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Once upon
a time...
In a certain country there lived a king whose palace was
surrounded by a spacious garden. But, though the gardeners were many
and the soil was good, this garden yielded neither flowers nor
fruits, not even grass or shady trees.
The King was in despair about it, when a wise old man said to him:
"Your gardeners do not understand their business: but what can you
expect of men whose fathers were cobblers and carpenters? How should
they have learned to cultivate your garden?"
"You are quite right," cried the King.
"Therefore," continued the old man, "you should send for a gardener
whose father and grandfather have been gardeners before him, and
very soon your garden will be full of green grass and gay flowers,
and you will enjoy its delicious fruit."
So the King sent messengers to every town, village, and hamlet in
his dominions, to look for a gardener whose forefathers had been
gardeners also, and after forty days one was found.
"Come with us and be gardener to the King," they said to him.
"How can I go to the King," said the gardener, "a poor wretch like
me?"
"That is of no consequence," they answered. "Here are new clothes
for you and your family."
"But I owe money to several people."
"We will pay your debts," they said.
So the gardener allowed himself to be persuaded, and went away with
the messengers, taking his wife and his son with him; and the King,
delighted to have found a real gardener, entrusted him with the care
of his garden. The man found no difficulty in making the royal
garden produce flowers and fruit, and at the end of a year the park
was not like the same place, and the King showered gifts upon his
new servant.
The gardener, as you have heard already, had a son, who was a very
handsome young man, with most agree- able manners, and every day he
carried the best fruit of the garden to the King, and all the
prettiest flowers to his daughter. Now this princess was wonderfully
pretty and was just sixteen years old, and the King was beginning to
think it was time that she should be married.
"My dear child," said he, "you are of an age to take a husband,
therefore I am thinking of marrying you to the son of my prime
minister.
"Father," replied the Princess, "I will never marry the son of the
minister."
"Why not?" asked the King.
"Because I love the gardener's son," answered the Princess.
On hearing this the King was at first very angry, and then he wept
and sighed, and declared that such a husband was not worthy of his
daughter; but the young Princess was not to be turned from her
resolution to marry the gardener's son.
Then the King consulted his ministers. "This is what you must do,"
they said. "To get rid of the gardener you must send both suitors to
a very distant country, and the one who returns first shall marry
your daughter."
The King followed this advice, and the minister's son was presented
with a splendid horse and a purse full of gold pieces, while the
gardener's son had only an old lame horse and a purse full of copper
money, and every one thought he would never come back from his
journey.
The day before they started the Princess met her lover and said to
him:
"Be brave, and remember always that I love you. Take this purse full
of jewels and make the best use you can of them for love of me, and
come back quickly and demand my hand."
The two suitors left the town together, but the minister's son went
off at a gallop on his good horse, and very soon was lost to sight
behind the most distant hills. He travelled on for some days, and
presently reached a fountain beside which an old woman all in rags
sat upon a stone.
"Good-day to you, young traveller," said she.
But the minister's son made no reply.
"Have pity upon me, traveller," she said again. "I am dying of
hunger, as you see, and three days have I been here and no one has
given me anything."
"Let me alone, old witch," cried the young man; "I can do nothing
for you," and so saying he went on his way.
That same evening the gardener's son rode up to the fountain upon
his lame grey horse.
"Good-day to you, young traveller," said the beggar- woman.
"Good-day, good woman," answered he.
"Young traveller, have pity upon me."
Take my purse, good woman," said he, "and mount behind me, for your
legs can't be very strong."
The old woman didn't wait to be asked twice, but mounted behind him,
and in this style they reached the chief city of a powerful kingdom.
The minister's son was lodged in a grand inn, the gardener's son and
the old woman dismounted at the inn for beggars.
The next day the gardener's son heard a great noise in the street,
and the King's heralds passed, blowing all kinds of instruments, and
crying:
The King, our master, is old and infirm. He will give a great reward
to whoever will cure him and give him back the strength of his
youth."
