WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:03.759 The Brahmin Girl That Married a Tiger from the book 2 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:07.839 Tales of Southern India in Myths and Legends Around the World, 3 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:13.240 Collection fifteen. This is a liberyvox recording. All liberyvox recordings 4 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:16.120 are in the public domain. The more information or to volunteer, 5 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:22.280 please visit liberywox dot org. Read by Yoganan The Brahmin 6 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:26.079 Girl That Married a Tiger by Lucas Cleeve and Pundit 7 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:33.079 Nadesha Shastri. In a certain village there lived an old 8 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:36.359 Brahmin who had three sons and a daughter. The girl, 9 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:39.399 being the youngest, was brought up most tenderly and became spoilt, 10 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:42.719 and so whenever she saw a beautiful boy, she would 11 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.039 say to a parent that she must be wedded to him. 12 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.719 Her parents were therefore much put about a device excuses 13 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:51.840 for taking her away from her youthful lovers. Thus passed 14 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:54.520 on some years till the girl was very nearly grown up, 15 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.439 and then the parents, fearing that they would be driven 16 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:59.759 out of their caste if they failed to dispose of 17 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.359 and in marriage before she came to the years of maturity, 18 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.959 began to be eager about finding a bridegroom for her. 19 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.519 Now near the village there lived a fierce tiger that 20 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.879 had attained to great proficiency in the art of magic 21 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.000 and had the power of assuming different forms. Having a 22 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.000 great taste for Brahmin's food, the tiger used to no 23 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.519 on them to frequent temples and other places of public 24 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:24.400 refreshment in the shape of an old famished Brahman in 25 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.319 order to share the food prepared for the Brahmins. The 26 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.480 tiger also wanted, if possible, a Brahman wife to take 27 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:33.120 to the woods and there to make her cook kiss 28 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:37.480 means after a fashion. One day, when he was partaking 29 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:42.599 of his meals in Brahmin's shape at Tasatra footnote a 30 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:47.599 place of public feeding. End of footnote, he heard the 31 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:50.040 talk about the Brahmin girl who was always falling in 32 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:53.959 love with a very beautiful Brahmin boy. Said he to himself, 33 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.319 praised be the face that I saw first. This morning. 34 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.760 I shall assume the shape of a Brahmin boy and 35 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.159 appear as beautiful can be and win the heart of 36 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:05.560 the girl. Next morning, he accordingly became in the form 37 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.800 of a great Sasa tary profesion in Ramayana, and took 38 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:11.240 his seat near the ghart of the sacred river of 39 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:15.400 the village, scattering holy ashes profusely over his body, opened 40 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:18.319 the rama ina and began to read. The voice of 41 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.199 the new Sassery is most enchanting. Let us go and 42 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:23.960 hear him, said some women among themselves, and sat down 43 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.719 before him to hear him expom the great book. The 44 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:29.080 girl for whom the tiger had assumed the shape came 45 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.280 in due time to bathe at the river, and as 46 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:34.319 soon as she saw the new sasa Tary fell in 47 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:37.120 love with him and bothered her old mother to speak 48 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.360 to her father about him, so as not to lose 49 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:42.639 her new lover. The old woman, too was delighted at 50 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:45.879 the bridegroom, whom fortune had thrown in away, and ran 51 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.840 home to her husband, who, when he came and saw 52 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.479 the SaaS Tri raised up his hand in praise of 53 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.560 the great God Mayeshara. His Sasary was now invite to 54 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:56.639 take his meals with them, and as he had come 55 00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:59.280 with the express intention of marrying the daughter, he of 56 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.800 course agreed a grand dinner followed in honor of the 57 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.360 sasas Threy, and his host began to question him as 58 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.240 to his parentage et cetera. To which the cunning tiger 59 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.319 replied that he was born in a village beyond the 60 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:13.360 adjacent wood. The Brahmin had no time to wait for 61 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.080 further enquiries, and as the boy was very fair, he 62 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.960 married his daughter to him the very next day. Fees 63 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:21.919 followed for a month, during which time the bridegroom gave 64 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:24.919 every satisfaction to his new relatives, who supposed him to 65 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:28.280 be human. All the while he also did full justice 66 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:30.800 to the Brahmin dishes and swallowed everything that was placed 67 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.520 before him. After the first month was over, the tiger 68 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.919 bridegroom bethought him of his accustomed prey and hankered after 69 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:40.439 his abode in the woods. The change have died for 70 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:42.520 a day or two is all very well, But to 71 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:44.759 renounce his own proper food for more than a month 72 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.919 was hard. So one day he said to his father 73 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.800 in law, I must go back soon to my old parents, 74 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.680 for they will be pining at my absence. But why 75 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:55.680 should we have to bear the double expense of my 76 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:58.240 coming all the way here again to take my wife 77 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.599 to my village. So if you will kindly let me 78 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:03.800 take the girl with me, I shall take her to 79 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.560 a future home and hand her over to a mother 80 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:09.039 in law and see that she is well taken care of. 81 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.560 The old Brahmin agreed to this and replied, my dear 82 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:15.520 son in law, you are our husband and she is yours, 83 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.079 and we now send her with you. Though it is 84 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.560 like sending her into the wilderness with her eyes tied up, 85 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:23.079 But as we take you to be everything to her, 86 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:26.800 we trust you to treat her kindly. The mother of 87 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:28.800 the Bright shed tears at the idea of having to 88 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:31.240 send her away, but nevertheless, the very next day was 89 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:34.079 fix it for the journey. The old woman spent the 90 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:36.560 whole day in preparing cakes and sweetmeats for a daughter, 91 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:38.920 and when the time for the journey arrived, she took 92 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.560 care to place in a bundles and on her head 93 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:46.199 on or two margoza leaves. Footnote among high cast windows. 94 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:48.639 When girls leave one village and go to another, the 95 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.600 old woman of the house, the mother or grandmother, always 96 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:54.240 places in a bundles and on a head A few 97 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:59.680 margosa leaves is a talisman against demons, end a footnote 98 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.639 to keep her off demons. The relatives of the Bright 99 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:05.000 requested her husband to allow her to rest wherever she 100 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:08.279 found shade and to eat wherever she found water. And 101 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:11.199 to this he agreed, and so they began their journey. 102 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:14.319 The boy tiger and his human wife pursued their journey 103 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:18.279 for two or three gadikas. Footnote A gadika is twenty 104 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:21.800 four minutes. The story being Hindu, the Hindu method of 105 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:25.800 reckoning distance is used end of footnote. In Free and 106 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:29.040 Pleasant Conversation, when the girl happened to see a fine 107 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:32.360 pond around which the birds were barbbling the sweet notes, 108 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:35.040 she requested her husband to follow her to the water's 109 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:38.240 edge and to partake of some cakes and sweetmeats with her. 110 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.079 But he replied, be quiet, or I shall show you 111 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:46.040 my original shape. This made her afraid, so she pursued 112 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.680 a journey in silence. Central she saw another pond when 113 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:51.519 she asked the same question of her husband, who replied 114 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.959 in the same tone. Now she was very hungry and 115 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.399 not liking husband's stone, which she found had greatly changed 116 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:00.680 ever since they had entered the woods, said to him, 117 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:04.759 show me your original shape. No sooner where these words 118 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:07.560 are tired than Her husband's form changed from that of 119 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.680 a man, four legs, striped skin, a long tail, and 120 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.680 a tiger's face came over him suddenly, and horror of 121 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:18.639 horus tiger and not a man should behore her. Not 122 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:21.079 were a fear stilled when the tiger and human voice 123 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:25.319 began as follows. Know henceforth that I, your husband, am 124 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.720 a tiger, this very tiger that now speaks to you. 125 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:32.079 If you have any regard for your life, you must 126 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.120 obey all my orders implicitly, for I can speak to 127 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.399 you in human voice and understand what you say in 128 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.120 a couple of gadikas, we shall reach my home, of 129 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:43.639 which you will become the mistress. In front of my 130 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:46.439 house you will see half a dozen tups, each of 131 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:49.360 which you must fill up daily with some dish or other, 132 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:52.160 cooked in your own way. I shall take care to 133 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:55.759 supply you with all the provisions you want, so saying, 134 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.279 the tiger slowly conducted her to his house. The misery 135 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.079 of the girl may be more imagined than described, for 136 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:04.759 if she were to object, she would be put to death. 137 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:08.160 So weeping all the way, she reached her husband's house. 138 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:11.439 Leaving her there, he went out and written with several 139 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:14.759 pumpkins and some flesh, of which she soon prepared a 140 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.399 curry and gave it to her husband, of which she 141 00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:19.800 soon prepared a curry and gave it to her husband. 142 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:23.079 He went out again after this, and returned in the 143 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:26.040 evening with several vegetables and some more flesh, and gave 144 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:28.920 her an order. Every morning, I shall go out in 145 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:31.759 search of provisions and pray and bring something with me 146 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.759 on my return. You must keep cook for me. What 147 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:37.800 if I leave in the house. So next morning, as 148 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:40.000 soon as the tiger had gone away, she cooked everything 149 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:42.079 left in the house and filled all the tubs with food. 150 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:46.160 At the tenth kadiga, the tiger returned and rolled out. 151 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.120 I smell a man, I smell a woman in my wood, 152 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:52.160 and his wife, a very fair shut herself up in 153 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.040 the house. As soon as the tiger had satisfied his epithete, 154 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:57.839 he told her to open the door, which she did, 155 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:00.800 and they talked together for a time, after which the 156 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:04.879 tiger rested awhile and then went out hunting again. Thus 157 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:07.160 passed many a day till the tiger's bramin wife had 158 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:09.879 her son, which also turned out to be only a tiger. 159 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.000 One day, after the tiger had gone out to the woods, 160 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:15.560 his wife was crying all alone in the house when 161 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:17.920 a crow happened to pick at some rice that was 162 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:20.759 scattered near her, and, seeing the girl crying, began to 163 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:25.600 shed tears. Can you assist me? Asked the girl. Yes, 164 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:29.000 said the crow. So she brought out a palmera leaf 165 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:31.079 and wrote on it with an iron nail all the 166 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:34.000 sufferings in the wood, and requested her brothers to come 167 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:36.840 and believe her. This pamera leaf she tied to the 168 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.559 neck of the crow, which, seeming to understand her thoughts, 169 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:41.919 flew to a village and sat down before one of 170 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:45.240 her brothers. She untied the leaf and read the countings 171 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:47.679 of the letter and told them to his other brothers. 172 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.000 All the three then started for the wood, asking their 173 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:52.919 mother to give them something to eat on the way. 174 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:56.919 She had not enough rice for the three, so she 175 00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:59.279 made a big ball of clay and stuck it over 176 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.039 with water she had so as to make it look 177 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.840 like a ball of rice. This she gave to the 178 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.639 brothers to eat on their way, and started them off 179 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:10.759 to the woods. They had not proceeded long before they 180 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:14.159 aspired an ass. The youngest was of a playful disposition, 181 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:16.600 wished to take the ass with him. The two elder 182 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:18.960 brothers objected to this, for a time, but in the 183 00:09:19.080 --> 00:09:22.080 end they allowed him to have his own way. Further on, 184 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:24.679 they saw an ant, which the middle brother took with him. 185 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:27.879 Near the ant, there was a big palmyra tree lying 186 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:30.039 on the ground, which the eldest took with him to 187 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:32.679 keep off the tiger. The sun was now high in 188 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:36.279 the horizon, and the three brothers became very hungry, so 189 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:38.759 they sat down near a tank and opened the bundle 190 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.399 contained the ball of rice. To their utter disappointment, they 191 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:45.919 found it to be all clay. But being extremely hungry, 192 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.200 they drank all the water on the pond and continued 193 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:51.519 their journey. On leaving the tank, they found a big 194 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:54.200 eye tub belonging to the washerman of the adjacent village. 195 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:57.559 This they took also with them, in addition to the ass, 196 00:09:57.639 --> 00:10:01.840 the ant, and the palmira tree. Following the road described 197 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:03.679 by their sister in a letter sent by the crow, 198 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:06.759 they walked on and on till they reached the tiger's house. 199 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:10.440 The sister, overjoyed to say her brothers again, ran out 200 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.279 at once to welcome them. My dearest brothers, I am 201 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:14.960 so glad to see you that you have come here 202 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:17.039 to relieve me after all, but the time for the 203 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:19.919 tiger's coming home is approaching, So hide yourself in the 204 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:22.799 loft and wait till he is gone. So saying, she 205 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:25.600 helped her brothers to ascend into the loft. By this 206 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:27.879 time the tiger returned and perceived the presence of human 207 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:30.840 beings with the peculiar smell. He asked his wife whether 208 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:33.159 any one had come to their house. She said no. 209 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.720 But when the brothers, who were their trophies of the way, 210 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.720 they asked, the aunt and so on were sitting upon 211 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:43.000 the loft, saw the tiger dallying with their sister, they 212 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:47.039 were greatly frightened, so much so that the youngest, through fear, 213 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.639 began to quake, and they all fell on the floor. 