The Red Fairy Book - Andrew Lang (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗

and when she drank it made a great

gulp in her throat.

 

`What is that you have in your flask, old woman?’ asked one

of the stable boys.

 

`Oh, it’s only a little drop of brandy, your honour,’ she said.

 

`Brandy! What! Let me have a drop! Let me have a drop!’

screamed all the twelve at once.

 

`Oh, but what I have is so little,’ whimpered the old woman.

`It will not even wet your mouths.’

 

But they were determined to have it, and there was nothing to

be done but give it; so she took out the flask with the sleeping drink

and put it to the lips of the first of them; and now she shook no

more, but guided the flask so that each of them got just as much as

he ought, and the twelfth had not done drinking before the first

was already sitting snoring. Then the Master Thief flung off his

beggar’s rags, and took one stable boy after the other and gently

set him astride on the partitions which divided the stalls, and then

he called his eleven men who were waiting outside, and they rode

off with the Governor’s horses.

 

In the morning when the Governor came to look after his stable

boys they were just beginning to come to again. They were driving

their spurs into the partition till the splinters flew about, and

some of the boys fell off, and some still hung on and sat looking like

fools. `Ah, well,’ said the Governor, `it is easy to see who has been

here; but what a worthless set of fellows you must be to sit here and

let the Master Thief steal the horses from under you!’ And they

all got a beating for not having kept watch better.

 

Later in the day the Master Thief came and related what he had

done, and wanted to have the Governor’s daughter as had been

promised. But the Governor gave him a hundred dollars, and said that

he must do something that was better still.

 

`Do you think you can steal my horse from under me when I am

out riding on it?’ said he.

 

`Well, it might be done,’ said the Master Thief, `if I were

absolutely certain that I should get your daughter.’

 

So the Governor said that he would see what he could do, and

then he said that on a certain day he would ride out to a great

common where they drilled the soldiers.

 

So the Master Thief immediately got hold of an old worn-out

mare, and set himself to work to make a collar for it of green withies

and branches of broom; bought a shabby old cart and a great cask,

and then he told a poor old beggar woman that he would give her

ten dollars if she would get into the cask and keep her mouth wide-open beneath the tap-hole, into which he was going to stick his

finger. No harm should happen to her, he said; she should only be

driven about a little, and if he took his finger out more than once,

she should have ten dollars more. Then he dressed himself in rags,

dyed himself with soot, and put on a wig and a great beard of goat’s

hair, so that it was impossible to recognise him, and went to the

parade ground, where the Governor had already been riding about

a long time.

 

When the Master Thief got there the mare went along so slowly

and quietly that the cart hardly seemed to move from the spot.

The mare pulled it a little forward, and then a little back, and then

it stopped quite short. Then the mare pulled a little forward again,

and it moved with such difficulty that the Governor had not the least

idea that this was the Master Thief. He rode straight up to him,

and asked if he had seen anyone hiding anywhere about in a wood

that was close by.

 

`No,’ said the man, `that have I not.’

 

`Hark you,’ said the Governor. `If you will ride into that wood,

and search it carefully to see if you can light upon a fellow who is

hiding in there, you shall have the loan of my horse and a good

present of money for your trouble.’

 

`I am not sure that I can do it,’ said the man, `for I have to go

to a wedding with this cask of mead which I have been to fetch,

and the tap has fallen out on the way, so now I have to keep my

finger in the tap-hole as I drive.’

 

`Oh, just ride off,’ said the Governor, `and I will look after the

cask and the horse too.’

 

So the man said that if he would do that he would go, but he

begged the Governor to be very careful to put his finger into the

tap-hole the moment he took his out.

 

So the Governor said that he would do his very best, and the

Master Thief got on the Governor’s horse.

 

But time passed, and it grew later and later, and still the man

did not come back, and at last the Governor grew so weary of keeping

his finger in the tap-hole that he took it out.

 

`Now I shall have ten dollars more!’ cried the old woman

inside the cask; so he soon saw what kind of mead it was, and set

out homewards. When he had gone a very little way he met his

servant bringing him the horse, for the Master Thief had already

taken it home.

 

The following day he went to the Governor and wanted to have

his daughter according to promise. But the Governor again put

him off with fine words, and only gave him three hundred dollars,

saying that he must do one more masterpiece of skill, and if he

were but able to do that he should have her.

