about it to her step-child, but she showed it to her own daughter, and
talked the matter over with her. Then she went to learn the art of
sorcery from a witch, and having found out all it was necessary to
know, set off with both of the girls. On approaching the capital, the
wicked woman pushed her step-child out of the carriage and repeated
some magic words over her. After this she became very small and
covered with feathers, then in a moment she was changed into a
wild-duck. She began to quack, and made for the water, as ducks do,
and swam to a far distance. The stepmother bade her farewell in the
following words: "By the strength of my hate may my will be fulfilled.
Swim about the banks in the form of a duck, and rejoice in thy
liberty. During that time my daughter shall take thy form, shall marry
the king, and shall enjoy the good fortune fate destined for thee."
[Illustration]
At the conclusion of these words her own child became endowed with all
the graces and beauty of her unfortunate step-sister. The two then
continued their journey, arriving at the royal chapel at the appointed
hour. The king received them with all honours, while the deceitful
woman gave away her own daughter, whom the bridegroom believed to be
the original of the beautiful picture. After the ceremony the mother
went away loaded with presents. The king, as he looked at his young
wife, could not understand why he did not feel for her the sympathy
and admiration he had felt for the portrait she so much resembled. But
it could not be altered now; what is done is done. So he admired her
beauty and looked forward to the pleasure of seeing pearls fall from
her eyes, roses from her lips, and gold-fish at the touch of her
fingers.
During the wedding feast the newly-made bride forgot herself and
smiled at her husband; immediately a number of hideous toads escaped
from her lips. The king, overcome with horror and disgust, rushed away
from her, upon which she began to cry, but instead of pearls, lizards
fell from her eyes. The majordomo ordered water to be brought for her
to wash her hands, but no sooner had she dipped the tips of her
fingers in the bowl than it was filled with serpents that hissed and
twisted and threw themselves among the wedding guests. The panic was
general, and a scene of great confusion followed. The guard was called
in, and had the greatest trouble to clear the hall of the disgusting
reptiles.
The bridegroom had taken refuge in the garden, and when he saw the
young man coming towards him, whom he thought had deceived him, his
anger overcame him, and he struck the poor lad with so much force that
he fell down dead.
The queen ran forward sobbing, and taking the king by the hand, said:
"What have you done? You have killed my innocent brother. It is
neither my fault, nor was it his, that since the wedding I have by
some enchantment lost the marvellous power I possessed before. This
evil will pass away in time, but time can never restore to me my dear
brother, my own mother's son."
"Forgive me, dear wife; in a moment of irritation I thought he had
deceived me, and I wanted to punish him, but did not mean to kill. I
regret it deeply, but it cannot be helped now. Forgive me my fault as
I forgive yours, with all my heart."
"You have my forgiveness, but I beg you to see that your wife's
brother has an honourable burial."
Her wishes were carried out, and the orphan lad, who had passed as her
brother, was laid in a handsome coffin. The chapel was hung with
black, and at night a guard was placed both inside and out.
Towards midnight the church doors silently opened, and while the
guards were overcome by sleep a pretty little duck entered unnoticed.
She stopped in the middle of the aisle, shook herself, and pulled out
her feathers one by one. Then it took the form of the beautiful
step-daughter, for it was she. She went up to her brother's coffin and
stood gazing at him, and as she looked she wept sorrowfully. Then she
put on her feathers again and went out a duck. When the guards awoke
they were astonished to find a quantity of fine pearls in the coffin.
Next day they told the king that the doors had opened of themselves
towards midnight, that they had been overcome by sleep, and that on
awakening they had found a large number of pearls in the coffin, but
knew not how they got there. The king was very much surprised,
especially at the appearance of the pearls, that ought to have been
produced by his wife's tears. On the second night he doubled the
guard, and impressed upon them the necessity for watchfulness.
