t to have much even of that so poor Prince Darling was terribly hungry all day long but he was very patient about it one day when they gave him his little loaf for breakfast he thought he would like to eat it out in the garden so he took it out in his mouth and trotted away towards a brook he knew of a long way from the palace but he was surprised to find that the brook was gone and where it had been stood a great house that seemed to be built of gold and precious stones numbers of people splendidly dressed were going into it and sounds of music and dancing and feasting could be seen from the windows but what seemed very strange was that those people who came out of the house were pale and thin and their clothes were torn and hanging in rags about them some fell down dead as they came out before they had time to get away others crawled farther with great difficulty while others lit again on the ground fainting with hunger they had a morsel of bread from those who were going into the house but they would not so much as look at the poor creatures Prince Darling went up to a young girl who was trying to eat a few blades of grass she was so hungry touched with compassion he said to himself I am very hungry but I shall not die of starvation before I get to my dinner if I give my breakfast to this poor creature perhaps I may save her life so he laid his piece of bread in the girl's hand and saw her eat it up eagerly she soon seemed to be quite well again and the prince, delighted to have been able to help her was thinking of going home to the palace when he heard a great outcry and turning around saw Celia who was being carried against her will into the great house for the first time the prince regretted that he was no longer the monster then he would have been able to rescue Celia now he could only bark feebly at the people who were carrying her off and trying to follow them but they chased and kicked him away he determined not to quit the place until he knew what had become of Celia and blamed himself for what had befallen her alas he said to himself I am serious with the people that are carrying Celia off and isn't that exactly what I did myself and had I not been prevented did I not intend to be so more cruel to her here he was interrupted by a noise above his head someone was opening a window and he saw with delight that it was Celia herself who came forward and threw out a plate of most delicious looking food then the window was shut again and the prince darling who had not had anything to eat all day thought he might as well take the opportunity of getting something he ran forward again but the young girl to whom he had given his bread gave a cry of terror and took him up in her arms saying look, that house is the palace of pleasure and everything that comes out of it is poisoned at the same moment a voice said you see a good action always brings its reward and the prince found himself changed into a beautiful white death he remembered that white was the favorite color of the fairy truth and began to hope that he might at last win back her favor but just now his first care was for Celia and rising into the air he flew round and round the house until he saw an open window but he searched through every room in vain no trace of Celia was to be seen determined to search through the world till he found her he flew on and on for several days till he came to a great desert where he saw a cavern and to his delight there sat Celia sharing the simple breakfast of an old hermit overjoyed to have found her prince darling perched upon her shoulder trying to express by his caresses how glad he was to see her again and Celia, surprised and delighted by the tangeness of this pretty white death stroked it softly and said though she never thought of its understanding her I accept the gift that you made me of yourself and I will love you always you are saying Celia, said the old hermit are you prepared to keep that promise indeed I hope so my sweet shepherdess cried out the prince who was at that moment restored to his natural shape you promised to love me always tell me that you really mean what you said or I shall have to ask the fairy to give me back the form of the dove which pleased you so much you need not be afraid that she will change your mind said the fairy, throwing off the hermit's robe in which she had been disguised and appearing before them Celia has loved you ever since she first saw you only she would not tell you while you were so obstinate and naughty while you have repented and mean to be good as you deserve to be happy and since she may love you so much as she likes Celia and Prince Darling threw themselves at the fairy's feet and the prince was never tired of thinking her fur kindness Celia was delighted to hear how sorry he was for all his past follies and misdeeds and promised to love him as long as she lived rise my children said the fairy and I will transport you to the palace and Prince Darling shall have back again the crown he forfeited by his bad behavior while she was speaking they found themselves in Suleiman's hall and his delight was great at seeing his dear master once more he gave up the throne joyfully to the prince and remained always the most faithful of his subjects Celia and Prince Darling reigned for many years but he was so determined to govern worthily and to do his duty that his ring which he took to wearing again never once pricked him severely End of Prince Darling Bluebeard of the Blue Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This recording by Sarah Jennings The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang Bluebeard There was a man who had fine houses both in town and country a deal of silver and gold plate and broidered furniture and coaches gilded all over with gold but this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard which made him so frightfully ugly that all the women and girls ran away from him One of his neighbors, a lady of quality had two daughters who were perfect beauties He desired of her one of them in marriage leaving to her choice which of the two she would be still on him They would neither of them have him and sent him backward and forward from one another not being able to bear the thoughts of marrying a man who had a blue beard and what besides gave him disgust and aversion was his already having been married to several wives and nobody ever knew what became of them Bluebeard, to engage their affection took them with the lady their mother and three or four ladies of their acquaintance with other young people of the neighborhood to one of his country's seats where they stayed a whole week There was nothing then to be seen but parties of pleasure hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth and feasting Nobody went to bed but all passed the night and rallying and joking with each other In short everything succeeded so well that the youngest daughter began to think the master of the house not to have a beard so very blue that he was a mighty civil gentleman As soon as they returned home the marriage was concluded About a month afterward Bluebeard told his wife that he was obliged to take a country journey for six weeks at least about affairs of very great consequence firing her to divert herself in his absence to send for her friends and acquaintances to care them into the country if she pleased and to make good cheer wherever she was Here said he are the keys of the two great wardrobes wherein I have my best furniture These are of my silver and gold plate which is not in everyday use These open my strong boxes which hold my money both gold and silver These my caskets of jewels and this is the master key to all my apartments But for this little one here it is the key of the closet at the end of the great gallery on the ground floor Open them all, go into all and every one of them accept that little closet which I forbid you and forbid it in such a manner that if you happen to open it there's nothing but what you may expect from my just anger and resentment She promised to observe very exactly whatever he had ordered when he after having embraced her got into his coach and proceeded on his journey Her neighbors and friends did not stay to be sent for by the new married lady so great was their impatience to see all the rich furniture of her house not daring to come while her husband was there because of his blue beard which frightened them They ran through all the rooms, closets and wardrobes which were also fine and rich that they seemed to surpass one another After that they went up into the two great rooms where was the best and richest furniture They could not sufficiently admire the number and beauty of the tapestries beds, couches, cabinets, stands tables and looking glasses in which you might see yourself from head to foot Some of them were framed with glass others with silver, plain and gilded the finest and most magnificent ever were seen They ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend who in the meantime in no way diverted herself in looking upon all these rich things because of the impatience she had to go and open the closet on the ground floor She was so much pressed by her curiosity that without considering that it was very uncivil to leave her company she went down a little back staircase and with such excessive haste that she had twice her thrice light to have broken her neck Coming to the closet door she made a stop for some time thinking upon her husband's orders and considering what unhappiness might attend her to be so obedient But the temptation was so strong she could not overcome it She then took the little key and opened it trembling but could not at first see anything plainly because the windows were shut After some moments she began to perceive that the floor was all covered over with clotted blood on which lay the bodies of several dead women ranged against the walls These were all the wives who Bluebeard had married and murdered one after another She thought she would have died for fear and the key which she pulled out of the lock fell out of her hand After having somewhat recovered her surprise she took up the key, locked the door and went upstairs into the chamber to recover herself But she could not, she was so much frightened Having observed that the key of the closet was stained with blood she tried two or three times to wipe it off but the blood would not come out In vain did she wash it and even rub it with soap and sand the blood still remained for the key was magical and she could never make it quite clean when the blood was gone off from one side came again on the other Bluebeard returned from his journey the same evening and said he had received letters upon the road informing him that the affair he went about was ended to his advantage His wife did all she could to convince him that she was extremely glad of his speedy return Next morning he asked her for the keys which she gave him but was such a trembling hand that he easily guessed what had happened What? said he is not the key of my closet among the rest I must certainly have left it above upon the table said she Fail not to bring it to me presently said Bluebeard After several goings backwards and forwards Bluebeard having very attentively considered it said to his wife how comes this blood upon the key I do not know you do not know replied Bluebeard I very well know you were resolved to go into the closet were you not mighty well madam you shall go in and take your place among the ladies you saw there Upon this she threw herself at her husband's feet and begged his pardon with all the signs of true repentance found that she would never more be disobedient she would have melted a rock so beautiful and sorrowful was she but Bluebeard had a heart harder than any rock he must die madam said he and that presently since I must die answered she looking upon him with their eyes all bathed in tears give me some little time to say my prayers I give you replied Bluebeard half a quarter of an hour but not one moment more when she was alone she called out to her sister and said to her sister and where that was her name go up I beg you upon the top of the tower and look if my brothers are not coming over they promised me that they would come today I have a sign to make haste her sister and went to the top of the tower and the poor afflicted wife cried out from time to time and sister and you see anyone coming and sister and said I see nothing but the sun which makes a dust and the grass which looks green and then meanwhile Bluebeard holding a great saber in his hand cried out as loud as he could ball to his wife come down instantly or I shall come up to you one moment longer if you please said his wife and then she cried out very softly and sister and thus they'll see anybody coming and sister and answered I see nothing but the sun which makes a dust and the grass which is green come down quickly cried Bluebeard or I will come up to you I'm coming answered his wife and then she cried and sister and thus they'll not see anyone coming I see replied sister and a great dust which comes on this side here are they my brothers alas no my dear sister I see a flock of sheep will you not come down cried Bluebeard one moment longer said his wife and then she cried out and sister and thus they'll see anybody coming I see said she two horsemen but they are yet a great way off God be praised replied the poor wife joyfully they are my brothers I will make them a sign as well as I can for them to make haste then Bluebeard balled out so loud that he made the whole house tremble the distressed wife came down and threw herself at his feet all in tears with her hair about her shoulders that signifies nothing says Bluebeard you must die then taking hold of her hair with one hand and lifting up the sword with the other he was going to take off her head the poor lady turning about to him and looking at his dying eyes desired him to afford her one little moment to recollect herself no no said he recommend thyself to God and was just ready to strike at this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that Bluebeard made a sudden stop the gate was opened and presently entered two horsemen who drawing their swords ran directly to Bluebeard he knew them to be his wife's brothers one a Dragoon the other a musketeer immediately to save himself but the two brothers pursued so close that they overtook him before he could get to the steps of the porch when they ran their swords through his body and left him dead the poor wife was almost as dead as her husband and had not strength enough to rise and welcome her brothers Bluebeard had no heirs and so his wife became mistress of all his estate she made use of one part of it to marry her sister Anne to a young gentleman who had loved her a long while another part to buy captain's commissions for her brothers and the rest to marry herself to a very worthy gentleman forget the ill time she had passed with Bluebeard End of Bluebeard Trusty John The Blue Fairy Book This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This reading by Lucy Burgoyne The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lane Chapter 30 Trusty John Once upon a time there was an old king who was so ill that he thought to himself I am most likely on my deathbed Then he said Send trusty John to me Now trusty John was his favourite servant and was so called because all his life he had served him so faithfully When he approached the bed the king spoke to him Most trusty John I feel my end is drawing near and I could face it without a care Were it not for my son He is still too young to decide everything for himself and unless you promise me to instruct him in all he should know and to be to him as a father I shall not close my eyes in peace Then trusty John answered I will never desert him and will serve him faithfully even though it should cost me my life Then the old king said Now I die comforted and in peace and then he went on After my death you must show him the whole castle all the rooms and apartments and vaults and all the treasures that lie in them but you must not show him the last room in the long passage where the picture of the princess of the golden roof is hidden When he beholds that picture he will fall violently in love with it and go off into a dead faint and for his sake he will encounter dangers you must guard him from this and when trusty John had again given the king his hand upon it the old man became silent laid his head on the pillow and died when the old king had been carried to his grave trusty John told the young king what he had promised his father on his deathbed and added and I shall assuredly take my word and shall be faithful to you as I have been to him even though it should cost me my life now when the time of morning was over trusty John said to him it is time you should see your inheritance I will show you your ancestral castle so he took him over everything and let him see all the riches and splendid apartments only the one room where the picture was he did not open but the picture was placed so that if the door opened you gave straight upon it and it was so beautifully painted that you imagined it lived and moved and that it was the most lovable and beautiful thing in the whole world but the young king noticed that trusty John always missed one door and said why do you never open this one for me there is something inside that would appall you he answered but the king replied I have seen the whole castle and shall find out what is in there and with these words he approached the door and wanted to force it open but trusty John held him back and said I promised your father before his death that you shouldn't see what that room contains it might bring both you and me to great grief ah no answered the young king if I don't get in it will be my certain destruction I should have no peace night all day I had seen what was in the room with my own eyes now I don't budge from the spot till you have opened the door then trusty John saw there was no way out of it so with a heavy heart and many sighs he took the key from the big bunch when he had opened the door he stepped in first and thought to cover the likeness so that the king might not perceive it but it was hopeless the king stood on tiptoe and when he saw the picture of the maid so beautiful and glittering with gold and precious stones he fell swooning to the ground trusty John lifted him up carried him to bed and thought sorrowfully the curses come upon us gracious heaven what will be the end of it all then he poured wine down his throat till he came to himself again the first words he spoke were oh who is the original the beautiful picture she is the princess of the golden roof answered trusty John then the king continued my love for her is so great that if all the leaves on the trees had tongues they could not express it my very life depends on my winning her you are my most trusty John you must stand by me the faithful servant pondered long how they were to set about the matter to be difficult even to get into the presence of the princess at length he hid upon a plan and spoke to the king all the things she has about her tables, chairs dishes, goblets, bowls and all her household furniture are made of gold you have in your treasure five tons of gold let the goldsmiths of your kingdom manufacture them into all manner of vases and vessels into all sorts of birds and game and wonderful beasts that will please her we shall go to her with them and try our luck the king summoned all his goldsmiths and they had to work hard day and night till at length the most magnificent things were completed when a ship had been laden with them the faithful John disguised himself as a merchant and the king had to do the same so that they should be quite unrecognisable and so they crossed the seas and journeyed till they reached the town where the princess of the golden roof dwelt trusty John made the king remain behind on the ship and await his return perhaps he said I may bring the princess back with me so see that everything is in order let the gold ornaments be arranged and the whole ship decorated then he took a few of the gold things in his operans and proceeded straight to the palace when he came to the courtyard he found a beautiful maiden standing at the well during water with two golden pales and as she was about to carry away the glittering water she turned round and saw the stranger and asked him who he was then he replied I am a merchant an opening his apron he let her peep in oh my she cried gold wares she sat down her pales and examined one thing after the other then she said the princess must see this she has such a fancy for gold things that she will buy up all you have she took him by the hand and let him into the palace but she was the lady's maid when the princess had seen the wares she was quite enchanted and said they are also beautifully made but trusty John said I am only the servant of a rich merchant what I have here is nothing compared to what my master has on his ship his merchandise is more artistic and costly than anything that has ever been made in gold before she desired to have everything brought up to her but he said there is such a quantity of things that it would take many days to bring them up and they would take up so many rooms that you would have no space for them in your house thus her desire and curiosity were excited to such an extent that at last she said take me to your ship I shall go there myself and view your master's pressures then trusty John was quite delighted and brought her to the ship and the king when he beheld her saw that she was even more beautiful than her picture and thought every moment that his heart would burst she stepped onto the ship and the king led her inside but trusty John remained behind with the steersman and ordered the ship to push off spread all sail that we may fly on the ocean like a bird in the air meanwhile the king showed the princess inside all his gold wares every single bit of it dishes, goblets, bulbs the birds and game full beasts many hours passed thus and she was so happy that she did not notice that the ship was sailing away after she had seen the last thing she sank the merchant and prepared to go home but when she came to the ship's side she saw that they were on the high seas far from land and that the ship was feeding on its way under full canvas oh she cried in terror I am deceived carried away and betrayed into the power of a merchant I would rather have died but the king seized her hand and spoke I am no merchant but a king of as high birth as yourself and it was my great love to you that made me carry you up by a stratagem the first time I saw your likeness I fell to the ground in a swoon when the princess of the golden roof heard this she was comforted and her heart went out to him so that she willingly consented to become his wife now it happened one day while they were sailing on the high seas the trustee John sitting on the four part of the ship fiddling away to himself observed three ravens in the air flying toward him he ceased playing and listened to what they were saying for he understood their language the one quote the princess of the golden roof home yes answered the second but he's not got her yet yes he has spake the third but she's sitting beside him on the ship the number one began again and cried that will not help him when they reach the land a chestnut horse will dash forward to greet them the king will wish to mount it and if he does it will gallop away with him and disappear into the air and see his bride again is there no escape for him ask number two oh yes if someone else mounts quickly and shoots the horse dead with the pistol that is sticking in the holster then the young king is saved but who's to do that and anyone who knows it and tells him will be turned into stone from his feet to his knees then spake number two I know more than that the young king will still not keep his bride when they enter the palace together they will find a ready made wedding shirt in a cupboard which looks as though it will woven a gold and silver it is really made of nothing but sulfur and tar when the king puts it on it will burn him to his marrow and bones number three asked is there no way of escape then oh yes answered number two he seizes the shirt with gloved hands and throws it into the fire and lets it burn then the young king is saved but what's the good anyone knowing this and telling it will have half his body turned into stone from his knees to his heart then number three spake I know yet more though the bridal shirt to be burnt the king hasn't even then secured his bride when the dance is held after the wedding and the young queen is dancing she will suddenly grow deadly white and drop down like one did and unless someone lifts her up and draws three drops of blood from her right side and spits them out again she will die but if anyone who knows this betrays it he will be turned into stone from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet when the ravens had thus conversed they fled onward and John had taken it all in and was sad and depressed from that time forward for if he was silent to his master concerning what he had heard he would involve him in misfortune but if he took him into his confidence then he himself would forfeit his life at last he said I will stand by my master though it should be my ruin now when they drew near the land it came to pass as the ravens had predicted and a splendid chestnut horse bound it forward capital said the king this animal shall carry me to my palace and was about to mount but trusty John was too sharp for him and springing up quickly seized the pistol out of the holster and shot the horse dead then the other servants of the king who had no time looked favorably on trusty John cried out what a sin to kill the beautiful beast that was to bear the king to his palace but the king spoke silence let him alone he is ever my trusty John who knows for what good end he may have done this thing so they went on their way and entered the palace and there in the halls stood a cupboard in which lay the ready-made bridal shirt looking for all the world as though it were made of gold and silver the young king went toward it was about to take hold of it but trusty John pushing him aside seized it with his gloved hands threw it hastily into the fire and let it burn the other servants commenced grumbling again and said see he's actually burning the king's bridal shirt but the young king spoke who knows for what good purpose he does it let him alone he is my most trusty John then the wedding was celebrated the dance begun and the bride joined in but trusty John watched her countenance carefully of a sudden she grew deadly white and fell to the ground as if she were dead he at once sprung hastily toward her lifted her up and bore her to a room where he laid her down and kneeling beside her he drew three drops of blood from her right side he soon breathed again and came to herself but the young king had watched the proceeding and not knowing my trusty John had acted as he did he flew into a passion and cried throw him into prison on the following morning sentence was passed on trusty John and he was condemned to be hanged as he stood on the gallows he said everyone doomed to death has the right to speak once before he dies and I too have that privilege yes said the king it shall be granted to you so trusty John spoke I am unjustly condemned for I have always been faithful to you and he proceeded to relate how he had heard the ravens conversation on the scene and how he had to do all he did in order to save his master then the king cried oh my most trusty John pardon pardon take him down but as he uttered the last word trusty John had fallen lifeless to the ground and was as stone the king and the queen were in despair and the king spoke ah how ill have I rewarded such great fidelity and made them lift up the stone image and place it in his bedroom near his bed as often as he looked at it he wept and said oh I could only restore you to life my most trusty John after a time the queen gave birth to twins two small sons who throwed and grew and were a constant joy to her one day when the queen was at church and the two children sat and played with their father he gazed again full of grief on the stone statue and sighing wailed oh my most trusty John suddenly the stone began to speak and said yes you can restore me to life again if you are prepared to sacrifice what you hold most dear and the king cried out all I have in the will will I give up for your sake the stone continued if you cut off with your own hand the heads of your two children and smear me with their blood I shall come back to life the king was aghast when he heard that he had himself to put his children to death but when he thought of trusty John's fidelity and how he had even died for him he drew his sword and with his own hand cut the heads off his children and when he had smeared the stone with their blood life came back and trusty John stood once more safe and sound before him he spanked to the king your loyalty shall be rewarded and taking up the heads of the children he placed them on their bodies smeared the wounds with their blood and in a minute they were all right again and jumping about as if nothing had happened then the king was full of joy and when he saw the queen coming he hid trusty John and the two children in a big cupboard as he entered he said to her did you pray in church yes she answered but my thoughts dwelt constantly on trusty John and of what he has suffered for us then he spanked dear wife we can restore him to life but the price ours is our two little sons we must sacrifice them the queen grew white and her heart sunk but she replied we owe it to him on account of his great fidelity then he rejoiced as he had been and going forward he opened the cupboard and fetched the two children and trusty John out saying God be praised trusty John is free once more and we have our two small sons again then he related to her all that had passed and they lived together happily ever afterward footnote grim end of footnote end of story the brave little tailor the blue theory book this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org this reading by Lucy Bear Gorman the blue theory book by Andrew Lane chapter 31 the brave little tailor one summer's day a little sat on his table by the window in the best of spirits and so for dear life as he was sitting thus a peasant woman came down the street calling out good jam to sell this sounded sweetly in the tailor's ears he put his bra a little head out of the window and shouted up here my good woman and you'll find a willing customer the woman climbed up the three flights of stairs with a heavy basket to the tailor's room and he made her spread out all the pots in a row before him he examined them all looked at them up and smelled them and said at last this jam seems good weigh me four ounces of it my good woman and even if it's a quarter of a pound I won't stick at it the woman who had hoped to find a good market gave him what he wanted but went away grumbling breathfully now heaven shall bless this jam to my use cried the little tailor and it shall sustain and strengthen me he fetched some bread out of a cupboard cut around off the loaf and spread the jam on it that won't taste amiss he said but I'll finish that waistcoat first before I take a bite he placed the bread beside him went on sewing and out of the lightness of his heart kept on making his stitches bigger and bigger in the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to