The Spirit of the Giant Mountains Rubezahl

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THE

SPIRIT

THE GIANT MOUNTAINS.


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p i r i t

o f

mntHras.


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I i

- ' » .

T»Tf T - l

L J .

J -

Ti

.J* O i 1 JAIPV - ' , ' U -

v . .

C

- i ' e


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& I j t

S p i r i t

o f fomrfams.


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I • •

y - . c.

f .

- . : - f

-

: t - - « .


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PREFACE.

Kubezahl, the whimsical s p i r i t of the Giant Moun

t a i n s ,

a n d the

hero

pa r

e x c e l l e n c e of the following

c o l l e c t i o n o f t a l e s , i s a personage renowned, and, i n

s p i t e of h i s

queer c a p r i c e s ,

deeply respected by both

the

big

a n d

l i t t l e f o l k o f that

land

which

he

has

chosen f o r c o u n t l e s s generations t o honour, by taking

up h i s j q u a r t e r s in

the

very

heart

of

i t .

There i s

i n t h i s country n o f a i r y power presuming t o p l a c e

i t s e l f in t he ex alt ed r a n k t o which the

m i g h t y

g n o m e

b e l o n g s .

Queen

Mab,

a n d

Eobin

Goodfellow

a r e i n a double sense pigmies compared with

Eubezahl, while h i s

name s h a l l not

be

s o i l e d

by

hinting a t the s l i g h t e s t resemblance t o Old Bogie.

Yet,

a s

we

s h a l l s e e ,

the s p i r i t , when i t

s o

pleased

him,

could

well

s u s t a i n

the

part

of

e i t h e r

the

rewarding

o r the avenging g e n i u s .

There a r e

times when, perhaps,

the presence of

Eubezahl mi ght be deemed s a l u t a r y even i n old

England, where

l i t t l e boys

a n d g i r l s

can o c c a s i o n a l l y


15/259

VI PREFACE.

be a s naughty a s t h e i r y o u n g German neighbours.

There

a r e

a l s o

m o m e n t s

when

we

wish

in

our

h e a r t s

t h a t

unpretending

a n d

apparently unheeded

w o r th

might r e c e i v e help f r o m s o m e such

b e n e f i c e n t

s p i r i t ; f o r g e t t i n g i n our

impatience

t h a t t r u e merit

never f a l l s t o the

ground,

but

sooner

o r l a t e r w i l l

meet

i t s

reward.

Now,

s i n c e

we

cannot dare t o

hope

that

the

kin g

of

the

mountains w i l l ever leave h i s

beloved

home in

the wild f a s t n e s s e s

o f

the Eiesengebirge

a n d

deign

t o right our manifold w r o n g s in a royal progress

through

these

dominions,

there

remains

t o

us

but

o ne

m e a n s

of paying him that h o m a g e which he so

r o y a l l y

d e s e r v e s .

As we ever cherish with r e s p e c t

a n d a f f e c t i o n

the

g o o d example

of

a n

absent a n d dear

f r i e n d , a n d endeavour t o copy h i s noble a c t i o n s , s o

when

we

have perused

the

s t o r y of the

deeds

a n d

words of Eubezahl,

l e t

us g o a m o n g our

brethren

a n d

s t r i v e

( n o t l o s i n g h e a r t , even though, l i k e the

g r e a t g n o m e of the mountains, we sometimes

f a l l

f r o m the r i g h t path) t o do l i k e w i s e .

Then s u r e l y

Eubezahl a n d the g o od peasants a m o n g whom he chose

t o

dwell

w i l l not

have l i v e d t h e i r

imaginary l i v e s

unprofitably in t h i s world, where s o much g o o d i s

achieved

through g o o d ex a mple

a n d

kindly i n f l u e n c e .


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CONTENTS.

PAOE

Introduction 9

How

Eubezahl Obtained

h i s Name 13

Eubezahl Punishes a

S c o f f e r

. . . 22

The Lo an 32

The Wicked Steward 39

The Plying Stick . 45

The Alchemist

48

The

Wonderful Thaler . . . 52

M o ther Alice

62

The M a g i o B o o k 75

The Patal

Plant

. . . 76

L i t t l e Peterkin

83

How

Eubezahl

Punishes T r e s p a s s e r s o n h i s

Domi ni on s 93

The

Wheel qe

Greenmantle . % 97

The Old 8hepherd i04

Eubezahl Punishes

a n I g n o r a m u s

106

The Journey t o Karlsbad HI

The Knight o f Pischbach 128

The M a g ic S t i c k 133

Eubezahl a n d the Lyin g Peasant 137

H a n s

a n d the

D o n k e y

141

How Eubezahl Puni shes Cheati ng 14 6

The Three Pedlars

148

How Eubezahl h e l p s

a

Peasant 153

The Three Carpenters

155


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Vlll

CONTENTS.

How

Bubezahl makes a

Pigtail

f o r a

Woodman . .

158

The Gambler

. . .

163

Bubezahl and

t he

Tailor

. . .

166

The

Bich Baker

. . . 169

Why i t i s best to

bear

wrong

patiently

. . . 174

How Bubezahl

helped

a Student

. . . 176

The Three Best Men

. . .

179

The Pe r iwig s

. . . 183

The

Orphans . . . . . . . . .

. . . 186

The Wicked

Nobleman

. . .

190

ThePio-Nio

. . .

19 3

The

G o od-for- n o thin g

. . . 196

The Jew

. . . 19 9

The Herb G a therer

. . .

201

Bubezahl : A Petit

Drama

. . .

2 12


18/259

THE

S P I R I T

OF THE

MOUNTAINS.

i n t o )

I n d i a n ,

iHE G i a n t M o u n t a i n s ,

which

you

must

very well know, myyoung f r i e n d s ,

from

y ou r

lessons in geography, though

I

dare

s ay

none o f you

h av e

ever seen

them,

are

in

the

south

o f

Prussia,

and

divide

S i l e s i a

from

Bohemia and M o r a v i a .

The principal peaks

are

o f immense

height

; the G i a n t

M o u n t a i n , also

called t he

Sno w-t opped, i s 4,950

feet hi gh; also

the

S t o r m y -c ap

;

and

there a re g reat r i v e r s , such as

t he Elbe

and

the Bober, which f i r s t

begin

to flow

amid

their

r o c k y

passes.

These

m o u n t a i n s

were,

a

long t i m e ago, the abode o f a

powerful

s p i r i t .

His

territory

a b o ve ground

consisted

of only a

f ew mile?,

but un der ground i t spread much deeper and f a r t h e r .

The gnome

would

often r e m a i n for a hundred years

in his lower k i n g d o m , and seldom rose to dwell in

t he

upper

world.

At the t i m e when as

yet no human footstep

had

trodden t he s tun ted roots o f t he f ew

trees

that

grew

there,

and

before the n e i ghb ou rh o od

was

inhabited,

the lord o f the m o u n t a i n s used to amuse himself w i t h

frightening t he wi ld a ni ma ls o ut o f their

dens,

and

B


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10

INTRODUCTION.

then

he wouldhunt

them,

galloping

w i t h mad

speed

amongst the brushwo od .

But when o n e day, after a very lon g

sojourn

under g round,

he mounted to t he daylight, he

found, to his g rea t a s t oni shment, everything so

much

altered, that he scarcely knew his own k i n g d o m .

Green f i e l d s s t o o d where once n o t h i n g was to be

seen but a dark f o r e s t , and there, in t he meadows

grazed c o w s and sheep, while shepherds and dogs

w a t ched

by them. I n

t he

valleys s t o od l i t t l e cot

tages, f r o m the ch i m ne y s o f which the smoke poured

f o r t h , a n d

before the

door s happy children played

w i t h many a

shout

o f

joy.

The

gnome

wondered

greatly

a t

a l l

these new

s i g h t s ,

but

he was

yet

more

astonished a t t he human beings,

which

he had never

before seen.

His curiosity was aroused, and

he

wished to

know

more o f

them

;

so

he t o o k

their f o r m , and thought

that

he

would dwell

for

a

short

t i m e in t he

upper

world.

First

o f

a l l ,

he

entered

into

t he

service

o f

a

labourer, where

he perf o r med

his duty very welL

Whatever

he

u nde r t o o k he succeeded i n ,

and

he

g a i n ed

so much money for his

m a s t e r

that t he man

might

s o o n have become very

r i c h ,

but he

was

a

spendthrift,

and w a s t e d

a l l

the money which hi s in

dustrious,

clever

servant

earned

;

and

besides,

he

never o nce t h a n k e d him for

his faithful

s e r v i c e .

For

this reason, the mountain s p i r i t became ve xed and

a n g r y,

and

f o u n d another master, to

whom

he hired

himself as

shepherd.

The sheep

prospered exceed

in gly well under his

care,

none we re ever s i c k ,

n o r


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INTRODUCTION. 11

did

t he w olf

devour any while

they were under t he

g n o m e' s

protection ;

but

t he

man

was

a miser,

he

was

never

contented, n o r did he give his faithful

servant enough to e a t , and whenever he could find

t he opportunity he

shortened

his rightful wages.

So

t he s p i r i t

s o o n

l e f t this

m a n' s s e r v i c e ,

and

went

as

o f f i c e r to a magistrate. To this duty, a l s o , he attended

w i t h

great

z e a l ,

and

in a

very

short

t i m e

there

was

n o thief

or mu rderer to

be f oun d

; but

t he

s p i r i t

o f t he m o u n t a i n s f o u n d that the judge was a n un

just man,

and

allowed

himself

to be misled by

means

o f presents

and

f l a t t e r y . S o he would be

no

longer

servant to

him,

but r a n

away ;

and a s

he

had

a l w a y s

fallen

into

bad

ha nds, the

gnome

believed

that a l l men w e re wicked, and h a v i n g n o inclination

t o make

any

farther

t r i a l , he resolved

to g o as

f a r

as his kingdom extended and plague a n d

tease men

so that a t l a s t they should leave him and hi s k i n g

dom

to himself.

So

f r o m

t i m e

to

time,

when

he

visited

the

upper

world, he would plague travellers a n d interfere in

their

business.

He led

str ang ers as tra y

who t r e s

passed o n his

k i n g d o m , o r

he would

c o l l e c t rain-

clouds, and frighten them w i t h s t o r m and tempest.

In t he

most

barren parts

he

would place

an

inn, o r

splendid

palace

;

there

he

would

tempt

poor

f a m i shed

and tired wayfarers, and when they a ppr o a ched he

would

cause

a l l

t o

disappear.

When

r o guish

bar-

terers for

horses came on

his t e r r i t o r y , he

would

mount a splendid charger, and pretend to be some

g r a n d lord ; but

i f

he only

induced

them t o buy the

B

2


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12

INTRODUCTION.

horse, when they

had

ridden some

l i t t l e

way on i t

t he steed would suddenly chan ge into n o t h i n g but

a

w i s p

of

straw.

Presently,

i f

i t

happened

that

he

met w i t h a poor but

honest

man

riding sorrowfully

on a lean pony over

the

m o u n t a i n s, he would ride

up

to the man in t he form of a magnificent horse

man, f a l l into

conversation,

and

then lay a wager

about

s o m e t h i n g

w i t h him. Then he would himself

lose the b e t , a n d give the fortunate w i n n e r his own

beautiful

horse, and

at the

same

t i m e

would

secretly

s l i p some rouleaus of gold into his

pocket. But

a l l

this s o o n became known, and foolish boy s and a d

venturers

who

heard of

i t ,

s ought t o obtain in t he

same manner t he

b o u n t y

o f

the

mountain

s p i r i t

;

but

they w e re always

heartily deceived, for

when

in hi gh glee they mounted the horse to ride a w a y ,

i t

would in a short t i m e turn into a

dr y branch,

which s t i l l continued

t o gallop

o n

without

their

re

marking

the

cha n ge

;

and so they became t he

laughing-stock

of every town

and

village

t h r o u g h

which they

passed.

I n this manner he passed

his

t i m e ab ove gr ound,

partly

a s a p r o v o k i n g s p r i t e , and partly as bene

factor t o the poor, just as he happened t o be in

t he

humour.

The

legends

of Eubezahl, the

s p i r i t

o f

t he m ou n t a i n s , are s t i l l

current

among the v i l l a g e r s ,

and they are t o be f o u n d s ca ttered in d i f f e r e n t books.

But in

this book, my

young readers,

you

will find

them

a l l collected

together,

and written

o ut a n e w .

he authors f r o m

whom

a great part

i s

t a ke n are

Musaeus, Lehnert,

and many

others.


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f i r f o cguhiM


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14 HOW RUBEZAHL OBTAINED HIS NAME.

purple mantle. But t he o n e who was most unhappy

was

the

princess,

when

s he

f o u n d

herself

suddenly

in

the

mountain

s p i r i t ' s -

palace.

He

had caused i t

to be reared in a moment, and had i t deck ed w it h

more gold and

precious

stones th a n even the

princess

had

seen

in her

father's palacs.

She herself wore

t he

most

splendid g a r m e n t s . I n o n e place

there

s t o o d

a

wh ole

row

o f

chests

and

cupboards

f u l l

o f

o r n a m e n t s , which t he gnome said we r e a l l

f o r

her.

A beautiful g a rden

surrounded the

palace, and

t he

trees in i t bore purple and golden f r u i t s ; and o n

the

grass

p l o t ,

where

there were

most

extraordinary

and

beautiful flowers, was a c o o l , refreshing

shade.

The

mountain

s p i r i t

was

very

a n x i o u s

that

every

thing should

please his beautiful guest, and he

named her s o l e

queen

o f

a l l these

possessions. He

w a tched her ever y g la nce, s o that s he should want

for n o thi ng .

But

s t i l l ,

w i t h

a l l

t h i s ,

L e o n o r a

was

unhappy, for s he wearied

to

return

t o

her dear

father

and

c o mp a n i o n s .

The gnome noticed

w i t h pain

t he s adn es s o f t he

lovely princess, and he thought to himself, She

pines

for a m u s e m e n t ,

for

mankind

i s accus t o med

to

society, and i m medi a tely he rose to

the

f i e l d s

above,

rooted

up f r o m a f i e l d a dozen

turnips,

laid

them

in

a

pretty

basket,

and

brought

them

to

t he

princess.

Lovely

daughter

o f earth, he said t o her, you

shall

n o longer be solitary ;

in t h i s basket i s

a l l

that

you

will require to make

you

happy in this lonely

p l a c e . Take this l i t t l e w a n d , made o f m a n y-c oloured

shells ; t ouch ea ch of t he turnips w i t h

i t ,

and give


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HOW BUBBZAHL

OBTAINED

HIS NAME. 15

every o n e o f them wha tever f o r m you

please.

So

saying,

he

l e f t

the

princess.

She did n o t hesitate lon g before s he made us e o f

the m a g i c w a n d . Br in hild, cried she, my

darling Brinhild,

appear and im media tely B r inhild

was clinging

to her knees, and e mb r a c i n g

her

beau

t i f u l mistress w i t h tears o f joy.

Le o n o r a

g a v e

herself

up

to

t he

plea sure of

ha vi n g her

beloved

companion w i t h her. They wandered hand in hand

t h r o u g h t he gardens, and Le o n o r a plucked t he

f i n e s t

f r u i t

for her friend, and showed her her

beautiful dresses, and

chains,

and

s pa ng les o f gold

and

precious stones ;

and

in Brinhild'

s a s t o ni sh

ment

and

a d m i r a t i o n

s he

a l m o s t

forgot

her

g r i e f .

And

now

L e o n o r a

ch a n ged

w i t h the wand

a l l

t he

other turnips

into

her friends,

so that she

a g a i n

had

her maids-of-honour, and also her Cyprus

cat

and

her

l i t t l e

do g

w i t h

her.

And as s he

now had a l l her

old

court

state round

h e r , s he

was

very much pleased

w i t h

t he

s p i r i t

o f

the

m ou n t a i n s ,

and

for

t he

f i r s t

t i m e he

saw her smile. But her ha ppi n es s was

o f

short

duration, for to o s o o n

s he saw

that t he r o s y

complexi on o f

her

friends

became

p a l e ,

and

that

s he

was t he

o n ly r ed rose a m o n g s t

a l l

t he pale m aidens.

Yes ;

and

when o n e morning

Le o n o r a

r a n g

her

b e l l ,

there

came

stumping

into

her

room on staves

and

crutches,

i ns t ea d o f pretty m aidens,

old

women,

who

coughed and trembled

s o , that

i t was

m i se r y to see

them

; her

pet

do g lay dy i n g ;

and

the

Cyprus

cat

could n o t

creep along,

s he

was

so

weak and

o l d .

A s t o n i s hed

and

frightened

at this s t r a n ge company,


25/259

16 HOW

RUBEZAHL

OBTAINED

HIS NAME.

t he princess f l e d

from the room

and

called t he

g n o m e ,

who

s o o n

appeared.

What have you done to my poor m a i d s and

c o mp a n i o n s ,

w i c k ed

s p i r i t

?

said s he angrily to him.

Do you

g rudge me

t he o nly pleasure I ca n

have

in t h i s dreary abode ? I f you do n o t i m medi a tely

give them back their y o u t h

and

proper f o r m s

again,

I

will

never

cease

to

hate

you,

n o r

shall

you

ever

see my face a g a i n

Do n o t

be

angry, implored

the

mountain

s p i r i t ; I cannot, w i t h a l l my power, do what i s

impossible. As long as there w e re s ap

and l i f e

in

t he turnips,

you

could, t hr o ug h y o ur m a g i c

s t a f f ,

ch a n g e

them into

wha tever

you

choose

;

but

now

they are withered—

n d

then, the

human

f r a m e must

also

chan ge according to t he laws o f

nature, and

I

c a n n o t a l t e r

i t .

But be

n o t so

s a d about i t ,

loveliest

Leo n o r a . I will

quickly bring you

more

turnips,

w i t h which you ca n a g ai n h a ve y o u r c o u r t .

Mean

while,

give

N a tu re

her

g i f t s

back

again.

The

gnome

hastened

a w a y , and

Le o n o r a touched

t he o ld m a t r o n s

with the

other end

of

her m a g i c

w a n d , and turned them a g ai n into withered turnips,

which s he

th rew

into a corner.

Then

s he

hastened

as quickly as s he

could

to her favourite resort—

green,

g r a s s y

spot

in

the

g a rden

—

xpecting

to

find

there t he f r e s h l y - f i l l e d basket. But instead o f t h i s ,

s he saw

the gnome

a ppr oa chi ng her

apparently

in

great d i s t r e s s ,

and

he said in a perplexed tone,

I pro mi sed too h a s t i l y , for I c a n n o t f u l f i l . I

have searched t he whole

count ry

t h r o u g h

in

order to


26/259

HOW

RUBEZAHL OBTAINED

HIS NAME. 17

find just

o n e turnip

f i e l d ,

but

a l l t he

turnips h a ve be en

gathered,

and

are

withering

away

in

gloomy

c e l l a r s .

And although i t i s spring down here, everything

a b o v e

i s

covered w i t h snow and

i c e , and

we must w ai t

three months

ere

I ca n f u l f i l my

prom i se

and

y o u r

desire.

Then

t he princess

turned

her back angrily upon

t he

s p r i t e ,

and

sadly

s he s hut

herself

in

her r o o m .

She never allowed the gnome to see her f a c e , how

ever much he might

plead.

At

l a s t ,

however,

he

thought o f a plan

;

so

he

assumed

the

disguise o f a

farmer, and travelled to Schmiedeberg ; there, in

t he

m a r ke t,

he bo ug ht a don key,

and

loaded him

w i t h

great

sacks

o f

turnip

seed,

enough

to sow

a

great many f i e l d s . Then he bought a meadow, and

his attendant s p i r i t s l i t a

f i r e

under ground, so that

the m ild heat should hasten the

growth

o f the

seed.

The seed s o o n shot up, and

the

mountain s p i r i t

hoped for a g o o d crop ; and the

princess

herself

went

every

day

to

walk

in

the

turnip

f i e l d ,

but

even

the w o n d r o u s l y quick growth o f the seed was too

tedious for

her, and her eyes lost

a l l their

bright

ness, and her cheeks their bloom, w i t h a n x i o u s

waiting.

She was e n g a g e d

to be m a r r i e d to a hand

some

prince

o f a nei ghb ou r i n g country,

and her

wedding was

close

at

hand,

when

t he

s p i r i t

o f

t he

m o u n t a i n s r a n away w i t h her. P r i nce Eatibor

( s o

he was named)

s ou gh t

ever ywhere

for his

bride ;

and a t

l a s t ,

when he f oun d

a l l

his endeavours were

f r u i t l e s s , he retired into a solitary wilderness, very

s a d

at

heart. But Le o n o r a

w i s hed

just

as

much

t o re


27/259

18 HOW RUBEZAHL

OBTAINED

HIS NAME.

tur n to P r i n ce Eatibor, as he w i s hed for

her

;

and

during

t he

solitary

days

which

s he

passed

in

her

own

ap a r t m e n t ( f o r s he angrily shunned the g n o me's

c o mp a n y ) , s he thought o f a g o o d plan to

elude

t he

watchfulness o f her keeper

and

to escape from her

i mp r i s o n m e n t .

Gradually

beautiful spring visited t he mountain

valleys

once m o r e,

and

the turn ips

became f i n e and

l a r g e . The cu n n i n g L e o n o r a would pull

o n e

up

every day, in order to make a l l k i nd s o f experiments

w i t h them ; she g a v e them numerous different f o r m s,

apparently only for her a m u s e m e n t , but s he had

a n other object in view. One da y s he turned a l i t t l e

turnip

into

a

bee,

a n d

sent

him

on

a

m e s s a g e

to

her

dear prince.

Fly, l i t t l e bee, when the

s un

r i s e s , to P rince

Eatibor,

and whisper in his ear that I s t i l l l i v e , but

that I am i mpri s o ned by the mountain s p i r i t ; do

n o t forget a word o f what I s ay ; then return quickly

to

m e,

and

bring

me

his reply.

The

l i t t l e

bee

flew

from t he princess's finger to do as he was t o l d , but

scarcely had

he

commenced his

f l i g h t

tha n a s w a l l o w

hopped d o w n , a n d

killed the poor

l i t t l e bee.

There

fore Le o n o r a made

a c r i c k e t .

Hop

hop l i t t l e

cricket, said she, over the m o u n t a i n s ,

and chirp

to

my

prince

that

I

am

w a i t i n g

for

a

release by his

s t r o n g

arm f r o m t he

power

o f t he

mountain

s p i r i t .

So

the cricket flew

andhopped

as quickly as he

could,

but a long-legged

s t o rk

was w a l k i n g alon g t he same

road, and snapped him up w i t h his beak. The

princess waited in vain for her

mes sen gers ;

yet


28/259

HOW RUBEZAHL OBTAINED HIS NAME. 19

although

they did n o t

return,

s t i l l s he

was n o t

dis

heartened,

but

s he

g a v e

a third

turnip

the

f o r m

of

a

m a gpie, and s a i d , F ly a w a y , t h o u chattering bird,

from t ree to t r e e , until t h o u c o mest to Prince Eatibor,

then

i n f o r m him of my dreary i mp r i s o n m e n t , and

t e l l him to be, on t he third da y from t h i s , by t he

side of t he

m o u n t a i n ,

to carry me away from t he

power

o f

t he

g n o m e .

The

black

and

w h i te

magpie

flew

a w a y ,

flapping his wi n g s, f r o m tree

t o t r e e ,

and

Leo n o r a w a t ched

him as

far

as her ey e co uld reach.

In

the meantime

P r i nce Rat ib or was wandering

t h r o u g h the f o r e s t s , mourning for t he loss o f his

beautiful bride. One day, as

he

was sitting

under

a

sh ady

oak,

and

calling

sadly

t he

name

of

his

prin

c e s s , he s udden ly hea r d a n unknown voice calling ;

and l o o k i n g up,

he

saw

a magpie

flying about

amid

the

o a k branches, and then he be g a n

s a yin g

t he

w o r d s that

L e o n o r a

had t aug ht hi m. When P r i nce

Ra t ibo r hea r d

t he m e s s a g e he was f u l l

of

jo y

; he

hastened

back

to

his

c a s t l e ,

commanded a

number

o f

his horsemen to prepare for t he journey, and set o ut

joyfully for the G ia n t M oun t a in s .

Meanwhile L e o n o r a

had a l l ready for her f l i g h t .

She

appeared o n e day attired in a most splendid

fashion ; she

wore

a l l t he costly jewels which t he

lord

o f

t he

G i a n t

Mountains had

g iven

her,

and

they

s h o n e as brightly as her eyes, which sparkled w i t h

joy, for the magpie

had

safely

returned a n d

i n f o r m e d

her o f

a l l

which

had

t a k e n

p l a c e . When

t he

gnome

saw t he princess so

beautifully

dressed, he thought

that s he had

conquered

her dislike t o t he di s m al


29/259

20 HOW RUBEZAHL OBTAINED HIS NAME.

abode, and would now l i v e happily in his solitary

k i n g d o m . He approached her kindly, and a s ked

whether s he we re s t i l l a n g ry w i t h him for havin g

t a k e n her from her stately home 1 For the f i r s t

t i m e

the

princess laughed pleasantly, and told him

s he would now willingly r em a i n w i t h him i f he

would f u l f i l just o n e childish whim for her.

To

this

t he

gnome

i m medi a tely

agreed,

and

the

princess

laughingly led him

up

to

t he

turnip f i e l d , and told

him to

count t he

turnips there, because

s he

wished

to

choose

her waiting-maids and c o mp a n i o n s , and

she should like to

know how many

w e re a t her com

mand.

I m me d i a te l y

the s p i r i t be g a n industriously

and

w i t h

great

care

to

count

the

turnips,

and

when

he

had

finished, w i s h i n g

to co n v in ce hi m s elf that he

had

made no mistake, he be g a n again.

But

he

f o u n d the number quite

different

t o

what

he had at

f i r s t , and for

the third t i m e he

was

obliged

to begin

the lon g

and d i f f i c u l t t a s k over again.

While

he

was

thus

busily

engaged,

Le o n o r a

t o o k

a d v a n t a ge

o f his absence to set

her

plan in m o t i o n .

She

chose a new, strong,

juicy turnip, and ch a n ged i t

into a

spirited horse

w i t h saddle and bridle ; then

s he

quickly

sprang

upon i t and galloped

over

he a t h

and bushes

and b r i a r s , t i l l s he came to t he valley ;

there,

P ri n ce Ea tibo r

rushed

f o r w a r d

to

meet

her,

and

then he t o o k the breathless fugitive under his

protection. When

t he gnome

had finished

his

troublesome w o r k ,

after

a great

number

o f

countings,

he hastened t o t he

princess,

but as he could n o t find

her in

her

usual s h a d y

bower,

he

hurried

t h r o u g h


30/259

{ j e

l i o r s t

fn r n t o

i n f o a g i r o D r a n t l j .


31/259


32/259

HOW RUBEZAHL OBTAINED HIS NAME.

21

t he covered w a l k s and foliage o f t he garden. Then

he

shouted

her

name

a l l

over

the

place,

and a t

l a s t ,

becoming

uneasy

at hearing

n o reply,

he rushed up

to the t o p of the mountain to l o o k a l l over his

territory ; there

he saw

his

beautiful

prisoner far

away

in

t he

distance, and her steed was just

passing

his

boundary. Trembling

w i t h rage, the

a n g r y

s p i r i t

gathered

some

clo uds t og et her

a n d

hurled

a

flash of lightning after the

f u g i t i v e s ,

but this only

reached the

hundred-years-old

boundary oak, and

s p l i t i t .

Beyond

this o a k hi s power ceased, and

the

thunder-clouds harmlessly dissolved into a s o f t mist.

Af ter he had w a t ched the two escaped o nes for a

very

long

time,

he

went

in

a

great

passion

down

to

his

palace, but o nly to annihilate i t along w i t h t he

beautiful garden. Then he went as deep down

under

g r o u n d as

he

could,

there

to

hide his deadly

hatred

of

mankind

in

the

very

centre

o f

the

round

e a r t h . But Prince Eatibor led hi s beautiful

Le o n o r a

in

triumph

to

her

father,

who

rew a rded

him

w i t h

the

hand

of

the

princess, and also

g a ve

him

a beautiful c i t y , which was called Eatibor, after t he

o wner. The

wondrous

adventure

which

t he

princess had met w i t h in t he G i a n t M o u n t a i n s

and

her

clever f l i g h t became known a l l over the country,

and

t he

inhabitants

o f

the

n e i g hb o u rh o o d

who

did

n o t know t he

s p i r i t

o f t he m o u n t a i n s

by his

s p i r i t

n a m e , g a v e him in mockery the nickname o f

Eubezahl,

which means

tu r n ip counter.


33/259

Uttk^l fraislp a J f a r f f o r .

INCE Eubezahl

had

been so cun

n i n gl y deceived he never l e f t the

lower w o r l d for many centuries.

But at l a s t , t he len g t h o f t i m e

and

the

loneliness became to o oppressive, and

as

for

this

reason

he

was

in a

very

ba d

humour,

a s p i r i t o f earth,

who had r e m a i n e d

w i t h him,

o ut

o f kindness, in bis

s o l i t u d e , proposed

that they

should make

a pleasure

excursion

up

to

the G i a n t

M o u n t a i n s .

Eubezahl at f i r s t w ri n kled up his

brows

at this

i d e a ,

but

in

a

l i t t l e

while

he

consented,

and

although there we re no railways then, the jour ney

was accomplished in a m in ut e's time, for t he moun

tain s p i r i t was

able,

t h r o u g h t he power o f his w i l l ,

to be

exactly

where he wished; and accordingly

they f o u n d themselves upon a sh ad y spot, which to

this

da y

i s

called

Eubezahl'

s

pleasure

garden.

From there he looked on the valley below, where

c i t i e s , and towers, and convents we re spr ea d o ut

before him. At this sight his o ld hatred o f man

kind awakened within him, and laughing b i t t e r l y ,

he cried o u t ,


34/259

EUBEZAHL

PUNISHES

A SCOFFER.

23

Miserable worms of earth

which have

deceived

me w i t h mockery and scorn,

now

you shall repent ;

f or I

shall plague and

tease you, s o that you shall

t h i n k

w i t h terror and fear

upon

t he s p i r i t o f t he

m o u n t a i n s .

Scarcely

had

he spoke n

these

words,

when

he

hea rd voices in the

distance.

Three young men

were

w a n d e r i n g

over the

m o u n t a i n s , and

t he most

daring o f them

cried

o ut

in a jeering

tone,

Eube-

zahl Eubezahl come d o w n , you maiden stealer

The gnome was

en r a ged

at this s c o f f i n g , and he

called the s t o r m - w i n d t h r o u g h the pine-trees to

des t r o y the poor

w r e t c h who had

called o ut so

lustily

;

but he chanced to consider that

such

a ter

rible instance o f his vengeance would frighten a l l

travellers

away f r o m the m o u n t a i n s,

and

then

there

would

be n o

opportunity

of conti nui n g

his

s a v a ge

g a m e . So for a

l i t t l e

while he l e t the offender g o

in peace, but t o o k care to remember to puni sh him

at some future time.

At t he n e x t cross-road the young man separated

from

hi s

companion s,

and

arrived safely at

Hirschberg, which

was

his native t o w n . Eubezahl

followed him to

the

i n n and there l e f t him, re

solving s o o n to return t o him. He went to his

m o u n t a i n s ,

and

planned

a way

by

which

he

could

revenge himself on t he m oc ke r .

Walking

al o n g he

met a Jew, who was g o i n g to Hirschberg. He was

very

r i c h .

This man Eubezahl looked upon as o n e

who

would be

a

g o o d i n s t r u me n t

o f

ve n ge a nce

to

him. So he assumed

the

form o f

the

young

man


35/259

24 RUBEZAHL PUNISHES A SCOFFER.

who ha d called him by that mocking name ;

and

while he

walked

some l i t t l e way w i t h t he Jew, and

talked

in a friendly m a n n e r , he led him, w i t h o u t

t he

Jew's

r e m a r k i n g i t , into a thicket, where he

attacked him, t h r e w him down on

the

g round, and

robbed

the

I s r a e l i t e o f

his pur se, which

co nt a in ed a

large

quanti ty o f gold and jewels. Then, after he

had

belaboured

him

soundly,

he

l e f t t he

poor plun

dered

man

lying

half dead in t he

bushes, and dis

appeared. When

the

Jew

had,

after

some

hours,

recovered

f r o m

his fright and bad treatment, he

cried

loudly

for release

from t he briars

and

thorns,

which

held him

f a s t bound,

hand

and

f o o t .

Then a

venerable

man

approached

him,

who

appeared

t o

be some respectable c i t i z e n .

When he

saw

the

Jew in

such a miserable

plight,

he

s e t

him

at l i b e r t y , and g a v e him every

possible

help, re

freshing him w i t h w i n e ; and then he led him t o t he

do o r of the very i n n which the young man had

pr evi ous ly en ter ed

( t h i s

inn,

the

stranger

told

t he plundered Jew, was

the

cheapest) ; then he g a v e

him a l i t t l e m o n e y , and l e f t him.

How astonished was t he Israelite when he

entered the i n n r o o m , and saw

his

molester sitting

quite contentedly a t the t a b l e , drinkin g

w i n e

He

could

scarcely

trust

his

eyes,

for

t he

rascal

was

s o

happy and light-hearted, as i f he had t he clearest

conscience in

the

world.

Without

speaking

a

word

the robbed

man seated

himself in

a corner,

and

considered

how

he s ho uld

regain

possession

o f his property ; he

was, at t he


36/259

RUBBZAHL PUNISHES

A

SCOFFER. 25

same

time,

more

and

more

convinced

that this was

t he rohber. He went secretly to t he judge,

and

told him what had

occurred.

I m m ed i a t el y t he

judge

sent men w i t h spears

and staves

to t he inn,

which

they

entered, and

brought the

criminal

before

t he

court

of

j u s t i c e .

Who

art t h o u } a s k ed t he principal

judge,

and f r o m

whence come s t

t h o u

V

The young man replied w i t h great frankness, and

n o t a t a l l as i f he we re frightened,

I am a

respectable

t a i l o r , and

my

name

i s

Be nedi x .

Have you n o t attacked this Jew, and robbed

him

o f

his

money

V

I have never s een t he man before, neither h a ve

I

attacked him o r

r obbed bim

o f his

money.

I

am

a respectable

t r adesma n,

and no

t h i e f .

Show y o u r c e r t i f i c a t e .

That i s a sort of l e t t e r which a t r a d e s m a n must

have

to

prove

his

honesty.

Benedix

confidently

opened hi s

k napsack, in

which he

kept

his

c e r t i f i c a t e ;

but

when

he put in his hand,

s o m e t h i n g

jingled

like gold. At this sound t he attendants thrust in

their hands a l s o , and drew o ut

a heavy purse, which

t he happy Jew recognized as

his o w n .

There

s t o o d

Benedix,

struck

dumb

w i t h

amazement

; his

k nees

trembled,

and he became as wh i t e as chalk ;

no word could he s a y in his j u s t i f i c a t i o n .

Miscrean t said

t he

judge, angrily,

ca n

you

s t i l l

deny

y o u r

cri me ?

Have mercy,

my

lord, implored the poor

y o u t h

;

o


37/259

26 BUBEZAHL PUNISHES

A

SCOFFER.

I c a l l Heaven to wi t ness that I am innocent, and

know

n o t h i n g o f the

robbery.

You

are

convicted,

a n s we r ed

t he

judge.

The

f o u n d pur s e s pea k s

clearly enough for

y o u r

cri me ;

only confess, before the torture compels you to do s o .

The t e r r i f i e d

Benedix,

however, could do n o t hi n g

but repeat

that he

was

i n n ocent

; but when the poor

t a i l o r saw t he rack and a l l t he i n s t ru me n t s for his

torture,

he

confessed,

although

he

knew

n o t h i n g

about i t .

The t r i a l

now

began,

and

Benedix was

condemned to

be

hanged.

The

people who

w e re

i n

court loudly praised the wisdom and justice of t he

judge's sentence,

but

loudest of a l l that

c i t i z e n

who

had released t he

Jew and was now

in t he

h a l l .

That

man

w as,

as

you

may

guess,

no

other

t h a n

Bubezahl, who

had

secretly placed

the Jew's

money

in t he k n a p s a c k of t he un fo rt un at e t a i l o r , in order

to revenge himself for his m ockery.

In

the meantime a clerg y m a n

was

brought

to

t he

poor sinner to prepare him for death ; but when he

f o u n d

Benedix

lying

unconscious,

he

considered

i t

necessary that his

sentence should

be

postponed,

be

cause i t w a s impossible to converse w i t h a man who

was insensible,

and

so the council

g r a n t ed

him a r e

prieve o f

three

days. When

Rubezahl heard

this

he went sullenly back t o his m o u n t a i n s , there t o

aw ai t

the

time.

During

these

three

days,

as

he

was

w a n d e r i n g about t he

neighbourhood,

he f o u n d a

young

woman

lying

under a tree weeping. Her

dress

was

poor, but ver y neat and clean,

and

her

hands seemed accust o med to

h a r d w o r k .

Now and


38/259

KUBEZAHL PUNISHES A SCOFFER. 27

then s he dried

her

eyes w i t h

them, and sighed

so

heavily

that

even

Eubezahl

was

m o v ed .

So he

a g ai n

t o o k t he f o r m o f the c i t i z e n ,

and

approaching t he

young

woman,

a s k ed her why s he wept so sadly.

Ah said she, I am

unfortunate,

and

have

t he ruin o f

a n

o therwise

good

young man to a n s w e r

f o r .

The gnome

was

astonished.

How, he asked,

ca n that

be

—

o ur

counte

n a n c e

looks

good, and you to

be

f u l l o f

w ickedness 1

But, t r u l y ,

men are

a l l

wicked

and

deceitful.

Ah,

s i r , there

you

are

w r o n g .

B e ned i x i s really

a

good,

honest man,

and

ha s no f a l s e heart. I have

been

t he

caus e o f

his

ruin

and

death,

for he

i s

doomed to die by t he

hangman.

Benedix i s my

husband, and we h av e scarcely been m a r r i e d a year ;

but

o ur

business did n o t

prosper,

and we suffered

much

hunger

and

s o r r ow. Very often I was s a d

and discontented ; and then, o n Sundays, I saw my

neighbours

w a l k i n g

in

nice

clothes

to

church,

while

I was forced to s i t , needle in hand, mending and

patching o ur

old

g a r me n t s .

He

was

noble

and

coura geous t h r o u g h a l l o ur adversity

;

but so much

did my discontent distress him,

t h a t ,

o n e day, he

strapped

his

bundle on

his

shoulders, and s a i d , I

will

g o

into

t he

G i a nt M o un ta in s,

where

I

have

relations. Very likely

they

will lend me a few

t h a l e r s , w i t h

which I ca n

buy

a

f i e l d . Then,

at

any r a t e , we shall

h av e

some corn

for

bread ;

and

perhaps i t will also

buy

you a new

cap

or

a

jacket.'

Good Benedix I Then

he

set

o f f ,

consoled and

o

2


39/259

28

BUBEZAHL PUNISHES A

SCOFFER.

happy, to Hirschberg. But my sinful discontent

ha s

tempted

him

to

s t e a l

others'

r i c h e s ,

and

for

my

fault he must s u f f e r a terrible

death.

I c a n n o t

survive him, but I will g o a n d t a ke a l a s t farewell

o f my poor

husband ; yet fatigue

and s o r r o w have

robbed me o f a l l my s t ren g th

before

I am half

w a y .

Kubezahl

was

touched

by

t he

a n g u i s h

and

s o r r o w

o f the woman ; and for her sake, he forgot t he

vengeance

which

he had sworn to wreak

upon

her

husband.

Be comforted, said he to t he weeping woman.

You shall have y o u r B e n ed i x

a g ai n

before t he

sun

s e t s .

Know,

a l s o ,

for

y ou r

consolation,

that

he

i s

innocent, and ha s n o t c o m m i t t e d t he robbery. But

re me mbe r, after this lesson, to be more

con te n ted

w i t h y ou r l o t ; for you now know

how much

better

i t i s to be poor and innocent, t h a n rich

and guilty.

Ah, s i r

'

cried

the woman,

s i n k i n g

on

her

k nees

before

hi m ,

God

will

r e w a r d

y o u

for

thus

consoling m e. Indeed,

you

are a g o o d

angel

whom

God

ha s sent

m e, al th ou gh

I am

n o t worthy

o f such

k i nd ne s s

; f o r ,

for

t he s a k e o f ea r thly

c o m f o r t and riches h av e I risked

my soul's

salvation.

Leave

that

alone,

said

BubezahL

I

am

no

angel, but a citizen o f Hirschberg. I

have

many

friends

amongst t he

judges there, and

they shall

s o o n

give me

y o u r

husband safe and sound, only go

home

a n d

be

o f

g o o d

cheer.

So the poo r

woman returned thankfully to her


40/259

RUBEZAHL PUNISHES A

SCOFFER. 29

h o me, and her soul was f u l l o f joy. Then

Rubezahl

assumed

t he

form

o f

t he

cle r g y m a n

who

was to pr epa r e t he poor

sinner

for death, and went

to

t he prison.

