will find a new
spring to feed me."
"Where shall I find a spring?" asked the monkey.
"Go search for one among the rocks upon the hillside," replied the
river.
Then the monkey climbed up the steep hill and searched and searched
among the rocks until at last he found a little spring to feed the
river. He brought the spring to the river and the river gave him a
fog. He took the fog to the clouds and the clouds gave him rain. He
took the rain to the farmer and the farmer gave him grass. He took the
grass to the cow and the cow gave him milk. He took the milk to the
cat and the cat gave him back his tail. The monkey was so glad to have
his tail again that he danced and danced with glee. Ever since that
time the monkey has been very careful to guard his tail. He still has
one and he is still happy because of it.
XV
How Black Became White
One often hears the saying that one cannot make black white or white
black. I said something about it once upon a time to my Brazilian
_ama_ and she stared at me in surprise. "O, yes, one can," she said.
"It happened once and no one can ever tell but that it may happen
again. Perhaps the _Senhora_ has not heard the story?" I begged her to
tell me the story and this is the tale:
Once upon a time there was a little old woman who lived all alone with
her little black son who was just as black as black can be. The little
old woman had not always lived alone with the little black boy. She
had once been the mother of three beautiful daughters, the very
loveliest maidens in all the country round. They were so handsome that
they attracted the attention of the wicked fairy who lived in an
enchanted castle nearby, and this fairy had been very jealous of them.
By the aid of magic she tied them up in sacks which could be opened
only by burning the sacks over a fire built from magic wood. The
little old woman and her little black son searched long and diligently
for magic wood, but they were never able to find any.
It was a terrible thing to have one's daughters shut up in magic
sacks. The little old woman had grown bent and weak and cross in her
search to find the magic wood. If it had not been for the little
black boy she would have given up entirely. The little black boy was
always gay and cheerful and always sure that some day they would
succeed in finding the magic wood.
One day the little old woman took her big water jar upon her head and
carried it down to the stream to fill. It was so very heavy when she
had filled it with water that she could not lift it to her head even
with the help of the little black boy. Three fine looking
_cavalheiros_ happened to be passing on horseback. She sent the little
black boy to ask them if they would help her. They said they couldn't
possibly stop. The little old woman was very angry. She did not know
that they were on their way to the magic castle and _couldn't_ stop.
The same wicked fairy who had shut the little old woman's beautiful
daughters up in the sacks, was leading them on.
If the little old woman had known all about the three _cavalheiros_
she would not have been angry. She would have wanted to help them
instead. The three _cavalheiros_ were very good and very wise, so they
managed to get along very well. As soon as they reached the enchanted
castle the fairy showed them to their beds. She had marked each bed
with a candle. No one before had ever been wise enough to blow out
these candles. These _cavalheiros_ blew out the candles and that took
away the fairy's power over them. They were able to escape from the
palace. When the wicked fairy came to put them in her magic sacks she
found the beds empty.
The three _cavalheiros_ took their horses and rode back by the same
road by which they had come. They stopped at a little shop on a corner
which was kept by a good fairy and bought one _vintem's_ worth of
ashes, one _vintem's_ worth of salt and one _vintem's_ worth of pins.
After a while the three _cavalheiros_ approached the house of the
little old woman and the little black boy. The little old woman was
still angry because they had refused to stop and help her lift her
water jar to her head. When she saw them coming she threw stones at
them. Of course that was a very stupid thing to do.
When the three _cavalheiros_ saw what was happening they were greatly
surprised. They had forgotten all about the little black boy and the
little old woman whom he had asked them to help. When they saw her
coming with the stones they thought that she must be a wicked fairy in
the form of a little old woman.
The _cavalheiro_ who had one _vintem's_ worth of ashes in his pocket
threw the ashes at her. It became night. The little old woman came on
with her stones just the same.
The _cavalheiro_ who had one _vintem's_ worth of salt in his pocket
threw the salt at her. Immediately a sea of salt water appeared
between the three _cavalheiros_ and the little old woman. The little
old woman came on with her stones just the same.
The _cavalheiro_ who had one _vintem's_ worth of pins in his pocket
threw the pins at her. Immediately a high, thorny hedge sprang out of
the ground between the little old woman and the three _cavalheiros_.
The little old woman was too angry to think clearly. If she had not
been so angry she would have known at once that this must be magic
wood. The little black boy, however, had his wits about him. He
hastened to gather the branches even though the thorns tore his hands.
Soon he had brought together a great pile of wood like the piles which
they make in the streets to burn on a _festa_ night.
