The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang [book club recommendations txt] 📗

there was no person bold enough

to come in on me. I knew very well on the first sight of me that

could be got, I would be shot like a dog. However, I had not time to

lose. I took and raised up the man which I had killed, as if he was

standing on his feet, and I, crouching behind him, bore him up as

well as I could, so that the guards readily saw him as they came up

to the vault. Seeing the man in black, one of the men cried that

was the Black Thief, and, presenting his piece, fired at the man, at

which I let him fall, and crept into a little dark corner myself, that

was at the entrance of the place. When they saw the man fall,

they ran all into the vault, and never stopped until they were at the

end of it, for fear, as I thought, that there might be some others

along with him that was killed. But while they were busy

inspecting the corpse and the vault to see what they could miss, I

slipped out, and, once away, and still away; but they never had the

Black Thief in their power since.’

 

`Well, my brave fellow,’ says the Knight of the Glen, `I see you

have come through many dangers: you have freed these two princes

by your stories; but I am sorry myself that this young prince has

to suffer for all. Now, if you could tell me something as wonderful

as you have told already, I would pardon him likewise; I pity this

youth and do not want to put him to death if I could help it.’

 

`That happens well,’ says the Thief of Sloan, `for I like him

best myself, and have reserved the most curious passage for the last

on his account.’

 

`Well, then,’ says the knight, `let us hear it.’

 

`I was one day on my travels,’ says the Black Thief, `and I

came into a large forest, where I wandered a long time, and could

not get out of it. At length I came to a large castle, and fatigue

obliged me to call in the same, where I found a young woman and

a child sitting on her knee, and she crying. I asked her what

made her cry, and where the lord of the castle was, for I wondered

greatly that I saw no stir of servants or any person about the

place.

 

` “It is well for you,” says the young woman, “that the lord of

this castle is not at home at present; for he is a monstrous giant,

with but one eye on his forehead, who lives on human flesh. He

brought me this child,” says she, “I do not know where he got it,

and ordered me to make it into a pie, and I cannot help crying at

the command.”

 

`I told her that if she knew of any place convenient that I

could leave the child safely I would do it, rather than it should be

killed by such a monster.

 

`She told me of a house a distance off where I would get a

woman who would take care of it. “But what will I do in regard

of the pie?”

 

` “Cut a finger off it,” said I, “and I will bring you in a young

wild pig out of the forest, which you may dress as if it was the

child, and put the finger in a certain place, that if the giant doubts

anything about it you may know where to turn it over at the first,

and when he sees it he will be fully satisfied that the pie is made of

the child.”

 

`She agreed to the scheme I proposed, and, cutting off the child’s

finger, by her direction I soon had it at the house she told me of,

and brought her the little pig in the place of it. She then made

ready the pie, and after eating and drinking heartily myself, I was

just taking my leave of the young woman when we observed the giant

coming through the castle gates.

 

` “Bless me,” said she, “what will you do now? Run away and

lie down among the dead bodies that he has in the room (showing

me the place), and strip off your clothes that he may not know you

from the rest if he has occasion to go that way.”

 

`I took her advice, and laid myself down among the rest, as if

dead, to see how he would behave. The first thing I heard was

him calling for his pie. When she set it down before him he swore

it smelled like swine’s flesh, but knowing where to find the finger,

she immediately turned it up, which fairly convinced him of the

contrary. The pie only served to sharpen his appetite, and I heard

him sharpening his knife and saying he must have a collop or two, for

he was not near satisfied. But what was my terror when I heard

the giant groping among the bodies, and, fancying myself, cut the

half of my hip off, and took it with him to be roasted. You may be

certain I was in great pain, but the fear of being killed prevented

me from making any complaint. However, when he had eaten all

he began to drink hot liquors in great abundance, so that in a short

time he could not hold up his head, but threw himself on a large creel

he had made for the purpose, and fell fast asleep. When I heard

him snoring, as I was I went up and caused the woman to bind my

wound with a handkerchief; and, taking the giant’s spit, reddened it

in the fire, and ran it through the eye, but was not able to kill him.

