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008 - Sir Peppercorn · Serbian Fairy Tales

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Speaker 1: Section eight of Serbian fairy Tales. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
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Speaker 1: by Steve Nelson, Serbian Fairy Tales, translated by Elidy Miyatovitch
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Speaker 1: Sir Peppercorn. Three brothers, once upon a time went out
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Speaker 1: into the neighboring forest to choose some trees fit for building.
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Speaker 1: Before going, however, they told their mother not to forget
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Speaker 1: to send their sister into the wood after them with
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Speaker 1: their dinners. The mother sent the girl as she had
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Speaker 1: been told to do, but as the girl was on
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Speaker 1: her way, a giant met her in the wood and
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Speaker 1: carried her off to a cave where he lived. All
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Speaker 1: day long, the brothers waited, expecting their sister and wondering
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Speaker 1: why their mother had forgotten to send them food at length.
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Speaker 1: After remaining two days in the forest, becoming anxious and
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Speaker 1: angry at the delay, they went home. When they arrived there,
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Speaker 1: they asked their mother why she had not sent their
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Speaker 1: sister with their food, as she had promised to do.
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Speaker 1: She replied that she had sent the girl three days
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Speaker 1: ago and had been wondering greatly why she had not
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Speaker 1: come back. When the three brothers heard this, they were
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Speaker 1: exceedingly troubled, and the eldest said, I will go back
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Speaker 1: into the forest and look for my sister. Accordingly he went.
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Speaker 1: After wandering about some time, he came to a shepherdess
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Speaker 1: who was mining a flock of sheep. He asked her
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Speaker 1: anxiously if she had seen his sister in the wood,
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Speaker 1: or whether she could tell him anything about her. The
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Speaker 1: shepherdess replied that she had indeed seen a girl carrying food,
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Speaker 1: but a giant had met her and carried her off
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Speaker 1: to his cave. Then the young man asked her to
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Speaker 1: tell him the way to the giant's cave, which she did.
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Speaker 1: The cave was hidden in a deep ravine. The brother
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Speaker 1: at once went down and called aloud on his sister
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Speaker 1: by name, and a short time the girl came to
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Speaker 1: the mouth of the cave, and, seeing her eldest brother,
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Speaker 1: invited him to come in. This he did, and was
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Speaker 1: exceedingly surprised to see that the seeming cave was in
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Speaker 1: reality a magnificent palace. Whilst he stood there talking to
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Speaker 1: his sister and inquiring how she liked her new home.
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Speaker 1: He heard a loud whirring in the air overhead, and
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Speaker 1: immediately afterwards saw a heavy mace fall on the ground
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Speaker 1: just in front of the cave. Greatly terrified and astonished,
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Speaker 1: he asked his sister what this meant, and she told
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Speaker 1: him not to be afraid, for it was only the
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Speaker 1: way the giant let her know of his return three
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Speaker 1: hours before he came, that she might begin to prepare
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Speaker 1: his supper when it grew dark. The giant came home
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Speaker 1: and was at once aware that a stranger was in
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Speaker 1: his place. In reply to his angry questions, his wife
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Speaker 1: told him it was only her brother who had come
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Speaker 1: to visit them. When the giant heard this, he went
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Speaker 1: to the mouth of the cave, and, calling a shepherd,
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Speaker 1: ordered him to kill the largest sheep in his flock
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Speaker 1: and roast it. When the meat was ready, the giant
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Speaker 1: called his brother in law and said, as he cut
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Speaker 1: the sheep into two equal parts, my dear brother in law,
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Speaker 1: listen well to what I say. If you eat your
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Speaker 1: half of the meat sooner than I eat mine, I
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Speaker 1: will give you leave to kill me. But if I
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Speaker 1: eat my half quicker than you eat yours, I shall
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Speaker 1: certainly kill you. Thereupon, the poor brother in law began
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Speaker 1: to shake all over with fright, and, fearing the worst,
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Speaker 1: tried to eat as fast as he could, But he
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Speaker 1: had hardly swallowed three mouthfuls before the giant finished his
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Speaker 1: share of the sheep and killed him according to his threat.
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Speaker 1: For some time, the other two brothers and their old
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Speaker 1: mother waited impatiently to see if the elder brother would
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Speaker 1: come back. At last, hearing nothing of the brother or
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Speaker 1: of the sister, the second son said, I will go
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Speaker 1: and look after them. So he went into the same
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Speaker 1: forest where his brother had gone, and, meeting there the
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Speaker 1: same shepherdess minding her sheep, he inquired if she had
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Speaker 1: seen his brother or sister. The shepherdess answered him as
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Speaker 1: she had answered the elder brother, and he too, asked
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Speaker 1: the way to the giant's cave, and, on being told,
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Speaker 1: went down the ravine until he reached the place. There
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Speaker 1: he called on his sister by name, and she came
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Speaker 1: out and invited him to enter the cave. This he did,
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Speaker 1: and shared the fate of his brother. For being unable
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Speaker 1: to eat his part of the sheep as quickly as
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Speaker 1: the giant ate his, he also was killed not long after,
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Speaker 1: the third brother went forth the same road to look
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Speaker 1: after his two elder brothers and sister, and, having found
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Speaker 1: the giant's cave, was likewise invited to eat half a
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Speaker 1: sheep or be put to death. He, however, failed, like
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Speaker 1: his brothers had done before him, and, being unable to
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Speaker 1: eat his part of the sheep as quickly as the
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Speaker 1: giant ate his, he was also killed. Now the parents,
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Speaker 1: being alone in their house, prayed that God would give
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Speaker 1: them another son, even were he no bigger than a peppercorn.