The little old woman saw what he was doing and ran to get the magic
sacks in which her daughters were imprisoned. They laid the sacks on
top of the pile of magic wood and lighted the fire. There was a great
noise like thunder. Out of the three magic sacks there sprang three
beautiful maidens who had been preserved alive in the sacks by a
miracle of _Nossa Senhora_.
The little old woman and her three beautiful daughters turned to thank
the little black boy for what he had done. The little black boy was no
longer black. He had been turned white.
The three _cavalheiros_ married the three beautiful maidens and the
little boy who was now white, grew up to be the greatest _cavalheiro_
of them all.
XVI
How the Pigeon Became a
Tame Bird
Once upon a time there was a father with three sons who had reached
the age when they must go out into the world to earn their own living.
When the time for parting came he gave to each of them a large melon
with the advice that they open the melons only at a place where there
was water nearby.
The three brothers set out from their father's house, each taking a
different path. As soon as the eldest son was out of sight of the
house he opened his melon. A beautiful maiden sprang out of the melon
saying, "Give me water or give me milk." There was no water nearby and
neither did the young man have any milk to give her. She fell down
dead.
The second son left his father's house by a path which led over a
steep hill. The large melon was heavy to carry and in a little while
he became very tired and thirsty. He saw no water nearby and feared
that there was no possibility of finding any soon, so he thought he
would open the melon and use it to quench his thirst. Accordingly he
opened his melon. To his great surprise, a beautiful maiden sprang
forth saying, "Give me water or give me milk." Of course he had
neither to give her and she fell down dead.
The third son also travelled by a path which led over a steep hill.
He, too, became very tired and thirsty and he often thought how much
he would like to open his melon. However, he remembered his father's
advice to open it only where there was water nearby. So he travelled
on and on hoping to find a spring of water on the hillside. He did not
have the good fortune to pass near a spring either going up the hill
or coming down on the opposite side. At the foot of the hill there was
a town and in the centre of the town there was a fountain. The young
man hurried straight to the fountain and took a long refreshing drink.
Then he opened his melon. A beautiful maiden sprang forth saying,
"Give me water or give me milk." The young man gave her a drink of
water. Then he helped her to a hiding place among the thick branches
of the tree which grew beside the fountain and went away in search of
food.
Soon a little black servant girl came to the fountain to fill a big
water jar which she carried on her head. The maiden in the tree above
the fountain peeped out through the branches. When the little black
servant girl bent over the water to fill her jar she saw the
reflection of a charming face in the water. "How beautiful I have
become," she said to herself. "How ridiculous that any one as
beautiful as I am should carry water on her head." She threw her water
jar upon the ground in disdain and it broke into a thousand pieces.
When the little maid reached home with neither water nor water jar her
mistress punished her severely and sent her again to the fountain
with a new water jar to fill. This time the maiden in the tree gave a
little silvery laugh when the black servant girl bent over the water.
The little maid looked up and spied her in the tree. "O, it is you, is
it, who are responsible for my beating?" she said. She pulled a pin
out of her camisa and, reaching up, she stuck it savagely into the
beautiful maiden in the tree. Then a strange thing happened. There was
no longer any beautiful maiden in the tree. There was just a pigeon
there.
At that moment the young man came back to the tree with the food he
had procured. When the little black maid heard his footsteps she was
frightened nearly to death. She hid herself quickly among the thick
branches of the tree. The young man was very much surprised to find a
little black maid in the tree in the place of the beautiful maiden he
had left there. "What has happened to you during my absence" he asked
in horror as soon as he saw her. "The sun has burned my complexion.
That is all. It is nothing. I shall be myself again when I get away
from this hot place," the little maid replied.
The young man married the little black maid and took her away out of
sunny places hoping that she would soon be again the beautiful maiden
she was when he left her by the fountain in search of food. But she
always remained black.
Years passed and the young man became very rich. He lived in a
beautiful mansion. All around the house there was a wonderful garden
full of lovely flowers and splendid trees where birds loved to sing
sweet songs and build their nests. In spite of his beautiful home the
young man was not very happy. It was a great trial to have a wife who
was so black. He often walked up and down the paths in his garden at
the close of the day and thought about how beautiful his wife had been
the first time he ever saw her. As he walked in the garden there was
always a pigeon which followed him about. It flew about his head in a
way that annoyed him, so one day when his wife was sick and asked for
a pigeon to be roasted for her dinner he commanded that this
particular pigeon should be killed.
