Ting-a-ling Part 8

But it was of no use. The trap was made by the best rules of magic, and there was no such a thing as getting out, even if one was as small as a mouse. As for the little black fellow who had been in pickle, he laughed and danced until the old woman, glaring at him between the wires, ordered him to turn into a toad. But, unfortunately for her, she had dropped her magic wand outside of the cage, as she fell in, and the little demon, seeing this, merely laughed in her face, and running to the wand, picked it up, and ordered her to turn into a jacka.s.s, which she immediately did, and began to bray horribly. The little wretch was so delighted with this feat, that he turned about a dozen somersaults, and then, for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the Giant and his friends, he changed the old sorceress successively into a lion, a pig, an old hen, a turtle, a kangaroo, a boa-constrictor, an ape, a lobster, a cat, a crocodile, and a crane. He declared his intention of going through these exercises until he had used up the whole animal kingdom, and seemed delighted to think that he could have a complete menagerie in one cage. In order that he might pursue his amus.e.m.e.nt without interruption, the Giant put him, with the cage, on the top of the tower; and when our friends left the hollow mountain through the gap the Giant had made, the poor sorceress was being changed from bird to beast, and from beast to fish or reptile, as fast as the little demon was satisfied with her performance in any one character; and he may be keeping up this amusing pastime yet, for all I know.

When our party emerged into the open plain, it was night; but as the stars were quite bright, Tur-il-i-ra, carrying his smaller friends, and with his good club over his shoulder, took his way toward his castle.

They had not travelled far before daylight appeared, and very soon afterward they saw in the distance what seemed to be a mighty army coming toward them. As it drew nearer, they perceived the glittering spears and the flags, and heard the sounds of drum and horn. This great mult.i.tude was nothing more than two or three hundred thousand of the inhabitants of the city of the mighty King, who were marching upon the stronghold of Mahbracca.

During the Prince's hurried visit to the city, he had freely told the few persons with whom he had conversed of the place of imprisonment of the Princess; and after he had left, the story spread rapidly.

At last the excitement became so great that it ended in a grand revolt.

The Prime Minister was seized and imprisoned, and the palace was searched; and when it was found that the Princess was indeed gone, the whole city put full faith in the Prince's story, and all who could bear arms, or play music, and could possibly leave home, formed themselves into a great army, and started off for the cave of Mahbracca. They travelled bravely until they neared the hollow mountain, and hoped soon to destroy the wicked Mahbracca if they found that she was still alive, as the Prince had reported.

As they approached the Giant, some of the vanguard recognized Trumkard, and others remembered having seen the Prince before; and then when the Princess raised her head, as the Giant gently held her on his arm, thousands of the nearest of the army set up a great shout,--"The Princess! the Princess!"

Then came a rush, in which the Giant might have had even his mighty legs taken from under him, had he not, with the presence of mind for which he was noted, mounted, at a bound, a tolerably high rock, and, waving his hand for silence, demanded that the people should gather round and listen to him. He then made a speech which met with the greatest attention. He told the people everything that had happened on this adventure, and, having such a loud voice, they all heard what he had to say. He related the remarkable fate of Mahbracca, and advised his hearers to forget their wrath against her, as she must, for the rest of her life, be harmless, and to conduct the Princess back to the mighty city, and there to establish her in whatever rights she possessed, that is, if it were proved she had any at all. He also spoke in the highest terms of the Prince, and recommended his old friend Trumkard to their kindest consideration. When he had finished, the whole mult.i.tude applauded rapturously for some time, and in the midst of it all, he delivered up his proteges to the guardianship of the Head-man, who immediately had the Prince and Trumkard mounted upon magnificent chargers, and the Princess was placed in a palanquin of white silk, embroidered with diamonds, which had been brought on purpose for her, in case they had had the good fortune to find her.

The Giant was then about to leave them; but as the citizens would not hear of this, and as he was a rare good fellow, and did not object to festivities, he was persuaded to go with them. As they had no horse big enough for him, he walked.

The procession was then formed for the return march. First of all rode the Head-man, with a sword in one hand and a golden horn in the other.

Then marched the professors of music. After them came all those of the army who could play on the trumpet; then the guard of honor, with the Prince and Princess; then Trumkard and the Giant, and after them the immense host that could carry their weapons in one hand, and play upon the drum with the other. When they started, the drums were all beaten, the trumpets all blown, the horses neighed, the spears glittered, the banners flapped and fluttered, and there was never so brave an army in the world.

From all the hills, and plains, and valleys, the people came flocking to see them as they pa.s.sed. The enthusiasm was so great, that when night came on again, enormous bonfires were lighted on both sides of their road, and kept up with such hearty good-will, that they travelled all night in a light as bright as day; and when the wood gave out, the peasants tore down their cottages, and threw them on the flames.

As they proceeded, the professors of music composed marches, and when one was finished, they gave the ma.n.u.script to the Head-man, who, commanding silence, blew the tune on his horn, and then the whole army struck up and played it grandly. Of these, the "Giant's Grand March" was the best. It was what might be called good, loud music. If it had thundered, it is not likely that it would have been heard in the grand final burst, when all the drums and trumpets beat and blew their very loudest.

