Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 06 (27 page)

Then he saw the bear standing beside him, looking at him with
gentle, beseeching eyes, and something in the eyes of the bear
made him say: 'Take off that skin, some mystery is hidden beneath
it.'

And the bear's skin dropped off, and the beautiful girl stood
before him, in the dress woven out of the star-light, and he saw
that she was the stranger with whom he had fallen so deeply in
love. And now she appeared to him a thousand times more beautiful
than ever, and he led her to his mother. And the princess told
them her story, and how she had been kept shut up by her father
in his palace, and how she had wearied of her imprisonment. And
the prince's mother loved her, and rejoiced that her son should
have so good and beautiful a wife.

So they were married, and lived happily for many years, and
reigned wisely over their kingdom.

Once there was a woman who had no children, and this made her
very unhappy. So she spoke one day to the Sunball, saying: 'Dear
Sunball, send me only a little girl now, and when she is twelve
years old you may take her back again.'

So soon after this the Sunball sent her a little girl, whom the
woman called Letiko, and watched over with great care till she
was twelve years old. Soon after that, while Letiko was away one
day gathering herbs, the Sunball came to her, and said: 'Letiko,
when you go home, tell your mother that she must bethink herself
of what she promised me.'

Then Letiko went straight home, and said to her mother: 'While I
was gathering herbs a fine tall gentleman came to me and charged
me to tell you that you should remember what you promised him.'

When the woman heard that she was sore afraid, and immediately
shut all the doors and windows of the house, stopped up all the
chinks and holes, and kept Letiko hidden away, that the Sunball
should not come and take her away. But she forgot to close up the
keyhole, and through it the Sunball sent a ray into the house,
which took hold of the little girl and carried her away to him.

One day, the Sunball having sent her to the straw shed to fetch
straw, the girl sat down on the piles of straw and bemoaned
herself, saying: 'As sighs this straw under my feet so sighs my
heart after my mother.'

And this caused her to be so long away that the Sunball asked
her, when she came back: 'Eh, Letiko, where have you been so
long?'

She answered: 'My slippers are too big, and I could not go
faster.'

Then the Sunball made the slippers shorter.

Another time he sent her to fetch water, and when she came to the
spring, she sat down and lamented, saying: 'As flows the water
even so flows my heart with longing for my mother.'

Thus she again remained so long away that the Sunball asked her:
'Eh, Letiko, why have you remained so long away?'

And she answered: 'My petticoat is too long and hinders me in
walking.'

Then the Sunball cut her petticoat to make it shorter.

Another time the Sunball sent her to bring him a pair of sandals,
and as the girl carried these in her hand she began to lament,
saying: 'As creaks the leather so creaks my heart after my little
mother.'

When she came home the Sunball asked her again: 'Eh, Letiko, why
do you come home so late?'

'My red hood is too wide, and falls over my eyes, therefore I
could not go fast.'

Then he made the hood narrower.

At last, however, the Sunball became aware how sad Letiko was. He
sent her a second time to bring straw, and, slipping in after
her, he heard how she lamented for her mother. Then he went home,
called two foxes to him, and said: 'Will you take Letiko home?'

'Yes, why not?'

'But what will you eat and drink if you should become hungry and
thirsty by the way?'

'We will eat her flesh and drink her blood.'

When the Sunball heard that, he said: 'You are not suited for
this affair.'

Then he sent them away, and called two hares to him, and said:
'Will you take Letiko home to her mother?'

'Yes, why not?'

'What will you eat and drink if you should become hungry and
thirsty by the way?'

'We will eat grass and drink from streamlets.'

'Then take her, and bring her home.'

Then the hares set out, taking Letiko with them, and because it
was a long way to her home they became hungry by the way. Then
they said to the little girl: 'Climb this tree, dear Letiko, and
remain there till we have finished eating.'

So Letiko climbed the tree, and the hares went grazing.

It was not very long, however, before a lamia came under the tree
and called out: 'Letiko, Letiko, come down and see what beautiful
shoes I have on.'

