Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 01 (42 page)

But the other officers resented the success of the little
tailor, and wished him a thousand miles away. "What's
to come of it all?" they asked each other; "if we quarrel
with him, he'll let out at us, and at every blow seven will
fall. There'll soon be an end of us." So they resolved to
go in a body to the King, and all to send in their papers.
"We are not made," they said, "to hold out against a man
who kills seven at a blow." The King was grieved at the
thought of losing all his faithful servants for the sake of
one man, and he wished heartily that he had never set
eyes on him, or that he could get rid of him. But he
didn't dare to send him away, for he feared he might kill
him along with his people, and place himself on the
throne. He pondered long and deeply over the matter,
and finally came to a conclusion. He sent to the tailor and
told him that, seeing what a great and warlike hero he was,
he was about to make him an offer. In a certain wood of
his kingdom there dwelled two giants who did much
harm; by the way they robbed, murdered, burned, and
plundered everything about them; "no one could approach
them without endangering his life. But if he could overcome
and kill these two giants he should have his only
daughter for a wife, and half his kingdom into the bargain;
he might have a hundred horsemen, too, to back him up."
"That's the very thing for a man like me," thought the
little tailor; "one doesn't get the offer of a beautiful
princess and half a kingdom every day." "Done with
you," he answered; "I'll soon put an end to the giants.
But I haven't the smallest need of your hundred horsemen;
a fellow who can slay seven men at a blow need not
be afraid of two."

The little tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen
followed him. When he came to the outskirts of the wood
he said to his followers: "You wait here, I'll manage the
giants by myself"; and he went on into the wood, casting
his sharp little eyes right and left about him. After a
while he spied the two giants lying asleep under a tree,
and snoring till the very boughs bent with the breeze.
The little tailor lost no time in filling his wallet with
stones, and then climbed up the tree under which they lay.
When he got to about the middle of it he slipped along a
branch till he sat just above the sleepers, when he threw
down one stone after the other on the nearest giant. The
giant felt nothing for a long time, but at last he woke up,
and pinching his companion said: "What did you strike
me for?" "I didn't strike you," said the other, "you must
be dreaming." They both lay down to sleep again, and
the tailor threw down a stone on the second giant, who
sprang up and cried: "What's that for? Why did you
throw something at me?" "I didn't throw anything,"
growled the first one. They wrangled on for a time, till,
as both were tired, they made up the matter and fell
asleep again. The little tailor began his game once more,
and flung the largest stone he could find in his wallet with
all his force, and hit the first giant on the chest. "This is
too much of a good thing!" he yelled, and springing up
like a madman, he knocked his companion against the
tree till he trembled. He gave, however, as good as he
got, and they became so enraged that they tore up trees
and beat each other with them, till they both fell dead at
once on the ground. Then the little tailor jumped down.
"It's a mercy," he said, "that they didn't root up the tree
on which I was perched, or I should have had to jump
like a squirrel on to another, which, nimble though I am,
would have been no easy job." He drew his sword and
gave each of the giants a very fine thrust or two on the
breast, and then went to the horsemen and said: "The
deed is done, I've put an end to the two of them; but I
assure you it has been no easy matter, for they even tore
up trees in their struggle to defend themselves; but all
that's of no use against one who slays seven men at a
blow." "Weren't you wounded?" asked the horsemen.

"No fear," answered the tailor; "they haven't touched
a hair of my head." But the horsemen wouldn't believe
him till they rode into the wood and found the giants
weltering in their blood, and the trees lying around, torn
up by the roots.

The little tailor now demanded the promised reward
from the King, but he repented his promise, and pondered
once more how he could rid himself of the hero. "Before
you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my kingdom,"
he said to him, "you must do another deed of valor.
A unicorn is running about loose in the wood, and doing
much mischief; you must first catch it." "I'm even less
afraid of one unicorn than of two giants; seven at a blow,
that's my motto." He took a piece of cord and an axe
with him, went out to the wood, and again told the men
who had been sent with him to remain outside. He hadn't
to search long, for the unicorn soon passed by, and, on
perceiving the tailor, dashed straight at him as though
it were going to spike him on the spot. "Gently, gently,"
said he, "not so fast, my friend"; and standing still he
waited till the beast was quite near, when he sprang
lightly behind a tree; the unicorn ran with all its force
against the tree, and rammed its horn so firmly into the
trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again, and
was thus successfully captured. "Now I've caught my
bird," said the tailor, and he came out from behind the
tree, placed the cord round its neck first, then struck the
horn out of the tree with his axe, and when everything
was in order led the beast before the King.