The Giant himself played in this march; for some of those who marched near him, seeing that he had no instrument, asked him if he would not like to play upon something. To which he replied that he did not care if he did. So they got for him the largest ba.s.s-drum. He was much pleased at this, and handing his club to two hundred porters, who accompanied the expedition, he beat away upon his drum in good style. This performance did not last long, however; for the first time they played the grand final burst, he beat on both drum-heads at the same time, and of course there was no more music from him. The people around him were very glad of this; for while he played, he became so much excited that he did not see where he was walking, and was continually treading upon some one. So they journeyed with joy and gladness until they reached the city of the mighty King, and all the people who had been left behind came out to meet them. Bells were rung, and all kinds of music played, and the people shouted, so that the oldest inhabitant never knew such a noise and excitement before. They entered the city, and the procession halted at the palace. Here the Princess, after embracing the Prince, was conducted to the ladies' apartments, where her friends were so overjoyed at seeing her again, that one would have thought that they would never have got over it. The Prince, Trumkard, and the Giant were each shown to sumptuous apartments, and that night everybody in the palace had as much of everything good as they could eat.

Twelve o'clock of the next day was the time appointed for the Princess to make trial of the magical music. The great hall of the palace was fitted up most magnificently, and with the utmost rapidity, for this great occasion. The chairs of the judges were covered with new velvet, and nothing was omitted that could add to the regal splendor of the hall. At half-past ten the doors were opened, and the hall was immediately filled in every part, but the small portion reserved for the princ.i.p.al actors in the ceremony. There were nine galleries, one above the other, around this truly immense room; and when it was all packed full of people from floor to dome, it was a wonderful spectacle indeed.

At ten minutes of twelve, the procession entered the great hall. First came, along the centre pa.s.sage, which was covered with cloth of gold, a number of beautiful boys, who strewed the way with hyacinths, and jasmines, and the costly blossoms of the century plant. After them were others, with golden water-pots, who sprinkled attar of roses before the Princess, who, dressed in the purest white silk, cut bias, and trimmed with pink fur, was escorted by the Prince. After them came the Prime Minister (released for the occasion), the n.o.bles, etc., and the procession was closed by the guards of the palace, all dressed in blue and covered with diamonds. There was no music, nor scarcely any sound whatever, as they moved toward the judges, who were already sitting solemnly in their chairs. When the procession reached them, it halted, and the Princess was conducted to a chair in front of the music. Then the youngest judge arose, and uncovered the magical music.

In all that hall, filled with such a mult.i.tude, there was breathless silence. It was so still that the little mice came out of their holes, thinking there was no one there.

Then the Princess, timidly raising her eyes, ran them over the music, and began. It commenced softly and somewhat sadly, but soon, becoming louder and richer, the tones swelled high and clear, until the pure voice of the Princess thrilled through all the perfumed air. Then it became more and more glorious, until its beatific beauty caused many of the older hearers to die, and go straight to paradise. The close was inconceivably sweet; and when the last notes died away, the people bowed their heads in tearful peace, and all evil left their hearts, and to many of them it never returned.

As they raised their heads, they saw the oldest judge arise and point with his golden wand to the marble tablet. The characters of the music had disappeared, and the vellum on which they had been written was as white as snow. There was no need of any further decision. The judges descended from their chairs in profound silence, and the oldest and the youngest, each taking the Princess by the hand, led her up the steps to the throne, and seated her upon it. Then the Prime Minister took the crown from its velvet cushion, and placed it on her head, and, turning to the people, said in a voice which sounded in the stillness to all parts of the vast building, "Behold your Queen!"

Then, as one man, that great mult.i.tude gave such a sudden, wild, tremendous shout, that it took the roof right off the top of the house, and the wood that fell in every direction outside, was enough to keep the poor people in kindling-wood all winter.

The Giant, whirling his iron helmet around his head, now led off, with a thundering "Hip, hip, hurra!" in three cheers for the Queen. And three _such_ cheers!

The dense crowd outside took them up, and shook the very foundations of the city with their shouts; and the country people, and those at a great distance, heard the joyful sounds, and before many minutes the whole country, for miles around, reverberated with cheers for the new-made Queen.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

As for the palace, it shook and trembled with the thunders of applause, still led by the Giant, who couldn't be stopped. The people about him were all struck deaf in the ear nearest him, but the ear-doctors cured them all for nothing, when they got outside, so full of charity was every one. At last, when every one, the Giant and all, were hoa.r.s.e with shouting, the Prime Minister offered his hand to the Queen, and led her down from the throne. Then she motioned to the Prince to give her his arm; and at the head of the procession, he led her to the royal apartments, at the door of which he left her. The mult.i.tude then dispersed, and they spent the rest of that day in putting right the wrongs they had committed, and in making provision for future virtue.

