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Once upon
a time...
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who were
foolish beyond all telling, but nevertheless they were vastly fond
of one another. It is true that certain spiteful people were heard
to say that this was only one proof the more of their exceeding
foolishness, but of course you will understand that these were not
their own courtiers, since, after all, they were a King and Queen,
and up to this time all things had prospered with them. For in those
days the one thing to be thought of in governing a kingdom was to
keep well with all the Fairies and Enchanters, and on no account to
stint them of the cakes, the ells of ribbon, and similar trifles
which were their due, and, above all things, when there was a
christening, to remember to invite every single one, good, bad, or
indifferent, to the ceremony. Now, the foolish Queen had one little
son who was just going to be christened, and for several months she
had been hard at work preparing an enormous list of the names of
those who were to be invited, but she quite forgot that it would
take nearly as long to read it over as it had taken to write it out.
So, when the moment of the christening arrived the King--to whom the
task had been entrusted--had barely reached the end of the second
page and his tongue was tripping with fatigue and haste as he
repeated the usual formula: 'I conjure and pray you, Fairy
so-and-so'--or 'Enchanter such-a-one' --'to honour me with a visit,
and graciously bestow your gifts upon my son.'
To make matters worse, word was brought to him that the Fairies
asked on the first page had already arrived and were waiting
impatiently in the Great Hall, and grumbling that nobody was there
to receive them. Thereupon he gave up the list in despair and
hurried to greet those whom he had succeeded in asking, imploring
their goodwill so humbly that most of them were touched, and
promised that they would do his son no harm. But there happened to
be among them a Fairy from a far country about whom they knew
nothing, though her name had been written on the first page of the
list. This Fairy was annoyed that after having taken the trouble to
come so quickly, there had been no one to receive her, or help her
to alight from the great ostrich on which she had travelled from her
distant home, and now she began to mutter to herself in the most
alarming way.
'Oh! prate away,' said she, 'your son will never be anything to
boast of. Say what you will, he will be nothing but a Mannikin--'
No doubt she would have gone on longer in this strain, and given the
unhappy little Prince half-a-dozen undesirable gifts, if it had not
been for the good Fairy Genesta, who held the kingdom under her
special protection, and who luckily hurried in just in time to
prevent further mischief. When she had by compliments and entreaties
pacified the unknown Fairy, and persuaded her to say no more, she
gave the King a hint that now was the time to distribute the
presents, after which ceremony they all took their departure,
excepting the Fairy Genesta, who then went to see the Queen, and
said to her:
'A nice mass you seem to have made of this business, madam. Why did
you not condescend to consult me? But foolish people like you always
think they can do without help or advice, and I observe that, in
spite of all my goodness to you, you had not even the civility to
invite me!'
'Ah! dear madam,' cried the King, throwing himself at her feet; 'did
I ever have time to get as far as your name? See where I put in this
mark when I abandoned the hopeless undertaking which I had but just
begun!'
'There! there!' said the Fairy, 'I am not offended. I don't allow
myself to be put out by trifles like that with people I really am
fond of. But now about your son: I have saved him from a great many
disagreeable things, but you must let me take him away and take care
of him, and you will not see him again until he is all covered with
fur!'
At these mysterious words the King and Queen burst into tears, for
they lived in such a hot climate themselves that how or why the
Prince should come to be covered with fur they could not imagine,
and thought it must portend some great misfortune to him.
However, Genesta told them not to disquiet themselves.
'If I left him to you to bring up,' said she, 'you would be certain
to make him as foolish as yourselves. I do not even intend to let
him know that he is your son. As for you, you had better give your
minds to governing your kingdom properly.' So saying, she opened the
window, and catching up the little Prince, cradle and all, she
glided away in the air as if she were skating upon ice, leaving the
King and Queen in the greatest affliction. They consulted everyone
who came near them as to what the Fairy could possibly have meant by
saying that when they saw their son again he would be covered with
fur. But nobody could offer any solution of the mystery, only they
all seemed to agree that it must be something frightful, and the
King and Queen made themselves more miserable than ever, and
wandered about their palace in a way to make anyone pity them.
Meantime the Fairy had carried off the little Prince to her own
castle, and placed him under the care of a young peasant woman, whom
she bewitched so as to make her think that this new baby was one of
her own children. So the Prince grew up healthy and strong, leading
the simple life of a young peasant, for the Fairy thought that he
could have no better training; only as he grew older she kept him
more and more with herself, that his mind might be cultivated and
exercised as well as his body. But her care did not cease there: she
resolved that he should be tried by hardships and disappointments
and the knowledge of his fellowmen; for indeed she knew the Prince
would need every advantage that she could give him, since, though he
increased in years, he did not increase in height, but remained the
tiniest of Princes. However, in spite of this he was exceedingly
active and well formed, and altogether so handsome and agreeable
that the smallness of his stature was of no real consequence. The
Prince was perfectly aware that he was called by the ridiculous name
of 'Mannikin,' but he consoled himself by vowing that, happen what
might, he would make it illustrious.
In order to carry out her plans for his welfare the Fairy now began
to send Prince Mannikin the most wonderful dreams of adventure by
sea and land, and of these adventures he himself was always the
hero. Sometimes he rescued a lovely Princess from some terrible
danger, again he earned a kingdom by some brave deed, until at last
he longed to go away and seek his fortune in a far country where his
humble birth would not prevent his gaining honour and riches by his
courage, and it was with a heart full of ambitious projects that he
rode one day into a great city not far from the Fairy's castle. As
he had set out intending to hunt in the surrounding forest he was
quite simply dressed, and carried only a bow and arrows and a light
spear; but even thus arrayed he looked graceful and distinguished.
As he entered the city he saw that the inhabitants were all racing
with one accord towards the market-place, and he also turned his
horse in the same direction, curious to know what was going forward.