the ceiling where heaps of flies were sitting and attracted them to such an extent that they swarmed onto it in masses ha who invited you said the tailor and chased the unwelcome guests away but the flies who didn't understand English refused to let themselves be warned off and returned again in even greater numbers at last the little tailor losing all patience reached out of his chimney corner for a duster and exclaiming wait and I'll give it to you he beat the mercilessly with it when he left off he counted the slime and no fewer than seven lay dead before him without stretch legs what a desperate fellow I am said he and was filled with admiration at his own courage the whole town must know about this and in great haste the little tailor cut out a girdle hemmed it and embroidered on it in big letters seven at a blow what did I say the town no the whole world shall hear of it he said and his heart beat the joy as a lamb wags his tail the tailor scrapped the girdle round his waist and set out into the wide world that he considered his workroom too small a field for his prowess before he set forth he looked round about him to see if there was anything in the house he could take with him on his journey but he found nothing except an old cheese which he took possession of in front of the house he observed a bird that had been caught in some bushes and this he put into his wallet beside the cheese then he went on his way mirrorly and being light and agile he never felt tired his way led up a hill on the top of which sat a powerful giant who was calmly surveying the landscape the little tailor went up to him and greeting him cheerfully he said good day friend there you sit at your ease viewing the whole wide world I'm just on my way there what do you say to accompanying me the giant looked contemptuously at the tailor and said what a poor wretched little creature you are that's a good joke answered the little tailor and unbuttoning his coat he showed the giant the girdle there now you can read what sort of a fellow I am the giant read seven at a blow and thinking they were human beings the tailor had slain he conceived a certain respect for the little man but first he thought he'd test him so taking up a stone in his hand he squeezed it till some drops of water ran out now you do the same said the giant if you really wish to be thought strong is that all said the little tailor that's Charles play to me so he dived into his wallet brought out the cheese and pressed it till the way ran out my squeeze was ensued better than yours said he the giant didn't know what to say he couldn't have believed it at the little fellow to prove him again the giant lifted a stone and threw it so high that the eye could hardly follow it now my little pygmy let me see you do that well thrown said the tailor but after all your stone fell to the ground I'll throw one that won't come down at all he dived into his wallet again and grasping the bird in his hand into the air the bird enchanted to be free soared up into the sky and flew away never to return well what do you think of that little piece of business friend asked the tailor you can certainly throw said the giant but now let's see if you can carry a proper weight with these words he led the tailor to a huge oak tree which had been fell to the ground and said if you are strong enough help me to carry the tree out of the wood most certainly said the little tailor just you take the trunk on your shoulder I'll bear the top and branches which is certainly the heaviest part the giant laid the trunk on his shoulder but the tailor sat at his ease among the branches and the giant who couldn't see what was going on behind him had to carry the whole tree to the bargain there he sat behind in the best of spirits lusterly whistling a tune as if carrying the tree were mere sport the giant after dragging the heavy weight for some time could get on no further and shouted out hi I must let the tree fall the tailor sprung nimbly down seized the tree with both hands as if he had carried it the whole way and said to the giant fancy a big lap like you not being able to carry a tree they continued to go on their way together and as they passed by a cherry tree the giant grasped the top of it where the rightest fruit hung gave the branches into the tailor's hand and bade him eat but the little tailor was far too weak to hold the tree down and when the giant let go the tree swung back into the air bearing the little tailor with it when he had fallen to the ground again without hurting himself the giant said what do you mean to tell me you haven't the strength to hold down a feeble twig it wasn't strength that was wanting replied the tailor do you think that would have been anything for a man who has killed seven at a blow I jumped over the tree because the huntsmen are shooting among the branches near us do you do the like if you dare the giant made an attempt that couldn't get over the tree and stuck fast in the branches so that here too the little tailor had the better of him well you're a fine fellow after all said the giant come and spend the night with us in our cave the little tailor willingly consented to do this and following his friend they went on till they reached a cave where several other giants were sitting round the fire each holding a roast sheep in his hand of which he was eating the little tailor looked about him and thought yes there's certainly more room to turn round in here than in my workshop the giant showed him a bed and made him lie down and have a good sleep but the bed was too big for the little tailor so he didn't get into it but crept away into the corner at midnight when the giant thought the little tailor was fast to sleep he rose up and taking his big iron walking stick he broke the bed in two with a blow and thought he had made an end at the little grasshopper at early dawn the giants went off to the wood and quite forgot about the little tailor till all of a sudden they met him trudging along in the most cheerful manner the giants were terrified at the apparition and fearful lest he should slay them they all took to their heels as fast as they could the little tailor continued to follow his nose and after he wandered about for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal palace and feeling tired he lay down on the grass and fell asleep while he lay there the people came and looking him all over read on his girdle seven at a blow he said what can this great hero of a hundred fights want in our peaceful land he must indeed be a mighty man of valor they went and told the king about him and said what a weighty and useful man he'd be in time of war and that it would be well to secure him at any price this council pleased the king and he sent one of his courtiers down to the little tailor to offer him when he awoke a commission in their army the messenger remained standing by the sleeper and waited till he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes when he tended his proposal that's the very thing I came here for he answered I'm quite ready to enter the king's service so he was received with all honour and given a special house of his own to live in but the other officers resented the success of each other and wished him a thousand miles away what's to come of it all they asked each other if we quarrel with him he'll let out at us and at every blow seven will fall there'll soon be an end of us so they resolve to go in a body to the king and all to send in their papers we are not made they've said to hold out against a man who kills seven at a blow the king was grieved he thought of losing all his faithful servants for the sake of one man and he wished heartily that he had never set eyes on him or that he could get rid of him but he didn't dare to send him away for he feared he might kill him along with his people and place himself on the throne he pondered long and deeply over the matter and finally came to a conclusion he sent to the tailor and told him that he was a great and warlike hero he was he was about to make him an offer in a certain wood of his kingdom they dwelled two giants who did much harm by the way they robbed, murdered, burned and plundered everything about them no one could approach them without endangering his life but if he could overcome and kill these two giants he should have his only daughter for a wife and half his kingdom he went into the bargain he might have a hundred horsemen too to back him up that's the very thing for a man like me thought the little tailor one doesn't get the offer of a beautiful princess and half the kingdom every day done with you he answered I'll soon put an end to the giants but I haven't the smallest need of your hundred horsemen a fellow who can slay seven men at a blow need not be afraid to the little tailor set out and the hundred horsemen followed him when he came to the outskirts of the wood he said to his followers you wait here I'll manage the giants by myself and he went on into the wood casting his sharp little eyes right and left about him after a while he spied the two giants lying asleep under a tree and snoring till the very bow bent with the breeze the little tailor lost no time in filling his wallet with stones and then climbed up the tree under which they lay when he got to about the middle of it he slipped along a branch till he sat just above the sleepers when he threw down one stone after the other on the nearest giant the giant felt nothing for a long time but at last he woke up and pinching his companion said what did you strike me for I didn't strike you said the other you must be dreaming they both lay down to sleep again and the tailor threw down a stone on the second giant who sprung up and cried what's that for why did you throw something at me I don't throw anything grabbed the first one they wrangled on for a time till as both were tired they made up the matter again his game once more and flung the larger stone he could find in his wallet with all his force and hit the first giant on the chest this is too much of a good thing he yelled and springing up like a madman he knocked his companion against the tree till he trembled he gave however as good as he got and they became so enraged that they tore up trees and beat each other with them at once on the ground then the little tailor jumped down it's a mercy he said that they didn't root up the tree on which I was perched or I should have had to jump like a squirrel onto another which nimble though I am would have been no easy job he drew his sword and gave each of the giants a very fine thrust or two on the breast and then went to the horseman and said the deed is done to the two with them but I assure you it has been no easy matter so they even tore up trees in their struggle to defend themselves but all that's of no use against one who slays seven men at a blow when she wounded asked the horseman no fear answered the tailor they haven't touched a hair of my head but the horseman wouldn't believe him till they rode into the wood and found the giants found their blood and the trees lying around torn up by the roots the little tailor now demanded the promise reward from the king but he repented his promise and pondered once more how he could rid himself of the hero before you obtain the hand of my daughter and half my kingdom he said to him you must do another deed of valor a unicorn is running about loose in the wood you must first catch it I'm even less afraid of one unicorn than of two giants seven at a blow that's my motto he took a piece of cord and an axe with him went out to the wood and a game told the men who had been sent with him to remain outside he hadn't to search long for the unicorn soon passed by and on perceiving the tailor dashed straight at him as though it were going to spike him on the spot gently gently said he not so fast my friend and standing still he waited till the beast was quite near when he sprung lightly behind a tree the unicorn ran with all its force against the tree and rammed its horn so firmly into the trunk that it had no strength left to pull it out again and was thus successfully captured now I've caught my bird said the tailor and he came out from behind the tree placed the cord round his neck first then struck the horn out of the tree with his axe and when everything was in order led the beast before the king still the king didn't want to give him the promised reward and made a third demand the tailor was to catch a wild boar the him that did a great deal of harm in the wood to help him willingly said the tailor that's mere child's play but he didn't take the huntsman into the wood with him and they were well enough pleased to remain behind for the wild boar had often received them in a manner which did not make them desire its further acquaintance as soon as the boar perceived the tailor it ran at him with foaming mouth and gleaming teeth a blue little friend ran into a chapel that stood near and got out of the window again with a jump the boar pursued him into the church but the tailor skipped round to the door and closed it securely so the raging beast was caught for it was far too heavy and unwieldy to spring out of the window the little tailor summoned the huntsman together that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes and took himself to the king who was obliged now whether he loved it or not to keep his promise and hand him over his daughter and half his kingdom had he known that no hero warrior but only a little tailor stood before him it would have gone even more to his heart so the wedding was celebrated with much splendour and little joy and the tailor became a king he heard her husband saying one night in his sleep my lad make that waistcoat and patch these trousers or I'll buck your ears thus she learned in what rank the young gentleman had been born and next day she poured forte woes to her father and begged him to help her to get rid of her husband who was nothing more nor less than a tailor the king comforted her and said leave your bedroom door open tonight my servants shall stand outside and when your husband is fast asleep they shall enter find him fast and carry him onto a ship which shall sail away out into the wide ocean the queen was well satisfied with the idea that the armor bearer who had overheard everything being much attached to his young master went straight to him and revealed the whole plot I'll soon put a stop to the business said the tailor that night he and his wife went to bed at the usual time and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up opened the door and then lay down again the little tailor who had only pretended to be asleep began to call out in a clear voice my lad make that waistcoat and patch those trousers or I'll buck your ears I have killed seven at a blow three giants led a unicorn captive and caught a wild boar then why should I be afraid of those men standing outside my door the men when they heard the tailor saying these words were so terrified that they fled as if pursued by a wild army and didn't dare go near him again so the little tailor was and remained a king all the days of his life the story a voyage to Lilliput of the Blue Fairy Book this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Betsy Bush in Marquette, Michigan, July 2007 the Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang a voyage to Lilliput Chapter 1 my father had a small estate building and I was a third of four sons he sent me to Cambridge at 14 years old and after studying there three years I was bound apprentice to Mr. Bates a famous surgeon in London there, as my father now in them sent me small sums of money I spent them in learning navigation and other arts useful to those who travel as I always believed it would be some time or other my fortune to do three