At midnight the doors again opened silently as before, the soldiers
went to sleep, and the same little duck entered, and, taking out her
feathers, appeared as a lovely maiden. She could not help smiling as
she looked upon the sleeping soldiers, the number of which had been
doubled on her account; and as she smiled a number of roses fell from
her lips. As she drew near her brother her tears fell in torrents,
leaving a profusion of fine pearls. After some time she put on her
feathers and went out a duck. When the guards awoke they took the
roses and the pearls to the king. He was still more surprised to see
roses with the pearls, for these roses should have fallen from his
wife's lips. He again increased the number of the guard, and
threatened them with the most severe punishment if they failed to
watch all night. They did their best to obey, but in vain; they could
only sleep. When they awoke they found, not only roses and pearls, but
little gold-fish swimming in the holy water.
The amazed king could only conclude that their sleep was caused by
magic. On the fourth night he not only increased the number of
soldiers, but, unknown to every one, hid himself behind the altar,
where he hung a mirror, through which he could see everything that
passed without being seen.
At midnight the doors opened. The soldiers, under the influence of
sleep, had let fall their arms and lay on the ground. The king kept
his eyes fixed on the mirror, through which he saw a little wild-duck
enter. It looked timidly round on all sides, then, reassured at the
sight of the sleeping guards, advanced to the centre of the nave and
took off its feathers, thus appearing as a young maiden of exquisite
beauty.
The king, overwhelmed with joy and admiration, had a presentiment that
this was his true bride. So when she drew near the coffin he crept
noiselessly out of his hiding-place, and with a lighted taper set fire
to the feathers. They flared up immediately, and with such a bright
light that the soldiers were aroused. The girl ran towards the
monarch, wringing her hands and weeping tears of pearl.
"What have you done?" cried she. "How can I now escape my stepmother's
vengeance? For it is by her magic that I have been changed into a
wild-duck."
When the king had heard all, he ordered some of his soldiers to seize
the wife he had married and to take her right out of the country. He
sent others to take the wicked stepmother prisoner, and to burn her as
a witch. Both commands were instantly carried out. Meanwhile the girl
drew from the folds of her gown three small bottles, filled with three
different kinds of water, which she had brought from the sea.
[Illustration]
The first possessed the virtue of restoring life. This she sprinkled
over her brother, whereupon the chill and rigidity of death
disappeared, the colour came to his face, and warm red blood flowed
from his wound. Upon the wound she poured water from the second
bottle, and it was immediately healed. When she had made use of the
third kind of water he opened his eyes, looked at her with
astonishment, and threw himself joyfully into her arms.
The king, enraptured at this sight, conducted the two back to the
palace.
So instead of a funeral there was a wedding, to which a large number
of guests were immediately invited. Thus the orphan maid was married
to the king, while her brother became one of his majesty's nobles. And
the magnificence of the wedding feast was greater than anything seen
or heard of.
THE SLUGGARD
[Illustration]
THE SLUGGARD
On the banks of a certain river, where there was always good fishing,
lived an old man and his three sons. The two eldest were sharp-witted,
active young men, already married; the youngest was stupid and idle,
and a bachelor. When the father was dying, he called his children to
him and told them how he had left his property. The house was for his
two married sons, with a sum of three hundred florins each. After his
death he was buried with great pomp, and after the funeral there was a
splendid feast. All these honours were supposed to be for the benefit
of the man's soul.
When the elder brothers took possession of their inheritance, they
said to the youngest: "Listen, brother; let us take charge of your
share of the money, for we intend going out into the world as
merchants, and when we have made a great deal of money we will buy you
a hat, a sash, and a pair of red boots. You will be better at home;
and mind you do as your sisters-in-law tell you."
For a long time this silly fellow had been wanting a cap, a sash, and
a pair of red boots, so he was easily persuaded to give up all his
money.
The brothers set out on their travels, and crossed the sea in search
of fortune. The "fool" of the family remained at home; and, as he was
an out-and-out sluggard, he would lie whole days at a time on the warm
stove without doing a stroke of work, and only obeying his
sisters-in-law with the greatest reluctance. He liked fried onions,
potato soup, and cider, better than anything else in the world.
One day his sisters-in-law asked him to fetch them some water.
It was winter, and a hard frost; moreover, the sluggard did not feel
at all inclined to go out. So he said, "Go yourselves, I prefer to
stay here by the fire."
"Stupid boy, go at once. We will have some onions, potato soup, and
cider ready for you when you come back. If you refuse to do what we
ask you we shall tell our husbands, and then there will be neither
cap, sash, nor red boots for you."