214 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:54.919 What is all this, said the terrified tiger to his wife. Nothing, 215 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:59.000 she said, but your brother's in law. They came here 216 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:03.799 a watch footnote, A watch is a yama three yards 217 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:07.200 end a footnote a go, And as soon as you 218 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:10.960 have finished your meals, they want to see you. How 219 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:13.639 can my brothers in law be such cowards, thought the 220 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:17.159 tiger to himself. He then asked them to speak to him. 221 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:20.080 Whereon the youngest brother put the ant which he had 222 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:22.320 in his hand into the ear of the ass, and 223 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.559 as soon as the latter was bitten, it began to 224 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:29.080 bawl out most horribly. How is that your brothers have 225 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.879 such a hoard's voice, said the tiger to his wife. 226 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.840 He next asked them to show him their legs, taking 227 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:37.519 courage of the stupidity of the tiger on the two 228 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:40.639 former occasions. The eldest brother now stretched out the palme 229 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:44.240 a tree. Why, my father, I've never seen such a leg, 230 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.440 said the tiger, and asked his brothers in law to 231 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:49.919 show their billies. The second brother now showed the tub, 232 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.320 at which the tiger shuddered, and saying such a harsh voice, 233 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.320 so stout a leg and such a belly. Truly, I've 234 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.559 never heard of such persons as these, he ran away. 235 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:03.639 It was already dark, and the brothers, wishing to take 236 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:06.360 advantage of the tiger's terra, prepared to witten home with 237 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.799 their sister. At once. The ate up WoT littlefoot she 238 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.200 had and ordered her to start. Fortunately for her, a 239 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:15.799 tiger child was asleep, so she tore it into two 240 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:18.960 pieces and suspended them over the hearth, and thus getting 241 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.000 rid of the child. She ran off with her brothers 242 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.720 towards home. Before leaving, she bolted the front door from 243 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:26.600 inside and went out at the back of the house. 244 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:29.120 As soon as the pieces of the cub, which were 245 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:31.840 hung up over the hearth began to roast, they dripped, 246 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.639 which made the fire hiss and splutter, And when the 247 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:37.039 tiger returned about midnight, he found the door shut and 248 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.679 heard the hasting of the fire, which he mistook for 249 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:45.600 the noise of cooking muffins. Footnote tumbled overside end of 250 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:50.840 footnote I see, said he to himself, how very cunning 251 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.840 you are. You have bolted the door and are cooking 252 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.799 muffins by your brothers. Let us see if we can't 253 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:59.720 get your muffins. So saying, he went round to the 254 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:03.039 back and entered his house, and was greatly perplexed to 255 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:06.240 find his cup tone in two and being roasted, his 256 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:09.639 house deserted by his Brahmin wife, and his property plundered. 257 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.600 For his wife, before leaving, had taken with her as 258 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:15.919 much of the tiger's property as she could conveniently carry. 259 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.840 The tiger now discovered all the treachery of his wife, 260 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:20.960 and his heart breed for the loss of his son 261 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:24.080 that was now no more. He determined to be revenged 262 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:26.559 on his wife and to bring her back into the wood, 263 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:29.440 and there tear it into many pieces in place of 264 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:32.919 only two. But how to bring her back? He assumed 265 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:35.799 his original shape of a young bridegroom, making of course 266 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:37.879 due elements for the number of years that had passed 267 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:40.639 since his marriage, and next morning went to his father 268 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:44.200 in law's house. His brothers in law and his wife 269 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:47.240 saw from a distance the deceitful form he had assumed, 270 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.639 and devised means to kill him. Meanwhile, the tiger Brahman 271 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:52.679 approached his father in law's house, and the old people 272 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.480 welcomed him. The younger ones too, ran here and there 273 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.480 to bring provisions to feed him sumptuously, and the tiger 274 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:00.639 was highly pleased at the hospital way in which he 275 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:03.679 was received. There was a ruined well at the back 276 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:05.799 of the house, and the eldest of the brothers placed 277 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:08.879 some thin sticks across its mouth, over which he spread 278 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.480 a fine matter. Now it's usual to ask kest to 279 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.039 have an oil bath before dinner, and so his three 280 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.639 brothers in law requested the tiger to take his seat 281 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:20.240 on the fine mat for his bath. As soon as 282 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:22.720 he sat on it, the thin sticks being unable to 283 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:25.360 bear his weight, gave way and down filled the cunning 284 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.279 tiger with a heavy crash. The well was at once 285 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:30.600 filled in with stones and other rubbish, and thus the 286 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.919 tiger was effectually prevented from doing any more mischief. But 287 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:36.919 the Bramin girl, in memory of her having married a tiger, 288 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:39.799 raised a pillar over the well and planted a tullsea 289 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:44.639 shrub on top of it. Footnote A fragrant herb held 290 00:14:44.679 --> 00:14:49.440 in great veneration by Hindus ossimum sandtan. This herb is 291 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:53.799 sacred alike to Shiva and Vishno. Those species specially sacred 292 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:58.159 to Siva ar Vendulasi Siru Tulasi and Siva Tulasi. Those 293 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:03.799 to Vishnu are Sendula si and Vishna Tulasi. End of footnote. 294 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:08.279 This story is told to explain the Tamil proverb sumairaya 295 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:12.480 surua te kata tuma, which means be quite or I 296 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:16.480 shall show you my original shape. End of the Brahmin 297 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:17.679 girl that married a Taiga. 298 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:30.440 The Blue Belt and Myths and Legends around the World 299 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:34.679 collection fifteen From East of the Sun and West of 300 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:39.639 the Moon, Old Tales from the North by Asbertzen et al. 301 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:45.399 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 302 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:50.399 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 303 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:57.159 visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Jerrem Masters. The Blue 304 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:07.360 Belt by Peter Christian Aspirertzen and yeern Angebretzen Mow. Once 305 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:10.200 upon a time there was an old beggar woman who 306 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:13.080 had gone out to beg. She had a little lad 307 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:15.960 with her, and when she had got her bag full, 308 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:20.279 she struck across the hill towards her own home. So 309 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.879 when they had gone a bit up the hillside, they 310 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:26.679 came upon a little blue belt which lay where the 311 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:30.320 two paths met, and the lad asked his mother's leave 312 00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:34.559 to pick it up. No, she said, maybe there's witchcraft 313 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.279 in it, and so with threats she forced him to 314 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:41.480 follow her. But when they had gone a bit further, 315 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:44.279 the lad said he must run aside a moment out 316 00:16:44.279 --> 00:16:47.120 of the road, And meanwhile his mother sat down on 317 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:50.440 a tree stump. But the lad was a long time gone, 318 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.879 for as soon as he got so far into the 319 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:55.120 wood that the old dame could not see him, he 320 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:57.399 ran off to where the belt lay, took it up, 321 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:01.159 tied it round his waist, and lo he felt as strong, 322 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.119 as if he could lift the whole hill. When he 323 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.920 got back, the old Dame was in a great rage 324 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.640 and wanted to know what he had been doing all 325 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:13.799 that while you don't care how much time you waste, 326 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.440 And yet you know the night is drawing on, and 327 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:19.480 we must cross the hill before it is dark. So 328 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:22.799 on they tramped, but when they'd got about halfway, the 329 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.039 old Dame grew weary and said she must rest under 330 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.400 a bush. Dear mother, said the lad, mayn't I just 331 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:32.640 go up to the top of this high crag while 332 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:35.319 you rest and try if I can't see some sign 333 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:39.839 of folk hereabouts. Yes, he might do that. So when 334 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:42.000 he had got to the top, he saw a light 335 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:45.319 shining from the north. So he ran down and told 336 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:48.759 his mother, we must get on. Mother, we're near a house, 337 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.559 for I see a bright light shining quite close to 338 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:54.720 us in the north. Then she rose and shouldered her 339 00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.240 bag and set off to see. But they hadn't gone 340 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:00.720 far before there stood a steep spur of hill right 341 00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:04.440 across their path. Just as I thought, said the old Dame. 342 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:07.440 Now we can't go a step further. A pretty bed 343 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:10.400 we shall have here. But the lad took the bag 344 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.839 under one arm, and his mother under the other, and 345 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:16.240 ran straight up the steep crag with them. Now, don't 346 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:18.440 you see, don't you see that we're close to a house. 347 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:22.200 Don't you see that bright light? But the old dames 348 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:25.880 said those were no Christian folk, but trolls, for she 349 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.000 was at home in all that forest far and near, 350 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.640 and knew that there was not a living soul in 351 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:34.720 it until you were well over the ridge and come 352 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:38.119 down on the other side. But they went on, and 353 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:40.599 in a little while they came to a great house 354 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:44.000 which was all painted red. What's the good, said the 355 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:47.440 old dame. We daren't go in, for here the trolls live, 356 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:51.279 don't say, so we must go in. There must be 357 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.559 men where the lights shine, so said the lad. So 358 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:56.960 in he went, and his mother after him. But he 359 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.759 had scarce opened the door before she swooned away, for 360 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.160 there she saw a great stout man at least twenty 361 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:08.759 feet high, sitting on the bench. Good evening, grandfather, said 362 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:14.759 the lad. Well here I've sat three hundred years, said 363 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:17.240 the man who lived on the bench, and no one 364 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:22.240 has ever come and called me grandfather before then the 365 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.359 lad sat down by the man's side and began to 366 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:29.359 talk to him as if they'd ben old friends. But 367 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:33.000 what's come over your mother, said the man, after they'd chatted. 368 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:36.880 Awhile I think she swooned away, you'd better look after her. 369 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:40.319 So the lad went and took hold of the old 370 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.160 dame and dragged her up the hill along the floor 371 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:47.279 that brought her to herself, And she kicked and scratched 372 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:50.839 and flung herself about, and at last sat down upon 373 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:53.920 a heap of firewood in the corner. But she was 374 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:56.839 so frightened that she scarce dared to look one in 375 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:01.759 the face. After a while, the lad asked if they 376 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:05.400 could spend the night there. Yes, to be sure, said 377 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:08.799 the man. So they went on talking again, and the 378 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.640 lad soon got hungry and wanted to know if they 379 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:15.119 could get food as well as lodging. Of course, said 380 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:19.160 the man, that might be got too, And after he 381 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.880 had sat a while longer, he rose up and threw 382 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:25.680 six loads of dry pitch pine on the fire. This 383 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:30.079 made the old hag still more afraid. Oh now he's 384 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.079 going to roast us alive, she said in the corner 385 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:36.200 where she sat. And when the wood had burned down 386 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:39.359 to glowing embers, up got the man and strode out 387 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:42.720 of his house. Heaven bless and help us. What a 388 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.359 stout heart you've got, said the old dame. Don't you 389 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:51.359 see we've got amongst trolls, stuff and nonsense, said the lad, 390 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.880 No harm if we have. In a little while back 391 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:57.759 came the man with an ox so fat and big 392 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:00.279 the lad had never seen its like. And he gave 393 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:03.039 it one blow with his fist under the ear, and 394 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:07.039 down it fell dead on the floor. When that was done, 395 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:09.480 he took it up by all the four legs and 396 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:12.759 laid it on the glowing embers, and turned it and 397 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.519 twisted it about until it was burnt brown outside. After 398 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:19.960 that he went to a cupboard and took out a 399 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:23.359 great silver dish and laid the ox upon it. And 400 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.240 the dish was so big that none of the ox 401 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:30.279 hung over on any side. This he put on the table, 402 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.359 And then he went down into the cellar and fetched 403 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.839 a cask of wine, knocked out the head, and put 404 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:40.240 the cask on the table, together with two knives, which 405 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:43.799 were each six feet long. When this was done, he 406 00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.559 bade them go and sit down to supper and eat. 407 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:50.519 So they went, the lad first, and the old Dame after, 408 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:53.920 but she began to whimper and wail, and to wonder 409 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.319 how she should ever use such knives. But her son 410 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:00.200 seized one and began to cut slices out of the 411 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:03.039 thigh of the ox, which he placed before his mother. 412 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:05.559 And when they had eaten a bit, he took up 413 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:08.279 the cask with both hands and lifted it down to 414 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:11.799 the floor. Then he told his mother to come and drink, 415 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.319 but it was still so high that she couldn't reach 416 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:18.079 up to it, so he caught her up and held 417 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:20.759 her up to the edge of the cask while she drank. 418 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:24.799 As for himself, he clambered up and hung down like 419 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:29.640 a cat inside the cask while he drank. So when 420 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:32.680 he had quenched his thirst, he took up the cask 421 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.240 and put it back on the table and thanked the 422 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:37.720 man for the good meal, and told his mother to 423 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.319 come and thank him too, And a feared though she was, 424 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:45.519 she dared do nothing else but thank the man. Then 425 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:49.240 the lad sat down alongside the man and began to gossip, 426 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:52.400 And after they had sat awhile, the man said, well, 427 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:55.759 I must go and get a bit of supper too, 428 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:58.119 And so he went to the table and ate up 429 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:02.000 the whole ox, hooves and horns and all, and drained 430 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:04.720 the cask to the last to drop, and then went 431 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:08.759 back and sat on the bench. As for beds, he said, 432 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:11.799 I don't know what's to be done. I've only got 433 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:14.480 one bed and a cradle. But we could get on 434 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:17.240 pretty well if you would sleep in the cradle, and 435 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:20.720 then your mother might lie in the bed yonder. Thank 436 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:24.559 you kindly, that'll do nicely, said the lad, And with 437 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:27.400 that he pulled off his clothes and lay down in 438 00:23:27.480 --> 00:23:30.200 the cradle. But to tell you the truth, it was 439 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:33.440 quite as big as a four poster. As for the 440 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:36.279 old dame, she had to follow the man who showed 441 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:39.039 her to bed, though she was out of her wits 442 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:43.240 for fear, well, thought the lad to himself, twill never 443 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:46.400 do to go to sleep, Yet I'd best lie awake 444 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:49.000 and listen how things go as the night wears on. 445 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.440 So after a while the man began to talk to 446 00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:57.480 the old dame, and at last he said, we two 447 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:01.559 might live here so happily together. Could we only be 448 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:04.960 rid of this son of yours? But do you know 449 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.440 how to settle him? Is out you're thinking of? Said she? 450 00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:12.759 Nothing easier, said he at any rate he would try. 451 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:16.000 He would just say he wished the old dame would 452 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:18.480 stay and keep house Frim for a day or two, 453 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:21.119 and then he would take the lad out with him 454 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:24.160 up to a hill to quarry corner stones, and roll 455 00:24:24.279 --> 00:24:27.319 down a great rock on him. All this the lad 456 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:31.559 lay and listened to. Next day, the troll, for it 457 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:34.519 was a troll clear as day, asked if the dame 458 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:37.319 would stay and keep house Frim for a few days. 459 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.119 And as the day went on, he took a great 460 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:43.079 iron crowbar and asked the lad if he had a 461 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:45.400 mind to go with him up to the hill and 462 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:50.039 quarry a few corner stones. With all his heart, he said, 463 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:53.480 and went with him. And so after they'd split a 464 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.799 few stones, the troll wanted him to go down below 465 00:24:56.839 --> 00:24:59.720 and look after cracks in the rock. And while he 466 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.880 was doing this, the troll worked away and wearied himself 467 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:05.920 with his crowbar till he moved a whole crag out 468 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:09.079 of its bed, which came rolling right down on the 469 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:11.880 place where the lad was. But he held it up 470 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.440 till he could get on one side, and then let 471 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:17.400 it roll on. Oh, said the lad to the troll, 472 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:20.000 I see now what you mean to do. With me. 473 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:23.160 You want to crush me to death. So just go 474 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:26.119 down yourself and look after the crags and refts in 475 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:29.559 this rock, and I'll stand above. The troll did not 476 00:25:29.880 --> 00:25:33.319 dare do otherwise than the lad bade him, And the 477 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:35.519 end of it was that the lad rolled down a 478 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:38.440 great rock, which fell upon the troll and broke one 479 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:41.880 of his thighs. Well, you are in a sad plight, 480 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:44.839 said the lad, as he strode down, lifted the rock, 481 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:48.440 and set the man free. After that he had to 482 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:50.920 put him on his back and carry him home. So 483 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:53.480 he ran with him as fast as a horse, and 484 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:56.880 shook him so that the troll screamed and screeched as 485 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.759 if a knife were run into him. And when he 486 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:02.519 got home, they had to put the troll to bed, 487 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:06.880 and there he lay in a sad pickle. When the 488 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.559 night wore on, the troll began to talk to the 489 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:12.640 old Dame again, and to wonder however they could be 490 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:16.599 rid of the lad. Well, said the old dame. If 491 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:19.000 you can't hit on a plan to be rid of him, 492 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:23.200 I'm sure I can't. Let me see, said the troll. 