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fodder. The maid was just milking the cow, and when she heard
some one speaking, and saw no one, and perceived that it was the
same voice that she had heard in the night, she was so
terrified that she slipped off her stool, and spilt the milk.
She ran in great haste to her master, and said, oh heavens,
pastor, the cow has been speaking. You are mad, replied the
pastor, but he went himself to the byre to see what was there.
Hardly, however had he set his foot inside when thumbling again
cried, bring me no more fodder, bring me no more fodder. Then
the pastor himself was alarmed, and thought that an evil
spirit had gone into the cow, and ordered her to be killed. She was
killed, but the stomach, in which thumbling was, was thrown on
the dunghill. Thumbling had great difficulty in working his
way out. However, he succeeded so far as to get some room, but
just as he was going to thrust his head out, a new misfortune
occurred. A hungry wolf ran thither, and swallowed the whole
stomach at one gulp. Thumbling did not lose courage. Perhaps,
thought he, the wolf will listen to what I have got to say. And
he called to him from out of his belly, dear wolf, I know of a
magnificent feast for you.
Where is it to be had, said the wolf.
In such and such a house. You must creep into it through the
kitchen-sink, and will find cakes, and bacon, and sausages, and
as much of them as you can eat. And he described to him exactly
his father's house. The wolf did not require to be told this
twice, squeezed himself in at night through the sink, and ate to
his heart's content in the larder. When he had eaten his fill,
he wanted to go out again, but he had become so big that he could
not go out by the same way. Thumbling had reckoned on this, and
now began to make a violent noise in the wolf's body, and raged
and screamed as loudly as he could. Will you be quiet, said the
wolf, you will waken up the people. What do I care, replied the
little fellow, you have eaten your fill, and I will make merry
likewise. And began once more to scream with all his strength.
At last his father and mother were aroused by it, and ran to the
room and looked in through the opening in the door. When they
saw that a wolf was inside, they ran away, and teh husband
fetched his axe, and the wife the scythe. Stay behind, said the
man, when they entered the room. When I have given the blow, if
he is not killed by it, you must cut him down and hew his body
to pieces. Then thumbling heard his parents, voices and cried,
dear father, I am here, I am in the wolf's body. Said the father,
full of joy, thank God, our dear child has found us again. And
bade the
woman take away her scythe, that thumbling might not be hurt
with it. After that he raised his arm, and struck the wolf
such a blow on his head that he fell down
dead, and then they got knives and scissors and cut his body open
and drew the little fellow forth.
Ah, said the father, what sorrow we have gone through for your
sake. Yes father, I have gone about the world a great deal.
Thank heaven, I breathe fresh air again. Where have you been,
then. Ah, father, I have been in a mouse's hole, in a cow's
belly, and then in a wolf's paunch. Now I will stay with you.
And we will not sell you again, no not for all the riches in
the world, said his parents, and they embraced and kissed their
dear thumbling. They gave him to eat and to drink, and had
some new clothes made for him, for his own had been spoiled
on his journey.
There was once a poor servant-girl who was industrious and cleanly
and swept the house every day, and emptied her sweepings on the
great heap in front of the door. One morning when she was just
going back to her work, she found a letter on this heap, and as
she could not read, she put her broom in the corner, and took the
letter to her employers, and behold it was an invitation from
the elves, who asked the girl to hold a child for them at its
christening. The girl did not know what to do, but, at length,
after much persuasion, and as they told her that it was not
right to refuse an invitation of this kind, she consented.
Then three elves came and conducted her to a hollow mountain,
where the little folks lived. Everything there was small, but
more elegant and beautiful than can be described. The baby's
mother lay in a bed of black ebony ornamented with pearls, the
covers were embroidered with gold, the cradle was of ivory, the
bath-tub of gold. The girl stood as godmother, and then wanted
to go home again, but the little elves urgently entreated her to
stay three days with them. So she stayed, and passed the time in
pleasure and gaiety, and the little folks did all they could to
make her happy. At last she set out on her way home. But first
they filled her pockets quite full of money, and then they led
her out of the mountain again. When she got home, she wanted to
to begin her work, and took the broom, which was still standing
in the corner, in her hand and began to sweep. Then some
strangers came out of the house, who asked her who she was, and
what business she had there. And she had not, as she thought,
been three days with the little men in the mountains, but
seven years, and in the meantime her former masters had died.
A certain mother had her child taken out of its cradle by the
elves, and a changeling with a large head and staring eyes,
which would do nothing but eat and drink, lay in its place.
In her trouble she went to her neighbor, and asked her advice.
The neighbour said that she was to carry the changeling into the
kitchen, set it down on the hearth, light a fire, and boil
some water in two egg-shells, which would make the changeling