The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (e novels for free .txt) 📖
- Author: Andrew Lang
- Performer: -
Book online «The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (e novels for free .txt) 📖». Author Andrew Lang
When the younger had walked for some time he caught sight
of his brother a short distance in front of him, and called to him
and bade him to stop.
`Wait a minute,’ he said; `you are walking as if for a wager,
but you ought to have stayed to see your younger brother before
you hurried off into the world.’
So the elder stood still and looked back, and when the younger
had got up to him, and had told him that he was his brother, he said:
`But now, let us sit down and see what kind of food our mother has
given us,’ and that they did.
When they had walked on a little farther they came to a brook
which ran through a green meadow, and there the younger said that
they ought to christen each other. `As we had to make such haste,
and had no time to do it at home, we may as well do it here,’ said he.
`What will you be called?’ asked the elder.
`I will be called Minnikin,’ answered the second; `and you,
what will you be called?’
`I will be called King Pippin,’ answered the elder.
They christened each other and then went onwards. When they
had walked for some time they came to a crossway, and there they
agreed to part, and each take his own road. This they did, but no
sooner had they walked a short distance than they met again. So
they parted once more, and each took his own road, but in a very
short time the same thing happened again—they met each other
before they were at all aware, and so it happened the third time also.
Then they arranged with each other that each should choose his
own quarter, and one should go east and the other west.
`But if ever you fall into any need or trouble,’ said the elder,
`call me thrice, and I will come and help you; only you must not
call me until you are in the utmost need.’
`In that case we shall not see each other for some time,’ said
Minnikin; so they bade farewell to each other, and Minnikin went
east and King Pippin went west.
When Minnikin had walked a long way alone, he met an old,
old crook-backed hag, who had only one eye. Minnikin stole it.
`Oh! oh!’ cried the old hag, `what has become of my eye?’
`What will you give me to get your eye back?’ said Minnikin.
`I will give thee a sword which is such a sword that it can
conquer a whole army, let it be ever so great,’ replied the woman.
`Let me have it, then,’ said Minnikin.
The old hag gave him the sword, so she got her eye back.
Then Minnikin went onwards, and when he had wandered on for
some time he again met an old, old crook-backed hag, who had only
one eye. Minnikin stole it before she was aware.
`Oh! oh! what has become of my eye?’ cried the old hag.
`What will you give me to get your eye back?’ said Minnikin.
`I will give thee a ship which can sail over fresh water and salt
water, over high hills and deep dales,’ answered the old woman.
`Let me have it then,’ said Minnikin.
So the old woman gave him a little bit of a ship which was no
bigger than he could put in his pocket, and then she got her eye
back, and she went her way and Minnikin his. When he had
walked on for a long time, he met for the third time an old, old
crook-backed hag, who had only one eye. This eye also Minnikin
stole, and when the woman screamed and lamented, and asked
what had become of her eye, Minnikin said, `What will you give
me to get your eye back?’
`I will give thee the art to brew a hundred lasts of malt in one
brewing.’
So, for teaching that art, the old hag got her eye back, and they
both went away by different roads.
But when Minnikin had walked a short distance, it seemed to
him that it might be worth while to see what his ship could do; so
he took it out of his pocket, and first he put one foot into it, and
then the other, and no sooner had he put one foot into the ship than
it became much larger, and when he set the other foot into it, it grew
as large as ships that sail on the sea.
Then Minnikin said: `Now go over fresh water and salt water,
over high hills and deep dales, and do not stop until thou comest
to the King’s palace.’
And in an instant the ship went away as swiftly as any bird in
the air till it got just below the King’s palace, and there it stood
still.
From the windows of the King’s palace many persons had seen
Minnikin come sailing thither, and had stood to watch him; and
they were all so astounded that they ran down to see what manner
of man this could be who came sailing in a ship through the air.
But while they were running down from the King’s palace, Minnikin
had got out of the ship and had put it in his pocket again; for the
moment he got out of it, it once more became as small as it had
been when he got it from the old woman, and those who came from
the King’s palace could see nothing but a ragged little boy who was
standing down by the seashore. The King asked where he had
come from, but the boy said he did not know, nor yet could he tell
them how he had got there, but he begged very earnestly and
prettily for a place in the King’s palace. If there was nothing else
for him to do, he said he would fetch wood and water for the
kitchen-maid, and that he obtained leave to do.
