Animals As Friends and As Enemies

Once upon a time, a long while ago, there lived in a very far-off

country, a young nobleman who was so exceedingly poor that all his

property was an old castle, a handsome horse, a trusty hound, and a

good rifle.

This nobleman spent all his time in hunting and shooting, and lived

entirely on the produce of the chase.

One day he mounted his well-kept horse and rode off to the

neighbouring forest, accompanied, as usual, by his faithful hound.

When he came to the forest he dismounted, fastened his horse securely

to a young tree, and then went deep into the thicket in search of

game. The hound ran on at a distance before his master, and the horse

remained all alone, grazing quietly. Now it happened that a hungry fox

came by that way, and seeing how well-fed and well-trimmed the horse

was, stopped a while to admire him. By-and-by she was so charmed with

the handsome horse, that she lay down in the grass near him to bear

him company.

Some time afterwards the young nobleman came back out of the forest,

carrying a stag that he had killed, and was extremely surprised to

see the fox lying so near his horse. So he raised his rifle with the

intention of shooting her; but the fox ran up to him quickly and said,

'Do not kill me! Take me with you, and I will serve you faithfully. I

will take care of your fine horse whilst you are in the forest.'

The fox spoke so pitifully that the nobleman was sorry for her, and

agreed to her proposal. Thereupon he mounted his horse, placed the

stag he had shot before him, and rode back to his old castle, followed

closely by his hound and his new servant, the fox.

When the young nobleman prepared his supper, he did not forget to give

the fox a due share, and she congratulated herself that she was never

likely to be hungry again, at least so long as she served so skilful a

hunter.

The next morning the nobleman went out again to the chase, the fox

also accompanied him. When the young man dismounted and bound his

horse, as usual, to a tree, the fox lay down near it to bear it

company.

Now, whilst the hunter was far off in the depth of the forest looking

for game, a hungry bear came by the place where the horse was tied,

and, seeing how invitingly fat it looked, ran up to kill it. The fox

hereupon sprang up and begged the bear not to hurt the horse, telling

him if he was hungry he had only to wait patiently until her master

came back from the forest, and then she was quite sure that the good

nobleman would take him also to his castle and feed him, and care for

him, as he did for his horse, his hound, and herself.

The bear pondered over the matter very wisely and deeply for some

time, and at length resolved to follow the fox's advice. Accordingly

he lay down quietly near the horse, and waited for the return of the

huntsman. When the young noble came out of the forest he was greatly

surprised to see so large a bear near his horse, and, dropping the

stag he had shot from his shoulders, he raised his trusty rifle and

was about to shoot the beast. The fox, however, ran up to the huntsman

and entreated him to spare the bear's life, and to take him, also,

into his service. This the nobleman agreed to do; and, mounting his

horse, rode back to his castle, followed by the hound, the fox, and

the bear.

The next morning, when the young man had gone again with his dog into

the forest, and the fox and the bear lay quietly near the horse, a

hungry wolf, seeing the horse, sprang out of a thicket to kill it. The

fox and the bear, however, jumped up quickly and begged him not to

hurt the horse, telling him to what a good master it belonged, and

that they were sure, if he would only wait, he also would be taken

into the same service, and would be well cared for. Thereupon the

wolf, hungry though he was, thought it best to accept their counsel,

and he also lay down with them in the grass until their master came

out of the forest.

You can imagine how surprised the young nobleman was when he saw a

great gaunt wolf lying so near his horse! However, when the fox had

explained the matter to him, he consented to take the wolf, also,

into his service. Thus it happened this day that he rode home followed

by the dog, the fox, the bear, and the wolf. As they were all hungry,

the stag he had killed was not too large to furnish their suppers that

night, and their breakfasts next morning.

Not many days afterwards a mouse was added to the company, and after

that a mole begged so hard for admission that the good nobleman could

not find it in his heart to refuse her. Last of all came the great

bird, the kumrekusha--so strong a bird that she can carry in her claws

a horse with his rider! Soon after a hare was added to the company,

and the nobleman took great care of all his animals and fed them

regularly and well, so that they were all exceedingly fond of him.

One day the fox said to the bear, 'My good Bruin, pray run into the

forest and bring me a nice large log, on which I can sit whilst I

preside at a very important council we are going to hold.'

Bruin, who had a great respect for the quick wit and good management

of the fox, went out at once to seek the log, and soon came back

bringing a heavy one, with which the fox expressed herself quite

satisfied. Then she called all the animals about her, and, having

mounted the log, addressed them in these words:--

'You know all of you, my friends, how very kind and good a master we

have. But, though he is very kind, he is also very lonely. I propose,

therefore, that we find a fitting wife for him.'

The assembly was evidently well pleased with this idea, and responded

unanimously, 'Very good, indeed, if we only knew any girl worthy to be

the wife of our master; which, however, we do not.'

Then the fox said, '_I_ know that the king has a most beautiful

daughter, and I think it will be a good thing to take her for our

lord; and therefore I propose, further, that our friend the kumrekusha

should fly at once to the king's palace, and hover about there until

the princess comes out to take her walk. Then she must catch her up at

once, and bring her here.'