493 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:27.359 I've got twelve lions in a garden if they could 494 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:30.240 only get hold of the lad, they'd soon tear him 495 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:33.880 to pieces. So the old dame said it would be 496 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:37.039 easy enough to get him there she would sham sick 497 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.480 and say that she felt so poorly nothing would do 498 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:45.079 her any good but lion's milk. All that the lad 499 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.880 lay and listened to, And when he got up in 500 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:50.680 the morning, his mother said that she was worse than 501 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:53.400 she looked, and she thought she should never be right 502 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:57.480 again unless she could get some lion's milk. Then I'm 503 00:26:57.519 --> 00:27:01.039 afraid you'll be poorly a long time there, said the lad, 504 00:27:01.319 --> 00:27:03.480 for I'm sure I don't know where any is to 505 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:07.880 be got. Oh if that be all, said the troll, 506 00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:11.319 there's no lack of lion's milk if we only had 507 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:14.119 the man to fetch it. And then he went on 508 00:27:14.279 --> 00:27:17.119 to say how his brother had a garden with twelve 509 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:19.359 lions in it, and how the lad might have the 510 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.920 key if he had a mind to milk the lions. 511 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:25.160 So the lad took the key and a milking pail 512 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:28.359 and strode off. And when he unlocked the gate and 513 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:32.119 got into the garden, there stood all the twelve lions 514 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:35.920 on their hind paws, rampant and roaring, at him, But 515 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.559 the lad laid hold of the biggest and led him 516 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:41.720 about by the fore paws and dashed him against stocks 517 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:44.359 and stones till there wasn't a bit of him left 518 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:47.759 but the two paws. So when he got home, they 519 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:50.880 lay down outside the house with their fore paws on 520 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:54.480 the door sill. Now, mother, you'll soon be well, said 521 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.640 the lad, when he went in for here's the lion's milk. 522 00:27:58.359 --> 00:28:01.200 He had just milked a drop in the pail. But 523 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:03.799 the troll, as he lay in bed, swore it was 524 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:06.279 all a lie. He was sure the lad was not 525 00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:09.880 the man to milk lions. When the lad heard that, 526 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:12.559 he forced the troll to get out of bed through 527 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:15.079 open the door, and all the lions rose up and 528 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:17.960 seized the troll, and at last the lad had to 529 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:21.319 make them leave their hold. That night, the troll began 530 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:23.839 to talk to the old dame again. I'm sure I 531 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:26.440 can't tell how to put this lad out of the way, 532 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:30.880 so awfully strong, can't you think of some way? No, 533 00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:35.960 said the old dame. If you can't, I'm sure I can't, well, 534 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:38.759 said the troll. I have two brothers in a castle. 535 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:41.160 They are twelve times as strong as I am, and 536 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:43.440 that's why I was turned out and had to put 537 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:46.640 up with this farm. They hold that castle, and round 538 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:49.119 it there is an orchard with apples in it, and 539 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:52.880 whoever eats those apples sleeps for three days and three nights. 540 00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:55.039 If we could only get the lad to go for 541 00:28:55.079 --> 00:28:57.440 the fruit, he wouldn't be able to keep from tasting 542 00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:00.359 the apples. And as soon as ever he fell sleep, 543 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:04.319 my brothers would tear him in pieces. The old dame 544 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:07.559 said she would sham sick and say that she could 545 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:11.279 never be herself again unless she tasted those apples, for 546 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:14.480 she had set her heart on them. All this the 547 00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:18.119 lad lay and listened to. When the morning came, the 548 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:20.799 old dame was so poorly that she couldn't utter a 549 00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.640 word but groans and sighs. She was sure that she 550 00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:27.519 should never be well again unless she had some of 551 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:30.359 those apples that grew in the orchard near the castle 552 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:33.799 where the man's brothers lived. Only she had no one 553 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:37.160 to send for them. Oh, the lad was ready to 554 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:40.720 go that instant, but the eleven lions went with him. 555 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:43.960 So when he came to the orchard, he climbed up 556 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.039 into the apple tree and ate as many apples as 557 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:50.079 he could, and he had scarce got down before he 558 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:53.799 fell into a deep sleep, but the lions all lay 559 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:56.920 round him in a ring. The third day came the 560 00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:00.400 troll's brothers, but they would not come in man's life. 561 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:04.960 They came snorting like man eating steeds, and wondered who 562 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:08.240 it was that dared to be there, and said they 563 00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:11.519 would tear him to pieces so small there should not 564 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.640 be a bit of him left. But up rose the 565 00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:17.880 lions and tore the trolls into small pieces, so that 566 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:20.440 the place looked as if a dung heap had been 567 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:23.680 tossed about it. And when they had finished the trolls, 568 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:27.039 they lay down again. The lad did not wake until 569 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:29.640 late in the afternoon, and when he got on his 570 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:31.839 knees and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he 571 00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:35.160 began to wonder what had been going on when he 572 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:38.240 saw the marks of hoofs. But when he went towards 573 00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:40.640 the castle, a maiden looked out of the window, who 574 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:43.720 had seen all that had happened, and she said, you 575 00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:46.960 may thank your stars you weren't in that tussle, else 576 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:50.880 you must have lost your life. What I lose my life? 577 00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:54.119 No fear of that, I think, said the lad, so 578 00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:57.039 she begged him to come in that she might talk 579 00:30:57.079 --> 00:31:00.119 with him, for she hadn't seen a Christian's soul ever 580 00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:03.440 since she came there. When she opened the door, the 581 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:06.559 lions wanted to go in too, but she got so 582 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:09.640 frightened that she began to scream, and so the lad 583 00:31:09.720 --> 00:31:14.039 let them lie outside. Then the two talked and talked, 584 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:16.960 and the lad asked how it came that she, who 585 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:20.640 was so lovely, could put up with those ugly trolls. 586 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:25.839 She never wished it, she said, twas quite against her will. 587 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:29.440 They had seized her by force, and she was the 588 00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:33.160 King of Arabia's daughter. So they talked on, and at 589 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:36.200 last she asked him what he would do, whether she 590 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:39.079 should go back home, or whether he would have her 591 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:41.839 to wife. Of course you would have her, and she 592 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:45.920 shouldn't go home. After that, they went round the castle, 593 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:48.400 and at last they came to a great hall where 594 00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:51.839 the troll's two great swords hung high up on the wall. 595 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:54.960 I wonder if you're man enough to wield one of these, 596 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:58.480 said the princess, who I said the lad, twould be 597 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:02.279 a pretty thing if I couldn't one of these. With that, 598 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:05.319 he put two or three chairs atop of the other, 599 00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:09.079 jumped up and touched the biggest sword with his finger tips, 600 00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:11.559 tossed it up in the air, and caught it again 601 00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:14.680 by the hilt, leapt down, and at the same time 602 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:17.119 dealt such a blow with it on the floor that 603 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:21.039 the whole hall shook. After he had thus got down, 604 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:23.799 he thrust the sword under his arm and carried it 605 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.559 about with him. So, when they had lived a little 606 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:30.440 while in the castle, the princess thought that she ought 607 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.680 to go home to her parents and let them know 608 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:35.680 what had become of her. So they loaded a ship, 609 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:39.960 and she set sail from the castle. After she had gone, 610 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.599 and the lad wandered about a little, he called to 611 00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:45.599 mind that he'd been sent out on an errand thither 612 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:48.799 and had come to fetch something for his mother's health. 613 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:52.079 And though he said to himself, after all the old 614 00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:54.640 dame was not so bad, that she's all right, by 615 00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:57.559 this time, stilly thought he ought to go and see 616 00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:00.960 how she was. So he went, and both the man 617 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:05.559 and his mother quite fresh and hardy. What wretches you 618 00:33:05.599 --> 00:33:08.319 are to live in this beggarly hut, said the lad. 619 00:33:08.440 --> 00:33:10.559 Come with me up to my castle, and you shall 620 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:14.319 see what a fine fellow I am. Well. They were 621 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:16.440 both ready to go, and on the way his mother 622 00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:19.480 talked to him and ask how he had got so strong. 623 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:23.039 If you must know, it came of that blue belt 624 00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:25.359 which lay on the hillside the time when you and 625 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:28.559 I were out begging, said the lad. Have you got it? Still? 626 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:29.200 Asked she? 627 00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:33.160 Yes he had. He was tied around his waist. Might 628 00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:36.319 she see it? Yes she might, And with that he 629 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:39.119 pulled open his waistcoat and shirt to show it to her. 630 00:33:39.319 --> 00:33:42.160 Then she seized it with both her hands, tore it off, 631 00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:45.880 and twisted it around her fist. Now she cried, what 632 00:33:46.039 --> 00:33:48.920 shall I do to such a wretch as you. I'll 633 00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:52.519 give you one blow and dash your brains out. Far 634 00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:55.640 too good a death for such a scamp, said the troll. No, 635 00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:58.680 Let's first burn out his eyes and then turn him 636 00:33:58.720 --> 00:34:01.920 adrift in a little bow. So they burned out his 637 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:05.000 eyes and turned him adrift in spite of his prayers 638 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:08.960 and tears. But as the boat drifted, the lions swam after, 639 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:11.960 and at last they laid hold of it and dragged 640 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:14.920 it ashore on an island, and placed the lad under 641 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:18.000 a fir tree. They caught game for him, and they 642 00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:20.760 plucked the birds and made him a bed of down, 643 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:23.480 but he was forced to eat his meat raw, and 644 00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:27.199 he was blind at last. One day the biggest lion 645 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:30.199 was chasing a hare, which was blind, for it ran 646 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:33.360 straight over stock and stone, and the end was it 647 00:34:33.480 --> 00:34:36.679 ran right up against a fir tree and tumbled head 648 00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:40.519 over heels across a field right into a spring. But lo, 649 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:43.320 when it came out of the spring, it saw its 650 00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:47.840 way quite plain, and so saved its life. So so 651 00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:50.760 thought the lion, and went and dragged the lad to 652 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:54.360 the spring, and dipped him over head and ears in it. 653 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:57.679 So when he had got his sight again, he went 654 00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:00.000 down to the shore and made signs to the lion 655 00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:02.960 that they should all lie close together like a raft. 656 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:06.199 Then he stood upon their backs while they swam with 657 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:09.800 him to the mainland. When he reached the shore, he 658 00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:13.199 went up into a birchen copse and made the lions 659 00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:16.159 lie quiet. Then he stole up to the castle like 660 00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:18.599 a thief, to see if he couldn't lay hands on 661 00:35:18.679 --> 00:35:20.840 his belt. And when he got to the door, he 662 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:23.639 peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw his belt 663 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:27.079 hanging up over the door. In the kitchen, so he 664 00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:29.840 crept softly in across the floor, for there was no 665 00:35:29.880 --> 00:35:31.840 one there. But as soon as he'd got hold of 666 00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.320 the belt, he began to kick and stamp about as 667 00:35:34.360 --> 00:35:38.000 though he were mad. Just then his mother came rushing out, 668 00:35:38.119 --> 00:35:40.840 dear heart, my darling boy, do give me the belt again, 669 00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.679 she said, thank you kindly, said he. Now you shall 670 00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:47.880 have the doom you passed on me, and he fulfilled 671 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:50.760 it on the spot. When the old troll heard that, 672 00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:53.639 he came in and begged and prayed so prettily that 673 00:35:53.719 --> 00:35:56.760 he might not be smitten to death. Well you may live, 674 00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:59.960 said the lad, but you shall undergo the same punishment 675 00:36:00.199 --> 00:36:03.039 you gave me. And so he burned out the troll's 676 00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:05.639 eyes and turned him adrift on the sea in a 677 00:36:05.679 --> 00:36:09.239 little boat. But he had no lions to follow him. 678 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:12.719 Now the lad was all alone, and he went about, 679 00:36:12.840 --> 00:36:16.280 longing and longing for the princess. At last he could 680 00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:19.079 bear it no longer. He must set out to seek her. 681 00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:22.440 His heart was so bent on having her, so he 682 00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:27.159 loaded four ships and set sail for Arabia. For some 683 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:30.440 time they had fair wind and fine weather, but after 684 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:34.280 that they lay wind bound under a rocky island, so 685 00:36:34.519 --> 00:36:38.039 the sailors went ashore and strolled about to spend the time, 686 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:41.440 and there they found a huge egg, almost as big 687 00:36:41.480 --> 00:36:44.400 as a little house. So they began to knock it 688 00:36:44.440 --> 00:36:48.519 about with large stones, but after all they couldn't crack 689 00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:51.360 the shell. Then the Lad came up with his sword 690 00:36:51.440 --> 00:36:53.599 to see what all the noise was about, And when 691 00:36:53.639 --> 00:36:55.960 he saw the egg, he thought it a trifle to 692 00:36:56.039 --> 00:36:58.440 crack it, so he gave it one blow and the 693 00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.440 egg split and out came a chicken as big as 694 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:05.239 an elephant. Now we have done wrong, said the Lad. 695 00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:07.960 This can cost us all our lives. And then he 696 00:37:08.000 --> 00:37:10.639 asked the sailors if they were men enough to sail 697 00:37:10.679 --> 00:37:13.679 to Arabia in four and twenty hours if they got 698 00:37:13.719 --> 00:37:16.239 a fine breeze. Yes, they were good to do that, 699 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:19.639 they said. So they set sail with a fine breeze 700 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:24.119 and got to Arabia in three and twenty hours. As 701 00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:26.880 soon as they landed, the Lad ordered all the sailors 702 00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:29.519 to go and bury themselves up to the eyes in 703 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:32.400 a sand hill so that they could barely see the ships. 