Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXVII: The Journeyman

A certain tailor had a son, who happened to be small, andno bigger than a thumb, and on this account he was alwayscalled thumbling. He had, however, some courage in him, andsaid to his father, father, I must and will go out into theworld. That's right, my son, said the old man, and took along darning-needle and made a knob of sealing-wax on it at thehandle, and there is a sword for you to take with you on the way.Then the little tailor wanted to have one more meal with them,and hopped into the kitchen to see what his mother had cookedfor the last time. But it was already served, and the dish stoodon the hearth. Then he said, mother, what is there to eat to-day.See for yourself, said his mother. So thumbling jumped on to thehearth, and peeped into the dish, but as he stretched his neckin too far the steam from the food caught hold of him, and carriedhim up the chimney. He rode about in the air on the steam for awhile, until at length he sank down to the ground again. Nowthe little tailor was outside in the wide world, and he traveledabout, and went to a master in his craft, but the food was notgood enough for him. Mistress, if you give us no better food,said thumbling, I will go away, and early to-morrow morningI will write with chalk onthe door of your house - too many potatoes, too little meat.Farewell, mr. Potato-king. What would you have forsooth,grasshopper, said the mistress, and grew angry, and seizeda dishcloth, and was just going to strike him, but my littletailor crept nimbly under a thimble, peeped out from beneath it,and put his tongue out at the mistress. She took up the thimble,and wanted to get hold of him, but little thumbling hopped intothe cloth, and while the mistress was opening it out and lookingfor him, he got into a crevice in the table. Ho, ho, ladymistress, cried he, and thrust his head out, and when she beganto strike him he leapt down into the drawer. At last, however,she caught him and drove him out of the house.The little tailor journeyed on and came to a great forest, andthere he fell in with a band of robbers who had a design tosteal the king's treasure. When they saw the little tailor,they thought, a little fellow like that can creep through akey-hole and serve as picklock to us. HI, there, cried one ofthem, you giant goliath, will you go to the treasure-chamberwith us. You can slip yourself in and throw out the money.Thumbling reflected a while, and at length he said, yes, and wentwith them to the treasure-chamber. Then he looked at the doorsabove and below, to see if there was any crack in them. It wasnot long before he espied one which was broad enough to lethim in. He was therefore about to get in at once, but oneof the two sentries who stood before the door, observed him, andsaid to the other, what an ugly spider is creeping there, Iwill kill it. Let the poor creature alone, said the other,it has done you no harm. Then thumbling got safely through thecrevice into the treasure-chamber, opened the window beneathwhich the robbers were standing, and threw out to them onetaler after another. When the little tailor was in the fullswing of his work, he heard the king coming to inspect histreasure-chamber, and crept hastily into a hiding-place. The kingnoticed that several solid talers were missing, but could notconceive who could have stolen them, for locks and bolts werein good condition, and allseemed well guarded. Then he went away again, and said to thesentries, be on the watch, someone is after the money. Whentherefore thumbling recommenced his labors, they heard the moneymoving, and a sound of klink, klink, klink. They ran swiftlyin to seize the thief, but the little tailor, who heard themcoming, was still swifter, and leapt into a corner and coveredhimself with a taler, so that nothing could be seen of him, andat the same time he mocked the sentries and cried, here am I.The sentries ran thither, but as they got there, he hadalready hopped into another corner under a taler, and wascrying, ho, ho, here am I. And thus he made fools of them,and drove them so long round about the treasure-chamber thatthey were weary and went away. Then by degrees he threw all thetalers out, dispatching the last with all his might, then hoppednimbly upon it, and flew down with it through the window. Therobbers paid him great compliments. You are a valiant hero,said they, will you be our captain.Thumbling, however, declined, and said he wanted to see theworld first. They now divided the booty, but the little tailoronly asked for a kreuzer because he could not carry more.Then he once more buckled on his sword, bade the robbers goodbye,and took to the road. First, he went to work with some masters,but he had no liking for that, and at last he hired himselfas manservant in an inn. The maids, however, could not endurehim, for he saw all they did secretly, without theirseeing him, and he told their employers what they had taken offthe plates, and carried away out of the cellar, for themselves.Then said they, wait, and we will pay you out, and arranged witheach other to play him a trick. Soon afterwards when one of themaids was mowing in the garden, and saw thumbling jumping aboutand creeping up and down the plants, she mowed him up quickly withthe grass, tied all in a great cloth, and secretly threw it tothe cows. Now amongst them there was a great black one, whoswallowed him down without hurting him. Down below, however, itdid not suit him, for itwas quite dark, neither was any candle burning. When the cowwas being milked he cried, strip, strap, strull, when will the pail be full.But the noise of the milking prevented his being understood.After this the master of the house came into the stall andsaid, that cow shall be killed to-morrow. Then thumbling was soalarmed that he cried out in a clear voice, let me out first,I am sitting inside her. The master heard that quite well,but did not know from whence the voice came. Where are you, askedhe. In the black one, answered thumbling, but the masterdid not understand what that meant, and went out.Next morning the cow was killed. Happily thumbling did not meetwith one blow at the cutting up and chopping, he got amongthe sausage-meat. And when the butcher came in and began hiswork, he cried out with all his might, don't chop too deep,don't chop too deep, I am amongst it. No one heard this becauseof the noise of the chopping-knife. Now poor thumbling was introuble, but trouble sharpens the wits, and he sprang out soadroitly between the blows that none of them touched him, andhe escaped with a whole skin. But still he could not get away,there was nothing for it but to let himself be thrust into ablack-pudding with the bits of bacon. His quarters there wererather confined, and besides that he was hung up in the chimneyto be smoked, and there time did hang terribly heavy on his hands.At length in winter he was taken down again, as the black-puddinghad to be set before a guest. When the hostess was cuttingit in slices, he took care not to stretch out his head toofar lest a bit of it should be cut off, at last he saw hisopportunity, cleared a passage for himself, and jumped out.The little tailor, however, would not stay any longer in a housewhere he fared so ill, so at once set out on his journey again.But his liberty did not last long. In the open country he metwith a fox who snapped him up without thinking. HI, there,mr. Fox, criedthe little tailor, it is I who am sticking in your throat, setme at liberty again. You are right, answered the fox. Youare next to nothing for me, but if you will promise me thefowls in your father's yard I will let you go. With all myheart, replied thumbling. You shall have all the cocks and hens,that I promise you. Then the fox let him go again, and himselfcarried him home. When the father once more saw his dear son,he willingly gave the fox all the fowls which he had. For thisI likewise bring you a handsome bit of money, said thumbling, andgave his father the kreuzer which he earned on his travels.But why did the fox get the poor chickens to eat. Oh, yousilly, your father would surely love his child far more than thefowls in the yard.