At these words the sluggard thought he had better go. So he rolled off
the stove, took a hatchet and a couple of pails, and went down to the
river. On the surface of the water, where the ice had been broken, was
a large pike. The sluggard seized him by the fins and pulled him out.
"If you will let me go," said the pike, "I promise to give you
everything you wish for."
"Well then, I should like all my desires to be fulfilled the moment I
utter them."
"You shall have everything you want the moment you pronounce these
words:
'At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
May such and such things happen, as I like.'"
"Just wait one moment while I try the effect," said the
sluggard, and began at once to say:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
Bring onions, cider, soup, just as I like."
That very moment his favourite dishes were before him. Having eaten a
large quantity, he said, "Very good, very good indeed; but will it
always be the same?"
"Always," replied the pike.
The sluggard put the pike back into the river, and turning towards his
buckets, said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
Walk home yourselves, my pails--that I should like."
The pails, and the strong rod to which they were fastened, immediately
set off and walked solemnly along, the sluggard following them with
his hands in his pockets. When they reached the house he put them in
their places, and again stretched himself out to enjoy the warmth of
the stove. Presently the sisters-in-law said, "Come and chop some wood
for us."
"Bother! do it yourselves."
"It is not fit work for women. Besides, if you don't do it the stove
will be cold, and then you will be the chief sufferer. Moreover, pay
attention to what we say, for if you do not obey us, there will be no
red boots, nor any other pretty things."
The sluggard then just sat up and said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
Let what my sisters want be done--that's what I like."
Instantly the hatchet came out from behind a stool and chopped up a
large heap of wood, put a part of it on the stove, and retired to its
corner. All this time the sluggard was eating and drinking at his
ease.
Another day some wood had to be brought from the forest. Our sluggard
now thought he would like to show off before the villagers, so he
pulled a sledge out of the shed, loaded it with onions and soup, after
which he pronounced the magic words.
The sledge started off, and passing through the village at a rattling
pace, ran over several people, and frightened the women and children.
When the forest was reached, our friend looked on while the blocks of
wood and faggots cut, tied, and laid themselves on the sledge, after
which they set off home again. But when they got to the middle of the
village the men, who had been hurt and frightened in the morning,
seized hold of the sluggard and pulled him off the sledge, dragging
him along by the hair to give him a sound thrashing.
At first he thought it was only a joke, but when the blows hurt his
shoulders, he said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
Come, faggots, haste, and my assailants strike."
In a moment all the blocks of wood and faggots jumped off the sledge
and began to hit right and left, and they hit so well that the men
were glad to get out of the way as best they could.
The sluggard laughed at them till his sides ached; then he remounted
his sledge, and was soon lying on the stove again.
From that day he became famous, and his doings were talked about all
through the country.
At last even the king heard of him, and, his curiosity being aroused,
he sent some of his soldiers to fetch him.
"Now then, booby," said the soldier, "come down off that stove and
follow me to the king's palace."
"Why should I? There is as much cider, onions, and soup as I want at
home."
The man, indignant at his want of respect, struck him.
Upon which the sluggard said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
May this man get a taste of what a broom is like."
A large broom, and not particularly clean, immediately hopped up, and
first dipping itself in a pail of water, beat the soldier so
mercilessly that he was obliged to escape through the window, whence
he returned to the king. His majesty, amazed at the sluggard's
refusal, sent another messenger. This man was 'cuter than his comrade,
and first made inquiries as to the sluggard's tastes. Then he went up
to him and said, "Good-day, my friend; will you come with me to see
the king? He wishes to present you with a cap, a waistband, and a pair
of red boots."
"With the greatest pleasure; you go on, I will soon overtake you."
Then he ate as much as he could of his favourite dishes and went to
sleep on the stove. He slept so long that at last his sisters-in-law
woke him up and told him he would be late if he did not at once go to
see the king. The lazy fellow said nothing but these words:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
This stove to carry me before the king I'd like."
At the very same instant the stove moved from its place and carried
him right up to the palace door. The king was filled with amazement,
and running out, followed by the whole court, asked the sluggard what
he would like to have.
"I have merely come to fetch the hat, waistband, and red boots you
promised me."
