Chương Chương 24 · The Simpleton

did not stir a step; he knew that he had

really nothing to fear from his father.

‘Ah, now I see who is my true son,’ exclaimed the old man; ‘the others

are mere cowards. And as you have shown me that you are brave, I will

satisfy your curiosity. My right eye laughs because I am glad to have

a son like you; my left eye weeps because a precious treasure has been

stolen from me. I had in my garden a vine that yielded a tun of wine

every hour--someone has managed to steal it, so I weep its loss.’

The simpleton returned to his brothers and told them of their father’s

loss, and they all made up their minds to set out at once in search of

the vine. They travelled together till they came to some cross roads,

and there they parted, the two elder ones taking one road, and the

simpleton the other.

‘Thank goodness we have got rid of that idiot,’ exclaimed the two elder.

‘Now let us have some breakfast.’ And they sat down by the roadside and

began to eat.

They had only half finished, when a lame fox came out of a wood and

begged them to give him something to eat. But they jumped up and chased

him off with their sticks, and the poor fox limped away on his three

pads. As he ran he reached the spot where the youngest son was getting

out the food he had brought with him, and the fox asked him for a crust

of bread. The simpleton had not very much for himself, but he gladly

gave half of his meal to the hungry fox.

‘Where are you going, brother?’ said the fox, when he had finished his

share of the bread; and the young man told him the story of his father

and the wonderful vine.

‘Dear me, how lucky!’ said the fox. ‘I know what has become of it.

Follow me!’ So they went on till they came to the gate of a large

garden.

‘You will find here the vine that you are seeking, but it will not be at

all easy to get it. You must listen carefully to what I am going to say.

Before you reach the vine you will have to pass twelve outposts, each

consisting of two guards. If you see these guards looking straight at

you, go on without fear, for they are asleep. But if their eyes are shut

then beware, for they are wide awake. If you once get to the vine, you

will find two shovels, one of wood and the other of iron. Be sure not to

take the iron one; it will make a noise and rouse the guards, and then

you are lost.’

The young man got safely through the garden without any adventures till

he came to the vine which yielded a tun of wine an hour. But he thought

he should find it impossible to dig the hard earth with only a wooden

shovel, so picked up the iron one instead. The noise it made soon

awakened the guards. They seized the poor simpleton and carried him to

their master.

‘Why do you try to steal my vine?’ demanded he; ‘and how did you manage

to get past the guards?’

‘The vine is not yours; it belongs to my father, and if you will not

give it to me now, I will return and get it somehow.’

‘You shall have the vine if you will bring me in exchange an apple off

the golden apple-tree that flowers every twenty-four hours, and bears

fruit of gold.’ So saying, he gave orders that the simpleton should be

released, and this done, the youth hurried off to consult the fox.

‘Now you see,’ observed the fox, ‘this comes of not following my advice.

However, I will help you to get the golden apple. It grows in a garden

that you will easily recognise from my description. Near the apple-tree

are two poles, one of gold, the other of wood. Take the wooden pole, and

you will be able to reach the apple.’

Master Simpleton listened carefully to all that was told him, and

after crossing the garden, and escaping as before from the men who were

watching it, soon arrived at the apple-tree. But he was so dazzled by

the sight of the beautiful golden fruit, that he quite forgot all that

the fox had said. He seized the golden pole, and struck the branch a

sounding blow. The guards at once awoke, and conducted him to their

master. Then the simpleton had to tell his story.

‘I will give you the golden apple,’ said the owner of the garden, ‘if

you will bring me in exchange a horse which can go round the world in

four-and-twenty hours.’ And the young man departed, and went to find the

fox.

This time the fox was really angry, and no wonder.

‘If you had listened to me, you would have been home with your father

by this time. However I am willing to help you once more. Go into the

forest, and you will find the horse with two halters round his neck. One

is of gold, the other of hemp. Lead him by the hempen halter, or else

the horse will begin to neigh, and will waken the guards. Then all is

over with you.’

So Master Simpleton searched till he found the horse, and was struck

dumb at its beauty.

‘What!’ he said to himself, ‘put the hempen halter on an animal like

that? Not I, indeed!’

Then the horse neighed loudly; the guards seized our young friend and

conducted him before their master.

‘I will give you the golden horse,’ said he, ‘if you will bring me in

exchange a golden maiden who has never yet seen either sun or moon.’

‘But if I am to bring you the golden maiden you must lend me first the

golden steed with which to seek for her.’

