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Simon the seventh is pardoned.' |
Then the king gave each brother a goblet of wine and invited them to the |
wedding feast. And what a feast that was! |
The Language of Beasts |
Once upon a time a man had a shepherd who served him many years |
faithfully and honestly. One day, whilst herding his flock, this |
shepherd heard a hissing sound, coming out of the forest near by, which |
he could not account for. So he went into the wood in the direction of |
the noise to try to discover the cause. When he approached the place |
he found that the dry grass and leaves were on fire, and on a tree, |
surrounded by flames, a snake was coiled, hissing with terror. |
The shepherd stood wondering how the poor snake could escape, for |
the wind was blowing the flames that way, and soon that tree would be |
burning like the rest. Suddenly the snake cried: 'O shepherd! for the |
love of heaven save me from this fire!' |
Then the shepherd stretched his staff out over the flames and the snake |
wound itself round the staff and up to his hand, and from his hand |
it crept up his arm, and twined itself about his neck. The shepherd |
trembled with fright, expecting every instant to be stung to death, and |
said: 'What an unlucky man I am! Did I rescue you only to be destroyed |
myself?' But the snake answered: 'Have no fear; only carry me home to my |
father who is the King of the Snakes.' The shepherd, however, was much |
too frightened to listen, and said that he could not go away and leave |
his flock alone; but the snake said: 'You need not be afraid to leave |
your flock, no evil shall befall them; but make all the haste you can.' |
So he set off through the wood carrying the snake, and after a time he |
came to a great gateway, made entirely of snakes intertwined one with |
another. The shepherd stood still with surprise, but the snake round his |
neck whistled, and immediately all the arch unwound itself. |
'When we are come to my father's house,' said his own snake to him, 'he |
will reward you with anything you like to ask--silver, gold, jewels, |
or whatever on this earth is most precious; but take none of all these |
things, ask rather to understand the language of beasts. He will refuse |
it to you a long time, but in the end he will grant it to you.' |
Soon after that they arrived at the house of the King of the Snakes, who |
burst into tears of joy at the sight of his daughter, as he had given |
her up for dead. 'Where have you been all this time?' he asked, directly |
he could speak, and she told him that she had been caught in a forest |
fire, and had been rescued from the flames by the shepherd. The King of |
the Snakes, then turning to the shepherd, said to him: 'What reward will |
you choose for saving my child?' |
'Make me to know the language of beasts,' answered the shepherd, 'that |
is all I desire.' |
The king replied: 'Such knowledge would be of no benefit to you, for if |
I granted it to you and you told any one of it, you would immediately |
die; ask me rather for whatever else you would most like to possess, and |
it shall be yours.' |
But the shepherd answered him: 'Sir, if you wish to reward me for saving |
your daughter, grant me, I pray you, to know the language of beasts. I |
desire nothing else'; and he turned as if to depart. |
Then the king called him back, saying: 'If nothing else will satisfy |
you, open your mouth.' The man obeyed, and the king spat into it, and |
said: 'Now spit into my mouth.' The shepherd did as he was told, then |
the King of the Snakes spat again into the shepherd's mouth. When they |
had spat into each other's mouths three times, the king said: |
'Now you know the language of beasts, go in peace; but, if you value |
your life, beware lest you tell any one of it, else you will immediately |
die.' |
So the shepherd set out for home, and on his way through the wood he |
heard and understood all that was said by the birds, and by every living |
creature. When he got back to his sheep he found the flock grazing |
peacefully, and as he was very tired he laid himself down by them to |
rest a little. Hardly had he done so when two ravens flew down and |
perched on a tree near by, and began to talk to each other in their own |
language: 'If that shepherd only knew that there is a vault full of gold |
and silver beneath where that lamb is lying, what would he not do?' When |
the shepherd heard these words he went straight to his master and told |
him, and the master at once took a waggon, and broke open the door of |
the vault, and they carried off the treasure. But instead of keeping it |
for himself, the master, who was an honourable man, gave it all up to |
the shepherd, saying: 'Take it, it is yours. The gods have given it to |
you.' So the shepherd took the treasure and built himself a house. He |
married a wife, and they lived in great peace and happiness, and he was |
acknowledged to be the richest man, not only of his native village, but |
of all the country-side. He had flocks of sheep, and cattle, and horses |
without end, as well as beautiful clothes and jewels. |
One day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife: 'Prepare everything |
for a great feast, to-morrow we will take things with us to the farm |
that the shepherds there may make merry.' The wife obeyed, and all was |
prepared as he desired. Next day they both went to the farm, and in the |