 

Well, the Master Thief thought he might if he could hear what

it was.

 

`Do you think you can steal the sheet off our bed, and my wife’s

night-gown?’ said the Governor.

 

`That is by no means impossible,’ said the Master Thief. `I

only wish I could get your daughter as easily.’

 

So late at night the Master Thief went and cut down a thief

who was hanging on the gallows, laid him on his own shoulders,

and took him away with him. Then he got hold of a long ladder,

set it up against the Governor’s bedroom window, and climbed

up and moved the dead man’s head up and down, just as if he were

some one who was standing outside and peeping in.

 

`There’s the Master Thief, mother!’ said the Governor, nudging

his wife. `Now I’ll just shoot him, that I will!’

 

So he took up a rifle which he had laid at his bedside.

 

`Oh no, you must not do that,’ said his wife; `you yourself

arranged that he was to come here.’

 

`Yes, mother, I will shoot him,’ said he, and lay there aiming,

and then aiming again, for no sooner was the head up and he caught

sight of it than it was gone again. At last he got a chance and

fired, and the dead body fell with a loud thud to the ground, and

down went the Master Thief too, as fast as he could.

 

`Well,’ said the Governor, `I certainly am the chief man about

here, but people soon begin to talk, and it would be very unpleasant

if they were to see this dead body; the best thing that I can do is

to go out and bury him.’

 

`Just do what you think best, father,’ said his wife.

 

So the Governor got up and went downstairs, and as soon as he

had gone out through the door, the Master Thief stole in and went

straight upstairs to the woman.

 

`Well, father dear,’ said she, for she thought it was her husband.

`Have you got done already?’

 

`Oh yes, I only put him into a hole,’ said he, `and raked a little

earth over him; that’s all I have been able to do to-night, for it is

fearful weather outside. I will bury him better afterwards, but

just let me have the sheet to wipe myself with, for he was bleeding,

and I have got covered with blood with carrying him.’

 

So she gave him the sheet.

 

`You will have to let me have your night-gown too,’ he said,

`for I begin to see that the sheet won’t be enough.’

 

Then she gave him her night-gown, but just then it came into

his head that he had forgotten to lock the door, and he was forced

to go downstairs and do it before he could lie down in bed again.

So off he went with the sheet, and the night-gown too.

 

An hour later the real Governor returned.

 

`Well, what a time it has taken to lock the house door, father!’

said his wife, `and what have you done with the sheet and the

night-gown?’

 

`What do you mean?’ asked the Governor.

 

`Oh, I am asking you what you have done with the night-gown

and sheet that you got to wipe the blood off yourself with,’ said she.

 

`Good heavens!’ said the Governor, `has he actually got the

better of me again?’

 

When day came the Master Thief came too, and wanted to

have the Governor’s daughter as had been promised, and the

Governor dared do no otherwise than give her to him, and much

money besides, for he feared that if he did not the Master Thief

might steal the very eyes out of his head, and that he himself would

be ill spoken of by all men. The Master Thief lived well and happily

from that time forth, and whether he ever stole any more or not I

cannot tell you, but if he did it was but for pastime.

 

[5] From P. C. Asbjornsen.

BROTHER AND SISTER

BROTHER took sister by the hand and said: `Look here; we

haven’t had one single happy hour since our mother died.

That stepmother of ours beats us regularly every day, and if we

dare go near her she kicks us away. We never get anything but

hard dry crusts to eat—why, the dog under the table is better off

than we are. She does throw him a good morsel or two now and

then. Oh dear! if our own dear mother only knew all about it!

Come along, and let us go forth into the wide world together.’

 

So off they started through fields and meadows, over hedges and

ditches, and walked the whole day long, and when it rained sister

said:

 

`Heaven and our hearts are weeping together.’

 

Towards evening they came to a large forest, and were so tired

out with hunger and their long walk, as well as all their trouble,

that they crept into a hollow tree and soon fell fast asleep.

 

Next morning, when they woke up, the sun was already high in

the heavens and was shining down bright and warm into the tree.

Then said brother:

 

`I’m so thirsty, sister; if I did but know where to find a little

stream, I’d go and have a drink. I do believe I hear one.’ He

jumped up, took sister by the hand, and they set off to hunt for the

brook.

 

Now their cruel stepmother was in reality a witch, and she

knew perfectly well that the two children had run away. She had

crept secretly after them, and had cast her spells over all the