Then the old beggar-woman said to her benefactor:
"This is what you must do to obtain the reward which the King
promises. Go out of the town by the south gate, and there you will
find three little dogs of different colours; the first will be white,
the second black, the third red. You must kill them and then burn
them separately, and gather up the ashes. Put the ashes of each dog
into a bag of its own colour, then go before the door of the palace
and cry out, `A celebrated physician has come from Janina in
Albania. He alone can cure the King and give him back the strength
of his youth.' The King's physicians will say, This is an impostor,
and not a learned man,' and they will make all sorts of
difficulties, but you will overcome them all at last, and will
present yourself before the sick King. You must then demand as much
wood as three mules can carry, and a great cauldron, and must shut
yourself up in a room with the Sultan, and when the cauldron boils
you must throw him into it, and there leave him until his flesh is
completely separated from his bones. Then arrange the bones in their
proper places, and throw over them the ashes out of the three bags.
The King will come back to life, and will be just as he was when he
was twenty years old. For your reward you must demand the bronze
ring which has the power to grant you everything you desire. Go, my
son, and do not forget any of my instructions."
The young man followed the old beggar-woman's directions. On going
out of the town he found the white, red, and black dogs, and killed
and burnt them, gathering the ashes in three bags. Then he ran to
the palace and cried:
"A celebrated physician has just come from Janina in Albania. He
alone can cure the King and give him back the strength of his
youth."
The King's physicians at first laughed at the unknown wayfarer, but
the Sultan ordered that the stranger should be admitted. They
brought the cauldron and the loads of wood, and very soon the King
was boiling away. Toward mid-day the gardener's son arranged the
bones in their places, and he had hardly scattered the ashes over
them before the old King revived, to find himself once more young
and hearty.
"How can I reward you, my benefactor?" he cried. "Will you take half
my treasures?"
"No," said the gardener's son.
"My daughter's hand?"
"No!"
"Take half my kingdom."
"No. Give me only the bronze ring which can instantly grant me
anything I wish for."
"Alas!" said the King, "I set great store by that
marvellous ring;
nevertheless, you shall have it." And he gave it to him.
The gardener's son went back to say good-by to the old beggar-woman;
then he said to the bronze ring:
"Prepare a splendid ship in which I may continue my journey. Let the
hull be of fine gold, the masts of silver, the sails of brocade; let
the crew consist of twelve young men of noble appearance, dressed
like kings. St. Nicholas will be at the helm. As to the cargo, let
it be diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and carbuncles."
And immediately a ship appeared upon the sea which resembled in
every particular the description given by the gardener's son, and,
stepping on board, he continued his journey. Presently he arrived at
a great town and established himself in a wonderful palace. After
several days he met his rival, the minister's son, who had spent all
his money and was reduced to the disagreeable employment of a
carrier of dust and rubbish. The gardener's son said to him:
"What is your name, what is your family, and from what country do
you come?"
"I am the son of the prime minister of a great nation, and yet see
what a degrading occupation I am reduced to."
"Listen to me; though I don't know anything more about you, I am
willing to help you. I will give you a ship to take you back to your
own country upon one condition."
"Whatever it may be, I accept it willingly."
"Follow me to my palace."
The minister's son followed the rich stranger, whom he had not
recognized. When they reached the palace the gardener's son made a
sign to his slaves, who completely undressed the new-comer.
"Make this ring red-hot," commanded the master, "and mark the man
with it upon his back."
The slaves obeyed him.
"Now, young man," said the rich stranger, "I am going to give you a
vessel which will take you back to your own country."
And, going out, he took the bronze ring and said:
"Bronze ring, obey thy master. Prepare me a ship of which the
half-rotten timbers shall be painted black, let the sails be in
rags, and the sailors infirm and sickly. One shall have lost a leg,
another an arm, the third shall be a hunchback, another lame or
club-footed or blind, and most of them shall be ugly and covered
with scars. Go, and let my orders be executed."
The minister's son embarked in this old vessel, and thanks to
favourable winds, at length reached his own country. In spite of the
pitiable condition in which he returned they received him joyfully.
"I am the first to come back," said he to the King; now fulfil your
promise, and give me the princess in marriage.
So they at once began to prepare for the wedding festivities. As to
the poor princess, she was sorrowful and angry enough about it.
The next morning, at daybreak, a wonderful ship with every sail set
came to anchor before the town. The King happened at that moment to
be at the palace window.