When he reached the spot he found that certain foreigners of strange
and outlandish appearance were about to make a proclamation to the
assembled citizens, and he hastily pushed his way into the crowd
until he was near enough to hear the words of the venerable old man
who was their spokesman:
'Let the whole world know that he who can reach the summit of the
Ice Mountain shall receive as his reward, not only the incomparable
Sabella, fairest of the fair, but also all the realms of which she
is Queen!' 'Here,' continued the old man after he had made this
proclamation--'here is the list of all those Princes who, struck by
the beauty of the Princess, have perished in the attempt to win her;
and here is the list of these who have just entered upon the high
emprise.'
Prince Mannikin was seized with a violent desire to inscribe his
name among the others, but the remembrance of his dependent position
and his lack of wealth held him back. But while he hesitated the old
man, with many respectful ceremonies, unveiled a portrait of the
lovely Sabella, which was carried by some of the attendants, and
after one glance at it the Prince delayed no longer, but, rushing
forward, demanded permission to add his name to the list. When they
saw his tiny stature anti simple attire the strangers looked at each
other doubtfully, not knowing whether to accept or refuse him. But
the Prince said haughtily:
'Give me the paper that I may sign it,' and they obeyed. What
between admiration for the Princess and annoyance at the hesitation
shown by her ambassadors the Prince was too much agitated to choose
any other name than the one by which he was always known. But when,
after all the grand titles of the other Princes, he simply wrote 'Mannikin,'
the ambassadors broke into shouts of laughter.
'Miserable wretches!' cried the Prince; 'but for the presence of
that lovely portrait I would cut off your heads.'
But he suddenly remembered that, after all, it was a funny name, and
that he had not yet had time to make it famous; so he was calm, and
enquired the way to the Princess Sabella's country.
Though his heart did not fail him in the least, still he felt there
were many difficulties before him, and he resolved to set out at
once, without even taking leave of the Fairy, for fear she might try
to stop him. Everybody in the town who knew him made great fun of
the idea of Mannikin's undertaking such an expedition, and it even
came to the ears of the foolish King and Queen, who laughed over it
more than any of the others, without having an idea that the
presumptuous Mannikin was their only son!
Meantime the Prince was travelling on, though the direction he had
received for his journey were none of the clearest.
'Four hundred leagues north of Mount Caucasus you will receive your
orders and instructions for the conquest of the Ice Mountain.'
Fine marching orders, those, for a man starting from a country near
where Japan is nowadays!
However, he fared eastward, avoiding all towns, lest the people
should laugh at his name, for, you see, he was not a very
experienced traveller, and had not yet learned to enjoy a joke even
if it were against himself. At night he slept in the woods, and at
first he lived upon wild fruits; but the Fairy, who was keeping a
benevolent eye upon him, thought that it would never do to let him
be half-starved in that way, so she took to feeding him with all
sorts of good things while he was asleep, and the Prince wondered
very much that when he was awake he never felt hungry! True to her
plan the Fairy sent him various adventures to prove his courage, and
he came successfully through them all, only in his last fight with a
furious monster rather like a tiger he had the ill luck to lose his
horse. However, nothing daunted, he struggled on on foot, and at
last reached a seaport. Here he found a boat sailing for the coast
which he desired to reach, and, having just enough money to pay his
passage, he went on board and they started. But after some days a
fearful storm came on, which completely wrecked the little ship, and
the Prince only saved his life by swimming a long, long way to the
only land that was in sight, and which proved to be a desert island.
Here he lived by fishing and hunting, always hoping that the good
Fairy would presently rescue him. One day, as he was looking sadly
out to sea, he became aware of a curious looking boat which was
drifting slowly towards the shore, and which presently ran into a
little creek and there stuck fast in the sand. Prince Mannikin
rushed down eagerly to examine it, and saw with amazement that the
masts and spars were all branched, and covered thickly with leaves
until it looked like a little wood. Thinking from the stillness that
there could be no one on board, the Prince pushed aside the branches
and sprang over the side, and found himself surrounded by the crew,
who lay motionless as dead men and in a most deplorable condition.
They, too, had become almost like trees, and were growing to the
deck, or to the masts, or to the sides of the vessel, or to whatever
they had happened to be touching when the enchantment fell upon
them. Mannikin was struck with pity for their miserable plight, and
set to work with might and main to release them. With the sharp
point of one of his arrows he gently detached their hands and feet
from the wood which held them fast, and carried them on shore, one
after another, where he rubbed their rigid limbs, and bathed them
with infusions of various herbs with such success, that, after a few
days, they recovered perfectly and were as fit to manage a boat as
ever. You may be sure that the good Fairy Genesta had something to
do with this marvellous cure, and she also put it into the Prince's
head to rub the boat itself with the same magic herbs, which cleared
it entirely, and not before it was time, for, at the rate at which
it was growing before, it would very soon have become a forest! The
gratitude of the sailors was extreme, and they willingly promised to
land the Prince upon any coast he pleased; but, when he questioned
them about the extraordinary thing that had happened to them and to
their ship, they could in no way explain it, except that they said
that, as they were passing along a thickly wooded coast, a sudden
gust of wind had reached them from the land and enveloped them in a
dense cloud of dust, after which everything in the boat that was not
metal had sprouted and blossomed, as the Prince had seen, and that
they themselves had grown gradually numb and heavy, and had finally
lost all consciousness. Prince Mannikin was deeply interested in
this curious story, and collected a quantity of the dust from the
bottom of the boat, which he carefully preserved, thinking that its
strange property might one day stand him in good stead.
Then they joyfully left the desert island, and after a long and
prosperous voyage over calm seas they at length came in sight of
land, and resolved to go on shore, not only to take in a fresh stock
of water and provisions, but also to find out, if possible, where
they were and in what direction to proceed.
As they neared the coast they wondered if this could be another
uninhabited land, for no human beings could be distinguished, and
yet that something was stirring became evident, for in the dust-
clouds that moved near the ground small dark forms were dimly
visible. These appeared to be assembling at the exact spot where
they were preparing to run ashore, and what was their surprise to
find they were nothing more nor less than large and beautiful
spaniels, some mounted as sentries, others grouped in companies and
regiments, all eagerly watching their disembarkation. When they
found that Prince Mannikin, instead of saying, 'Shoot them,' as they
had feared, said 'Hi, good dog!' in a thoroughly friendly and
ingratiating way, they crowded round him with a great wagging of
tails and giving of paws, and very soon made him understand that
they wanted him to leave his men with the boat and follow them. The
Prince was so curious to know more about them that he agreed
willingly; so, after arranging with the sailors to wait for him
fifteen days, and then, if he had not come back, to go on their way
without him, he set out with his new friends. Their way lay inland,
and Mannikin noticed with great surprise that the fields were well
cultivated and that the carts and ploughs were drawn by horses or
oxen, just as they might have been in any other country, and when
they passed any village the cottages were trim and pretty, and an
air of prosperity was everywhere. At one of the villages a dainty
little repast was set before the Prince, and while he was eating, a
chariot was brought, drawn by two splendid horses, which were driven
with great skill by a large spaniel. In this carriage he continued
his journey very comfortably, passing many similar equipages upon
the road, and being always most courteously saluted by the spaniels
who occupied them. At last they drove rapidly into a large town,
which Prince Mannikin had no doubt was the capital of the kingdom.
News of his approach had evidently been received, for all the
inhabitants were at their doors and windows, and all the little
spaniels had climbed upon the wall and gates to see him arrive. The
Prince was delighted with the hearty welcome they gave him, and
looked round him with the deepest interest. After passing through a
few wide streets, well paved, and adorned with avenues of fine
trees, they drove into the courtyard of a grand palace, which was
full of spaniels who were evidently soldiers. 'The King's
body-guard,' thought the Prince to himself as he returned their
salutations, and then the carriage stopped, and he was shown into
the presence of the King, who lay upon a rich Persian carpet
surrounded by several little spaniels, who were occupied in chasing
away the flies lest they should disturb his Majesty. He was the most
beautiful of all spaniels, with a look of sadness in his large eyes,
which, however, quite disappeared as he sprang up to welcome Prince
Mannikin with every demonstration of delight; after which he made a
sign to his courtiers, who came one by one to pay their respects to
the visitor. The Prince thought that he would find himself puzzled
as to how he should carry on a conversation, but as soon as he and
the King were once more left alone, a Secretary of State was sent
for, who wrote from his Majesty's dictation a most polite speech, in
which he regretted much that they were unable to converse, except in
writing, the language of dogs being difficult to understand. As for
the writing, it had remained the same as the Prince's own.
Mannikin thereupon wrote a suitable reply, and then begged the King
to satisfy his curiosity about all the strange things he had seen
and heard since his landing. This appeared to awaken sad
recollections in the King's mind, but he informed the Prince that he
was called King Bayard, and that a Fairy, whose kingdom was next his
own, had fallen violently in love with him, and had done all she
could to persuade him to marry her; but that he could not do so as
he himself was the devoted lover of the Queen of the Spice Islands.
Finally, the Fairy, furious at the indifference with which her love
was treated, had reduced him to the state in which the Prince found
him, leaving him unchanged in mind, but deprived of the power of
speech; and, not content with wreaking her vengeance upon the King
alone, she had condemned all his subjects to a similar fate, saying:
'Bark, and run upon four feet, until the time comes when virtue
shall be rewarded by love and fortune.'
Which, as the poor King remarked, was very much the same thing as if
she had said, 'Remain a spaniel for ever and ever.'
Prince Mannikin was quite of the same opinion; nevertheless he said
what we should all have said in the same circumstances:
'Your Majesty must have patience.'
He was indeed deeply sorry for poor King Bayard, and said all the
consoling things he could think of, promising to aid him with all
his might if there was anything to be done. In short they became
firm friends, and the King proudly displayed to Mannikin the
portrait of the Queen of the Spice Islands, and he quite agreed that
it was worth while to go through anything for the sake of a creature
so lovely. Prince Mannikin in his turn told his own history, and the
great undertaking upon which he had set out, and King Bayard was
able to give him some valuable instructions as to which would be the
best way for him to proceed, and then they went together to the
place where the boat had been left. The sailors were delighted to
see the Prince again, though they had known that he was safe, and
when they had taken on board all the supplies which the King had
sent for them, they started once more. The King and Prince parted
with much regret, and the former insisted that Mannikin should take
with him one of his own pages, named Mousta, who was charged to
attend to him everywhere, and serve him faithfully, which he
promised to do.
The wind being favourable they were soon out of hearing of the
general howl of regret from the whole army, which had been given by
order of the King, as a great compliment, and it was not long before
the land was entirely lost to . They met with no further adventures
worth speaking of, and presently found themselves within two leagues
of the harbour for which they were making. The Prince, however,
thought it would suit him better to land where he was, so as to
avoid the town, since he had no money left and was very doubtful as
to what he should do next. So the sailors set him and Mousta on
shore, and then went back sorrowfully to their ship, while the
Prince and his attendant walked off in what looked to them the most
promising direction. They soon reached a lovely green meadow on the
border of a wood, which seemed to them so pleasant after their long
voyage that they sat down to rest in the shade and amused themselves
by watching the gambols and antics of a pretty tiny monkey in the
trees close by. The Prince presently became so fascinated by it that
he sprang up and tried to catch it, but it eluded his grasp and kept
just out of arm's reach, until it had made him promise to follow
wherever it led him, and then it sprang upon his shoulder and
whispered in his ear:
'We have no money, my poor Mannikin, and we are altogether badly
off, and at a loss to know what to do next.'
'Yes, indeed,' answered the Prince ruefully, 'and I have nothing to
give you, no sugar or biscuits, or anything that you like, my pretty
one.'