704 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:35.519 The Lad and the captains climbed a high crag and 705 00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:39.800 sate down under a fur in a little while came 706 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:43.000 a great bird flying with an island in its claws, 707 00:37:43.079 --> 00:37:45.760 and let it fall down on the fleet and sunk 708 00:37:45.920 --> 00:37:49.400 every ship. After it had done that, it flew up 709 00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:51.880 to the sand hill and flapped its wings so that 710 00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:54.800 the wind nearly took off the heads of the sailors, 711 00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:57.760 and it flew past the fur with such force that 712 00:37:57.840 --> 00:38:00.760 it turned the lad right about. But he was ready 713 00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:03.280 with his sword and gave the bird one blow and 714 00:38:03.400 --> 00:38:07.280 brought it down dead. After that he went to the town, 715 00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:10.000 where everyone was glad because the king had got his 716 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:13.039 daughter back. But now the king had hidden her away 717 00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:16.199 somewhere himself, and promised her hand as a reward to 718 00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:19.519 anyone who could find her. And this though she was 719 00:38:19.559 --> 00:38:23.199 betrothed before. Now. As the lad went along, he met 720 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:26.679 a man who had white bear skins for sale. So 721 00:38:26.960 --> 00:38:29.280 he bought one of the hides and put it on, 722 00:38:29.719 --> 00:38:31.960 And one of the captains was to take an iron 723 00:38:32.119 --> 00:38:35.000 chain and lead him about. And so he went into 724 00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:38.599 the town and began to play pranks. At last, the 725 00:38:38.679 --> 00:38:41.519 news came to the king's ears that there never had 726 00:38:41.559 --> 00:38:44.199 been such fun in the town before, for there was 727 00:38:44.199 --> 00:38:47.320 a white bear that danced and cut capers just as 728 00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:50.320 it was bid, So a messenger came to say that 729 00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:52.800 the bear must come to the castle at once, for 730 00:38:52.880 --> 00:38:55.920 the king wanted to see its tricks. So when it 731 00:38:56.039 --> 00:38:59.199 got to the castle, everyone was afraid, for such a 732 00:38:59.239 --> 00:39:01.840 beast they had known, ever seen before. But the captain 733 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:05.159 said that there was no danger unless they laughed at it. 734 00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:08.199 They mustn't do that, else it would tear them to pieces. 735 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:11.119 When the King heard that, he warned all the court 736 00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:13.880 not to laugh. But while the fun was going on, 737 00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:16.280 there came one of the king's maids and began to 738 00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:19.119 laugh and make game of the bear. The bear flew 739 00:39:19.159 --> 00:39:21.920 at her and tore her so that there was scarce 740 00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:24.920 a rag of her left. Then all the court began 741 00:39:25.039 --> 00:39:28.840 to bewail, and the captain most of all stuff and nonsense, 742 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:31.400 said the King. She's only a maid. Besides, it's more 743 00:39:31.480 --> 00:39:34.800 my affair than yours. When the show was over, it 744 00:39:34.920 --> 00:39:38.199 was late at night. It's no good your going away 745 00:39:38.199 --> 00:39:40.480 when it's so late, said the King. The bear had 746 00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:44.599 best sleep here. Perhaps it might sleep in the ingle 747 00:39:44.639 --> 00:39:48.480 by the kitchen fire, said the captain. Nay, said the King. 748 00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:51.280 It shall sleep up here, and it shall have pillows 749 00:39:51.280 --> 00:39:54.800 and cushions to sleep on. So a whole heap of 750 00:39:54.840 --> 00:39:57.840 pillows and cushions was brought, and the captain had a 751 00:39:57.880 --> 00:40:01.599 bed in a side room. At midnight, the king came 752 00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:04.159 with a lamp in his hand, in a bunch of keys, 753 00:40:04.199 --> 00:40:08.000 and carried off the white bear. He passed along gallery 754 00:40:08.079 --> 00:40:12.760 after gallery, through doors and rooms, upstairs and downstairs, till 755 00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:15.480 at last he came to a pier which ran out 756 00:40:15.559 --> 00:40:19.559 into the sea. Then the king began to pull and 757 00:40:19.639 --> 00:40:23.199 haul at posts and pins, this one up and that 758 00:40:23.320 --> 00:40:26.559 one down, till at last a little house floated up 759 00:40:26.599 --> 00:40:29.960 to the water's edge. There he kept his daughter, for 760 00:40:30.039 --> 00:40:32.599 she was so dear to him that he had hid 761 00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:36.119 her so no one could find her out. He left 762 00:40:36.159 --> 00:40:38.880 the white bear outside while he went in and told 763 00:40:38.880 --> 00:40:41.880 her how it had danced and played its pranks. She 764 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:44.480 said she was afraid and dared not look at it, 765 00:40:44.840 --> 00:40:47.000 but he talked her over, saying that there was no 766 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:50.519 danger if she only wouldn't laugh. So they brought the 767 00:40:50.559 --> 00:40:52.880 bear in and locked the door, and it danced and 768 00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:55.719 played its tricks. But just when the fun was at 769 00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:59.119 its height, the princess's maid began to laugh. Then the 770 00:40:59.199 --> 00:41:01.920 lad flew her and tore her to bits, and the 771 00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:06.559 princess began to cry and sob stuff and nonsense, cried 772 00:41:06.559 --> 00:41:09.039 the king, all this fuss about a maid, I'll get 773 00:41:09.119 --> 00:41:11.960 you just as good a one again. But now I 774 00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:14.639 think the bear had best stay here till morning, for 775 00:41:14.760 --> 00:41:17.079 I don't care to have to go and lead it 776 00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:21.800 all along those galleries and stairs this time of night, well, 777 00:41:22.400 --> 00:41:25.800 said the princess. If it sleeps here, I'm sure I won't. 778 00:41:26.400 --> 00:41:29.639 But just then the bear curled himself up and lay 779 00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:32.880 down by the stove, and it was settled at last 780 00:41:32.960 --> 00:41:36.320 that the princess should sleep there too, with a light burning. 781 00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:39.199 But as soon as the king had well gone, the 782 00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:42.440 white bear came and begged her to undo his collar. 783 00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:46.159 The princess was so scared she almost swooned away, but 784 00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:48.960 she felt about till she found the collar, and she 785 00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:52.320 had scarce undone it before the bear pulled his head off. 786 00:41:52.840 --> 00:41:55.400 Then she knew him again, and was so glad. There 787 00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:57.920 was no end to her joy, and she wanted to 788 00:41:57.960 --> 00:42:00.920 tell her father at once that her delivery was come, 789 00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:04.079 but the lad would not hear of it. He would 790 00:42:04.119 --> 00:42:07.000 earn her once more, he said so in the morning, 791 00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:10.360 when they heard the king rattling the posts outside. The 792 00:42:10.440 --> 00:42:13.559 lad drew on the hide and lay down by the stove. 793 00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:17.920 Well has it lain still, the king asked, I should 794 00:42:17.920 --> 00:42:20.760 think so, said the princess. It hasn't so much as 795 00:42:20.840 --> 00:42:24.679 turned or stretched itself once. When they got up to 796 00:42:24.719 --> 00:42:27.440 the castle again, the captain took the bear and led 797 00:42:27.480 --> 00:42:30.039 it away. And then the lad threw off the hide 798 00:42:30.119 --> 00:42:32.800 and went to a tailor and ordered clothes fit for 799 00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:35.719 a prince. And when they were fitted on, he went 800 00:42:35.760 --> 00:42:39.079 to the king and said he wanted to find the princess. 801 00:42:39.559 --> 00:42:42.440 You are not the first that is wished the same thing, 802 00:42:42.800 --> 00:42:46.440 said the king. But they have all lost their lives. 803 00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:50.159 For if anyone who tries can't find her in four 804 00:42:50.199 --> 00:42:54.599 and twenty hours, his life is forfeitted. Yes, the lad 805 00:42:54.639 --> 00:42:57.480 knew all that, still he wished to try, and if 806 00:42:57.480 --> 00:43:01.039 he couldn't find her, twas his look out Now in 807 00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:04.360 the castle there was a band that played sweet tunes, 808 00:43:04.400 --> 00:43:06.760 and there were fair maids to dance with, And so 809 00:43:06.920 --> 00:43:10.199 the lad danced away. When twelve hours were gone, the 810 00:43:10.280 --> 00:43:13.239 king said, I'd pity you with all my heart. You're 811 00:43:13.280 --> 00:43:16.000 so poor a hand at seeking. You will surely lose 812 00:43:16.039 --> 00:43:20.440 your life stuff, said the lad. While there's life, there's hope. 813 00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:23.480 So long as there's breath in the body, there's no fear. 814 00:43:23.800 --> 00:43:26.559 We have lots of time, And so he went on 815 00:43:26.840 --> 00:43:30.400 dancing till there was only one hour left. Then he 816 00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:34.119 said he would begin to search. It's no use now, 817 00:43:34.519 --> 00:43:37.920 said the king. Time's up. Light your lamp, out with 818 00:43:38.079 --> 00:43:40.679 your big bunch of keys, said the lad, and follow 819 00:43:40.719 --> 00:43:42.960 me whither I wish to go. There's still a whole 820 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:46.800 hour left. So the lad went the same way which 821 00:43:46.840 --> 00:43:49.199 the King had led him the night before, and he 822 00:43:49.320 --> 00:43:52.920 bade the King unlock door after door till they came 823 00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:55.400 down to the pier which ran out into the sea. 824 00:43:56.280 --> 00:43:58.880 It's all no use, I tell you, said the king. 825 00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:01.599 Times up, and this will only lead you right out 826 00:44:01.599 --> 00:44:05.000 into the sea. Still five minutes more, said the lad, 827 00:44:05.039 --> 00:44:07.880 as he pulled and pushed at the posts and pins, 828 00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:11.559 and the house floated up. Now the time is up, 829 00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:14.159 bawled the king. Come and hear their heads men, and 830 00:44:14.280 --> 00:44:18.159 take off his head. Nay, nay, said the lad. Stop 831 00:44:18.199 --> 00:44:21.039 a bit, there are still three minutes out. With the key, 832 00:44:21.039 --> 00:44:24.039 and let me go into this house. But there stood 833 00:44:24.039 --> 00:44:27.199 the king and fumbled with his keys to draw out 834 00:44:27.239 --> 00:44:31.000 the time. At last he said he hadn't any key. Well, 835 00:44:31.079 --> 00:44:33.840 if you haven't, I have, said the lad, And he 836 00:44:33.880 --> 00:44:36.159 gave the door such a kick that it flew to 837 00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:40.840 splinters inwards on the floor. At the door, the princess 838 00:44:40.840 --> 00:44:43.760 met him and told her father. This was her deliverer 839 00:44:43.880 --> 00:44:47.119 on whom her heart was set. So she had him, 840 00:44:47.199 --> 00:44:50.320 And this was how the beggar boy came to marry 841 00:44:50.400 --> 00:44:55.119 the daughter of the King of Arabia. End of the 842 00:44:55.199 --> 00:45:00.159 Blue Belt in Myths and Legends Around the World, Collection fifteen. 843 00:45:07.239 --> 00:45:10.079 The Cox Kraal in Myths and Legends Around the World 844 00:45:10.280 --> 00:45:15.079 Collection fifteen. From fairy Tales from South Africa. This is 845 00:45:15.119 --> 00:45:18.760 a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. 846 00:45:19.199 --> 00:45:23.599 For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. 847 00:45:24.239 --> 00:45:28.679 Read by David mccott. The Cox Kraal a Swazi tale. 848 00:45:29.400 --> 00:45:31.360 Once upon a time there lived a great chief who 849 00:45:31.440 --> 00:45:34.239 ruled over many thousands of men. The city in which 850 00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:36.239 he dwelt was so large that it would have taken 851 00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:38.480 you many hours to walk around it, and no one 852 00:45:38.480 --> 00:45:41.320 had yet counted the multitude of his cattle. But in 853 00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:44.039 spite of his great wealth. He was of so grasping 854 00:45:44.039 --> 00:45:47.280 a disposition that he never seemed to have enough, nor 855 00:45:47.360 --> 00:45:50.239 did he care whether he gained his ends justly. You 856 00:45:50.280 --> 00:45:53.119 shall hear the story of the misfortunes he incurred through 857 00:45:53.159 --> 00:45:56.159 the same passion of greed. One day he sent out 858 00:45:56.159 --> 00:45:58.320 a party of men, headed by his chief and Duna, 859 00:45:58.760 --> 00:46:01.960 to hunt for odderskins for the royal bodyguard. This regiment 860 00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:04.440 was the finest of his army, and he prided himself 861 00:46:04.519 --> 00:46:07.800 on its perfect equipment. To show how highly he esteemed 862 00:46:07.800 --> 00:46:10.159 the men belonging to it, he allowed them to wear 863 00:46:10.199 --> 00:46:13.599 oddus skins, the royal fir and long waving head dresses 864 00:46:13.599 --> 00:46:17.280 of fostrich feathers. His bravest son was their commander. No 865 00:46:17.400 --> 00:46:20.719 soldiers equaled them in all the land. The hunting party 866 00:46:20.800 --> 00:46:23.800 had good sport, traveling by for many miles down the 867 00:46:23.880 --> 00:46:26.599 river and attacking the otters by night when they assemble 868 00:46:26.719 --> 00:46:30.000 under the great rocks. The nights were warm and pleasant, 869 00:46:30.239 --> 00:46:32.199 and day off to day. They followed their quarry till 870 00:46:32.239 --> 00:46:34.519 they were far from home and found themselves in a 871 00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:37.639 new country. Then in a few hours the weather changed. 872 00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:40.519 Clouds came up and covered the hills, and then followed 873 00:46:40.519 --> 00:46:43.679 a cold, misty rain. It grew colder and colder, and 874 00:46:43.719 --> 00:46:45.960 they had no shelter and were drenched to the bone. 875 00:46:46.159 --> 00:46:48.239 They tried to light a fire by rubbing two pieces 876 00:46:48.239 --> 00:46:50.599 of wood together, but the wood was damp and no 877 00:46:50.719 --> 00:46:53.880 spark came. They tried flint stones, but the rain had 878 00:46:53.920 --> 00:46:56.480 spoilt their tinder. Then they thought of going to a 879 00:46:56.519 --> 00:47:00.199 neighboring kraal and there obtaining fire. But the country tree 880 00:47:00.239 --> 00:47:02.440 round was bare and empty. Not a soul was to 881 00:47:02.440 --> 00:47:05.480 be seen, and the rain continued to fall heavily. At 882 00:47:05.559 --> 00:47:07.840 last they decided to mount a hill and see if 883 00:47:07.880 --> 00:47:11.559 any habitation could be found. They ascended the highest point 884 00:47:11.599 --> 00:47:13.960 within reach, and far away, in the middle of a 885 00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:16.639 great plain. On the other side, they saw a single 886 00:47:16.679 --> 00:47:19.239 column of smoke. They all set out at once in 887 00:47:19.280 --> 00:47:21.719 the new direction, and at the end of some hours 888 00:47:21.880 --> 00:47:24.840 arrived at the gate of a big kraal. Many hundreds 889 00:47:24.840 --> 00:47:27.199 of huts stood round the cattle pen, and there were 890 00:47:27.199 --> 00:47:29.960 oxen in plenty, and large herds of goats and sheep, 891 00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:32.760 But not a single human could be could they see. 892 00:47:33.280 --> 00:47:35.360 The men walked round the whole city, but the only 893 00:47:35.400 --> 00:47:38.000 occupants of the huts were foul of every size and color. 894 00:47:38.360 --> 00:47:40.400 They walked in and out of the doors, and seemed 895 00:47:40.400 --> 00:47:44.480 busy and occupied in unimportant affairs. The inDuna grew more 896 00:47:44.519 --> 00:47:47.400 and more puzzled. At last they reached the great entrance 897 00:47:47.400 --> 00:47:50.480 of the cattle Kraal, and there a magnificent golden cock 898 00:47:50.519 --> 00:47:53.360 stood on the fence. Whence he could survey the whole city. 899 00:47:53.880 --> 00:47:57.079 He did not move as at their approach, but surveyed 900 00:47:57.079 --> 00:48:00.880 them boldly with his bright yellow eyes. What do you want? 901 00:48:01.199 --> 00:48:03.599 He asked in the tones of a man. The Enduner 902 00:48:03.639 --> 00:48:05.880 and his warriors were so surprised that they could not 903 00:48:06.039 --> 00:48:09.480 answer for a moment. Do you seek shelter, repeated the cock. 904 00:48:09.880 --> 00:48:12.800 If so, my people will help you. We thank you, 905 00:48:13.039 --> 00:48:15.960 said the inDuna. We only want fire. We are far 906 00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:18.480 from home and have no means of warming ourselves or 907 00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:21.840 cooking food. You shall have all you want, said the cock. 908 00:48:22.159 --> 00:48:24.719 I am a man like yourselves, but a wicked king 909 00:48:24.760 --> 00:48:27.000 who is stronger than I has bewitched me and all 910 00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:29.960 my people. He was a cannibal and actually asked for 911 00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:32.159 the hands of my daughter in marriage for his sons. 912 00:48:32.559 --> 00:48:34.639 I refused to allow them to have anything to do 913 00:48:34.679 --> 00:48:38.039 with such a wicked race, whereupon his magicians changed me 914 00:48:38.320 --> 00:48:41.280 and all my subjects into cocks and hens. Can you 915 00:48:41.320 --> 00:48:44.360 not win back your old forms, asked the inDuna, Only 916 00:48:44.400 --> 00:48:47.280 if I overcome a more powerful chief than myself, and 917 00:48:47.360 --> 00:48:50.320 that I shall find difficult in my present shape. Then 918 00:48:50.360 --> 00:48:52.840 he took the Duner and his men to two beautiful huts, 919 00:48:53.039 --> 00:48:55.400 gave them food and drink of the best, and when 920 00:48:55.440 --> 00:48:58.159 they departed, provided them with a thin stick lighted in 921 00:48:58.199 --> 00:49:01.559 the fire, which could be smallder for many hours. Dunding 922 00:49:01.599 --> 00:49:04.440 party went back to their arder skins, lighted a fire, 923 00:49:04.559 --> 00:49:07.960 and presently returned home with their booty. They related all 924 00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:10.159 their adventures to the king and gave him a full 925 00:49:10.159 --> 00:49:13.320 account of the enchanted cock, his beautiful kraal, and his 926 00:49:13.360 --> 00:49:16.440 great flocks and herds. The king's greed awoke at once, 927 00:49:16.679 --> 00:49:19.760 and then he cried, what fools serve me? Why did 928 00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:21.920 you not take the cattle and come back with ever once? 929 00:49:22.280 --> 00:49:25.760 Could you not overcome a few cocks and hens? Great King, 930 00:49:26.039 --> 00:49:28.679 as said the inDuna, there was no order to conquer. 931 00:49:29.039 --> 00:49:31.119 Why should we steal from the cock who gave us 932 00:49:31.159 --> 00:49:34.440 all we wanted freely? How could you possibly miss such 933 00:49:34.480 --> 00:49:36.960 a chance? Said the king, I will see to the 934 00:49:36.960 --> 00:49:39.880 matter myself at once. Then he ordered one of his 935 00:49:39.960 --> 00:49:43.280 regiments to start for the cock's krawl forthwith, and waited 936 00:49:43.320 --> 00:49:46.719 at home for the expected's foil. His men soon found 937 00:49:46.719 --> 00:49:49.280 the path, and after a few days traveling, arrived within 938 00:49:49.360 --> 00:49:52.239 sight of the enchanted city. The golden cock was at 939 00:49:52.280 --> 00:49:54.400 his usual post at the gate of the cattle Kraal. 940 00:49:54.760 --> 00:49:57.480 As he saw the regiment approach in battle array, he 941 00:49:57.559 --> 00:49:59.639 called all the sheep and cattle and sent them into 942 00:49:59.639 --> 00:50:02.079 the kraal. Then he flew to the chief hut and 943 00:50:02.159 --> 00:50:04.320 called to all the fowls who lived in the city, 944 00:50:05.039 --> 00:50:07.519 come out, Come out. Here are warriors who have come 945 00:50:07.559 --> 00:50:10.199 to take your cattle. Come out, Come out, and defend 946 00:50:10.280 --> 00:50:13.519 your homes. The fowls flew in from their lands in 947 00:50:13.639 --> 00:50:15.880 hundreds and thousands, and stood each at the door of 948 00:50:15.920 --> 00:50:19.199 their hut directly the regiment set foot in the city. 949 00:50:19.239 --> 00:50:22.079 Each picked out his man and flew towards him, flapping 950 00:50:22.079 --> 00:50:24.800 his wings round his enemy's head. In a few minutes, 951 00:50:24.840 --> 00:50:26.920 each bird had pecked out the eyes of his opponent, 952 00:50:27.159 --> 00:50:30.320 and such was their strength and ferocity that but two 953 00:50:30.480 --> 00:50:33.159 or three escaped alive out of the whole regiment. The 954 00:50:33.239 --> 00:50:35.800 king was greatly incensed when he heard the news. His 955 00:50:35.880 --> 00:50:38.880 blood was up, and he instantly set forth his royal Bodyguard, 956 00:50:39.239 --> 00:50:41.400 the flower of his army, under the command of his 957 00:50:41.480 --> 00:50:44.639 favorite son. They set out, clad in rich odder skins, 958 00:50:44.679 --> 00:50:47.880 crowned with long black feathers, each man a perfect warrior. 959 00:50:48.320 --> 00:50:51.679 Many long days passed. Every evening, at sundown, the king 960 00:50:51.760 --> 00:50:54.880 looked for the victorious army, driving before them great herds 961 00:50:54.880 --> 00:50:58.519 of lowing towels, themselves scarcely visible in the clouds of 962 00:50:58.519 --> 00:51:01.159 gold and dust. But no one came, and the days 963 00:51:01.159 --> 00:51:04.079 grew into weeks at length. One night, at dusk, a 964 00:51:04.119 --> 00:51:09.159 wretched fugitive arrived, footsore and scarcely able to drag himself along. 965 00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:12.119 His plumes were gone, a fragment of otter skins was 966 00:51:12.159 --> 00:51:16.280 still about his loins. Great King said he with many groans. 967 00:51:16.639 --> 00:51:19.360 I am all that remains of the royal bodyguard. Is 968 00:51:19.400 --> 00:51:22.519 my son also dead, cried the king in horror. Great King, 969 00:51:22.679 --> 00:51:25.000 the prince is dead, and all our men no one 970 00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:27.760 can stand against the assault of the enchanted fowls. The 971 00:51:27.800 --> 00:51:30.039 golden cocks spared me alone, so that the fate of 972 00:51:30.039 --> 00:51:32.519 our warriors might be known. He bade me say he 973 00:51:32.599 --> 00:51:35.559 is still ready for you. But the king owned himself beaten. 974 00:51:35.960 --> 00:51:38.559 How can I fight any more? He said, My bodyguard 975 00:51:38.599 --> 00:51:42.079 is destroyed, and my bravest son killed led the cockkeeper's 976 00:51:42.079 --> 00:51:45.119 city and his cattle. As the words fell from his lips, 977 00:51:45.159 --> 00:51:47.679 the golden cock and all his men regained once more 978 00:51:47.719 --> 00:51:50.639 their rightful shape. They conquered in fair fight, and now 979 00:51:50.760 --> 00:51:53.880 ruled over a great land in happiness and peace and 980 00:51:54.199 --> 00:51:57.239 of Cox's Kraal in Myths and Legends Around the World 981 00:51:57.440 --> 00:51:58.480 Collection fifteen. 