The Accomplished and Lucky Tea-kettle

A long time ago, at a temple called Morinji, in the province of

Jôshiu, there was an old tea-kettle. One day, when the priest of the

temple was about to hang it over the hearth to boil the water for his

tea, to his amazement, the kettle all of a sudden put forth the head

and tail of a badger. What a wonderful kettle, to come out all over

fur! The priest, thunderstruck, called in the novices of the temple to

see the sight; and whilst they were stupidly staring, one suggesting

one thing and another, the kettle, jumping up into the air, began

flying about the room. More astonished than ever, the priest and his

pupils tried to pursue it; but no thief or cat was ever half so sharp

as this wonderful badger-kettle. At last, however, they managed to

knock it down and secure it; and, holding it in with their united

efforts, they forced it into a box, intending to carry it off and

throw it away in some distant place, so that they might be no more

plagued by the goblin. For this day their troubles were over; but, as

luck would have it, the tinker who was in the habit of working for the

temple called in, and the priest suddenly bethought him that it was a

pity to throw the kettle away for nothing, and that he might as well

get a trifle for it, no matter how small. So he brought out the

kettle, which had resumed its former shape and had got rid of its head

and tail, and showed it to the tinker. When the tinker saw the kettle,

he offered twenty copper coins for it, and the priest was only too

glad to close the bargain and be rid of his troublesome piece of

furniture. But the tinker trudged off home with his pack and his new

purchase. That night, as he lay asleep, he heard a strange noise near

his pillow; so he peeped out from under the bedclothes, and there he

saw the kettle that he had bought in the temple covered with fur, and

walking about on four legs. The tinker started up in a fright to see

what it could all mean, when all of a sudden the kettle resumed its

former shape. This happened over and over again, until at last the

tinker showed the tea-kettle to a friend of his, who said, "This is

certainly an accomplished and lucky tea-kettle. You should take it

about as a show, with songs and accompaniments of musical instruments,

and make it dance and walk on the tight rope."

The tinker, thinking this good advice, made arrangements with a

showman, and set up an exhibition. The noise of the kettle's

performances soon spread abroad, until even the princes of the land

sent to order the tinker to come to them; and he grew rich beyond

all his expectations. Even the princesses, too, and the great ladies

of the court, took great delight in the dancing kettle, so that no

sooner had it shown its tricks in one place than it was time for them

to keep some other engagement. At last the tinker grew so rich that he

took the kettle back to the temple, where it was laid up as a precious

treasure, and worshipped as a saint.