'Since you are so thoughtful for me, and so patient about your own
affairs,' said the little monkey, 'I will show you the way to the
Golden Rock, only you must leave Mousta to wait for you here.'
Prince Mannikin agreed willingly, and then the little monkey sprang
from his shoulder to the nearest tree, and began to run through the
wood from branch to branch, crying, 'Follow me.'
This the Prince did not find quite so easy, but the little monkey
waited for him and showed him the easiest places, until presently
the wood grew thinner and they came out into a little clear grassy
space at the foot of a mountain, in the midst of which stood a
single rock, about ten feet high. When they were quite close to it
the little monkey said:
'This stone looks pretty hard, but give it a blow with your spear
and let us see what will happen.'
So the Prince took his spear and gave the rock a vigorous dig, which
split off several pieces, and showed that, though the surface was
thinly coated with stone, inside it was one solid mass of pure gold.
Thereupon the little monkey said, laughing at his astonishment:
'I make you a present of what you have broken off; take as much of
it as you think proper.'
The Prince thanked her gratefully, and picked up one of the smallest
of the lumps of gold; as he did so the little monkey was suddenly
transformed into a tall and gracious lady, who said to him:
'If you are always as kind and persevering and easily contented as
you are now you may hope to accomplish the most difficult tasks; go
on your way and have no fear that you will be troubled any more for
lack of gold, for that little piece which you modestly chose shall
never grow less, use it as much as you will. But that you may see
the danger you have escaped by your moderation, come with me.' So
saying she led him back into the wood by a different path, and he
saw that it was full of men and women; their faces were pale and
haggard, and they ran hither and thither seeking madly upon the
ground, or in the air, starting at every sound, pushing and
trampling upon one another in their frantic eagerness to find the
way to the Golden Rock.
'You see how they toil,' said the Fairy; 'but it is all of no avail:
they will end by dying of despair, as hundreds have done before
them.'
As soon as they had got back to the place where they had left Mousta
the Fairy disappeared, and the Prince and his faithful Squire, who
had greeted him with every demonstration of joy, took the nearest
way to the city. Here they stayed several days, while the Prince
provided himself with horses and attendants, and made many enquiries
about the Princess Sabella, and the way to her kingdom, which was
still so far away that he could hear but little, and that of the
vaguest description, but when he presently reached Mount Caucasus it
was quite a different matter. Here they seemed to talk of nothing
but the Princess Sabella, and strangers from all parts of the world
were travelling towards her father's Court.
The Prince heard plenty of assurances as to her beauty and her
riches, but he also heard of the immense number of his rivals and
their power. One brought an army at his back, another had vast
treasures, a third was as handsome and accomplished as it was
possible to be; while, as to poor Mannikin, he had nothing but his
determination to succeed, his faithful spaniel, and his ridiculous
name--which last was hardly likely to help him, but as he could not
alter it he wisely determined not to think of it any more. After
journeying for two whole months they came at last to Trelintin, the
capital of the Princess Sabella's kingdom, and here he heard dismal
stories about the Ice Mountain, and how none of those who had
attempted to climb it had ever come back. He heard also the story of
King Farda-Kinbras, Sabella's father. It appeared that he, being a
rich and powerful monarch, had married a lovely Princess named
Birbantine, and they were as happy as the day was long--so happy
that as they were out sledging one day they were foolish enough to
defy fate to spoil their happiness.
'We shall see about that,' grumbled an old hag who sat by the
wayside blowing her fingers to keep them warm. The King thereupon
was very angry, and wanted to punish the woman; but the Queen
prevented him, saying:
'Alas! sire, do not let us make bad worse; no doubt this is a
Fairy!'
'You are right there,' said the old woman, and immediately she stood
up, and as they gazed at her in horror she grew gigantic and
terrible, her staff turned to a fiery dragon with outstretched
wings, her ragged cloak to a golden mantle, and her wooden shoes to
two bundles of rockets. 'You are right there, and you will see what
will come of your fine goings on, and remember the Fairy
Gorgonzola!' So saying she mounted the dragon and flew off, the
rockets shooting in all directions and leaving long trails of
sparks.
In vain did Farda-Kinbras and Birbantine beg her to return, and
endeavour by their humble apologies to pacify her; she never so much
as looked at them, and was very soon out of sight, leaving them a
prey to all kinds of dismal forebodings. Very soon after this the
Queen had a little daughter, who was the most beautiful creature
ever seen; all the Fairies of the North were invited to her
christening, and warned against the malicious Gorgonzola. She also
was invited, but she neither came to the banquet nor received her
present; but as soon as all the others were seated at table, after
bestowing their gifts upon the little Princess, she stole into the
Palace, disguised as a black cat, and hid herself under the cradle
until the nurses and the cradle-rockers had all turned their backs,
and then she sprang out, and in an instant had stolen the little
Princess's heart and made her escape, only being chased by a few
dogs and scullions on her way across the courtyard. Once outside she
mounted her chariot and flew straight away to the North Pole, where
she shut up her stolen treasure on the summit of the Ice Mountain,
and surrounded it with so many difficulties that she felt quite easy
about its remaining there as long as the Princess lived, and then
she went home, chuckling at her success. As to the other Fairies,
they went home after the banquet without discovering that anything
was amiss, and so the King and Queen were quite happy. Sabella grew
prettier day by day. She learnt everything a Princess ought to know
without the slightest trouble, and yet something always seemed
lacking to make her perfectly charming. She had an exquisite voice,
but whether her songs were grave or gay it did not matter, she did
not seem to know what they meant; and everyone who heard her said:
'She certainly sings perfectly; but there is no tenderness, no heart
in her voice.' Poor Sabella! how could there be when her heart was
far away on the Ice Mountains? And it was just the same with all the
other things that she did. As time went on, in spite of the
admiration of the whole Court and the blind fondness of the King and
Queen, it became more and more evident that something was fatally
wrong: for those who love no one cannot long be loved; and at last
the King called a general assembly, and invited the Fairies to
attend, that they might, if possible, find out what was the matter.
After explaining their grief as well as he could, he ended by
begging them to see the Princess for themselves. 'It is certain,'
said he, 'that something is wrong--what it is I don't know how to
tell you, but in some way your work is imperfect.'
They all assured him that, so far as they knew, everything had been
done for the Princess, and they had forgotten nothing that they
could bestow on so good a neighbour as the King had been to them.
After this they went to see Sabella; but they had no sooner entered
her presence than they cried out with one accord:
'Oh! horror!--she has no heart!'
On hearing this frightful announcement, the King and Queen gave a
cry of despair, and entreated the Fairies to find some remedy for
such an unheard-of misfortune. Thereupon the eldest Fairy consulted
her Book of Magic, which she always carried about with her, hung to
her girdle by a thick silver chain, and there she found out at once
that it was Gorgonzola who had stolen the Princess's heart, and also
discovered what the wicked old Fairy had done with it.
'What shall we do? What shall we do?' cried the King and Queen in
one breath.
'You must certainly suffer much annoyance from seeing and loving
Sabella, who is nothing but a beautiful image,' replied the Fairy,
'and this must go on for a long time; but I think I see that, in the
end, she will once more regain her heart. My advice is that you
shall at once cause her portrait to be sent all over the world, and
promise her hand and all her possessions to the Prince who is
successful in reaching her heart. Her beauty alone is sufficient to
engage all the Princes of the world in the quest.'
This was accordingly done, and Prince Mannikin heard that already
five hundred Princes had perished in the snow and ice, not to
mention their squires and pages, and that more continued to arrive
daily, eager to try their fortune. After some consideration he
determined to present himself at Court; but his arrival made no
stir, as his retinue was as inconsiderable as his stature, and the
splendour of his rivals was great enough to throw even Farda-
Kinbras himself into the shade. However, he paid his respects to the
King very gracefully, and asked permission to kiss the hand of the
Princess in the usual manner; but when he said he was called
'Mannikin,' the King could hardly repress a smile, and the Princes
who stood by openly shouted with laughter.
Turning to the King, Prince Mannikin said with great dignity:
'Pray laugh if it pleases your Majesty, I am glad that it is in my
power to afford you any amusement; but I am not a plaything for
these gentlemen, and I must beg them to dismiss any ideas of that
kind from their minds at once,' and with that he turned upon the one
who had laughed the loudest and proudly challenged him to a single
combat. This Prince, who was called Fadasse, accepted the challenge
very scornfully, mocking at Mannikin, whom he felt sure had no
chance against himself; but the meeting was arranged for the next
day. When Prince Mannikin quitted the King's presence he was
conducted to the audience hall of the Princess Sabella. The sight of
so much beauty and magnificence almost took his breath away for an
instant, but, recovering himself with an effort, he said:
'Lovely Princess, irresistibly drawn by the beauty of your portrait,
I come from the other end of the world to offer my services to you.
My devotion knows no bounds, but my absurd name has already involved
me in a quarrel with one of your courtiers. Tomorrow I am to fight
this ugly, overgrown Prince, and I beg you to honour the combat with
your presence, and prove to the world that there is nothing in a
name, and that you deign to accept Mannikin as your knight.'
When it came to this the Princess could not help being amused, for,
though she had no heart, she was not without humour. However, she
answered graciously that she accepted with pleasure, which
encouraged the Prince to entreat further that she would not show any
favour to his adversary.
'Alas!' said she, 'I favour none of these foolish people, who weary
me with their sentiment and their folly. I do very well as I am, and
yet from one year's end to another they talk of nothing but
delivering me from some imaginary affliction. Not a word do I
understand of all their pratings about love, and who knows what dull
things besides, which, I declare to you, I cannot even remember.'
Mannikin was quick enough to gather from this speech that to amuse
and interest the Princess would be a far surer way of gaining her
favour than to add himself to the list of those who continually
teased her about that mysterious thing called 'love' which she was
so incapable of comprehending. So he began to talk of his rivals,
and found in each of them something to make merry over, in which
diversion the Princess joined him heartily, and so well did he
succeed in his attempt to amuse her that before very long she
declared that of all the people at Court he was the one to whom she
preferred to talk.
The following day, at the time appointed for the combat, when the
King, the Queen, and the Princess had taken their places, and the
whole Court and the whole town were assembled to see the show,
Prince Fadasse rode into the lists magnificently armed and
accoutred, followed by twenty-four squires and a hundred men-at-
arms, each one leading, a splendid horse, while Prince Mannikin
entered from the other side armed only with his spear and followed
by the faithful Mousta. The contrast between the two champions was
so great that there was a shout of laughter from the whole assembly;
but when at the sounding of a trumpet the combatants rushed upon
each other, and Mannikin, eluding the blow aimed at him, succeeded
in thrusting Prince Fadasse from his horse and pinning him to the
sand with his spear, it changed to a murmur of admiration.
So soon as he had him at his mercy, however, Mannikin, turning to
the Princess, assured her that he had no desire to kill anyone who
called himself her courtier, and then he bade the furious and
humiliated Fadasse rise and thank the Princess to whom he owed his
life. Then, amid the sounding of the trumpets and the shoutings of
the people, he and Mousta retired gravely from the lists.
The King soon sent for him to congratulate him upon his success, and
to offer him a lodging in the Palace, which he joyfully accepted.