As the kumrekusha was glad to do anything for her kind master, she

flew away at once, without even waiting to hear the decision of the

assembly on this proposal.

Just before evening set in, the princess came out to walk before her

father's palace; whereupon the great bird seized her and placed her

gently on her outspread wings, and thus carried her off swiftly to the

young nobleman's castle.

The king was exceedingly grieved when he heard that his daughter had

been carried off, and sent out everywhere proclamations promising rich

rewards to any one who should bring her back, or even tell him where

he might look for her. For a long time, however, all his promises were

of no avail, for no one in the kingdom knew anything at all about the

princess.

At last, however, when the king was well-nigh in despair, an old gipsy

woman came to the palace and asked the king, 'What will you give me if

I bring back to you your daughter, the princess?'

The king answered quickly, 'I will gladly give you whatever you like

to ask, if only you bring me back my daughter!'

Then the old gipsy went back to her hut in the forest, and tried all

her magical spells to find out where the princess was. At last she

found out that she was living in an old castle, in a very distant

country, with a young nobleman who had married her.

The gipsy was greatly pleased when she knew this, and taking a whip in

her hand seated herself at once in the middle of a small carpet, and

lashed it with her whip. Then the carpet rose up from the ground and

bore her swiftly through the air, towards the far country where the

young nobleman lived, in his lonely old castle, with his beautiful

wife, and all his faithful company of beasts.

When the gipsy came near the castle she made the carpet descend on the

grass among some trees, and leaving it there went to look about until

she could meet the princess walking about the grounds. By-and-by the

beautiful young lady came out of the castle, and immediately the ugly

old woman went up to her, and began to fawn on her and to tell her all

kinds of strange stories. Indeed, she was such a good story-teller

that the princess grew quite tired of walking before she was tired of

listening; so, seeing the soft carpet lying nicely on the green grass,

she sat down on it to rest awhile. The moment she was seated the

cunning old gipsy sat down by her, and, seizing her whip, lashed the

carpet furiously. In the next minute the princess found herself borne

upon the carpet far away from her husband's castle, and before long

the gipsy made it descend into the garden of the king's palace.

You can easily guess how glad he was to see his lost daughter, and how

generously he gave the gipsy even more than she asked as a reward.

Then the king made the princess live from that time in a very secluded

tower with only two waiting-women, so afraid was he lest she would

again be stolen from him.

Meanwhile the fox, seeing how miserable and melancholy her young

master appeared after his wife had so strangely been taken from him,

and having heard of the great precautions which the king was using in

order to prevent the princess being carried off again, summoned once

more all the animals to a general council.

When all of them were gathered about her, the fox thus began: 'You

know all of you, my dear friends, how happily our kind master was

married; but you know, also, that his wife has been unhappily stolen

from him, and that he is now far worse off than he was before we found

the princess for him. _Then_ he was lonely; _now_ he is more than

lonely--he is desolate! This being the case, it is clearly our duty,

as his faithful servants, to try in some way to bring her back to him.

This, however, is not a very easy matter, seeing that the king has

placed his daughter for safety in a strong tower. Nevertheless, I do

not despair, and my plan is this: I will turn myself into a beautiful

cat, and play about in the palace gardens under the windows of the

tower in which the princess lives. I dare say she will long for me

greatly the moment she sees me, and will send her waiting-women down

to catch me and take me up to her. But I will take good care that the

maids do not catch me, so that, at last, the princess will forget her

father's orders not to leave the tower, and will come down herself

into the gardens to see if she may not be more successful. I will then

make believe to let her catch me, and at this moment our friend, the

kumrekusha, who must be hovering over about the palace, must fly down

quickly, seize the princess, and carry her off as before. In this way,

my dear friends, I hope we shall be able to bring back to our kind

master his beautiful wife. Do you approve of my plan?'

Of course, the assembly were only too glad to have such a wise

councillor, and to be able to prove their gratitude to their

considerate master. So the fox ran up to the kumrekusha, who flew away

with her under her wing, both being equally eager to carry out the

project, and thus to bring back the old cheerful look to the face of

their lord.

When the kumrekusha came to the tower wherein the princess dwelt she

set the fox down quietly among the trees, where it at once changed

into a most beautiful cat, and commenced to play all sorts of graceful

antics under the window at which the princess sat. The cat was striped

all over the body with many different colours, and before long the

king's daughter noticed her, and sent down her two women to catch her

and bring her up in the tower.

The two waiting-women came down into the garden, and called, 'Pussy!

pussy!' in their sweetest voices; they offered her bread and milk,

but they offered it all in vain. The cat sprang merrily about the

garden, and ran round and round them, but would on no account consent

to be caught.

At length the princess, who stood watching them at one of the windows

of her tower, became impatient, and descended herself into the garden,

saying petulantly, 'You only frighten the cat: let me try to catch

her!' As she approached the cat, who seemed now willing to be caught,

the kumrekusha darted down quickly, seized the princess by the waist,

and carried her high up into the air.