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Speaker 1: As they prayed, so it came to pass, and not
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Speaker 1: very long after a little boy was born to them,
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Speaker 1: who was so extremely small that they christened him Peppercorn.
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Speaker 1: When the boy was old enough, he went out to
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Speaker 1: play with the other boys, and one day, in a quarrel,
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Speaker 1: one of these said to him, may you share the
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Speaker 1: fate of your elder brothers. Hearing this, Peppercorn ran off
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Speaker 1: home at once and asked his mother what these words meant.
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Speaker 1: So the mother was forced to tell him how his
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Speaker 1: three brothers had gone into the forest to look after
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Speaker 1: their lost sister and had never come back again. As
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Speaker 1: soon as he heard this, Peppercorn began to search the
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Speaker 1: house for pieces of old iron, and, having found some scraps,
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Speaker 1: carried them off in the evening to a blacksmith that
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Speaker 1: with them he might make him a mace. Next morning,
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Speaker 1: Peppercorn went to the smith to ask for his mace,
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Speaker 1: which the man gave him, saying at the same time,
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Speaker 1: now pay me for making it. To this, Peppercorn replied, first,
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Speaker 1: let me see if it is strong enough, and he
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Speaker 1: threw it up in the air and held his head
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Speaker 1: so that the mace might fall upon it. As soon
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Speaker 1: as the maze struck his head head, it broke into pieces,
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Speaker 1: and Peppercorn, seeing how badly it was made, fell into
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Speaker 1: a passion and killed the smith. Then he gathered up
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Speaker 1: the pieces of iron and went off to look for
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Speaker 1: a better workman. He soon found another blacksmith who was
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Speaker 1: willing to make him a mace, but demanded a ducket
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Speaker 1: for the work. Peppercorn said he would willingly pay the
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Speaker 1: ducat if the smith made him a really strong, serviceable mace.
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Speaker 1: So next morning he went to ask if it was ready,
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Speaker 1: and the smith said, yes, but you must first pay
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Speaker 1: me the ducat and then I will give it to you. Peppercorn, however,
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Speaker 1: answered the ducket is ready in my pocket, but I
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Speaker 1: must first see if the mace is good before I
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Speaker 1: pay for it. Thereupon he caught it, flung it up
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Speaker 1: in the air, and held his head under it as
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Speaker 1: it fell. As soon as the maze struck his head
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Speaker 1: and broke into pieces, and he, again, falling into a
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Speaker 1: great passion, killed this smith. Also gathering up the pieces
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Speaker 1: of iron, He now carried them to a third smith,
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Speaker 1: who undertook to make him a good strong mace, and
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Speaker 1: demanded a ducket for doing so. Next morning, Peppercorn went
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Speaker 1: for the mace, and after trying it three times, each
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Speaker 1: time throwing it up higher in the air and letting
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Speaker 1: it fall on his head, where it raised great bumps,
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Speaker 1: he owned that he was satisfied with it, and accordingly
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Speaker 1: paid the smith the ducat as he had promised. Having
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Speaker 1: now a good strong mace, Peppercorn started off at once
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Speaker 1: for the forest in which his three older brothers and
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Speaker 1: his sister had been lost. After wandering about for some time,
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Speaker 1: he came to the place where the shepherdess sat watching
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Speaker 1: her sheep, and in reply to his questions, she told
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Speaker 1: him that she had seen his three brothers go down
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Speaker 1: the ravine in search of their sister, but had never
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Speaker 1: seen them come up again. Notwithstanding this, Peppercorn went resolutely
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Speaker 1: down the ravine, calling aloud upon his sister by name.
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Speaker 1: When she heard this, she was exceedingly surprised and said
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Speaker 1: to herself, who can this be calling me by name?
