Hans

Chapter I

hans Starts On His Travels

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, there was an old man and his

wife who lived in a little cottage beside a big wood. They had three

sons, called Kurt, Conrad, and Hans.

The father was very proud of his two elder boys, who were great tall

fellows, but he never troubled about Hans, the youngest son, who, poor

boy, often fared rather badly, as he only got whatever his brothers did

not care to keep. He was never allowed to join in their games, or

trials of skill, in which the father trained his elder boys, but had to

stop at home, doing the housework and helping his mother in the

kitchen. She was, indeed, the only one who ever showed him any love or

kindness.

Thus poor Hans was often very sad and lonely, and so, in order to while

away the time and have some kind of companionship, he got a kitten from

a neighbour, teaching it all kinds of tricks, and as the animal grew

older it became so attached to Hans that it followed him about wherever

he went.

So matters went on till all three brothers were grown up. Kurt and

Conrad gave themselves great airs, for, being tall and robust and well

skilled in all games of strength, they laid down the law whenever they

appeared on the village green, and bragged so loudly that most people

were afraid to contradict them, more especially as their father backed

them up in everything. He thought they could do no wrong, whereas Hans

was always wrong and of no use at all; he ought, in fact, to have been

a girl, always pinned to his mother’s apron-string.

And thus ignored by his father, and set aside by his brothers, there

was only his mother to stand up for Hans, but she only loved him all

the more, and he in return was devoted to her.

One day Kurt and Conrad came home from the village, where they had come

off victors in every trial of strength on the green, and so proud were

they of this success, that they begged their father to let them start

on their travels, and go and visit the king whose kingdom lay on the

opposite side of the great arm of the sea near which stood their hut.

At first the father did not like the idea of parting with his sons; but

when he looked at them, and saw what great strong fellows they were, he

felt convinced that they would certainly win riches and renown; so he

agreed to let them go, fully convinced they would return both famous

and wealthy.

Not long after this, the father heard in the village that a big ship

lay in the offing, so he told his wife she must get new shoes for Kurt

and Conrad, as well as money for the journey, for he meant them to go

to the great kingdom across the water, where they would be sure to win

both fame and riches.

The old woman did her best to obey her husband’s behests. She took the

great hanks of flax she had spun during the winter, and having sold

these in the village, she bought new shoes for Kurt and Conrad with

some of the money, keeping the rest for their journey.

But when Hans saw all these preparations going on, he had no rest or

peace, and a great longing came over him to be allowed to go with his

brothers.

Plucking up his courage, he went to his father, and begged and

entreated to be allowed to accompany Kurt and Conrad.

At first the old man was very irate at what he considered Han’s

impertinence, and angrily refused. But when he came to think over it,

he decided that he would rather not have him at home alone, when the

others were away, so he told him he might go, but only on condition

that he did not join his brothers. He must keep quite apart from them,

so that they need not be ashamed before strangers of its being known

that such a small, useless fellow was their brother.

Although this was not a very gracious permission, Hans was only too

pleased to get leave of any sort, so he hastened to his mother and

begged her to try and fit him out also, like his brothers.

Kurt and Conrad, hearing that Hans had likewise got permission to go,

hastened their own preparations and started at once, as they did not

want him to go with them; but he was so anxious to get away and helped

his mother so effectually, that he was ready almost as soon as they

were.

When he came to bid her farewell, she gave him a small purse with her

savings in it, and then handed him her oven crutch. [1]

“Take this also, Hans,” she said; “you will find it very useful, for

you can use it either as a walking-stick or a weapon of defence, if you

are in danger, and you will never lose your way, so long as you have it

in your possession.”

Hans thanked her warmly, bade his father good-bye, and with another

loving farewell to his mother, went forth on his travels, his cat

sitting gravely on his shoulder.

He hurried along as quickly as he could, hoping he would yet be in time

to overtake his brothers, but when he got down to the shore there was

no sign either of them or the ship, which had evidently sailed some

time before.

Unwilling to lose any chance, Hans kept along the shore for some time,

thinking that perhaps the vessel had gone into some of the “fiords”

that surrounded the coast; but, seeing no sign of a sail, he at last

left the beach as the sun was setting, and took a path leading up

towards the hills.

His cat, who had sat on his shoulder all this time, now jumped to the

ground, purring and arching his back as he trotted beside Hans.

Suddenly, a huge bird came flying rapidly towards them. Hans at once

saw that it was a dragon, so he took a firm grasp of his iron crutch,

waited till the creature was within reach, then, throwing it, hit him

so cleverly that he fell to the ground; whereupon the cat, making a

spring, speedily put an end to the monster.

