The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume Ii Part 28

The sun was setting, gilding the gables of the houses; the birds were singing under the lime trees; the goodwives gossiped on the thresholds of their doors; the children rolled and tumbled about in the dust, and Ulenspiegel and Lamme wandered haphazard through the streets.

Suddenly Lamme said:

"Martin van den Ende, asked by me if he had seen a woman like my wife--I drew him my pretty portrait,--told me that there were at the house of the woman Stevenyne, on the Bruges road, at the Rainbow, outside the town, a great number of women who gather there every evening. I am going there straightway."

"I shall find you again presently," said Ulenspiegel. "I wish to pay the town a visit; if I meet your wife I will presently send her to you. You know that the baes has enjoined on you to be silent, if you have any regard for your skin."

As Ulenspiegel wandered at his will, the sun went down, and the day falling swiftly, he arrived in the Pierpot-Straetje, which is the lane of the Stone Pot. There he heard the viol played upon melodiously; drawing near he saw from afar a white shape calling him, gliding away from him and playing on the viol. And it sang like a seraph a sweet slow song, stopping, turning back, still calling him and fleeing from him.

But Ulenspiegel ran swiftly; he overtook her and was about to speak to her when she laid on his mouth a hand perfumed with benjamin.

"Art thou a rustic or a n.o.bleman?" said she.

"I am Ulenspiegel."

"Art thou rich?"

"Enough to pay for a great pleasure, not enough to ransom my soul."

"Hast thou no horses, that thou goest afoot?"

"I had an a.s.s," said Ulenspiegel, "but I left him in the stable."

"How is it thou art alone, without a friend, in a strange city?"

"Because my friend is wandering on his own side, as I am on mine, my curious darling."

"I am not curious," said she. "Is he rich, your friend?"

"In fat," said Ulenspiegel. "Will you soon have finished questioning me?"

"I have done," said she, "now leave me."

"Leave you?" he said; "as well bid Lamme, when he is hungry, leave a dish of ortolans. I want to eat you."

"You have not seen me," she said. And she opened a lantern which shone out suddenly, lighting up her face.

"You are beautiful," said Ulenspiegel. "Ho! the golden skin, the sweet eyes, the red mouth, the darling body! All will be for me."

"All," she said.

She brought him to the woman Stevenyne's, on the Bruges road, at the Rainbow (in den Reghen-boogh). Ulenspiegel saw there a great number of girls wearing on their arms armlets of a colour different from that of their fustian dress.

This one had an armlet of silver cloth on a robe of cloth of gold. And all the girls looked at her jealously. Coming in she made a sign to the baesine, but Ulenspiegel never saw it. They sat down together and drank.

"Do you know," said she, "that whoever has loved me is mine forever?"

"Lovely fragrant girl," said Ulenspiegel, "'twould be a delicious feast to me to eat always of this meat."

Suddenly he perceived Lamme in a corner, with a little table before him, a candle, a ham, a pot of beer, and not knowing how to rescue his ham from the two girls, who wanted perforce to eat and drink with him.

When Lamme perceived Ulenspiegel, he stood up and leaped three feet into the air, crying:

"Blessed be G.o.d, that restoreth my friend Ulenspiegel to me! Something to drink, baesine!"

Ulenspiegel, pulling out his purse, said:

"Bring to drink till this is at an end."

And he made the carolus clink.

"Glory to G.o.d!" said Lamme, craftily taking the purse in his hands; "it is I that pay and not you; this purse is mine."

Ulenspiegel wished to get back his purse from him by force, but Lamme held on tenaciously. As they were fighting, the one to keep it, the other to get it back, Lamme speaking disjointedly, said in low tones to Ulenspiegel:

"Listen: ... catchpolls within ... four ... little room with three girls ... two outside for you, for me ... would have gone out ... prevented.... The brocade girl a spy ... a spy, Stevenyne!"

While they were struggling, Ulenspiegel, listening with all his ears, cried out:

"Give back my purse, rascal!"

"You shall never get it," said Lamme.

And they seized each other by the neck and the shoulders, rolling on the ground while Lamme gave his good advice to Ulenspiegel.

Suddenly the baes of the Bee came in followed by seven men, whom he seemed not to know. He crowed like a c.o.c.k and Ulenspiegel whistled like a lark. Seeing Ulenspiegel and Lamme fighting, the baes spoke:

"Who are these two fellows?" he asked the Stevenyne.

The Stevenyne answered:

"Rogues that it would be better to separate rather than leave them here to make such an uproar before going to the gallows."

"Let him dare to separate us," said Ulenspiegel, "and we will make him eat the tiled floor."

"The baes to the rescue," said Ulenspiegel in Lamme's ear.

Hereupon the baes, scenting some mystery, rushed into their battle, head down. Lamme threw these words into his ear.

"You the rescuer? How?"

The baes pretended to shake Ulenspiegel by the ears and said to him in a whisper:

"Seven for thee ... strong fellows, butchers ... I'm going away ... too well known in town.... When I am gone, 'tis van te beven de klinkaert ... smash everything ..."

"Aye," said Ulenspiegel, getting up and fetching him a kick.

The baes struck him in his turn. And Ulenspiegel said to him: