START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EVENING TALES*** E-text prepared by Larry B. Harrison, David Edwards, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/cu31924027805864 EVENING TALES Done into English from the French of FRÃDÃRIC ORTOLI by Joel Chandler Harris Author of "Uncle Remus" Authorized Edition New York Charles Scribner's Sons 1919 Copyright, 1893, by Charles Scribner's Sons CONTENTS I PAGE A FRENCH TAR-BABY, 1 II TEENCHY DUCK, 13 III MR. SNAIL AND BROTHER WOLF, 34 IV THE LION'S SECRET, 39 V THE KING AND THE LAPWINGS, 64 VI THE ROOSTER, THE CAT, AND THE REAP-HOOK, 75 VII THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, 101 VIII BROTHER TIGER AND DADDY SHEEP, 109 IX "JUMP IN MY SACK!" 128 X A SEARCH FOR A FRIEND, 155 XI A CHILD OF THE ROSES, 163 XII THE KING OF THE LIONS, 189 XIII THE VIZIER, THE MONKEY, THE LION, AND THE SERPENT, 198 XIV THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS, 222 XV LOONY JOHN, 261 INTRODUCTION Once upon a time Mr. Wendell P. Garrison, the literary editor of _The Nation_, sent me a picture he had found in a catalogue of French books. It represented a very interesting scene. There were the Tar-Baby and Brother Rabbit as natural as life; but Brother Fox was missing. His place had been supplied by Brother Billy Goat, whose formidable horns and fierce beard seemed to add to the old episode a new danger for poor Brother Rabbit. The picture was an advertisement of _Les Contes de la VeillÃ©e_, by FrÃ©dÃ©ric Ortoli. After a while the book itself came to hand, forwarded no doubt by some thoughtful American tourist who had been interested in the Tar-Baby in French. The volume was examined, and in some sort relished, laid aside for future reference, and then forgotten. But one night after supper the children of the household were suddenly missing. There was no romping going on in the hall. There were no voices to be heard on the lawn. There was no rippit taking place in the bedrooms. What could the matter be? Had the storm-centre moved in the direction of our innocent neighbors? The silence was so unusual that it created a sudden sense of loneliness. But the investigation that followed showed that the youngsters had merely made a temporary surrender of their privileges. Their mother was reading to them some of the stories in M. Ortoli's book, and they were listening with an interest that childhood can neither affect nor disguise. I begged permission to make one of the audience. "But you have writing to do," said one of the lads. "It will disturb you," said one of the girls. Nevertheless, the lady, who was and is the centre of this family circle, graciously made room for one more listener; and thus it happens that this little volume of M. Ortoli's stories is in the nature of a family affair. The lady, for the benefit of the intruder, was pleased to go over the stories again, and to read them more slowly, and thus they were put in their present form. Most frequently I have preserved the swift and piquant rendering, the fluent interpretation that fell from the lady's lips. My apologies are perhaps due to M. Ortoli for a certain freedom of treatment that has been deemed necessary in some of the stories. I trust this has not been carried too far; but in some instances it has been necessary to English the characters and incidents as well as the text. Nevertheless, an effort has been made to preserve something of the individuality of M. Ortoli, and I think that at least the flavor of it will be found in the stories that follow. J. C. H. WEST END, ATLANTA, GA. EVENING TALES I A FRENCH TAR-BABY In the time when there were hobgoblins and fairies, Brother Goat and Brother Rabbit lived in the same neighborhood, not far from each other. Proud of his long beard and sharp horns, Brother Goat looked on Brother Rabbit with disdain. He would hardly speak to Brother Rabbit when he met him, and his greatest pleasure was to make his little neighbor the victim of his tricks and practical jokes. For instance, he would say: "Brother Rabbit, here is Mr. Fox," and this would cause Brother Rabbit to run away as hard as he could. Again he would say: "Brother Rabbit, here is Mr. Wolf," and poor Brother Rabbit would shake and tremble with fear. Sometimes he would cry out: "Brother Rabbit, here is Mr. Tiger," and then Brother Rabbit would shudder and think that his last hour had come. Tired of this miserable existence, Brother Rabbit tried to think of some means by which he could change his powerful and terrible neighbor into a friend. After a time, he thought he had discovered a way to make Brother Goat his friend, and so he invited him to dinner. Brother Goat was quick to accept the invitation. The dinner was a fine affair, and there was an abundance of good eating. A great many different dishes were served. Brother Goat licked his mouth and shook his long beard with satisfaction. He had never before been present at such a feast. "Well, my friend," exclaimed Brother Rabbit, when the dessert was brought in, "how do you like your dinner?" "I could certainly wish for nothing better," replied Brother Goat, rubbing the tips of his horns against the back of his chair; "but my throat is very dry and a little water would hurt neither the dinner nor me." "Gracious!" said Brother Rabbit, "I have neither wine-cellar nor water. I am not in the habit of drinking while I am eating." "Neither have I any water, Brother Rabbit," said Brother Goat. "But I have an idea! If you will go with me over yonder by the big poplar, we will dig a well." "No, Brother Goat," said Brother Rabbit, who hoped to revenge himselfâ"no, I do not care to dig a well. At daybreak I drink the dew from the cups of the flowers, and in the heat of the day I milk the cows and drink the cream." "Well and good," said Brother Goat. "Alone I will dig the well, and alone I will drink out of it." "Success to you, Brother Goat," said Brother Rabbit. "Thank you kindly, Brother Rabbit." Brother Goat then went to the foot of the big poplar and began to dig his well. He dug with his forefeet and with his horns, and the well got deeper and deeper. Soon the water began to bubble up and the well was finished, and then Brother Goat made haste to quench his thirst. He was in such a hurry that his beard got in the water, but he drank and drank until he had his fill. Brother Rabbit, who had followed him at a little distance, hid himself behind a bush and laughed heartily. He said to himself: "What an innocent creature you are!" The next day, when Brother Goat, with his big beard and sharp horns, returned to his well to get some water, he saw the tracks of Brother Rabbit in the soft earth. This put him to thinking. He sat down, pulled his beard, scratched his head, and tapped himself on the forehead. "My friend," he exclaimed after a while, "I will catch you yet." Then he ran and got his tools (for Brother Goat was something of a carpenter in those days) and made a large doll out of laurel wood. When the doll was finished, he spread tar on it here and there, on the right and on the left, and up and down. He smeared it all over with the sticky stuff, until it was as black as a Guinea negro. This finished, Brother Goat waited quietly until evening. At sunset he placed the tarred doll near the well, and ran and hid himself behind the trees and bushes. The moon had just risen, and the heavens twinkled with millions of little star-torches. Brother Rabbit, who was waiting in his house, believed that the time had come for him to get some water, so he took his bucket and went to Brother Goat's well. On the way he was very much afraid that something would catch him. He trembled when the wind shook the leaves of the trees. He would go a little distance and then stop and listen; he hid here behind a stone, and there behind a tuft of grass. At last he arrived at the well, and there he saw the little negro. He stopped and looked at it with astonishment. Then he drew back a little way, advanced again, drew back, advanced a little, and stopped once more. "What can that be?" he said to himself. He listened, with his long ears pointed forward, but the trees could not talk, and the bushes were dumb. He winked his eyes and lowered his head: "Hey, friend! who are you?" he asked. The tar-doll didn't move. Brother Rabbit went up a little closer, and asked again: "Who are you?" The tar-doll said nothing. Brother Rabbit breathed more at ease. Then he went to the brink of the well, but when he looked in the water the tar-doll seemed to look in too. He could see her reflection in the water. This made Brother Rabbit so mad that he grew red in the face. "See here!" he exclaimed, "if you look in this well I'll give you a rap on the nose!" Brother Rabbit leaned over the brink of the well, and saw the tar-doll smiling at him in the water. He raised his right hand and hit herâbam! His hand stuck. "What's this?" exclaimed Brother Rabbit. "Turn me loose, imp of Satan! If you do not, I will rap you on the eye with my other hand." Then he hit herâbim! The left hand stuck also. Then Brother Rabbit raised his right foot, saying: "Mark me well, little Congo! Do you see this foot? I will kick you in the stomach if you do not turn me loose this instant." No sooner said than done. Brother Rabbit let fly his right footâvip! The foot stuck, and he raised the other. "Do you see this foot?" he exclaimed. "If I hit you with it, you will think a thunderbolt has struck you." Then he kicked her with the left foot, and it also stuck like the other, and Brother Rabbit held fast his Guinea negro. "Watch out, now!" he cried. "I've already butted a great many people with my head. If I butt you in your ugly face I'll knock it into a jelly. Turn me loose! Oho! you don't answer?" Bap! "Guinea girl!" exclaimed Brother Rabbit, "are you dead? Gracious goodness! how my head does stick!" When the sun rose, Brother Goat went to his well to find out something about Brother Rabbit. The result was beyond his expectations. "Hey, little rogue, big rogue!" exclaimed Brother Goat. "Hey, Brother Rabbit! what are you doing there? I thought you drank the dew from the cups of the flowers, or milk from the cows. Aha, Brother Rabbit! I will punish you for stealing my water." "I am your friend," said Brother Rabbit; "don't kill me." "Thief, thief!" cried Brother Goat, and then he ran quickly into the woods, gathered up a pile of dry limbs, and made a great fire. He took Brother Rabbit from the tar-doll, and prepared to burn him alive. As he was passing a thicket of brambles with Brother Rabbit on his shoulders, Brother Goat met his daughter BÃ©lÃ©die, who was walking about in the fields. "Where are you going, papa, muffled up with such a burden? Come and eat the fresh grass with me, and throw wicked Brother Rabbit in the brambles." Cunning Brother Rabbit raised his long ears and pretended to be very much frightened. "Oh, no, Brother Goat!" he cried. "Don't throw me in the brambles. They will tear my flesh, put out my eyes, and pierce my heart. Oh, I pray you, rather throw me in the fire." "Aha, little rogue, big rogue! Aha, Brother Rabbit!" exclaimed Brother Goat, exultingly, "you don't like the brambles? Well, then, go and laugh in them," and he threw Brother Rabbit in without a feeling of pity. Brother Rabbit fell in the brambles, leaped to his feet, and began to laugh. "Ha-ha-ha! Brother Goat, what a simpleton you are!