982 00:52:03.679 --> 00:52:08.639 Babushka in Myths and Legends Around the World Collection fifteen 983 00:52:09.079 --> 00:52:13.880 from Twilight Tales. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox 984 00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:17.920 recordings are in the public domain. For more information, would volunteer, 985 00:52:18.480 --> 00:52:26.800 please visit LibriVox dot org. Read Belli Vogler Babushka. If 986 00:52:26.840 --> 00:52:29.639 you were a Russian child, you would not watch to 987 00:52:29.679 --> 00:52:32.800 see Santa Claus come down the chimney, but you would 988 00:52:32.800 --> 00:52:35.639 stand by the windows to catch a peep at poor 989 00:52:35.679 --> 00:52:40.400 Babushka as she hurries by. Who is Babushka? Is she 990 00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:45.880 Santa claus wife? No, indeed, she is only a poor, little, crooked, 991 00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:50.119 wrinkled old woman who comes at Christmas time into everybody's house, 992 00:52:50.679 --> 00:52:55.079 who peeps into every cradle, turns back every cover lid, 993 00:52:55.719 --> 00:52:59.280 drops a tear on the baby's white pillow, and goes 994 00:52:59.320 --> 00:53:03.960 away far, very very sorrowful. And not only at Christmas time, 995 00:53:04.400 --> 00:53:07.599 but through all the cold winter, especially in March, when 996 00:53:07.639 --> 00:53:11.400 the wind blows loud and whistles and howls and dies 997 00:53:11.480 --> 00:53:15.280 away like a sigh. The Russian children hear the rustling 998 00:53:15.360 --> 00:53:19.320 step of Babushka. She is always in a hurry. One 999 00:53:19.360 --> 00:53:22.480 hears her running fast along the crowded streets over the 1000 00:53:22.559 --> 00:53:26.000 quiet country fields. She seems to be out of breath 1001 00:53:26.039 --> 00:53:30.039 and tired, yet she hurries on whom is she trying 1002 00:53:30.079 --> 00:53:34.159 to overtake? She scarcely looks the little children as they 1003 00:53:34.159 --> 00:53:37.199 press their rosy faces against the window pane and whisper 1004 00:53:37.280 --> 00:53:41.519 to each other. Is the Babushka looking for us? No, 1005 00:53:42.119 --> 00:53:45.360 she will not stop only on Christmas evil. She come 1006 00:53:45.440 --> 00:53:49.519 upstairs into the nursery and give each little one a present. 1007 00:53:50.280 --> 00:53:53.679 You must not think she leaves handsome gifts such as 1008 00:53:53.719 --> 00:53:57.920 Santa Claus springs for you. She does not bring bicycles 1009 00:53:57.960 --> 00:54:00.960 to the boys or French dolls to the girl. She 1010 00:54:01.079 --> 00:54:04.199 does not come in a gay little sleigh drawn by reindeer, 1011 00:54:04.840 --> 00:54:08.440 but hobbling along on foot. She leans on a crutch. 1012 00:54:09.199 --> 00:54:12.719 She has her old apron filled with candy and cheap toys, 1013 00:54:13.239 --> 00:54:16.960 and the children all love her dearly. They watch to 1014 00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:19.679 see her come, and when one hears a rustling, he 1015 00:54:19.760 --> 00:54:24.159 cries lo the Babushka. Then all the others look, but 1016 00:54:24.239 --> 00:54:27.400 one must turn one's head very quickly, or she vanishes 1017 00:54:27.880 --> 00:54:30.840 and never saw her myself. Best of all, she loves 1018 00:54:30.880 --> 00:54:35.800 little babies, and often when the tired mothers sleep, she 1019 00:54:35.920 --> 00:54:40.079 bends over their cradles, puts her brown wrinkled face close 1020 00:54:40.199 --> 00:54:44.400 down to the pillow, and looks very sharply. What is 1021 00:54:44.440 --> 00:54:48.280 she looking for? Ah, that you can't guess unless you 1022 00:54:48.400 --> 00:54:53.199 know her sad story long long ago, a great many 1023 00:54:53.320 --> 00:54:57.679 yesterdays ago, the Babushka, who even then was an old woman, 1024 00:54:58.280 --> 00:55:01.760 was busy sweeping her little hut. She lived in the 1025 00:55:01.880 --> 00:55:05.800 coldest corner of cold Russia. And she lived alone in 1026 00:55:05.880 --> 00:55:10.920 a lonely place where four wide roads met. These roads 1027 00:55:10.960 --> 00:55:14.320 were at this time white with snow, for it was 1028 00:55:14.400 --> 00:55:17.960 winter time. In the summer time, when the fields were 1029 00:55:17.960 --> 00:55:20.559 full of flowers, in the air full of sunshine and 1030 00:55:20.639 --> 00:55:25.119 singing birds. Babushka's home did not seem so very quiet. 1031 00:55:25.639 --> 00:55:28.599 But in the winter time, with only the snowflakes and 1032 00:55:28.639 --> 00:55:32.519 the shy snow birds and the loud wind for company, 1033 00:55:33.119 --> 00:55:36.519 the old woman felt very cheerless. But she was a 1034 00:55:36.599 --> 00:55:40.280 busy old woman, and as it was already twilight in 1035 00:55:40.320 --> 00:55:43.280 her home but half swept, she felt in a hurry 1036 00:55:43.320 --> 00:55:46.679 to finish her work before bedtime. You must know that 1037 00:55:46.679 --> 00:55:49.960 Babushka was poor and could not afford to do her 1038 00:55:50.000 --> 00:55:54.960 work by candle light. Presently, down the widest and lonesomest 1039 00:55:55.000 --> 00:55:58.639 of all the white roads, there appeared a long train 1040 00:55:58.679 --> 00:56:02.360 of people. They were walking slowly and seemed to be 1041 00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:05.440 asking each other questions as to which way they should take. 1042 00:56:06.320 --> 00:56:09.840 As the procession came nearer and finally stopped outside the 1043 00:56:09.880 --> 00:56:14.079 little hut, Babushka was frightened at the splendor. There were 1044 00:56:14.119 --> 00:56:17.679 three kings with crowns on their heads, and the jewels 1045 00:56:17.679 --> 00:56:23.320 on the king's breastplates sparkled like sunlight. Their heavy fur 1046 00:56:23.440 --> 00:56:27.480 coats were white with the falling of snowflakes, and the queer, 1047 00:56:27.559 --> 00:56:31.280 humpy camels on which they rode looked white as milk. 1048 00:56:31.519 --> 00:56:35.840 In the snowstorm. The harness on the camels was decorated 1049 00:56:35.880 --> 00:56:40.440 with gold, and plates of silver adorned the saddles. The 1050 00:56:40.519 --> 00:56:44.960 saddle cloths were of the richest Eastern steps, and all 1051 00:56:45.000 --> 00:56:48.280 the servants had dark eyes and hair of an Eastern people. 1052 00:56:49.039 --> 00:56:52.199 The slaves carried heavy loads on their backs, and each 1053 00:56:52.239 --> 00:56:56.079 of the three kings carried a present. One carried a beautiful, 1054 00:56:56.159 --> 00:57:00.639 transparent jar, and in the fading light, Pabusha could see 1055 00:57:00.639 --> 00:57:03.400 in it a golden liquid, which she knew from its 1056 00:57:03.440 --> 00:57:07.400 color must be murr. Another hat in his hand a 1057 00:57:07.559 --> 00:57:11.400 richly woven bag, and it seemed to be heavy, as 1058 00:57:11.440 --> 00:57:15.039 indeed it was, for it was full of gold. The 1059 00:57:15.159 --> 00:57:18.119 third had a stone vase in his hand, and from 1060 00:57:18.159 --> 00:57:21.639 it the rich perfume which filled the snowy air. One 1061 00:57:21.639 --> 00:57:24.519 could guess the base to have been filled with incense. 1062 00:57:25.320 --> 00:57:28.920 Babushka was terribly frightened, so she hid herself in her 1063 00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:31.960 hut and let the servants knock a long time at 1064 00:57:31.960 --> 00:57:34.480 her door before she dared open it and answer their 1065 00:57:34.559 --> 00:57:37.639 questions as to the road they should take to a 1066 00:57:37.679 --> 00:57:41.760 far away down. You know, she had never studied geography 1067 00:57:41.880 --> 00:57:45.519 lesson in her life, was old and stupid and scared. 1068 00:57:46.199 --> 00:57:49.159 She knew the way across the fields to the nearest village, 1069 00:57:49.679 --> 00:57:52.480 but she knew nothing of all the wide world full 1070 00:57:52.480 --> 00:57:57.280 of cities. The servants scolded, but the three kings spoke 1071 00:57:57.360 --> 00:58:00.760 kindly to her and asked her to accompany them on 1072 00:58:00.800 --> 00:58:03.400 their journey, that she might show them the way as 1073 00:58:03.440 --> 00:58:06.960 far as she knew it. They told her in words 1074 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:10.360 so simple that she could not fail to understand, that 1075 00:58:10.440 --> 00:58:12.480 they had seen a star in the sky and were 1076 00:58:12.519 --> 00:58:16.159 following it to a little town where a young child lay. 1077 00:58:17.079 --> 00:58:19.679 The snow was in the sky now, and the star 1078 00:58:19.920 --> 00:58:23.880 was lost out of sight. Who is the child, asked 1079 00:58:23.880 --> 00:58:26.800 the old woman. He is a king, and we go 1080 00:58:26.920 --> 00:58:31.039 to worship him. They answered, These presents of gold, frankincense 1081 00:58:31.079 --> 00:58:33.880 and mirror for him. When we find him, we will 1082 00:58:33.920 --> 00:58:36.840 take the crowns off of our heads and lay them 1083 00:58:36.960 --> 00:58:41.800 at his feet. Come with us, babushka, what do you suppose. 1084 00:58:42.360 --> 00:58:44.599 Shouldn't you have thought the poor little woman would have 1085 00:58:44.599 --> 00:58:47.199 been glad to leave her desolate home on the plains 1086 00:58:47.960 --> 00:58:52.199 to accompany these kings on their journey. But the foolish 1087 00:58:52.239 --> 00:58:53.360 woman shook her head. 1088 00:58:53.960 --> 00:58:54.000 No. 1089 00:58:54.679 --> 00:58:57.800 The night was dark and cheerless and her little home 1090 00:58:57.920 --> 00:59:00.840 was warm and cozy. She looked up into the sky, 1091 00:59:00.960 --> 00:59:04.760 and the star was nowhere to be seen. Besides, she 1092 00:59:04.800 --> 00:59:07.360 wanted to put her out in order, perhaps she would 1093 00:59:07.400 --> 00:59:10.360 be ready to go tomorrow, but the three kings could 1094 00:59:10.400 --> 00:59:13.559 not wait, so when the morrow's sun rose, they were 1095 00:59:13.599 --> 00:59:16.719 far ahead on their journey. It seemed like a dreamed 1096 00:59:16.760 --> 00:59:20.440 poor Babushka, for even the tracks of the camel's feet 1097 00:59:20.480 --> 00:59:24.400 were covered by the deep white of snow. Everything was 1098 00:59:24.440 --> 00:59:27.199 the same as usual. And to make sure that the 1099 00:59:27.280 --> 00:59:30.679 Knight's visitors had not been a fancy, she found her 1100 00:59:30.719 --> 00:59:33.719 old broom hanging on a peg behind the door, where 1101 00:59:33.719 --> 00:59:37.119 she had put it when the servants knocked. Now that 1102 00:59:37.199 --> 00:59:40.199 the sun was shining, and she remembered the glitter of 1103 00:59:40.239 --> 00:59:43.519 gold and the smell of sweet gums, and myrrhr, she 1104 00:59:43.599 --> 00:59:46.559 wished she had gone with the travelers, And she thought 1105 00:59:46.559 --> 00:59:49.360 a great deal about the dear baby the three kings 1106 00:59:49.360 --> 00:59:52.679 had gone to worship. She had no children of her own, 1107 00:59:53.239 --> 00:59:57.639 nobody loved her if only she had gone. The more 1108 00:59:57.679 --> 01:00:00.719 she brooded on the thought, the more miserable she grew, 1109 01:00:01.159 --> 01:00:04.320 till the very sight of her home became hateful to her. 1110 01:00:05.719 --> 01:00:08.239 It is a dreadful feeling to realize that one has 1111 01:00:08.320 --> 01:00:12.199 lost a chance of happiness. There is a feeling called 1112 01:00:12.199 --> 01:00:17.199 remorse that can gnaw like a sharp little tooth. Babushka 1113 01:00:17.199 --> 01:00:20.719 felt this little tooth cut into her heart every time 1114 01:00:20.800 --> 01:00:25.039 she remembered the visit of the three Kings. After a while, 1115 01:00:25.079 --> 01:00:27.599 the thought of the little child became the first thought 1116 01:00:27.599 --> 01:00:31.199 at waking, and the last thought at night. One day 1117 01:00:31.239 --> 01:00:34.000 she shut the door of her house forever and set 1118 01:00:34.079 --> 01:00:38.199 out on a long journey. She had no hope of 1119 01:00:38.239 --> 01:00:41.639 overtaking the three kings, but she longed to find the 1120 01:00:41.760 --> 01:00:45.119 child that she too might love and worship him. She 1121 01:00:45.239 --> 01:00:48.559 asked every one she met, and some people thought her crazy, 1122 01:00:49.000 --> 01:00:53.280 but others gave her kind answers. Have you perhaps guessed 1123 01:00:53.320 --> 01:00:56.480 that the young child whom the three kings sought was 1124 01:00:56.519 --> 01:01:00.559 our Lord himself? People told Babushka how he was born 1125 01:01:00.599 --> 01:01:03.880 in a manger, and many other things which you children 1126 01:01:03.960 --> 01:01:08.719 have learned long ago. These answered puzzled the old dame mightily. 1127 01:01:09.400 --> 01:01:12.920 She had but one idea in her ignorant head. The 1128 01:01:13.079 --> 01:01:16.559 three kings had gone to seek a baby, she would, 1129 01:01:16.920 --> 01:01:21.519 if not too late, seek him too. She forgot, I'm 1130 01:01:21.559 --> 01:01:24.800 sure how many long years had gone by. She looked 1131 01:01:24.800 --> 01:01:27.639 in vain for the Christ child and his manger cradle. 1132 01:01:28.239 --> 01:01:31.280 She spent all her little savings and toys and candy 1133 01:01:31.719 --> 01:01:34.599 as to make friends with the little children, that they 1134 01:01:34.679 --> 01:01:37.960 might not run away when she came hobbling into their nurseries. 1135 01:01:39.440 --> 01:01:42.679 Now you know for whom she is sadly seeking when 1136 01:01:42.679 --> 01:01:46.000 she pushes back the bed curtains and bends down over 1137 01:01:46.079 --> 01:01:51.079 each baby's pillow. Sometimes, when the old grandmother sits nodding 1138 01:01:51.119 --> 01:01:55.039 by the fire and the bigger children sleep in their beds, 1139 01:01:55.639 --> 01:02:00.679 old Babushka comes hobbling into the room and whispers softly, 1140 01:02:01.679 --> 01:02:06.719 is the young child here? Ah? No, she has come 1141 01:02:06.840 --> 01:02:11.199 too late, too late, But the little children know and 1142 01:02:11.320 --> 01:02:16.079 love her. Two thousand years ago she lost the chance 1143 01:02:16.119 --> 01:02:22.039 of finding him. Crooked, wrinkled, old, sick and sorry. She 1144 01:02:22.199 --> 01:02:27.719 yet lives on looking into each baby's face, always disappointed, 1145 01:02:28.440 --> 01:02:34.679 always seeking. Will she find him at last? Come, bossy, 1146 01:02:34.719 --> 01:02:37.920 Come bossy, here I am with my cup. Come give 1147 01:02:38.000 --> 01:02:41.280 me some milk, rich and sweet. I will pay you 1148 01:02:41.400 --> 01:02:45.039 well with the red clover. Hay, the nicest you ever 1149 01:02:45.119 --> 01:02:50.880 did eat and Babushka. In myths and legends around the 1150 01:02:50.920 --> 01:02:52.840 World Collection fifteen. 1151 01:02:59.440 --> 01:03:02.039 How income Woman abandoned one of her twins in the 1152 01:03:02.079 --> 01:03:05.880 forest and how it was saved by the hawk in 1153 01:03:06.000 --> 01:03:11.960 Myths and Legends Around the World, Collection fifteen. This is 1154 01:03:11.960 --> 01:03:15.960 a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. 1155 01:03:16.920 --> 01:03:21.239 For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. 1156 01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:28.079 Read by Jerome Ware. How an income woman abandoned one 1157 01:03:28.119 --> 01:03:30.639 of her twins in the forest and how it was 1158 01:03:30.679 --> 01:03:33.960 saved by the hawk. A Wu was a native woman 1159 01:03:34.000 --> 01:03:36.239 of income, a town on the right bank of the 1160 01:03:36.239 --> 01:03:39.559 Cross River, consisting of five compounds separate from one another 1161 01:03:39.599 --> 01:03:42.800 by about half a mile. Bush O Wu was a 1162 01:03:42.840 --> 01:03:46.159 fine girl, but preferred to enjoy herself as she liked, 1163 01:03:46.320 --> 01:03:49.599 rather than to get married, which would mean too hard work. 1164 01:03:50.880 --> 01:03:53.679 She used to walk from one town to another and 1165 01:03:53.760 --> 01:03:56.079 attend all the dances and plays, as she was a 1166 01:03:56.119 --> 01:03:59.360 good singer and dancer. She always wore a cloth of 1167 01:03:59.400 --> 01:04:02.840 the latest past and a silk handkerchief round her head, 1168 01:04:03.239 --> 01:04:05.760 with plenty of hairs from the elephant's tail around her 1169 01:04:05.800 --> 01:04:10.000 neck and strings of beads round her waist. She also 1170 01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:12.599 wore a piece of black braid tied around each ankle 1171 01:04:13.079 --> 01:04:16.599 and some rings on her fingers. These are the signs 1172 01:04:16.599 --> 01:04:19.800 of a girl who is popular with young men. A 1173 01:04:19.880 --> 01:04:23.199 Wu had men friends in every town she visited, but 1174 01:04:23.280 --> 01:04:25.880 she never stayed long with any of them, being what 1175 01:04:26.039 --> 01:04:32.119 is called a walking woman. At last she conceived, and 1176 01:04:32.159 --> 01:04:35.199 when she was about eight months gone with child, she 1177 01:04:35.280 --> 01:04:37.440 happened one day to go into the forest to gather 1178 01:04:37.519 --> 01:04:42.039 firewood to cook her mourning food. While she was thus engaged, 1179 01:04:42.519 --> 01:04:44.400 a branch fell from her tree and hit her on 1180 01:04:44.440 --> 01:04:48.519 the belly. This immediately brought on her confinement, and she 1181 01:04:48.679 --> 01:04:52.679 gave birth to twins in the forest. The firstborn was 1182 01:04:52.719 --> 01:04:55.679 a girl, to whom she gave the name of Arrow, 1183 01:04:56.679 --> 01:04:59.880 and the second was a boy, whom she named ag 1184 01:05:01.400 --> 01:05:03.840 When a Wu found that she had given birth to twins, 1185 01:05:04.360 --> 01:05:07.400 she was very much ashamed of herself and was afraid 1186 01:05:07.400 --> 01:05:09.920 to take both the babies back to the town, as 1187 01:05:09.960 --> 01:05:12.440 they would be killed by the people and she would 1188 01:05:12.440 --> 01:05:14.320 be turned out of the town and left the starve 1189 01:05:14.400 --> 01:05:18.480 in the bush. She therefore decided to take the firstborn child, 1190 01:05:18.960 --> 01:05:22.039 Arrow back with her, but Agbar she left on the 1191 01:05:22.079 --> 01:05:28.039 ground underneath the tree. Very soon after a Wu had departed, 1192 01:05:28.800 --> 01:05:33.320 the driver ants discovered Agbar and quickly covered him, commencing 1193 01:05:33.400 --> 01:05:36.280 to eat him. The bites of the driver ants made 1194 01:05:36.280 --> 01:05:40.320 the child cry. All this time, a hawk had been 1195 01:05:40.360 --> 01:05:44.119 circling around high up in the air searching for food, 1196 01:05:44.719 --> 01:05:47.519 and when he saw a Wu had deserted her baby, 1197 01:05:47.679 --> 01:05:50.199 he swooped down and carried the infidanet off with him 1198 01:05:50.199 --> 01:05:54.039 to the top of a high tree. The hawk, seeing 1199 01:05:54.039 --> 01:05:57.159 what a fine child Agbar was, thought he would try 1200 01:05:57.199 --> 01:06:00.400 to save his life, and immediately set about removed ants 1201 01:06:00.400 --> 01:06:03.920 from Agbar's body. He lit a fire and boiled some water, 1202 01:06:04.159 --> 01:06:07.000 with which she washed the child, and the ants very 1203 01:06:07.079 --> 01:06:11.840 quickly disappeared. The hawk looked after Agbar until he grew up. 1204 01:06:13.079 --> 01:06:15.880 One day, a Wu sent her daughter Arrow to get 1205 01:06:15.880 --> 01:06:20.880 her some fire, and Arrow, after wandering about, eventually found 1206 01:06:20.920 --> 01:06:24.480 herself at the hawk's house, where she saw Agbar sitting down. 1207 01:06:26.000 --> 01:06:28.559 Arrow was so taken with Agbar's good looks that she 1208 01:06:28.719 --> 01:06:32.480 continued to stare at him without speaking, until at last 1209 01:06:32.519 --> 01:06:35.480 Agbar said why do you look at me like that? 1210 01:06:36.559 --> 01:06:39.519 But Erro did not reply and picked up some fire, 1211 01:06:39.599 --> 01:06:44.480 continuing to stare at Agbar. Then he repeated his question 1212 01:06:44.800 --> 01:06:48.960 and added, do I resemble either your father or your mother, 1213 01:06:50.199 --> 01:06:54.039 If so, let the fire you are holding go out. 1214 01:06:54.320 --> 01:06:58.039 And the fire went out at once. Arrow then took 1215 01:06:58.079 --> 01:07:00.960 some more fire, and Agbar put the same question to 1216 01:07:01.000 --> 01:07:04.519 her again, and the fire Arrow was holding when out 1217 01:07:04.559 --> 01:07:09.000 a second time. This was done three times, each time 1218 01:07:09.199 --> 01:07:12.599 with the same result. Then Arrow ran home to her 1219 01:07:12.639 --> 01:07:15.480 mother and reported what she had seen, and said what 1220 01:07:15.519 --> 01:07:19.440 a fine boy Agbar was. When a Wu, the mother, 1221 01:07:19.639 --> 01:07:22.559 had heard about the fire, she knew at once that 1222 01:07:22.639 --> 01:07:25.239 Agbar must be her son, whom she had deserted and 1223 01:07:25.360 --> 01:07:28.280 left to die in a forest. She therefore made up 1224 01:07:28.320 --> 01:07:30.920 her mind that she would go and see him the 1225 01:07:30.960 --> 01:07:34.639 following morning. Therefore, she rose at first cock crow and 1226 01:07:34.760 --> 01:07:37.719 went to the hawk's house, where she found Agbar and 1227 01:07:37.800 --> 01:07:40.599 took a great fancy to him. A Wu wanted to 1228 01:07:40.599 --> 01:07:43.360 get Agbar away from the Hawk and keep him for herself, 1229 01:07:44.320 --> 01:07:46.320 but did not quite see how it could be done. 1230 01:07:47.960 --> 01:07:50.840 At last, she thought of the porcupine, who was well 1231 01:07:50.880 --> 01:07:54.199 known throughout the country as a clever and resourceful person, 1232 01:07:55.119 --> 01:07:58.719 and went to him and told her a story. Now, 1233 01:07:59.239 --> 01:08:02.599 the porcupine was a lot cast and when he had 1234 01:08:02.639 --> 01:08:05.960 cast thoughts, he decided that the best thing that Aou 1235 01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:08.920 could do was to go to a house and lie down, 1236 01:08:09.519 --> 01:08:13.480 pretending to be dead. The porcupine told her that if 1237 01:08:13.480 --> 01:08:17.119 she did this directly the hawk heard that she was dead, 1238 01:08:17.720 --> 01:08:20.560 he would send Agbar to his dead mother's side to 1239 01:08:20.560 --> 01:08:24.119 mourn for her. Then a Wu would be able to 1240 01:08:24.159 --> 01:08:28.520 seize him. The mother, having paid the porcupine for his advice, 1241 01:08:28.640 --> 01:08:31.439 went away and did what she had been told to do. 1242 01:08:32.399 --> 01:08:34.920 When the hawk heard that a Wu was dead, he 1243 01:08:35.039 --> 01:08:37.359 told Agbar the next day he should go and cry 1244 01:08:37.399 --> 01:08:41.800 at his mother's side. So when the morning came, the 1245 01:08:41.840 --> 01:08:44.479 hawk dressed Agbar up and he started off to cry. 1246 01:08:46.479 --> 01:08:49.399 When he arrived at the house, Agbar wanted to sit 1247 01:08:49.439 --> 01:08:52.000 at the head of his mother, but the people who 1248 01:08:52.039 --> 01:08:54.640 had assembled would not allow this and told him to 1249 01:08:54.680 --> 01:08:59.600 sit at AOU's feet, which Agbar did. Directly he sat down, 1250 01:09:00.399 --> 01:09:03.439 his mother jumped up and seized him and said she 1251 01:09:03.439 --> 01:09:07.399 would not let him go again. Very soon afterwards, the 1252 01:09:07.399 --> 01:09:10.560 hawk arrived on the scene to take Agbor away, but 1253 01:09:10.640 --> 01:09:13.399 his mother would not part with him. Then the hawk 1254 01:09:13.479 --> 01:09:17.960 became angry and addressed the people as follows. Here is 1255 01:09:18.000 --> 01:09:21.520 a walking woman who several years ago gave birth to 1256 01:09:21.600 --> 01:09:25.079 twins in the forest and being naturally ashamed of herself, 1257 01:09:25.279 --> 01:09:28.199 deserted her baby boy and left him on the ground 1258 01:09:28.199 --> 01:09:31.399 to be eaten by the driver. Ants I saved the 1259 01:09:31.399 --> 01:09:34.199 boy's life, and have brought him up and fed him. 1260 01:09:35.279 --> 01:09:37.720 I now demand that he'd be returned to me at once. 1261 01:09:40.520 --> 01:09:42.640 When the people heard this, they said to the hawk, 1262 01:09:43.800 --> 01:09:45.600 if you will let a will have her son back, 1263 01:09:46.119 --> 01:09:49.199 we will give you a slave in his place. But 1264 01:09:49.239 --> 01:09:56.000 the hawk refused this offer indignantly. Then they offered him cows, sheep, goats, 1265 01:09:56.000 --> 01:09:59.880 and pigs, all of which the hawk refused with scorn. 1266 01:10:01.159 --> 01:10:03.760 The people then suggested giving some cocks and hens to 1267 01:10:03.800 --> 01:10:07.800 the hawk, to which he replied that although he would 1268 01:10:07.840 --> 01:10:10.960 not accept them for Agbar, they were getting nearer to 1269 01:10:11.000 --> 01:10:15.279 what he possibly might accept. At last, the people offered 1270 01:10:15.359 --> 01:10:19.159 him a large basket of eggs, whereupon the hawk immediately 1271 01:10:19.199 --> 01:10:22.840 closed the bargain, handed over Agbar to his mother, and 1272 01:10:22.920 --> 01:10:25.439 flew away with the basket of eggs and his claws. 