splendid armour. His gilded cuirass, his steel helmet inlaid with
gold, and his sword and club made of him a complete warrior. Still
more, he felt himself endowed with superhuman strength and bravery.
When he stamped his foot and shouted the earth trembled and gave forth
a sound like thunder, the very leaves fell from the trees.
[Illustration]
"What must we do? Where are we to go?" he asked.
The horse replied, "Your bride, Princess Pietnotka, has been carried
off by the Dwarf with the Long Beard, whose hump weighs two hundred
and eighty pounds. This powerful magician must be defeated, but he
lives a long way from here, and nothing can touch or wound him except
the sharp smiting sword that belongs to his own brother, a monster
with the head and eyes of a basilisk. We must first attack the
brother."
Prince Dobrotek leaped on to the dappled horse, which was covered with
golden trappings, and they set off immediately, clearing mountains,
penetrating forests, crossing rivers; and so light was the steed's
step that he galloped over the grass without bending a single blade,
and along sandy roads without raising a grain of dust. At last they
reached a vast plain, strewn with human bones. They stopped in front
of a huge moving mountain, and the horse said:
"Prince, this moving mountain that you see before you is the head of
the Monster with Basilisk Eyes, and the bones that whiten the ground
are the skeletons of his victims, so beware of the eyes that deal
death. The heat of the midday sun has made the giant sleep, and the
sword with the never-failing blade lies there before him. Bend down
and lie along my neck until we are near enough, then seize the sword
and you have nothing more to fear. For, without the sword, not only
will the monster be unable to harm you, but he himself will be
completely at your mercy."
The horse then noiselessly approached the huge creature, upon which
the prince bent down, and quickly picked up the sword. Then, raising
himself on his steed's back, he gave a "Hurrah!" loud enough to wake
the dead. The giant lifted his head, yawned, and turned his
bloodthirsty eyes upon the prince; but seeing the sword in his hand he
became quiet, and said, "Knight, is it weariness of life that brings
you here?"
"Boast not," replied the prince, "you are in my power. Your glance has
already lost its magic charm, and you will soon have to die by this
sword. But first tell me who you are."
"It is true, prince, I am in your hands, but be generous, I deserve
your pity. I am a knight of the race of giants, and if it were not for
the wickedness of my brother I should have lived in peace. He is the
horrible dwarf with the great hump and the beard seven feet long. He
was jealous of my fine figure, and tried to do me an injury. You must
know that all his strength, which is extraordinary, lies in his beard,
and it can only be cut off by the sword you hold in your hand. One day
he came to me and said, 'Dear brother, I pray you help me to discover
the sharp smiting sword that has been hidden in the earth by a
magician. He is our enemy, and he alone can destroy us both.' Fool
that I was, I believed him, and by means of a large oak tree, raked up
the mountain and found the sword. Then we disputed as to which of us
should have it, and at last my brother suggested that we should cease
quarrelling and decide by lot. 'Let us each put an ear to the ground,
and the sword shall belong to him who first hears the bells of yonder
church,' said he. I placed my ear to the ground at once, and my
brother treacherously cut off my head with the sword. My body, left
unburied, became a great mountain, which is now overgrown with
forests. As for my head, it is full of a life and strength proof
against all dangers, and has remained here ever since to frighten all
who attempt to take away the sword. Now, prince, I beg of you, use the
sword to cut off the beard of my wicked brother; kill him, and return
here to put an end to me: I shall die happy if I die avenged."
"That you shall be, and very soon, I promise you," replied his
listener.
The prince bade the Dappled Horse with Golden Mane carry him to the
kingdom of the Dwarf with the Long Beard. They reached the garden gate
at the very moment when the dwarf had caught sight of Princess
Pietnotka and was running after her. The war-trumpet, challenging him
to fight, had obliged him to leave her, which he did, having first put
on her head the invisible cap.
While the prince was awaiting the answer to his challenge he heard a
great noise in the clouds, and looking up saw the dwarf preparing to
aim at him from a great height. But he missed his aim and fell to the
ground so heavily that his body was half buried in the earth. The
prince seized him by the beard, which he at once cut off with the
sharp smiting sword.