years after my leaving him my good master Mr. Bates recommended me as ship's surgeon to the Swallow on which I voyaged three years when I came back I settled in London and having taken part of a small house I married Miss Mary Burton daughter of Mr. Edmund Burton, Hosier but my good master Bates died two years after and as I had few friends my business began to fail and I determined to go again to sea after several voyages I accepted an offer from Captain W. Prichard master of the Antelope who was making a voyage to the South Sea we set sail from Bristol May 4th 1699 and our voyage at first was very prosperous but in our passage to the East Indies we were driven by a violent storm to the northwest of Van Diamond's land twelve of our crew died from hard labour and bad food and the rest were in a very weak condition on the 5th of November the weather being very hazy the seamen spied a rock within 120 yards of the ship but the wind was so strong that we were driven straight upon it and immediately split six of the crew of whom I was one letting down the boat got clear of the ship and we rode about three leagues till we could work no longer we therefore trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves and in about half an hour the boat was upset by a sudden squall what became of my companions in the boat escaped on the rock or were left in the vessel I cannot tell but I conclude they were all lost for my part I swam as fortune directed me and was pushed forward by wind and tide but when I was able to struggle no longer I found myself within my depth by this time the storm was much evaded I reached the shore at last about eight o'clock in the evening and advanced nearly half a mile inland but could not discover any sign of inhabitants I was extremely tired and with the heat of the weather I found myself much inclined to sleep I lay down on the grass which was very short and soft and slept sounder than ever I did in my life for about nine hours when I woke it was just daylight I attempted to rise but could not for as I happened to be lying on my back I found my arms and legs were fastened on each side to the ground and my hair which was long and thick tied down in the same manner I could only look upward the sun began to grow hot and the light hurt my eyes I heard a confused noise about me but could see nothing except the sky in a little time I felt something alive and moving on my left leg which advancing gently over my breast came almost up to my chin when bending my eyes downward I perceived it to be a human creature not six inches high with a bow and arrow in his hands and a quiver at his back at any time I felt at least 40 more following the first I was in the utmost astonishment and roared so loud that they all ran back in a fright and some of them were hurt with the falls they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground however they soon returned and one of them who ventured so far as to get a full sight of my face lifted up his hands in admiration I lay all this while in great uneasiness but at length struggling to get loose I succeeded in breaking the strings that fastened my left arm to the ground and at the same time with a violent pull that gave me extreme pain I a little loosened the strings that tied down my hair so that I was just able to turn my head about two inches but the creatures ran off a second time before I could seize them whereupon there was a great shout and in an instant I felt above a hundred arrows discharged on my left hand which pricked me like so many needles moreover they shot another flight of which some fell on my face which I immediately covered with my left hand when this shower of arrows was over I groaned with grief and pain and then, striving again to get loose they discharged another flight of arrows larger than the first and some of them tried to stab me with their spears but by good luck I had on a leather jacket which they could not pierce by this time I thought it most prudent to lie still till night when my left hand being already loose I could easily free myself and as for the inhabitants I thought I might be a match for the greatest army they could bring against me if they were all of the same size as him I saw when the people observed that I was quiet they discharged no more arrows but by the noise I heard I knew that their numbers was increased and about four yards from me for more than an hour there was a knocking like people at work then turning my head that way as well as the pegs and strings would let me pick up about a foot and a half from the ground with two or three ladders to mount it from this one of them who seemed to be a person of quality made me a long speech of which I could not understand a word though I could tell from his manner that he sometimes threatened me and sometimes spoke with pity and kindness I answered in few words but in the most submissive manner and being almost famished with hunger I could not help showing my impatience by putting my finger frequently to my mouth to signify that I wanted food he understood me very well and descending from the stage commanded that several ladders should be set against my sides on which more than a hundred of the inhabitants mounted and walked toward my mouth with baskets full of food which had been sent by the king's order when the first received tidings of me there were legs and shoulders like mutton but smaller than the wings of a lark I ate them two or three at a mouthful and took three loaves at a time they supplied me as fast as they could with a box of wonder at my appetite I then made a sign that I wanted something to drink they guessed that a small quantity would not suffice me and being a most ingenious people they slung up one of their largest hog's heads then rolled it toward my hand and beat out the top I drank it off at a draft which I might well do for it did not hold half a pint they brought me a second hog's head which I drank and made signs for more but they had none to give me I did not wonder enough at the daring of these tiny mortals who ventured to mount and walk upon my body while one of my hands was free without trembling at the very sight of so huge a creature as I must have seemed to them after some time there appeared before me a person of high rank from his imperial majesty his excellency having mounted my right leg advanced to my face with about a dozen of his retinue and spoke about ten minutes often pointing forward about half a mile distance whether it was commanded by his majesty that I should be conveyed I made a sign with my hand that was loose putting it to the other but over his excellency's head for fear of hurting him or his train to show that I desired my liberty he seemed to understand me well enough for he shook his head though he made other signs to let me know that I should have meat and drink enough and very good treatment then I once thought of attempting to escape which were all in blisters and observed likewise that the number of my enemies increased I gave tokens to let them know that they might do with me what they pleased then they dobbed my face and hands with a sweet smelling ointment which in a few minutes removed all the smarts of the arrows the relief from pain and hunger made me drowsy and presently I fell asleep I slept about eight hours as I was told afterward and it was no wonder for the physicians by the emperor's orders had mingled a sleeping-draft in the hog's heads of wine it seems that when I was discovered sleeping on the ground after my landing the emperor had early notice of it and determined that I should be tied in the manner I have related which was done in the night while I slept that plenty of meat and drink should be sent me and a machine prepared to carry me to the capital city five hundred carpenters and engineers were immediately set to work to prepare the engine it was a frame of wood raised three inches from the ground about seven feet long and four feet wide moving upon twenty-two wheels but the difficulty was to place me on it eighty poles were erected for this purpose and very strong cords fastened to bandages which the workmen had tied around my neck, hands, body and legs nine hundred of the strongest men were employed to draw up these cords by pulleys fastened on the poles and in less than three hours I was raised and slung into the engine and there tied fast fifteen hundred of the emperor's largest horses each about four inches and a half high were then employed to draw me toward the capital but while all this was done I still lay in a deep sleep and I did not wake till four hours after we began our journey the emperor and all his court came out to meet us when we reached the capital but his great officials would not suffer his majesty to risk his person by mounting on my body where the carriage stopped there stood an ancient temple supposed to be the largest in the whole kingdom and here it was determined that I should lodge near the great gate through which I could easily creep they fixed ninety-one chains like those which hung to a lady's watch which were locked to my left leg with thirty-six padlocks and when the workmen found it was impossible for me to break loose they cut all the strings that bound me then I rose up feeling as melancholy as ever I did in my life but the noise and astonishment of the people on seeing me rise and walk were inexpressible the chains that held my left leg were about two yards long and gave me not only freedom to walk backward and forward in a semi-circle but to creep in and lie at full length inside the temple the emperor advancing toward me from among the courtiers almost magnificently clad surveyed me with great admiration but kept beyond the length of my chain he was taller by about the breadth of my nail than any of his court which alone was enough to strike awe into the beholders and graceful and majestic the better to behold him I lay down on my side so that my face was level as it is and he stood three yards off however I have had him since many times in my hand and therefore cannot be deceived his dress was very simple but he wore a light helmet of gold adorned with jewels and a plume he held his sword drawn in his hand to defend himself if I should break loose it was almost three inches long and the hilt was of gold enriched with diamonds his voice was shrill but very clear his imperial majesty spoke often to me and I answered but neither of us could understand a word Chapter 2 after about two hours the court retired and I was left with a strong guard to keep away the crowd some of whom had had the impudence to shoot their arrows at me as I sat by the door of my house but the colonel ordered six of them to be seized and delivered bound into my hands I put five of them into my coat pocket and as to the sixth I made a face as if I would eat him alive the poor man screamed terribly and the colonel and his officers were much distressed especially when they saw me take out my pen knife but I soon set them at ease for cutting the strings he was bound with I put him gently on the ground and away he ran I treated the rest in the same manner taking them one by one out of my pocket and I saw that both the soldiers and people were delighted at this mark of my kindness toward night I got with some difficulty into my house where I lay on the ground as I had to do for a fortnight till a bed was prepared for me out of six hundred beds of the ordinary measure six hundred servants were appointed me and three hundred tailors made me a suit of clothes moreover six of his majesty's greatest scholars were employed to teach me their language so that soon I was able to converse after a fashion with the emperor who often honored me with his visits the first words I learned were to desire that he would please to give me my liberty which I every day repeated on my knees but he answered that this must be a work of time and that first I must swear a peace with him and his kingdom he told me also that by the laws of the nation I must be searched by two of his officers and that as this could not be done without my help he trusted them in my hands and whatever they took from me should be returned when I left the country I took up the two officers and put them into my coat pockets these gentlemen having pen ink and paper about them made an exact list of everything they saw which I afterward translated into English and which ran as follows in the right coat pocket of the great man mountain we found only one great piece of course cloth large enough to cover the carpet of your majesty's chief room of state in the left pocket we saw a huge silver chest with a silver cover which we could not lift we desired that it should be opened and one of us stepping into it found himself up to the mid leg in a sort of dust some of which flying into our faces sent us both into a fit of sneezing in his right waistcoat pocket we found a number of white thin substances folded one over another about the size of three men tied with a strong cable and marked with black figures which we humbly conceived to be writings in the left there was a sort of engine from the back of which extended twenty long poles with which we conjecture the man mountain combs his head in the smaller pocket on the right side were several round flat pieces of white in red metal of different sizes some of the white which appeared to be silver were so large and heavy that my comrade and I could hardly lift them from another pocket hung a huge silver chain with a wonderful kind of engine fastened to it a globe half silver and half of some transparent metal for on the transparent side we saw certain strange figures and thought we could touch them till we found our fingers stopped by the shining substance this engine made an incessant noise like a water mill and we conjecture it is either some unknown animal or the god he worships but probably the latter as he told us that he seldom did anything without consulting it this is a list of what we found about the body of the man mountain who treated us with great civility I had one private pocket which escaped their search containing a pair of spectacles and a small spyglass which being of no consequence to the emperor I did not think myself bound in honor to discover Chapter 3 my gentleness and good behavior gained so far on the emperor and his court of people in general that I began to have hopes of getting my liberty in a short time the natives came by degrees to be less fearful of danger from me I would sometimes lie down and let five or six of them dance on my hand and at last the boys and girls ventured to come and play at hide and seek in my hair the horses of the army and of the royal stables were no longer shy having been daily led before me and one of the emperor's huntsmen on a large corsair took my foot, shoe and all which was indeed a prodigious sleep I amused the emperor one day in a very extraordinary manner I took nine sticks and fixed them firmly in the ground in a square then I took four other sticks and tied them parallel at each corner about two feet from the ground I fastened my handkerchief to the nine sticks that stood erect and extended it on all sides till it was as tight as the top of a drum and I desired the emperor to let a troop of his best horse, twenty-four in number come and exercise upon this plane His majesty approved of the proposal and I took them up one by one with the proper officers to exercise them as soon as they got into order they divided into two parties discharged the blunt arrows, drew their swords fled and pursued and in short showed the best military discipline I ever beheld the parallel sticks secured them and their horses from falling off the stage and the emperor was so much delighted that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several days and persuaded the empress herself to let me hold