âha-ha-ha! A better bed I never had! In these brambles I was born!" Brother Goat was in despair, but he could not help himself. Brother Rabbit was safe. A long beard is not always a sign of intelligence. II TEENCHY DUCK Once upon a time there lived in a village in some country (I do not know where, but certainly nowhere near here), an old man and an old woman who were very poor indeed. They had never been able to save a single penny. They had no farm, not even a garden. They had nothing but a little Duck that walked around on her two feet every day, singing the song of famine. "Quack! quack! Who will give me a piece of bread? Quack! quack! Who will give me a piece of bread?" This little Duck was so small that she was named Teenchy Duck. It so happened one day that Teenchy Duck was paddling in the water near the river's edge when she saw a fine purse filled with gold. At once she began to flap her wings and cry: "Quack! quack! Who has lost his beautiful money? Quack! quack! Who has lost his beautiful money?" Just at that moment the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows passed along the road. He was richer than all the kings and emperors, but he was mean and miserly. He walked along with a stick in his hand, and as he walked he counted in his mind the millions that he had stored away in his strong-box. "Quack! quack! Who lost his beautiful money? Quack! quack! Who lost his beautiful money?" cried Teenchy Duck. "I have lost it," brazenly exclaimed the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, and then he seized the purse full of money that Teenchy Duck held in her bill, and went on his way. The poor Puddle Duck was so astonished at this that she could scarcely stand on her feet. "Well, well!" she exclaimed, "that rich lord has kept all for himself and given me nothing. May he be destroyed by a pestilence!" Teenchy Duck at once ran to her master, and told him what had happened. When her master learned the value of what Teenchy Duck had found, and the trick that had been played on her by the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, he went into a violent rage. "Why, you big simpleton!" he exclaimed, "you find money and you do not bring it to us? You give it to a big lord, who did not lose it, when we poor people need it, so much. Go out of this house instantly, and don't dare to come back until you have brought me the purse of gold!" Unfortunate Teenchy Duck trembled in all her limbs, and made herself small and humble; but she found voice to say: "You are right, my master! I go at once to find the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows." But once out of doors the poor Puddle Duck thought to herself sorrowfully: "How and where can I find the Prince who was so mean as to steal the beautiful money?" Teenchy Duck was so bewildered that she began to strike her head against the rocks in despair. Suddenly an idea came into her mind. She would follow his tracks, and the marks that his walking-stick made in the ground until she came to the castle of the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows. No sooner thought than done. Teenchy Duck went waddling down the road in the direction taken by the miserly Prince, crying, with all her might: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money! Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" Brother Fox, who was taking his ease a little way from the road, heard Teenchy Duck's cries, and knew her voice. He went to her and said: "What in the world is the matter with you, my poor Teenchy Duck? You look sad and broken-hearted." "I have good reason to be," said Teenchy Duck. "This morning, while paddling in the river, I found a purse full of gold, and gave it to the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, thinking it was his. But now, here comes my master and asks me for it, and says he will kill me if I do not bring it to him pretty soon." "Well, where are you going in this style?" asked Brother Fox. "I am going straight to the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows," said Teenchy Duck. "Shall I go with you?" asked Brother Fox. "I'd be only too glad if you would," exclaimed Teenchy Duck. "But how can I go?" said Brother Fox. "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy Duck, "and I'll carry you the best I know how." "It isn't big enough," said Brother Fox. "It will stretch," said Teenchy Duck. So Brother Fox got in the satchel, and Teenchy Duck went waddling along the road, crying: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" She had not gone far when she met Brother Wolf, who was passing that way. "What are you crying so for?" he inquired. "One would think you were going to die on the journey." "It is only too true," said Teenchy Duck, and then she told Brother Wolf about finding the money-purse, just as she had told Brother Fox. "Perhaps I can be of some service to you," said Brother Wolf. "Shall I go with you?" "I am willing," said Teenchy Duck. "But how can I go so far?" Brother Wolf asked. "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy Duck, "and I'll carry you as I can." "It is too small," said Brother Wolf. "It will stretch mightily," said Teenchy Duck. Then Brother Wolf went to keep company with Brother Fox. Teenchy