Then he fastened the dwarf to the saddle, put the beard in his helmet,
and entered the palace. When the servants saw that he had really got
possession of the terrible beard, they opened all the doors to give
him entrance. Without losing a moment he began his search for Princess
Pietnotka. For a long time he was unsuccessful, and was almost in
despair when he came across her accidentally, and, without knowing it,
knocked off the invisible cap. He saw his lovely bride sound asleep,
and being unable to wake her he put the cap in his pocket, took her in
his arms, and, mounting his steed, set off to return to the Monster
with the Basilisk Eyes. The giant swallowed the dwarf at one mouthful,
and the prince cut the monster's head up into a thousand pieces, which
he scattered all over the plain.
He then resumed his journey, and on coming to the moorland the dappled
horse stopped short and said, "Prince, here for the present we must
take leave of each other. You are not far from home, your own horse
awaits you; but before leaving, enter in at my right ear and come out
at my left."
The prince did so, and came out without his armour, and clad as when
Pietnotka left him.
The dappled horse vanished, and Dobrotek whistled to his own horse,
who ran up, quite pleased to see him again. They immediately set off
for the king's palace.
But night came on before they reached the end of their journey.
The prince laid the sleeping maiden on the grass, and, covering her up
carefully to keep her warm, he himself fell fast asleep. By chance, a
knight, one of her suitors, passed that way. Seeing Dobrotek asleep he
drew his sword and stabbed him; then he lifted the princess on his
horse and soon reached the king's palace, where he addressed
Pietnotka's father in these words: "Here is your daughter, whom I now
claim as my wife, for it is I who have restored her to you. She was
carried off by a terrible sorcerer who fought with me three days and
three nights. But I conquered him, and I have brought you the princess
safely back."
[Illustration]
The king was overjoyed at seeing her again, but finding that his
tenderest efforts were powerless to awake her, he wanted to know the
reason of it.
"That I cannot tell you," replied the impostor; "you see her as I
found her myself."
Meanwhile, poor Prince Dobrotek, seriously wounded, was slowly
recovering consciousness, but he felt so weak that he could hardly
utter these words:
"Come, Magic Horse with Mane of Gold,
Come, Dappled Horse, O come to me.
Fly like the birds as you did of old,
As flashes of lightning o'er land and sea."
Instantly a bright cloud appeared, and from the midst thereof stepped
the magic horse. As he already knew all that had happened, he dashed
off immediately to the Mountain of Eternal Life. Thence he drew the
three kinds of water: the Water that gives Life, the Water that Cures,
and the Water that Strengthens. Returning to the prince, he sprinkled
him first with the Life-giving Water, and instantly the body, which
had become cold, was warm again and the blood began to circulate. The
Water that Cures healed the wound, and the Strength-giving Water had
such an effect upon him that he opened his eyes and cried out, "Oh,
how well I have slept."
"You were already sleeping the eternal sleep," replied the dappled
horse. "One of your rivals stabbed you mortally, and carried off
Pietnotka, whom he pretends to have rescued. But do not worry
yourself, she still sleeps, and none can arouse her but you, and this
you must do by touching her with the dwarf's beard. Go now, and be
happy."
The brave steed disappeared in a whirlwind, and Prince Dobrotek
proceeded on his way. On drawing near the capital he saw it surrounded
by a large foreign army; part of it was already taken, and the
inhabitants seemed to be begging for mercy. The prince put on his
invisible cap, and began to strike right and left with the sharp
smiting sword. With such fury did he attack the enemy that they fell
dead on all sides, like felled trees. When he had thus destroyed the
whole army he went, still invisible, into the palace, where he heard
the king express the utmost astonishment that the enemy had retired
without fighting.
"Where then is the brave warrior who has saved us?" said his majesty
aloud.
Every one was silent, when Dobrotek took off his magic cap, and
falling on his knees before the monarch, said: "It is I, my king and
father, who have routed and destroyed the enemy. It is I who saved the
princess, my bride. While on my way back with her I was treacherously
killed by my rival, who has represented himself to you as her rescuer,
but he has deceived you. Lead me to the princess, that I may awaken
her."
On hearing these words the impostor ran away as quickly as possible,
and Dobrotek approached the sleeping maiden. He just touched her brow
with the dwarf's beard, upon which she opened her eyes, smiled, and
seemed to ask where she was.
