Before one could count three, the dragon tore up more trees than Stan had ever seen before in his whole life, and piled them up together.
But Stan began to examine the trees, chose the very finest, climbed up into one and tied its top with a wild grape-vine to the next. So, without saying a word, he continued to fasten one splendid tree to another.
"What are you doing there?" asked the dragon.
"You see what I am doing," replied Stan, working quietly on.
"Why are you tying the trees together?"
"Why, to save myself unnecessary work in pulling them up one by one,"
said Stan.
"But how are you going to carry them home?"
"I shall take the whole forest, you goose! Can"t you understand that?"
said Stan, continuing to fasten them together.
The dragon now felt as if he wanted to take to his heels, and never stop until he reached home.
But he was afraid that he should suddenly find Stan pulling the whole forest down on his head.
This time, as it was the end of the year"s service, it seemed as if the discussion would never cease. Stan did not want to listen at all, but had set his mind upon flinging the forest on his back at any rate.
"I"ll tell you what," said the dragon, trembling with fear, "your wages shall be seven times seven sacks of ducats. Content yourself with that."
"Well, be it so, as I see you are a good fellow," replied Stan, and agreed that the dragon should carry the wood for him.
The year was now over. Stan was anxious only about one things--how he was to drag so many ducats home.
In the evening, the dragon and his mother sat talking together in their room; but Stan listened in the entry.
"Woe betide us!" said the dragon: "this fellow upsets us terribly.
Give him money, even more than he has, only let us get rid of him."
Ah, yes! but the she-dragon cared for money.
"Let me tell you one thing," she said: "you must kill this man to-night."
"I am afraid of him, mother," he answered in terror.
"Have no fear," replied his mother. "When you see that he is asleep, take your club and strike him in the middle of the forehead."
So it was agreed. Ah, yes! but Stan always had a bright idea at the right time. When he saw that the dragon and his mother had put out the light, he took the pig"s trough, and laid it bottom upward in his place, covered it carefully with a s.h.a.ggy coat, and lay down himself under the bed, where he began to snore like a person who is sound asleep.
The dragon went out softly, approached the bed, raised his club, and struck one blow on the spot where Stan"s head ought to have been. The trough sounded hollow, Stan groaned, and the dragon tiptoed back again.
Stan then crept out from under the bed, cleaned it, and lay down, but was wise enough not to close an eye all night long.
The dragon and his mother were rigid with amazement when they saw Stan come in the next morning as sound as an egg.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning; but how did you sleep last night?"
"Very well," replied Stan. "Only I dreamed that a flea bit me just here on the forehead, and it seems as if it still pained me."
"Just listen to that, mother!" cried the dragon. "Did you hear? He talks about a flea, and I hit him with my club!"
This was too much for the she-dragon. She perceived that it isn"t worth while to argue with such people. So they hastened to fill his sacks, in order to get rid of him as quickly as possible. But poor Stan now began to perspire. When he stood beside the bags, he trembled like an aspen leaf, because he was unable to lift even one of them from the ground. So he stood staring at them.
"Why are you standing there?" asked the dragon.
"H"m! I"m waiting," replied Stan, "because I would rather stay with you another year. I"m ashamed to have any body see me carry away so little at one time. I"m afraid people will say, "Look at Stan Bolovan, who in one year has grown as weak as a dragon.""
Now, it was the two dragons" turn to be frightened.
They vainly told him that they would give him seven--nay, three times seven or even seven times seven--sacks of ducats, if he would only go away.
"I"ll tell you what," said Stan, at last. "As I see you don"t want to keep me, I won"t force you to do so. Have it your own way. I"ll go.
But, that I need not be ashamed before the people, you must carry this treasure home for me."
The words were scarcely out of his mouth, when the dragon picked up the sacks and set off with Stan.
Short and smooth, yet always too long, is the road that leads home.
But, when Stan found himself close to his house, and heard his children"s shouts, he began to walk slower. It seemed too near; for he was afraid that, if the dragon knew where he lived, he might come to take away the treasure. Only he was puzzled to find any way of carrying his money home alone.
"I really don"t know what to do," he said, turning to the dragon. "I have a hundred hungry children, and fear you may fare badly among them, because they are very fond of fighting. But just behave sensibly, and I"ll protect you as well as I can."
A hundred children! That"s no joke! The dragon--though a dragon of dragon race--let the bags fall in his fright. But, from sheer terror, he picked them up again. Yet his fear did not gain the mastery till they entered the court-yard. When the hungry children saw their father coming with the loaded dragon, they rushed toward him, each one with a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left. Then they all began to whet the knives on the forks, shrieking at the top of their lungs, "We want dragon meat!"
This was enough to scare Satan himself. The dragon threw down the sacks, and then took to flight, so frightened that since that time he has never dared to come back to the world.
The Wonderful Bird.
Once upon a time, something happened. If it had not happened, it would not be told.
There was a good, pious emperor, who had three sons. Among many other benefits bestowed upon the inhabitants of his empire he built a church, about which marvelous stories were told, for he adorned it with gold, precious stones and every thing the workmen of that country regarded as beautiful and valuable. Within and in front of this church were numbers of marble columns, and it was supplied with the finest paintings, silver chandeliers, huge silver lamps, and the rarest books. The more the emperor rejoiced in its beauty, the more sorrowful he felt that he could not finish it, for the steeple continually fell down.
"How is it that this sacred church can not be completed?" he asked. "I have spent all my property and it is not yet done." So he ordered a proclamation to be sent throughout the empire, stating that any architect who could finish the church steeple would receive great gifts and honors. Besides this, a second proclamation was issued, commanding prayers to be read and services held in all the churches, that G.o.d might take pity on him and send him a good architect. The third night the monarch dreamed that if any one would fetch the wonderful bird from the other sh.o.r.e and put its nest in the steeple, the church could be finished. He told this dream to his sons, and they vied with each other in offering to set out and devote themselves to their imperial father"s service.
The emperor replied: "I see, my sons, that you all desire to fulfill your duty to G.o.d, but you can"t all three go at once. My oldest son shall set out first, if he does not succeed, the second one, and so on until the Lord takes pity upon us."
The younger sons silently submitted; the oldest one made his preparations for the journey. He traveled as best he could, and when he had pa.s.sed the frontiers of his father"s empire, found himself in a beautiful grove. After lighting a fire he stood waiting until his food was cooked. Suddenly he saw a fox, which begged him to tie up his hound, give it a bit of bread and a gla.s.s of wine, and let it rest by his fire. Instead of granting the request the prince released the hound, which instantly pursued the animal, whereupon the fox, by a magic spell, transformed the emperor"s son into a block of stone.
When the sovereign saw that his oldest son did not return, he listened to the entreaties of his second son, and gave him permission to set forth to find the wonderful bird. After making his preparations and taking some provisions with him, this prince also departed. On the spot where his brother had been turned to stone, the same thing happened to him, because he also refused the fox"s entreaties, and tried to catch it, to get its skin.