1273 01:10:26.560 --> 01:10:29.359 The next morning, early the hawks started off with his 1274 01:10:29.439 --> 01:10:32.720 basket of eggs and left one egg in every house 1275 01:10:32.800 --> 01:10:35.439 all around the country until all the eggs in the 1276 01:10:35.479 --> 01:10:39.159 basket were exhausted. He then returned home in the evening 1277 01:10:39.239 --> 01:10:44.119 with the empty basket. After a few months had elapsed, 1278 01:10:44.560 --> 01:10:47.800 the hawks said to himself, the time has now come 1279 01:10:47.960 --> 01:10:50.520 for me to take my revenge upon the people for 1280 01:10:50.640 --> 01:10:54.840 taking my boy Agbar from me. So he flew from 1281 01:10:54.840 --> 01:11:00.119 town to town, taking chickens from every compound. This that's 1282 01:11:00.119 --> 01:11:03.720 the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them. 1283 01:11:04.000 --> 01:11:06.079 And in those days, the people never thought of making 1284 01:11:06.079 --> 01:11:08.840 any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right 1285 01:11:08.920 --> 01:11:12.439 to the chickens. But nowadays, when a hawk swoops down 1286 01:11:12.479 --> 01:11:15.359 and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try 1287 01:11:15.359 --> 01:11:18.079 to kill him, as they have forgotten the story of 1288 01:11:18.119 --> 01:11:21.399 how the twin child Agbore was redeemed by a basket 1289 01:11:21.560 --> 01:11:25.880 of eggs. This story was related by a native of 1290 01:11:25.960 --> 01:11:32.079 income called a Bossi. End of how an income woman 1291 01:11:32.119 --> 01:11:34.680 abandoned one of her twins in the forest and how 1292 01:11:34.720 --> 01:11:37.640 it was saved by the hawk. In Myths and Legends 1293 01:11:37.680 --> 01:11:43.720 Around the World Collection fifteen, read by Jerome Ware, San Diego, 1294 01:11:44.640 --> 01:11:49.520 March twenty third, twenty twenty two. 1295 01:11:49.920 --> 01:11:54.199 The Monkey and the Turtle in Myths and Legends Around 1296 01:11:54.199 --> 01:12:01.159 the World Collection fifteen from Philippine folk Tales. Well cook Cold. 1297 01:12:02.479 --> 01:12:06.880 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 1298 01:12:06.960 --> 01:12:12.319 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 1299 01:12:12.479 --> 01:12:20.279 visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Fatima Garcia. The Monkey 1300 01:12:20.439 --> 01:12:28.760 and the Turtle an Ilocano folk tale. A monkey, looking 1301 01:12:28.920 --> 01:12:32.119 very sad and dejected, was walking along the bank of 1302 01:12:32.239 --> 01:12:36.560 the river one day when he met a turtle. How 1303 01:12:36.560 --> 01:12:41.199 are you, asked the turtle, noticing that he looked sad. 1304 01:12:42.279 --> 01:12:45.720 The monkey replied, oh, my friend, I am very hungry. 1305 01:12:46.279 --> 01:12:49.159 The squash of mister farmer were all taken by the 1306 01:12:49.199 --> 01:12:52.319 other monkeys, and now I am about to die from 1307 01:12:52.399 --> 01:12:58.279 want of food. Do not be discouraged, said the turtle. 1308 01:12:59.000 --> 01:13:02.479 Take a bolo and follow me, and we will steal 1309 01:13:02.600 --> 01:13:07.159 some banana plants. So they walked along together until they 1310 01:13:07.199 --> 01:13:11.039 found some nice plant, which they dug up, and then 1311 01:13:11.079 --> 01:13:14.560 they looked for a place to set them. Finally, the 1312 01:13:14.600 --> 01:13:18.279 monkey climbed a tree and planted his in it, But 1313 01:13:18.439 --> 01:13:21.119 as the turtle could not climb, he dug a hole 1314 01:13:21.199 --> 01:13:24.920 in the ground and set his there. When their work 1315 01:13:25.079 --> 01:13:28.960 was finished, they went away, planning what they should do 1316 01:13:29.000 --> 01:13:33.720 with their crop. The monkey said, when my tree bears fruit, 1317 01:13:34.399 --> 01:13:36.920 I shall sell it and have a great deal of money, 1318 01:13:38.960 --> 01:13:43.239 And the turtle said, when my tree bears fruit, I 1319 01:13:43.319 --> 01:13:46.039 shall sell it and buy three warries of cloth to 1320 01:13:46.079 --> 01:13:50.840 wear in place of this cracked shell. A few weeks 1321 01:13:50.920 --> 01:13:53.880 later they went back to the place to see their plant, 1322 01:13:54.039 --> 01:13:57.319 and found it of the monkey was dead, for its 1323 01:13:57.399 --> 01:14:00.760 root had no soil in the tree, But that of 1324 01:14:00.800 --> 01:14:05.239 the turtle was tall and bearing fruit. I will climb 1325 01:14:05.319 --> 01:14:07.079 to the top so that we can get the fruit, 1326 01:14:07.439 --> 01:14:11.119 said the monkey, and he sprang up the tree, leaving 1327 01:14:11.119 --> 01:14:14.600 the poor turtle on the ground. Please give me some 1328 01:14:14.760 --> 01:14:18.680 to eat, called the turtle. But the monkey threw him 1329 01:14:18.760 --> 01:14:21.960 only a green one, and ate all the ripe ones himself. 1330 01:14:23.800 --> 01:14:27.000 When he had eaten all the good bananas, the monkey 1331 01:14:27.079 --> 01:14:30.600 stretched his arms around the tree and went to sleep. 1332 01:14:31.199 --> 01:14:35.880 The turtle, seeing this, was very angry and considered how 1333 01:14:35.960 --> 01:14:40.079 he might punish the teeth. Having decided on a scheme, 1334 01:14:40.319 --> 01:14:43.840 he grabbed some sharp bamboo, which he stuck all around 1335 01:14:43.840 --> 01:14:49.520 the tree, and then he exclaimed, crocodile is coming. Crocodile 1336 01:14:49.680 --> 01:14:54.000 is coming. The monkey was so tartled at the cry 1337 01:14:54.399 --> 01:14:57.600 that he fell upon the sharp bamboo and was killed. 1338 01:14:58.760 --> 01:15:02.000 Then the turtle cut the that monkey into pieces, put 1339 01:15:02.119 --> 01:15:05.079 salt on it, and dried it in the sun. The 1340 01:15:05.119 --> 01:15:08.399 next day he went to the mountains and sold his 1341 01:15:08.560 --> 01:15:12.520 meat to other monkeys, who gladly gave him squash in return. 1342 01:15:13.199 --> 01:15:17.680 As he was leaving them, he called back, lazy fellows, 1343 01:15:17.760 --> 01:15:21.159 you are now eating your own body. You are now 1344 01:15:21.239 --> 01:15:26.119 eating your own body. Then the monkeys ran and caught 1345 01:15:26.239 --> 01:15:31.760 him and carried him to their own home. Let us 1346 01:15:31.840 --> 01:15:36.279 take a hatchet, said one old monkey, and cut him 1347 01:15:36.319 --> 01:15:40.800 into very small pieces. But the turtle left and said, 1348 01:15:41.399 --> 01:15:44.199 that is what I like. I have been struck with 1349 01:15:44.239 --> 01:15:47.319 a hatchet many times. Do you not see the black 1350 01:15:47.359 --> 01:15:51.439 scars on my shell? Then one of the monkeys said, 1351 01:15:52.079 --> 01:15:56.079 let us throw him into the water. At this the 1352 01:15:56.199 --> 01:15:59.720 turtle cried and begged to spare his life, but they 1353 01:16:00.159 --> 01:16:02.960 d no heed to his pleadings and threw him into 1354 01:16:03.000 --> 01:16:07.560 the water. He sank to the bottom, but very soon 1355 01:16:07.720 --> 01:16:12.319 came up with a lobster. The monkeys were greatly surprised 1356 01:16:12.359 --> 01:16:15.239 at this and begged him to tell them how to 1357 01:16:15.319 --> 01:16:19.840 catch lobsters. I tied one end of a string around 1358 01:16:19.880 --> 01:16:23.279 my waist, said the turtle. To the other end of 1359 01:16:23.319 --> 01:16:26.920 the string, I tied a stone so that I would sink. 1360 01:16:28.279 --> 01:16:32.720 The monkeys immediately tied strings around themselves as the turtle said, 1361 01:16:33.199 --> 01:16:37.000 and when all was ready, they plunged into the water, 1362 01:16:37.560 --> 01:16:42.279 never to come up again. And to this day monkeys 1363 01:16:42.279 --> 01:16:46.000 did not like to eat meat because they remember the 1364 01:16:46.119 --> 01:16:54.720 ancient story and of the monkey and the turtle. In 1365 01:16:54.880 --> 01:17:04.199 Myths and Legends Around the World Collection fifteen. The Hawk 1366 01:17:04.399 --> 01:17:08.439 and the Hen in Myths and Legends Around the World 1367 01:17:09.119 --> 01:17:14.720 Collection fifteen from Philippine folk Tales by Mobel cook Coal. 1368 01:17:16.119 --> 01:17:21.039 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 1369 01:17:21.079 --> 01:17:26.680 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 1370 01:17:26.880 --> 01:17:33.439 visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Fatima Gracia. The Hawk 1371 01:17:33.560 --> 01:17:41.520 and the Hen a Visayan folktale. A hawk flying about 1372 01:17:41.560 --> 01:17:44.920 in the sky one day decided that he would like 1373 01:17:45.000 --> 01:17:47.840 to marry a hen, whom he often saw on earth. 1374 01:17:48.800 --> 01:17:52.960 He flew down and searched until he found her, and 1375 01:17:53.000 --> 01:17:57.000 then asked her to become his wife. She at once 1376 01:17:57.079 --> 01:18:00.520 gave her consent, on the condition that he would wait 1377 01:18:00.640 --> 01:18:04.119 until she could grow wings like his, so that she 1378 01:18:04.800 --> 01:18:08.760 might also fly high. The hawk agreed to this and 1379 01:18:08.880 --> 01:18:12.920 flew away, after giving her a ring as an engagement present, 1380 01:18:13.079 --> 01:18:17.399 and telling her to take good care of it. The 1381 01:18:17.520 --> 01:18:20.880 hand was very proud of the ring and placed it 1382 01:18:20.920 --> 01:18:25.439 around her neck. The next day, however, she met the cock, 1383 01:18:25.720 --> 01:18:29.479 who looked at her in astonishment and said, where did 1384 01:18:29.479 --> 01:18:32.439 you get that ring? Do you not know that you 1385 01:18:32.560 --> 01:18:35.520 promised to be my wife? You must not wear the 1386 01:18:35.600 --> 01:18:40.000 ring of anyone else. Throw it away, And the hen 1387 01:18:40.119 --> 01:18:45.359 threw away the beautiful ring. Not long after this, the 1388 01:18:45.399 --> 01:18:49.159 hawk came down, bringing beautiful feathers to dress the hand. 1389 01:18:49.880 --> 01:18:53.520 When she saw him coming, she was frightened and ran 1390 01:18:53.680 --> 01:18:57.039 to hide behind the door, but the hawk called to 1391 01:18:57.119 --> 01:18:59.640 her to come and see the beautiful dress he had 1392 01:18:59.640 --> 01:19:03.720 bought her her. The hen came out, and the hawk 1393 01:19:03.800 --> 01:19:07.640 at once saw the ring was gone. Where is the 1394 01:19:07.760 --> 01:19:11.399 ring I gave you? He asked, why do you not 1395 01:19:11.640 --> 01:19:15.840 wear it? The hen was frightened and ashame to tell 1396 01:19:15.880 --> 01:19:21.199 the truth, so she answered, oh, sir, yesterday, when I 1397 01:19:21.319 --> 01:19:24.359 was walking in the garden, I met a large snake, 1398 01:19:24.479 --> 01:19:27.039 and he frightened me so that I ran as fast 1399 01:19:27.079 --> 01:19:29.840 as I could to the house. Then I missed the ring, 1400 01:19:30.279 --> 01:19:34.640 and I searched everywhere, but could not find it. The 1401 01:19:34.680 --> 01:19:37.640 hawk looked sharply at the hand, and he knew that 1402 01:19:37.720 --> 01:19:41.920 she was deceiving him. Then he said to her, I 1403 01:19:42.000 --> 01:19:45.600 did not believe that you could behave so badly. When 1404 01:19:45.640 --> 01:19:48.520 you have found the ring, I will come down again 1405 01:19:48.560 --> 01:19:49.840 and make you my wife. 1406 01:19:50.479 --> 01:19:51.000 But as a. 1407 01:19:50.960 --> 01:19:54.920 Punishment for breaking your promise, you must always scratch the 1408 01:19:54.960 --> 01:19:58.239 ground to look for the ring, and every chicken of 1409 01:19:58.279 --> 01:20:03.000 yours that I find, I'll snatch away. Then he flew away, 1410 01:20:03.680 --> 01:20:07.760 and ever since all the hands throughout the world have 1411 01:20:07.920 --> 01:20:13.479 been scratching to find the Hawk's ring. End of the 1412 01:20:13.600 --> 01:20:18.119 story The Hawk and the Hen in Myths and Legends 1413 01:20:18.159 --> 01:20:20.640 Around the World Collection fifteen. 1414 01:20:24.399 --> 01:20:28.199 The Vigil of Marmy in Myths and Legends Around the 1415 01:20:28.239 --> 01:20:34.920 World Collection fifteen from told on the Pagoda Tales of Burma. 1416 01:20:35.760 --> 01:20:40.359 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 1417 01:20:40.399 --> 01:20:45.279 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 1418 01:20:45.399 --> 01:20:52.199 visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Ahanamalik. The Vigil of 1419 01:20:52.399 --> 01:20:58.960 Marmy by Mabel Cosgrove. Marmy was a little Burmese girl 1420 01:20:59.239 --> 01:21:03.239 who kept his small stall filled with cherroots in one 1421 01:21:03.279 --> 01:21:07.720 of the crowded, many colored streets of Rangoon. There she 1422 01:21:07.800 --> 01:21:12.840 sat all through the sultry languorous days, smoking and waiting 1423 01:21:13.479 --> 01:21:18.960 with philosophical calm for customers. Now and then a great, big, 1424 01:21:19.199 --> 01:21:23.680 well fed looking Indian would stop and handle her goods, and, 1425 01:21:23.800 --> 01:21:28.600 crumbling perhaps a little would eventually buy. Or a lean 1426 01:21:28.760 --> 01:21:34.560 Chinaman in baggy blue trousers would pause and smile and 1427 01:21:34.640 --> 01:21:38.439 talk a while, Or some little naked child would come 1428 01:21:38.760 --> 01:21:43.239 and beg one for nothing. Or the black coolies, their 1429 01:21:43.279 --> 01:21:47.359 silver belts glittering in the sunlight, would cluster around and 1430 01:21:47.560 --> 01:21:52.399 bargain and quarrel among themselves, perhaps in the end throwing 1431 01:21:52.439 --> 01:21:56.680 her goods back to her with no very complimentary language. 1432 01:21:57.119 --> 01:22:01.760 Or a Chetti airily attired in scanty white muslin, his 1433 01:22:01.920 --> 01:22:06.720 shaved head protected by a big cotton umbrella, would come 1434 01:22:06.840 --> 01:22:10.520 and haggle over the annas as a poor Berman would 1435 01:22:10.600 --> 01:22:14.560 never dream of doing. Then again, a well to do 1436 01:22:14.720 --> 01:22:18.399 woman of her own race, dressed in silk and with 1437 01:22:18.560 --> 01:22:23.479 gold bracelets on her wrists, would purchase. But they were always, 1438 01:22:23.720 --> 01:22:26.119 as Marmae used to say, with a shake of her 1439 01:22:26.159 --> 01:22:30.560 small head, the meanest of all. She was a bright 1440 01:22:30.680 --> 01:22:36.239 little girl, though very poor, often hungry, and always wretchedly clad. 1441 01:22:37.479 --> 01:22:40.760 For two years past she had squatted behind her tray 1442 01:22:41.239 --> 01:22:44.760 in the hot, hard, cruel glare, when the sun beat 1443 01:22:44.840 --> 01:22:49.159 on the flat roofed white houses mercilessly, when even the 1444 01:22:49.239 --> 01:22:53.319 river with its forests of ships, seemed to cease to flow, 1445 01:22:54.159 --> 01:22:57.640 when all things were gasping and weary, and the gharry 1446 01:22:57.720 --> 01:23:02.159 wallas slept soundly, and the poor lean ponies tried to 1447 01:23:02.199 --> 01:23:06.159 flick the flies of their backs with their tails, When 1448 01:23:06.159 --> 01:23:10.800 the Indian shopkeepers stretched themselves on wooden beds just in 1449 01:23:10.880 --> 01:23:15.279 the shadow of their doorways and snored away, dreaming of 1450 01:23:15.359 --> 01:23:19.800 rupees and curry, while only the Paria dogs scratched and 1451 01:23:19.960 --> 01:23:24.600 smelt in the road for something to eat. No one stirred. 1452 01:23:25.199 --> 01:23:30.159 The drowsy influence of the heat seemed universal. Or on 1453 01:23:30.279 --> 01:23:33.760 the dull, wet days, when the sky was clouded and 1454 01:23:34.000 --> 01:23:38.640 rain poured down, soaking everything through and through, and the 1455 01:23:38.760 --> 01:23:43.640 thin colored dresses clung pitifully round their owner's dark forms, 1456 01:23:44.079 --> 01:23:47.079 and nobody had time to think of buying as they 1457 01:23:47.159 --> 01:23:52.960 passed on in the warm, damp, oppressive atmosphere. Still Marmy 1458 01:23:53.159 --> 01:23:58.039 sat no matter what the season, rolling her chirroots, cutting 1459 01:23:58.119 --> 01:24:04.000 beetal shoes, and crooning some little song to herself. At midday, 1460 01:24:04.119 --> 01:24:06.720 she ate some rice, and got a draft of water 1461 01:24:06.800 --> 01:24:11.119 from a pump not far distant. Often someone was kind 1462 01:24:11.239 --> 01:24:15.000 and gave her some fruit or a cake oftener. They 1463 01:24:15.079 --> 01:24:21.039 were unkind, but oftener still they were indifferent. It was 1464 01:24:21.079 --> 01:24:26.079 a hard life, very, and she was only seventeen. Yet 1465 01:24:26.399 --> 01:24:31.000 was she content. Nature had been her nurse, The sun 1466 01:24:31.079 --> 01:24:35.520 and the rain had made her what she was, A hardy, honest, 1467 01:24:35.920 --> 01:24:40.920 upright little soul, envying and hating no one. When the 1468 01:24:40.920 --> 01:24:44.880 shadows grew long and the green shutters of the shops closed, 1469 01:24:45.479 --> 01:24:49.520 Marmy rolled up her wares and wended her way homewards 1470 01:24:49.920 --> 01:24:54.199 through the noisy, many hued crowds, to a miserable wooden 1471 01:24:54.279 --> 01:24:58.640 hut which stood in dirty yellow water, spanned by a 1472 01:24:58.720 --> 01:25:02.640 rotten plank, and was situated in one of the poorest 1473 01:25:03.000 --> 01:25:06.840 and most squalid quarters of the town, a quarter in 1474 01:25:06.880 --> 01:25:13.000 which poverty in its most hideous form stalked. Half clothed men, 1475 01:25:13.279 --> 01:25:17.920 women and children of all ages dwelt together there and 1476 01:25:18.079 --> 01:25:22.520 kept life in them as best they could. In the huts, 1477 01:25:22.600 --> 01:25:26.800 there was scarce one piece of furniture, save perhaps a bed, 1478 01:25:27.279 --> 01:25:32.199 or a roll of matting, or a ragged pertha. The scorpions, 1479 01:25:32.359 --> 01:25:36.000 the white ants and the great toads held high revel 1480 01:25:36.960 --> 01:25:42.000 amidst rose, hard words, evil things, cries of little children, 1481 01:25:42.399 --> 01:25:47.239 and growls of half starved dogs. Marmaid dwelt and was happy. 1482 01:25:48.439 --> 01:25:50.960 She did not know of any better life than hers. 1483 01:25:51.600 --> 01:25:54.920 The day passed in the fresh air under the changeless 1484 01:25:54.960 --> 01:25:58.560 azure of the skies, and the night curled up in 1485 01:25:58.640 --> 01:26:02.079 a corner of the hut, with the purple stars looking 1486 01:26:02.119 --> 01:26:05.279 down through some chink in the roof, and knowing of 1487 01:26:05.479 --> 01:26:08.760 any other. It is doubtful if she would have cared 1488 01:26:08.800 --> 01:26:14.840 to exchange. Marquis May, a black browed woman whom Marmy 1489 01:26:14.960 --> 01:26:17.880 had lived with as long as she could remember, was 1490 01:26:18.079 --> 01:26:20.600 very good and kind to her in her own way. 1491 01:26:21.560 --> 01:26:24.920 But she had many children tugging at her skirt, and 1492 01:26:25.000 --> 01:26:28.359 her life was a very hard one. She was married 1493 01:26:28.399 --> 01:26:31.000 to an Indian who had nearly all the faults of 1494 01:26:31.079 --> 01:26:36.199 his by no means faultless race. His past has been bad, 1495 01:26:36.760 --> 01:26:41.079 his present was even more so. He counted the cost 1496 01:26:41.159 --> 01:26:45.199 of anything done or undone as small if it only 1497 01:26:45.239 --> 01:26:50.359 brought in piecee piece sufficient to procure tody, the hot, horrible, 1498 01:26:50.399 --> 01:26:53.960 poisonous stuff kept in the little shop by a chinaman 1499 01:26:54.439 --> 01:26:57.199 in one of the narrow, tortuous by lanes of the 1500 01:26:57.279 --> 01:27:01.600 native quarter. To him, it mattered uttered nothing that his 1501 01:27:01.800 --> 01:27:05.479 children had oftentimes not enough to eat, and that the 1502 01:27:05.560 --> 01:27:10.239 lines about his wife's patient mouth deepened. The passion for 1503 01:27:10.399 --> 01:27:13.960 drink possessed him to the exclusion of all other feelings. 1504 01:27:14.960 --> 01:27:18.279 Stretched on a wooden settle in the crowded, dirty shop 1505 01:27:18.680 --> 01:27:22.640 that abutted on the still dirtier street, reeking with filth 1506 01:27:22.680 --> 01:27:26.479 and smells, he passed his time sunk in a semi 1507 01:27:26.520 --> 01:27:31.239 conscious stupor. The proprietor looked upon Mola Khan as one 1508 01:27:31.279 --> 01:27:35.159 of the best customers he had. For him was his smile, 1509 01:27:35.239 --> 01:27:39.039 the sweetest to him was he most accommodating in the 1510 01:27:39.119 --> 01:27:42.720 matter of money of a day. The frequenters of the 1511 01:27:42.760 --> 01:27:46.600 place were comparatively few, but when the night crept on, 1512 01:27:47.560 --> 01:27:52.159 pun Lin lit up his place with many sickly oil lamps, 1513 01:27:52.479 --> 01:27:56.119 whose light showed up the gaudy sign board with its 1514 01:27:56.279 --> 01:28:00.000 ill written Toady shop on it, surrounded by a cute 1515 01:28:00.319 --> 01:28:04.439 design in Chinese, and drew the human moths around in 1516 01:28:04.560 --> 01:28:10.680 dozens to smoke, drink, play and talk. Indian, Burmese. All 1517 01:28:10.760 --> 01:28:14.600 countries were represented there in that crowded, noisy, dirty place. 1518 01:28:15.399 --> 01:28:19.039 The babel of many tongues broke on the ear afar off. 1519 01:28:20.119 --> 01:28:23.319 The neighborhood was a notoriously bad one, so that the 1520 01:28:23.319 --> 01:28:27.439 fighting and sickening sound of blows that usually ended those 1521 01:28:27.479 --> 01:28:32.800 gatherings of convivial spirits excited no comment. Even the deep 1522 01:28:32.880 --> 01:28:37.039 groans from those who wounded lay helplessly for many hours, 1523 01:28:37.479 --> 01:28:42.359 gained no sympathy or succore of any kind. Often but 1524 01:28:42.479 --> 01:28:46.800 in vain in the hot, sulfurous nights. Markine had found 1525 01:28:46.880 --> 01:28:50.359 her way there and begged of the great coarse brute 1526 01:28:50.399 --> 01:28:54.319 whom she called husband, to return with her. But for 1527 01:28:54.359 --> 01:28:58.319 a long time past she had ceased to plead, realizing 1528 01:28:58.479 --> 01:29:03.199 how useless it was. And yet, strangely, with all his 1529 01:29:03.359 --> 01:29:08.000 drunkenness and cruelty, the faithful soul refused to desert or 1530 01:29:08.079 --> 01:29:11.680 even see him as he really was. He had been 1531 01:29:11.720 --> 01:29:15.840 the chosen one of her girlfriend when she young and pretty, 1532 01:29:16.079 --> 01:29:19.319 had left her people to web this stranger out of India. 1533 01:29:20.119 --> 01:29:23.840 They had deemed her disgraced by the union. They had 1534 01:29:23.920 --> 01:29:26.520 been well to do people, and would have married her 1535 01:29:26.600 --> 01:29:29.880 to one of her own race. Her life had held 1536 01:29:30.079 --> 01:29:34.039 many bitter, unhappy years but she was proud in her way, 1537 01:29:34.359 --> 01:29:38.159 and from her lips no word or moan had ever passed. 1538 01:29:39.239 --> 01:29:42.880 Children had come and multiplied, and though the wants of 1539 01:29:43.000 --> 01:29:46.560 such people are very few, often they had not the 1540 01:29:46.600 --> 01:29:51.520 wherewithal to supply them. But of late years things had 1541 01:29:51.560 --> 01:29:56.399 been better for Marquise, who had a keen eye for business, 1542 01:29:57.119 --> 01:30:02.039 had made and saved a little Unknown to everyone except Mammy, 1543 01:30:03.119 --> 01:30:06.279 the money was kept bedded away in a teawood box 1544 01:30:06.600 --> 01:30:11.560 in a corner of their damp, warm eaten house. Markhini's 1545 01:30:11.800 --> 01:30:15.880 cherished ambition, trader that she was, was to open a 1546 01:30:15.960 --> 01:30:19.760 little shop, as many of her class did, a little 1547 01:30:19.800 --> 01:30:26.359 place filled with miscellaneous articles, pillows, lacquer boxes, wooden trays, crockery, 1548 01:30:26.560 --> 01:30:30.560 pewter pants, some sandals, and perhaps there was no knowing, 1549 01:30:31.079 --> 01:30:34.760 that is, if she was lucky, some tamins and silk 1550 01:30:34.800 --> 01:30:39.680 portsos for the men there behind it. The proud possessor, 1551 01:30:40.359 --> 01:30:43.479 she dreamt that she would sit and roll the cherroots 1552 01:30:43.840 --> 01:30:46.720 and have her children by her, keeping an eye on 1553 01:30:46.760 --> 01:30:51.960 the younger as they played. This picture Markhiney often painted 1554 01:30:52.000 --> 01:30:56.680 to herself. It was her ideal of earthly bliss. She 1555 01:30:56.800 --> 01:30:59.560 dreamt of it by day and night but kept it 1556 01:30:59.640 --> 01:31:03.760 locked up in her own heart. Anything that she could 1557 01:31:03.800 --> 01:31:07.319 spare from what she made by washing the clothes of 1558 01:31:07.359 --> 01:31:12.159 her richer neighbors. She put by so carefully handling it, 1559 01:31:12.319 --> 01:31:18.880 so fondly, storing it so cautiously, grimy brown piecee little 1560 01:31:18.920 --> 01:31:23.600 silver pieces, one or two soiled, crumpled notes. How often 1561 01:31:23.640 --> 01:31:26.720 she looked at them and counted them and took them 1562 01:31:26.840 --> 01:31:30.600 in her lean, brown hands. She would start out of 1563 01:31:30.720 --> 01:31:35.319 her sleep fearing someone had stolen her treasure that represented 1564 01:31:35.359 --> 01:31:41.479 the scraping together of two hard, long years. There was 1565 01:31:41.520 --> 01:31:46.239 some little history attached to every coin. She remembered, how 1566 01:31:46.279 --> 01:31:50.840 each one was gained, every circumstance of toil or sacrifice 1567 01:31:51.039 --> 01:31:54.840 through which it was put by. And not a soul knew, 1568 01:31:55.520 --> 01:32:00.520 not a soul save Marmay and herself. Marmy she trust. 