"What strange ship is this," he cried, "that has a golden hull,
silver masts, and silken sails, and who are the young men like
princes who man it? And do I not see St. Nicholas at the helm? Go at
once and invite the captain of the ship to come to the palace."
His servants obeyed him, and very soon in came an enchantingly
handsome young prince, dressed in rich silk, ornamented with pearls
and diamonds.
"Young man," said the King, "you are welcome, whoever you may be. Do
me the favor to be my guest as long as you remain in my capital."
"Many thanks, sire," replied the captain, "I accept your offer."
"My daughter is about to be married," said the King; "will you give
her away?"
"I shall be charmed, sire."
Soon after came the Princess and her betrothed.
"Why, how is this?" cried the young captain; "would you marry this
charming princess to such a man as that?"
"But he is my prime minister's son!"
"What does that matter? I cannot give your daughter away. The man
she is betrothed to is one of my servants."
"Your servant?"
"Without doubt. I met him in a distant town reduced to carrying away
dust and rubbish from the houses. I had pity on him and engaged him
as one of my servants."
"It is impossible!" cried the King.
"Do you wish me to prove what I say? This young man returned in a
vessel which I fitted out for him, an unsea-worthy ship with a
black battered hull, and the sailors were infirm and crippled."
"It is quite true," said the King.
"It is false," cried the minister's son. "I do not know this man!"
"Sire," said the young captain, "order your daughter's betrothed to
be stripped, and see if the mark of my ring is not branded upon his
back."
The King was about to give this order, when the minister's son, to
save himself from such an indignity, admitted that the story was
true.
"And now, sire," said the young captain, "do you not recognize me?"
"I recognize you," said the Princess; "you are the gardener's son
whom I have always loved, and it is you I wish to marry."
"Young man, you shall be my son-in-law," cried the King. "The
marriage festivities are already begun, so you shall marry my
daughter this very day."
And so that very day the gardener's son married the beautiful
Princess.
Several months passed. The young couple were as happy as the day was
long, and the King was more and more pleased with himself for having
secured such a son- in-law.
But, presently, the captain of the golden ship found it necessary to
take a long voyage, and after embracing his wife tenderly he
embarked.
Now in the outskirts of the capital there lived an old man, who had
spent his life in studying black arts-- alchemy, astrology, magic,
and enchantment. This man found out that the gardener's son had only
succeeded in marrying the Princess by the help of the genii who
obeyed the bronze ring.
"I will have that ring," said he to himself. So he went down to the
sea-shore and caught some little red fishes. Really, they were quite
wonderfully pretty. Then he came back, and, passing before the
Princess's window, he began to cry out:
"Who wants some pretty little red fishes?"
The Princess heard him, and sent out one of her slaves, who said to
the old peddler:
"What will you take for your fish?"
"A bronze ring."
"A bronze ring, old simpleton! And where shall I find one?"
"Under the cushion in the Princess's room."
The slave went back to her mistress.
The old madman will take neither gold nor silver," said she.
"What does he want then?"
"A bronze ring that is hidden under a cushion."
Find the ring and give it to him," said the Princess.
And at last the slave found the bronze ring, which the captain of
the golden ship had accidentally left behind and carried it to the
man, who made off with it instantly.
Hardly had he reached his own house when, taking the ring, he said,
"Bronze ring, obey thy master. I desire that the golden ship shall
turn to black wood, and the crew to hideous negroes; that St.
Nicholas shall leave the helm and that the only cargo shall be black
cats."
And the genii of the bronze ring obeyed him.
Finding himself upon the sea in this miserable condition, the young
captain understood that some one must have stolen the bronze ring
from him, and he lamented his misfortune loudly; but that did him no
good.
"Alas!" he said to himself, "whoever has taken my ring has probably
taken my dear wife also. What good will it do me to go back to my
own country?" And he sailed about from island to island, and from
shore to shore, believing that wherever he went everybody was
laughing at him, and very soon his poverty was so great that he and
his crew and the poor black cats had nothing to eat but herbs and
roots. After wandering about a long time he reached an island
inhabited by mice. The captain landed upon the shore and began to
explore the country. There were mice everywhere, and nothing but
mice. Some of the black cats had followed him, and, not having been
fed for several days, they were fearfully hungry, and made terrible
havoc among the mice.