Duck went on her way again. She didn't walk very fast, for her satchel was heavy; but she never ceased crying: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money." Now it happened, as she was going along, she came up with a Ladder, which said, without asking after her health: "My poor Teenchy Duck! You do not seem to be very happy." "I should think not!" exclaimed Teenchy Duck. "What can the matter be?" the Ladder asked. Teenchy Duck then told her story over again. "I am not doing anything at present," said the Ladder; "shall I go with you?" "Yes," said Teenchy Duck. "But how can I go, I who never walk?" inquired the Ladder. "Why, get in my satchel," said Teenchy Duck, "and I'll carry you the best I know how." The Ladder was soon in the satchel with Brother Fox and Brother Wolf, and Teenchy Duck went on her way, following the tracks of the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows, and always crying: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" Going along and crying thus, Teenchy Duck came to her best and oldest friend, the River. "What are you doing here?" said the River, in astonishment, "and why are you crying so? When I saw you this morning you seemed to be very happy." "Ah!" said Teenchy Duck, "would you believe it? I have not eaten since yesterday." "And why not?" asked the sympathetic River. "You saw me find the purse of gold," said Teenchy Duck, "and you saw the Prince seize it. Ah, well! my master will kill me if I do not get it and return it to him." "Sometimes," the River replied, "a little help does a great deal of good. Shall I go with you?" "I should be very happy," said Teenchy Duck. "But how can I follow youâI that have no limbs?" said the River. "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy Duck. "I'll carry you as I can." Then the River got in the satchel by the side of the other friends of Teenchy Duck. She went on her journey, keeping her eyes on the ground, so as not to lose sight of the tracks of the thief, but still crying for her beautiful money. On her way she came to a Bee-Hive, which had a mind to laugh because Teenchy Duck was carrying such a burden. "Hey, my poor Teenchy Duck! What a big, fat satchel you have there!" said the Bee-Hive. "I'm not in the humor for joking, my dear," said Teenchy Duck. "Why are you so sad?" "I have been very unfortunate, good little people," said Teenchy Duck, addressing herself to the Bees, and then she told her story. "Shall we go with you?" asked the Bees. "Yes, yes!" exclaimed Teenchy Duck. "In these days of sorrow I stand in need of friends." "How shall we follow you?" asked the Bees. "Get in my satchel," said Teenchy Duck. "I'll carry you the best I know how." Then the Bees shook their wings for joy and swarmed into the satchel along with the other friends of Teenchy Duck. She resumed her journey, always crying for the return of her beautiful money. She walked and walked without stopping to rest a moment, until her legs almost refused to carry her. At last, just as night was coming on, Teenchy Duck saw with joy that the tracks of the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows stopped at the iron gate that barred the way to a splendid castle. "Ah!" she exclaimed, "I have arrived at my journey's end, and I have no need to knock on the gate. I will creep under." Teenchy Duck entered the grounds and cried out: "Quack! quack! Give me my beautiful money!" The Prince heard her and laughed scornfully. How could a poor Teenchy Duck compel a great lord to return the purse of gold? Teenchy Duck continued to cry: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" It was night, and the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows ordered one of his servants to take Teenchy Duck and shut her up in the hennery with the turkeys, the geese, and the chickens, thinking that these fowls would kill the stranger, and that her disagreeable song would forever be at an end. This order was immediately carried out by the servant, but no sooner had Teenchy Duck entered the hennery than she exclaimed: "Brother Fox, if you do not come to my assistance I am lost!" Brother Fox came out of the satchel promptly, and worked so well at his trade that of all the fowls he found there not one remained alive. At break of day the servant-girl, whose business it was to attend to the poultry-yard, opened the door of the hennery, and was astounded to see Teenchy Duck come out, singing the same old song: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" The astonished girl immediately ran and told her master, the Prince, what had happened, and the wife of the Prince, who had at that moment learned all, said to her husband: "This Duck is a Witch. Give her the money, or it will bring us bad luck." The Prince of the Seven Golden Cows refused to listen to any advice. He believed that the fox had only happened to enter his hennery by accident. Teenchy Duck made herself heard all day, and at night the Prince said to his servants: "Take this squaller and throw her in the stable under the feet of the mules and horses. We will see in the morning what she will say." The servants obeyed, and Teenchy Duck immediately cried: "Brother Wolf, if you do not come quickly to my aid I shall be killed." Brother Wolf made no delay, and it was not long before he had destroyed the horses and the mules. Next morning, before day, the servants went to get the animals to put them to the ploughs and wagons; but when they saw them lying dead their astonishment was indescribable. In the stable Teenchy Duck stood