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Speaker 1: Now that all my brothers are killed, I have no
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Speaker 1: other relations to come and look for me. Then she
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Speaker 1: went to the entrance of the cave and called out,
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Speaker 1: who is it that calls me? I have no longer
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Speaker 1: any brothers, Peppercorn said to her, I am your brother,
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Speaker 1: who was born after you left home, and my name
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Speaker 1: is Peppercorn. On hearing this, his sister led him into
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Speaker 1: the palace, but he had hardly had time to save
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Speaker 1: a few words to her before a loud whirring was
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Speaker 1: heard in the air and the giant's mace fell to
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Speaker 1: the ground for a moment. Peppercorn was terrified at this,
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Speaker 1: but he recovered himself quickly, and, pulling the maze out
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Speaker 1: of the ground, flung it back to the giant, who,
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Speaker 1: in astonishment said to himself, who is this who throws
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Speaker 1: my mace back to me? Methinks I have at last
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Speaker 1: found someone able to fight with me. When the giant
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Speaker 1: came home, he immediately asked his wife you had been
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Speaker 1: in the cave, and she answered him it is my
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Speaker 1: youngest brother. Thereupon, the giant ordered the shepherd to bring
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Speaker 1: the largest sheep in his flock. When this was brought,
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Speaker 1: the giant killed it himself, and, whilst preparing it for roasting,
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Speaker 1: said to Peppercorn, will you turn the beat or will
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Speaker 1: you take care of the Peppercorn said he would rather
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Speaker 1: gather wood and make the fire, So he went out
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Speaker 1: and tumbled down some large trees with his mace. These
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Speaker 1: he carried to the mouth of the cave and made
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Speaker 1: a large fire ready for the meat. When the sheep
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Speaker 1: was roasted, the giant cut it in two parts and
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Speaker 1: gave one half to Peppercorn, saying, take this half, and
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Speaker 1: if you eat it before I eat my half, you
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Speaker 1: are free to kill me. But if you don't, I
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Speaker 1: shall surely kill you. So Peppercorn and the giant began
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Speaker 1: to eat as fast as they could, swallowing down large
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Speaker 1: pieces of meat and in their haste almost choking themselves.
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Speaker 1: At last, Peppercorn, by trickery, managed to get rid of
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Speaker 1: his share of the sheep, and, according to the arrangement,
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Speaker 1: killed the giant. This done with the help of his sister,
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Speaker 1: he collected all the treasures the giant had heaped up
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Speaker 1: in his palace, and, taking them with him, returned home
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Speaker 1: with his sister, to the great joy of their parents.
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Speaker 1: Peppercorn remained some time after this with his father, mother,
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Speaker 1: and sisters, and they lived very merrily on the treasures
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Speaker 1: he had brought from the giant's cave. At length, however,
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Speaker 1: he saw that the riches were coming to an end,
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Speaker 1: so he resolved to go into the world to seek
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Speaker 1: his fortune. After traveling about a good while, he came
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Speaker 1: one day to a large city where he saw a
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Speaker 1: great crowd gathered about a man who held an iron
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Speaker 1: pike in his hand, and every now and then squeezed
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Speaker 1: drops of water out of the iron, whilst the people watched,
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Speaker 1: wondering and admiring his great strength. Peppercorn went up and
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Speaker 1: asked him, do you think there is any man in
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Speaker 1: the world stronger than yourself? There is only one man
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Speaker 1: alive who was stronger than myself, and that one is
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Speaker 1: a certain person called Peppercorn. Answered he, Peppercorn can receive
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Speaker 1: a mace on his head without being hurt. Thereupon, Peppercorn
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Speaker 1: told the man who he was and proposed to him
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Speaker 1: that they should travel about the world together. That will
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Speaker 1: I write, gladly, said the pikeman. How can I help
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Speaker 1: being glad to go with a trusty fellow like you
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Speaker 1: traveling together? They came one day to a certain city, and,
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Speaker 1: finding a concourse of people assembled, they went to see
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Speaker 1: what was the matter. They found a man sitting on
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Speaker 1: the bank of a river, turning the wheels of nine
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Speaker 1: mills with his little finger. So they said to him,
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Speaker 1: is there anyone stronger than you in the world? And
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Speaker 1: he answered them there are only two men stronger than
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Speaker 1: I am, a certain person named Peppercorn and a certain pikeman.
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Speaker 1: Hearing this, Peppercorn and the pikemen told him who they were,
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Speaker 1: and proposed that he should join them in their travels
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Speaker 1: about the world. The mill turner very gladly accepted the offer,
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Speaker 1: and so all three continued their journey together. After traveling
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Speaker 1: some time, they came to a city where they found
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Speaker 1: all the people greatly excited because someone had stolen the
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Speaker 1: three daughters of the king, and notwithstanding the immense rewards
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Speaker 1: his majesty had offered, no one had as yet dared
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Speaker 1: to go out to look for the princesses. As soon
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Speaker 1: as Peppercorn and his two comrades heard this, they went
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Speaker 1: to the king and offered to search for his three daughters.
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Speaker 1: But in order to accomplish the task, they demanded that
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Speaker 1: the king should give them one hundred thousand loads of wood.