'Oh! my shoes are much finer than yours.'

'Come down. I am in a hurry, for my house is not yet swept.'

'Go home and sweep it then, and come back when you are ready.'

Then the lamia went away and swept her house, and when she was
ready she came back and called out: 'Letiko, Letiko, come down
and see what a beautiful apron I have.'

'Oh! my apron is much finer than yours.'

'If you will not come down I will cut down the tree and eat you.'

'Do so, and then eat me.'

Then the lamia hewed with all her strength at the tree, but could
not cut it down. And when she saw that, she called out: 'Letiko,
Letiko, come down, for I must feed my children.'

'Go home then and feed them, and come back when you are ready.'

When the lamia was gone away, Letiko called out: 'Little hares!
little hares!'

Then said one hare to the other: 'Listen, Letiko is calling;' and
they both ran back to her as fast as they could go. Then Letiko
came down from the tree, and they went on their way.

The lamia ran as fast as she could after them, to catch them up,
and when she came to a field where people were working she asked
them: 'Have you seen anyone pass this way?'

They answered: 'We are planting beans.'

'Oh! I did not ask about that; but if anyone had passed this
way.'

But the people only answered the louder: 'Are you deaf? It is
beans, beans, beans we are planting.'

When Letiko had nearly reached her home the dog knew her, and
called out, 'Bow wow! see here comes Letiko!'

And the mother said, 'Hush! thou beast of ill-omen! wilt thou
make me burst with misery?'

Next the cat on the roof saw her, and called out 'Miaouw! miaouw!
see here comes Letiko!'

And the mother said, 'Keep silence! thou beast of ill-omen! wilt
thou make me burst with misery?'

Then the cock spied, and called out: 'Cock-a-doodle-do! see here
comes Letiko!'

And the mother said again: 'Be quiet! thou bird of ill-omen! wilt
thou make me burst with misery?'

The nearer Letiko and the two hares came to the house the nearer
also came the lamia, and when the hare was about to slip in by
the house door she caught it by its little tail and tore it out.

When the hare came in the mother stood up and said to it:
'Welcome, dear little hare; because you have brought me back
Letiko I will silver your little tail.'

And she did so; and lived ever after with her daughter in
happiness and content.

Once upon a time there lived a man who had seven daughters. For a
long time they dwelt quite happily at home together, then one
morning the father called them all before him and said:

'Your mother and I are going on a journey, and as we do not know
how long we may be away, you will find enough provisions in the
house to last you three years. But see you do not open the door
to anyone till we come home again.'

'Very well, dear father,' replied the girls.

For two years they never left the house or unlocked the door; but
one day, when they had washed their clothes, and were spreading
them out on the roof to dry, the girls looked down into the
street where people were walking to and fro, and across to the
market, with its stalls of fresh meat, vegetables, and other nice
things.

'Come here,' cried one. 'It makes me quite hungry! Why should not
we have our share? Let one of us go to the market, and buy meat
and vegetables.'

'Oh, we mustn't do that!' said the youngest. 'You know our father
forbade us to open the door till he came home again.'

Then the eldest sister sprang at her and struck her, the second
spit at her, the third abused her, the fourth pushed her, the
fifth flung her to the ground, and the sixth tore her clothes.
Then they left her lying on the floor, and went out with a
basket.

In about an hour they came back with the basket full of meat and
vegetables, which they put in a pot, and set on the fire, quite
forgetting that the house door stood wide open. The youngest
sister, however, took no part in all this, and when dinner was
ready and the table laid, she stole softly out to the entrance
hall, and hid herself behind a great cask which stood in one
corner.

Now, while the other sisters were enjoying their feast, a witch
passed by, and catching sight of the open door, she walked in.
She went up to the eldest girl, and said: 'Where shall I begin on
you, you fat bolster?'

'You must begin,' answered she, 'with the hand which struck my
little sister.'