1569 01:32:01.239 --> 01:32:05.079 Marmie loved her, and was as honest and true as 1570 01:32:05.119 --> 01:32:09.000 a little dog. Markuye never left the box in the 1571 01:32:09.079 --> 01:32:12.000 house with no one to mind it, for fear it 1572 01:32:12.039 --> 01:32:15.399 should be taken, though for two years gone by it 1573 01:32:15.479 --> 01:32:20.239 had rested securely and undisturbed in its hiding place. The 1574 01:32:20.319 --> 01:32:23.119 knowledge of its existence and what, in the end it 1575 01:32:23.199 --> 01:32:26.680 was to accomplish lent a courage to her to bear 1576 01:32:26.720 --> 01:32:30.239 with the blows, the sickness, and the abject poverty of 1577 01:32:30.279 --> 01:32:34.479 her surroundings. It upheld her. It lent a brightness to 1578 01:32:34.520 --> 01:32:38.039 her eyes, a lightness to her feet when they would 1579 01:32:38.119 --> 01:32:42.479 have been otherwise pitifully wary. When she spoke, there was 1580 01:32:42.560 --> 01:32:47.359 oftentimes a strange ring of gladness in her voice, for hope, 1581 01:32:47.720 --> 01:32:52.479 that wonderful strengthener dwelt with her. As time went on, 1582 01:32:52.840 --> 01:32:55.600 and it wanted but three months for the money to 1583 01:32:55.640 --> 01:33:00.760 be complete. They had been rarely lucky, marm had sold 1584 01:33:00.800 --> 01:33:05.159 well every day, Marquis had had much to do. A 1585 01:33:05.239 --> 01:33:09.640 great content abode with her. Even the morose, savage manner 1586 01:33:09.680 --> 01:33:13.960 of her husband troubled her but little. The children flew 1587 01:33:14.039 --> 01:33:17.239 at his approach and hid behind the mud hill close by, 1588 01:33:17.960 --> 01:33:22.039 or their mother's ragged skirts, or anywhere they could, And 1589 01:33:22.119 --> 01:33:25.880 she soothed and comforted the little trembling ones as best 1590 01:33:25.920 --> 01:33:29.079 she could, and on her face was a happy smile. 1591 01:33:29.640 --> 01:33:35.359 At last, At last, she thought, One warm, clear night, 1592 01:33:35.560 --> 01:33:38.880 when the sky glittered with stars and a young moon 1593 01:33:38.960 --> 01:33:42.920 showed against it, Markuine made ready to take some silks 1594 01:33:43.000 --> 01:33:46.319 that she had been washing home. She had promised them, 1595 01:33:46.640 --> 01:33:49.279 for it was the eve of a great Buddhist feast. 1596 01:33:49.960 --> 01:33:52.359 It was a long way for her to go right 1597 01:33:52.399 --> 01:33:55.920 across the town, but she did not mind. So she 1598 01:33:56.039 --> 01:33:59.439 cleared up the remains of their evening, Rice, swept the 1599 01:33:59.479 --> 01:34:03.479 floor with her straw, Bessom filled the water. Chatty, standing 1600 01:34:03.600 --> 01:34:07.960 in the corner Afresh, bade Marmaye to watch carefully, and 1601 01:34:08.079 --> 01:34:12.920 Marmy assured her, as she had often done before, that 1602 01:34:13.039 --> 01:34:15.920 if any one was ever to find out their secret 1603 01:34:16.399 --> 01:34:20.399 the money, they should never have save they killed her first. 1604 01:34:21.279 --> 01:34:24.439 So Marquis took up her bundle and went forth into 1605 01:34:24.479 --> 01:34:29.119 the radiance of the night. Marmie looked after her until 1606 01:34:29.159 --> 01:34:32.119 she was out of sight, and then squatted down smoking. 1607 01:34:33.119 --> 01:34:36.000 The hours went by, the lights were put out in 1608 01:34:36.039 --> 01:34:40.439 the huts. Marmi felt very sleepy and tired where she sat, 1609 01:34:40.720 --> 01:34:44.960 but she was good. She remained awake, staring out into space. 1610 01:34:46.199 --> 01:34:49.960 A tall, dark figure stood before her. It was Mola Khan. 1611 01:34:50.680 --> 01:34:53.600 He had not been home for two days. His eyes 1612 01:34:53.640 --> 01:34:58.000 were blood shot, his turban disarranged. He stood over her 1613 01:34:58.079 --> 01:35:02.079 and looked down at her. She trembled a little. She 1614 01:35:02.199 --> 01:35:07.720 feared him greatly. She stirred uneasily, but nevertheless met his 1615 01:35:07.880 --> 01:35:12.760 look without flinching. He only uttered one word, and that 1616 01:35:12.920 --> 01:35:16.439 in a voice which drink had rendered hoarse and thick. 1617 01:35:17.600 --> 01:35:22.880 Money he spoke in Hindustani. I have none, she answered him, 1618 01:35:22.920 --> 01:35:26.399 in the same tongue. He gave a sort of gurgling laugh. 1619 01:35:27.399 --> 01:35:31.520 Look you, he muttered. I know there is money hidden somewhere, 1620 01:35:32.399 --> 01:35:36.239 pise and anna's and rupees, and I will have it. 1621 01:35:36.800 --> 01:35:40.720 I know it, I tell you, I know it. There 1622 01:35:40.800 --> 01:35:44.760 is none, the girl replied. She had risen. She had 1623 01:35:44.800 --> 01:35:46.680 her back to the hole in the wall where the 1624 01:35:46.720 --> 01:35:50.279 money was. Give it to me, he cried, in a 1625 01:35:50.359 --> 01:35:54.119 voice of frantic rage. I do not know who has 1626 01:35:54.199 --> 01:35:57.319 told you this thing, she said, But it is not true. 1627 01:35:58.520 --> 01:36:02.119 She felt chilly with fright. She knew that once his 1628 01:36:02.239 --> 01:36:07.199 suspicion aroused, he would search till he found She would 1629 01:36:07.239 --> 01:36:10.960 be powerless to protect it. Tears dimmed the fond eyes 1630 01:36:11.000 --> 01:36:14.920 of the child. She knew none better all the toil, 1631 01:36:15.359 --> 01:36:19.199 privations and hopes that lay in that poor little box. 1632 01:36:20.319 --> 01:36:23.640 Yet what could she do. She was so small and 1633 01:36:23.720 --> 01:36:28.119 her strength so puny. If he searched, he would find it. 1634 01:36:28.119 --> 01:36:31.239 Its hiding place was not so secure as to be 1635 01:36:31.319 --> 01:36:37.000 proof against those cruel fingers. Though all Marquiney's future lay there, 1636 01:36:37.159 --> 01:36:41.039 she gave no sign of fear. She kept her ground boldly. 1637 01:36:41.880 --> 01:36:45.760 He shook her savagely. When she stood, she was wondering 1638 01:36:45.880 --> 01:36:49.239 who could have told him? She watched him, with a dull, 1639 01:36:49.319 --> 01:36:54.159 throbbing brain, move unsteadily round the wretched room, groping by 1640 01:36:54.199 --> 01:36:58.159 the light of the moon, feeling feeling everywhere along the 1641 01:36:58.199 --> 01:37:02.600 wall for holes, till turning over all the things. Then, 1642 01:37:02.680 --> 01:37:05.760 with a muttered word or two, out he went on 1643 01:37:05.800 --> 01:37:09.800 to the rafters made of mud behind, into a little 1644 01:37:09.800 --> 01:37:15.119 piece of ground, but there was nothing, nothing anywhere. Her 1645 01:37:15.159 --> 01:37:19.840 breath came a little quicker, a little more freely perhaps, 1646 01:37:20.199 --> 01:37:23.800 after all. But with a bound he was by her side. 1647 01:37:24.479 --> 01:37:28.840 He nearly wrenched her slender, childish wrists off. It is here, 1648 01:37:29.319 --> 01:37:33.680 he cried, in triumph. She set her strong white teeth 1649 01:37:33.760 --> 01:37:37.560 in his black arm, but with a brutal gesture he 1650 01:37:37.680 --> 01:37:41.600 flung her light weight from him. She fell with a dull, 1651 01:37:41.640 --> 01:37:44.840 heavy thud. He did not heed her for a while, 1652 01:37:45.399 --> 01:37:52.119 searching eagerly, thirstily, his eyes glittering with cruel greed. At 1653 01:37:52.199 --> 01:37:56.119 last he drew it forth triumphantly, the poor little shabby 1654 01:37:56.199 --> 01:37:59.800 treasure house, and took the money, letting some drop in 1655 01:37:59.840 --> 01:38:03.760 his haste, hiding it with trembling, feverish hands in his 1656 01:38:03.880 --> 01:38:07.760 white linen jacket. Then he put the box back and 1657 01:38:07.880 --> 01:38:13.000 turned to Marmay. He looked she was very still. He 1658 01:38:13.079 --> 01:38:18.159 crept nearer and nearer, and his cowardly soul shrank within him. 1659 01:38:18.680 --> 01:38:22.119 The moonbeams had found her out and fell upon her thin, 1660 01:38:22.279 --> 01:38:27.079 upturned face. He peered around. He held his very breath. 1661 01:38:27.760 --> 01:38:32.520 No one was stirring. There was silence everywhere. His dark, 1662 01:38:32.640 --> 01:38:36.640 aquiline face was as cunning as that of any fox cub. 1663 01:38:37.760 --> 01:38:41.479 He paused for a second or two, Then, as if 1664 01:38:41.520 --> 01:38:45.159 a sudden thought struck him, he gathered her up hastily 1665 01:38:45.199 --> 01:38:48.159 in his arms. She was a little heavy, but he 1666 01:38:48.279 --> 01:38:51.840 was strong. The river that was drifting outwards to the 1667 01:38:51.840 --> 01:38:55.640 ocean and the moon were the only things that shared 1668 01:38:55.680 --> 01:38:59.399 the secret of that night with him, and they guard 1669 01:38:59.479 --> 01:39:05.079 their secrets well. If Marmy wanted the money, I would 1670 01:39:05.119 --> 01:39:08.479 have given it to her, for I loved her. She 1671 01:39:08.680 --> 01:39:12.760 need not have left me, Marquine said, with a great 1672 01:39:12.800 --> 01:39:16.239 sorrow and a sense of desolate despair in her heart, 1673 01:39:16.760 --> 01:39:20.399 and tears in her honest eyes when Mola Khan told 1674 01:39:20.439 --> 01:39:27.239 his tale. She never learned different. She never will, unless, 1675 01:39:27.239 --> 01:39:31.479 indeed the day dawns when the sea shall give up 1676 01:39:31.640 --> 01:39:38.279 its stead. End of the Vigil of Marmy. In Myths 1677 01:39:38.279 --> 01:39:41.960 and Legends Around the World Collection fifteen. 1678 01:39:48.439 --> 01:39:52.560 Dear Lake in Myths and Legends Around the World Collection 1679 01:39:52.720 --> 01:39:58.279 fifteen from Legends of Vancouver. This is a LibriVox recording. 1680 01:39:58.920 --> 01:40:02.479 All LibriVox records are in the public domain. For more 1681 01:40:02.520 --> 01:40:07.720 information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read 1682 01:40:07.800 --> 01:40:15.039 by Christa Zeleski. Dear Lake by E. Pauline Johnson. Few 1683 01:40:15.079 --> 01:40:18.319 white men ventured Inland a century ago, in the days 1684 01:40:18.359 --> 01:40:21.479 of the first Chief Caupillano, when the spoils of the 1685 01:40:21.560 --> 01:40:26.159 mighty Fraser River poured into coppered colored hands, but did 1686 01:40:26.159 --> 01:40:28.279 not find their way to the remotest corners of the 1687 01:40:28.319 --> 01:40:31.520 earth as in our times, when the gold from its sources, 1688 01:40:31.920 --> 01:40:34.920 the salmon from its mouth, the timber from its shores 1689 01:40:34.960 --> 01:40:39.479 are world known riches. The fisherman's craft, the hunter's cunning 1690 01:40:39.520 --> 01:40:42.920 were plied where now cities and industries. Trade and commerce, 1691 01:40:43.319 --> 01:40:47.279 buying and selling hold sway. In those days, the moccasined 1692 01:40:47.319 --> 01:40:52.920 foot awoke no echo in the forest trails. Primitive weapons, arms, implements, 1693 01:40:52.920 --> 01:40:55.840 and utensils were the only means of the Indian's food 1694 01:40:55.840 --> 01:41:00.359 getting his livelihood depended upon his own personal prowess, his 1695 01:41:00.479 --> 01:41:04.159 skill in woodcraft and water lore. And as this is 1696 01:41:04.159 --> 01:41:07.199 a story of an elk bone spear, the reader must 1697 01:41:07.279 --> 01:41:10.560 first be in sympathy with the fact that this rude instrument, 1698 01:41:10.800 --> 01:41:14.960 most deftly fashioned, was of priceless value to the first Capillano, 1699 01:41:15.960 --> 01:41:19.319 to whom it had come through three generations of ancestors, 1700 01:41:19.359 --> 01:41:22.520 all of whom had been experienced hunters and dexterous fishermen. 1701 01:41:23.000 --> 01:41:26.720 Capillano himself was without a rival as a spearsman. He 1702 01:41:26.840 --> 01:41:29.680 knew the moods of the Fraser River, the habits of 1703 01:41:29.720 --> 01:41:33.039 its thronging tenants, as no other man has ever known 1704 01:41:33.119 --> 01:41:36.880 them before or since. He knew every aisle and inlet 1705 01:41:36.960 --> 01:41:41.079 along the coast, every boulder, the sand bars, the still pools, 1706 01:41:41.520 --> 01:41:44.840 the temper of the tides. He knew the spawning grounds, 1707 01:41:45.000 --> 01:41:48.520 the secret streams that fed the large rivers, the outlets 1708 01:41:48.560 --> 01:41:52.359 of rock bound lakes, the turns and tricks of swirling rapids. 1709 01:41:53.600 --> 01:41:56.520 He knew the haunts of bird and beast, and fish 1710 01:41:56.560 --> 01:41:59.600 and fowl, and was master of the arts and artifice 1711 01:41:59.600 --> 01:42:02.560 that men must use when matching his brain against the 1712 01:42:02.600 --> 01:42:07.000 eluding wiles of the untamed creatures of the wilderness. Once 1713 01:42:07.079 --> 01:42:10.239 only did his cunning fail him. Once only did nature 1714 01:42:10.239 --> 01:42:13.640 baffle him with her mysterious fabric of waterways and landlers. 1715 01:42:14.439 --> 01:42:16.079 It was when he was led to the mouth of 1716 01:42:16.119 --> 01:42:20.359 the unknown River, which has evaded discovery through all the centuries, 1717 01:42:20.720 --> 01:42:24.439 but which, so say the Indians, still sings on its 1718 01:42:24.439 --> 01:42:26.880 way through some buried channel that leads from the lake 1719 01:42:26.960 --> 01:42:30.000 to the sea. He had been sealing along the shores 1720 01:42:30.039 --> 01:42:32.960 of what is now known as Point Gray. His canoe 1721 01:42:32.960 --> 01:42:36.319 had gradually crept inland, skirting up the coast to the 1722 01:42:36.359 --> 01:42:39.920 mouth of False Creek. Here he encountered a very king 1723 01:42:40.039 --> 01:42:43.760 of seals, a colossal creature that gladdened the hunter's eyes. 1724 01:42:43.800 --> 01:42:47.359 As game worthy of his skill. For this particular prize, 1725 01:42:47.439 --> 01:42:50.800 he would cast the elk bone spear. It had never 1726 01:42:50.840 --> 01:42:54.960 failed his sire, his grandsire, his great grandsire. He knew 1727 01:42:55.000 --> 01:42:58.600 it would not fail him. Now A long, pliable cedar 1728 01:42:58.680 --> 01:43:02.479 fiber rope lay in his cane. Many expert fingers had 1729 01:43:02.520 --> 01:43:05.399 woven and plated. That rope had beaten and oiled it 1730 01:43:05.479 --> 01:43:08.600 until it was soft and flexible as a serpent. This 1731 01:43:08.760 --> 01:43:12.399 he attached to the spearhead, and with deft unerring aim 1732 01:43:12.600 --> 01:43:15.720 cast it at the King's seal. The weapon struck home. 1733 01:43:16.520 --> 01:43:19.359 The gigantic creature shuddered, and with a cry like a 1734 01:43:19.439 --> 01:43:23.279 hurt child, it plunged down into the sea. With the 1735 01:43:23.359 --> 01:43:26.520 rapidity and strength of a giant fish. It scudded inland 1736 01:43:26.520 --> 01:43:29.840 with the rising tide while Capillano paid out the rope 1737 01:43:29.920 --> 01:43:33.880 its entire length, and as it stretched taut felt the 1738 01:43:33.880 --> 01:43:37.479 canoe leap forward, propelled by the mighty strength of the creature, 1739 01:43:37.520 --> 01:43:41.000 which lashed the waters into whirlpools, as though it was 1740 01:43:41.039 --> 01:43:44.720 possessed with the power and properties of a whale. Up 1741 01:43:44.760 --> 01:43:47.760 the stretch of False Creek, the man and monster drove 1742 01:43:47.840 --> 01:43:51.359 their course, where a century hence great bridges were to 1743 01:43:51.439 --> 01:43:55.000 over arch the waters. They strove and struggled, each for 1744 01:43:55.079 --> 01:43:58.720 the mastery. Neither of them weakened, neither of them faltered, 1745 01:43:58.880 --> 01:44:01.800 the one dragging the other their driving. In the end, 1746 01:44:01.840 --> 01:44:04.399 it was to be a matching of brute and human wits, 1747 01:44:04.920 --> 01:44:08.000 not forces, as they neared the point where now Main 1748 01:44:08.039 --> 01:44:11.640 Street Bridge flings its shadow across the waters. The brute 1749 01:44:11.720 --> 01:44:15.199 leaped high into the air, then plunged headlong into the depths. 1750 01:44:15.880 --> 01:44:19.760 The impact ripped the rope from Capollano's hands. It rattled 1751 01:44:19.760 --> 01:44:22.640 across the gunwale. He stood staring at the spot where 1752 01:44:22.640 --> 01:44:27.720 it had disappeared. The brute had been victorious. At low tide, 1753 01:44:27.720 --> 01:44:30.640 the Indian made search. No trace of his game, of 1754 01:44:30.720 --> 01:44:34.600 his precious elkbone spear of his cedar fiber rope could 1755 01:44:34.640 --> 01:44:37.800 be found. With the loss of the latter, he firmly 1756 01:44:37.840 --> 01:44:41.119 believed his luck as a hunter would be gone. So 1757 01:44:41.199 --> 01:44:43.840 he patrolled the mouth of False Creek for many moons. 1758 01:44:44.439 --> 01:44:48.920 His graceful, high bowed canoe rarely touched other waters, but 1759 01:44:49.039 --> 01:44:52.880 the seal king had disappeared. Often he thought long strands 1760 01:44:52.880 --> 01:44:56.239 of drifting sea grasses were his long lost cedar fiber rope. 1761 01:44:56.720 --> 01:45:00.319 With other spears, with other cedar fibers, with paddled laid 1762 01:45:00.319 --> 01:45:03.279 and cunning traps, he dislodged the weeds from their moorings, 1763 01:45:03.880 --> 01:45:06.720 but they slipped their slimy lengths through his eager hands. 1764 01:45:07.239 --> 01:45:11.199 His best spear, with his attendant coil, was gone. The 1765 01:45:11.279 --> 01:45:13.720 following year, he was sealing again off the coast of 1766 01:45:13.760 --> 01:45:16.920 Point Gray, and one night after sunset he observed the 1767 01:45:17.000 --> 01:45:20.520 red reflection from the west, which seemed to transfer itself 1768 01:45:20.520 --> 01:45:24.439 to the eastern skies. Far into the night, dashes of 1769 01:45:24.479 --> 01:45:27.720 flaming scarlet pushed far beyond the head of False Creek. 1770 01:45:28.359 --> 01:45:31.399 The color rose and fell like a beckoning hand and 1771 01:45:31.520 --> 01:45:35.039 indian like. He immediately attached some portentous meaning to the 1772 01:45:35.119 --> 01:45:38.640 unusual sight, that it was some omen he never doubted. 1773 01:45:39.000 --> 01:45:42.239 So he paddled inland, beached his canoe, and took the 1774 01:45:42.239 --> 01:45:45.000 trail towards the little group of lakes that crowded themselves 1775 01:45:45.079 --> 01:45:47.479 into the area that lies between the present cities of 1776 01:45:47.560 --> 01:45:51.920 Vancouver and New Westminster. But long before he reached the 1777 01:45:51.960 --> 01:45:54.640 shores of Deer Lake, he discovered that the beckoning hand 1778 01:45:54.720 --> 01:45:57.920 was in reality flame. The little body of water was 1779 01:45:57.960 --> 01:46:02.439 surrounded by forest fires. One avenue alone stood open. It 1780 01:46:02.560 --> 01:46:04.880 was a group of giant trees that as yet the 1781 01:46:04.920 --> 01:46:08.239 flames had not reached. As he neared the point, he 1782 01:46:08.279 --> 01:46:10.880 saw a great moving mass of living things leaving the 1783 01:46:10.960 --> 01:46:14.800 lake and hurrying northward through this one egress. He stood 1784 01:46:14.920 --> 01:46:19.479 listening intently, watching with alert eyes, the swir of myriad 1785 01:46:19.560 --> 01:46:22.720 of little traveling feet caught his quick ear. The moving 1786 01:46:22.800 --> 01:46:26.479 mass was an immense colony of beaver, thousands upon thousands 1787 01:46:26.520 --> 01:46:31.680 of them. Scores of baby beavers staggered along following their mothers, 1788 01:46:31.800 --> 01:46:34.560 scores of older beavers that had felled trees and built 1789 01:46:34.600 --> 01:46:39.439 dams through many seasons, A countless army of trekking fur bearers, 1790 01:46:39.479 --> 01:46:42.760 all under the generalship of a wise old leader, who, 1791 01:46:42.880 --> 01:46:46.239 as king of the colony, advanced some few yards ahead 1792 01:46:46.279 --> 01:46:49.680 of his battalions out of the waters, through the forests 1793 01:46:49.720 --> 01:46:53.399 towards the country to the north they journeyed. Wandering hunters 1794 01:46:53.399 --> 01:46:56.640 said they saw them cross buried inlet at the second Narrows, 1795 01:46:56.680 --> 01:47:00.239 heading inland as they reached the farther shore. But where 1796 01:47:00.239 --> 01:47:02.680 the mighty army of royal little Canadians set up their 1797 01:47:02.680 --> 01:47:06.680 new colony, no man knows. Not even the astuteness of 1798 01:47:06.720 --> 01:47:10.960 the first Capillano ever discovered their destination. Only one thing 1799 01:47:11.039 --> 01:47:15.359 was certain, Dear Lake knew them no more. After their passing, 1800 01:47:15.399 --> 01:47:18.640 the Indian retraced their trail to the water's edge. In 1801 01:47:18.720 --> 01:47:21.199 the red glare of the encircling fires. He saw what 1802 01:47:21.279 --> 01:47:23.880 he at first thought was some dead and dethroned king beaver. 1803 01:47:23.960 --> 01:47:27.239 On the shore, a huge carcass lay half in half 1804 01:47:27.279 --> 01:47:30.720 out of the lake. Approaching it, he saw the wasted 1805 01:47:30.720 --> 01:47:34.079 body of a giant seal. There could never be two 1806 01:47:34.119 --> 01:47:38.000 seals of that marvelous size. His intuition now grasped the 1807 01:47:38.039 --> 01:47:40.359 meaning of the omen of the beckoning flame that had 1808 01:47:40.359 --> 01:47:43.279 called him from the far coasts of Point Gray. He 1809 01:47:43.399 --> 01:47:46.840 stooped above his dead conqueror and found embedded in its 1810 01:47:46.840 --> 01:47:51.119 decaying flesh the elkbone spear of his forefathers, And trailing 1811 01:47:51.119 --> 01:47:54.039 away at the rotter's rim was a long, flexible cedar 1812 01:47:54.079 --> 01:47:58.079 fiber rope. As he extracted this treasured heirloom, he felt 1813 01:47:58.079 --> 01:48:01.399 the power that men of magic possess creep up his 1814 01:48:01.479 --> 01:48:05.039 sinewy arms. It entered his heart, his blood, his brain. 1815 01:48:05.840 --> 01:48:08.319 For a long time he sat and chanted songs that 1816 01:48:08.319 --> 01:48:11.439 that only great medicine men may sing. And as the 1817 01:48:11.479 --> 01:48:14.520 hours drifted by the heat of the forest fire subsided, 1818 01:48:14.920 --> 01:48:19.279 the flames diminished into smoldering blackness. At daybreak, the forest 1819 01:48:19.319 --> 01:48:22.600 fire was dead, but its beckoning fingers had served their purpose. 1820 01:48:23.279 --> 01:48:25.840 The magic elkbone spear had come back to its own 1821 01:48:26.840 --> 01:48:29.600 until the day of his death. The first Capillano searched 1822 01:48:29.600 --> 01:48:32.520 for the unknown river up which the seal traveled from 1823 01:48:32.560 --> 01:48:35.399 False Creek to Deer Lake. But its channel is a 1824 01:48:35.439 --> 01:48:39.079 secret that even Indian eyes have not seen. But although 1825 01:48:39.119 --> 01:48:41.520 those of the Squamish tribe tell and believe that the 1826 01:48:41.600 --> 01:48:44.760 river still sings through its hidden trail that leads from 1827 01:48:44.800 --> 01:48:47.960 Deer Lake to the sea, its course is as unknown. 1828 01:48:48.199 --> 01:48:51.600 Its channel is as hopelessly lost as the brave little 1829 01:48:51.680 --> 01:48:55.560 army of beavers that a century ago marshaled their forces 1830 01:48:55.600 --> 01:48:59.239 and traveled up into the great lone north end of 1831 01:48:59.319 --> 01:49:04.159 Dear Lake. In Myths and Legends Around the World, Collection fifteen. 1832 01:49:09.520 --> 01:49:13.000 Planting a pear tree in Myths and Legends Around the 1833 01:49:13.000 --> 01:49:20.960 World Collection fifteen from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. 1834 01:49:21.640 --> 01:49:27.119 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 1835 01:49:27.159 --> 01:49:34.319 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 1836 01:49:34.399 --> 01:49:44.239 visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Angela Liao. Strange Stories 1837 01:49:44.279 --> 01:49:52.800 from a Chinese Studio by Pusson Ling, translated by Herbert A. Giles. 1838 01:49:54.159 --> 01:49:57.640 A countryman was one day selling his peers in the market. 