"And laid them under the almond tree."
Now only five.
"Kywitt, kywitt, kywitt, I cry,"
Now only one.
"Oh what a beautiful bird am I!"
At length the last one left off, and he only heard the end.
"Bird," said he, "how beautifully you sing; let me hear it all; sing that again!"
"No," said the bird, "I may not sing it twice for nothing; if you will give me the millstone I will sing it again."
"Indeed," said the man, "if it belonged to me alone you should have it."
"All right," said the others, "if he sings again he shall have it."
Then the bird came down, and all the twenty millers heaved up the stone with poles--"yo! heave-ho! yo! heave-ho!" and the bird stuck his head through the hole in the middle, and with the millstone round his neck he flew up to the tree and sang,
"It was my mother who murdered me; It was my father who ate of me; It was my sister Marjory Who all my bones in pieces found; Them in a handkerchief she bound, And laid them under the almond tree.
Kywitt, kywitt, kywitt, I cry, Oh what a beautiful bird am I!"
And when he had finished, he spread his wings, having in the right claw the chain, and in the left claw the shoes, and round his neck the millstone, and he flew away to his father"s house.
In the parlour sat the father, the mother, and Marjory at the table; the father said,
"How light-hearted and cheerful I feel."
"Nay," said the mother, "I feel very low, just as if a great storm were coming."
But Marjory sat weeping; and the bird came flying, and perched on the roof.
"Oh," said the father, "I feel so joyful, and the sun is shining so bright; it is as if I were going to meet with an old friend."
"Nay," said the wife, "I am terrified, my teeth chatter, and there is fire in my veins," and she tore open her dress to get air; and Marjory sat in a corner and wept, with her plate before her, until it was quite full of tears. Then the bird perched on the almond tree, and sang,
"It was my mother who murdered me;"
And the mother stopped her ears and hid her eyes, and would neither see nor hear; nevertheless, the noise of a fearful storm was in her ears, and in her eyes a quivering and burning as of lightning.
"It was my father who ate of me;"
"O mother!" said the father, "there is a beautiful bird singing so finely, and the sun shines, and everything smells as sweet as cinnamon.
"It was my sister Marjory"
Marjory hid her face in her lap and wept, and the father said,
"I must go out to see the bird."
"Oh do not go!" said the wife, "I feel as if the house were on fire."
But the man went out and looked at the bird.
"Who all my bones in pieces found; Them in a handkerchief she bound, And laid them under the almond tree.
Kywitt, kywitt, kywitt, I cry, Oh what a beautiful bird am I!"
With that the bird let fall the gold chain upon his father"s neck, and it fitted him exactly. So he went indoors and said,
"Look what a beautiful chain the bird has given me."
Then his wife was so terrified that she fell all along on the floor, and her cap came off. Then the bird began again to sing,
"It was my mother who murdered me;"
"Oh," groaned the mother, "that I were a thousand fathoms under ground, so as not to be obliged to hear it."
"It was my father who ate of me;"
Then the woman lay as if she were dead.
"It was my sister Marjory"
"Oh," said Marjory, "I will go out, too, and see if the bird will give me anything." And so she went.
"Who all my bones in pieces found; Them in a handkerchief she bound,"
Then he threw the shoes down to her.
"And laid them under the almond tree.
Kywitt, kywitt, kywitt, I cry, Oh what a beautiful bird am I!"
And poor Marjory all at once felt happy and joyful, and put on her red shoes, and danced and jumped for joy.
"Oh dear," said she, "I felt so sad before I went outside, and now my heart is so light! He is a charming bird to have given me a pair of red shoes."
But the mother"s hair stood on end, and looked like flame, and she said,
"Even if the world is coming to an end, I must go out for a little relief."
Just as she came outside the door, crash went the millstone on her head, and crushed her flat. The father and daughter rushed out, and saw smoke and flames of fire rise up; but when that had gone by, there stood the little brother; and he took his father and Marjory by the hand, and they felt very happy and content, and went indoors, and sat to the table, and had their dinner.
OLD SULTAN