The Orange Fairy Book (30 page)

'Yes, truly I know where they are,' answered he, 'and I say not that
they may not be brought to life again. But the perils are great—too
great for you to overcome.'

'Tell me what they are,' said Covan again, 'and I shall know better if
I may overcome them.'

'Listen, then, and judge. In the mountain yonder there dwells a roe,
white of foot, with horns that branch like the antlers of a deer. On
the lake that leads to the land of the Sun floats a duck whose body is
green and whose neck is of gold. In the pool of Corri- Bui swims a
salmon with a skin that shines like silver, and whose gills are
red—bring them all to me, and then you shall know where dwell your
brothers and your sister!'

'To-morrow at cock-crow I will begone!' answered Covan.

The way to the mountain lay straight before him, and when he had
climbed high he caught sight of the roe with the white feet and the
spotted sides, on the peak in front.

Full of hope he set out in pursuit of her, but by the time he had
reached that peak she had left it and was to be seen on another. And
so it always happened, and Covan's courage had well-nigh failed him,
when the thought of the Dog of Maol-mor darted into his mind.

'Oh, that he was here!' he cried. And looking up he saw him.

'Why did you summon me?' asked the Dog of Maol-mor. And when Covan had
told him of his trouble, and how the roe always led him further and
further, the Dog only answered:

'Fear nothing; I will soon catch her for you.' And in a short while he
laid the roe unhurt at Covan's feet.

'What will you wish me to do with her?' said the Dog. And Covan
answered:

'The old man bade me bring her, and the duck with the golden neck, and
the salmon with the silver sides, to his cottage; if I shall catch
them, I know not. But carry you the roe to the back of the cottage,
and tether her so that she cannot escape.'

'It shall be done,' said the Dog of Maol-mor.

Then Covan sped to the lake which led to the land of the Sun, where the
duck with the green body and the golden neck was swimming among the
water-lilies.

'Surely I can catch him, good swimmer as I am,' to himself. But, if he
could swim well, the duck could swim better, and at length his strength
failed him, and he was forced to seek the land.

'Oh that the black raven were here to help me!' he thought to himself.
And in a moment the black raven was perched on his shoulder.

'How can I help you?' asked the raven. And Covan answered:

'Catch me the green duck that floats on the water.' And the raven flew
with his strong wings and picked him up in his strong beak, and in
another moment the bird was laid at the feet of Covan.

This time it was easy for the young man to carry his prize, and after
giving thanks to the raven for his aid, he went on to the river.

In the deep dark pool of which the old man had spoken the silver-sided
salmon was lying under a rock.

'Surely I, good fisher as I am, can catch him,' said Covan son of
Gorla. And cutting a slender pole from a bush, he fastened a line to
the end of it. But cast with what skill he might, it availed nothing,
for the salmon would not even look at the bait.

'I am beaten at last, unless the Doran-donn can deliver me,' he cried.
And as he spoke there was a swish of the water, and the face of the
Doran-donn looked up at him.

'O catch me, I pray you, that salmon under the rock!' said Covan son of
Gorla. And the Doran-donn dived, and laying hold of the salmon by his
tail, bore it back to the place where Covan was standing.

'The roe, and the duck, and the salmon are here,' said Covan to the old
man, when he reached the cottage. And the old man smiled on him and
bade him eat and drink, and after he hungered no more, he would speak
with him.

And this was what the old man said: 'You began well, my son, so things
have gone well with you. You set store by your mother's blessing,
therefore you have been blest. You gave food to the raven when it
hungered, you were true to the promise you had made to me, and did not
suffer yourself to be turned aside by vain shows. You were skilled to
perceive that the boy who tempted you to leave the temple was a teller
of false tales, and took with a grateful heart what the poor had to
offer you. Last of all, difficulties gave you courage, instead of
lending you despair.

And now, as to your reward, you shall in truth take your sister home
with you, and your brothers I will restore to life; but idle and
unfaithful as they are their lot is to wander for ever. And so
farewell, and may wisdom be with you.'