While the Princess expressed a wish to have Mousta brought to her,
and, when the Prince sent for him, she was so delighted with his
courtly manners and his marvellous intelligence that she entreated
Mannikin to give him to her for her own. The Prince consented with
alacrity, not only out of politeness, but because he foresaw that to
have a faithful friend always near the Princess might some day be of
great service to him. All these events made Prince Mannikin a person
of much more consequence at the Court. Very soon after, there
arrived upon the frontier the Ambassador of a very powerful King,
who sent to Farda-Kinbras the following letter, at the same time
demanding permission to enter the capital in state to receive the
answer:
'I, Brandatimor, to Farda-Kinbras send greeting. If I had before
this time seen the portrait of your beautiful daughter Sabella I
should not have permitted all these adventurers and petty Princes to
be dancing attendance and getting themselves frozen with the absurd
idea of meriting her hand. For myself I am not afraid of any rivals,
and, now I have declared my intention of marrying your daughter, no
doubt they will at once withdraw their pretensions. My Ambassador
has orders, therefore, to make arrangements for the Princess to come
and be married to me without delay--for I attach no importance at
all to the farrago of nonsense which you have caused to be published
all over the world about this Ice Mountain. If the Princess really
has no heart, be assured that I shall not concern myself about it,
since, if anybody can help her to discover one, it is myself. My
worthy father-in-law, farewell!'
The reading of this letter embarrassed and displeased Farda- Kinbras
and Birbantine immensely, while the Princess was furious at the
insolence of the demand. They all three resolved that its contents
must be kept a profound secret until they could decide what reply
should be sent, but Mousta contrived to send word of all that had
passed to Prince Mannikin. He was naturally alarmed and indignant,
and, after thinking it over a little, he begged an audience of the
Princess, and led the conversation so cunningly up to the subject
that was uppermost in her thoughts, as well as his own, that she
presently told him all about the matter and asked his advice as to
what it would be best to do. This was exactly what he had not been
able to decide for himself; however, he replied that he should
advise her to gain a little time by promising her answer after the
grand entry of the Ambassador, and this was accordingly done.
The Ambassador did not at all like being put off after that fashion,
but he was obliged to be content, and only said very arrogantly that
so soon as his equipages arrived, as he expected they would do very
shortly, he would give all the people of the city, and the stranger
Princes with whom it was inundated, an idea of the power and the
magnificence of his master. Mannikin, in despair, resolved that he
would for once beg the assistance of the kind Fairy Genesta. He
often thought of her and always with gratitude, but from the moment
of his setting out he had determined to seek her aid only on the
greatest occasions. That very night, when he had fallen asleep quite
worn out with thinking over all the difficulties of the situation,
he dreamed that the Fairy stood beside him, and said:
'Mannikin, you have done very well so far; continue to please me and
you shall always find good friends when you need them most. As for
this affair with the Ambassador, you can assure Sabella that she may
look forward tranquilly to his triumphal entry, since it will all
turn out well for her in the end.'
The Prince tried to throw himself at her feet to thank her, but woke
to find it was all a dream; nevertheless he took fresh courage, and
went next day to see the Princess, to whom he gave many mysterious
assurances that all would yet be well. He even went so far as to ask
her if she would not be very grateful to anyone who would rid her of
the insolent Brandatimor. To which she replied that her gratitude
would know no bounds. Then he wanted to know what would be her best
wish for the person who was lucky enough to accomplish it. To which
she said that she would wish them to be as insensible to the folly
called 'love' as she was herself!
This was indeed a crushing speech to make to such a devoted lover as
Prince Mannikin, but he concealed the pain it caused him with great
courage.
And now the Ambassador sent to say that on the very next day he
would come in state to receive his answer, and from the earliest
dawn the inhabitants were astir, to secure the best places for the
grand sight; but the good Fairy Genesta was providing them an amount
of amusement they were far from expecting, for she so enchanted the
eyes of all the spectators that when the Ambassador's gorgeous
procession appeared, the splendid uniforms seemed to them miserable
rags that a beggar would have been ashamed to wear, the prancing
horses appeared as wretched skeletons hardly able to drag one leg
after the other, while their trappings, which really sparkled with
gold and jewels, looked like old sheepskins that would not have been
good enough for a plough horse. The pages resembled the ugliest
sweeps. The trumpets gave no more sound than whistles made of
onion-stalks, or combs wrapped in paper; while the train of fifty
carriages looked no better than fifty donkey carts. In the last of
these sat the Ambassador with the haughty and scornful air which he
considered becoming in the representative of so powerful a monarch:
for this was the crowning point of the absurdity of the whole
procession, that all who took part in it wore the expression of
vanity and self-satisfaction and pride in their own appearance and
all their surroundings which they believed their splendour amply
justified.
The laughter and howls of derision from the whole crowd rose ever
louder and louder as the extraordinary cortege advanced, and at last
reached the ears of the King as he waited in the audience hall, and
before the procession reached the palace he had been informed of its
nature, and, supposing that it must be intended as an insult, he
ordered the gates to be closed. You may imagine the fury of the
Ambassador when, after all his pomp and pride, the King absolutely
and unaccountably refused to receive him. He raved wildly both
against King and people, and the cortege retired in great confusion,
jeered at and pelted with stones and mud by the enraged crowd. It is
needless to say that he left the country as fast as horses could
carry him, but not before he had declared war, with the most
terrible menaces, threatening to devastate the country with fire and
sword.
Some days after this disastrous embassy King Bayard sent couriers to
Prince Mannikin with a most friendly letter, offering his services
in any difficulty, and enquiring with the deepest interest how he
fared.
Mannikin at once replied, relating all that had happened since they
parted, not forgetting to mention the event which had just involved
Farda-Kinbras and Brandatimor in this deadly quarrel, and he ended
by entreating his faithful friend to despatch a few thousands of his
veteran spaniels to his assistance.