her in her chair within two yards of the stage of the whole performance fortunately no accident happened only once a fiery horse pawing with his hoof struck a hole in my handkerchief and overthrew his rider and himself but I immediately relieved them both and covering the hole with my hand I sat down the troop with the other as I had taken them up the horse that fell was strained in the shoulder but the rider was not hurt and I repaired my handkerchief as well as I could however I would not trust to the strength of it any more in such dangerous enterprises I had sent so many petitions to my liberty that his majesty at length mentioned the matter in a full council where it was opposed by none except Skyrish Bulgalam Admiral of the realm who was pleased without any provocation to be my mortal enemy however he agreed at length though he succeeded in himself drawing up the conditions on which I should be set free after they were read I was requested to swear to perform them in the method prescribed by their laws which was to hold my right foot in my left hand and to place the middle finger of my right hand on the crown of my head and on my right ear but I have made a translation of the conditions which I here offer to the public Goal-based, mammarine, evelom, girdile, shefim, muli-uli-gu most mighty emperor of Lilliput delight and terror of the universe whose dominions extend to the ends of the globe monarch of all monarchs taller than the sons of men whose feet press down to the center and whose head strikes against the sun and whose nod to the princes of the earth pleasant as the spring comfortable as the summer fruitful as autumn, dreadful as winter his most sublime majesty proposes to the man-mountain lately arrived at our celestial dominions the following articles which by a solemn oath he shall be obliged to perform first the man-mountain shall not depart from our dominions without our license under the great seal second he shall not presume to come into our metropolis without our express order at which time the inhabitants shall have two hours warning to keep within doors third the said man-mountain shall confine his walks to our principal high-roads and not offer to walk or lie down in a meadow or field of corn fourth as he walks the said roads he shall take the utmost care not to trample upon the bodies of any of our loving subjects their horses or carriages nor take any of our subjects into his hands fifth if an express requires extraordinary speed the man-mountain shall be obliged to carry in his pocket the messenger and horse a six days journey and return the said messenger is so required safe to our imperial presence sixth he shall be our ally against our enemies in the island of Blefescue and do his utmost to destroy their fleet which is now preparing to invade us lastly upon his solemn oath to observe all the above articles he shall have a daily allowance of meat and drinks sufficient for the support of 1,724 of our subjects with free access to our royal person and other marks of our favour given at our palace at Belferuik the twelfth day of the ninety-first moon of our reign I swore to these articles with great cheerfulness whereupon my chains were immediately unlocked and I was at full liberty one morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained my freedom Relger Sol, the emperor's secretary for private affairs came to my house attended only by one servant he ordered his coach to wait at a distance and desired that I should give him an hour's audience I offered to lie down that he might the more conveniently reach my ear but he chose rather to let me hold him in my hand during our conversation he began with compliments on my liberty but he added that save for the present state of things at court perhaps I might not have obtained it so soon four, he said however flourishing we may seem to foreigners we are in danger of an invasion from the island of Blefescue which is the other great empire of the universe almost as large and as powerful as this of his majesty for as to what we have heard you say that there are other kingdoms in the world inhabited by human creatures as large as yourself our philosophers are very doubtful and rather conjecture that you dropped from the moon or one of the stars perhaps a hundred mortals of your size would soon destroy all the fruit and cattle of his majesty's dominions besides our histories of six thousand moons make no mention of any other regions than the two mighty empires of Lilliput and Blefescue which as I was going to tell you are engaged in a most obstinate war which began in the following manner it is allowed on all hands that the primitive way of breaking eggs was upon the larger end but his present majesty's grandfather while he was a boy going to eat an egg and breaking it according to the ancient practice happened to cut one of his fingers where upon the emperor his father made a law commanding all his subjects to break the smaller end of their eggs the people so highly resented this law there have been six rebellions raised on the account wherein one emperor lost his life and another his crown it is calculated that eleven hundred persons have at different times suffered rather than break their eggs at the smaller end but these rebels, the Big Endians have found so much encouragement at the emperor of Blefescue's court to which they always fled for refuge that a bloody war as I said all the empires were six and thirty moons and now the Blefescueians have equipped a large fleet and are preparing to descend upon us therefore his imperial majesty placing great confidence in your valor and strength has commanded me to set the case before you I desired the secretary to present my humble duty to the emperor and to let him know that I was ready at the risk of my life to defend him against all invaders it was not long before I communicated to his majesty the plan I formed for seizing the enemy's whole fleet the empire of Blefescue is an island parted from Lilliput only by a channel eight hundred yards wide I consulted the most experienced seamen on the depth of the channel and they told me that in the middle at high water it was seventy glum guffs about six feet of European measure I walked toward the coast where lying down behind a hillock I took out my spyglass and viewed the enemy's fleet at anchor about fifty men of war and other vessels I then came back to my house and gave orders for a great quantity of the strongest cables and bars of iron the cable was about as thick as pack thread and the bars of the length and size of a knitting needle I troubled the cable to make it stronger and for the same reason twisted three of the iron bars together bending the ends into a hook having thus fixed fifty hooks to as many cables I went back to the coast and taking off my coat shoes and stockings walked into the sea in my leather jacket I waited with what haste I could swimming in the middle about thirty yards till I felt ground and thus arrived at the fleet in less than half an hour the enemy was so frightened when they saw me that they leaped out of their ships and swam ashore where there could not be fewer than thirty thousand then fastening a hook to the hole at the prow of each ship I tied all the cords together at the end meanwhile the enemy discharged several thousand arrows many of which stuck in my hands and face my greatest fear was for my eyes which I should have lost if I had not suddenly thought of the pair of spectacles which had escaped the emperor's searchers these I took out and fastened upon my nose and thus armed went on with my work in spite of the arrows many of which struck against the glasses of my spectacles but without any other effect than slightly disturbing them then taking the knot in my hand I began to pull but not a ship would stir for they were too fast held by their anchors thus the boldest part of my enterprise remained letting go the cord I resolutely cut with my knife the cables that fastened the anchors receiving more than two hundred shots in the face and hands then I took up again the knot at the end of the cables to which my hooks were tied and with great ease drew fifty of the enemy's largest men of war after me when the Blythiskudians saw the fleet moving in order and me pulling at the end they set up a scream of grief and despair that it is impossible to describe when I had got out of danger for a while to pick out the arrows that stuck in my hands and face and rubbed on some of the same ointment that was given me at my arrival I then took off my spectacles and after waiting about an hour till the tide was a little fallen I waited on to the royal port of Lilliput the emperor and his whole court stood on the shore awaiting me they saw the ships move forward in a large half moon but could not discern me who in the middle of the channel was underwater up to my neck the emperor concluded that I was drowned the enemy's fleet was approaching in a hostile manner but he was soon set at ease for the channel growing shallower every step I made I came in a short time within hearing and holding up the end of the cable by which the fleet was fastened I cried in a loud voice long live the most purest emperor of Lilliput the prince received me at my landing with all possible joy and made me a nardle on the spot which is the highest title of honour among them his majesty desired that I would take some opportunity to bring one of his enemy's ships into his ports and seem to think of nothing less than conquering the whole empire of Bluffescue and becoming the sole monarch of the world but I plainly protested that I would never be the means of bringing a free and brave people into slavery and though the wisest of the ministers were of my opinion my open refusal was so opposed to his majesty's ambition that he would never forgive me and from this time a plot began between himself and those of his ministers who were my enemies that nearly ended in my utter destruction about three weeks after this exploit there arrived an embassy from Bluffescue with humble offers of peace which was soon concluded on terms very advantageous to our emperor there were six ambassadors with a train of about 500 persons all very magnificent having been privately told that I had befriended them they made me a visit and paying me many compliments on my valor and generosity invited me to their kingdom in the emperor their master's name I asked them to present my most humble respects to the emperor their master whose royal person I resolved to attend before I returned to my own country accordingly the next time I had the honor to see our emperor I desired his general permission to visit the Bluffescuedian monarch this he granted me but in a very cold manner of which I afterward learned the reason when I was just preparing to pay my respects to the emperor of Bluffescue a distinguished person at court to whom I had once done a great service came to my house very privately at night and without sending his name desired admission I put his lordship into my coat pocket and giving orders to a trusty servant to admit to no one I fastened to the door placed my visitor on the table and sat down by it his lordship's face was full of trouble and he asked me to hear him with patience in a matter that highly concerned my honor and my life you are aware, he said, that Skyresh Bulgalam has been your mortal enemy ever since your arrival and his hatred is increased since your great success against Bluffescue as Admiral is obscured this lord and others have accused you of treason and several councils have been called in the most private manner on your account out of gratitude for your favors I procured information of the whole proceedings venturing my head for your service and this was the charge against you first, that you having brought to the imperial fleet of Bluffescue into the royal port were commanded by his majesty to seize all the other ships and put to death all the Bigendian exiles and also all the people of the empire who would not immediately consent to break their eggs at the smaller end and that, like a false traitor to his most serene majesty you excused yourself from the service on pretense of unwillingness to force the consciences and destroy the liberties and lives of an innocent people again, when ambassadors arrived from the court of Bluffescue, like a false traitor you aided and entertained them though you knew them to be servants of a prince lately in open war against his imperial majesty moreover, you are now preparing a project to voyage to the court of Bluffescue in the debate on this charge my friend continued, his majesty often urged the services you have done him while the admiral and treasurer insisted that you should be put to a shameful death but rel drissel, secretary for private affairs who has always proved himself your friend suggested that if his majesty would please to spare your life and only give orders to put out both your eyes justice might in some measure be satisfied at this bold alum rose up in fury how the secretary dared to desire to preserve the life of a traitor and the treasurer pointing out the expense of keeping you also urged your death but his majesty was graciously pleased to say that since the council thought the loss of your eyes too easy a punishment some other might afterward be inflicted and the secretary, humbly desiring to be heard again, said that as to expense your allowance might be gradually lessened so that for want of sufficient food you should grow weak and faint and die in a few months your majesty subjects might cut your flesh from your bones and bury it leaving the skeleton for the admiration of posterity thus through the great friendship of the secretary the affair was arranged it was commanded that the plan of starving you by degrees should be kept a secret but the sentence of putting out your eyes was entered on the books in three days your friend the secretary will come to your house and read the accusation before you and point out the great mercy of his majesty that only condones you to the loss of your eyes which he does not doubt you will submit to humbly and gratefully twenty of his majesty's surgeons will attend to see the operation well performed by discharging very sharp pointed arrows into the balls of your eyes as you lie on the ground I leave you, said my friend to consider what measures you will take and to escape suspicion I must immediately return as secretly as I came his lordship did so and I remained alone in great perplexity at first I was bent on resistance for while I had liberty I could easily with stones pelt the metropolis to pieces but I soon rejected that idea with horror remembering the oath I had made to the emperor and the favors I had received from him at last having his majesty's leave to pay my respects to the emperor of Blefescue I resolved to take this opportunity before the three days had passed I wrote a letter to my friend the secretary telling him of my resolution and without waiting for an answer went to the coast and entering the channel between waiting and swimming reached the port of Blefescue where the people who had long expected me led me to the capital with the royal family and great officers of the court came out to receive me and they entertained me in a manner suited to the generosity of so great a prince I did not however mention my disgrace with the emperor of Vliliput since I did not suppose that prince would disclose the secret while I was out of his power but in this it soon appeared I was deceived Chapter 5 three days after my arrival walking out of curiosity to the northeast coast of the island I observed at some distance in the sea something that looked like a boat overturned I pulled off my shoes and stockings and waiting two or three hundred yards I plainly saw it to be a real boat which I supposed might