So the witch gobbled her up, and when the last scrap had
disappeared, she came to the second and asked: 'Where shall I
begin on you, my fat bolster?'

And the second answered, 'You must begin on my mouth, which spat
on my sister.'

And so on to the rest; and very soon the whole six had
disappeared. And as the witch was eating the last mouthful of the
last sister, the youngest, who had been crouching, frozen with
horror, behind the barrel, ran out through the open door into the
street. Without looking behind her, she hastened on and on, as
fast as her feet would carry her, till she saw an ogre's castle
standing in front of her. In a corner near the door she spied a
large pot, and she crept softly up to it and pulled the cover
over it, and went to sleep.

By-and-by the ogre came home. 'Fee, Fo, Fum,' cried he, 'I smell
the smell of a man. What ill fate has brought him here?' And he
looked through all the rooms, and found nobody. 'Where are you?'
he called. 'Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm.'

But the girl was still silent.

'Come out, I tell you,' repeated the ogre. 'Your life is quite
safe. If you are an old man, you shall be my father. If you are a
boy, you shall be my son. If your years are as many as mine, you
shall be my brother. If you are an old woman, you shall be my
mother. If you are a young one, you shall be my daughter. If you
are middle-aged, you shall be my wife. So come out, and fear
nothing.'

Then the maiden came out of her hiding-place, and stood before
him.

'Fear nothing,' said the ogre again; and when he went away to
hunt he left her to look after the house. In the evening he
returned, bringing with him hares, partridges, and gazelles, for
the girl's supper; for himself he only cared for the flesh of
men, which she cooked for him. He also gave into her charge the
keys of six rooms, but the key of the seventh he kept himself.

And time passed on, and the girl and the ogre still lived
together.

She called him 'Father,' and he called her 'Daughter,' and never
once did he speak roughly to her.

One day the maiden said to him, 'Father, give me the key of the
upper chamber.'

'No, my daughter,' replied the ogre. 'There is nothing there that
is any use to you.'

'But I want the key,' she repeated again.

However the ogre took no notice, and pretended not to hear. The
girl began to cry, and said to herself: 'To-night, when he thinks
I am asleep, I will watch and see where he hides it;' and after
she and the ogre had supped, she bade him good-night, and left
the room. In a few minutes she stole quietly back, and watched
from behind a curtain. In a little while she saw the ogre take
the key from his pocket, and hide it in a hole in the ground
before he went to bed. And when all was still she took out the
key, and went back to the house.

The next morning the ogre awoke with the first ray of light, and
the first thing he did was to look for the key. It was gone, and
he guessed at once what had become of it.

But instead of getting into a great rage, as most ogres would
have done, he said to himself, 'If I wake the maiden up I shall
only frighten her. For to-day she shall keep the key, and when I
return to-night it will be time enough to take it from her.' So
he went off to hunt.

The moment he was safe out of the way, the girl ran upstairs and
opened the door of the room, which was quite bare. The one window
was closed, and she threw back the lattice and looked out.
Beneath lay a garden which belonged to the prince, and in the
garden was an ox, who was drawing up water from the well all by
himself —for there was nobody to be seen anywhere. The ox raised
his head at the noise the girl made in opening the lattice, and
said to her, 'Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch! Your
father is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he
will put you on a spit and cook you.'

These words so frightened the maiden that she burst into tears
and ran out of the room. All day she wept, and when the ogre came
home at night, no supper was ready for him.

'What are you crying for?' said he. 'Where is my supper, and is
it you who have opened the upper chamber?'

'Yes, I opened it,' answered she.

'And what did the ox say to you?'

'He said, "Good morning, O daughter of Buk Ettemsuch. Your father
is feeding you up till you are nice and fat, and then he will put
you on a spit and cook you."'

'Well, to-morrow you can go to the window and say, "My father is
feeding me up till I am nice and fat, but he does not mean to eat
me. If I had one of your eyes I would use it for a mirror, and
look at myself before and behind; and your girths should be
loosened, and you should be blind—seven days and seven nights."'