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Speaker 1: The king gave them what they wanted, and they made
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Speaker 1: a fence all around the city with the timber. This done,
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Speaker 1: that began to watch. The first morning, they prepared a
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Speaker 1: whole ox for their dinners and discussed the question which
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Speaker 1: of the three should stay behind to mind the meat
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Speaker 1: whilst the other two watched the fence. The pikeman said,
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Speaker 1: I think I will stay here and take care of
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Speaker 1: the meat, and I will have dinner ready for you
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Speaker 1: when you come back from looking after the fence. So
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Speaker 1: it was thus settled. Just however, as the pikeman thought
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Speaker 1: the ox was well roasted, he was frightened by the
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Speaker 1: sudden approach of a man with a forehead a yard
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Speaker 1: high and a beard a span long. This man said
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Speaker 1: to the pikeman, good morning, but the latter ran away
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Speaker 1: instead of answering. He was so shocked by the strange
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Speaker 1: appearance of the man, yard High Forehead and span long
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Speaker 1: Beard was quite content at this, and, sitting down, soon
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Speaker 1: finished the whole ox. When he had ended his dinner,
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Speaker 1: he got up and went away. Shortly afterwards, Sir Peppercorn
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Speaker 1: and the mill turner came for their dinners, and, being
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Speaker 1: very hungry, shouted from afar to the pikemen, let us
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Speaker 1: dine at once. But the pikeman, keeping himself hidden among
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Speaker 1: the bushes, called out to them, there is nothing left
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Speaker 1: for us to eat. A little while ago, yard High
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Speaker 1: Forehead and span long Beard came up and ate the
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Speaker 1: whole ox to the very last morsel. I was afraid
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Speaker 1: of him, and so I did not say one word
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Speaker 1: against it. Peppercorn and the mill turner reproached their companion
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Speaker 1: bitterly for allowing all their dinner to be stolen without
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Speaker 1: once trying to prevent it, and the mill turner said scornfully, well,
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Speaker 1: I will stop tomorrow and look after the meat, and
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Speaker 1: yard High Forehead and span long Beard may come if
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Speaker 1: he likes. So the next day the mill turner stayed
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Speaker 1: to roast the ox, and his two comrades went to
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Speaker 1: look after the fence they had built round about the city.
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Speaker 1: Just before dinner time, yard High Forehead and span long
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Speaker 1: Beard came out of the forest and walked straight up
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Speaker 1: to the ox and stretched his hands out greedily to
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Speaker 1: grasp it. The mill turner was so frightened by his
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Speaker 1: strange appearance that he ran off as hard as he
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Speaker 1: could to look for a place to hide in. By
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Speaker 1: and by, Peppercorn and the pikemen came for their dinners
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Speaker 1: and asked angrily where the meat was. Whereupon the mill
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Speaker 1: turner answered, there is no meat. It has all been
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Speaker 1: eaten by that horrible yard high Forehead and span long Beard.
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Speaker 1: And his looks frightened me so that I dared not
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Speaker 1: say a single word to him. It was no use complaining,
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Speaker 1: so Peppercorn only said tomorrow, I will stay to mind
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Speaker 1: the ox, and you two shall go and look after
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Speaker 1: the fence. I will see if we are to remain
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Speaker 1: the third day without dinner. The next morning, the pikeman
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Speaker 1: and the mill turner went to see if all was
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Speaker 1: right round about the city, and Peppercorn remained to roast
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Speaker 1: the ox exactly as on the two former days. Just
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Speaker 1: before dinner was ready, yard High Forehead and span long
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Speaker 1: Beard made his appearance and went up to seize the meat.
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Speaker 1: Peppercorn pushed him roughly back, saying, two days I have
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Speaker 1: been dinnerless on your account, but the third day I
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Speaker 1: will not be so as long as my head stands
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Speaker 1: on my shoulders. Much astonished at his boldness, yard High
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Speaker 1: Forehead and span long Beard exclaimed, take care you don't
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Speaker 1: begin to quarrel with me. There is no one in
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Speaker 1: all the world you can conquer me except a fellow
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Speaker 1: called Peppercorn. Peppercorn was very pleased to hear this, and
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Speaker 1: without more hesitation, sprang at once on yard High Forehead
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Speaker 1: and span long Beard, and after some struggling, pulled him
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Speaker 1: down to the earth and bound him. This done, he
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Speaker 1: tied him fast to a tall pine tree. Now the
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Speaker 1: pikemen and mill turner came up and were exceedingly glad
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Speaker 1: to find their dinner safe, just as they were in
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Speaker 1: the middle of their dinners. However, Yard High Forehead and
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Speaker 1: span long Beard, with a sudden jerk, pulled up the
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Speaker 1: pine tree by the roots and ran off with tree
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Speaker 1: and all, making furrows in the earth with it, just
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Speaker 1: as if three plows had been passing over the ground.
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Speaker 1: Seeing him run off, the Pikeman and mil Turner jumped
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Speaker 1: up quickly ran after him, but Peppercorn called them back
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Speaker 1: and told them to finish their dinners first, for there
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Speaker 1: would be plenty of time to catch him after they
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Speaker 1: had dined. So they all three went on eating, and
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Speaker 1: when they had done, they followed the furrows which Yard
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Speaker 1: High Forehead and span long Beard had made in the ground.
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Speaker 1: After a while they came to a deep, dark hole
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Speaker 1: in the earth. And when they had examined it all
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Speaker 1: round and tried in vain on account of the darkness
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Speaker 1: to look down into it, they returned to the King
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Speaker 1: and asked him to give them a thousand miles of
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Speaker 1: strong rope so that they could go down into the pit.