Still the King didn't want to give him the promised
reward and made a third demand. The tailor was to
catch a wild boar for him that did a great deal of harm
in the wood; and he might have the huntsmen to help
him. "Willingly," said the tailor; "that's mere child's
play." But he didn't take the huntsmen into the wood
with him, and they were well enough pleased to remain
behind, for the wild boar had often received them in a
manner which did not make them desire its further
acquaintance. As soon as the boar perceived the tailor
it ran at him with foaming mouth and gleaming teeth,
and tried to knock him down; but our alert little friend
ran into a chapel that stood near, and got out of the
window again with a jump. The boar pursued him into the
church, but the tailor skipped round to the door, and
closed it securely. So the raging beast was caught, for it
was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring out of the
window. The little tailor summoned the huntsmen
together, that they might see the prisoner with their own
eyes. Then the hero betook himself to the King, who was
obliged now, whether he liked it or not, to keep his promise,
and hand him over his daughter and half his kingdom.
Had he known that no hero-warrior, but only a little tailor
stood before him, it would have gone even more to his
heart. So the wedding was celebrated with much splendor
and little joy, and the tailor became a king.

After a time the Queen heard her husband saying one
night in his sleep: "My lad, make that waistcoat and
patch these trousers, or I'll box your ears." Thus she
learned in what rank the young gentleman had been born,
and next day she poured forth her woes to her father, and
begged him to help her to get rid of a husband who was
nothing more nor less than a tailor. The King comforted
her, and said: "Leave your bedroom door open to-night,
my servants shall stand outside, and when your husband
is fast asleep they shall enter, bind him fast, and carry
him on to a ship, which shall sail away out into the wide
ocean." The Queen was well satisfied with the idea, but
the armor-bearer, who had overheard everything, being
much attached to his young master, went straight to him
and revealed the whole plot. "I'll soon put a stop to the
business," said the tailor. That night he and his wife
went to bed at the usual time; and when she thought he
had fallen asleep she got up, opened the door, and then
lay down again. The little tailor, who had only pretended
to be asleep, began to call out in a clear voice: "My lad,
make that waistcoat and patch those trousers, or I'll box
your ears. I have killed seven at a blow, slain two giants,
led a unicorn captive, and caught a wild boar, then why
should I be afraid of those men standing outside my door?"
The men, when they heard the tailor saying these words,
were so terrified that they fled as if pursued by a wild
army, and didn't dare go near him again. So the little
tailor was and remained a king all the days of his life.

My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire, and
I was the third of four sons. He sent me to Cambridge
at fourteen years old, and after studying there three
years I was bound apprentice to Mr. Bates, a famous
surgeon in London. There, as my father now and then
sent me small sums of money, I spent them in learning
navigation, and other arts useful to those who travel, as
I always believed it would be some time or other my
fortune to do.

Three years after my leaving him my good master,
Mr. Bates, recommended me as ship's surgeon to the
"Swallow," on which I voyaged three years. When I
came back I settled in London, and, having taken part
of a small house, I married Miss Mary Burton, daughter
of Mr. Edmund Burton, hosier.

But my good master Bates died two years after; and
as I had few friends my business began to fail, and I
determined to go again to sea. After several voyages, I
accepted an offer from Captain W. Pritchard, master of
the "Antelope," who was making a voyage to the South
Sea. We set sail from Bristol, May 4, 1699; and our
voyage at first was very prosperous.