'First tell me your name?' asked Covan softly.

'I am the Spirit of Age,' said the old man.

(Taken from a Celtic Story. Translated by Doctor Macleod Clarke.)

Once upon a time there lived a man who had two sons. When they grew up
the elder went to seek his fortune in a far country, and for many years
no one heard anything about him. Meanwhile the younger son stayed at
home with his father, who died at last in a good old age, leaving great
riches behind him.

For some time the son who stayed at home spent his father's wealth
freely, believing that he alone remained to enjoy it. But, one day, as
he was coming down stairs, he was surprised to see a stranger enter the
hall, looking about as if the house belonged to him.

'Have you forgotten me?' asked the man.

'I can't forget a person I have never known,' was the rude answer.

'I am your brother,' replied the stranger, 'and I have returned home
without the money I hoped to have made. And, what is worse, they tell
me in the village that my father is dead. I would have counted my lost
gold as nothing if I could have seen him once more.'

'He died six months ago,' said the rich brother, 'and he left you, as
your portion, the old wooden chest that stands in the loft. You had
better go there and look for it; I have no more time to waste.' And he
went his way.

So the wanderer turned his steps to the loft, which was at the top of
the storehouse, and there he found the wooden chest, so old that it
looked as if it were dropping to pieces.

'What use is this old thing to me?' he said to himself. 'Oh, well, it
will serve to light a fire at which I can warm myself; so things might
be worse after all.'

Placing the chest on his back, the man, whose name was Jose, set out
for his inn, and, borrowing a hatchet, began to chop up the box. In
doing so he discovered a secret drawer, and in it lay a paper. He
opened the paper, not knowing what it might contain, and was astonished
to find that it was the acknowledgment of a large debt that was owing
to his father. Putting the precious writing in his pocket, he hastily
inquired of the landlord where he could find the man whose name was
written inside, and he ran out at once in search of him.

The debtor proved to be an old miser, who lived at the other end of the
village. He had hoped for many months that the paper he had written
had been lost or destroyed, and, indeed, when he saw it, was very
unwilling to pay what he owed. However, the stranger threatened to
drag him before the king, and when the miser saw that there was no help
for it he counted out the coins one by one. The stranger picked them
up and put them in his pocket, and went back to his inn feeling that he
was now a rich man.

A few weeks after this he was walking through the streets of the
nearest town, when he met a poor woman crying bitterly. He stopped and
asked her what was the matter, and she answered between her sobs that
her husband was dying, and, to make matters worse, a creditor whom he
could not pay was anxious to have him taken to prison.

'Comfort yourself,' said the stranger kindly; 'they shall neither send
your husband to prison nor sell your goods. I will not only pay his
debts but, if he dies, the cost of his burial also. And now go home,
and nurse him as well as you can.'

And so she did; but, in spite of her care, the husband died, and was
buried by the stranger. But everything cost more than he expected, and
when all was paid he found that only three gold pieces were left.

'What am I to do now?' said he to himself. 'I think I had better go to
court, and enter into the service of the king.'

At first he was only a servant, who carried the king the water for his
bath, and saw that his bed was made in a particular fashion. But he
did his duties so well that his master soon took notice of him, and in
a short time he rose to be a gentleman of the bedchamber.

Now, when this happened the younger brother had spent all the money he
had inherited, and did not know how to make any for himself. He then
bethought him of the king's favourite, and went whining to the palace
to beg that his brother, whom he had so ill-used, would give him his
protection, and find him a place. The elder, who was always ready to
help everyone spoke to the king on his behalf, and the next day the
young man took up is work at court.

Unfortunately, the new-comer was by nature spiteful and envious, and
could not bear anyone to have better luck than himself. By dint of
spying through keyholes and listening at doors, he learned that the
king, old and ugly though he was, had fallen in love with the Princess
Bella-Flor, who would have nothing to say to him, and had hidden
herself in some mountain castle, no one knew where.