1839 01:49:58.960 --> 01:50:03.199 They were unusually sweet and fine flavored, and the price 1840 01:50:03.239 --> 01:50:08.920 he asked was high. A doused priest in rags and tatters, 1841 01:50:09.319 --> 01:50:13.720 stopped at the barrow and begged one of them. The 1842 01:50:13.760 --> 01:50:17.279 countryman told him to go away, but as he did 1843 01:50:17.319 --> 01:50:21.079 not do so, he began to curse and swear at him. 1844 01:50:23.039 --> 01:50:27.039 The priest said, you have several hundred peers in your barrow, 1845 01:50:28.279 --> 01:50:31.920 I ask for a single one, the loss of which, sir, 1846 01:50:32.359 --> 01:50:39.159 you would not feel. Why then get angry? The lookers 1847 01:50:39.199 --> 01:50:42.319 on told the countryman to give him an inferior one 1848 01:50:42.760 --> 01:50:49.720 and let him go, but this he obstinately refused to do. Thereupon, 1849 01:50:49.920 --> 01:50:53.399 the beadle of the place, finding the commotion too great, 1850 01:50:54.159 --> 01:50:58.960 purchased a peer and handed it to the priest. The 1851 01:50:59.079 --> 01:51:02.960 latter received it with a bow, and, turning to the crowd, said, 1852 01:51:04.079 --> 01:51:07.119 we who have left our homes and given up all 1853 01:51:07.159 --> 01:51:10.359 that is dear to us, are at a loss to 1854 01:51:10.479 --> 01:51:15.640 understand selfish neggardly conduct in others. Now, I have some 1855 01:51:15.800 --> 01:51:19.399 exquisite peers, which I shall do myself the honor to 1856 01:51:19.439 --> 01:51:25.439 put before you here. Somebody asked, since you've peers yourself, 1857 01:51:26.000 --> 01:51:31.479 why don't you eat those? Because, replied the priest, I 1858 01:51:31.600 --> 01:51:36.079 wanted one of these pips to grow them from so saying, 1859 01:51:36.760 --> 01:51:39.840 he munched up the peer, and when he had finished, 1860 01:51:40.520 --> 01:51:43.600 took a pip in his hand, and strapped a peck 1861 01:51:43.640 --> 01:51:46.720 from his back, and proceeded to make a hole in 1862 01:51:46.800 --> 01:51:51.319 the ground several inches deep, wherein he deposited the pip, 1863 01:51:52.039 --> 01:51:56.439 filling in the earth as before. He then asked the 1864 01:51:56.479 --> 01:51:59.800 bystanders for a little hot water to water it with, 1865 01:52:00.840 --> 01:52:04.319 and one among them, who loved a joke, fetched him 1866 01:52:04.399 --> 01:52:08.880 some boiling water from a neighboring shop. The priest poured 1867 01:52:08.920 --> 01:52:11.239 this over the place where he had made the hole, 1868 01:52:12.279 --> 01:52:16.279 and every eye was fixed upon him when sprouts were 1869 01:52:16.319 --> 01:52:22.520 seen shooting up and gradually growing larger and larger. By 1870 01:52:22.600 --> 01:52:26.479 and by there was a tree with branches sparsely covered 1871 01:52:26.520 --> 01:52:32.159 with leaves, then flowers, and last of all, fine large, 1872 01:52:32.640 --> 01:52:37.640 sweet smelling pears hanging in great profusion. These the priest 1873 01:52:37.760 --> 01:52:42.000 picked and handed round to the assembled crowd until all 1874 01:52:42.119 --> 01:52:45.920 were gone. When he took his pick and hacked away 1875 01:52:45.960 --> 01:52:49.680 for a long time at the tree, finally cutting it down. 1876 01:52:51.399 --> 01:52:56.399 These he shouldered, leaves and all, and sauntered quietly away. 1877 01:52:57.960 --> 01:53:02.600 Now from the very beginning, our friend the Countryman had 1878 01:53:02.640 --> 01:53:05.880 been amongst the crowd, straining his neck to see what 1879 01:53:06.000 --> 01:53:10.560 was going on, and forgetting all about his business. At 1880 01:53:10.560 --> 01:53:14.760 the departure of the priest, he turned round and discovered 1881 01:53:14.800 --> 01:53:18.039 that every one of his peers was gone. He then 1882 01:53:18.119 --> 01:53:21.079 knew that those the old fellow had been giving away 1883 01:53:21.199 --> 01:53:26.640 so freely were really his own peers. Looking more closely 1884 01:53:26.680 --> 01:53:29.640 at the barrow, he also found that one of the 1885 01:53:29.680 --> 01:53:36.039 handles was missing, evidently having been newly cut off. Boiling 1886 01:53:36.079 --> 01:53:39.439 with rage, he set out in pursuit of the priest, 1887 01:53:40.399 --> 01:53:43.520 and just as he turned the corner, he saw the 1888 01:53:43.560 --> 01:53:48.039 lost barrow handle lying under the wall, being in fact 1889 01:53:48.199 --> 01:53:51.479 the very pear tree that the priest had cut down, 1890 01:53:52.720 --> 01:53:56.119 But there were no traces of the priest, much to 1891 01:53:56.199 --> 01:54:02.560 the amusement of the crowd in the market place, and 1892 01:54:03.199 --> 01:54:07.720 of planting a peetree. In Myths and Legends Around the 1893 01:54:07.760 --> 01:54:10.479 World Collection fifteen. 1894 01:54:15.840 --> 01:54:19.960 How two Friends Fell Out the Spider and the Grasshopper 1895 01:54:21.319 --> 01:54:27.600 in Myths and Legends Around the World Collection fifteen. This 1896 01:54:27.640 --> 01:54:31.199 is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the 1897 01:54:31.199 --> 01:54:36.239 public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit 1898 01:54:36.279 --> 01:54:43.880 LibriVox dot org. Read by Jerome Ware, How two Friends 1899 01:54:43.920 --> 01:54:52.199 fell out the spider and the grasshopper. Long ago, the 1900 01:54:52.279 --> 01:54:57.439 spider and the grasshopper were good friends. Unfortunately, the spider 1901 01:54:57.479 --> 01:55:02.039 was intensely greedy, and this led to much unpleasantness. Now, 1902 01:55:02.199 --> 01:55:04.239 the spider wanted to go some distance from his house 1903 01:55:04.399 --> 01:55:07.600 to marry a wife in a strange country, so they 1904 01:55:07.640 --> 01:55:11.600 called upon his friend, the grasshopper, to accompany him. They 1905 01:55:11.600 --> 01:55:14.319 started off together in the morning before the sun was hot, 1906 01:55:15.039 --> 01:55:18.079 and when they had gone some little way, the spider 1907 01:55:18.119 --> 01:55:21.920 said to his friend, while we are away together, I 1908 01:55:22.000 --> 01:55:25.760 want you to call me Stranger. Now we'll call you Dobby. 1909 01:55:27.359 --> 01:55:30.039 We must not call one another by our proper names, 1910 01:55:30.640 --> 01:55:32.199 as I do not want people to know who we 1911 01:55:32.239 --> 01:55:36.920 really are. To this, the grasshopper readily consented, little knowing 1912 01:55:36.960 --> 01:55:41.439 what he was letting himself in for. Shortly afterward, they 1913 01:55:41.520 --> 01:55:44.600 arrived at the first town and were welcomed by the chief. 1914 01:55:45.279 --> 01:55:48.399 The grasshopper said he was called Dobby and introduced his 1915 01:55:48.439 --> 01:55:53.159 friend as Stranger. The chief then ordered food to be 1916 01:55:53.239 --> 01:55:57.239 placed before them, But the spider, whilst thanking the chief 1917 01:55:57.279 --> 01:56:01.039 for his kindness, said, surely the customer of the country 1918 01:56:01.159 --> 01:56:04.920 is when a stranger arrives in a town, to first 1919 01:56:04.920 --> 01:56:08.399 of all offer him the piece dish consisting of dried 1920 01:56:08.439 --> 01:56:11.119 meat and coala nuts, to show that he is welcome 1921 01:56:11.359 --> 01:56:15.239 and that there is peace between them. The chief replied, yes, 1922 01:56:16.199 --> 01:56:19.600 there is certainly that custom here. But as I thought 1923 01:56:19.640 --> 01:56:22.560 you were hungry after your long walk, I ordered the 1924 01:56:22.560 --> 01:56:25.279 food to be brought at once. He then told one 1925 01:56:25.319 --> 01:56:27.600 of his slaves to bring the dried meat and the cola, 1926 01:56:28.119 --> 01:56:30.600 and when it was brought, the spider ate all them 1927 01:56:30.640 --> 01:56:33.720 meat and cola except two nuts, one which he returned 1928 01:56:33.720 --> 01:56:37.159 to the chief and the other he gave to the grasshoppers, saying, 1929 01:56:38.479 --> 01:56:42.159 you must wait, my friend Dobby for your food, as 1930 01:56:42.199 --> 01:56:46.239 this meat and cola was brought for the stranger and 1931 01:56:46.319 --> 01:56:50.600 your name was not mentioned. Later on the general supply 1932 01:56:50.680 --> 01:56:54.079 of food was passed round, a certain amount being set 1933 01:56:54.119 --> 01:56:57.600 on one side for the strangers. This the spider also eat, 1934 01:56:58.319 --> 01:57:02.279 saying I am I'm sorry, Dabbi, but there is no 1935 01:57:02.359 --> 01:57:05.760 food for you, as this was brought for the stranger 1936 01:57:06.399 --> 01:57:11.359 and that is my name. The next day they resumed 1937 01:57:11.359 --> 01:57:14.239 their journey, and when they arrived at the town where 1938 01:57:14.239 --> 01:57:16.600 the girl lived whom the spider was about to marry, 1939 01:57:17.560 --> 01:57:20.479 he went to his future father in law's house whose 1940 01:57:20.560 --> 01:57:25.439 name was ta Wu, and said, taou, I have come 1941 01:57:25.479 --> 01:57:29.640 to marry your daughter. Now, Tawu had a wife, Carlo Segi, 1942 01:57:30.479 --> 01:57:33.199 who was a very good natured woman, which was lucky 1943 01:57:33.239 --> 01:57:37.039 for the rasshopparress. Things turned up. When ta Wu had 1944 01:57:37.039 --> 01:57:39.760 embraced his future son in law. He ordered a cow 1945 01:57:39.800 --> 01:57:42.800 to be killed to welcome him, and when the people 1946 01:57:42.800 --> 01:57:48.239 brought the food, they said, here is a stranger's portion. Immediately, 1947 01:57:48.279 --> 01:57:51.560 the spiders said to his friend, did you hear that, Dabbi? 1948 01:57:52.479 --> 01:57:55.960 Your name was not mentioned, so you have no right 1949 01:57:56.039 --> 01:57:59.680 to this food, which is all for me the stranger. 1950 01:58:01.279 --> 01:58:03.640 But the grasshopper kept quiet and never said a word 1951 01:58:03.680 --> 01:58:07.840 to anyone, although he was very hungry. The marriage between 1952 01:58:07.840 --> 01:58:11.000 the spider and Chief Taboo's daughter was celebrated the following day, 1953 01:58:12.039 --> 01:58:14.479 all the people are called together to dance and play. 1954 01:58:15.079 --> 01:58:18.119 Guns were fired off in the town and Chief Taboo 1955 01:58:18.159 --> 01:58:20.520 killed four more cows where the strangers who had come 1956 01:58:20.560 --> 01:58:24.399 from a distance. The grasshopper longed to eat the food, 1957 01:58:25.359 --> 01:58:27.600 but did not see how he could manage it, as 1958 01:58:27.640 --> 01:58:30.840 he was known as Dobby and his name was never called. 1959 01:58:32.319 --> 01:58:35.399 The spider therefore eat his own share and the grasshoppers 1960 01:58:35.399 --> 01:58:39.439 as well, while the poor grasshopper sat down by himself, 1961 01:58:40.039 --> 01:58:45.680 feeling very sad and not speaking to any one. When 1962 01:58:45.720 --> 01:58:48.319 he had finished the food, the spider went out to 1963 01:58:48.399 --> 01:58:51.720 dance and play with his new wife, but the grasshopper 1964 01:58:51.760 --> 01:58:53.960 did not go, as he was very hungry and weak 1965 01:58:54.680 --> 01:58:58.600 and not feeling at all to singing and dancing. After 1966 01:58:58.680 --> 01:59:01.920 he had been alone for a little while, the chief's wife, Ooseeg, 1967 01:59:02.079 --> 01:59:06.079 came in and, seeing the grasshopper looking so miserable, went 1968 01:59:06.199 --> 01:59:09.159 up to him and said, why are you so silent 1969 01:59:09.279 --> 01:59:11.800 and sad at my daughter's wedding when all the other 1970 01:59:11.800 --> 01:59:17.439 people are feasting and dancing. At this, the grasshopper could 1971 01:59:17.479 --> 01:59:22.039 contain himself no longer and burst into tears, saying, three 1972 01:59:22.119 --> 01:59:25.359 days ago, when we left our home, the spider asked 1973 01:59:25.399 --> 01:59:28.399 me to call him stranger and said he would call 1974 01:59:28.520 --> 01:59:32.520 me Dobby. During all this time, I have been starving, 1975 01:59:32.720 --> 01:59:35.760 and I am very hungry. Indeed, as all the food 1976 01:59:35.840 --> 01:59:38.560 has been brought for the stranger and the spider has 1977 01:59:38.640 --> 01:59:42.720 eaten it. Because my name is Dobby and I was 1978 01:59:42.800 --> 01:59:47.079 never mentioned. Then, Oseke said she would tell the people 1979 01:59:47.119 --> 01:59:50.000 what their proper names were, so that when the food 1980 01:59:50.079 --> 01:59:54.279 was brought, the grasshopper would have his share. Bseeke then 1981 01:59:54.319 --> 01:59:57.279 went out and gave the necessary orders and told her 1982 01:59:57.359 --> 02:00:00.359 slaves to be most particular, to call the grasshoppers name 1983 02:00:00.800 --> 02:00:03.319 the next time there was food, so that he should 1984 02:00:03.359 --> 02:00:07.720 be able to eat in the afternoon. This was done, 1985 02:00:07.880 --> 02:00:10.079 but when the spider heard his friend's name called out, 1986 02:00:10.640 --> 02:00:14.359 he was so angry that he would not eat. The 1987 02:00:14.399 --> 02:00:17.159 second day, the servants did the same, and the spider 1988 02:00:17.199 --> 02:00:20.880 again refused the food when it was brought. Early in 1989 02:00:20.920 --> 02:00:23.479 the morning of the third day, the spider told his 1990 02:00:23.520 --> 02:00:25.439 father in law that he was going home and that 1991 02:00:25.479 --> 02:00:27.680 he would leave his wife for a time and come 1992 02:00:27.680 --> 02:00:31.279 back for her later. Ta Wu then said he would 1993 02:00:31.279 --> 02:00:34.079 make another feast to celebrate their departure, and that he 1994 02:00:34.119 --> 02:00:36.079 should like to see his son in law dance one 1995 02:00:36.079 --> 02:00:39.800 more time before he returned home. So the people were 1996 02:00:39.800 --> 02:00:42.760 called to another play, and the chief milk one more 1997 02:00:42.800 --> 02:00:46.880 cow for their food. When the food was ready, the 1998 02:00:46.920 --> 02:00:50.880 spider said to his friend, come on, Dobby, let us 1999 02:00:50.920 --> 02:00:56.359 go and dance. But the grasshopper refused and said, now 2000 02:00:56.399 --> 02:00:58.279 you go and dance and I will join you later. 2001 02:00:59.319 --> 02:01:01.960 So the spider went by himself, leaving the grasshopper in 2002 02:01:02.000 --> 02:01:05.359 their room where the food was. Seeing that there was 2003 02:01:05.399 --> 02:01:08.600 no one about, he took his outside skin off very 2004 02:01:08.680 --> 02:01:11.520 quickly and hung it up on a peg on the wall, 2005 02:01:12.279 --> 02:01:15.560 making it look just like a living grasshopper. He then 2006 02:01:15.640 --> 02:01:19.520 went out and joined the dancers. When the spider saw 2007 02:01:19.520 --> 02:01:23.600 the grasshopper had arrived and was busily engaged dancing. Being 2008 02:01:23.680 --> 02:01:26.479 very hungry, he stole off by himself to the room 2009 02:01:26.479 --> 02:01:29.439 where the food was and put his hand into the pot. 2010 02:01:30.399 --> 02:01:32.079 But just as he was going to take out a 2011 02:01:32.079 --> 02:01:35.319 piece of meat, he happened to look up and saw 2012 02:01:35.359 --> 02:01:38.359 the skin of the grasshopper, which was so lifelike that 2013 02:01:38.399 --> 02:01:40.279 it deceived him to thinking that it really was his 2014 02:01:40.359 --> 02:01:42.760 friend on the wall. So he pulled his hand out 2015 02:01:42.800 --> 02:01:45.560 of the pot and said, trying to laugh, it is 2016 02:01:45.600 --> 02:01:48.680 all right, doabby, my friend. I was not going to 2017 02:01:48.720 --> 02:01:51.239 eat anything. I just came in to see what the 2018 02:01:51.279 --> 02:01:55.119 food was like. He then went out again to where 2019 02:01:55.119 --> 02:01:57.960 the people were dancing, and to his great surprise, he 2020 02:01:58.039 --> 02:02:01.880 saw the grasshopper where he had left him, dancing and 2021 02:02:02.000 --> 02:02:06.479 enjoying himself with some pretty young girls. Spider couldnot understand 2022 02:02:06.560 --> 02:02:09.920 how it was that the grasshopper had managed to get 2023 02:02:09.960 --> 02:02:13.079 back to the play so quickly, But as he saw 2024 02:02:13.159 --> 02:02:16.279 him there, he was too hungry to trouble much about that, 2025 02:02:17.039 --> 02:02:19.079 and went back again to get the food he was 2026 02:02:19.119 --> 02:02:23.039 so much in need of. Everything was quiet when he returned, 2027 02:02:23.760 --> 02:02:26.319 so he lifted the lid again and took out a 2028 02:02:26.399 --> 02:02:29.880 large piece of yam, and had only taken one bite 2029 02:02:29.880 --> 02:02:32.920 when his eye caught the grasshopper's skin in the same 2030 02:02:32.960 --> 02:02:36.560 place where he had seen it before. The spider was 2031 02:02:36.600 --> 02:02:40.039 amazed at this and thought there must be some juju 2032 02:02:40.119 --> 02:02:43.439 in it, so he put the yam down and ran 2033 02:02:43.479 --> 02:02:45.199 out of the house, shouting as he went. 2034 02:02:46.079 --> 02:02:48.439 All right, Dobby, I only thought I would like to 2035 02:02:48.439 --> 02:02:52.199 taste the food to see that it was good. But 2036 02:02:52.239 --> 02:02:55.960 when he got to the dance, he again saw, to 2037 02:02:56.000 --> 02:02:59.640 his intense astonishment that the grasshopper was dancing away as 2038 02:02:59.760 --> 02:03:03.399 mary before. The spider then went up to his father 2039 02:03:03.439 --> 02:03:06.000 in law and asked him to stop the dance, as 2040 02:03:06.000 --> 02:03:09.479 he wished to go home at once. This was done, 2041 02:03:09.640 --> 02:03:11.760 and they all went back to the chief's house together. 2042 02:03:13.520 --> 02:03:16.880 Chief Tawu then gave both the spider and the grasshopper 2043 02:03:16.920 --> 02:03:20.520 a dog each as a present, and shortly afterwards they 2044 02:03:20.560 --> 02:03:25.199 started off together on their return journey. After walking a 2045 02:03:25.199 --> 02:03:29.079 short distance outside the town, the spider was so hungry 2046 02:03:29.680 --> 02:03:31.800 that he stopped and killed the dog that his father 2047 02:03:31.840 --> 02:03:34.960 in law had given, and very soon had eaten the 2048 02:03:35.000 --> 02:03:35.600 whole of it. 2049 02:03:37.079 --> 02:03:39.520 He then tried to get the grasshopper to kill his dog, 2050 02:03:40.119 --> 02:03:43.079 but he refused, saying the dog was given to me 2051 02:03:43.159 --> 02:03:46.319 by the chief as a present and not for food. 2052 02:03:47.000 --> 02:03:50.800 I shall take it home with me. When the spider 2053 02:03:50.840 --> 02:03:54.000 had finished eating his dog, he put the skull of 2054 02:03:54.039 --> 02:03:56.760 the dog in his bag and asked the grasshopper to 2055 02:03:56.800 --> 02:04:00.720 go in front of him. Shortly after this, the dog, 2056 02:04:01.399 --> 02:04:05.359 scenting some game, dived into the bush, and Verison returned 2057 02:04:05.359 --> 02:04:07.319 to the path with a small bush buck. 2058 02:04:07.159 --> 02:04:07.720 In his mouth. 2059 02:04:08.079 --> 02:04:10.920 As the grasshopper had gone on in front and had 2060 02:04:10.920 --> 02:04:14.399 not waited for his dog, the spider took the buck, and, 2061 02:04:14.960 --> 02:04:17.399 having cut its head off and put it in his 2062 02:04:17.479 --> 02:04:20.439 bag next to the dog's skull, he sat down and 2063 02:04:20.640 --> 02:04:24.119 ate the body. When he rejoined the grasshopper later in 2064 02:04:24.159 --> 02:04:27.600 the day, he produced his bag and took out that 2065 02:04:27.680 --> 02:04:30.920 buck's head and told the grasshopper that his dog's gull 2066 02:04:31.039 --> 02:04:35.720 was very clever and had killed the buck. Although the 2067 02:04:35.760 --> 02:04:39.039 grasshopper knew quite well what had happened. He did not 2068 02:04:39.119 --> 02:04:42.560 say anything, but walked on again in front with his dog, 2069 02:04:42.600 --> 02:04:46.720 as he had done before. That night, they slept in 2070 02:04:46.720 --> 02:04:49.800 the bush, and the next day, when they got near 2071 02:04:49.840 --> 02:04:52.159 the first town they had passed through when leaving home, 2072 02:04:53.000 --> 02:04:55.960 the dog again dashed off into the forest and chased 2073 02:04:56.000 --> 02:04:58.640 a bush cow, which he bit very badly in the leg. 2074 02:05:00.000 --> 02:05:02.920 When they reached the town, the spider told the people 2075 02:05:02.960 --> 02:05:05.119 that the grasshopper's dog had chased one of the chief's 2076 02:05:05.199 --> 02:05:09.840 cows and bitten it very badly. This made the people angry, 2077 02:05:10.840 --> 02:05:13.439 and they all turned out with sticks to beat the grasshopper, 2078 02:05:14.439 --> 02:05:17.199 But when he saw them coming, he called out to 2079 02:05:17.239 --> 02:05:19.640 them and soon convinced them that his dog had not 2080 02:05:19.760 --> 02:05:22.680 bitten the chief's cow, but had chased a bush cow 2081 02:05:22.880 --> 02:05:26.239 and wounded it badly. He then offered to show the 2082 02:05:26.319 --> 02:05:30.119 hunters where the place was, and they gladly accepted his offer. 2083 02:05:30.880 --> 02:05:33.840 The hunters then got their bows and arrows, and having 2084 02:05:33.880 --> 02:05:36.399 been shown the tracks of the bush cow by the grasshopper, 2085 02:05:37.199 --> 02:05:39.640 they had little difficulty in tracking it by its blood 2086 02:05:39.760 --> 02:05:43.680 and eventually killed it. The people then carried the meat 2087 02:05:43.720 --> 02:05:45.720 back to the town and placed the horns in front 2088 02:05:45.760 --> 02:05:49.159 of their juju. Half the meat was given to the grasshopper, 2089 02:05:49.800 --> 02:05:53.600 and the remainder divided amongst the people, the spider getting nothing. 2090 02:05:54.800 --> 02:05:58.920 When the spider saw this, he was vexed and told 2091 02:05:58.920 --> 02:06:00.800 the grasshopper that he did not on him for his 2092 02:06:00.840 --> 02:06:03.920 friend again. He then set himself to make a net 2093 02:06:03.920 --> 02:06:06.920 of web in order to revenge himself on the grasshopper, 2094 02:06:07.760 --> 02:06:14.079 and has ever since lived on insects. End of How 2095 02:06:14.119 --> 02:06:18.960 two friends fell out The Spider and the Grasshopper in 2096 02:06:19.079 --> 02:06:24.239 Myths and Legends Around the World Collection fifteen, read by 2097 02:06:24.319 --> 02:06:34.319 Jerome Ware San Diego, May fifth, twenty twenty two. 2098 02:06:35.720 --> 02:06:40.399 Jupiter and his Mighty Company in Myths and Legends Around 2099 02:06:40.399 --> 02:06:46.760 the World Collection fifteen from Old Greek stories. This is 2100 02:06:46.800 --> 02:06:52.000 a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. 2101 02:06:52.960 --> 02:06:58.039 For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. 2102 02:06:59.119 --> 02:07:06.000 Read by Ahnamalikh. Jupiter and his Mighty Company by James Baldwin. 2103 02:07:08.000 --> 02:07:11.279 A long time ago, when the world was much younger 2104 02:07:11.479 --> 02:07:15.760 than it is now, people told and believed a great 2105 02:07:15.840 --> 02:07:21.600 many wonderful stories about wonderful things which neither you nor 2106 02:07:21.760 --> 02:07:26.319 I have ever seen. They often talked about a certain 2107 02:07:26.520 --> 02:07:30.640 mighty being called Jupiter or Zeus, who was king of 2108 02:07:30.680 --> 02:07:34.520 the sky and the earth. And they said that he 2109 02:07:34.600 --> 02:07:38.119 sat most of the time amid the clouds, on the 2110 02:07:38.159 --> 02:07:41.640 top of a very high mountain, where he could look 2111 02:07:41.720 --> 02:07:45.199 down and see everything that was going on in the 2112 02:07:45.239 --> 02:07:49.560 earth beneath. He liked to ride on the storm clouds 2113 02:07:49.960 --> 02:07:54.520 and hurled burning thunderbolts right and left among the trees 2114 02:07:54.560 --> 02:07:59.439 and rocks. And he was so very, very mighty that 2115 02:07:59.479 --> 02:08:04.760 when he nodded, the earth quaked, the mountains trembled and smoked, 2116 02:08:05.359 --> 02:08:09.119 the sky grew black, and the sun hid his face. 2117 02:08:10.680 --> 02:08:15.560 Jupiter had two brothers, both of them terrible fellows, but 2118 02:08:15.720 --> 02:08:19.920 not nearly so great as himself. The name of one 2119 02:08:19.960 --> 02:08:24.079 of them was Neptune or Poseidon, and he was the 2120 02:08:24.159 --> 02:08:28.239 king of the Sea. He had a glittering golden palace 2121 02:08:28.520 --> 02:08:32.000 far down in the deep sea caves, where the fishes 2122 02:08:32.079 --> 02:08:36.479 live and the red coral crows. And whenever he was angry, 2123 02:08:36.960 --> 02:08:41.039 the waves would rise mountain high, and the storm winds 2124 02:08:41.079 --> 02:08:44.960 would howl fearfully, and the sea would try to break 2125 02:08:45.000 --> 02:08:49.279 over the land. The men called him the Shaker of 2126 02:08:49.359 --> 02:08:54.079 the Earth. The other brother of Jupiter, was a sad, 2127 02:08:54.359 --> 02:08:59.319 pale faced being whose kingdom was underneath the earth, where 2128 02:08:59.359 --> 02:09:04.520 there shown, and where there was darkness and weeping and 2129 02:09:04.720 --> 02:09:11.439 sorrow all the time. His name was Pluto or Adonis, 2130 02:09:11.479 --> 02:09:15.319 and his country was called the lower world, or the 2131 02:09:15.399 --> 02:09:22.039 land of shadows or heads. Men said that whenever anyone died, 2132 02:09:22.520 --> 02:09:27.199 Pluto would send his messenger or shadow leader to carry 2133 02:09:27.279 --> 02:09:31.279 that one down into his cheerless kingdom, And for that 2134 02:09:31.479 --> 02:09:35.319 reason they never spoke well of him, but thought of 2135 02:09:35.439 --> 02:09:40.520 him only as the enemy of life. A great number 2136 02:09:40.560 --> 02:09:44.680 of other mighty beings lived with Jupiter amid the clouds 2137 02:09:44.720 --> 02:09:48.279 on the mountain top, so many that I can name 2138 02:09:48.479 --> 02:09:53.560 a very few only. There was Venus, the queen of 2139 02:09:53.720 --> 02:09:58.479 love and beauty, who was fairer by far than any 2140 02:09:58.560 --> 02:10:03.479 woman that you or I have ever seen. There was 2141 02:10:03.520 --> 02:10:08.439 Athena or Minerva, the queen of the Air, who gave 2142 02:10:08.520 --> 02:10:12.159 people wisdom and taught them how to do very many 2143 02:10:12.399 --> 02:10:18.000 useful things. There was Juno, the queen of Earth and Sky, 2144 02:10:18.800 --> 02:10:21.840 who sat at the right hand of Jupiter and gave 2145 02:10:21.880 --> 02:10:27.159 him all kinds of advice. There was Mars, the great warrior, 2146 02:10:27.720 --> 02:10:32.720 whose delight was in the din of battle. There was Mercury, 2147 02:10:33.319 --> 02:10:37.279 the swift messenger, who had wings on his cap and shoes, 2148 02:10:37.640 --> 02:10:40.680 and who flew from place to place like the summer 2149 02:10:40.720 --> 02:10:45.720 clouds when they are driven before the wind. There was Vulcan, 2150 02:10:46.439 --> 02:10:51.239 a skillful blacksmith, who had his forge in a burning mountain, 2151 02:10:51.760 --> 02:10:56.119 and wrought many wonderful things of iron and copper and gold. 2152 02:10:57.199 --> 02:11:01.159 And besides these there were many others about whom you 2153 02:11:01.199 --> 02:11:05.439 will learn by and by, and about whom men told 2154 02:11:05.560 --> 02:11:12.359 strange and beautiful stories. They lived in glittering golden mansions, 2155 02:11:12.479 --> 02:11:17.039 high up among the clouds, so high indeed, that the 2156 02:11:17.079 --> 02:11:21.399 eyes of men could never see them, but they could 2157 02:11:21.479 --> 02:11:26.119 look down and see what men were doing. And oftentimes 2158 02:11:26.560 --> 02:11:30.520 they were said to leave their lofty homes and wander 2159 02:11:30.680 --> 02:11:35.560 unknown across the land or over the sea. And of 2160 02:11:35.680 --> 02:11:41.560 all these mighty folk, Jupiter was by far the mightiest 2161 02:11:43.199 --> 02:11:47.479 end of Jupiter and his mighty company. In myths and 2162 02:11:47.600 --> 02:11:50.319 legends around the world, Collection fifteen