When Hans ran up, he saw that the bird held something white between its

talons, and, stooping down, perceived it was a little girl, who cried

most piteously.

Hans tenderly lifted the little thing in his arms, and tried his best

to quiet her. But it was not till the big cat came up purring and

rubbing itself against the wee creature, that she ceased her sobbing

and was comforted.

Hans was now somewhat at a loss as to what he had best do. Night was

coming on; there was no house in sight, and no food at hand. But just

as he was driven to his wits’ ends, he saw a little old man running

towards him, puffing and panting. As soon as he came up to Hans, he

thanked him warmly for having rescued his child from the dragon.

He was a quaint-looking little man, almost a dwarf, but when he took

the child in his arms and began to soothe and quiet it, his face was so

kind and gentle, that Hans, who had expected to pass the night

out-of-doors, gladly accepted his offer to go home with him and stay

the night.

They walked on a long way, pussy always trotting by her young master’s

side, till at length they came to a big stone or rock.

Here the dwarf paused, and, knocking three times, the stone opened.

Then the dwarf bade Hans enter, and, giving three taps, the stone again

closed.

When Hans looked round, he was surprised to find himself in a fine

large room, fitted up with every comfort; great couches, spread with

soft rugs, ran along two sides; in one corner was the hearth, on which

a bright fire was burning; and on the other side was a table with some

chairs beside it, and covered with various papers and quaint

instruments.

The old man put the child into a pretty little cot, and after he and

Hans had partaken of some food, he invited the latter to rest.

Hans, nothing loath, threw himself on one of the couches, with his cat

beside him, and, thoroughly tired out with all the excitement of his

departure and the long distance he had walked, fell asleep almost as

soon as his head rested on the pillow. But even in his sleep he heard

the dwarf working at his papers during the greater part of the night

Next morning, after they had breakfasted and Hans was ready to start

forth on his travels, the dwarf again thanked him for his timely

rescue.

“I can never be grateful enough to you for saving my child,” he

continued. “And now I am going to give you three things, which I hope

will be useful to you, though nothing can ever cancel my debt to you.”

“Indeed you owe me but small thanks,” replied Hans, laughing; “it was

really my cat who saved your child, by killing the dragon ere I came up

to him.”

But though Hans declared he wanted no payment, the dwarf would take no

denial.

“You see this small stone,” he said; “it possesses the power of making

whoever holds it in his hand invisible. This sword,” he continued,

drawing forth a tiny but exquisitely damascened sword, “is both sharp

and strong, and though small enough to carry in your pocket, you have

but to express the wish when you need to use it, and it will at once

attain its full size and strength. And here,” he added, “is my third

gift. It is, as you see, but a tiny little ship, like a child’s toy, so

small that you can easily carry it also in your pocket, and yet,

whenever you desire, it will become as large as you may need it either

to go on a river or across the sea, and it further possesses the

property of being able to sail, no matter whether there is any wind or

not.”

It was in vain that Hans protested he had in no way earned such

valuable gifts. The dwarf insisted; so Hans was fain to take the

precious treasures, thanking him most warmly for his great kindness. He

then bade him farewell, kissed the pretty child, who clung round his

neck, and, taking up his iron crutch, shouldered his cat and departed.

Chapter Ii

his Wonderful Adventures, And How He Returned Good For Evil

When Hans got down to the shore again, he drew forth the little ship

from his pocket, and, putting it in the water, said—

“Ship, ship, grow larger.”

Immediately the tiny boat expanded, and behold a beautiful vessel lay

there at anchor.

Hans got on board, and then, having said where he wished to go, the

vessel sailed merrily along towards the kingdom on the opposite side of

the big sea.

When they were halfway across, a violent thunderstorm came on; but

though he noticed that the other vessels near him were tossed about by

the great waves, his ship sailed straight on towards its destination,

and never lay-to or swerved aside till it was safely anchored in its

destined port.

As soon as Hans landed, he said, “Ship, ship, grow smaller!” and

immediately the great vessel grew smaller and smaller, till it was like

a tiny little model which he could easily put into his pocket.

Making sure that he had both his other treasures safely stowed away,

Hans, with his faithful cat mounted on his shoulder, made his way

inland.

Presently he came to a small wood, and here, sitting down beneath a

fine, big oak tree, near which ran a bright sparkling stream, he

decided to remain for a short time, studying the people and their

habits, ere he went on to the king’s palace.

Thanks to his faithful cat, he never lacked food, for puss went out

night and morning, always returning with a rabbit or a bird for her

master’s dinner and supper.

