Fairy books of Andrew Lang

by Andrew Lang

  The cat took her advice, and ran as quickly as her poor old legs would carry her into the wood, and when Simon came home, his wife told him that the cat had vanished.

  'So much the better for her,' said Simon. 'And now we have got rid of her, we must consider what we are to do with the old dog. He is quite deaf and blind, and invariably barks when there is no need, and makes no sound when there is. I think the best thing I can do with him is to hang him.'

  But soft-hearted Susan replied, 'Please don't do so; he's surely not so useless as all that.'

  'Don't be foolish,' said her husband. 'The courtyard might be full of thieves and he'd never discover it. No, the first time I see him, it's all up with him, I can tell you.'

  Susan was very unhappy at his words, and so was the dog, who was lying in the corner of the room and had heard everything. As soon as Simon had gone to his work, he stood up and howled so touchingly that Susan quickly opened the door, and said 'Fly for your life, poor beast, before your master gets home.' And the dog ran into the wood with his tail between his legs.

  When her husband returned, his wife told him that the dog had disappeared.

  'That's lucky for him,' said Simon, but Susan sighed, for she had been very fond of the poor creature.

  Now it happened that the cat and dog met each other on their travels, and though they had not been the best of friends at home, they were quite glad to meet among strangers. They sat down under a holly tree and both poured forth their woes.

  Presently a fox passed by, and seeing the pair sitting together in a disconsolate fashion, he asked them why they sat there, and what they were grumbling about.

  The cat replied, 'I have caught many a mouse in my day, but now that I am old and past work, my master wants to drown me.'

  And the dog said, 'Many a night have I watched and guarded my master's house, and now that I am old and deaf, he wants to hang me.'

  The fox answered, 'That's the way of the world. But I'll help you to get back into your master's favour, only you must first help me in my own troubles.'

  They promised to do their best, and the fox continued, 'The wolf has declared war against me, and is at this moment marching to meet me in company with the bear and the wild boar, and to-morrow there will be a fierce battle between us.'

  'All right,' said the dog and the cat, 'we will stand by you, and if we are killed, it is at any rate better to die on the field of battle than to perish ignobly at home,' and they shook paws and concluded the bargain. The fox sent word to the wolf to meet him at a certain place, and the three set forth to encounter him and his friends.

  The wolf, the bear, and the wild boar arrived on the spot first, and when they had waited some time for the fox, the dog, and the cat, the bear said, 'I'll climb up into the oak tree, and look if I can see them coming.'

  The first time he looked round he said, 'I can see nothing,' and the second time he looked round he said, 'I can still see nothing.' But the third time he said, 'I see a mighty army in the distance, and one of the warriors has the biggest lance you ever saw!'

  This was the cat, who was marching along with her tail erect.

  And so they laughed and jeered, and it was so hot that the bear said, 'The enemy won't be here at this rate for many hours to come, so I'll just curl myself up in the fork of the tree and have a little sleep.'

  And the wolf lay down under the oak, and the wild boar buried himself in some straw, so that nothing was seen of him but one ear.

  And while they were lying there, the fox, the cat and the dog arrived. When the cat saw the wild boar's ear, she pounced upon it, thinking it was a mouse in the straw.

  The wild boar got up in a dreadful fright, gave one loud grunt and disappeared into the wood. But the cat was even more startled than the boar, and, spitting with terror, she scrambled up into the fork of the tree, and as it happened right into the bear's face. Now it was the bear's turn to be alarmed, and with a mighty growl he jumped down from the oak and fell right on the top of the wolf and killed him as dead as a stone.

  On their way home from the war the fox caught score of mice, and when they reached Simon's cottage he put them all on the stove and said to the cat, 'Now go and fetch one mouse after the other, and lay them down before your master.'

  'All right,' said the cat, and did exactly as the fox told her.

  When Susan saw this she said to her husband, 'Just look, here is our old cat back again, and see what a lot of mice she has caught.'

  'Wonders will never cease,' cried Simon. 'I certainly never thought the old cat would ever catch another mouse.'

  But Susan answered, 'There, you see, I always said our cat was a most excellent creature-but you men always think you know best.'

  In the meantime the fox said to the dog, 'Our friend Simon has just killed a pig; when it gets a little darker, you must go into the courtyard and bark with all your might.'

  'All right,' said the dog, and as soon as it grew dusk he began to bark loudly.

  Susan, who heard him first, said to her husband, 'Our dog must have come back, for I hear him barking lustily. Do go out and see what's the matter; perhaps thieves may be stealing our sausages.'

  But Simon answered, 'The foolish brute is as deaf as a post and is always barking at nothing,' and he refused to get up.

  The next morning Susan got up early to go to church at the neighbouring town, and she thought she would take some sausages to her aunt who lived there. But when she went to her larder, she found all the sausages gone, and a great hole in the floor. She called out to her husband, 'I was perfectly right. Thieves have been here last night, and they have not left a single sausage. Oh! if you had only got up when I asked you to!'

  Then Simon scratched his head and said, 'I can't understand it at all. I certainly never believed the old dog was so quick at hearing.'