‘Ah,’ replied the owner of the golden horse, ‘but who will undertake

that you will ever come back?’

‘I swear on the head of my father,’ answered the young man, ‘that I will

bring back either the maiden or the horse.’ And he went away to consult

the fox.

Now, the fox who was always patient and charitable to other people’s

faults, led him to the entrance of a deep grotto, where stood a maiden

all of gold, and beautiful as the day. He placed her on his horse and

prepared to mount.

‘Are you not sorry,’ said the fox, ‘to give such a lovely maiden in

exchange for a horse? Yet you are bound to do it, for you have sworn by

the head of your father. But perhaps I could manage to take her place.’

So saying, the fox transformed himself into another golden maiden, so

like the first that hardly anyone could tell the difference between

them.

The simpleton took her straight to the owner of the horse, who was

enchanted with her.

And the young man got back his father’s vine and married the real golden

maiden into the bargain.

[Contes Populaires Slaves. Traduits par Louis Léger. Paris: Ernest

Leroux, éditeur.]

The Unlooked-for Prince

(Polish Story)

A long time ago there lived a king and queen who had no children,

although they both wished very much for a little son. They tried not to

let each other see how unhappy they were, and pretended to take pleasure

in hunting and hawking and all sorts of other sports; but at length the

king could bear it no longer, and declared that he must go and visit the

furthest corners of his kingdom, and that it would be many months before

he should return to his capital.

By that time he hoped he would have so many things to think about that

he would have forgotten to trouble about the little son who never came.

The country the king reigned over was very large, and full of high,

stony mountains and sandy deserts, so that it was not at all easy to

go from one place to another. One day the king had wandered out alone,

meaning to go only a little distance, but everything looked so alike he

could not make out the path by which he had come. He walked on and on

for hours, the sun beating hotly on his head, and his legs trembling

under him, and he might have died of thirst if he had not suddenly

stumbled on a little well, which looked as if it had been newly dug. On

the surface floated a silver cup with a golden handle, but as it bobbed

about whenever the king tried to seize it, he was too thirsty to wait

any longer and knelt down and drank his fill.

When he had finished he began to rise from his knees, but somehow his

beard seemed to have stuck fast in the water, and with all his efforts

he could not pull it out. After two or three jerks to his head, which

only hurt him without doing any good, he called out angrily, ‘Let go at

once! Who is holding me?’

‘It is I, the King Kostiei,’ said a voice from the well, and looking up

through the water was a little man with green eyes and a big head. ‘You

have drunk from my spring, and I shall not let you go until you promise

to give me the most precious thing your palace contains, which was not

there when you left it.’

Now the only thing that the king much cared for in his palace was the

queen herself, and as she was weeping bitterly on a pile of cushions

in the great hall when he had ridden away, he knew that Kostiei’s words

could not apply to her. So he cheerfully gave the promise asked for by

the ugly little man, and in the twinkling of an eye, man, spring, and

cup had disappeared, and the king was left kneeling on the dry sand,

wondering if it was all a dream. But as he felt much stronger and

better he made up his mind that this strange adventure must really have

happened, and he sprang on his horse and rode off with a light heart to

look for his companions.

In a few weeks they began to set out on their return home, which they

reached one hot day, eight months after they had all left. The king was

greatly beloved by his people, and crowds lined the roads, shouting and

waving their hats as the procession passed along. On the steps of the

palace stood the queen, with a splendid golden cushion in her arms, and

on the cushion the most beautiful boy that ever was seen, wrapped about

in a cloud of lace. In a moment Kostiei’s words rushed into the king’s

mind, and he began to weep bitterly, to the surprise of everybody, who

had expected him nearly to die of joy at the sight of his son. But

try as he would and work as hard as he might he could never forget his

promise, and every time he let the baby out of his sight he thought that

he had seen it for the last time.

However, years passed on and the prince grew first into a big boy, and

then into a fine young man. Kostiei made no sign, and gradually even the

anxious king thought less and less about him, and in the end forgot him

altogether.

There was no family in the whole kingdom happier than the king and queen

and prince, until one day when the youth met a little old man as he

was hunting in a lonely part of the woods. ‘How are you my unlooked-for

Prince?’ he said. ‘You kept them waiting a good long time!’

‘And who are you?’ asked the prince.

‘You will know soon enough. When you go home give my compliments to your

father and tell him that I wish he would square accounts with me. If he

neglects to pay his debts he will bitterly repent it.’

So saying the old man disappeared, and the prince returned to the palace

and told his father what had happened.

The king turned pale and explained to his son the terrible story.

‘Do not grieve over it, father,’ answered the prince. ‘It is nothing so

dreadful after all! I will find some way to force Kostiei to give up

his rights over me. But if I do not come back in a year’s time, you must

give up all hopes of ever seeing me.’

Then the prince began to prepare for his journey. His father gave him

a complete suit of steel armour, a sword, and a horse, while his mother

hung round his neck a cross of gold. So, kissing him tenderly, with many

tears they let him go.

He rode steadily on for three days, and at sunset on the fourth day he

found himself on the seashore. On the sand before him lay twelve white

dresses, dazzling as the snow, yet as far as his eyes could reach there

was no one in sight to whom they could belong. Curious to see what would

happen, he took up one of the garments, and leaving his horse loose, to

wander about the adjoining fields, he hid himself among some willows and

waited. In a few minutes a flock of geese which had been paddling about

in the sea approached the shore, and put on the dresses, struck the sand

with their feet and were transformed in the twinkling of an eye into

eleven beautiful young girls, who flew away as fast as they could. The

twelfth and youngest remained in the water, stretching out her long

white neck and looking about her anxiously. Suddenly, among the willows,

she perceived the king’s son, and called out to him with a human voice:

‘Oh Prince, give me back my dress, and I shall be for ever grateful to

you.’

The prince hastened to lay the dress on the sand, and walked away. When

the maiden had thrown off the goose-skin and quickly put on her proper

clothes, she came towards him and he saw that none had ever seen or told

of such beauty as hers. She blushed and held out her hand, saying to him

in a soft voice:

‘I thank you, noble Prince, for having granted my request. I am the

youngest daughter of Kostiei the immortal, who has twelve daughters and

rules over the kingdoms under the earth. Long time my father has waited

for you, and great is his anger. But trouble not yourself and fear

nothing, only do as I bid you. When you see the King Kostiei, fall

straightway upon your knees and heed neither his threats nor his cry,

but draw near to him boldly. That which will happen after, you will know

in time. Now let us go.’

At these words she struck the ground with her foot and a gulf opened,

down which they went right into the heart of the earth. In a short time

they reached Kostiei’s palace, which gives light, with a light brighter

than the sun, to the dark kingdoms below. And the prince, as he had been

bidden, entered boldly into the hall.

Kostiei, with a shining crown upon his head, sat in the centre upon a

golden throne. His green eyes glittered like glass, his hands were

as the claws of a crab. When he caught sight of the prince he uttered

piercing yells, which shook the walls of the palace. The prince took no

notice, but continued his advance on his knees towards the throne. When

he had almost reached it, the king broke out into a laugh and said:

‘It has been very lucky for you that you have been able to make me

laugh. Stay with us in our underground empire, only first you will have

to do three things. To-night it is late. Go to sleep; to-morrow I will

tell you.’

Early the following morning the prince received a message that Kostiei

was ready to see him. He got up and dressed, and hastened to the

presence chamber, where the little king was seated on his throne. When

the prince appeared, bowing low before him, Kostiei began:

‘Now, Prince, this is what you have to do. By to-night you must build

me a marble palace, with windows of crystal and a roof of gold. It is to

stand in the middle of a great park, full of streams and lakes. If

you are able to build it you shall be my friend. If not, off with your

head.’

The prince listened in silence to this startling speech, and then

returning to his room set himself to think about the certain death that

awaited him. He was quite absorbed in these thoughts, when suddenly a

bee flew against the window and tapped, saying, ‘Let me come in.’ He

rose and opened the window, and there stood before him the youngest

princess.

‘What are you dreaming about, Prince?’

‘I was dreaming of your father, who has planned my death.’

‘Fear nothing. You may sleep in peace, and to-morrow morning when you

awake you will find the palace all ready.’

What she said, she did. The next morning when the prince left his

room he saw before him a palace more beautiful than his fancy had

ever pictured. Kostiei for his part could hardly believe his eyes, and

pondered deeply how it had got there.

‘Well, this time you have certainly won; but you are not going to be let

off so easily. To-morrow all my twelve daughters shall stand in a row

before you, and if you cannot tell me which of them is the youngest, off

goes your head.’

‘What! Not recognise the youngest princess!’ said the Prince to himself,

as he entered his room, ‘a likely story!’

‘It is such a difficult matter that you will never be able to do it

without my help,’ replied the bee, who was buzzing about the ceiling.

