Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 03 (45 page)

The youth first seized his fiddle and played a beautiful air on it
which echoed through the silent halls, and then he fell to and
began to eat a hearty meal. Before long, however, the door opened
and a tiny man stepped into the room, not more than three feet
high, clothed in a dressing-gown, and with a small wrinkled face,
and a grey beard which reached down to the silver buckles of his
shoes. And the little man sat down beside the fiddler and shared
his meal. When they got to the game course the fiddler handed the
dwarf a knife and fork, and begged him to help himself first, and
then to pass the dish on. The little creature nodded, but helped
himself so clumsily that he dropped the piece of meat he had
carved on to the floor.

The good-natured fiddler bent down to pick it up, but in the
twinkling of an eye the little man had jumped on to his back, and
beat him till he was black and blue all over his head and body. At
last, when the fiddler was nearly dead, the little wretch left
off, and shoved the poor fellow out of the iron gate which he had
entered in such good spirits a few hours before. The fresh air
revived him a little, and in a short time he was able to stagger
with aching limbs back to the inn where his companions were
staying. It was night when he reached the place, and the other two
musicians were fast asleep. The next morning they were much
astonished at finding the fiddler in bed beside them, and
overwhelmed him with questions; but their friend hid his back and
face, and answered them very shortly, saying, 'Go there
yourselves, and see what's to be seen! It is a ticklish matter,
that I can assure you.'

The second musician, who was a trumpeter, now made his way to the
castle, and everything happened to him exactly as it had to the
fiddler. He was just as hospitably entertained at first, and then
just as cruelly beaten and belaboured, so that next morning he too
lay in his bed like a wounded hare, assuring his friends that the
task of getting into the haunted castle was no enviable one.
Notwithstanding the warning of his companions, the third musician,
who played the flute, was still determined to try his luck, and,
full of courage and daring, he set out, resolved, if possible, to
find and secure the hidden treasure.

Fearlessly he wandered the whole castle, and as he roamed through
the splendid empty apartments he thought to himself how nice it
would be to live there always, especially with a full larder and
cellar at his disposal. A table was spread for him too, and when
he had wandered about for some time, singing and playing the
flute, he sat down as his companions had done, prepared to enjoy
the delicious food that was spread out in front of him. Then the
little man with the beard entered as before and seated himself
beside the flute-player, who wasn't the least startled at his
appearance, but chatted away to him as if he had known him all his
life. But he didn't find his companion very communicative. At last
they came to the game, and, as usual, the little man let his piece
fall on the ground. The flute-player was good-naturedly just going
to pick it up, when he perceived that the little dwarf was in the
act of springing on his back. Then he turned round sharply, and,
seizing the little creature by his beard, he gave him such a
shaking that he tore his beard out, and the dwarf sank groaning to
the ground.

But as soon as the youth had the beard in his hands he felt so
strong that he was fit for anything, and he perceived all sorts of
things in the castle that he had not noticed before, but, on the
other hand, all strength seemed to have gone from the little man.
He whined and sobbed out: 'Give, oh give me my beard again, and I
will instruct you in all the magic art that surrounds this castle,
and will help you to carry off the hidden treasure, which will
make you rich and happy for ever.'

But the cunning flute-player replied: 'I will give you back your
beard, but you must first help me as you have promised to do. Till
you have done so, I don't let your beard out of my hands.'

Then the old man found himself obliged to fulfil his promise,
though he had had no intention of doing so, and had only desired
to get his beard back. He made the youth follow him through dark
secret passages, underground vaults, and grey rocks till at last
they came to an open field, which looked as if it belonged to a
more beautiful world than ours. Then they came to a stream of
rushing water; but the little man drew out a wand and touched the
waves, whereupon the waters parted and stood still, and the two
crossed the river with dry feet. And how beautiful everything on
the other side was! lovely green paths leading through woods and
fields covered with flowers, birds with gold and silver feathers
singing on the trees, lovely butterflies and glittering beetles
fluttered and crawled about, and dear little beasts hid in the
bushes and hedges. The sky above them was not blue, but like rays
of pure gold, and the stars looked twice their usual size, and far
more brilliant than on our earth.