The king, overcome with joy, kissed her fondly, and the same evening
she was married to the devoted Prince Dobrotek. The king himself led
her to the altar, and to his son-in-law he gave half his kingdom. So
splendid was the wedding banquet, that eye has never seen, nor ear
ever heard of its equal.
THE FLYING CARPET, THE INVISIBLE CAP, THE GOLD-GIVING RING, AND THE
SMITING CLUB
[Illustration]
THE FLYING CARPET, THE INVISIBLE CAP, THE GOLD-GIVING RING, AND THE
SMITING CLUB
In a cottage near the high-road, and close to the shores of a large
lake, there once lived a widow, poor and old. She was very very poor,
but her mother's heart was rich in pride in her son, who was the joy
of her life. He was a handsome lad with an honest soul. He earned his
living by fishing in the lake, and succeeded so well that neither he
nor his mother were ever in want of their daily bread. Every one
called him "the fisherman."
One evening at dusk he went down to the lake to throw in his nets, and
standing on the shore with a new bucket in his hand, waited to put
into it whatever fish it might please God to send him. In about a
quarter of an hour or so he drew in his nets and took out two bream.
These he threw into the bucket, and humming a merry song turned to go
home. At that moment a traveller, poorly clad, with hair and beard
white as the wings of a dove, spoke to him, saying, "Have pity on a
feeble old man, obliged to lean on his stick, hungry and ragged. I beg
you, in Heaven's name, to give me either money or bread. The sun will
soon set, and I who have eaten nothing to-day shall have to pass the
night fasting, with the bare earth for a bed."
"My good old friend, I am sorry I have nothing about me to give you,
but you see the black smoke curling up in the distance? That is our
cottage, where my old mother is waiting for me to bring her some fish
to cook for our supper. Now take these two bream to her, meanwhile I
will return to the lake and throw in my nets again to see if I can
catch something more. Thus, with God's help, we shall all three have
enough for supper to-night and breakfast to-morrow morning."
While speaking the fisherman handed the fish to the old man, when,
marvel of marvels! he melted into the rays of the setting sun and
vanished, both he and the fish.
The fisherman, much astonished, rubbed his eyes and looked about on
all sides. For a moment he felt afraid, but when he had crossed
himself all terror left him and he went to draw in his nets by the
light of the moon. And what do you think he found in them? It was
neither a pike nor a trout, but a small fish with eyes of diamonds,
fins of rainbow colour, and golden scales that shone and flashed like
lightning.
When he had spread his nets on the beach the fish began to talk to him
in the language of men.
"Do not kill me, young fisherman," it said, "but accept in exchange
for my life this golden ring. Every time you put it on your finger
repeat these words:
'I conjure thee, O ring, who gold can give,
In the name of the little fishling of gold,
For the good of man, that man may live,
And the honour of heaven, send, new or old,
Little or much, as may be my need,
Coins of the realm, let them fall like seed.'
After uttering each of these words, a shower of gold pieces will
fall."
The fisherman gladly accepted the ring, and freeing the miraculous
fish from the net he threw it back into the water. As it fell, it
shone in the air like a shooting star and then disappeared beneath the
waves.
On his way back he said to himself, "My mother and I will go to bed
hungry to-night, without our fried fish, but to-morrow, when I have
made the golden coins gleam in our humble cottage, all sorts of good
things will find their way there, and we shall live like lords."
But things turned out very differently, for the first thing he saw on
opening the door was the table covered with a white cloth, and upon it
a china soup-tureen in which lay the two bream freshly cooked.
"Where did you get those fish from, dear mother?"
"I do not know myself," replied she, "for I have neither cleaned them
nor cooked them. Our table spread itself, the fish placed themselves
upon it, and although they have been there an hour they do not get
cold; any one might think they had just been taken off the fire. Come,
let us eat them."
The widow and her son sat down, said grace, and after eating as much
as they wanted went to bed.
Next morning, at breakfast time, the fisherman made the sign of the
cross, and then put on the gold ring, at the same time repeating the
words the fish had taught him:
"I conjure thee, O ring, who gold can give,
In the name of the little fishling of gold,
For the good of man, that man may live,
And the honour of heaven, send, new or old,
Little or much, as may be my need,
Coins of the realm, let them fall like seed."