alone, singing, in her most beautiful voice: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" When the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows heard of this disaster he became white with rage, and in his fury he wanted to give his servants a thousand lashes for not having taken necessary precautions against the Wolf. But his wife calmed him little by little, saying: "My husband, give back to Teenchy Duck this purse you have taken, or else we shall be ruined." "No," cried the Prince, "she shall never have it!" All this time Teenchy Duck was promenading up and down, to the right and to the left, singing, at the top of her voice: "Quack! quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" "Heavens!" said the Prince, stopping his ears, "I am tired of hearing this ugly fowl squall and squawk. Quick! throw her in the well or the furnace, so that we may be rid of her." "What shall we do first?" the servants asked. "It matters not," said the Prince, "so long as we are rid of her." The servants took Teenchy Duck and threw her in the well, thinking this the easiest and the quickest way to dispose of her. As Teenchy Duck was falling, she cried: "Come to my assistance, good Ladder, or I am undone." The Ladder immediately came out of the satchel, and leaned against the walls of the well. Teenchy Duck came up the rounds, singing: "Quack, quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" Everybody was astonished, and the Prince's wife kept saying: "Give this witch her money." "They would say that I am afraid of a Teenchy Duck," said the Prince of the Seven Golden Cows. "I will never give it up." Then, speaking to his servants, he said: "Heat the oven; heat it to a white heat, and throw this witch in." The servants were compelled to obey, but they were so frightened that none dared touch her. At last, one bolder than the rest seized her by the end of the wing and threw her in the red-hot oven. Everybody thought that this was the end of Teenchy Duck, but she had had time to cry out: "Oh, my dear friend River, come to my assistance, or I shall be roasted." The River rushed out and quenched the fire and cooled the oven. When the Prince went to see what was left of Teenchy Duck, she met him, and began to repeat her familiar refrain: "Quack, quack! Give me back my beautiful money!" The Prince of the Seven Golden Cows was furious. "You are all blockheads!" he cried to his servants. "You never knew how to do anything. Get out of here! I will drive you off the place! Hereafter I will take charge of this fiend myself." That night, before retiring, the Prince and his wife went and got Teenchy Duck, and prepared to give her such a beating as they had no doubt would cause her death. Fortunately, Teenchy Duck saw the danger and cried out: "Friend Bees! come out and help me." A buzzing sound was heard, and then the Bees swarmed on the Prince and his wife, and stung them so terribly that they became frightful to behold. "Return the money to this ugly witch," groaned the unfortunate wife. "Run, or we are done for." The Prince did not wait to be told twice. He ran and got the purse full of gold, and returned it to Teenchy Duck. "Here," said he, "I am conquered. But get out of my grounds quickly." Full of joy, Teenchy Duck went out into the road singing: "Quack, quack! I have got my beautiful money! Quack, quack! Here is my beautiful money!" On her way home she returned the friends that had aided her to the places where she had found them, thanking them kindly for their assistance in time of need. At break of day Teenchy Duck found herself at her master's door. She aroused him by her loud cries. After that, the family was rich, but the master and mistress were not happy, for they knew the money did not belong to them. Teenchy Duck was well taken care of, and grew to be large and fat. If she went to the village pond at all, it was only to take a bath with her comrades and to tell a certain Duck of her remarkable exploit of recovering the beautiful money. III MR. SNAIL AND BROTHER WOLF One night, in the season when the hawthorn flowers were blooming and perfuming the air, Brother Wolf came out of the woods, and ran down the hill in a brisk gallop. A little Snail saw Brother Wolfâa little Snail, who, to accommodate himself, carried his house on his back and his horns on his head. He was a very funny little Snail; and, as Brother Wolf was passing, he laughed aloudâ "Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he!" Hearing this, Brother Wolf paused, turned around, and said: "Why do you laugh, little Snail?" "Why do I laugh?" exclaimed Mr. Snail. "Yes," said Brother Wolf. "Do you see anything ridiculous about me?" "No, Brother Wolf," said Mr. Snail; "on the contrary, you make a very fine appearance. You have on your Sunday clothes, and you are handsome indeed. No, Brother Wolf, you are not at all ridiculous." "Why, then, this laughter?" inquired Brother Wolf. "Answer me at once, for I am in a hurry. Speak this instant, or it will not be well for you." "Do not get angry, Brother Wolf; it is not worth while. I only laughed to see you running so fast when neither dogs nor men were pursuing you. Where are you going in such a hurry?" "I am going to the city," said Brother Wolf. "To the city?" exclaimed Mr. Snail. "What do you propose to do there?" "I want to see my brother, who is sick in the menagerie. He has written me to come to him." "That is very queer," said Mr. Snail. "I am going to the city also." "Bosh!" exclaimed Brother Wolf, contemptuously. "Hens will have teeth