by some tempest have been driven from a ship I returned immediately to the city for help and after a huge amount of labor I managed to get my boat to the royal port of Blefescue where a great crowd of people appeared full of wonder at sight of so prodigious a vessel I told the emperor that my good fortune had thrown this boat in my way to carry me to some place I might return to my native country and begged his orders for materials to fit it up and leave to depart which after many kindly speeches he was pleased to grant meanwhile the emperor of Vliliput uneasy at my long absence but never imagining that I had the least notice of his designs sent a person of rank to inform the emperor of Blefescue of my disgrace this messenger had orders to represent the great mercy of his master who was content to punish me with the loss of my eyes and who expected that his brother of Blefescue went back to Liliput bound hand and foot to be punished as a traitor the emperor of Blefescue answered with many civil excuses he said that as for sending me bound his brother knew it was impossible moreover, though I had taken away his fleet he was grateful to me for many good offices I had done him in making the peace but that both their majesties would soon be made easy for I had found a prodigious vessel on the shore able to carry me on the sea which he had given orders to fit up and he hoped in a few weeks both empires would be free from me with this answer the messenger returned to Liliput and I, though the monarch of Blefescue secretly offered me his gracious protection if I would continue in his service hastened my departure resolving never more to put confidence in princes in about a month I was ready to take leave the emperor of Blefescue with the empress and the royal family came out of the palace and I lay down on my face to kiss their hands which they graciously gave me his majesty presented me with fifty purses of sprugs their greatest gold coin this picture at full length which I put immediately into one of my gloves to keep it from being hurt many other ceremonies took place at my departure I stored the boat with meat and drink and took six cows and two bulls alive with as many ewes and rams intending to carry them into my own country and to feed them on board I had a good bundle of hay and a bag of corn I would gladly have taken a dozen of the natives but this was a thing the emperor would by no means permit and besides a diligent search into my pockets his majesty pledged my honor to carry away any of his subjects though with their own consent and desire having thus prepared all things as well as I was able I set sail when I had made twenty-four leagues by my reckoning from the island of Blefescue I saw a sail steering to the northeast I hailed her but could get no answer yet I found I gained upon her for the wind slackened and in half an hour she spied me and discharged a gun I came up with her between five and six in the evening, September 26th, 1701 but my heart leaped within me to see her English colors I put my cows and sheep into my coat pockets and got on board with all my little cargo the captain received me with kindness and asked me to tell him what place I came from last but at my answer he thought I was raving however I took my black cattle and sheep out of my pocket which after great astonishment clearly convinced him we arrived in England on the 13th of April, 1702 I stayed two months with my wife and family but my eager desire to see foreign countries would suffer me to remain no longer however while in England I made great profit by showing my cattle to persons of quality and others and before I began my second voyage I sold them for six hundred pounds I left fifteen hundred pounds with my wife and fixed her in a good house then taking leave of her and my boy and girl with tears on both sides I sailed on board the adventure begin note, swift end note end of A Voyage to Lilliput from the Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang The Princess on the Glass Hill of the Blue Fairy Book this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Danette Selig The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang The Princess on the Glass Hill Once upon a time there was a mare who had a meadow which lay on the side of a mountain and in the meadow there was a barn in which he stored hay but there had not been much hay in the barn for the last two years for every St. John's Eve when the grass was in the height of its figure it was all eaten clean up just as if a whole flock of sheep had knotted down to the ground during the night this happened once and it happened twice but then the man got tired of losing his crop and said to his sons he had three of them and the third was called Cinderlad that one of them must go and sleep in the barn on St. John's night for it was absurd to let the grass be eaten up again blade and stalk as it had been the last two years and the one who went to watch must keep a sharp lookout the man said the eldest was quite willing to go to the meadow he would watch the grass he said and he would do it so well that neither man nor beast nor even the devil himself should have any of it so when evening came he went to the barn and lay down to sleep but when night was drawing near there was such a rumbling and such an earthquake shook again and the lad jumped up and took to his heels as fast as he could and never even looked back and the barn remained empty that year just as it had been for the last two next St. John's eve the man again said that he could not go on in this way losing all the grass in the outlying field year after year and that one of his sons must just go there and watch it and watch well too so the next oldest son was willing to show what he could do he went to the barn and lay down to sleep as his brother had done but when night was drawing near there was a great rumbling and then an earthquake which was even worse than that on the former St. John's night and when the youth heard it he was terrified and went off running as if for a wager the year after it was Cinderella's turn but when he made ready to go the others laughed at him and mocked him well you were just the right one to watch the hay you who have never learned anything but how to sit among the ashes and bake yourself said they did not trouble himself about what they said but when evening drew near rambled away to the outlying field when he got there he went into the barn and lay down but in about an hour's time the rumbling and creaking began and it was frightful to hear it well if it gets no worse than that I can manage to stand it thought Cinderella in a little time the creaking began again and the earth quaked so that all the hay flew about the boy oh if it gets no worse than that I can manage to stand it thought Cinderella but then came a third rumbling and a third earthquake so violent that the boy thought the walls and roof had fallen down but when that was over everything suddenly grew as still as death around him I am pretty sure that it will come again thought Cinderella but no it did not everything was quiet and everything stayed quiet and when he had lain still a short time he heard something that sounded as if a horse were standing chewing just outside the barn door he stole away to the door which was a jar to see what was there and a horse was standing eating it was so big and fat and fine a horse that Cinderella had never seen one like it before and a saddle and bridle lay upon it and a complete suit of armor for a night and everything was of copper and so bright that it shone again haha it is thou who eatest up our hay then thought the boy but I will stop that so he made haste and took out his steel for striking fire and threw it over the horse and then it had no power to stir from the spot and became so tamed that the boy could do what he liked with it so he mounted it and rode away to a place which no one knew of but himself and there he tied it up when he went home again his brothers laughed and asked how he had got on you didn't lie long in the barn if even you have been so far as the field said they I lay in the barn till the sun rose but I saw nothing and heard nothing not I said the boy god knows what there was to make you too so frightened well we shall soon see whether you have watched the meadow or not answered the brothers but when they got there the grass was all standing just as long and as thick as it had been the night before the next Saint John's Eve it was the same thing once again neither of the two brothers dared to go to the outlying field to watch the crop but Cinderella went and everything happened exactly the same as on the previous Saint John's Eve first there was a rumbling on earthquake and then there was another and then a third but all three earthquakes were much very much more violent than they had been the year before then everything became as still as death again and the boy heard something queuing outside the barn door so he stole as softly as he could to the door which was slightly ajar and again there was a horse standing close by the wall of the house eating and chewing and it was far larger and fatter than the first horse and it had a saddle on its back and a bridle was on it too it was a full suit of armor for a night all of bright silver and as beautiful as anyone could wish to see haha! said the boy is it thou who eatest up our hay in the night but I will put a stop to that so he took out his steel for striking fire and threw it over the horse's mane and the beast stood there as quiet as a lamb then the boy rode this horse too away to the place where he kept the other and then went home again I suppose you will tell us that you have watched well again this time the two elder brothers well so I have said cinderland so they went there again and there the grass was standing as high and as thick as it had been before but that did not make them any kinder to cinderland when the third saint john's night came neither of the two elder brothers dared to lie in the outlying barn to watch the grass for they had been so heartily frightened the night that they had slept there that they could not get over it but cinderland dared to go to the earthquakes each worse than the other and the last flung the boy from one wall of the barn to the other but then everything suddenly became still as death when he had lain quietly a short time he heard something chewing outside the barn door then he once more stole to the door which was slightly ajar and behold a horse was standing just outside it which was much larger and fatter than the two others he had caught ha ha it is thou then who art eating up our hay this time so he stopped that so he pulled out his steel for striking fire and threw it over the horse and it stood as still as if it had been nailed to the field and the boy could do just what he liked with it then he mounted it and rode away to the place where he had the two others and then he went home again then the two brothers mocked him just as they had done before and told him that they could see that he must have watched the grass very carefully that night for he looked just as if he were walking in his sleep but cinderland did not trouble himself about that they did go and this time too the grass was standing looking as fine and as thick as ever the king of the country in which cinderland's father dwelt had a daughter whom he would give to no one who could not ride up to the top of the glass hill for there was a high high hill of glass slippery as ice and it was close to the king's palace upon the very top of this the king's daughter was to sit with three gold apples in her lap and the man who could ride up and take the three golden apples should marry her and have half the kingdom the king had this proclaimed in every church in the whole kingdom and in many other kingdoms too the princess was very beautiful and all who saw her fell violently in love with her even in spite of themselves so it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager to win her and half the kingdom defied and that for this cause they came riding with her from the very end of the world dressed so splendidly that their raiments gleamed in the sunshine and riding on horses which seemed to dance as they went and there was not one of these princes who did not think that he was sure to win the princess when the day appointed by the king had come there was such a host of knights and princes under the glass hill that they seemed to swarm and everyone who could walk or even creep was there too to see who won the king's daughter cinder lads two brothers were there too but they were not here of letting him go with them for he was so dirty and black was sleeping and grabbing among the ashes that they said everyone would laugh at them if they were seen in the company of such an oath well then I will go all alone by myself said cinder lads when the two brothers got to the glass hill all the princes and knights were trying to ride up it and their horses were in a foam but it was all in vain for no sooner did the horses set foot upon the hill than down they slipped and there was not one which could get even so much as a couple of yards up nor was that strange for the hill was as smooth as a glass window pane and as steep as the side of a house but they were all eager to win the king's daughter in half the kingdom so they rode and they slipped and thus it went on at length all the horses were so tired that they could do no more and so hot that the foam dropped from them and the riders were forced to give up the attempt the king was just thinking that he would pause it to be proclaimed that the riding should begin afresh on the following day when perhaps it might go better when suddenly a knight came riding up on so fine a horse that no one had ever seen the like of it before and he was in the summer of copper and his bridle was of copper too and all his accoutrements were so bright that they shone again the other knights all called out to him that he must just as well spare himself the trouble of trying to ride up the glass hill for it was of no use to try but he did not heed them and rode straight off to it and went up as if it were nothing at all thus he rode for a long way it may have been a third part of the way up but when he had got so far the king thus thought that she had never yet seen so handsome a knight and while he was riding up she was sitting thinking oh how I hope he may be able to come up to the top and when she saw that he was turning his horse back she threw one of the golden apples down after him and it rolled into his shoe but when he had come down from off the hill he rode away and not so fast that no one knew what had become of him so all the princes and knights were bidden to present themselves before the king that night and he who had ridden so far up the glass hill might show the golden apple which the king's daughter had thrown down but no one had anything to show one knight presented himself after the other and none could show the apple at night too cinderlads brothers came home again and had a long story to tell about riding up the glass hill at first they said there was not one who was able to get even so much as one step up but then came a knight who had an armor of copper and a bridle of copper and the trappings were so bright that they shone to a great distance and it was something like a sight to see him riding he rode one third of the way up the glass hill and he could easily have ridden the whole of it if he had liked but he had turned back for he had made up his mind that that was enough for once oh I should have liked to see him too that I should said cinderlads who was as usual sitting by the chimney among the cinders you indeed said the brothers you look as if you were fit to be among such great lords nasty