Just then the charming princess Gapiomila came to find out what was
going on. Directly the sluggard saw her, he thought her so enchanting
that he whispered to himself:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
That this princess so fair may love me, I should like."
Then he ordered his stove to take him back home, and when there he
continued to eat onions and soup and to drink cider.
[Illustration]
Meanwhile the princess had fallen in love with him, and begged her
father to send for him again. As the sluggard would not consent, the
king had him bound when asleep, and thus brought to the palace. Then
he summoned a celebrated magician, who at his orders shut the princess
and sluggard up in a crystal cask, to which was fastened a balloon
well filled with gas, and sent it up in the air among the clouds. The
princess wept bitterly, but the fool sat still and said he felt very
comfortable. At last she persuaded him to exert his powers, so he
said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
This cask of crystal earth at once must strike
Upon the friendly island I should like."
The crystal cask immediately descended, and opened upon a hospitable
island where travellers could have all they wanted by simply wishing
for it. The princess and her companion walked about, eating when
hungry, and drinking when athirst. The sluggard was very happy and
contented, but the lady begged him to wish for a palace. Instantly the
palace made its appearance. It was built of white marble, with crystal
windows, roof of yellow amber, and golden furniture. She was delighted
with it. Next day she wanted a good road made, along which she could
go to see her father. Immediately there stretched before them a
fairy-like bridge made of crystal, having golden balustrades set with
diamonds, and leading right up to the king's palace. The sluggard was
just about to accompany the princess when he began to think of his own
appearance, and to feel ashamed that such an awkward, stupid fellow as
he should walk by the side of such a lovely and graceful creature. So
he said:
"At my behest, and by the orders of the pike,
To be both handsome, wise, and clever I should like."
Suddenly he became as handsome, wise, and clever as it was possible to
be. Then he got into a gorgeous carriage with Gapiomila, and they
drove across the bridge that led to the king's palace.
There they were received with every mark of joy and affection. The
king gave them his blessing, and they were married the same evening.
An immense number of guests were invited to the wedding feast; I, too,
was there, and drank freely of wine and hydromel. And this is the
story I have done my best to tell you as faithfully as possible.
KINKACH MARTINKO
[Illustration]
KINKACH MARTINKO
Once upon a time there was a poor woman who had an only daughter,
named Helen, a very lazy girl. One day when she had refused to do a
single thing, her mother took her down to the banks of a stream and
began to strike her fingers with a flat stone, just as you do in
beating linen to wash it.
The girl cried a good deal. A prince, Lord of the Red Castle, happened
at that moment to pass by, and inquired as to the cause of such
treatment, for it horrified him that a mother should so ill-use her
child.
"Why should I not punish her?" answered the woman. "The idle girl can
do nothing but spin hemp into gold thread."
"Really?" cried he. "Does she really know how to spin gold thread out
of hemp? If that be so, sell her to me."
"Willingly; how much will you give me for her?"
"Half a measure of gold."
"Take her," said the mother; and she gave him her daughter as soon as
the money was paid.
The prince placed the girl behind him on the saddle, put spurs to his
horse, and took her home.
On reaching the Red Castle, the prince led Helen into a room filled
from floor to ceiling with hemp, and having supplied her with distaff
and spinning-wheel, said, "When you have spun all this hemp into gold
thread I will make you my wife."
Then he went out, locking the door after him.
On finding herself a prisoner, the poor girl wept as if her heart
would break. Suddenly she saw a very odd-looking little man seated on
the window-sill. He wore a red cap, and his boots were made of some
strange sort of material.
"Why do you weep so?" he asked.
"I cannot help it," she replied, "I am but a miserable slave. I have
been ordered to spin all this hemp into gold thread, but it is
impossible, I can never do it, and I know not what will become of me."
"I will do it for you in three days, on condition that at the end of
that time you guess my right name, and tell me what the boots I am
wearing now are made of."
Without for one moment reflecting as to whether she would be able to
guess aright she consented. The uncanny little man burst out laughing,
and taking her distaff set to work at once.
All day as the distaff moved the hemp grew visibly less, while the
skein of gold thread became larger and larger.