When he had ceased speaking the room was filled with a blast of wind
followed by flashes of lightning, then a hailstorm of gold pieces
showered down and quite covered the table.
The chink of the money aroused his mother, who sat up in bed perfectly
amazed.
"What is the meaning of this, my son? Am I awake or dreaming? or is it
the work of the Evil One? Where did all that money come from?"
[Illustration]
"Fear not, mother, I wear a cross that charms away evil spirits. I
have my work, so that you shall never want, and I have your heart,
where for me there will ever be love to sweeten the disappointments
and troubles of life. This gold that you see will drive poverty far
away, and enable us to help others. Take these pieces, lock them up
safely, and use them when in need. As for me, kiss me, and wish me
good luck on my journey."
"What! Is it possible that you want to leave me already? Why? and
whither are you going?"
"I want to go, mother mine, to see the great city. When there, I mean
to enrol myself in the national army. Thus the fisherman turned
soldier will become the defender of his king, for the glory of his
country and his mother."
"Of a truth, my son, I have heard some talk about the king being in
danger, and that our enemies are trying to take his crown from him.
But why should you go? Stay at home rather, for alone and unnoticed
among so many troops you will neither be able to help nor to hinder."
"You are right, one man alone is a small thing, but by adding one
grain to another the measure overflows. If all those who are capable
of bearing arms will help the king, there is no doubt that he will
soon overcome his enemies."
"But a harmless fisherman like you! Of what use can you be in a
battle?"
"The fisherman has, doubtless, a peaceable disposition, and he never
boasts of his strength. But when the right moment comes he knows how
to handle a sword, and how to water the land with the enemy's blood.
And the victorious king will, perhaps, reward me for my bravery by
giving me some splendid castle, or a few acres of forest land, a suit
of armour and a horse, or even the hand of his daughter in marriage."
"If you feel like this," answered she, "go, and may God bless you. May
He cover you, dear child, with His grace as with a buckler, so that
neither guns nor sabres shall do you harm. May He take you under His
protection, so that you may return safe and sound to be a comfort to
me; and at the end of my days may I rejoice in your happiness, and
live near you as long as God in His wisdom shall allow."
Then she gave him her blessing and kissed him tenderly, making the
sign of the cross in the direction he was about to take.
So he departed, and after a few days' march reached the capital,
thinking within himself how he might help the king most effectually.
The town was surrounded by a countless host who threatened to utterly
destroy it unless the king would agree to pay a very large ransom.
The people crowded into the square, and stood before the palace gates
listening to the herald's proclamation.
"Hear the king's will," said the herald; "listen, all ye faithful
subjects, to the words he speaks to you by my mouth. Here are our
deadly enemies, who have scattered our troops, and have come to
besiege the capital of our kingdom. If we do not send them, by
daybreak to-morrow, twenty-four waggons, each drawn by six horses and
loaded with gold, they threaten to take the town and destroy it by
fire and sword, and to deliver our land to the soldiers. It is certain
that we cannot hold out any longer, and our royal treasure-house does
not contain one-half the amount demanded. Therefore, through me our
sovereign announces, that whosoever among you shall succeed, either in
defeating our foes, or in providing the money needed for the ransom,
him will he appoint his heir to the crown, and to him will he give his
only daughter in marriage, a princess of marvellous beauty. Further,
he shall receive half the kingdom in his own right."
When the fisherman heard these words he went to the king and said, "My
sovereign and father, command that twenty-four waggons, each harnessed
with twenty-four horses and provided with leathern bags, be brought
into the courtyard; I will engage to fill them with gold, and that at
once, before your eyes."
Then he left the palace, and standing in the middle of the large
square, recited the words the fish had taught him.
These were followed by rumblings of thunder and flashes of lightning,
and then by a perfect hurricane which sent down masses and showers of
gold. In a few minutes the square was covered with a layer of gold so
thick that, after loading the twenty-four waggons and filling a large
half of the royal treasure-house, there was enough left to make
handsome presents to all the king's officers and servants.
Next day the enemy returned to their own country laden with the heavy
ransom they had demanded.