The youth grew more and more astonished when the little grey man
led him into a castle far bigger and more splendid than the one
they had left. Here, too, the deepest silence reigned. They
wandered all through the castle, and came at last to a room in the
middle of which stood a bed hung all round with heavy curtains.
Over the bed hung a bird's cage, and the bird inside it was
singing beautiful songs into the silent space. The little grey man
lifted the curtains from the bed and beckoned the youth to
approach. On the rich silk cushions embroidered with gold a lovely
maiden lay sleeping. She was as beautiful as an angel, with golden
hair which fell in curls over her marble shoulders, and a diamond
crown sparkled on her forehead. But a sleep as of death held her
in its spell, and no noise seemed able to waken the sleeper.

Then the little man turned to the wondering youth and said: 'See,
here is the sleeping child! She is a mighty Princess. This
splendid castle and this enchanted land are hers, but for hundreds
of years she has slept this magic sleep, and during all that time
no human being has been able to find their way here. I alone have
kept guard over her, and have gone daily to my own castle to get
food and to beat the greedy gold-seekers who forced their way into
my dwelling. I have watched over the Princess carefully all these
years and saw that no stranger came near her, but all my magic
power lay in my beard, and now that you have taken it away I am
helpless, and can no longer hold the beautiful Princess in her
enchanted sleep, but am forced to reveal my treasured secret to
you. So set to work and do as I tell you. Take the bird which
hangs over the Princess's head, and which by its song sang her
into this enchanted sleep—a song which it has had to continue
ever since; take it and kill it, and cut its little heart out and
burn it to a powder, and then put it into the Princess's mouth;
then she will instantly awaken, and will bestow on you her heart
and hand, her kingdom and castle, and all her treasures.

The little dwarf paused, quite worn out, and the youth did not
wait long to do his bidding. He did all he was told carefully and
promptly, and having cut the little bird's heart out he proceeded
to make it into a powder. No sooner had he placed it in the
Princess's mouth than she opened her lovely eyes, and, looking up
into the happy youth's face, she kissed him tenderly, thanked him
for freeing her from her magic sleep, and promised to be his wife.
At the same moment a sound as of thunder was heard all over the
castle, and on all the staircases and in every room sounds were to
be heard. Then a troop of servants, male and female, flocked into
the apartment where the happy couple sat, and after wishing the
Princess and her bridegroom joy, they dispersed all over the
castle to their different occupations.

But the little grey dwarf began now to demand his beard again from
the youth, for in his wicked heart he was determined to make an
end of all their happiness; he knew that if only his beard were
once more on his chin, he would be able to do what he liked with
them all. But the clever flute-player was quite a match for the
little man in cunning, and said: 'All right, you needn't be
afraid, you shall get your beard back before we part; but you must
allow my bride and me to accompany you a bit on your homeward
way.'

The dwarf could not refuse this request, and so they all went
together through the beautiful green paths and flowery meadows,
and came at last to the river which flowed for miles round the
Princess's land and formed the boundary of her kingdom. There was
no bridge or ferryboat to be seen anywhere, and it was impossible
to get over to the other side, for the boldest swimmer would not
have dared to brave the fierce current and roaring waters. Then
the youth said to the dwarf: 'Give me your wand in order that I
may part the waves.'

And the dwarf was forced to do as he was told because the youth
still kept his beard from him; but the wicked little creature
chuckled with joy and thought to himself: 'The foolish youth will
hand me my beard as soon as we have crossed the river, and then my
power will return, and I will seize my wand and prevent them both
ever returning to their beautiful country.'