  But Susan replied, 'I always told you our old dog was the best dog in the world-but as usual you thought you knew so much better. Men are the same all the world over.'

  And the fox scored a point too, for he had carried away the sausages himself!

  Grimm.

  THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

  There was once a fisherman and his wife who lived together in a little hut close to the sea, and the fisherman used to go down every day to fish; and he would fish and fish. So he used to sit with his rod and gaze into the shining water; and he would gaze and gaze.

  Now, once the line was pulled deep under the water, and when he hauled it up he hauled a large flounder with it. The flounder said to him, 'Listen, fisherman. I pray you to let me go; I am not a real flounder, I am an enchanted Prince. What good will it do you if you kill me-I shall not taste nice? Put me back into the water and let me swim away.'

  'Well,' said the man, 'you need not make so much noise about it; I am sure I had much better let a flounder that can talk swim away.' With these words he put him back again into the shining water, and the flounder sank to the bottom, leaving a long streak of blood behind. Then the fisherman got up, and went home to his wife in the hut.

  'Husband,' said his wife, 'have you caught nothing to-day?'

  'No,' said the man. 'I caught a flounder who said he was an enchanted prince, so I let him swim away again.'

  'Did you wish nothing from him?' said his wife.

  'No,' said the man; 'what should I have wished from him?'

  'Ah!' said the woman, 'it's dreadful to have to live all one's life in this hut that is so small and dirty; you ought to have wished for a cottage. Go now and call him; say to him that we choose to have a cottage, and he will certainly give it you.'

  'Alas!' said the man, 'why should I go down there again?'

  'Why,' said his wife, 'you caught him, and then let him go again, so he is sure to give you what you ask. Go down quickly.'

  The man did not like going at all, but as his wife was not to be persuaded, he went down to the sea.

  When he came there the sea was quite green and yellow, and was no longer shining. S
o he stood on the shore and said:

  'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'

  Then the flounder came swimming up and said, 'Well, what does she want?'

  'Alas!' said the man, 'my wife says I ought to have kept you and wished something from you. She does not want to live any longer in the hut; she would like a cottage.'

  'Go home, then,' said the flounder; 'she has it.'

  So the man went home, and there was his wife no longer in the hut, but in its place was a beautiful cottage, and his wife was sitting in front of the door on a bench. She took him by the hand and said to him, 'Come inside, and see if this is not much better.' They went in, and inside the cottage was a tiny hall, and a beautiful sitting-room, and a bedroom in which stood a bed, a kitchen and a dining-room all furnished with the best of everything, and fitted up with every kind of tin and copper utensil. And outside was a little yard in which were chickens and ducks, and also a little garden with vegetables and fruit trees.

  'See,' said the wife, 'isn't this nice?'

  'Yes,' answered her husband; 'here we shall remain and live very happily.'

  'We will think about that,' said his wife.

  With these words they had their supper and went to bed. All went well for a week or a fortnight, then the wife said:

  'Listen, husband; the cottage is much too small, and so is the yard and the garden; the flounder might just as well have sent us a larger house. I should like to live in a great stone castle. Go down to the flounder, and tell him to send us a castle.'

  'Ah, wife!' said the fisherman, 'the cottage is quite good enough; why do we choose to live in a castle?'

  'Why?' said the wife. 'You go down; the flounder can quite well do that.'

  'No, wife,' said the man; 'the flounder gave us the cottage. I do not like to go to him again; he might take it amiss.'

  'Go,' said his wife. 'He can certainly give it us, and ought to do so willingly. Go at once.'

  The fisherman's heart was very heavy, and he did not like going. He said to himself, 'It is not right.' Still, he went down.

  When he came to the sea, the water was all violet and dark-blue, and dull and thick, and no longer green and yellow, but it was still smooth.

  So he stood there and said:

  'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'

  'What does she want now?' said the flounder.

  'Ah!' said the fisherman, half-ashamed, 'she wants to live in a great stone castle.'

  'Go home; she is standing before the door,' said the flounder.

  The fisherman went home and thought he would find no house. When he came near, there stood a great stone palace, and his wife was standing on the steps, about to enter. She took him by the hand and said, 'Come inside.'

  Then he went with her, and inside the castle was a large hall with a marble floor, and there were heaps of servants who threw open the great doors, and the walls were covered with beautiful tapestry, and in the apartments were gilded chairs and tables, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and all the rooms were beautifully carpeted. The best of food and drink also was set before them when they wished to dine. And outside the house was a large courtyard with horse and cow stables and a coach-house-all fine buildings; and a splendid garden with most beautiful flowers and fruit, and in a park quite a league long were deer and roe and hares, and everything one could wish for.

  'Now,' said the wife, 'isn't this beautiful?'

  'Yes, indeed,' said the fisherman. 'Now we will stay here and live in this beautiful castle, and be very happy.'

  'We will consider the matter,' said his wife, and they went to bed.

  The next morning the wife woke up first at daybreak, and looked out of the bed at the beautiful country stretched before her. Her husband was still sleeping, so she dug her elbows into his side and said:

  'Husband, get up and look out of the window. Could we not become the king of all this land? Go down to the flounder and tell him we choose to be king.'