and sows side-pockets before you get there." Mr. Snail felt himself somewhat insulted at Brother Wolf's remark, and replied: "I do not know how long it takes a hen to have teeth; but one thing I do know, and that is, that I will arrive in the city before you do." "You have no legs, and you carry your house on your back," said Brother Wolf; "how will you manage to get there?" "Don't trouble about that," said Mr. Snail. "My house is mine, and I do not need legs. I will be in the city before you." "You make me very tired with your talk," said Brother Wolf. "If you are not joking, let us wager a breakfast that you do not get there firstâthat is, if you are not joking." "Very well, then," said Mr. Snail, "let it be a breakfast. I even give you three jumps in advance, and after that you may gallop." While Brother Wolf was making ready for the start, Mr. Snail crawled up on his tail. When the signal was given, the Wolf hurried on, going very rapidly and without a moment's rest. He arrived in the city the next day; but found the gates closed. Brother Wolf knocked very hard, and waited for some one to come and admit him. During this time Mr. Snail dropped on the ground and climbed on the wall. "Is that you, my friend?" he exclaimed. "I have been waiting for you a long time. I am hungry now, and want my breakfast." IV THE LION'S SECRET Once upon a time there were two brothers, who were orphans. The oldest was named Mahobane and the youngest Lovallec. These unfortunate children had been beggars since they were six years of age. They went from house to house and from village to village, on mountains and in valleys, but wherever they went their cry was the same: "Good friends! give us alms! Kind friends! help the unfortunate!" Their lot was a hard one, even as children, but it was harder as they grew older, for when the oldest was twenty they discovered that they had only succeeded, after all their efforts, in keeping soul and body together. Finally, one day, Mahobane exclaimed: "I know what I shall do to make a great deal of money in a very short time." "What is it?" cried Lovallec. "One of us," said the eldest, "will have to become blind and lead the other by the hand, going from house to house and along the public highways asking for alms from the people and from the travellers." "You are right," said Lovallec, "but, alas! neither one of us is blind." "It will be easy enough," said the other, "to become so." "How can that be?" asked Lovallec. "Oh, easy enough," said the elder. "One of us will have to put out his eyes." "Oh, no!" exclaimed the younger; "that would make one of us suffer too much." "Ah," said Mahobane, to the younger, "you are timid, you are tender-hearted: What is a little suffering in comparison with the happy times we should have? the soft beds we should sleep in, the fine meats that will be offered us, and the good wines we have not tasted in so long? But it does not follow that you are to be blind," continued Mahobane; "the lot may fall to me instead of you." "So be it," said the younger; "let us draw straws." Mahobane prepared the straws, and arranged very cleverly to cheat his younger brother. He had no sooner carried his point than he put out his brother's eyes with a thorn. Lovallec screamed loudly under the pain of this operation, but the only sympathy he got from his cruel brother was this: "Cry louder, my brother! cry louder! for here the people are passing, and when they behold your condition they will give us money." It was even so. Silver and pennies fell into the wooden bowl they carried, and this success was continued for more than a year. Then a wicked thought entered the head of Mahobane, the eldest, and he made up his mind to get rid of his unfortunate brother. So one day he carried him into the great forest and left him to wander alone and find his way out as best he could; but, being blind, this he was unable to do. "Where am I, my dear brother? Where are you?" But there was no answer to his heart-rending cries. The cowardly brother, who had deserted him, was already far away. It was long before Lovallec, the blind one, would believe that his brother could be cruel enough to desert him. He called and cried for the absent brother, but the only answer he heard was in the mocking echoes. Night came, and he was tired, hungry, and thirsty. Despair seized him and he continued his lamentations. "Ah, my brother! my brother! how cruel you have been to forsake me! Is it my fate to die of hunger at the foot of this tree, or become the prey of the ravenous beasts that roam through this forest? No! Better a thousand times that I should die at once." With this the unfortunate brother climbed the tree, at the foot of which he found himself, groping his way up the trunk, and was preparing to throw himself to the ground to end his existence then and there, when he heard in the forest, near at hand, the terrible roaring of a lion. At this sound the leaves and branches of the tree trembled, and the blind unfortunate paused. The roaring of the Lion, as it seemed, was a call to the Wolf, who soon made his appearance at the foot of the tree. "You are late, Wolf!" exclaimed the Lion; "where do you come from?" "I have been at Offemborough," said the Wolf, "where I have tasted human flesh. There everyone is dying of thirst, and the people are too weak to protect themselves. That is why I am late." At this the Lion laughed heartily. "I know," said he, "how water can be procured for the inhabitants of this city." "But how can this be done?" the Wolf inquired. "It is easy