When the cook was preparing the pigeon for her mistress to eat for
dinner she noticed a black speck on the pigeon's breast. She thought
that it was a speck of dirt and tried to brush it away. To her
surprise she could not brush it off easily because it was a pin firmly
embedded in the pigeon's breast. She pulled and pulled but could not
pull it out so she sent for her master to come and see what he could
do to remove it. He at once pulled out the pin and then a wonderful
thing happened. The pigeon was transformed into a beautiful maiden. He
at once recognised her as the same lovely maiden who had sprung forth
from his melon by the fountain and whom he had left hidden in the
tree.
When the young man's black wife learned that her husband had found the
beautiful maiden again after all these years she confessed her deceit
and soon died. The young man married the beautiful maiden who was
still just as beautiful as she was the first time he saw her. They
were very happy together but the wife never forgot about the time she
had been a pigeon.
Up to that time pigeons had been wild birds who built their nests in
the deep forest. The wife often wished that they would build their
nests in her beautiful garden so she had little bird houses built and
set up there.
One day a pigeon, bolder than the rest, flew through the garden and
spied the little bird houses. He moved his family there at once and
told the other pigeons that there were other houses there for them
too. The other pigeons were timid and so they waited to see what
terrible calamity might happen to the bold pigeon and his family, but
not a single unpleasant thing occurred. They were just as happy as
happy could be in their new home.
After a while other pigeon families moved into the garden and were
happy too. Thus it came about that after years and years the pigeons
no longer build their nests in the deep forest, but they always make
their homes near the homes of men. The pigeons, themselves, do not
know how it all came about, but the beautiful woman who was once a
pigeon, when she had children of her own, told them about it, and they
told their children. Thus it happens that the mothers in Brazil tell
their children this story about the pigeon.
XVII
Why the Sea Moans
Once upon a time there was a little princess who lived in a
magnificent royal palace. All around the palace there was a beautiful
garden full of lovely flowers and rare shrubs and trees. The part of
the garden which the princess liked most of all was a corner of it
which ran down to the sea. She was a very lonely little princess and
she loved to sit and watch the changing beauty of the sea. The name of
the little princess was Dionysia and it often seemed to her that the
sea said, as it rushed against the shore, "Di-o-ny-si-a,
Di-o-ny-si-a."
One day when the little princess was sitting all alone by the sea she
said to herself, "O! I am so lonely. I do so wish that I had somebody
to play with. When I ride out in the royal chariot I see little girls
who have other little boys and girls to play with them. Because I am
the royal princess I never have anybody to play with me. If I have to
be the royal princess and not play with other children I do think I
might have some sort of live thing to play with me."
Then a most remarkable thing happened. The sea said very slowly and
distinctly and over and over again so there couldn't be any mistake
about it, "Di-o-ny-si-a, Di-o-ny-si-a."
The little princess walked up close to the sea, just as close as she
dared to go without danger of getting her royal shoes and stockings
wet. Straight out of the biggest wave of all there came a sea serpent
to meet her. She knew that it was a sea serpent from the pictures in
her royal story books even though she had never seen a sea serpent
before, but somehow this sea serpent looked different than the
pictures. Instead of being a fierce monster it looked kind and gentle
and good. She held out her arms to it right away.
"Come play with me," said Dionysia.
"I am Labismena and I have come to play with you," replied the sea
serpent.
After that the little princess was very much happier. The sea serpent
came out of the sea to play with her every day when she was alone. If
any one else came near Labismena would disappear into the sea so no
one but Dionysia ever saw her.
The years passed rapidly and each year the little princess grew to be
a larger and larger princess. At last she was sixteen years old and a
very grown-up princess indeed. She still enjoyed her old playmate,
Labismena, and they were often together on the seashore.
One day when they were walking up and down together beside the sea the
sea serpent looked at Dionysia with sad eyes and said, "I too have
been growing older all these years, dear Dionysia. Now the time has
come that we can no longer play together. I shall never come out of
the sea to play with you any more, but I shall never forget you and I
shall always be your friend. I hope that you will never have any
trouble, but if you ever should, call my name and I will come to help
you." Then the sea serpent disappeared into the sea.
About this time the wife of a neighbouring king died and as she lay
upon her death bed she gave the king a jewelled ring. "When the time
comes when you wish to wed again," she said, "I ask you to marry a
princess upon whose finger this ring shall be neither too tight nor
too loose."
After a while the king began to look about for a princess to be his
bride. He visited many royal palaces and tried the ring upon the
finger of many royal princesses. Upon some the ring was too tight and
upon others it was too loose. There was no princess whose finger it
fitted perfectly.
At last in his search the king came to the royal palace where the
princess Dionysia lived. The princess had dreams of her own of a young
and charming prince who would some day come to wed her, so she was not
pleased at all. The king was old and no longer handsome, and when he
tried the ring upon Dionysia's finger she hoped with all her heart
that it would not fit. It fitted perfectly.