‘We are all so exactly alike, that even our father scarcely knows the

difference between us.’

‘Then what must I do?’

‘This. The youngest is she who will have a ladybird on her eyelid. Be

very careful. Now good-bye.’

Next morning King Kostiei again sent for the prince. The young

princesses were all drawn up in a row, dressed precisely in the same

manner, and with their eyes all cast down. As the prince looked at them,

he was amazed at their likeness. Twice he walked along the line, without

being able to detect the sign agreed upon. The third time his heart beat

fast at the sight of a tiny speck upon the eyelid of one of the girls.

‘This one is the youngest,’ he said.

‘How in the world did you guess?’ cried Kostiei in a fury. ‘There is

some jugglery about it! But you are not going to escape me so easily.

In three hours you shall come here and give me another proof of your

cleverness. I shall set alight a handful of straw, and before it is

burnt up you will have turned it into a pair of boots. If not, off goes

your head.’

So the prince returned sadly into his room, but the bee was there before

him.

‘Why do you look so melancholy, my handsome Prince?’

‘How can I help looking melancholy when your father has ordered me to

make him a pair of boots? Does he take me for a shoemaker?’

‘What do you think of doing?’

‘Not of making boots, at any rate! I am not afraid of death. One can

only die once after all.’

‘No, Prince, you shall not die. I will try to save you. And we will fly

together or die together.’

As she spoke she spat upon the ground, and then drawing the prince after

her out of the room, she locked the door behind her and threw away the

key. Holding each other tight by the hand, they made their way up into

the sunlight, and found themselves by the side of the same sea, while

the prince’s horse was still quietly feeding in the neighbouring meadow.

The moment he saw his master, the horse whinnied and galloped towards

him. Without losing an instant the prince sprang into the saddle, swung

the princess behind him, and away they went like an arrow from a bow.

When the hour arrived which Kostiei had fixed for the prince’s last

trial, and there were no signs of him, the king sent to his room to ask

why he delayed so long. The servants, finding the door locked, knocked

loudly and received for answer, ‘In one moment.’ It was the spittle,

which was imitating the voice of the prince.

The answer was taken back to Kostiei. He waited; still no prince. He

sent the servants back again, and the same voice replied, ‘Immediately.’

‘He is making fun of me!’ shrieked Kostiei in a rage. ‘Break in the

door, and bring him to me!’

The servants hurried to do his bidding. The door was broken open. Nobody

inside; but just the spittle in fits of laughter! Kostiei was beside

himself with rage, and commanded his guards to ride after the fugitives.

If the guards returned without the fugitives, their heads should pay for

it.

By this time the prince and princess had got a good start, and were

feeling quite happy, when suddenly they heard the sound of a gallop far

behind them. The prince sprang from the saddle, and laid his ear to the

ground.

‘They are pursuing us,’ he said.

‘Then there is no time to be lost,’ answered the princess; and as she

spoke she changed herself into a river, the prince into a bridge, the

horse into a crow, and divided the wide road beyond the bridge into

three little ones. When the soldiers came up to the bridge, they

paused uncertainly. How were they to know which of the three roads

the fugitives had taken? They gave it up in despair and returned in

trembling to Kostiei.

‘Idiots!’ he exclaimed, in a passion. ‘They were the bridge and the

river, of course! Do you mean to say you never thought of that? Go back

at once!’ and off they galloped like lightning.

But time had been lost, and the prince and princess were far on their

way.

‘I hear a horse,’ cried the princess.

The prince jumped down and laid his ear to the ground.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘they are not far off now.’

In an instant prince, princess, and horse had all disappeared, and

instead was a dense forest, crossed and recrossed by countless paths.

Kostiei’s soldiers dashed hastily into the forest, believing they saw

before them the flying horse with its double burden. They seemed close

upon them, when suddenly horse, wood, everything disappeared, and they

found themselves at the place where they started. There was nothing for

it but to return to Kostiei, and tell him of this fresh disaster.

‘A horse! a horse!’ cried the king. ‘I will go after them myself. This

time they shall not escape.’ And he galloped off, foaming with anger.

‘I think I hear someone pursuing us,’ said the princess

‘Yes, so do I.’

‘And this time it is Kostiei himself. But his power only reaches as

far as the first church, and he can go no farther. Give me your golden

cross.’ So the prince unfastened the cross which was his mother’s gift,

and the princess hastily changed herself into a church, the prince into

a priest, and the horse into a belfry.