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Speaker 1: The king at once ordered his servants to give them
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Speaker 1: what they required, and when they had got the great cable,
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Speaker 1: they went back to the hole. On the way. As
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Speaker 1: they were going, they discussed which of the three should
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Speaker 1: venture down first, and it was at last settled that
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Speaker 1: the pikemen should be let down. However, he made them
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Speaker 1: solemnly promise him that they should pull him up again.
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Speaker 1: The instant he shook the rope, he had been let down,
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Speaker 1: but a very little way before he shook the rope,
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Speaker 1: and so they pulled him up as they had promised.
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Speaker 1: Then the mil turned, he said, let me go down,
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Speaker 1: and so the other two lowered him. But in a
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Speaker 1: moment or two he shook the rope violently, and so
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Speaker 1: he too was pulled up. Now Peppercorn grew angry and exclaimed,
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Speaker 1: I did not think you were such cowards as to
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Speaker 1: be afraid of a dark hole. Now let me down.
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Speaker 1: So they let him down and down until his foot
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Speaker 1: touched the solid ground. Finding that he had reached the bottom,
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Speaker 1: he looked round him and saw that he stood just
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Speaker 1: in the very middle of a most beautiful green plain,
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Speaker 1: a plain so beautiful that it was a real pleasure
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Speaker 1: to look on it. At one end of the plain
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Speaker 1: stood a large, handsome palace, and Peppercorn went nearer to
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Speaker 1: look at it. There in the gardens, walking he met
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Speaker 1: two young girls and asked them if they were not
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Speaker 1: the daughters of the king. When they said that they were,
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Speaker 1: he inquired what had become of the other sister, and
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Speaker 1: the princesses told him that their youngest sister was in
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Speaker 1: the palace, very busy binding up the wounds. That yard
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Speaker 1: high forehead and span long Beard had lately received from
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Speaker 1: a certain night called Peppercorn. Then Peppercorn told them who
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Speaker 1: he was, and that he had come down on purpose
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Speaker 1: to release them and to take them back to the
18:08
Speaker 1: king their father. On hearing this good news, the two
18:11
Speaker 1: princesses rejoiced greatly and told Peppercorn where he would find
18:16
Speaker 1: yard High Forehead and span long Beard and their youngest sister.
18:19
Speaker 1: But they warned him not to rush in on the giant,
18:22
Speaker 1: but rather to go softly and first try to get
18:26
Speaker 1: hold of the saber which hung on the wall over
18:28
Speaker 1: his bed, For this saber possessed the wonderful power of
18:32
Speaker 1: killing a man. When he was a whole day's journey
18:34
Speaker 1: from it, Peppercorn took care to do as the princesses
18:38
Speaker 1: had told him. He stole very quietly into the room
18:42
Speaker 1: where yard High Forehead and span long Beard was lying,
18:45
Speaker 1: and when he was near the bed, he sprang up
18:48
Speaker 1: suddenly and seized the sword. The moment the wounded giant
18:51
Speaker 1: saw his saber in the hands of Peppercorn, he jumped
18:54
Speaker 1: up quickly and ran out of the palace. Peppercorn followed
18:57
Speaker 1: him some time before he remembered what the two princes
19:00
Speaker 1: had told him of the wonderful properties of the sword.
19:03
Speaker 1: But as soon as he recollected this, he made a
19:05
Speaker 1: sharp cut with it in the air, as if he
19:07
Speaker 1: were cutting off a man's head, and the moment he
19:09
Speaker 1: did so, yard high forehead and span long beard fell
19:13
Speaker 1: down dead. Then Peppercorn went back to the palace, and
19:17
Speaker 1: taking with him the three princesses, prepared to return to
19:20
Speaker 1: the upper world. When he came to the place where
19:24
Speaker 1: the rope was hanging, he took a large basket, and,
19:27
Speaker 1: placing the eldest princess in it, fastened it to the rope,
19:30
Speaker 1: then giving her a note in which he said that
19:32
Speaker 1: he sent her for the pikeman. He made the signal
19:34
Speaker 1: agreed upon for the rope to be drawn up. So
19:37
Speaker 1: his comrades pulled up the rope, and when it came
19:39
Speaker 1: down again with the empty basket, Peppercorn sent up the
19:42
Speaker 1: second princess, after giving her a paper in which he
19:45
Speaker 1: had ridden this one is for the mill turner. When
19:49
Speaker 1: the rope descended the third time, he sent up the
19:51
Speaker 1: youngest princess, who was by far the most beautiful of
19:54
Speaker 1: the three. He gave her a paper which said that
19:56
Speaker 1: this one he meant to keep for himself. Just as
19:59
Speaker 1: the pike and the mill turner began to pull up
20:01
Speaker 1: the rope, the princess gave Peppercorn a little box, saying
20:04
Speaker 1: open it when you have need of anything. Now. When
20:08
Speaker 1: the pikeman and mil turner drew up the youngest princess
20:11
Speaker 1: and saw how very beautiful she was, they determined to
20:14
Speaker 1: leave Peppercorn down in the pit and go back without
20:16
Speaker 1: delay to the King's palace, and there see which of
20:19
Speaker 1: them could get the youngest princess for his wife. Peppercorn
20:23
Speaker 1: waited patiently for some time for the rope to be
20:26
Speaker 1: let down, that he might be drawn up, but no
20:28
Speaker 1: rope appeared. At last, he was obliged to own to
20:31
Speaker 1: himself that his two comrades had deceived and deserted him, and,
20:35
Speaker 1: seeing how useless it was to remain standing still any longer,
20:39
Speaker 1: he walked off, without knowing where the road would take him.
