Snowdrop and Other Tales Part 30

Then he led him through numberless dark pa.s.sages to a smithy, took an axe, and with one blow struck one of the anvils into the earth.

'I can better that,' said the Youth, and went to the other anvil. The Old Man placed himself near to see, and his white beard hung over.

Then the Youth took the axe and split the anvil with one blow, catching in the Old Man's beard at the same time.

'Now, I have you fast,' said the Youth, 'and you will be the one to die.'

Then he seized an iron rod, and belaboured the Old Man with it, till he shrieked for mercy, and promised him great riches if he would stop.

Then the Youth pulled out the axe and released him, and the Old Man led him back into the castle, and showed him three chests of gold in a cellar.

'One is for the poor,' he said, 'one for the King, and one for you.'

The clock struck twelve, and the ghost disappeared, leaving the Youth in the dark.

'I must manage to get out somehow,' he said, and groped about till he found his way back to his room, where he lay down by the fire and went to sleep.

Next morning the King came and said: 'Now you must have learnt how to shudder.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: {Then the Youth took the axe and split the anvil with one blow, catching in the Old Man's beard at the same time.}]

'No,' said he. 'What can it be? My dead cousin was there, and an Old Man with a beard came and showed me a lot of gold. But what shuddering is, that no man can tell me.'

Then said the King: 'You have broken the spell on the castle, and you shall marry my daughter.'

'That is all very well,' he said; 'but still I don't know what shuddering is.'

The gold was got out of the castle, and the marriage was celebrated, but, happy as the young King was, and much as he loved his wife, he was always saying: 'Oh, if only I could learn to shudder, if only I could learn to shudder.'

At last his wife was vexed by it, and her waiting-woman said: 'I can help you; he shall be taught the meaning of shuddering.'

And she went out to the brook which ran through the garden and got a pail full of cold water and little fishes.

At night, when the young King was asleep, his wife took the coverings off and poured the cold water over him, and all the little fishes flopped about him.

Then he woke up, and cried: 'Oh, how I am shuddering, dear wife, how I am shuddering! Now I know what shuddering is!'

King Thrushbeard

There was once a King who had a Daughter. She was more beautiful than words can tell, but at the same time so proud and haughty that no man who came to woo her was good enough for her. She turned away one after another, and even mocked them.

One day her father ordered a great feast to be given, and invited to it all the marriageable young men from far and near.

They were all placed in a row, according to their rank and position.

First came Kings, then Princes, then Dukes, Earls, and Barons.

The Princess was led through the ranks, but she had some fault to find with all of them.

One was too stout. 'That barrel!' she said. The next was too tall.

'Long and lean is no good!' The third was too short. 'Short and stout, can't turn about!' The fourth was too white. 'Pale as death!' The fifth was too red. 'Turkey-c.o.c.k!' The sixth was not straight.

'Oven-dried!'

So there was something against each of them. But she made specially merry over one good King, who stood quite at the head of the row, and whose chin was a little hooked.

'Why!' she cried, 'he has a chin like the beak of a thrush.'

After that, he was always called 'King Thrushbeard.'

When the old King saw that his Daughter only made fun of them, and despised all the suitors who were a.s.sembled, he was very angry, and swore that the first beggar who came to the door should be her husband.

A few days after, a wandering Musician began to sing at the window, hoping to receive charity.

When the King heard him, he said: 'Let him be brought in.'

The Musician came in, dressed in dirty rags, and sang to the King and his Daughter, and when he had finished, he begged alms of them.

The King said: 'Your song has pleased me so much, that I will give you my Daughter to be your wife.'

The Princess was horror-stricken. But the King said: 'I have sworn an oath to give you to the first beggar who came; and I will keep my word.'

No entreaties were of any avail. A Parson was brought, and she had to marry the Musician there and then.

When the marriage was completed, the King said: 'Now you are a beggar-woman, you can't stay in my castle any longer. You must go away with your Husband.'

The Beggar took her by the hand and led her away, and she was obliged to go with him on foot.

When they came to a big wood, she asked:

'Ah! who is the Lord of this forest so fine?'

'It belongs to King Thrushbeard. It might have been thine, If his Queen you had been.'

'Ah! sad must I sing!

I would I'd accepted the hand of the King.'

After that they reached a great meadow, and she asked again:

'Ah! who is the Lord of these meadows so fine?'

'They belong to King Thrushbeard, and would have been thine, If his Queen you had been.'

'Ah! sad must I sing!

I would I'd accepted the love of the King.'

Then they pa.s.sed through a large town, and again she asked:

'Ah! who is the Lord of this city so fine?'

'It belongs to King Thrushbeard, and it might have been thine, If his Queen you had been.'

'Ah! sad must I sing!