enough," said the Lion, in his positive way; "take a small piece of the root of this very tree under which we are standing, and strike three times on the rock in the middle of the city, saying: "'Come, gentle Dew, from the skies, Refreshing Fountains rise, Oh, Rivers! greet men's eyes!' and immediately water, fresh and clear as crystal will flow, and it will flow in sufficient abundance to satisfy the needs of all." "You are wise," said the Wolf. "Can you not give me some other useful information?" "Yes," said the lion, "I can tell you a remedy that will cure all sorts of maladies and infirmities." "What is that?" said the Wolf. "To succeed in the art of medicine," said the Lion, shaking his mane and beard, "one has only to take the inner bark of this same tree, and apply it to the seat of the disease. For example, if one is blind, a portion of the inner bark of the tree would have to be applied to the eyes." "That is very strange," said the Wolf, "and I will remember it. But now tell me from whence you come: I have not seen you for many days." "I have just arrived from the city of the famous King, whose beautiful daughter now lies dangerously ill." "And how did the famous King's beautiful daughter come to be ill?" inquired the Wolf. "Well," said the Lion, "as I was passing over the mountain of Aventin, I met the King's daughter riding on a palfrey. She was smiling on all, and giving alms to every unfortunate she met. She was so beautiful, with her great blue eyes, and so simple and so good, that it made me lonely and lovesick, so I caused to be sent her a terrible malady which will consume her, and to-day she should be dying." "Do you think," said the Wolf, "that the inner bark of this tree would cure the sick princess?" "No," said the Lion. "It would not be sufficient in this case, for the princess has an evil spirit for an enemy, and she will have to be treated differently. To be cured, she must be given the blood of a frog mixed with muscadine wine, and the second day she must eat the frog's heart cooked in the juice of a fig." Here the Lion paused, and the Wolf inquired: "Have you no more good news for me, good friend?" "No," said the Lion. "Then good-by until next year," said the Wolf, "when we will meet at the same time and place." The Wolf and the Lion parted, each going his way through the forest. "So, then," exclaimed Lovallec, the blind man, who had been sitting in the tree, "I have not been deserted by Providence after all. These beasts have told me secrets that will surely be useful to me hereafter." The sun had arisen, and the birds began to sing. Lovallec came down from the tree and took a piece of the inner bark thereof and rubbed it on his eyes. Suddenly he found that his eyesight had been restored to him, and the happy man danced around in a transport of joy. He saw the skies, the birds, the flowers, and, above all, the sun. He was happy once more. He placed the bark in his bosom and pressed it there, after securing a quantity of the precious medicine. He did not forget, also, to procure a piece of the root of the tree, in order that he might be able to give water to the unfortunate inhabitants of Offemborough. After making these preparations the young man started on his journey. He travelled for many days and crossed many rivers. He was nearly at the end of his journey, but he was as poor now as when he started, and his clothes were in tatters. He had no money, but his riches were all in his heart. He met a priest. "Good-morning, parson," said he; "can I enjoy your hospitality?" "No," said the priest, "my house is too small and I have no place for you." He met the mayor. "Good-day, Mr. Mayor," Lovallec exclaimed, "will you give me something to eat?" "Go away, you tramp, or I will have you arrested this instant," cried the mayor. He met the lord of the castle. "Good-day," said the traveller. "I am cold, your lordship; can you give me some clothing to wearâsomething to hide my nakedness?" Then the lord of the castle called to his servants and directed them to give the beggar a hundred lashes, and the unfortunate young man was beat and left for dead on the way. A poor girl, passing by, saw him lying on the ground, and bent over him tenderly. Then she called assistance, and had him carried to her home, where she watched over him constantly, weeping and praying that he might recover. At last Lovallec recovered, and said to the young girl who had rescued him: "My guardian angel, what has happened since I have been ill? What is the news in the city?" "There is nothing new," said the young girl. "Every one is the victim of the water-famine." "What a misfortune!" cried the young man; "let us go at once to the relief of these poor people!" Although Lovallec was scarcely able to walk, he leaned on the arm of the young girl, and was preparing to go, when, all of a sudden, he remembered the pieces of bark he had secreted in his bosom. He took a portion of this, rubbed himself, and at once the pains in his limbs disappeared, and he was made whole again. The young girl was astonished at this sudden change, as well she might be, and her surprise continued until they had arrived in the centre of the great city. Once there, however, the young man recognized the rock that had been described by the Lion. Without loss of time he took the piece of the root of the tree that he had procured, and struck the rock three times, crying: "Come, gentle Dew, from the skies, Refreshing Fountains rise, Oh, Rivers! greet men's eyes!" At once there was a mysterious noise in the rock. It