The frightened waiting-women ran to report to the king what had

happened to the princess; whereupon the king immediately let loose all

his greyhounds to seize the cat which had been the cause of his

daughter being carried off a second time. The dogs followed the cat

closely, and were on the point of catching her, when she, just in the

nick of time, saw a cave, with a very narrow entrance, and ran into it

for shelter. There the dogs tried to follow her, or to widen the mouth

of the cave with their claws, but all in vain; so, after barking a

long time very furiously, they at length grew weary, and stole back

ashamed and afraid to the king's stables.

When all the greyhounds were out of sight the cat changed herself back

into a fox, and ran off in a straight line towards the castle, where

she found her young master very joyful, for the kumrekusha had already

brought back to him his beautiful wife.

Now the king was exceedingly angry to think that he had again lost

his daughter, and he was all the more angry to think that such poor

creatures as a bird and a cat had succeeded in carrying her off after

all his precautions. So, in his great wrath, he resolved to make a

general war on the animals, and entirely exterminate them.

To this end he gathered together a very large army, and determined to

be himself their leader. The news of the king's intention spread

swiftly over the whole kingdom, whereupon the fox called, for the

third time, all her friends--the bear, the wolf, the kumrekusha, the

mouse, the mole, and the hare--together, to a general council.

When all were assembled the fox addressed them thus: 'My friends, the

king has declared war against us, and intends to destroy us all. Now

it is our duty to defend ourselves in the best way we can. Let us each

see what number of animals we are able to muster. How many of your

brother bears do you think _you_ can bring to our help, my good

Bruin?'

The bear got up as quickly as he could on his hind legs, and brummed

out, 'I am sure I can bring a hundred.'

'And how many of your friends can _you_ bring, my good wolf?' asked

the fox anxiously.

'I can bring at least five hundred wolves with me,' said the wolf with

an air of importance.

The fox nodded her satisfaction and continued, 'And what can _you_ do

for us, dear master hare?'

'Well, I think I can bring about eight hundred,' said the hare

cautiously.

'And what can _you_ do, you dear little mouse?'

'Oh, _I_ can certainly bring three thousand mice.'

'Very well, indeed!--and you, Mr. Mole?'

'I am sure I can gather eight thousand.'

'And now what number do you think you can bring us, my great friend,

kumrekusha?'

'I fear not more than two or three hundred, at the very best,' said

the kumrekusha sadly.

'Very good; now all of you go at once and collect your friends; when

you have brought all you can, we will decide what is to be done,' said

the fox; whereupon the council broke up, and the animals dispersed in

different directions throughout the forest.

Not very long after, very unusual noises were heard in the

neighbourhood of the castle. There was a great shaking of trees; and

the growling of bears and the short sharp barking of wolves broke the

usual quiet of the forest. The army of animals was gathering from all

sides at the appointed place.

When all were gathered together the fox explained to them her plans in

these words:--'When the king's army stops on its march to rest the

first night, then you, bears and wolves, must be prepared to attack

and kill all the horses. If, notwithstanding this, the army proceeds

further, you mice must be ready to bite and destroy all the

saddle-straps and belts while the soldiers are resting the second

night, and you hares must gnaw through the ropes with which the men

draw the cannon. If the king still persists in his march, you moles

must go the third night and dig out the earth under the road they will

take the next day, and must make a ditch full fifteen yards in breadth

and twenty yards in depth all round their camp. Next morning, when the

army begins to march over this ground which has been hollowed out, you

kumrekushas must throw down on them from above heavy stones while the

earth will give way under them.'

The plan was approved, and all the animals went off briskly to attend

to their allotted duties.

When the king's army awoke, after their first night's rest on their

march, they beheld, to their great consternation, that all the horses

were killed. This sad news was reported at once to the king; but he

only sent back for more horses, and, when they came late in the day,

pursued his march.

The second night the mice crept quietly into the camp, and nibbled

diligently at the horses' saddles and at the soldiers' belts, while

the hares as busily gnawed at the ropes with which the men drew the

cannon.

Next morning the soldiers were terrified, seeing the mischief the

animals had done. The king, however, reassured them, and sent back to

the city for new saddles and belts. When they were at length brought

he resolutely pursued his march, only the more determined to revenge

himself on these presumptuous and despised enemies.

On the third night, while the soldiers were sleeping, the moles worked

incessantly in digging round the camp a wide and deep trench

underground. About midnight the fox sent the bears to help the moles,

and to carry away the loads of earth.

Next morning the king's soldiers were delighted to find that no harm

seemed to have been done on the previous night to their horses or

straps, and started with new courage on their march. But their march

was quickly arrested, for soon the heavy horsemen and artillery began

to fall through the hollow ground, and the king, when he observed

that, called out, 'Let us turn back. I see God himself is against us,

since we have declared war against the animals. I will give up my

daughter.'

Then the army turned back, amidst the rejoicings of the soldiers. The

men found, however, to their great surprise and fear, that whichever

way they turned, they fell through the earth. To make their

consternation yet more complete, the kumrekushas now began to throw

down heavy stones on them, which crushed them completely. In this way

the king, as well as his whole army, perished.

Very soon afterwards the young nobleman, who had married the king's

daughter, went to the enemy's capital and took possession of the

king's palace, taking with him all his animals; and there they all

lived long and happily together.