20:42
Speaker 1: Walking on, after a long time, he came to the
20:45
Speaker 1: shore of a large lake and heard a great noise
20:48
Speaker 1: of crying and shouting. Very soon a multitude of people
20:52
Speaker 1: looking like a wedding party made their appearance. After placing
20:56
Speaker 1: a young girl in bridal attire on the shore of
20:58
Speaker 1: the lake. The people left her there alone and went away. Peppercorn,
21:03
Speaker 1: seeing the girl left by herself, and noticing how sad
21:06
Speaker 1: she looked, went up to her and asked her why
21:08
Speaker 1: her friends had left her there and why she was
21:10
Speaker 1: so sad. The girl answered, in this lake is a
21:14
Speaker 1: dragon who every year swallows up a young girl. It
21:18
Speaker 1: is now my turn, and our people have brought me
21:21
Speaker 1: as a bride to the dragon and left me to
21:23
Speaker 1: be swallowed up. Peppercorn, on hearing this, asked her to
21:27
Speaker 1: let him rest near her a little, because he was
21:30
Speaker 1: very tired. But she answered, you had far better fly away,
21:34
Speaker 1: my good night. If it is necessary that I should die,
21:37
Speaker 1: it is not needful that you should die also. But
21:41
Speaker 1: Peppercorn said to her, don't trouble yourself about me. Only
21:44
Speaker 1: let me rest near you a little, for I am
21:46
Speaker 1: very tired. It will be time enough for me to
21:49
Speaker 1: run away when the dragon comes. Having said this, he
21:52
Speaker 1: sat down near the girl, and in a little while
21:55
Speaker 1: fell asleep. He had not slept long before the surface
21:58
Speaker 1: of the lake became agity, and the water rose up
22:01
Speaker 1: in large waves. Presently, the dragon lifted its head and
22:05
Speaker 1: swam straight to the shore where the girl sat, evidently
22:08
Speaker 1: intending to swallow her. At once, the maiden cried bitterly,
22:12
Speaker 1: and a tear falling on Peppercorn's face awakened him. He
22:16
Speaker 1: sprang up quickly, grasped his sword, and, smiting fiercely, with
22:20
Speaker 1: one stroke, cut off the dragon's head. Then he took
22:24
Speaker 1: the girl by the hand and led her back to
22:26
Speaker 1: the city, where he found that she was the only
22:29
Speaker 1: daughter of the king of that country. The king was
22:32
Speaker 1: overjoyed at hearing that the dragon was killed, and also
22:35
Speaker 1: at seeing his daughter brought back to him safe and sound,
22:38
Speaker 1: so he insisted that Peppercorn should marry the princess, which
22:42
Speaker 1: he did, and they all lived together very happily for
22:45
Speaker 1: a long time. After a while, however, Peppercorn began to
22:50
Speaker 1: long greatly for the other world and grew sadder and
22:53
Speaker 1: sadder every day. When his wife noticed this change in
22:57
Speaker 1: his appearance, she asked him very often what ailed him,
23:00
Speaker 1: but he would not tell her for a long time
23:02
Speaker 1: because he did not wish to trouble her. At last, however,
23:06
Speaker 1: he could keep his secret no longer and confess to
23:09
Speaker 1: the princess how much he longed to go back to
23:12
Speaker 1: the upper world. Though she was very sorry to hear this,
23:15
Speaker 1: She promised him that she herself would beg the king
23:18
Speaker 1: to let him go, since he so greatly wished it.
23:22
Speaker 1: This she did, and when the King objected, not wishing
23:25
Speaker 1: to lose so good a son in law, the princess said,
23:28
Speaker 1: let him go. He has saved my life, and why
23:31
Speaker 1: should we keep him against his will. My three sons
23:35
Speaker 1: will still remain to comfort us. Then the King consented, saying,
23:40
Speaker 1: very well, let it be as he wishes, since you
23:44
Speaker 1: have nothing to say against it. Tell your benefactor to
23:47
Speaker 1: go to the lake shore and to say to the
23:49
Speaker 1: giant bird. He will find there that the King sends
23:51
Speaker 1: her his greetings and desires her to take the bearer
23:54
Speaker 1: of them up to the other world. The princess returned
23:58
Speaker 1: to her husband and told him what her face had said,
24:01
Speaker 1: and then began to prepare some provisions for the journey.