The princess Dionysia was frightened nearly to death. "Will I really
have to marry him?" she asked her royal father. Her father told her
what a very wealthy king he was with a great kingdom and a wonderful
royal palace ever so much more wonderful and grand than the palace
the princess Dionysia had always had for her home. Her father had no
patience at all with her for not being happy about it. "You ought to
consider yourself the most fortunate princess in all the world," he
said.
Dionysia spent her days and nights weeping. Her father was afraid that
she would grow so thin that the ring would no longer fit her finger,
so he hastened the plans for the wedding.
One day Dionysia walked up and down beside the sea, crying as if her
heart would break. All at once she stopped crying. "How stupid I have
been," she said. "My old playmate Labismena told me that if ever I was
in trouble she would come back and help me. With all my silly crying I
had forgotten about it."
Dionysia walked up close to the sea and called softly, "Labismena,
Labismena." Out of the sea came the sea serpent just as she used to
come. The princess told the sea serpent all about the dreadful trouble
which was threatening to spoil her life.
"Have no fear," said Labismena, "tell your father that you will marry
the king when the king presents you with a dress the colour of the
fields and all their flowers and that you will not marry him until he
gives it to you." Then the sea serpent disappeared again into the sea.
Dionysia sent word through her father to her royal suitor that she
would wed him only when he procured her a dress the colour of the
fields and all their flowers. The king was very much in love with
Dionysia, so he was secretly filled with joy at this request. He
searched everywhere for a dress the colour of the fields and all their
flowers. It was a very difficult thing to find but at last he procured
one. He sent it to Dionysia at once.
When Dionysia saw that the king had really found the dress for her she
was filled with grief. She thought that there was no escape and that
she would have to marry the king after all. As soon as she could get
away from the palace without being noticed she ran down to the sea and
again called, "Labismena, Labismena."
The sea serpent at once came out of the sea. "Do not fear," she said
to Dionysia. "Go back and say that you will not wed the king until he
gives you a dress the colour of the sea and all its fishes."
When the king heard this new request of Dionysia's he was rather
discouraged. However he searched for the dress and, at last, after
expending a great sum of money, he procured such a gown.
When Dionysia saw that a dress the colour of the sea and all its
fishes had been found for her she again went to seek counsel from her
old playmate. "Do not be afraid," Labismena again said to her. "This
time you must ask the king to get you a dress the colour of the sky
and all its stars. You may also tell him that this is the last present
you will ask him to make you."
When the king heard about the demand for a dress the colour of the sky
and all its stars he was completely disheartened, but when he heard
that Dionysia had promised that this would be the last present she
would ask he decided that it might be a good investment after all. He
set out to procure the dress with all possible speed. At last he found
one.
When Dionysia saw the dress the colour of the sky and all its stars
she thought that this time there was no escape from marrying the king.
She called the sea serpent with an anxious heart for she was afraid
that now even Labismena could do nothing to help her.
Labismena came out of the sea in answer to her call.
"Go home to the palace and get your dress the colour of the field and
all its flowers," said the sea serpent, "and your dress the colour of
the sea and all its fishes, and your dress the colour of the sky and
all its stars. Then hurry back here to the sea for I have been
preparing a surprise for you."
All the time the king had been procuring the wonderful gowns for
Dionysia the sea serpent had been building a ship for her. When
Dionysia returned from the royal palace with her lovely dresses all
carefully packed in a box there was a queer little boat awaiting her.
It was not at all like any other boat she had ever seen and she was
almost afraid to get into it when Labismena asked her to try it. "This
little ship which I have built for you," said Labismena, "will carry
you far away over the sea to the kingdom of a prince who is the most
charming prince in all the world. When you see him you will want to
marry him above all others."
"O, Labismena! How can I ever thank you for all you have done for
me?" cried Dionysia.
"You can do the greatest thing in the world for me," said Labismena;
"though I have never told you and I do not believe that you have ever
suspected it, I am really an enchanted princess. I shall have to
remain in the form of a sea serpent until the happiest maiden in all
the world, at the hour of her greatest happiness, calls my name three
times. You will be the very happiest girl in all the world on the day
of your marriage, and if you will remember to call my name three times
then you will break my enchantment and I shall once more be a lovely
princess instead of a sea serpent."
Dionysia promised her friend that she would remember to do this. The
sea serpent asked her to promise three times to make sure. When
Dionysia had promised three times and again embraced her old playmate
and thanked her for all that she had done she sailed away in the
little ship. The sea serpent disappeared into the sea.