'That will do nicely,' thought the scoundrel, rubbing his hands. 'It
will be quite easy to get the king to send my brother in search of her,
and if he returns without finding her, his head will be the forfeit.
Either way, he will be out of MY path.'

So he went at once to the Lord High Chamberlain and craved an audience
of the king, to whom he declared he wished to tell some news of the
highest importance. The king admitted him into the presence chamber
without delay, and bade him state what he had to say, and to be quick
about it.

'Oh, sire! the Princess Bella-Flor—' answered the man, and then
stopped as if afraid.

'What of the Princess Bella-Flor?' asked the king impatiently.

'I have heard—it is whispered at court—that your majesty desires to
know where she lies in hiding.'

'I would give half my kingdom to the man who will bring her to me,'
cried the king, eagerly. 'Speak on, knave; has a bird of the air
revealed to you the secret?'

'It is not I, but my brother, who knows,' replied the traitor; 'if your
majesty would ask him—' But before the words were out of his mouth the
king had struck a blow with his sceptre on a golden plate that hung on
the wall.

'Order Jose to appear before me instantly,' he shouted to the servant
who ran to obey his orders, so great was the noise his majesty had
made; and when Jose entered the hall, wondering what in the world could
be the matter, the king was nearly dumb from rage and excitement.

'Bring me the Princess Bella-Flor this moment,' stammered he, 'for if
you return without her I will have you drowned!' And without another
word he left the hall, leaving Jose staring with surprise and horror.

'How can I find the Princess Bella-Flor when I have never even seen
her?' thought he. 'But it is no use staying here, for I shall only be
put to death.' And he walked slowly to the stables to choose himself a
horse.

There were rows upon rows of fine beasts with their names written in
gold above their stalls, and Jose was looking uncertainly from one to
the other, wondering which he should choose, when an old white horse
turned its head and signed to him to approach.

'Take me,' it said in a gentle whisper, 'and all will go well.'

Jose still felt so bewildered with the mission that the king had given
him that he forgot to be astonished at hearing a horse talk.
Mechanically he laid his hand on the bridle and led the white horse out
of the stable. He was about to mount on his back, when the animal
spoke again:

'Pick up those three loaves of bread which you see there, and put them
in your pocket.'

Jose did as he was told, and being in a great hurry to get away, asked
no questions, but swung himself into the saddle.

They rode far without meeting any adventures, but at length they came
to an ant-hill, and the horse stopped.

'Crumble those three loaves for the ants,' he said. But Jose hesitated.

'Why, we may want them ourselves!' answered he.

'Never mind that; give them to the ants all the same. Do not lose a
chance of helping others.' And when the loaves lay in crumbs on the
road, the horse galloped on.

By-and-by they entered a rocky pass between two mountains, and here
they saw an eagle which had been caught in a hunter's net.

'Get down and cut the meshes of the net, and set the poor bird free,'
said the horse.

'But it will take so long,' objected Jose, 'and we may miss the
princess.'

'Never mind that; do not lose a chance of helping others,' answered the
horse. And when the meshes were cut, and the eagle was free, the horse
galloped on.

The had ridden many miles, and at last they came to a river, where they
beheld a little fish lying gasping on the sand, and the horse said:

'Do you see that little fish? It will die if you do not put it back in
the water.'

'But, really, we shall never find the Princess Bella-Flor if we waste
our time like this!' cried Jose.

'We never waste time when we are helping others,' answered the horse.
And soon the little fish was swimming happily away.

A little while after they reached a castle, which was built in the
middle of a very thick wood, and right in front was the Princess
Bella-Flor feeding her hens.

'Now listen,' said the horse. 'I am going to give all sorts of little
hops and skips, which will amuse the Princess Bella-Flor. Then she
will tell you that she would like to ride a little way, and you must
help her to mount. When she is seated I shall begin to neigh and kick,
and you must say that I have never carried a woman before, and that you
had better get up behind so as to be able to manage me. Once on my
back we will go like the wind to the king's palace.'