Jack and the Devil's Purse

by Duncan Williamson

  And one day out on the hunt he fell from his horse. He was hurt severely. The huntsmen carried him back to the palace. They placed him on the bed and there he lay. His back was broken. The old queen was now sadder than ever. Her husband was gone, and now her son, the only being they loved together between them was very seriously ill.

  She sat by his bedside and she prayed and she clasped her hands. She prayed to her God and she prayed to everyone. But he got weaker and weaker . . . he finally died.

  Now the queen was really very upset. The thought of everything was gone. Never, no more did she show her face before her people in the village. The great palace was there and all the workers in the palace did their things. But the queen just stood by herself. She walked in the garden a sad, lonely old woman. Her husband was bone, her beautiful son was gone. She had no one left in the world. No more did they have parties in the great palace. The great fêtes and the great things were gone. And the people around the country and around the palace got sadder and sadder, because they felt for the queen.

  But one day the old queen was walking in the garden admiring her flowers which she’d tended so many times before. The weeds were growing up among them, but now she had no more thought for the flowers in her garden. Then she turned around – there stood behind her this gentleman dressed in black in a long dark cloak.

  She said, ‘Hello!’

  And he said, ‘Hello!’

  She said, ‘Where have you come from?’

  ‘Oh, never mind where I come from, my dear, I’ve been walking here admiring you. I’ve been watching you for a few days, and you seem very sad.’

  ‘Oh, I am very sad. Who are you?’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I’m just a stranger.’

  And she could see that he was dressed in black from head to foot with a long cloak touching the ground. She said, ‘Where have you come from?’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘never mind where I’ve come from. I have just come to say hello. I can see you’re very sad.’

  She said, ‘Of course there’s sadness in my heart, because you know I have lost my husband the king.’

  The stranger said, ‘I know.’

  And he smiled to himself. ‘And,’ she said, ‘I’ve just lost my son!’

  ‘Well . . .’ he said.

  ‘He was hurt in a riding accident. I sat beside him, I prayed to my God to help him. But no one could help him. He is gone.’

  And the stranger said to her, ‘Why are you so sad?’

  ‘Well,’ she said, ‘why shouldn’t I be? My husband is gone and my son is gone. There’s nothing left for me in this world.’

  ‘But there are many wonderful things left in the world for you, my dear,’ he said. ‘You are not really old.’

  ‘But,’ she said, ‘why should life go on for me? I wish that someone would take me away from this Earth!’

  He said, ‘Well, maybe that could be arranged.’

  She said, ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Well, I’m just a stranger. What would you give to be happy again?

  She says, ‘Happy? I’ll never be happy again, never again.’

  ‘Oh yes!’ he said. ‘Happiness is for everyone.’

  ‘But,’ she says, ‘how can I be happy? My son is gone and my husband is gone. How . . .’

  He said, ‘I can make you happy.’

  ‘What are you? Are you a magician or something?’

  ‘No, my dear, I’m not a magician,’ he said. ‘I’m just a friend, and a stranger.’

  ‘Well, it’s nice to be happy, but,’ she said, ‘where am I going to find happiness?’

  ‘What would you give for happiness?’

  She said, ‘I’d give anything in this world.’

  ‘Would you give your soul,’ he said, ‘for happiness?’

  ‘My soul?’ she said. ‘What is my soul to me, if I have one? I have prayed to my God for my son and He never helped me. If my soul is worth anything I would give it today, if only I could find a little happiness!’

  And the stranger said, ‘Happiness you shall have! But I will come and see you again.’ And then he was gone.

  The queen walked around the garden and she looked all around. She said, ‘These flowers are full of weeds. The gardener has not been tending to the flowers. The trees have never been looked after!’

  A great change had come over the queen. She had completely forgotten about everything but her garden. She went out and she told the workers, ‘My garden’s been neglected. The flowers are covered with weeds and the trees have never been pruned for months. Where are all my workers? What have you done to my garden?’