24:04
Speaker 1: When these were ready and the king had sent the
24:06
Speaker 1: letter for the bird, Peppercorn took a kind leave of
24:09
Speaker 1: his wife and went down to the lake shore, where
24:12
Speaker 1: he soon found the nest of the giant bird and
24:14
Speaker 1: her little ones in it, though she herself was not there,
24:18
Speaker 1: so he sat down to wait under the tree where
24:20
Speaker 1: the nest was. As he sat there, he heard the
24:23
Speaker 1: little birds chirping very restlessly and anxiously. Then he saw
24:27
Speaker 1: that the lake was beginning to throw up high waves,
24:29
Speaker 1: and soon a monster came out of the water and
24:31
Speaker 1: made straight for the nest to swallow the young birds. Peppercorn, however,
24:35
Speaker 1: did not stop long to think about the matter, but
24:38
Speaker 1: quickly drew his wonderful sword and killed the monster. It
24:41
Speaker 1: happened that the giant bird was just coming back, and
24:44
Speaker 1: when she saw Peppercorn under the tree, she shrieked as
24:47
Speaker 1: she ran up to kill him. Now I have caught you,
24:50
Speaker 1: you who have been killing all my little ones for
24:51
Speaker 1: so many years. Now you shall pay me for it,
24:54
Speaker 1: for I will kill you. But the little birds from
24:57
Speaker 1: their nest high in the tree cried out to her,
25:00
Speaker 1: don't do him any harm. He saved us from being
25:02
Speaker 1: swallowed by a monster who came out of the lake
25:04
Speaker 1: to kill us. Meanwhile, Peppercorn went to her and presented
25:08
Speaker 1: the king's letter. The giant bird read it through carefully
25:11
Speaker 1: and then said to him, go home and kill twelve sheep.
25:16
Speaker 1: Fill their skins with water, and bring them here together
25:19
Speaker 1: with the flesh of the sheep, Peppercorn went back to
25:22
Speaker 1: the king, who at once ordered that he should be
25:24
Speaker 1: supplied with the flesh of twelve sheep, as well as
25:27
Speaker 1: with twelve sheep skins full of fresh water. With this provision,
25:31
Speaker 1: Peppercorn returned to the shore of the lake. Then the
25:33
Speaker 1: giant bird placed the twelve skins full of water under
25:36
Speaker 1: her left wing and the flesh of the twelve sheep
25:38
Speaker 1: under her right, and took Peppercorn on her back. This done,
25:42
Speaker 1: she told him that he must watch well her movements,
25:45
Speaker 1: and when she turned her beak to the left side,
25:48
Speaker 1: he must give her water, and when she turned it
25:50
Speaker 1: to the right, he must give her meat. After impressing
25:53
Speaker 1: these directions upon Peppercorn, the giant bird rose with her
25:56
Speaker 1: triple load in the air and flew straight up towards
25:59
Speaker 1: the other world. As she flew, she turned from time
26:02
Speaker 1: to time her beak, now to the left and then
26:05
Speaker 1: to the right, and Peppercorn gave her meat or water,
26:08
Speaker 1: as she had directed him to do. At last, however,
26:11
Speaker 1: all the meat disappeared, so when the giant bird turned
26:14
Speaker 1: her beak once more to the right, Sir Peppercorn, having
26:17
Speaker 1: no more meat to give her, and fearing some evil
26:20
Speaker 1: might happen if he did not satisfy her, took out
26:23
Speaker 1: his knife, and, cutting a piece of flesh from the
26:25
Speaker 1: soul of his right foot, gave it to her. But
26:28
Speaker 1: the bird knew by the taste that he had cut
26:31
Speaker 1: it from his own foot, so she did not swallow it,
26:34
Speaker 1: but hid it under her tongue and held it there
26:36
Speaker 1: until she reached the other world. Then she set Peppercorn
26:40
Speaker 1: down on the earth and told him to walk, And
26:42
Speaker 1: when he tried to do so, he was forced to
26:44
Speaker 1: limp because of the loss of part of his foot.
26:46
Speaker 1: When the giant bird noticed this, she asked him, why
26:49
Speaker 1: do you limp so to this, Peppercorn answered, oh, it
26:53
Speaker 1: is nothing, do not trouble yourself about it. But the
26:56
Speaker 1: bird told him to lift his right foot, and when
26:58
Speaker 1: he did so, she took the piece of flesh she
27:00
Speaker 1: had kept hidden under her tongue and laid it on
27:03
Speaker 1: the place where he had cut it from. Then she
27:05
Speaker 1: tapped it two or three times with her beak to
27:08
Speaker 1: make it grow to the rest of the foot. Peppercorn
27:11
Speaker 1: walked on some time before he remembered the little box
27:13
Speaker 1: which the youngest of the three daughters of the king
27:16
Speaker 1: had given him. Now, however, he opened it, and a
27:19
Speaker 1: bee and a fly flew out and asked him what
27:21
Speaker 1: he desired. He said, I want a good horse to
27:25
Speaker 1: carry me to the King's residence, and a decent suit
27:27
Speaker 1: of clothes to wear. Next moment, a suit of good
27:30
Speaker 1: clothes lay before him, and a handsome horse stood ready
27:33
Speaker 1: saddled for him to mount. Then he took the clothes, and,
27:36
Speaker 1: mounting the horse, rode off to the city where the
27:39
Speaker 1: king dwelt. Before entering the city, however, he opened his
27:42
Speaker 1: little box and said to the fly and the bee,
27:45
Speaker 1: I do not want the horse any more at present. Accordingly,
27:48
Speaker 1: they took it with them into their little box. Peppercorn
27:52
Speaker 1: went to live in the house of an old woman
27:54
Speaker 1: in the city. Next morning he heard the public choir
27:57
Speaker 1: shouting in the street, is there any one bold enough
27:59
Speaker 1: to fight with the mighty Pikeman, the King's son in law.