But the dwarf's wicked intentions were doomed to disappointment.
The happy youth struck the water with his wand, and the waves at
once parted and stood still, and the dwarf went on in front and
crossed the stream. No sooner had he done so than the waters
closed behind him, and the youth and his lovely bride stood safe
on the other side. Then they threw his beard to the old man across
the river, but they kept his wand, so that the wicked dwarf could
never again enter their kingdom. So the happy couple returned to
their castle, and lived there in peace and plenty for ever after.
But the other two musicians waited in vain for the return of their
companion; and when he never came they said: 'Ah, he's gone to
play the flute,' till the saying passed into a proverb, and was
always said of anyone who set out to perform a task from which he
never returned.

Grimm.

There was once upon a time a shepherd who had two children, a son
and a daughter. When he was on his death-bed he turned to them and
said, 'I have nothing to leave you but three sheep and a small
house; divide them between you, as you like, but don't quarrel
over them whatever you do.'

When the shepherd was dead, the brother asked his sister which she
would like best, the sheep or the little house; and when she had
chosen the house he said, 'Then I'll take the sheep and go out to
seek my fortune in the wide world. I don't see why I shouldn't be
as lucky as many another who has set out on the same search, and
it wasn't for nothing that I was born on a Sunday.'

And so he started on his travels, driving his three sheep in front
of him, and for a long time it seemed as if fortune didn't mean to
favour him at all. One day he was sitting disconsolately at a
cross road, when a man suddenly appeared before him with three
black dogs, each one bigger than the other.

'Hullo, my fine fellow,' said the man, 'I see you have three fat
sheep. I'll tell you what; if you'll give them to me, I'll give
you my three dogs.'

In spite of his sadness, the youth smiled and replied, 'What would
I do with your dogs? My sheep at least feed themselves, but I
should have to find food for the dogs.'

'My dogs are not like other dogs,' said the stranger; 'they will
feed you instead of you them, and will make your fortune. The
smallest one is called "Salt," and will bring you food whenever
you wish; the second is called "Pepper," and will tear anyone to
pieces who offers to hurt you; and the great big strong one is
called "Mustard," and is so powerful that it will break iron or
steel with its teeth.'

The shepherd at last let himself be persuaded, and gave the
stranger his sheep. In order to test the truth of his statement
about the dogs, he said at once, 'Salt, I am hungry,' and before
the words were out of his mouth the dog had disappeared, and
returned in a few minutes with a large basket full of the most
delicious food. Then the youth congratulated himself on the
bargain he had made, and continued his journey in the best of
spirits.

One day he met a carriage and pair, all draped in black; even the
horses were covered with black trappings, and the coachman was
clothed in crape from top to toe. Inside the carriage sat a
beautiful girl in a black dress crying bitterly. The horses
advanced slowly and mournfully, with their heads bent on the
ground.

'Coachman, what's the meaning of all this grief?' asked the
shepherd.

At first the coachman wouldn't say anything, but when the youth
pressed him he told him that a huge dragon dwelt in the
neighbourhood, and required yearly the sacrifice of a beautiful
maiden. This year the lot had fallen on the King's daughter, and
the whole country was filled with woe and lamentation in
consequence.

The shepherd felt very sorry for the lovely maiden, and determined
to follow the carriage. In a little it halted at the foot of a
high mountain. The girl got out, and walked slowly and sadly to
meet her terrible fate. The coachman perceived that the shepherd
wished to follow her, and warned him not to do so if he valued his
life; but the shepherd wouldn't listen to his advice. When they
had climbed about half-way up the hill they saw a terrible-looking
monster with the body of a snake, and with huge wings and claws,
coming towards them, breathing forth flames of fire, and preparing
to seize its victim. Then the shepherd called, 'Pepper, come to
the rescue,' and the second dog set upon the dragon, and after a
fierce struggle bit it so sharply in the neck that the monster
rolled over, and in a few moments breathed its last. Then the dog
ate up the body, all except its two front teeth, which the
shepherd picked up and put in his pocket.