parted in twain, and the water gushed forth in an abundant supply. The news of this miracle spread abroad in the city, and the inhabitants came with their jugs and vessels to obtain a supply of water. All quenched their thirst, and were happy; they embraced each other and made ready for celebrating the event with festivities. They were so grateful that they could talk of nothing else but the miracle that had given them an abundance of water. But in the midst of their congratulations and rejoicings a voice rose above the tumult: "Friends, let us not be ungrateful. To whom do we owe this abundance of water that has given us renewed strength and life?" When Lovallec heard these words he made an effort to escape the notice of the crowd, but the young girl could not resist a desire to make him known to the people. She cried out: "Here is the saviour of Offemborough!" At this the young man was surrounded by the priest, the mayor, and the lord of the castle, and they wanted to carry him off in triumph. They offered him great sums of money as a reward for the service he had rendered them; but simple and modest as the young man was, he answered: "No, no! keep all your money. I will have none of that. I was without a shelter, and you drove me from your door; I was dying of hunger, and you refused me even the scraps that you fed to your dogs; I was shivering with cold, and all the clothing you gave me was a beating, and I was left for dead on the pavement. Ah! keep your honors; keep your money!" At these sad words, and, fearing that the young man would destroy the source of their water as quickly as he had discovered it, the men, women, and children fell on their knees before him and begged for mercy. He bade them rise, and he was weeping as he spoke: "Your kindness is my best revenge." Then the people asked Lovallec to make his home among them. "No! no!" he answered, "I have a great deal of good to do as I journey through the world, and those who are suffering cannot afford to wait." The people of Offemborough, however, persuaded him to accept a magnificent carriage and horses; they clothed him in fine linen and gave him money to go on his way. "When will you return to us?" inquired the people. "Very soon, perhaps, my friends," cried Lovallec, and with that his driver whipped up the horses, and the young man was soon lost to view. After so long a time, Lovallec, arriving at the city of the famous King, went immediately to the palace-door and knocked. "What will you have?" said the King, who went to the door. "Living in a far-off country I heard that your daughter is sick, and I have come to cure her." "Alas!" cried the King, "you have come in vain. All the great physicians of the world have exhausted their science in her behalf, and I am in despair." "You must have courage," said the young man; "your daughter will be cured in a few days." "Stranger," said the famous monarch, "if you can work such a wonderful miracle as this, all that I have is yours. The riches that will fall to you will be beyond computation. You shall have millions of gold pieces, a hundred towns and ten provinces shall be yours, and you may even command my crown if you succeed in curing my daughter." Then Lovallec thanked the famous King and said: "Leave me alone a little while, as it is necessary that I should gather some herbs that belong to the medicine which I desire to give your daughter." Then the famous King went weeping to his daughter's bedside. The young man went down into the garden and caught a frog, and went to the apartments that had been provided for him. "Quick!" he exclaimed to one of the servants, "bring me a knife and a plate and some green figs; and you," he said to another, "make a big fire, and don't forget to fetch a frying-pan." Everything was ready in a short time, and Lovallec went to work, having first made sure that there was nobody near to watch him. He first killed the frog and mixed its blood with muscadine wine. Then he took out the heart, and cooked it as the Lion had said. This mixture prepared, the young man went before the King's daughter. "Powerful princess!" he exclaimed, "drink of this wine, for it is renewed life that I give you." The princess drank one swallow, and immediately pushed the cup from her. "I am poisoned!" she cried; "I feel that I am dying." "Drink, princess, drink!" exclaimed the young man, "for it is an evil spirit that possesses you." Then the young girl took the rest of the draught, and was immediately relieved. "Ah! I am better," she exclaimed. "I feel my strength returning. Thanks! thanks! my benefactor!" The next day Lovallec presented her with the heart of the frog, cooked according to the Lion's directions. "Eat this meat," the young man said, "and all your troubles will be over." Then the sick girl ate bravely of the queer morsel, and was immediately restored to health. "My father! my father!" she cried, "here is your daughter who is restored to you. See my bright eyes and my rosy cheeks." Then she laughed and sang, and with a smile she again thanked her benefactor. The old King was nearly crazed with joy, and more than once he went to the young man and embraced him; but that seemed insufficient as an expression of the gratitude that he owed the doctor, and he was loaded with presents of all sorts. He had caskets of gold, precious stones, villages and castles, and more riches than he could wish for. One day the
{'title': 'Evening Tales by Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Ortoli', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}