It was hardly done when Kostiei came up.

‘Greeting, monk. Have you seen some travellers on horseback pass this

way?’

‘Yes, the prince and Kostiei’s daughter have just gone by. They have

entered the church, and told me to give you their greetings if I met

you.’

Then Kostiei knew that he had been hopelessly beaten, and the prince and

princess continued their journey without any more adventures.

[Contes Populaires Slaves. Traduits par Louis Léger. Paris: Leroux,

éditeur.]

CHAPTER 24. The Simpleton

There lived, once upon a time, a man who was as rich as he could be; but

as no happiness in this world is ever quite complete, he had an only son

who was such a simpleton that he could barely add two and two together.

At last his father determined to put up with his stupidity no longer,

and giving him a purse full of gold, he sent him off to seek his fortune

in foreign lands, mindful of the adage:

How much a fool that’s sent to roam

Excels a fool that stays at home.

Moscione, for this was the youth’s name, mounted a horse, and set out

for Venice, hoping to find a ship there that would take him to Cairo.

After he had ridden for some time he saw a man standing at the foot of a

poplar tree, and said to him: ‘What’s your name, my friend; where do you

come from, and what can you do?’

The man replied, ‘My name is Quick-as-Thought, I come from Fleet-town,

and I can run like lightning.’

‘I should like to see you,’ returned Moscione.

‘Just wait a minute, then,’ said Quick-as-Thought, ‘and I will soon show

you that I am speaking the truth.’

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a young doe ran right across

the field they were standing in.

Quick-as-Thought let her run on a short distance, in order to give her a

start, and then pursued her so quickly and so lightly that you could not

have tracked his footsteps if the field had been strewn with flour. In a

very few springs he had overtaken the doe, and had so impressed Moscione

with his fleetness of foot that he begged Quick-as-Thought to go with

him, promising at the same time to reward him handsomely.

Quick-as-Thought agreed to his proposal, and they continued on their

journey together. They had hardly gone a mile when they met a young man,

and Moscione stopped and asked him: ‘What’s your name, my friend; where

do you come from, and what can you do?’

The man thus addressed answered promptly, ‘I am called Hare’s-ear, I

come from Curiosity Valley, and if I lay my ear on the ground, without

moving from the spot, I can hear everything that goes on in the world,

the plots and intrigues of court and cottage, and all the plans of mice

and men.’

‘If that’s the case,’ replied Moscione, ‘just tell me what’s going on in

my own home at present.’

The youth laid his ear to the ground and at once reported: ‘An old

man is saying to his wife, “Heaven be praised that we have got rid of

Moscione, for perhaps, when he has been out in the world a little, he

may gain some common sense, and return home less of a fool than when he

set out.”’

‘Enough, enough,’ cried Moscione. ‘You speak the truth, and I believe

you. Come with us, and your fortune’s made.’

The young man consented; and after they had gone about ten miles, they

met a third man, to whom Moscione said: ‘What’s your name, my brave

fellow; where were you born, and what can you do?’

The man replied, ‘I am called Hit-the-Point, I come from the city of

Perfect-aim, and I draw my bow so exactly that I can shoot a pea off a

stone.’

‘I should like to see you do it, if you’ve no objection,’ said Moscione.

The man at once placed a pea on a stone, and, drawing his bow, he shot

it in the middle with the greatest possible ease.

When Moscione saw that he had spoken the truth, he immediately asked

Hit-the-Point to join his party.

After they had all travelled together for some days, they came upon a

number of people who were digging a trench in the blazing sun.

Moscione felt so sorry for them, that he said: ‘My dear friends, how can

you endure working so hard in heat that would cook an egg in a minute?’

But one of the workmen answered: ‘We are as fresh as daisies, for we

have a young man among us who blows on our backs like the west wind.’

‘Let me see him,’ said Moscione.

The youth was called, and Moscione asked him: ‘What’s your name; where

do you come from, and what can you do?’

He answered: ‘I am called Blow-Blast, I come from Wind-town, and with

my mouth I can make any winds you please. If you wish a west wind I can

raise it for you in a second, but if you prefer a north wind I can blow

these houses down before your eyes.’

‘Seeing is believing,’ returned the cautious Moscione.

Blow-Blast at once began to convince him of the truth of his assertion.

First he blew so softly that it seemed like the gentle breeze at

evening, and then he turned round and raised such a mighty storm, that

he blew down a whole row of oak trees.