Oh how

s a d

and cast

down he

f o u n d

t he poor

t a i l o r For

a lon g t i m e he

conversed w i t h t he

prisoner in a serious manner

;

t hen he

s a i d ,

I

am

more

and

more

convinced

that

you

are

innocent, my s o n ; but I do n o t

know how

t o help

you, for y ou r witnesses are so s t r o n g and justice

desires some s a c r i f i c e . I f there were o nly means

to release you, I would n o t hesitate o n e minute. I

have t h ou gh t o f a w a y . You shall ch a n g e clothes

with

m e,

and

then

leave

t he

prison.

My

long

r obe

will deceive

t he

gaoler, so that

he

will

readily

open

t he

doo r

for you. Here i s a loaf for you to eat on

y o u r w a y,

a n d

g o

home to

y ou r

wi fe as f a s t as

y o u r

leg s w ill

carry y ou.

But, my kind s i r , said Benedix thoughtfully,

you

will

get

into

g rea t t ro uble

and

suspicion

i f

you

aid my f l i g h t . Perhaps at l a s t they may

torture you, and far s ooner would I die th a n that

such

should happen

to so good and pious a man as

you a r e . I f I am in n ocent o f the t h e f t , I deserve

punishment for many other

s i n s ,

and would rather

suffer i t

th a n

ha v e y o ur

murder heavy on my

co n

science.

The gnome

was

much

astonished at t he feelings

o f the noble B enedi x,

and rejoiced

that

he

could

make

amends for a l l

t he injury he

had

d o n e him.

He replied,


41/259

30 KUBEZAHL

PUNISHES

A SCOFFER.

Do

n o t fear for m e,

my

eon,

my position

will

shield

me

from such

a punishment ; and

besides,

1

have

many

powerful

friends

and

relations

in this

t o w n , who

will n o t allow any o n e to harm me .

Poor Benedix

was

very happy that he should

come

o f f

unscathed from such

danger, and

he

quickly

arose,

w i t h many

t h a n k s to the n o ble Eubezahl,

and

l e f t the prison. But his heart f e l t faint at telling a

l i e , and

when

he

passed t he turnkey

his teeth

chattered

and his

k nees knocked

together,

with

t he fear that he might know him ; but a t l a s t he

came safely o ut of the

t o w n , and before

sunset he

was

w i t h

his wife.

What jo y i t was to her to see her darling Bene

dix s a f e

and

well a g a i n

F i r s t ,

they b o th thanked

God for his

w o nderful

deliverance, and

t he n e x t

thing Benedix thought

o f

was

a

good meal, for

after a l l the da n ge r he hadg o n e t h r o u g h his hunger

was

very sharp, so his wife

quickly fetched him

a l l that s he had in her

poor

kitchen,

and B e ned i x

cut open t he loaf

which the

good father had g iven

him for his

journey.

But l o

when the knife

was

put

i n , i t made

a strange

noise, and

a

lump

o f

shining

g old f e l l o ut upon t he t a b l e . Now, for

the f i r s t

time, Benedix

and

his wife discovered

who

hadbeen

their generous benefactor,

and

they thought o f

him

w i t h

grateful hearts. Soon

they

l e f t their

home

to g o to P r a gue, where Benedix purchased a beau

t i f u l house, and s o o n became well

known and

re

spected.

His

wife enjoyed the prosperity

for

which

she had

so

long

wished, but

s he

did n o t

m i s u se

her


42/259

RUBEZAHL PUNISHES A SCOFFER.

31

riches,

for s he was very good to

the

poor, instead o f

dressing

herself

in

f i n e

clothes, as had

o nce

been

her

d e s i r e .

Benedix r em a i n ed g oo d

and honour

a b l e , a s he a l w a y s

had

been, and that helped him

n o t

a l i t t l e in brin gin g good cu s t o m to hi s bus in es s .

On the third

da y

after

Benedix

had

l e f t Hirsch-

berg, t he supposed poor criminal was to be led to

t he

gallows.

Many

th ou s a nd s

of

people

w er e a s s em

bled

to witness

the tragedy. But when the hang

man had d o n e hi s duty, the delinquent struggled so

t e r r i b l y ,

that the people would have sto ned the

executioner for

giving

him so

much pain. But in a

- l i t t l e

while

a l l was s t i l l ; t he limbs of t he corpse

stretched

out,

and

the

crowd

dispersed.

But the n e x t morning some peasants came to t he

t o w n ,

who

said that the hanged man s t i l l lived, for

he was

moving

his

hands

and

f e e t .

Then t he

learned co un ci l s en t

o ut

a deputation to t he gallows,

to learn t he truth, but what did this wi se deputation

find

instead

of

the

delinquent

?

A

bundle

of

straw,

clothed

in

o ld r a g s ,

like a scarecrow,

which

you

often

see placed in f i e l d s to frighten away

the

spar

rows.

They

w e re a l l very much astonished a t t h i s ,

and

they s h o o k their powdered heads so much that

the

powder flew about. A f te r

long

consideration,

they

at

- l a s t

ordered

t he

s t r a w

man

to

be

t a k e n

down,

and

caused the intelligence

t o

be spread that,

durin g

t he night, t he heavy

wind had blown

t he

l i t t l e

thin t a i l o r from the g a llo w s o ver t he walls o f t he

t o w n .


43/259

PEASANT who

had

a wi fe and

six

children, had,

t h r o u g h

many

great

misfortunes,

become so po o r

that very often he knew

n o t how

to

obtain

bread for his family.

One day

he

s a i d '

to

his

wife,

You

have

some

cousins

in

t he

m o u n t a i n s . I will g o to them ; perhaps

God

will

open

their hearts, to lend me a

hundred

thalers,

which

would

enable

us to release

ourselves from

this m i s er a ble po v er t y.

God

g r a n t they

may,

said his wife, but w i t h

l i t t l e hope

in her tone, for

s he

knew

how

her

cousins

had

never

troubled

them

selves at

a l l

about her. Early t he n e x t

morning

t he peasant set out,

and

walked

a l l

day, until at l a s t

he arrived, very

much

t i r e d , at

his

cousins' house,

when

he told

them

o f his d i s t r e s s , and implored

their

help. But a l l o f

them

sent him o f f w i t h hard,

bitter

wo rds,

and

he

was

compelled

to

hear

many

s h a rp speeches

from t he

thoughtless people,

such as

people who never laid up

for

a r a in y

da y

deserved

to be poor, &c.

With a heavy heart he again tu r ned homewards,

andwhen he came to t he m o u n t a i n s he was terribly


44/259

THE LOAN. 33

oppressed w i t h agitation and f e a r . In his journeys

thither

he

had

l o s t two

days'

wages,

and

now

he

f e l t

s o

weak

that

he

was certain he

should

n o t

be

able to

work t he ne x t day. At home his la n g ui shi ng w if e

was expecting him, w i t h

s i x hungry

children,

andhe

should arrive

empty

handed

—

o m o n e y , no bread.

Oh how could his hea r t bea r such m i s e r y The

poo r

man

thought

and

considered how

he

could

obtai n

r e l i e f .

All

at

once t he s t o r i e s o f the

mountain

s p i r i t occurred to him. I will seek him, said he

;

perhaps he will

listen

to my s a d t a l e . So he

cried

o u t ,

Eubezahl

Eubezahl

and i m medi a tely

a s o o t y charcoal burner s t o o d

before

him,

w i t h

a

great

stick

in his

hand.

He

had

such

a

wild,

r a g g e d

beard and glaring eyes, that t he

peasant

did

n o t for

a

moment doubt

this to be the

g n o m e ,

and

he g athered up

a l l

hi s coura ge to make his

request.

I have

n o t

called you from curiosity, began

he,

but

from

distress and

s o r r ow.

Dearest

lord

o f

t he

m ou n t a i n s , I implore

you to

help me o ut o f my

trouble. And then he told him about his wife

and

children, and o f the p i t i l e s s cousins, and begged s o

earnestly

that Kubezahl wouldlend him t he hundred

thalers, which he said he would repay w i t h

interest

in

three

years,

when

he

hoped

to

be

much

r i c h e r .

How

Am I a usurer

1

a s k ed t he mountain

s p i r i t , angrily. Go to men,

y ou r

brethren,

borrow

of them as much as you can, but leave me in peace,

and

never

c a l l

me a g a i n ;

i f

you

do , i t

will be as

much as

y o u r

l i f e i s worth


45/259

34 THE LOAN.

The peasant was n o t t e r r i f i e d at these h a r d wo rds,

but

pictured

the

m i s e r y

and

w a n t s

o f

his

family

in

t he most g l o w i n g colours.