But in our passage to the East Indies we were driven
by a violent storm to the north-west of Van Diemen's
Land. Twelve of our crew died from hard labor and bad
food, and the rest were in a very weak condition. On the
5th of November, the weather being very hazy, the seamen
spied a rock within 120 yards of the ship; but the
wind was so strong that we were driven straight upon it,
and immediately split. Six of the crew, of whom I was
one, letting down the boat, got clear of the ship, and we
rowed about three leagues, till we could work no longer.
We therefore trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves;
and in about half an hour the boat was upset by a sudden
squall. What became of my companions in the boat, or
those who escaped on the rock or were left in the vessel,
I cannot tell; but I conclude they were all lost. For my
part, I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward
by wind and tide; but when I was able to struggle
no longer I found myself within my depth. By this time
the storm was much abated. I reached the shore at last,
about eight o'clock in the evening, and advanced nearly
half a mile inland, but could not discover any sign of
inhabitants. I was extremely tired, and with the heat of
the weather I found myself much inclined to sleep. I
lay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, and
slept sounder than ever I did in my life for about nine
hours. When I woke, it was just daylight. I attempted
to rise, but could not; for as I happened to be lying on my
back, I found my arms and legs were fastened on each
side to the ground; and my hair, which was long and
thick, tied down in the same manner. I could only look
upward. The sun began to grow hot, and the light hurt
my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me, but could
see nothing except the sky. In a little time I felt
something alive and moving on my left leg, which, advancing
gently over my breast, came almost up to my chin, when,
bending my eyes downward, I perceived it to be a human
creature, not six inches high, with a bow and arrow in his
hands, and a quiver at his back. In the meantime I felt
at least forty more following the first. I was in the
utmost astonishment, and roared so loud that they all ran
back in a fright; and some of them were hurt with the
falls they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground.
However, they soon returned, and one of them, who
ventured so far as to get a full sight of my face, lifted up
his hands in admiration. I lay all this while in great
uneasiness; but at length, struggling to get loose, I succeeded
in breaking the strings that fastened my left arm to the
ground; and at the same time, with a violent pull that
gave me extreme pain, I a little loosened the strings that
tied down my hair, so that I was just able to turn my
head about two inches. But the creatures ran off a second
time before I could seize them, whereupon there was a
great shout, and in an instant I felt above a hundred
arrows discharged on my left hand, which pricked me like
so many needles. Moreover, they shot another flight into
the air, of which some fell on my face, which I immediately
covered with my left hand. When this shower of arrows
was over I groaned with grief and pain, and then, striving
again to get loose, they discharged another flight of
arrows larger than the first, and some of them tried to
stab me with their spears; but by good luck I had on a
leather jacket, which they could not pierce. By this time
I thought it most prudent to lie still till night, when, my
left hand being already loose, I could easily free myself;
and as for the inhabitants, I thought I might be a match
for the greatest army they could bring against me if they
were all of the same size as him I saw. When the people
observed that I was quiet they discharged no more arrows,
but by the noise I heard I knew that their number was
increased; and about four yards from me, for more than
an hour, there was a knocking, like people at work. Then,
turning my head that way as well as the pegs and strings
would let me, I saw a stage set up, about a foot and a half
from the ground, with two or three ladders to mount it.
From this, one of them, who seemed to be a person of
quality, made me a long speech, of which I could not
understand a word, though I could tell from his manner
that he sometimes threatened me, and sometimes spoke
with pity and kindness. I answered in few words, but
in the most submissive manner; and, being almost famished
with hunger, I could not help showing my impatience
by putting my finger frequently to my mouth, to signify
that I wanted food. He understood me very well, and,
descending from the stage, commanded that several
ladders should be set against my sides, on which more
than a hundred of the inhabitants mounted, and walked
toward my mouth with baskets full of food, which had
been sent by the King's orders when he first received
tidings of me. There were legs and shoulders like mutton
but smaller than the wings of a lark. I ate them two or
three at a mouthful, and took three loaves at a time.
They supplied me as fast as they could, with a thousand
marks of wonder at my appetite. I then made a sign that
I wanted something to drink. They guessed that a small
quantity would not suffice me, and, being a most ingenious
people, they slung up one of their largest hogsheads,
then rolled it toward my hand, and beat out the top. I
drank it off at a draught, which I might well do, for it did
not hold half a pint. They brought me a second hogshead,
which I drank, and made signs for more; but they
had none to give me. However, I could not wonder
enough at the daring of these tiny mortals, who ventured
to mount and walk upon my body, while one of my hands
was free, without trembling at the very sight of so huge
a creature as I must have seemed to them. After some
time there appeared before me a person of high rank from
his Imperial Majesty. His Excellency, having mounted
my right leg, advanced to my face, with about a dozen
of his retinue, and spoke about ten minutes, often pointing
forward, which, as I afterward found, was toward the
capital city, about half a mile distant, whither it was
commanded by his Majesty that I should be conveyed.
I made a sign with my hand that was loose, putting it to
the other (but over his Excellency's head, for fear of
hurting him or his train), to show that I desired my
liberty. He seemed to understand me well enough, for he
shook his head, though he made other signs to let me
know that I should have meat and drink enough, and
very good treatment. Then I once more thought of
attempting to escape; but when I felt the smart of their
arrows on my face and hands, which were all in blisters
and observed likewise that the number of my enemies
increased, I gave tokens to let them know that they might
do with me what they pleased. Then they daubed my
face and hands with a sweet-smelling ointment, which in
a few minutes removed all the smarts of the arrows. The
relief from pain and hunger made me drowsy, and presently
I fell asleep. I slept about eight hours, as I was told
afterward; and it was no wonder, for the physicians, by
the Emperor's orders, had mingled a sleeping draught in
the hogsheads of wine.