The king sent for the fisherman, and inviting him to partake of
hydromel wine and sweetmeats, said, "You have to-day been the means of
saving our capital from a great calamity, and shall, therefore,
receive the reward which you have earned. My only daughter, a princess
of great beauty, shall be your wife, and I will give you the half of
my kingdom for a wedding present. I also appoint you my heir to the
throne. But tell me, to whom am I indebted? What kingdom or land
belongs to you? How is it that by a mere movement of the hand you were
able to supply my enemies with such a quantity of gold?"
And the fisherman, simple-hearted and straightforward as a child,
ignorant of the deceptions practised in court, answered frankly,
"Sire, I belong to no royal or princely family, I am a simple
fisherman and your loyal subject. I procure my gold by means of this
magic ring, and at any time I can have as much as I want."
Then he told how his good fortune had come to him.
The king made no answer, but it hurt his royal dignity to think that
he owed his safety to one of his own peasants, and that he had
promised to make him his son-in-law.
That evening, after a luxurious supper, the fisherman, having taken a
little more wine than usual, ventured to ask the king to present him
to his bride. The king whispered a few words in the ear of the
chamberlain of the court, and then went out.
The chamberlain took the fisherman to the top of the castle tower, and
there said to him, "According to the customs of the court you should,
before being introduced to the princess, send her by my hands some
valuable jewel as a wedding gift."
"But I have nothing of value or beauty about me," replied he, "unless
you offer the princess this golden ring, to which I owe all my good
fortune, the princess herself, and the safety of her father."
The chamberlain took the ring, and opening the window of the tower,
asked, "Fisherman, do you see the moon in the heavens?"
"I do."
"Very well, she shall be the witness of your betrothal. Now look down;
do you see that precipice, and the deep river shining in its depths."
"I do."
"Very well, it shall be your bridal couch."
So saying the chamberlain threw him into the deep abyss, shut the
window, and ran to tell the king that there was no longer a suitor for
the hand of his daughter.
The fisherman, stunned by the force of his fall, reached the water
quite senseless. When he came to himself and opened his eyes, he lay
in a boat which at that moment was leaving the mouth of the river and
entering the open sea.
The very old man, to whom he had given the bream, was guiding the
vessel with an oar.
"My good old man, is it you? How did you manage to save me?" asked the
astonished fisherman.
"I came to your assistance," replied the old man, "because he who
shows pity to others deserves their help when in need of it. But take
the oar and row to whatever place you wish."
And having thus spoken the mysterious old man disappeared. The
fisherman crossed himself, and having looked round upon the royal
palace sparkling with light he sighed deeply, and chanting the hymn
"Under Thy Help," put out to sea.
When the sun rose he saw some nets in the boat, and throwing them into
the water caught some pike, which he sold in a town near the shore,
and then continued his journey on foot.
Two or three months later, when crossing some open country, he heard
cries for help which came from a hill near the forest. There he saw
two little demons pulling each other's hair. By the cut of their short
waistcoats, by their tight pantaloons and three-cornered hats, he knew
that they were inhabitants of the nether world, from which they must
have escaped. He had no doubt about it, but being a good Christian he
was not afraid, and accosted them boldly, saying, "Why do you
ill-treat each other in this way? What is the meaning of it?"
"It means, that for many a long year we have both been working hard to
entice a silly fellow down below. He was first tempted by the desire
to learn something of sorcery, and he ended by becoming an
accomplished scoundrel. After giving him time to commit a great many
crimes and thus forfeit his soul, we handed him over to safe keeping.
Now we want to divide his property between us. He has left three
things, which by every right belong to us. The first is a wonderful
carpet. Whoever sits down upon it, and pronounces certain magic words,
will be carried off at once, over forests and under clouds, never
stopping until his destination is reached. The magic words are as
follows:
'Carpet, that of thyself through space takes flight,
O travel, thou airy car, both day and night
Till my desired haven comes in sight.'
The second piece of property is that club lying on the grass. After
uttering some magic words, the club will immediately begin to hit so
vigorously that a whole army may be crushed to pieces or dispersed.
The words run thus:
'Club, thou marvellous club, who knows
How to strike and smite my foes,
By thine own strength and in God's name
O strike well home and strike again.'