Then the queen of the mice held a council.
"These cats will eat every one of us," she said, "if the captain of
the ship does not shut the ferocious animals up. Let us send a
deputation to him of the bravest among us."
Several mice offered themselves for this mission and set out to find
the young captain.
"Captain," said they, "go away quickly from our island, or we shall
perish, every mouse of us."
"Willingly," replied the young captain, "upon one condition. That is
that you shall first bring me back a bronze ring which some clever
magician has stolen from me. If you do not do this I will land all
my cats upon your island, and you shall be exterminated."
The mice withdrew in great dismay. "What is to be done?" said the
Queen. "How can we find this bronze ring?" She held a new council,
calling in mice from every quarter of the globe, but nobody knew
where the bronze ring was. Suddenly three mice arrived from a very
distant country. One was blind, the second lame, and the third had
her ears cropped.
"Ho, ho, ho!" said the new-comers. "We come from a far distant
country."
"Do you know where the bronze ring is which the genii obey?"
"Ho, ho, ho! we know; an old sorcerer has taken possession of it,
and now he keeps it in his pocket by day and in his mouth by night."
"Go and take it from him, and come back as soon as possible."
So the three mice made themselves a boat and set sail for the
magician's country. When they reached the capital they landed and
ran to the palace, leaving only the blind mouse on the shore to take
care of the boat. Then they waited till it was night. The wicked old
man lay down in bed and put the bronze ring into his mouth, and very
soon he was asleep.
"Now, what shall we do?" said the two little animals to each other.
The mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of oil and a
bottle full of pepper. So she dipped her tail first in the oil and
then in the pepper, and held it to the sorcerer's nose.
"Atisha! atisha!" sneezed the old man, but he did not wake, and the
shock made the bronze ring jump out of his mouth. Quick as thought
the lame mouse snatched up the precious talisman and carried it off
to the boat.
Imagine the despair of the magician when he awoke and the bronze
ring was nowhere to be found!
But by that time our three mice had set sail with their prize. A
favouring breeze was carrying them toward the island where the queen
of the mice was awaiting them. Naturally they began to talk about
the bronze ring.
"Which of us deserves the most credit?" they cried all at once.
"I do," said the blind mouse, "for without my watchfulness our boat
would have drifted away to the open sea."
"No, indeed," cried the mouse with the cropped ears; "the credit is
mine. Did I not cause the ring to jump out of the man's mouth?"
"No, it is mine," cried the lame one, "for I ran off with the ring."
And from high words they soon came to blows, and, alas! when the
quarrel was fiercest the bronze ring fell into the sea.
"How are we to face our queen," said the three mice "when by our
folly we have lost the talisman and condemned our people to be
utterly exterminated? We cannot go back to our country; let us land
on this desert island and there end our miserable lives." No sooner
said than done. The boat reached the island, and the mice landed.
The blind mouse was speedily deserted by her two sisters, who went
off to hunt flies, but as she wandered sadly along the shore she
found a dead fish, and was eating it, when she felt something very
hard. At her cries the other two mice ran up.
"It is the bronze ring! It is the talisman!" they cried joyfully,
and, getting into their boat again, they soon reached the mouse
island. It was time they did, for the captain was just going to land
his cargo of cats, when a deputation of mice brought him the
precious bronze ring.
"Bronze ring," commanded the young man, "obey thy master. Let my
ship appear as it was before."
Immediately the genii of the ring set to work, and the old black
vessel became once more the wonderful golden ship with sails of
brocade; the handsome sailors ran to the silver masts and the silken
ropes, and very soon they set sail for the capital.
Ah! how merrily the sailors sang as they flew over the glassy sea!
At last the port was reached.
The captain landed and ran to the palace, where he found the wicked
old man asleep. The Princess clasped her husband in a long embrace.
The magician tried to escape, but he was seized and bound with
strong cords.
The next day the sorcerer, tied to the tail of a savage mule loaded
with nuts, was broken into as many pieces as there were nuts upon
the mule's back.
The Bronze Ring
From the Blue Fairy Book
Story Edited
by
Andrew Lang |