  And when everybody saw that the queen was worried about her garden they rushed to tidy it up. They worked in the garden as hard as they could.

  And up goes the queen to her room. She looks all around. She says, ‘My room is so untidy!’ There were things lying all around the floor. ‘Who has done this to my place?’ And the queen called for her maids at hand, ‘Get my room tidied up at once!’

  They tidied up her room. They talked to each other and said, ‘What has come over our queen? Something terrible has happened. She is smiling, she is happy once again.’

  So the queen walks out to the front of the palace, and it was dreich and barren. Everything looked so dark and grey. She stood over the balcony and she said, ‘Where are all my people? Where are all my friends? Why is everyone so sad?’

  Everyone looked all around and said, ‘A strangeness has come over the queen.’

  She said, ‘Why is everyone so sad? Where’s the party? Where are all my friends? Where are all the guests? Where are all the people?’ There was no one. The queen sent word all around the palace: ‘Get my people to come before me! Let’s have fun. Let’s have a party! Let’s have a fête! Let’s have everything we used to have!’

  So word spread around the palace that once again the queen was happy. And they started, and they set a royal fête where everyone came from all around to see the queen once more. They came from far and wide; they came knights from far off, they came lairds and dukes and people from the village and they were having a great party in front of the palace.

  And in amongst them walked the queen, saying hello to everyone and bowing to everyone. Everyone was happy. They had drinking and fêtes and fighting and battles and they had everything – life once again was back to normal. There were jugglers, there were singers, everyone was happy having great fun!

  When lo and behold at that very moment, in amongst everyone walked this tall, dark stranger with a long black cloak. And there sat the queen up on her bench before everyone watching everyone enjoying theirself. When he walked up to the queen and said: ‘Hello, my dear! Sppst,’ he spat and flame came from his mouth.

  And the queen stood back. She said, ‘Who are you?’

  He said, ‘Who am I? You are bound to recognise me! I have come to see you. You gave me your promise . . . now are you happy?’

  ‘Happy?’ she said. ‘I’m happier than anyone in the world!’

  ‘Well, I gave you the happiness. Now I have come for you. You must come with me,’ and he ‘spsst’ – spat again and flames spat from his mouth.

  The queen said, ‘Look . . .’

  He said, ‘Do you remember when I met you in the garden? When you wanted happiness? And you promised me you would give your soul, what I wanted to give you happiness.’

  She said, ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, I gave you happiness. Don’t you have everything you had before?’ he said. ‘And I provided it for you. Now, you must come with me.’

  She says, ‘No! I can’t come with you – I am too happy!’

  But he said, ‘You promised me!’

  She said, ‘Guards, arrest this man!’ And the guards drew back their bows and arrows to arrest him.

  He held out his hand, like that – from every finger came the heads of ten snakes with their beady eyes glaring and their fangs and their tongues going out and in, their forked tongues going out and in. And he s
aid: ‘Well, let them come to me, my dear!’ He held his hand and the tongues of the snakes with the beady eyes . . .

  ‘Use your spears! Use your arrows!’ she said.

  And they fired! They hit his chest and the spears stotted off like lumps of steel and fell on the ground. And he walked among them with his fingers sticking out – the heads of the snakes. The people cringed in terror back from him. He followed them back, raised his fingers with these ten snakes, their beady eyes and their tongues in front of them.

  And the queen sat in terror. Everyone backed away. Then he went up to the queen and he closed his fingers. The snakes were gone.

  ‘Now,’ he said, ‘my dear, it is time for you to come with me.’

  She says, ‘No! You are the Devil!’

  ‘Of course,’ he said, ‘I am the Devil.’

  ‘Well’ she said, ‘if you’re the Devil – I’ve heard many stories of you. You always give people a chance.’

  He said, ‘You prayed to your God, didn’t you?’

  ‘I prayed to my God to save my son, but He never saved my son.’

  ‘Well,’ he said, ‘you asked me to make you happy and I made you happy. Now you have everything you want and you gave me your promise.’