Neither the King, the Queen, nor the Princess could in the least
understand the amazing conduct of Brandatimor's Ambassador;
nevertheless the preparations for the war went forward briskly and
all the Princes who had not gone on towards the Ice Mountain offered
their services, at the same time demanding all the best appointments
in the King's army. Mannikin was one of the first to volunteer, but
he only asked to go as aide-de-camp to the Commander-in chief, who
was a gallant soldier and celebrated for his victories. As soon as
the army could be got together it was marched to the frontier, where
it met the opposing force headed by Brandatimor himself, who was
full of fury, determined to avenge the insult to his Ambassador and
to possess himself of the Princess Sabella. All the army of
Farda-Kinbras could do, being so heavily outnumbered, was to act
upon the defensive, and before long Mannikin won the esteem of the
officers for his ability, and of the soldiers for his courage, and
care for their welfare, and in all the skirmishes which he conducted
he had the good fortune to vanquish the enemy.
At last Brandatimor engaged the whole army in a terrific conflict,
and though the troops of Farda-Kinbras fought with desperate
courage, their general was killed, and they were defeated and forced
to retreat with immense loss. Mannikin did wonders, and half-a-dozen
times turned the retreating forces and beat back the enemy; and he
afterwards collected troops enough to keep them in check until, the
severe winter setting in, put an end to hostilities for a while.
He then returned to the Court, where consternation reigned. The King
was in despair at the death of his trusty general, and ended by
imploring Mannikin to take the command of the army, and his counsel
was followed in all the affairs of the Court. He followed up his
former plan of amusing the Princess, and on no account reminding her
of that tedious thing called 'love,' so that she was always glad to
see him, and the winter slipped by gaily for both of them.
The Prince was all the while secretly making plans for the next
campaign; he received private intelligence of the arrival of a
strong reinforcement of Spaniels, to whom he sent orders to post
themselves along the frontier without attracting attention, and as
soon as he possibly could he held a consultation with their
Commander, who was an old and experienced warrior. Following his
advice, he decided to have a pitched battle as soon as the enemy
advanced, and this Brandatimor lost not a moment in doing, as he was
perfectly persuaded that he was now going to make an end of the war
and utterly vanquish Farda-Kinbras. But no sooner had he given the
order to charge than the Spaniels, who had mingled with his troops
unperceived, leaped each upon the horse nearest to him, and not only
threw the whole squadron into confusion by the terror they caused,
but, springing at the throats of the riders, unhorsed many of them
by the suddenness of their attack; then turning the horses to the
rear, they spread consternation everywhere, and made it easy for
Prince Mannikin to gain a complete victory. He met Brandatimor in
single combat, and succeeded in taking him prisoner; but he did not
live to reach the Court, to which Mannikin had sent him: his pride
killed him at the thought of appearing before Sabella under these
altered circumstances. In the meantime Prince Fadasse and all the
others who had remained behind were setting out with all speed for
the conquest of the Ice Mountain, being afraid that Prince Mannikin
might prove as successful in that as he seemed to be in everything
else, and when Mannikin returned he heard of it with great
annoyance. True he had been serving the Princess, but she only
admired and praised him for his gallant deeds, and seemed no whit
nearer bestowing on him the love he so ardently desired, and all the
comfort Mousta could give him on the subject was that at least she
loved no one else, and with that he had to content himself. But he
determined that, come what might, he would delay no longer, but
attempt the great undertaking for which he had come so far. When he
went to take leave of the King and Queen they entreated him not to
go, as they had just heard that Prince Fadasse, and all who
accompanied him, had perished in the snow; but he persisted in his
resolve. As for Sabella, she gave him her hand to kiss with
precisely the same gracious indifference as she had given it to him
the first time they met. It happened that this farewell took place
before the whole Court, and so great a favourite had Prince Mannikin
become that they were all indignant at the coldness with which the
Princess treated him.
Finally the King said to him:
'Prince, you have constantly refilled all the gifts which, in my
gratitude for your invaluable services, I have offered to you, but I
wish the Princess to present you with her cloak of marten's fur, and
that I hope you will not reject!' Now this was a splendid fur mantle
which the Princess was very fond of wearing, not so much because she
felt cold, as that its richness set off to perfection the delicate
tints of her complexion and the brilliant gold of her hair. However,
she took it off, and with graceful politeness begged Prince Mannikin
to accept it, which you may be sure he was charmed to do, and,
taking only this and a little bundle of all kinds of wood, and
accompanied only by two spaniels out of the fifty who had stayed
with him when the war was ended, he set forth, receiving many tokens
of love and favour from the people in every town he passed through.
At the last little village he left his horse behind him, to begin
his toilful march through the snow, which extended, blank and
terrible, in every direction as far as the eye could see. Here he
had appointed to meet the other forty- eight spaniels, who received
him joyfully, and assured him that, happen what might, they would
follow and serve him faithfully. And so they started, full of heart
and hope. At first there was a slight track, difficult, but not
impossible to follow; but this was soon lost, and the Pole Star was
their only guide. When the time came to call a halt, the Prince, who
had after much consideration decided on his plan of action, caused a
few twigs from the faggot he had brought with him to be planted in
the snow, and then he sprinkled over them a pinch of the magic
powder he had collected from the enchanted boat. To his great joy
they instantly began to sprout and grow, and in a marvellously short
time the camp was surrounded by a perfect grove of trees of all
sorts, which blossomed and bore ripe fruit, so that all their wants
were easily supplied, and they were able to make huge fires to warm
themselves. The Prince then sent out several spaniels to
reconnoitre, and they had the good luck to discover a horse laden
with provisions stuck fast in the snow. They at once fetched their
comrades, and brought the spoil triumphantly into the camp, and, as
it consisted principally of biscuits, not a spaniel among them went
supperless to sleep. In this way they journeyed by day and encamped
safely at night, always remembering to take on a few branches to
provide them with food and shelter. They passed by the way armies of
those who had set out upon the perilous enterprise, who stood frozen
stiffly, without sense or motion; but Prince Mannikin strictly
forbade that any attempt should be made to thaw them. So they went
on and on for more than three months, and day by day the Ice
Mountain, which they had seen for a long time, grew clearer, until
at last they stood close to it, and shuddered at its height and
steepness. But by patience and perseverance they crept up foot by
foot, aided by their fires of magic wood, without which they must
have perished in the intense cold, until presently they stood at the
gates of the magnificent Ice Palace which crowned the mountain,
where, in deadly silence and icy sleep, lay the heart of Sabella.