If

you

will n ot help m e, at least strike me dead

w i t h y o ur

s t i c k , so

that I

may no longer

be a wi t ness

to sufferings

which

I ca n n o t a l l e v i a t e .

Eubezahl

stared

a t

the peasant,

and

then l i f t e d

his

heavy

stick

high

in

t he

a i r ,

s ee m i n g

as

t h o u g h

he

were o n t he po i n t of striking him dead at o n e stroke ;

but

suddenly

stopping,

he

commanded the

peasant

t o

follow him. They

went t h r o u g h

thick brushwood

and t r e e s , until they came to a valley clo sed in on

a l l sides by

rocks

; at o n e

en d

there

was

t he

entrance

to

a cavern,

where

no

daylight

could

enter, but there was a

l i t t l e

blue flame which spran g

o ut o f the

earth, and

i llum in at ed t he s t o n y walls

with a n unearthly glow. Ex cept in g a n iron

chest,

t he ca ve contained only

a n o pen

pannier, f i l l e d

w i t h

newly-coined t h a l e r s .

There

t a ke

the

money,

as

much

as you

require,

and, i f you ca n write, you may make me o ut a bond

for i t , said Eubezahl, as he t o o k o ut o f the case

paper

and

wr it in g materials.

The peasant,

m ea n t im e, w it h g rea t con scien t ious

ness, cou n ted o n e hundred t h a l e r s , and no m ore.

Then

he

w r o t e

t he

bond

as

well

as

he

was

able,

and

Eubezahl locked i t up in

the

iron c h e s t .

Now go, said t he mountain

s p i r i t ,

a n d

make

g o o d us e o f t he money ; remember t he way to t he

entrance o f t he r o c k y

valley, and

do n o t forget the

day of

payme n t,

for

I am a very

s t r i c t

c r e d i t o r .


46/259

THE LOAN. 35'

Here i s also s o m e t h i n g for y o u r children, which ha s

n o t h i n g

to

do w i t h

the

bo nd.

So saying, he

plunged

his hand deep

into t he

pannier, and g a v e the happy father s o much that he

could

scarcely

hold

i t alL He l e f t

the mountain

s p i r i t w i t h

a grateful heart,

and

f o u n d his way

o ut

o f the r o c k y valley, t a k i n g great care to notice the

path,

and

then

went

home

strengthened

w i t h

t he

w i n g s

of

joy. H i s

wife

was

sitting sorrowfully by

t he empty hearth when he entered

the

room ; s he

knew

how l i t t l e poverty could reck o n upon wealthy

r e l a t i o n s , and

s he scarcely had courage

to

look

her

husband in t he f a c e , for fear o f reading disappointed

hope

depicted

t h e r e . How

her

heart

beat

w i t h

glad surprise when t he pea s a n t

opened his

wallet,

and t o o k

o ut

o f i t meat, sausages, and white bread

and biscuits for the children.

Your cousins, said he to

the

astonished woman,

n o t

only

received

me kindly, but have also lent

me

a l l

t he

money

I

a s k ed

them

f o r .

His wife was s t i l l more surprised, and s he

t h a n k e d t he

merciful

God in

heaven

who guides

men's

hearts as t he

w a t e r

brooks. And now a

new l i f e seemed to

dawn

in

the

peasant's

dwelling.

He bought seed, and sowed some patches o f

g round,

and

he

also had

two

cows.

There

seemed

a

charm

in the

mountain

s p i r i t ' s m o n e y .

Soon

t he

small parcels of g r o u n d increased to a f i n e meadow

and

a

f i e l d

o f wheat. For miles round no produce

was so g o o d as that which came from his f i e l d s ;

nowhere

w e re better c o w s ;

and

the g o o d

peasant


47/259

36

THE LOAN.

succeeded so well that

he

was s o o n able to put

by

some

m o n e y .

Me a n while, pay-day

was

approaching, so t he

peasant

said to his wife

and

children,

Put o n y our

holiday

clothes.

Jack

may

harness

t he horse, and we will g o and pa y o ur

cousins

t he

money which they h a ve lent us

for

three years. I t

was

n o

small

delight

to

t he

children,

while

their

mother was

pleased

to

be

able to

show

her

cousins

how happy they a l l were. When they

arrived at t he

G i a n t

M oun t a in s , t hey stopped

t he

c a r t , and a l l o f them

g o t

down,

partly

to

make t he

burden lighter for t he ho rse, as

the

father s a i d , and

partly

to

show

the

children

a

pretty

sh ady

path.

But they

a l l remarked

that

their father looked

very

carefully about him, t he deeper they entered t he

f o r e s t , which made his w i f e at l a s t a n xiously

inquire,

Have

we

come the wrong

way 1

Then

t he

peasant

r ela ted t o

her

and

his

children

how un kindly

their

relations had dismissed him,

and

how the mountain

s p i r i t

had pitied and

helped

him. At

f i r s t ,

when

they hea rd

that Eubezahl

had

lent them t he money, they were frightened; but

when

he

bade them remember how happy t he

mountain

s p i r i t

had

made

them,

they

th ou gh t

no

lo ng er o f f e a r . A f te r this t he

peasant

went farther

on alone, in order to find o ut t he en t r a n ce to t he

r o c k y

valley, but

although

he

knew

he

was i n t he

right place, he

could

n o t find i t a n y where. He

s h o o k the money in t he purse, that the

s p i r i t should


48/259

THE LOAN. 37

hear

the

sound,

and

appear, so that he

might pay

him a t once.

But

no

o n e was v i s i b l e .

Quite des

pairing he came back at l a s t ; so his wife and children

sat

down w i t h him,

and

waited many

hours. Then

he called him

by

that mocking

n a m e , which,

when

t he s p i r i t heard i t , he seldom l e f t

the

unlucky person

who

said

i t

unpunished ;

and

when, after t h i s ,

Eubezahl did

n o t appear,

he resolved

to

leave

t he

money under some piece o f

rock,

where he thought

t he

lord of the m o u n t a i n s would find i t . Just as he

was g o i n g

to put this idea into

execution,

a mighty

w h i r l w i n d arose, while

clouds o f dust and withered

leaves flew about, and the children, who had caught

sight

o f

a

piece

o f

paper

which was

blown

hither

and

thither by

the

w i n d, r a n about for a long

while

after

i t . One of t he boys at l a s t caught i t , and as i t waa

such beautiful

white

paper he brought

i t

to

his f a t h e r .

Judge

t he a s t o n i s h m e n t o f t he father when

he

recognized his own bond, at

the

b o t t o m of which

was

written,

Eepaid

by

gratitude.

Nowmy benefactor knows that I h a ve honestly

kept my w o r d, and w i s hed to pa y my debt,

joyfully

cried

the peasant ;

and

that

i s

far better

t o me

t h a n

t he present of t he

money. But

n o o n e shall dare to

speak in mypresence ag ainst Rubezahl, for w i thout

him

I

should

now

be

sunken

in

poverty

and

distress.

And

now

he

wished t o g o t o the cart

and

return

home, but his wife

so earnestly

begged o f

him to

g o to

t he miserly cousins and shame

them

well for

their

unkindness.

When

they arrived in the v i l l a g e , they

were

no longer to

be

found. One w a s

dead, and

t he


49/259

38 THE LOAN.

other wa s driven

a w a y

f r o m h i s

house

f o r

s o m e

fraud

which he

ha d

committed. B ut our peasant remained

industrious

a n d

simple-hearted,

leading

a

q u i e t ,

contented

l i f e , a n d always helping

h i s

neighbours in

d i s t r e s s , s o that he became m o r e a n d m o r e beloved

a n d honoured by

a l l who

knew him,

while h i s

pros

p e r i t y increased

;

a n d

h i s

descendants s t i l l

dwell in

the

mountains.


50/259

WxM

S k f o a r f c

(HERE was o nce a k n i g h t w h o, by

sudden

death,

l o s t

b o t h his wife

and

c h i l d . This made him so miserable

that the w o r l d n o longer afforded him

any

pleasure. He

was

very

desolate

in hi s c a t t l e .

I f he rode o ut to hunt,

the

forest

seemed

to o

n a r r o w for him ; w i n e s did n o t exhilarate him ;

and he

shut his ears to t he co mf or tin g words o f

his relations. At l a s t he resolved to

leave

his home for a f ew years ; so he f i l l e d hi s purse

w i t h gold, ordered his faithful servant to saddle his

horse,

and

delivered

up

hi s

estate

to

his

steward,

Lutz,

and then he

set

o f f on

his

journey.