When Minnikin went up to the King’s palace he saw that
everything there was hung with black both outside and inside, from
the bottom to the top; so he asked the kitchen-maid what that
meant.
`Oh, I will tell you that,’ answered the kitchen-maid. `The
King’s daughter was long ago promised away to three Trolls, and
next Thursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her. Ritter
Red has said that he will be able to set her free, but who knows
whether he will be able to do it? so you may easily imagine what
grief and distress we are in here.’
So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red accompanied the
Princess to the seashore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and
Ritter Red was to stay with her and protect her. He, however, was
very unlikely to do the Troll much injury, for no sooner had the
Princess seated herself by the seashore than Ritter Red climbed
up into a great tree which was standing there, and hid himself as
well as he could among the branches.
The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and
leave her; but Ritter Red did not concern himself about that. `It
is better that one should die than two,’ said he.
In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily
to give him leave to go down to the strand for a short time.
`Oh, what could you do down at the strand?’ said the kitchen-maid. `You have nothing to do there.’
`Oh yes, my dear, just let me go,’ said Minnikin. `I should
so like to go and amuse myself with the other children.’
`Well, well, go then!’ said the kitchen-maid, `but don’t let me
find you staying there over the time when the pan has to be set on
the fire for supper, and the roast put on the spit; and mind you
bring back a good big armful of wood for the kitchen.’
Minnikin promised this, and ran down to the seashore.
Just as he got to the place where the King’s daughter was
sitting, the Troll came rushing up with a great whistling and
whirring, and he was so big and stout that he was terrible to see, and
he had five heads.
`Fire!’ screeched the Troll.
`Fire yourself!’ said Minnikin.
`Can you fight?’ roared the Troll.
`If not, I can learn,’ said Minnikin.
So the Troll struck at him with a great thick iron bar which he
had in his fist, till the sods flew five yards up into the air.
`Fie!’ said Minnikin. `That was not much of a blow. Now
you shall see one of mine.’
So he grasped the sword which he had got from the old crook-backed woman, and slashed at the Troll so that all five heads went
flying away over the sands.
When the Princess saw that she was delivered she was so
delighted that she did not know what she was doing, and skipped
and danced.
`Come and sleep a bit with your head in my lap,’ she said to
Minnikin, and as he slept she put a golden dress on him.
But when Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger
afoot, he lost no time in creeping down from the tree. He then
threatened the Princess, until at length she was forced to promise
to say that it was he who had rescued her, for he told her that if
she did not he would kill her. Then he took the Troll’s lungs and
tongue and put them in his pocket-handkerchief, and led the
Princess back to the King’s palace; and whatsoever had been
lacking to him in the way of honour before was lacking no longer,
for the King did not know how to exalt him enough, and always
set him on his own right hand at table.
As for Minnikin, first he went out on the Troll’s ship and took
a great quantity of gold and silver hoops away with him, and then
he trotted back to the King’s palace.
When the kitchen-maid caught sight of all this gold and silver
she was quite amazed, and said: `My dear friend Minnikin, where
have you got all that from?’ for she was half afraid that he had
not come by it honestly.
`Oh,’ answered Minnikin, `I have been home a while, and these
hoops had fallen off some of our buckets, so I brought them away
with me for you.’
So when the kitchen-maid heard that they were for her, she
asked no more questions about the matter. She thanked Minnikin,
and everything was right again at once.
Next Thursday evening all went just the same, and everyone
was full of grief and affliction, but Ritter Red said that he had been
able to deliver the King’s daughter from one Troll, so that he could
very easily deliver her from another, and he led her down to the
seashore. But he did not do much harm to this Troll either, for
when the time came when the Troll might be expected, he said as
he had said before: `It is better that one should die than two,’ and
then climbed up into the tree again.
Minnikin once more begged the cook’s leave to go down to the
seashore for a short time.
`Oh, what can you do there?’ said the cook.
`My dear, do let me go!’ said Minnikin; `I should so like to go
Comments (0)