Now the difficulty became immense, for if they maintained enough
heat to keep themselves alive they were in danger every moment of
melting the blocks of solid ice of which the palace was entirely
built, and bringing the whole structure down upon their heads; but
cautiously and quickly they traversed courtyards and halls, until
they found themselves at the foot of a vast throne, where, upon a
cushion of snow, lay an enormous and brilliantly sparkling diamond,
which contained the heart of the lovely Princess Sabella. Upon the
lowest step of the throne was inscribed in icy letters, 'Whosoever
thou art who by courage and virtue canst win the heart of Sabella
enjoy peacefully the good fortune which thou hast richly deserved.'
Prince Mannikin bounded forward, and had just strength left to grasp
the precious diamond which contained all he coveted in the world
before he fell insensible upon the snowy cushion. But his good
spaniels lost no time in rushing to the rescue, and between them
they bore him hastily from the hall, and not a moment too soon, for
all around them they heard the clang of the falling blocks of ice as
the Fairy Palace slowly collapsed under the unwonted heat. Not until
they reached the foot of the mountain did they pause to restore the
Prince to consciousness, and then his joy to find himself the
possessor of Sabella's heart knew no bounds.
With all speed they began to retrace their steps, but this time the
happy Prince could not bear the sight of his defeated and
disappointed rivals, whose frozen forms lined his triumphant way. He
gave orders to his spaniels to spare no pains to restore them to
life, and so successful were they that day by day his train
increased, so that by the time he got back to the little village
where he had left his horse he was escorted by five hundred
sovereign Princes, and knights and squires without number, and he
was so courteous and unassuming that they all followed him
willingly, anxious to do him honour. But then he was so happy and
blissful himself that he found it easy to be at peace with all the
world. It was not long before he met the faithful Mousta, who was
coming at the top of his speed hoping to meet the Prince, that he
might tell him of the sudden and wonderful change that had come over
the Princess, who had become gentle and thoughtful and had talked to
him of nothing but Prince Mannikin, of the hardships she feared he
might be suffering, and of her anxiety for him, and all this with a
hundred fonder expressions which put the finishing stroke to the
Prince's delight. Then came a courier bearing the congratulations of
the King and Queen, who had just heard of his successful return, and
there was even a graceful compliment from Sabella herself. The
Prince sent Mousta back to her, and he was welcomed with joy, for
was he not her lover's present?
At last the travellers reached the capital, and were received with
regal magnificence. Farda-Kinbras and Birbantine embraced Prince
Mannikin, declaring that they regarded him as their heir and the
future husband of the Princess, to which he replied that they did
him too much honour. And then he was admitted into the presence of
the Princess, who for the first time in her life blushed as he
kissed her hand, and could not find a word to say. But the Prince,
throwing himself on his knees beside her, held out the splendid
diamond, saying:
'Madam, this treasure is yours, since none of the dangers and
difficulties I have gone through have been sufficient to make me
deserve it.'
'Ah! Prince,' said she, 'if I take it, it is only that I may give it
back to you, since truly it belongs to you already.'
At this moment in came the King and Queen, and interrupted them by
asking all the questions imaginable, and not infrequently the same
over and over again. It seems that there is always one thing that is
sure to be said about an event by everybody, and Prince Mannikin
found that the question which he was asked by more than a thousand
people on this particular occasion was:
'And didn't you find it very cold?'
The King had come to request Prince Mannikin and the Princess to
follow him to the Council Chamber, which they did, not knowing that
he meant to present the Prince to all the nobles assembled there as
his son-in-law and successor. But when Mannikin perceived his
intention, he begged permission to speak first, and told his whole
story, even to the fact that he believed himself to be a peasant's
son. Scarcely had he finished speaking when the sky grew black, the
thunder growled, and the lightning flashed, and in the blaze of
light the good Fairy Genesta suddenly appeared. Turning to Prince
Mannikin, she said:
'I am satisfied with you, since you have shown not only courage but
a good heart.' Then she addressed King Farda-Kinbras, and informed
him of the real history of the Prince, and how she had determined to
give him the education she knew would be best for a man who was to
command others. 'You have already found the advantage of having a
faithful friend,' she added to the Prince 'and now you will have the
pleasure of seeing King Bayard and his subjects regain their natural
forms as a reward for his kindness to you.'
Just then arrived a chariot drawn by eagles, which proved to contain
the foolish King and Queen, who embraced their long-lost son with
great joy, and were greatly struck with the fact that they did
indeed find him covered with fur! While they were caressing Sabella
and wringing her hands (which is a favourite form of endearment with
foolish people) chariots were seen approaching from all points of
the compass, containing numbers of Fairies.
'Sire,' said Genesta to Farda-Kinbras, 'I have taken the liberty of
appointing your Court as a meeting-place for all the Fairies who
could spare the time to come; and I hope you can arrange to hold the
great ball, which we have once in a hundred years, on this
occasion.'
The King having suitably acknowledged the honour done him, was next
reconciled to Gorgonzola, and they two presently opened the ball
together. The Fairy Marsontine restored their natural forms to King
Bayard and all his subjects, and he appeared once more as handsome a
king as you could wish to see. One of the Fairies immediately
despatched her chariot for the Queen of the Spice Islands, and their
wedding took place at the same time as that of Prince Mannikin and
the lovely and gracious Sabella. They lived happily ever afterwards,
and their vast kingdoms were presently divided between their
children.
The Prince, out of grateful remembrance of the Princess Sabella's
first gift to him bestowed the right of bearing her name upon the
most beautiful of the martens, and that is why they are called
sables to this day.
Heart Of Ice
from the Green Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