When the Queen had taken some refreshment, she put on an every-day crown, and repaired to the audience chamber to receive the visits of the various dignitaries of the kingdom, who came before her, and brought her their keys, and papers, and account-books. Giving each one back his keys, and ordering the papers and accounts to be deposited in a great pile on one side, where she might look over them at her leisure, she reappointed every man to the office he held before, and sent them away rejoicing. Then she called for writing materials and slaves, and commenced writing notes to the Prince. She would write one on gilded vellum, and, folding it, would hand it to the slave next to her, who dipped it in frankincense, and handed it to the next one, who sprinkled it with attar of roses, and pa.s.sed it to the next, who ran with it as hard as ever he could to the Prince. For in that kingdom it was not considered proper for lovers to visit much.

This performance the Queen kept up all the afternoon, writing as fast as she could, and only stopping long enough to read the answers which the slaves brought her as they returned. At last, they came back, bringing with them her last notes unopened, saying that the Prince had gone to sleep. At which intelligence she shed some tears, but then, like a sensible Queen, had her supper, and went to bed.

The next day the marriage of the Queen and the Prince took place, and it was a glorious affair indeed. Twenty-four historians were appointed by the Crown to write the history of it; they were paid by the quarter, and it took them a long time, I can a.s.sure you.

The whole of the wedding-day, the festivities were kept up, and all the eating, and drinking, and merry-making, was at the royal expense. During the day and night everybody spent, and gave away to the poor, all the wealth they possessed, and in the morning it was all paid back to them by the royal Treasurer. In the country, the people feasted grandly on their own herds, and drank up their own wines, and they were also reimbursed by the Crown.

But the great feature of the royal marriage was the decree, proclaimed at noon of the wedding-day, that all persons married on that day should be set up in housekeeping, free of expense!

Never, in the history of that or any other kingdom, were priests kept so busy as those in this city. They worked as hard as they could, but at three o'clock they were obliged to commence marrying the folks by squads; and so, before suppertime, there was not a bachelor or maid in the whole city,--excepting an old bobstay spinner,--one of the crossest of old maids, who hated men so much that she had not spoken to one for forty years; and a crabbed bachelor, who despised women so completely that he never had his clothes washed, because it would have to be done by females.

At midnight, the priest Ali-bo-babem was called out of his bed, and found at the door, desiring to be married, the crabbed old bachelor and the cross old maid. These two did not live long, but all the rest of the people were very happy for many years.

About three o'clock of the morning after the great wedding-day, the Giant Tur-il-i-ra arrived at his castle gate. He had walked all the way home, and he felt in such a good humor that the road never seemed so short to him before. But, for some reason, he could not open the gate.

There seemed to be an unusual number of locks and bolts, and the big key he carried did not seem to fit any of the numerous key-holes. He could easily reach over and undo the bolts, but the locks were too much for him; and, I am sorry to say, he got a little angry, and was about to take his club and smash his magnificent gate, when his wife, who had been sitting up for him, and had heard the noise he had been making, came down and let him in.

They went together into the great hall, and there Tur-il-i-ra sat down before the fire. His wife, who thought a great deal of the good Giant, was sorry to see that he was silent and rather grum.

"What makes you look so, my dear?" said she. "Did you not have a good time?"

"O yes," said he, "good enough,--but that gate put me out. I wonder what's the matter with it. It's got to be fixed. I won't be bothered and worried in this way."

"It shall all be made right in the morning," said his wife. "But are you sure you did not take anything that disagreed with you while you were away?"

"Perhaps I did," said he. "It might have been the mince-pies. They told me they were temperance pies, but I don't believe it."

"How many did you eat, my dear?" asked the good Giantess.

"Well, I don't know," said her husband. "About ten or eleven hundred, I suppose."

"That was too many for you," said his wife. "And I think you had better go to bed, and I will bring you something to make you feel better."

So the Giant went to bed, and as he slowly ascended the stairs, he winked to himself with his right eye. And his wife, she went into the kitchen, and winked to herself with her left eye.

After a while she came up to the Giant, and brought a barrel of hot chamomile tea; and when he had drank it all, she tucked him in, nice and warm, and the next morning he felt as well as ever.

TING-A-LING'S VISIT TO TUR-I-LI-RA.

One pleasant sunny day, the Giant Tur-il-i-ra was lying on his back on the gra.s.s, under some great trees, in a wood near the palace of the King.

His feet were high above the rest of his body, resting in the crotch of a great oak-tree, and he lay with his vest open and his hat off, idly sucking the pith from a young sapsago-tree that he had just broken off.

Near him, on the top of a tall bulrush, sat the little fairy Ting-a-ling. They had been talking together for some time, and Tur-il-i-ra said, "Ting-a-ling, you must come and see me. You have never been to my castle except when you came for the good of somebody else.

Come now for yours and mine, and stay at least a week. We will have a gay old time. Will you come?"

"I will," cried the little fairy, in a voice as clear as the chirp of a cricket. "I'll come whenever you say so."

"Let it be to-morrow, then," said the Giant. "Shall I fetch you?"

"O no," said Ting-a-ling; "I will come on my blue b.u.t.terfly. You have no idea how fast he flies. I do believe he could go to your castle nearly as fast as you could yourself."

"All right," said Tur-il-i-ra, rising. "Come as you please, but be sure you come to stay."