Meanwhile, Kurt and Conrad on their arrival had gone straight to the

palace, and had asked the king’s permission to remain the winter with

him. Although he did not really require their services, the king,

seeing what fine strong fellows they were, gladly consented. So they

joined the royal household, and were soon known as the merriest among

the party, often boasting of their great feats of strength and the

valiant deeds they had done.

After some weeks, Hans too arrived at the palace. At first he kept

somewhat in the background, where no one noticed him, but whence he was

able to observe everything that went on.

Now, the king had no son, but an only daughter named Gerda, who was

both beautiful and wise. The king, who was getting old, was anxious to

see her happily married; but, although he had received numerous offers

for her hand from neighbouring princes and other strangers who had

heard of the princess’s beauty and wit, she had refused them all, for

Gerda was difficult to please.

At length one day, just at the commencement of winter, and when all the

foreign princes and courtiers were assembled in the big hall of the

palace, the king announced that he had quite made up his mind to give

his daughter, together with the half of his kingdom during his

lifetime, to whosoever would bring him by Christmas Eve, the three most

precious treasures in his kingdom.

These were, a chess-board and men, made of pure gold and silver; a

gold-handled sword, set with precious stones, in a golden scabbard, and

with an unbreakable blade, and which always killed your enemy; and a

wonderful bird with golden plumage, which, when it sang, could be heard

in every part of the kingdom, yet its wondrous melodies were so sweet

and soft, that they were not too loud even when quite near.

These marvellous treasures, said the king, had originally belonged to

his ancestors; but, during a great war with the giants, many years ago,

they had been carried off, and were now in possession of a terrible

ogress, who lived on a rocky and almost inaccessible island, and always

kept these treasures in a cave, on a shelf above her head, and they

could only be taken away while the giantess was asleep.

The courtiers did not pay much attention to the king’s words. They had

heard them before, and they also knew that all those who had ventured

on this quest, had either never been heard of again, or, if they

returned, were maimed both in body and mind.

Some of the foreign princes, however, started off, hoping they might

succeed. But when days elapsed and they did not return, Kurt and Conrad

thought they would like to try. Knowing how big and strong they were,

the task did not seem an impossible one to them, and they were eager to

make the venture.

Kurt, therefore, as the eldest, came first before the king, and said

that if he could have a ship and crew, he would gladly start in search

of the treasures.

The king at once acceded to his request, a vessel was fitted out, and

Kurt sailed away.

After many days, he at length reached the island, but, being still

daylight when they arrived, they kept well out of sight, and did not

attempt to land till it was dusk, when Kurt hoped the giantess might be

asleep.

Then, making his way cautiously to the cave where she lived, he peeped

in, and there, sure enough, lay the great ogress, fast asleep on her

bed.

Creeping cautiously along the floor, Kurt looked up for the shelf, and

there he saw the three golden treasures.

He hardly knew which to take first, so he decided to begin with the

most difficult one, and, cautiously stretching forth his hand, laid

hold of the bird, which sat on its perch with its head tucked under its

wing, thinking to put it in his pocket. But, unfortunately, he grasped

it too roughly, and immediately the bird began to screech so loudly,

that the whole cave shook and trembled.

In an instant the giantess sprang from her bed, caught hold of Kurt,

threw him down on the ground, and tied his hands and feet firmly with

ropes.

“Ha! ha!” she laughed. “Here is another one! What fools they all are,

to think they could outwit me! But this one will do nicely for my

Christmas dinner when I have fed him up a little.” And with these

words, and despite his loud cries and remonstrances, she trundled him

into a small cave at the back. “And you need not fear that I shall

starve you,” she grinned maliciously, “for I want you to get nice and

fat; at present you are so thin, you are not worth eating.” So saying,

she ran out of the cave and hurried down to the shore, hoping to catch

some of the crew, and so fill her larder still further.

But no sooner did the men see the monster running down to the shore,

than they rowed back to the ship with all their might, and, lifting the

anchor, set sail at once, and were soon out of sight

When the men returned home and described the awful ogress who had raced

down to the shore to catch them, the king feared there was but little

hope that Kurt would ever be heard of again. But after a few days,

Conrad began to think that if he had gone, he would have managed more

cleverly than Kurt, so he asked the king if he would fit out a ship for

him and let him try his luck.

The king, anxious to recover his treasures, at once agreed; and full of

hope, feeling quite sure his skill and cleverness would not fail him,

Conrad started on his journey.

But, alas! he was no more lucky than his elder brother. When he got to

the cave, he also found the giantess asleep, and, after considering

which of the three treasures he should take first, he decided for the

sword.

“The bird may make a noise if it sees me,” he thought, “whereas if I

have the sword, should the giantess awake, I will kill her, and then

secure all three treasures.”