beasts that you are to sit there next day the brothers were for setting out again and this time too cinderlads begged them to let him go with them and see who rode but no they said he was not fit to do that for he was much too ugly and dirty well well then I will go all alone by myself said cinderlads so the brothers went to the glass hill and all the princes and knights began to ride again and this time they had taken care to roughen the shoes of their horses but that did not help them they rode and they slipped as they had done the day before and not one of them could get even so far as a yard up the hill when they had tired out their horses so that they could do no more they again had to stop altogether but just as the king was thinking that it would be well to proclaim that the riding should take place next day for the last time so that they might have one more chance he suddenly befought himself that it would be well to wait a little longer to see if the knight in copper armor would come on this day too but nothing was to be seen of him just as they were still looking for him however, came a knight riding on a steed that was much much finer than that which the knight in copper armor had ridden and this knight had silver armor and a silver saddle and bridle and all were so bright that they showed and glistened when he was a long way off again the other knights called to him and said that he might just as well give up the attempt to ride up the glass hill for it was useless to try Paid no heed to that but rode straight away to the glass hill and went still farther up than the knight in copper armor had gone but when he had ridden two thirds of the way up he turned his horse around and rode down again the princess liked this knight still better than she had the other and sat longing that he might be able to get up above and when she saw him turning back she threw the second apple after him and it rolled into his shoe and as soon as he had got down the glass hill he rode away so fast that no one could see what had become of him in the evening when everyone was to appear before the king and princess in order that he who had the golden apple might show it one knight went in after the other but none of them had a golden apple to show at night the two brothers went home as they had done the night before and told how things had gone and how everyone had ridden but no one had been able to get up the hill but last of all they said came he on in silver armor and he had a silver bridle on his horse and a silver saddle oh but he could ride he took his horse two thirds of the way up the hill but then he turned back he was a fine fellow said the brothers and the princess threw the second golden apple to him oh hell I should have liked to see him too said cinder lad oh indeed he was a little brighter than the ashes that you sit grubbing among you dirty black creature said the brothers on the third day everything went just as on the former days to go with them to look at the riding but the two brothers would not have him in their company and when they got to the glass hill there was no one who could ride even so far as they yard up it and everyone waited for the knight in silver armor but he was neither to be seen nor heard of at last after a long time came a knight riding upon a horse that was such a fine one its equal had never yet been seen the knight had golden armor and the horse a golden saddle and bridle and these were all so bright and dazzled everyone even while the knight was still at a great distance the other princess and knights were not able even to call to him to tell him how useless it was to try to ascend the hill so amazed were they at the sight of his magnificence he rode straight away to the glass hill and galloped up it as if it were no hill at all so that the princess had not even time to wish that he might get up the whole way as soon as he had ridden to the top he took the third golden apple from the lap of the princess and then turned his horse about again and vanished from their sight before anyone was able to say a word to him when the two brothers came home again at night they had much to tell of how the riding had gone that day and at last they told about the knight in the golden armor too he was a fine fellow that was such another splendid knight is not to be found on earth said the brothers oh how I should have liked to see him too said cinder lad well he shone nearly as brightly as the coal heaps that thou art always lying raking among dirty black creature that thou art said the brothers next day all the knights and princess were to appear before the king and princess it had been too late for them to do it the night before in order that he who had the golden apple might produce it they all went in turn first princess and then knights but none of them had a golden apple but somebody must have it said the king for with our own eyes we all saw a man ride up and take it so he commanded that everyone in the kingdom to the palace and see if he could show the apple and one after the other they all came but no one had the golden apple and after a long long time cinder lads two brothers came likewise they were the last of all so the king inquired of them if there was no one else in the kingdom left to come oh yes we have a brother said the two but he never got the golden apple he never left the cinder heap on any of the three days never mind that said the king as everyone else in the palace let him come too so cinder lad was forced to go to the king's palace asked thou the golden apple asked the king yes here is the first and here is the second and here is the third too said cinder lad and he took all three apples out of his pocket and with that drew off his sooty rags and appeared there before them in his bright golden armor which gleamed as he stood thou shalt have my daughter and the half of my kingdom well earned both said the king so there was a wedding and cinder lad got the king's daughter and everyone made merry at the wedding for all of them could make merry though they could not ride up the glass hill and if they have not left off their merrymaking they must be at it still aspeonson and moa end of the princess on the glass hill recording by Jeanette Selig the story of prince emet and fairy paribano the story of prince hamed and fairy paribano there was a sultan who had three sons and a niece the eldest of the princes were called pussain the second Ali the youngest hamed and the princess is nis noroniar the princess noroniar was the daughter of the prince and the princess was the prince and the prince was the prince the princess noroniar was the daughter of the younger brother of the sultan who died and left the princess very young the sultan took upon himself for the care of his daughter's education and brought her up in his palace with the three princes proposing to marry her when she arrived at the proper age and to contract an alliance with some neighboring prince by that means but when he perceived that the three princes his sons loved her passionately he thought more seriously on that affair he was very much concerned the difficulty he foresaw was to make them agree and that the two youngest should consent to yell her up to their elder brother as they found him positively obstinate he sent for all them together and said to them children, since for your good and quiet I have not been able to persuade you no longer to aspire to the princess your cousin, I think it would not be a miss if everyone travels separately into different countries so that you might not meet each other and as you know I'm very curious and delight in everything that's singular that's my missing marriage to him that shall bring me the most extraordinary rarity and for the purchase of the rarity he shall go in search after and he expects of traveling I will give you everyone a sum of money as the three princes were always submissive and obedient to the sultan's will and each flatter himself fortune might prove favorable to him they all consented to it sultan paid them the money he promised them and that very day they give orders for the preparations for their travels to be more ready to go the next morning accordingly they all set out at the same gate of the city each dressed like a merchant attended by an officer of confidence dressed like a slave and all all mounted on the eclipse they went for a stage journey together and lay all of the inn where the road was divided into three driven tracks at night when they were at supper together they all agreed to travel for a year and to meet at that inn and at first that game should wait for the rest that as they had all three taken their leave together of the sultan they might all return together the next morning by break of day after they had embraced and wished each other good success they mounted their horses and took each a different road Prince Hussein, the eldest brother arrived at Beznegar the capital of the kingdom of that name and residence of its king he went and watched the kind appointed for foreign merchants and having learned that there were four principal divisions where merchants of all sorts sold their commodities and kept shops and in the midst of which stood Castle or rather the king's palace he went to one of these divisions the next day Prince Hussein could not view this division without admiration it was large and divided into several streets all vaulted and shaded from the sun and yet very light too the shops were all of a size and all that dealt in the same sort of goods lived in one street as also the handicrafts men who kept their shops in smaller streets the multitude of shops stocked with all sorts of merchandise as finest linens from several parts of India some painted in most lively colors and representing beasts trees and flowers silk and brook rates from parcia, china and other places porcelain boots from japan and china and tapestries surprised him so much that he knew not how to believe his own eyes but when he came to the gold smith and jewelers he was in a kind of ecstasy to behold such prodigious quantities of rough gold and silver he was dazzled by the lustre of the pearls, diamonds, rubies emeralds and other jewels exposed to sale another thing Prince Hussein particularly admired was a great number of rose sellers who crowded the streets for the Indians are so great lovers of that flower that no one will stir it out a nose gate in his hand or a garland on his head and the merchants kept him in posting their shops that the air is perfectly perfumed after Prince Hussein had drawn to that division street by street he thought fully employed and rich as he had seen he was very much tired which the merchant perceiving safely invited him to sit down in a shop when he accepted but had not been set long down long before he saw a crier pass by which a piece of tapestry on his arm about six feet square and a cry that thirty purses the prince called to the crier and asked to see the tapestry which seemed to him to be valued at an exorbitant price not only for the size of it but meanness of the stuff when he had examined it well he told the crier that he could not comprehend how so small a piece of tapestry and of so indifferent appearance could be set at a higher price the crier, with two confirmations, replied if this piece seems so extravagant to you your amazement will be greater and I shall have orders to raise it to forty persons and not to part with it under certainly answered Prince Hussein it must have something very extraordinary in it which I know nothing of that's it sir replied the crier and I'll own it when you come to know that whoever sits on this piece of tapestry may be transported in an instant wherever he desires to be without being stopped by any obstacle at this discourse of the crier the Prince of Indies considering that the principal motive of his travel was to carry the Sultan his father whom some singular rarity thought that he could not meet with any which could give him more satisfaction if the tapestry would not adhere to the crier as virtue you assigned it I shall not think forty persons too much but shall make you present besides sir, replied the crier I have told you the truth and it is an easy matter to convince you of it as soon as you have made the bargain for forty persons on condition I show you the experiment but as I suppose you have not so much about you and to receive them I must go with you to your con where you lodge with little master of the shop we'll go into the back shop and I will spread the tapestry and when we have both sat down and you have formed the wish to be transported into your apartment of the can if we are not transported chiefly it shall be no bargain and you shall be at your liberty as to your present though I am paid for my travel by the seller I shall receive it as a favor and be very much obliged to you and thankful on the credit of the crier the Prince accepted the conditions and concluded bargain and having got master's leave they went into his back shop they both sat down on it and as soon as the Prince formed his wish to be transported into his apartment at the can he presently found himself on the crier there and as he wanted not the most efficient proof of the virtue of the tapestry he counted the crier out for the pieces of coal and gave him twenty pieces for himself in this manner Prince Hussain became the possessor of the tapestry and was overjoyed that at his arrival at Piznagar he had found so rare a piece which he never disputed with can him the end of his journey on E.R. In short, he looked upon it as an impossible thing for the Prince's younger brothers to meet with anything to be compared with it it was in his power by sitting on his tapestry to be at place of meeting that very day but as he was obliged to say there for his brothers as they had agreed and he was curious to see the king of Piznagar on this court and to inform himself the strange lost customs and religion of the kingdom he chose to make a longer boat there than he was expecting Prince Hussain might have made a longer boat in the kingdom and court of Piznagar but he was so eager to be near the princess that spreading the tapestry he and the officer he had brought with him sat down and as soon as he had formed his witch were transported to the inn at which he and his brothers were to meet and where he passed for immersion till they came Prince Ali Prince Hussain's second brother was designed to travel into Prussia in Caravan and after four days travel arrived at Chiras which was the capital of the kingdom of Prussia he repass for a jeweler the next morning Prince Ali would travel only for his pleasure and had brought nothing but just necessaries along with him after he had dressed himself took a walk into that part of the town which they had Chiras called the Bezistain among all the criers who passed backward and forward with several sorts of goods offering to sell them he was not a little surprised to see one who held an ivory telescope in his hand of about a foot in length and thickness of a man's thumb and cried it at thirty verses at first he thought a crier man had been from himself went to a shop and sat on the merchant who stood the door Pricer is not that man pointed to the crier who cried the ivory perspective class thirty verses man, if he is not I am very much deceived indeed sir answered the merchant in his right cesses yesterday I can assure you he is one of the ebless criers we have and the most employed of anyone anything valuable is to be sold and if he cries the ivory perspective class at thirty verses it must be worth as much or more on some account or other he will come by presently and will call him and you shall be satisfied in the meantime sit under my sofa and dress yourself Prince Ali accepted merchant's supply chain offer and presently afterward