While t he k n i g h t

had

ruled his do m i n i o n s, his

villagers and retainers

had

led

a

happy

l i f e , but

now i t was changed. The s tewar d, Lutz, com

manded t he older people of the

village

which belonged

to

the

castle

to

appear

before

him,

and

then

he

told

them that

f r o m

that t i m e they

w e re

to pay double

tribute, and that they must work for him f i v e days

in

t he

week,

instead

o f three.

Then

he told

them

t o depart, w i th ou t listening to their

remonstrances.

F o r t he f i r s t t i m e t he people saw what a wicked


51/259

40 THE

WICKED STEWARD.

man the steward (who

ha d

been s o humble t o a l l

when the knight w a s a t home) r e a l l y w a s . When

they reached the c a s t l e d o o r , they looked sadly at

each o t h e r , a n d shook hands with heavy h e a r t s , and

then they a l l went t h e i r way t o t e l l the sad news t o

the o t h e r s . The w o m e n , when they heard i t , wept

a n d lamented, a n d the men were a n g r y a n d indig

n a n t ;

but

they

determined

t o wait

q u i e t l y

a

l i t t l e

w h i l e , a nd s e e wha t

would

c o me

of i t .

And they co m me nced a s usual t o w o r k i n the

steward's grounds f o r three d a y s , a n d o n the fourth

d a y , considering that they ha d done enough, they

began t o w o r k i n t h e i r own f i e l d s . B ut i n

the

middle

of

the

day

came

the

s t e w a r d ,

Lutz,

with

a

number of a r m ed men, i n t o

the

v i l l a g e , a n d drove

the

p e a s a n t s ,

heavily

f l o g g i n g

them, i n t o the

f i e l d s

belonging t o the

c a s t l e .

He threatened a l s o to

punish them s e v e r e l y

i f

he

again found

them d i s

obedient ;

a n d

when they

desired t o

s e e

h i s

autho

r i t y f o r

demanding

such

unreasonable

t h i n g s ,

he

r a i s e d

h i s

sword, a n d s a i d , See

here i s authority

enough f o r you.

So

the

poor peasants were

compelled

t o neglect

t h e i r f i e l d s ; a n d then happened soon enough w h a t

they f e a r e d .

Neglecting

the c u l t i v a t i o n o f

their

g r o u nd

rendered

them

unable

t o

pa y

t h e i r

former

t r i b u t e , a n d e s p e c i a l l y

now

that i t w a s doubled.

S o the aged men went t o the

s t e w a r d ,

a n d

begged

him o n t h e i r krees t o r e t r a c t h i s harsh c o m m a n d s .

B ut Lutz hunted them with a whip out of

the

c a s t l e . I t w a s heartrending t o s e e the old

men


52/259

THE

WICKED STEWARD.

41

w i t h

their whi te silvery hairs so u n k i n dl y treated.

When

the

peasants

we re

n o t

able

to

f u l f i l

these

un

merciful

commands,

and the t i m e came to pay and

they

had no

money,

t he ha r d-hea r t ed Lutz

t o o k

their

c a t t l e

from them

to pa y himself in that

w a y .

At

this a young pea s a n t accused the s t e w a r d o f

dealing

wickedly

; Lutz

made

his

servants

s e i z e

him

and

b i nd

him

f a s t

to

t he

t a i l

o f

his

horse,

and

he

was led to

the

c a s t l e , and

thrown

into a

d a r k

dun ge o n,

where

pois on ous

worms and toads crawled

about. When

this was known

in the v i l l a g e ,

a l l

t he peasants

g r o a n e d and

lamented, but

most

o f

a l l

Anna,

the

bride

of t he

young c o u n t r y m a n , who

had

drawn

down

the

steward's

vengeance

upon

him

s e l f . No

o n e

could console her, and s he wandered

cryin g into

t he

forest There

s he met a

t a l l knight,

who

was

clothed

from head to foot

in

glittering

s t e e l . Anna s h r a n k

back at the unexpected a p

pearance ;

but

when t he rider

( f o r he was on horse

back)

l i f t e d

his

v i s o r ,

and

s he

saw

a

noble,

manly

cou n te n a nce

looking

kindly

at her,

s he g a i n ed

courage.

Why

do

you weep, my

child?

a s k ed he, in

such

a sweet

t o n e

that Anna f e l t wonderfully

c o m f o r t ed; and s he opened

her

whole heart,

and

told

him

t he

history

o f

the

s t e w a r d

from

be g i n n i n g to

end. The

k n i g h t listened to i t

attentively, and

then

he

told her

to c a l l a l l

t he

elders

from

t he v i l l a g e , while he would

w a i t

for

them

at t he cha pel before the

c a s t l e .

Anna hastened to

obey his

command,

and, before

D


53/259

42 THE WICKED

STEWABD.

the hour glass had been twice turned,

a l l

were at

t he

appointed

s p o t .

Dear friends,

began

t he steel-clad k n i g h t, I

have heard o f the

w ic kedness

o f Lutz t o w a r d s y ou,

and as I am a wandering knight, ever fig ht in g

against

wrong and succouring t he oppressed, I will

also give you y ou r r ig ht s a ga in . G o , c a l l y ou r young

men

together,

that

I

may

lead

them to

s t o r m t he

steward's c a s t l e .

How was

i t that such w i se

and

s a ge o ld

men

should i m medi a tely

place such

implicit

faith in

t he

s t r a n ge horseman ? But

i t

seemed t o

them

as

though

they must obey him, and they hastened into t he

village

to

make

known

t he

knight's

intention.

Then old

and

young t o o k up a r m s , even i f they

were o nl y staves and hayforks,

and

they

has

tened to t he chapel,

where

the k n i g h t was a w a i t

i n g

them. None

who

were able to s w i n g a cudgel

r e m a i n e d

behind.

When

a l l

t he villagers were

a s se mbled

the

rider

glanced

over

t he mult i tude,

and

then s a i d ,

I f

you

h av e

any

cou r a ge in y ou r hearts, f oll ow

me in perfeet confidence. I will

conquer

the

castle

for

you,

and

treat the s t e w a r d as he deserves. But

whoever i s

afraid

l e t him stay at

home.

Then

t he

peasants

shouted,

and

c r i e d ,

Lead

us so they hastened t o w a r d s t he c a s t l e , the

knight, in his glittering

a r m o u r ,

at t he head o f hi s

br a ve

troop.

When

they

had

reached t he c a s t l e

t he

knight

. c a l l e d

o ut to

Lutz,

in a voice o f thunder, to

show


54/259

THE WICKED STEWARD. 43

himself upon t he ramparts. The s t e w a r d

imme

diately

appeared,

merely

from

curiosity,

and

he

l o o k e d maliciously down

upon the

knight, who c r i e d ,

Surrender, Lutz

and

do

n o t

hesitate longer

than

i t will

t a ke

for

twelve grains

ip run t h r o u g h

t he

hour

glass.

Oh, how t he s t e w a r d

mocked and

laughed a t

them

He

called

the

k n i g h t

a

r o v i n g

t h i e f ,

and

t he peasants

criminals,

escaped

from t he

gallows.

Then

he

disappeared

in a g reat passion,

and

com

manded his servants to drive

the

mob

away

f r o m t he

postern.

Then there came a s h o w e r o f a r r o w s down

upon the

peasants.

But, oh, how

w o nder ful

—he

dea dly i n st r um en t s

m i s s e d

their

ai m,

and at

t he

same moment t he stranger k n i g h t raised his im

mense battle-axe,

and

clove the d o o r o f the

c a s t l e

w i t h

o n e stroke. High in t he a i r

he

waved

his

powerful sw ord, and rushed in ; extr a ordi na ry

coura ge

seized t he

peasants,

and,

shouting loudly,

they

followed

him.

In

v a i n

was

a l l

opposition

f r o m

t he steward's men. The battle-axe destroyed their

r a n k s like lightning, and they t h r e w

their

arms

away and begged

for mercy. The s t e w a r d had

hidden himself, but he

was

s o o n found, for his own

people betrayed him.

When

t he young peasant

had

been

released

f r o m

his

dun ge o n,

t he

steward's

servants w e re banished f r o m t he p l a c e .

Af ter

this

t he

k n i g h t

drew f o r th a document

which cont ai ned

news

o f t he death of

the

lord o f

the c a s t l e , who had bequeathed his pos

Documents

The Spirit of the Giant Mountains Rubezahl