  'Ah, wife!' replied her husband, 'why should we be king? I don't want to be king.'

  'Well,' said his wife, 'if you don't want to be king, I will be king. Go down to the flounder; I will be king.'

  'Alas! wife,' said the fisherman, 'why do you want to be king? I can't ask him that.'

  'And why not?' said his wife. 'Go down at once. I must be king.'

  So the fisherman went, though much vexed that his wife wanted to be king. 'It is not right! It is not right,' he thought. He did not wish to go, yet he went.

  When he came to the sea, the water was a dark-grey colour, and it was heaving against the shore. So he stood and said:

  'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'

  'What does she want now?' asked the flounder.

  'Alas!' said the fisherman, 'she wants to be king.'

  'Go home; she is that already,' said the flounder.

  The fisherman went home, and when he came near the palace he saw that it had become much larger, and that it had great towers and splendid ornamental carving on it. A sentinel was standing before the gate, and there were numbers of soldiers with kettledrums and trumpets. And when he went into the palace, he found everything was of pure marble and gold, and the curtains of damask with tassels of gold. Then the doors of the hall flew open, and there stood the whole Court round his wife, who was sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds; she wore a great golden crown, and had a sceptre of gold and precious stones in her hand, and by her on either side stood six pages in a row, each one a head taller than the other. Then he went before her and said:

  'Ah, wife! are you king now?'

  'Yes,' said his wife; 'now I am king.'

  He stood looking at her, and when he had looked for some time, he said:

  'Let that be enough, wife, now that you are king! Now we have nothing more to wish for.'

  'Nay, husband,' said his wife restlessly, 'my wishing powers are boundless; I cannot restrain them any longer. Go down to the flounder; king I am, now I must be emperor.'

  'Alas! wife,' said the fisherman, 'why do you want to be emperor?'

  'Husband,' said she, 'go to the flounder; I will be emperor.'

  'Ah, wife,' he said, 'he cannot make you emperor; I don't like to ask him that. There is only one emperor in the kingdom. Indeed and indeed he cannot make you emperor.'

  'What!' said his wife. 'I am king, and you are my husband. Will you go at once? Go! If he can make king he can make emperor, and emperor I must and will be. Go!'

  So he had to go. But as he went, he felt quite frightened, and he thought to himself, 'This can't be right; to be emperor is too ambitious; the flounder will be tired out at last.'

  Thinking this he came to the shore. The sea was quite black and thick, and it was breaking high on the beach; the foam was flying about, and the wind was blowing; everything looked bleak. The fisherman was chilled with fear. He stood and said:

  'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'

  'What does she want now?' asked flounder.

  'Alas! flounder,' he said, 'my wife wants to be emperor.'

  'Go home,' said the flounder; 'she is that already.'

  So the fisherman went home, and when he came there he saw the whole castle was made of polished marble, ornamented with alabaster statues and gold. Before the gate soldiers were marching, blowing trumpets and beating drums. Inside the palace were walking barons, counts, and dukes, acting as servants; they opened the door, which was of beaten gold. And when he entered, he saw his wife upon a throne which was made out of a single block of gold, and which was quite six cubits high. She had on a great golden crown which was three yards high and set with brilliants and sparkling gems. In one hand she held a sceptre, and in the other the im
perial globe, and on either side of her stood two rows of halberdiers, each smaller than the other, from a seven-foot giant to the tiniest little dwarf no higher than my little finger. Many princes and dukes were standing before her. The fisherman went up to her quietly and said:

  'Wife, are you emperor now?'

  'Yes,' she said, 'I am emperor.'

  He stood looking at her magnificence, and when he had watched her for some time, said:

  'Ah, wife, let that be enough, now that you are emperor.'

  'Husband,' said she, 'why are you standing there? I am emperor now, and I want to be pope too; go down to the flounder.'

  'Alas! wife,' said the fisherman, 'what more do you want? You cannot be pope; there is only one pope in Christendom, and he cannot make you that.'

  'Husband,' she said, 'I will be pope. Go down quickly; I must be pope to-day.'

  'No, wife,' said the fisherman; 'I can't ask him that. It is not right; it is too much. The flounder cannot make you pope.'

  'Husband, what nonsense!' said his wife. 'If he can make emperor, he can make, pope too. Go down this instant; I am emperor and you are my husband. Will you be off at once?'

  So he was frightened and went out; but he felt quite faint, and trembled and shook, and his knees and legs began to give way under him. The wind was blowing fiercely across the land, and the clouds flying across the sky looked as gloomy as if it were night; the leaves were being blown from the trees; the water was foaming and seething and dashing upon the shore, and in the distance he saw the ships in great distress, dancing and tossing on the waves. Still the sky was very blue in the middle, although at the sides it was an angry red as in a great storm. So he stood shuddering in anxiety, and said:

  'Once a prince, but changed you be Into a flounder in the sea. Come! for my wife, Ilsebel, Wishes what I dare not tell.'