28:03
Speaker 1: Peppercorn was very pleased to hear this challenge, and, opening
28:06
Speaker 1: his box without delay, told the bee and fly, who
28:10
Speaker 1: flew out to receive his orders, that he wanted at
28:12
Speaker 1: once a fine suit of clothes and a strong charger,
28:15
Speaker 1: so that he might go to fight with the pikeman.
28:18
Speaker 1: The bee and the fly instantly gave him what he required,
28:21
Speaker 1: and he dressed himself and rode off to the field,
28:23
Speaker 1: where he found the pikeman proudly awaiting anyone who might
28:26
Speaker 1: presume to accept his challenge. So Peppercorn and the pikeman fought,
28:30
Speaker 1: and before very long the first son in law of
28:32
Speaker 1: the king was slain. Then Peppercorn returned home quickly, and
28:36
Speaker 1: opening his box, bade the bee and fly take away
28:39
Speaker 1: the horse in the fine clothes. The king sought everywhere
28:43
Speaker 1: for the stranger who had killed his son in law,
28:45
Speaker 1: but no one knew anything about him. So after some
28:48
Speaker 1: days the city crier went round again, proclaiming that the
28:52
Speaker 1: mill Turner, the second son in law of the king,
28:54
Speaker 1: would fight anyone who dared to meet him. Peppercorn again
28:58
Speaker 1: let out his bee and his fly, and asked for
29:01
Speaker 1: a finer horse and handsomer clothes than the last. So
29:04
Speaker 1: they brought him a very gorgeous suit and a most
29:07
Speaker 1: beautiful coal black charger, and with these he went on
29:10
Speaker 1: the field to meet the mill Turner. They fought, but
29:13
Speaker 1: Peppercorn soon killed the king's second son in law and
29:17
Speaker 1: again went to his lodgings where he ordered the bee
29:19
Speaker 1: and fly to take the horse and clothes with them
29:22
Speaker 1: into their little box. Now not only the king but
29:26
Speaker 1: all his people were very much puzzled as to who
29:29
Speaker 1: the powerful knight could be who had killed the two
29:31
Speaker 1: valiant sons in law of the king. So a strict
29:34
Speaker 1: search was made, and he was sought everywhere, but no
29:37
Speaker 1: one could tell anything about him, while such horses as
29:40
Speaker 1: he rode in such fine clothes as he wore, were
29:43
Speaker 1: not to be found in the whole kingdom. Some time
29:46
Speaker 1: had passed since the king's sons in law had been killed,
29:49
Speaker 1: and people had began to be a little quieter and
29:52
Speaker 1: had given up all hope of finding out who the
29:54
Speaker 1: stranger knight might be. Then Peppercorn wrote a letter to
29:58
Speaker 1: the king's youngest daughter, and sent to her by the
30:00
Speaker 1: old woman in whose house he lived. In the letter,
30:03
Speaker 1: he told the princess everything that had happened to him
30:06
Speaker 1: since he had sent her up in the basket to
30:07
Speaker 1: his false comrades, and told her also that he himself
30:10
Speaker 1: had slain both of the traitors in fair fight. The
30:14
Speaker 1: young princess, as soon as she had read the letter,
30:17
Speaker 1: quickly ran to her father and begged him to pardon Peppercorn.
30:21
Speaker 1: The king saw he could not justly deny her this favor,
30:24
Speaker 1: since the two men who had been killed had deceived
30:27
Speaker 1: and deserted their friend, without whose superior courage they would
30:31
Speaker 1: never have been themselves. His sons in law seeing that
30:34
Speaker 1: all the three princesses but for Peppercorn, must have remained
30:38
Speaker 1: in the other world, where yard high forehead and span
30:41
Speaker 1: long beard had carried them. So, after thinking all this
30:45
Speaker 1: over in his mind, the king told his daughter that
30:48
Speaker 1: he willingly forgave Peppercorn, and that she might invite him
30:51
Speaker 1: to the palace. This the princess did at once, and
30:54
Speaker 1: very soon after Peppercorn made his appearance before the king
30:57
Speaker 1: in splendid attire, and was received very kindly. Not long afterwards,
31:03
Speaker 1: the marriage of Peppercorn with the beautiful princess, the king's
31:06
Speaker 1: youngest daughter, was celebrated with great rejoicings, and the king
31:10
Speaker 1: built them a fine house near his palace to live in. There,
31:14
Speaker 1: Peppercorn and his princess lived long and happily, and he
31:18
Speaker 1: never had any wish to wander again about the world.
31:23
Speaker 1: End of section eight.