the crier passed by the merchant called him by his name and pointing to the prince said to him tell that gentleman who asked me if you were in your right cesses what you mean by crying that ivory perspective class which seems not to be worth as much at thirty verses I should be very much amazed myself if I did not know you the crier addressing himself to Prince Ali said, sir you are not the only person that takes me for a madman on account of this perspective class you shall judge yourself whether I am or no when I have told you its property and I hope you will value it at as high price as those I have showed it to already or have as bad an opinion of me as you first, sir pursue the crier presenting the ivory pipe to the prince observe that this pipe is furnished with a glass at both ends and consider that by looking through one of them you see whatever object you wish to behold I am Prince Ali all immeasurable reparations for the scandal I have thrown on you if you will make the truth of what you advance appear and as he had the ivory pipe in his hand after he had looked at the two glasses he said, show me which at this end I must look that I may be satisfied the crier presently showed him and he looked through wishing at the same time to see the Sultan his father whom he immediately beheld in perfect health sat on his throne in the midst of his council afterward as there was nothing in the world so dear to him, after the Sultan as the prince's neruni heart he wished to see her and saw her at a toilet laughing and in a pleasant humor with the women about her Prince Ali wanted no other proof to be persuaded that this perspective glass was the most valuable thing in the world and believed that if he should neglect to possess it he should never meet again with such another rarity he therefore took the cry with him to the can where he lodged and counted him out to money in the perspective glass Prince Ali was overjoyed at this bargain and persuaded himself that as his brothers would not be able to meet with anything so rare and admirable the prince's neruni hair would be the recompense of his fatigue and trouble there he thought of nothing but visiting the court of Percy incognito and seeing whatever was curious in Shiraz and thereabouts till the caravan with which he came returned back to the Indies as soon as the caravan was ready to set out the prince joined them and arrived happily by accident or travel otherwise they'd left at the journey and fatigue of traveling at the place of Rendezvous where he found Prince Usain and was waited for Prince Hamet Prince Hamet who took the road of summer camp the next day after his arrival there went, as his brothers had done into the Bethesdaen where he had not walked long but heard a crier who had an artificial apple in his hand cried at five and thirty purses up in which he stopped the crier and said to him I see that apple and tell me what virtue and extraordinary properties it has to be valued at a high rate Sir said the crier giving it into his hand if you look at the outside of this apple it is very worthless but if you consider its properties, virtues and great use and benefit it is to mankind you will see no price for it and that he who possesses it is master of the great treasure ensured it cures all sick persons of the most mortal diseases if the patient is dying it will recover it immediately and restore him to perfect health and this is done after the easiest man in the world which is by the patient smelling the apple if I may believe you replied Prince Hamet the virtues of this apple are wonderful and it is invaluable but what wrong have I for all you tell me to be persuaded of the truth of this manner Sir replied the crier think is known and avert by the whole city of summer camp without going any further as all these merchants you see here and hear what they say you will find several of them will tell you they have not been alive this day if they have not made use of this excellent remedy and that you may better comprehend what it is I must tell you it is a fruit of study and experience of the celebrated philosopher of this city who applied himself all his lifetime to the study of knowledge of the virtues of plants and minerals and the class attained to this composition by which he performs such surprising cures in this sound as will never be forgotten but died suddenly himself before he could apply his sovereign remedy and left his wife and the great many young children behind him ingrained different circumstances who to support her family and provide for her children is resolved to sell it while the crowning for Prince Hamet as virtues of the artificial apple a great many persons came about him and confirmed what he said and one among the red said he had a friend dangerously ill and that was a favorable opportunity to show Prince Hamet the experiment upon which Prince Hamet told the prior he would give him 40 purses if he cured the sick person the crier who had ordered to sell it at the price said to Prince Hamet come sir let us go and make the experiment and the apple shall be yours and I can assure you that it will always have the desired effect in short we experimented to see it and the prince after he had counted out to the crier 40 persons and he had delivered the apple to him with his patiently for the first caravan to return to the Indies and arrived in perfect health at the inn where the prince Usain and Ali waited for him when the princes met they showed each other their treasures and immediately saw through the glass that the princess was dying they then sat down on the carpet wished themselves with her and were there in a moment Prince Hamet no sooner perceived himself the other two princes and went to the bedside and put the apple under her nose some moments after the princess opened her eyes and turned her head from one side to another looking at persons who stood about her and then rose up in bed and asked to be dressed just as if she had waken out of a sound sleep women having presently informed her in a manner that showed their joy that she was obliged to treat princes for the sudden recovery of her health and particularly Prince Hamet she immediately expressed her joy to see them and thanked them all together and afterwards Prince Hamet in particular while the princess was dressing the princess went to throw themselves at Sultan their father's feet and pay their respects to him but when they came before him they found he had been informed of their arrival by the chief of the princess Unix and by what means the princess had been perfectly cured but Sultan received and embraced them with greatest joy both for their return whom he loved as well as if she had been his own daughter and who had been given over by the positions after the usual ceremonies and compliments the princess presented each his rarity Prince Hussein is tapestry which he had taken care not to leave behind him in the princess chamber Prince Ali is ivory perspective glass and Prince Hamet is artificial apple and after each had commanded their present when they put it into two thousands hands they begged of him to pronounce their fate and declared to which of them he would give the princess Neroonyar for a wife according to his promise Sultan of Indies having heard without interrupting them all that princess could represent further about their rarities and being well informed of what had happened in relation to the princess Neroonyar's cure remained sometimes silent as if you were thinking on what answer he should make at last he broke the silence and said to them I would declare for one of you children with a great deal of pleasure if I could give the princess Neroonyar children with a great deal of pleasure if I could do it with justice but consider whether I can do it or not this true Prince Hamet the princess my niece is obliged to your artificial apple for a cure but I must ask you whether or no you could have been so serviceable to her if you had not known by Prince Ali's perspective glass the danger she was in and if Prince Hussein step three I'm not brought you so soon your perspective glass Prince Ali informed you and your brothers that you are to lose the princess to your cousin and there you must own the great obligation you must also grant that knowledge would have been of no service without your artificial apple and the tapestry and lastly Prince Hussein the princess would be very ungrateful he should not show acknowledgement of the service of your tapestry which was so necessary means to order a cure but consider to have been a little used if you had not been acquainted with the princess illness by Prince Ali's glass and Prince Hamet had not applied this artificial apple therefore as neither tapestry I have a perspective glass nor artificial apple have the least preference one before the other but on the contrary there's a perfect quality I cannot grant the princess to Ali one of you and the only through it we have reaped from your travels is the glory of having equally contribute to restore our health if all this be true added the Sultan you see that I must have recursed to other means certainly in the choice I ought to make along you and that, as there is time enough between days and night I'll do it today go and get each of you a bow and arrow and repair to the Great Plain where they exercise horses I will come to you and declare I will give the princess Nerony Har to him that shoots the fourlers the three princess have nothing to say against the decision of the Sultan when he were out of his presence they each provided themselves with a bow and arrow which they delivered to one of their officers and went to the plain appointed followed by a great concourse of people Sultan did not make them wait long for him and as soon as he arrived Prince Osein, as eldest took his bow and arrow and shot first Prince Ali shot next and much beyond him and Prince Ahmed lasted all but it so happened that nobody could see what his arrow fell and, notwithstanding all the diligence that was used by himself and everybody else it was not to be found far or near and though it was believed that he shot furthest and that he therefore deserved the princess Nerony Har it was, however, necessary that his arrow should be found to make the matter more evident than certain and, notwithstanding his remonstrance the Sultan chose his favorite Prince Ali and give orders for preparations to be made for the wedding which was celebrated a few days after with great magnificence Prince Osein was not honored first with his presence in short, his grief was so violent that he left the court and renounced all rights of the section to the crown to turn hermit Prince Ahmed, too, did not come to Prince Ali's and the princess Nerony Har's wedding any more than his brother Osein but did not renounce the world as he had done but, as you could not imagine what had become of his arrow he stole away from his attendance and resolved to search after it that he might not have anything to reproach himself with with his intent he went to the place where the princess, Oseins and Ali's were gathered up and going straight forward from there looking carefully on both sides of him he went so far that at last he began to think his labor was all in vain but yet he could not help going forward till he came to some steep craggy rocks which were bound to his journey and were situated in a barren country about four weeks distance from where he set out When Prince Ahmed came pretty night to these rocks he perceived an arrow which he gathered up, looked earnestly at it and was in the greatest astonishment when it was the same he shot away Soonly said he to himself neither I nor any man living could shoot an arrow so far and in finding it lay flat not sticking into the ground it shows that it rebounded against the rock there must be some mystery in this said he to himself again and it may be advantageous to me perhaps fortunate to make me a man for the private me of what I thought the greatest happiness may have reserved the greater blessing for my comfort as these rocks were full of caves and some of those caves were deep the prince entered into one and looking about cast his eyes on an iron door which seemed to have no lock but he feared it was fasten however, thrusting against it it opened and discovered an easy descent but no steps which he walked down with his arrow in his hand at first he thought he was going to a dark obscure place but presently a quite different slide succeeded at which he came out of and entering into a large spacious place at about 50 or 60 places distant he perceived a magnificent palace which he had not then time enough to look at at same time a lady of majestic port and air advanced as far as the port attended by a large troop of ladies so finely dressed and beautiful that it was difficult to distinguish which was a mistress as soon as Prince Hamid perceived the lady he made all imaginable haste to go and pay his respect and the lady on her part seeing him coming prevented him from addressing his discourse to her first but said to him come nearer Prince Hamid, you are welcome it was no small surprise to the prince to hear himself named in a place he had never heard of though so night to his father's capital that he could not comprehend how he should be known to a lady who was stranger to him at last he returned like this compliment by throwing himself at her feet and rising up again said to her madam I return you a thousand thanks for the assurance you give me of a welcome to a place where I believed my important curiosity and may be penetrated too far but madam may I without being guilty of ill manners dare to ask you by what adventure you know me and how you who live in same neighborhood with me should be so great a stranger to me Prince said lady let us go into the hall there I'll gratify you in your request after these words Prince Hamid into all then she sat down on the sofa and when the prince by her entry had done the same she said you are surprised you say that I should know you and not be known by you but you'll be no longer surprised when I inform you who I am you are undoubtedly sensible that your religion teaches you to believe that the world is inhabited by genies as well as men I am the daughter of one of the most powerful and distinguished genies and my name is Pari Vanu what I have to add is that you seem to be worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the princess Nerunihaar and as you might attend to it I was present when you drew your hero and first of all it would not go beyond Prince's things I took it in the air and gave it a necessary motion to strike against the rock near which you found it and I tell you that it lies in your power to make use of the federal opportunity which present itself to make you happy as the fairy Pari Vanu pronounced these last words with a different tone and look at the same time tenderly up on Prince Hamed with a modest plush and her cheeks it was no hard matter for the prince to comprehend what happiness she meant he personally considered that the princess Nerunihaar could never be eased and that fairy Pari Vanu excelled her infinitely in beauty, agreeableness with and as much as he could conjecture by the magnificence of the ballas in immense riches he blessed the moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow a second time he held into his love Madam replied he should I all my life have the happiness of being your slave and the admirer of the many charms which ravish my soul I should think myself the most blessed of men pardon me the baldness which aspired me to ask this favor and then refused to admit me into your court a prince who is entirely devoted to you Prince answered the fairy will it not pleasure your faith to me as well I give your mind to you Madam replied the prince