  She says, ‘Please, if you are the Devil, and the stories I’ve heard about you . . . please give me one more chance – one more chance I beg of you!’

  And the Devil said, ‘Of course, I always give people a chance. I’ll be back in three weeks’ time, my dear. On condition that you can do something that I can’t do, and failing that, you shall come with me!’ And then in a flash he was gone.

  The queen was upset. She knew she was in touch with the Devil. The Devil had taken over her soul. She told everyone around the palace what was going to happen – the Devil was coming for her in three weeks’ time. Could she do something that the Devil could not do?

  They came from all parts of the Earth, from all parts of her kingdom telling her this and telling her that, things that she could do to cheat the Devil. The queen listened. But one by one all the things they knew, she knew the Devil could compete against anything she heard. Till she was in tears and worried that the Devil was coming for her.

  Then up to her palace came an old shepherd with a little bag on his back and a little bag under his arm and a long grey beard and a ragged coat. He stepped up the stairs. He was stopped immediately by the guards.

  And they said, ‘Where are you going, old man?’

  ‘Well, I am just an old shepherd and I have come to help the queen.’

  So everybody was interested. Anyone who could give help to the queen would be acceptable. So the old shepherd was led up to the queen’s chamber. And there sat the queen in great grief, knowing that within a week the Devil was coming to take her.

  And the old shepherd stepped up and said, ‘Your Majesty, I am believing you have been in touch with the Devil. And he has challenged you to a great duel, that you could do something that he could not do.’

  She said, ‘Of course, you have heard, my friend.’

  ‘Well, I am just an old shepherd, my dear, my majesty, and I have come to help you.’

  She said, ‘No one can help me. I’ve heard many things from all of my subjects all over the land and nothing that they’ve said can help me.’

  ‘But,’ he said, ‘my dear, I can help you.’

  And from under his arm he took a very small sheepskin bag, and he held it up to her. He said to her: ‘In this little bag, my dear, is something that will help you.’

  And the queen took it, the small sheepskin bag. She shaked it. It was full of water. She said to him:

  ‘And what can I do with this, old shepherd?’

  He said, ‘All you can do with it, my dear, is take it and put it in two halves between two little measures. And wait till the Devil comes back to you again. Ask him to take one drink, and you take the other.’

  So the queen thanked the old shepherd and she said, ‘If this works, my friend, I will repay you for everything you have done for me. You are only a shepherd, but if this works for me you will never be a shepherd again.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said the old man, ‘don’t worry about it. Just forget it. But remember what I told you.’

  So the old shepherd went on his way. And the queen stood with the little bag. She then kept it within her bedroom, she pressed it to her heart and she blessed it. And soon the time passed. It was time for the Devil to return once again.

  She went into the room and she took two little silver glasses, silver drinking glasses, and she halved the water of the little bag in two. She placed them on the table and there she waited. She sat and she waited and soon it was twelve o’clock on the very day that the Devil said he was coming back.

  Then there was a flash in the room! There he stood once again with his long, dark cloak beside her. He said, ‘My dear, I have come back.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said, ‘I know you’ve come back.’

  He said, ‘Do you remember what I told you?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘Now,’ he said, ‘you asked for a second chance and I gave it to you. Can you do something I can’t do?’

  And she said, ‘Well, I think I can.’

  And she picked up the glasses, the little silver drinking glasses. She passed one to him and she said: ‘You drink that one and I’ll drink the other.’

  The queen lifted it up and she drank it down, and placed the glass on the table. ‘Now,’ she said, ‘Devil, you drink the other half.’

  And the Devil put it to his mouth. He tasted it: ‘Sppst!’ he spat it out.

  ‘Queen, there’s no one can make the Devil drink Holy Water!’ he said.

  And that is the end of my story.