So he watched for a few minutes to make quite sure that both the

giantess and the bird were asleep, then stealing cautiously on tiptoe

across the floor of the cave, he reached up to the shelf and stretched

his hand out to take the sword. But, alas! in his eagerness he only

grasped the handle of the weapon, and with a loud crash the scabbard

fell down.

The bird began to scream, and in an instant the giantess sprang from

her bed and had Conrad down on the floor, where she at once tied him up

with ropes, as she had his brother.

“Ha, ha!” she croaked. “Here is another one! Oh, these fools, these

fools! But if they will only come on fast enough, I need not stint

myself, for I shall have a well-stocked larder by Christmas-time!”

And ere he knew what was to happen to him, Conrad found himself inside

the small cave beside his brother Kurt.

“Don’t be afraid that I shall starve you,” laughed the ogress; “you

shall have plenty of food, and you must eat all you can, and get fat as

quickly as possible, and then I shall release you;” and she grinned and

laughed so loudly, that the whole cave shook and trembled as if there

had been an earthquake.

Soon after the second vessel had returned to the court, the men giving

the same account of what had occurred as those in the first vessel,

Hans suddenly disappeared. He had become such a great favourite at

court, that every one was very sorry when he thus suddenly vanished.

But he too was determined to try his luck, and see if he could not

carry off the treasures, and so win the beautiful Princess Gerda, who

had been most kind to him during his stay at her father’s court.

So one evening, just as the sun was setting, he walked quietly down to

the shore, Puss as usual sitting on his shoulder, and, having placed

his little ship in the water, and pronounced the magic words, he

arrived at the giantess’s island about the middle of the day.

Having landed, Hans took his stone out of his pocket, and thus at once

becoming invisible, started off for the ogress’s cave.

Looking in, he saw it was empty, so, although he was invisible, he

thought it better to hide behind a projecting bit of rock, in case she

might knock up against him.

As evening closed in, the giantess returned. But no sooner had she

entered the cave, than she sniffed about in all directions—

“Phew! it smells of humans here!” she muttered. Not seeing any one,

however, she concluded it must be the two men she was fattening up in

the inner cave. So, after a little time, she lay down on her bed. For

some time she could not sleep, and kept on muttering, “Phew! It is very

strange that I should smell those humans so strongly to-night! I could

have sworn there was a fresh human here!”

At last, after tossing about restlessly, she dropped off asleep.

Hans crept forth softly, but the fire on the hearth had died so low, he

could not well see his way, and stumbled over a small stone. In an

instant the golden bird raised its head, but just as it was going to

give a shrill scream, Hans’s big cat pounced on it and silenced it.

Then the giantess started up, and, jumping out of bed, began feeling

all round the walls, swearing angrily.

Hans knew that he must kill her, for, though he was invisible, if she

caught hold of him she would certainly kill him. He therefore drew the

sword which the dwarf had given him, out of his pocket and wished it to

grow bigger. Then, when the giantess came near him, and stretched out

her huge arms to throw him down, Hans, with one blow of his sword, cut

off her head, which rolled away into a corner.

Hans then blew up the fire, and began searching round the cave; in

addition to the king’s three treasures, he found several great chests

filled with gold and precious stones. Then he noticed that there was a

smaller cave at the back, and, lighting a pine knot, he entered and

found his brothers. He immediately loosened their bands, and they were

both so grateful to be freed from the terrible fate in store for them

that they ever after treated him as true brothers should.

They all three then set to work and carried the treasures from the cave

to the ship, and when everything had been taken on board they quickly

returned to the king’s country, where they arrived on Christmas Eve,

greatly to the astonishment of the whole court, who had quite given

them up as lost.

But greater still was the surprise of every one, when Hans presented

the king with the three treasures which had been so long lost, and were

now once again restored to the kingdom.

The king was so delighted at having at last gained his wish, and

recovered the long-lost treasures, that he told Hans he should always

look upon him as a dear son, and that he should certainly marry his

daughter.

So Hans was dressed in royal robes, and very shortly after married the

fair Princess Gerda, who had long secretly admired him. The wedding was

held with all possible magnificence. No expense was spared, and gifts

were given to all the poor in the land.

The king then divided his kingdom in half, putting Hans in charge of

one; whereupon, he sent for his father and mother, and gave them a good

house and sufficient money to live in comfort for the rest of their

days. And the two elder brothers were also provided for.

Hans and Gerda reigned long and happily. Puss always had a place of

honour beside his beloved master, and lived long enough to see Hans’s

children and even grandchildren.

[1] This is a small bar of iron, about the size of a walking-stick,

with a cross-piece at one end, still in use in Iceland.