Year: 1873




AT last he had travelled over all coun-
tries except the wild ones, and so he
wanted to go there. They eat Christian
men there, to be sure, the professor
knew, but then he was not properly Il
Christian, and the flea was not properly
a man, SO he thought they might ven
turc to travel there and have good
success.


They Travelled by steamship and by
sailing vessel the flea performed his
tricks, and SO they got a free passage on
the way, and arrived at the wild coun-
try. Here rcigned little princess.
She was only eight years old, but she
was reigning. She had taken away the
power from her father and mother, for
she had will, and then she was extraor-
dinarily beautiful rude.


just as soon as the flea bad presented
arms end fired off the cannon, she was
SO enrapturcd with him that she said,
"Him, or nobody I" She became quite
wild with love, and was already wild
i'll other ways.


"Swcet, little, sensible child !" said
her own father. eff one could only
first make man of him -


"Lcave him to me, old man," said
she, and that was not well said by
little princess when talking with her
father, but she was wild. She set the
/ flea on her white hand.


"Now you arc man rcigning with
me, but you shall do what want you
to, or else I'll kill you, and eat the pro-
fcssor." The professor had a great hall
to live in The walls were made of
sugar cane, and he could lick them, but
he was not sweet tooth. He had
hammock to sleep in. 1t was as if he
were lying in balloon, such as he had
always wished for himself-that was his
constant thought.


The flea lived with the princess, sat
upon her delicate hand and upon her
white neck. She had taken hair from
her head and made the professor tic it
to the tlea's leg, and SO she kept him
tied to the great red coral drop which
she wore in her ear-tip. What delight
full time the princess had, and the flea
too, she thought, but the professor was
not comfortable. He was a traveller
he liked to drive from town to town, and
read about his perseverance and clever
ness in teaching a flea to do what men
do. But he got out of and into his
hammock, lounged about and had good
feeding fresh birds eggs, elephants
eyes, and roast giraffe. People that eat
men do not live entirely on cooked men
no, that is a great delicacy. "Shoul-
der of children with sharp sauce" said
the princess mother, "is the most
delicate.


The professor was tired of it all, and
would rather go away from the wild
land, but he must have his flea with
him, for that was his prodigy, and his
bread and butter How was he to get
hold of him. That was no easy matter.
He strained all his wits, and then he
said:


"Now have it,


Princess father grant me favor.
May / summon your subjects to pre-
sent themselves before your Royal High
ness? That is what is called ceremony
in the high and mighty countries of the
world"


"Can I, too, learn to do that?" asked
the prime, IS father


"That is not quite proper" replied
the professor; "but I shall teach your
wild fathcrship to fire cannon off. 1t
goes off with bang. One sits high up
aloft, and then off it goes or down he
comcs."


"Lct me crack it off," said the
princess father. But in all the land
there was no cannon except the one the
flea had brought, and that was SO very
small.


81 will cast bigger one," said
the professor. "Only give me the
means. I must have fine silk stuff,
needle and thread, rope and cord, to-
gethcr with cordial drops for the bal
loon, they blow one up SO easily and
give one the hcaves; they are what
make the report in the cannon's inside. I"


"By all. means," said the princess
father, and gave him what he called for.





All the court and the entire population
came together to see the great cannon
cast. The professor did not summon
them before he had the balloon entirely
ready to be filed and go up. The flea
sat on the princess hand and looked on.
The balloon was filled, it bulged out and
could scarcely be held down, 80 violent
did it become.


81 must have it up in the air before
it can be cooled off" said the professor.
and took his seat in the car which hung
below. "But 1 cannot manage and
steer it alone. l must have skillful
companion along to help me. There is
no one here that can do that except the
fea."


81 am not very willing to let him, u
said the princess. But still she reached
out and handed the flea to the professor,
| who placed him on his hand