  The Devil’s Coat

  There was once this old Traveller man and his wife; they travelled, walking mostly round Perthshire. Their two children had grown up and left them and got married. But this old man and his old wife always came back to the same wee place every winter to stay. And they camped in this wee wood by the side of the road. Now, he was a very nice easygoing man and so was the woman. The folk of the district knew them very well and respected them for what they were.

  So this year the old man and woman had been away all summer wandering here and there, and the wife had sold stuff from her basket. He’d made baskets and tinware. They’d made their way back once more to their winter camping place. The old wife was hawking the houses with her basket round the doors that she knew and everybody welcomed her, glad to see her back again.

  Now this man was an awful nice old man, he was really good. And his old wife really thought the world of him. At the weekend on a Saturday he would walk to the nearby village to the wee bar and have a couple pints of beer. His old wife would sit and do something at home at the camp till he came back. But they’d only been at this place for about a week when it came Saturday, and it landed on Hallowe’en night.

  ‘Maggie,’ he said to her, ‘I think I’ll dander awa along the length o’ the town to the pub and hae a couple o’ pints, pass the night awa.’

  ‘Well,’ she said, ‘John, as long as ye dinna be too late. Because I’m kind o’ feart when it gets dark at night-time to sit here myself, and especially when it’s Hallowe’en. And it bein Hallowe’en night ye ken the Devil’s loosed, supposed tae be on Hallowe’en night!’

  ‘You and your Devil,’ the old man says, ‘ye’re awfa superstitious. Ye ken fine there no such a thing as the Devil!’

  ‘Well never mind,’ she says, ‘I’ve got my beliefs and you’ve got yours. But try and get hame as soon as ye can.’

  ‘All right,’ says the old man, ‘I’ll no wait long. I havena much money to spend, a couple o’ shillings.’ So he says cheerio to his old wife and away he goes.

  Now from where they stayed in this wee wood at the roadside he had about a mile to go. But before he came to the wee village there was a burn and a bad bend, and a bridge to cross. So the old man lighted his pipe and walke
d away to the village and landed at the pub.

  He spent his couple o’ bob and had a few pints to himself. But he met in with two or three other folk he had known, country folk from about the district that he used to work for and they kept him later than he really thought it was. But it must have been near closing time – he clean forgot about his old wife – it was near about half past ten at night when he finally left the pub. And he wasn’t really drunk.

  So he dandered home till he came to the bridge, and it was a dark, dark night. Barely a star shining. Just as he came to the bridge before the bad bend he said, ‘Everybody says this bridge is haunted, haunted by the Devil. But I dinnae believe in nae devils!’

  But just when he came over the bridge and round the bend he seen this thing lying across the middle o’ the road in front o’ him.

  ‘God bless me,’ said the man, ‘somebody must be drunk and fell in the road.’ But he came up closer to it . . . he seen it was a coat. And the old man picked it up.

  ‘I’ll carry it on to the camp,’ he said. ‘Maybe somebody dropped it, maybe the laird or some o’ the gamekeepers goin hame from the pub must hae dropped it. But it’s a good coat.’ That he could see.

  So he travelled on. Home he came. And he had a wee barrikit built up and his wee lamp, the cruisie was going.

  The old woman says to him, ‘You’re kind o’ late, where were ye?’

  ‘Ach, Maggie, I met two or three folk in the pub, men I used to work for, do wee bits o’ jobs for and they kept me crackin. I’m sorry for bein late.’

  ‘Aye, it’s all right yinst you’re back. Were ye no feart to come ower that brig?’

  ‘What am I going to be feart of?’ he said.

  She says, ‘Feart o’ Cog, the Devil! This is Hallowe’en night.’

  ‘Ach, you and your superstition,’ he said.

  She said, ‘What’s that you’ve got there?’

  ‘A coat I found on the brig.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘a coat . . . hmm. Let me look at it.’ And the old woman looked at it. ‘Well, John, I’ve seen many’s a coat, but that’s the prettiest coat I’ve ever seen in my life!’

  It was black. It had a black velvet neck, velvet sleeves and velvet pockets. And black shiny buttons, four black shiny buttons.