 

`However, I left the spit sticking in his head, and took to my

heels; but I soon found he was in pursuit of me, although blind;

and having an enchanted ring he threw it at me, and it fell on my

big toe and remained fastened to it.

 

`The giant then called to the ring, where it was, and to my great

surprise it made him answer on my foot; and he, guided by the

same, made a leap at me which I had the good luck to observe, and

fortunately escaped the danger. However, I found running was of

no use in saving me, as long as I had the ring on my foot; so I

took my sword and cut off the toe it was fastened on, and threw

both into a large fish-pond that was convenient. The giant called

again to the ring, which by the power of enchantment always made

him answer; but he, not knowing what I had done, imagined it was

still on some part of me, and made a violent leap to seize me, when

he went into the pond, over head and ears, and was drowned. Now,

sir knight,’ says the Thief of Sloan, `you see what dangers I came

through and always escaped; but, indeed, I am lame for the want

of my toe ever since.’

 

`My lord and master,’ says an old woman that was listening all

the time, `that story is but too true, as I well know, for I am the

very woman that was in the giant’s castle, and you, my lord, the

child that I was to make into a pie; and this is the very man that

saved your life, which you may know by the want of your finger

that was taken off, as you have heard, to deceive the giant.’

 

The Knight of the Glen, greatly surprised at what he had heard

the old woman tell, and knowing he wanted his finger from his

childhood, began to understand that the story was true enough.

 

`And is this my deliverer?’ says he. `O brave fellow, I not

only pardon you all, but will keep you with myself while you live,

where you shall feast like princes, and have every attendance that

I have myself.’

 

They all returned thanks on their knees, and the Black Thief

told him the reason they attempted to steal the Steed of Bells, and

the necessity they were under in going home.

 

`Well,’ says the Knight of the Glen, `if that’s the case I bestow

you my steed rather than this brave fellow should die; so you may

go when you please, only remember to call and see me betimes,

that we may know each other well.’

 

They promised they would, and with great joy they set off for

the King their father’s palace, and the Black Thief along with

them.

 

The wicked Queen was standing all this time on the tower, and,

hearing the bells ringing at a great distance off, knew very well it

was the princes coming home, and the steed with them, and through

spite and vexation precipitated herself from the tower and was

shattered to pieces.

 

The three princes lived happy and well during their father’s

reign, and always keeping the Black Thief along with them; but

how they did after the old King’s death is not known.[4]

 

[4] The Hibernian Tales.

THE MASTER THIEF

THERE was once upon a time a husbandman who had three sons.

He had no property to bequeath to them, and no means of putting

them in the way of getting a living, and did not know what to

do, so he said that they had his leave to take to anything they most

fancied, and go to any place they best liked. He would gladly

accompany them for some part of their way, he said, and that he did.

He went with them till they came to a place where three roads

met, and there each of them took his own way, and the father bade

them farewell and returned to his own home again. What became

of the two elder I have never been able to discover, but the youngest

went both far and wide.

 

It came to pass, one night, as he was going through a great

wood, that a terrible storm came on. It blew so hard and rained

so heavily that he could scarcely keep his eyes open, and before he

was aware of it he had got quite out of the track, and could neither

find road nor path. But he went on, and at last he saw a light far

away in the wood. Then he thought he must try and get to it, and

after a long, long time he did reach it. There was a large house,

and the fire was burning so brightly inside that he could tell that

the people were not in bed. So he went in, and inside there was

an old woman who was busy about some work.

 

`Good evening, mother!’ said the youth.

 

`Good evening!’ said the old woman.

 

`Hutetu! it is terrible weather outside to-night,’ said the young

fellow.

 

`Indeed it is,’ said the old woman.

 

`Can I sleep here, and have shelter for the night?’ asked the

youth.

 

`It wouldn’t be good for you to sleep here,’ said the old hag,

`for if the people of the house come home and find you, they will

kill both you and me.’

 

`What kind of people are they then, who dwell here?’ said the

youth.

 

`Oh! robbers, and rabble of that sort,’ said the old woman;

`they stole me away when I was little, and I have had to keep

house for them ever since.’

 

`I still think I will go to bed, all the same,’ said the youth.

`No matter what happens, I’ll