When Moscione saw this he was delighted, and begged Blow-Blast to join

his company. And as they went on their way they met another man, whom

Moscione addressed as usual: ‘What’s your name: where do you come from,

and what can you do?’

‘I am called Strong-Back; I come from Power-borough, and I possess such

strength that I can take a mountain on my back, and it seems a feather

to me.’

‘If that’s the case,’ said Moscione, ‘you are a clever fellow; but I

should like some proof of your strength.’

Then Strong-Back loaded himself with great boulders of rock and trunks

of trees, so that a hundred waggons could not have taken away all that

he carried on his back.

When Moscione saw this he prevailed on Strong-Back to join his troop,

and they all continued their journey till they came to a country called

Flower Vale. Here there reigned a king whose only daughter ran as

quickly as the wind, and so lightly that she could run over a field

of young oats without bending a single blade. The king had given out a

proclamation that anyone who could beat the princess in a race should

have her for a wife, but that all who failed in the competition should

lose their head.

As soon as Moscione heard of the Royal Proclamation, he hastened to the

king and challenged the princess to race with him. But on the morning

appointed for the trial he sent word to the king that he was not feeling

well, and that as he could not run himself he would supply someone to

take his place.

‘It’s just the same to me,’ said Canetella, the princess; ‘let anyone

come forward that likes, I am quite prepared to meet him.’

At the time appointed for the race the whole place was crowded with

people anxious to see the contest, and, punctual to the moment,

Quick-as-Thought, and Canetella dressed in a short skirt and very

lightly shod, appeared at the starting-point.

Then a silver trumpet sounded, and the two rivals started on their race,

looking for all the world like a greyhound chasing a hare.

But Quick-as-Thought, true to his name, outran the princess, and when

the goal was reached the people all clapped their hands and shouted,

‘Long live the stranger!’

Canetella was much depressed by her defeat; but, as the race had to

be run a second time, she determined she would not be beaten again.

Accordingly she went home and sent Quick-as-Thought a magic ring, which

prevented the person who wore it, not only from running, but even from

walking, and begged that he would wear it for her sake.

Early next morning the crowd assembled on the race-course, and Canetella

and Quick as-Thought began their trial afresh. The princess ran as

quickly as ever, but poor Quick-as-Thought was like an overloaded

donkey, and could not go a step.

Then Hit-the-Point, who had heard all about the princess’s deception

from Hare’s-ear, when he saw the danger his friend was in, seized his

bow and arrow and shot the stone out of the ring Quick-as-Thought was

wearing. In a moment the youth’s legs became free again, and in five

bounds he had overtaken Canetella and won the race.

The king was much disgusted when he saw that he must acknowledge

Moscione as his future son-in-law, and summoned the wise men of his

court to ask if there was no way out of the difficulty. The council at

once decided that Canetella was far too dainty a morsel for the mouth

of such a travelling tinker, and advised the king to offer Moscione a

present of gold, which no doubt a beggar like him would prefer to all

the wives in the world.

The king was delighted at this suggestion, and calling Moscione before

him, he asked him what sum of money he would take instead of his

promised bride.

Moscione first consulted with his friends, and then answered: ‘I demand

as much gold and precious stones as my followers can carry away.’

The king thought he was being let off very easily, and produced coffers

of gold, sacks of silver, and chests of precious stones; but the more

Strong-Back was loaded with the treasure the straighter he stood.

At last the treasury was quite exhausted, and the king had to send

his courtiers to his subjects to collect all the gold and silver they

possessed. But nothing was of any avail, and Strong-Back only asked for

more.

When the king’s counsellors saw the unexpected result of their advice,

they said it would be more than foolish to let some strolling thieves

take so much treasure out of the country, and urged the king to send a

troop of soldiers after them, to recover the gold and precious stones.

So the king sent a body of armed men on foot and horse, to take back the

treasure Strong-Back was carrying away with him.

But Hare’s-ear, who had heard what the counsellors had advised the king,

told his companions just as the dust of their pursuers was visible on

the horizon.

No sooner had Blow-Blast taken in their danger than he raised such

a mighty wind that all the king’s army was blown down like so many

nine-pins, and as they were quite unable to get up again, Moscione and

his companions proceeded on their way without further let or hindrance.

As soon as they reached his home, Moscione divided his spoil with his

companions, at which they were much delighted. He, himself, stayed with

his father, who was obliged at last to acknowledge that his son was not

quite such a fool as he looked.

[From the Italian, Kletke.]