The little man spun all the time, and, without stopping an instant,
explained to Helen how to make thread of pure gold. As night drew on
he tied up the skein, saying to the girl, "Well, do you know my name
yet? Can you tell me what my boots are made of?"
Helen replied that she could not, upon which he grinned and
disappeared through the window. She then sat and looked at the sky,
and thought, and thought, and thought, and lost herself in
conjecturing as to what the little man's name might be, and in trying
to guess what was the stuff his boots were made of. Were they of
leather? or perhaps plaited rushes? or straw? or cast iron? No, they
did not look like anything of that sort. And as to his name--that was
a still more difficult problem to solve.
"What shall I call him?" said she to herself--"John? Or Henry? Who
knows? perhaps it is Paul or Joseph."
These thoughts so filled her mind that she forgot to eat her dinner.
Her meditations were interrupted by cries and groans from outside,
where she saw an old man with white hair sitting under the castle
wall.
"Miserable old man that I am," cried he; "I die of hunger and thirst,
but no one pities my sufferings."
Helen hastened to give him her dinner, and told him to come next day,
which he promised to do.
After again thinking for some time what answers she should give the
little old man, she fell asleep on the hemp.
The little old man did not fail to make his appearance the first thing
next morning, and remained all day spinning the gold thread. The work
progressed before their eyes, and it was only when evening came that
he repeated his questions. Not receiving a satisfactory answer, he
vanished in a fit of mocking laughter. Helen sat down by the window to
think; but think as she might, no answer to these puzzling questions
occurred to her.
While thus wondering the hungry old man again came by, and she gave
him her dinner. She was heart-sick and her eyes were full of tears,
for she thought she would never guess the spinner's name, nor of what
stuff his boots were made, unless perhaps God would help her.
"Why are you so sad?" asked the old man when he had eaten and drunk;
"tell me the cause of your grief, dear lady."
For a long time she would not tell him, thinking it would be useless;
but at last, yielding to his entreaties, she gave a full account of
the conditions under which the gold thread was made, explaining that
unless she could answer the little old man's questions satisfactorily
she feared some great misfortune would befall her. The old man
listened attentively, then, nodding his head, he said:
"In coming through the forest to-day I passed close to a large pile of
burning wood, round which were placed nine iron pots. A little man in
a red cap was running round and jumping over them, singing these
words:
"My sweet friend, fair Helen, at the Red Castle near,
Two days and two nights seeks my name to divine.
She'll never find out, so the third night 'tis clear
My sweet friend, fair Helen, can't fail to be mine.
Hurrah! for my name is KINKACH MARTINKO,
Hurrah! for my boots are of doggies' skin O!"
[Illustration]
"Now that is exactly what you want to know, my dear girl; so do not
forget, and you are saved."
And with these words the old man vanished.
Helen was greatly astonished, but she took care to fix in her memory
all that the good fellow had told her, and then went to sleep, feeling
that she could face to-morrow without fear.
On the third day, very early in the morning, the little old man
appeared and set busily to work, for he knew that all the hemp must be
spun before sunset, and that then he should be able to claim his
rights. When evening came all the hemp was gone, and the room shone
with the brightness of the golden thread.
As soon as his work was done, the queer little old man with the red
cap drew himself up with a great deal of assurance, and with his hands
in his pockets strutted up and down before Helen, ordering her to tell
him his right name and to say of what stuff the boots were made: but
he felt certain that she would not be able to answer aright.
"Your name is KINKACH MARTINKO, and your boots are made of dogskin,"
she replied without the slightest hesitation.
At these words he spun round on the floor like a bobbin, tore out his
hair and beat his breast with rage, roaring so that the very walls
trembled.
"It is lucky for you that you have guessed. If you had not, I should
have torn you to pieces on this very spot:" so saying he rushed out of
the window like a whirlwind.
Helen felt deeply grateful towards the old man who had told her the
answers, and hoped to be able to thank him in person. But he never
appeared again.
The Prince of the Red Castle was very pleased with her for having
accomplished her task so punctually and perfectly, and he married her
as he had promised.
Helen was truly thankful to have escaped the dangers that had
threatened her, and her happiness as a princess was greater than she
had dared hope. She had, too, such a good stock of gold thread that
she never had occasion to spin any more all her life long.