Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book CLXIX: The Cunning Little Tailor

There was once upon a time a princess who was extremely proud. If awooer came she gave him some riddle to guess, and if he could notguess it, he was sent contemptuously away. She let it be made knownalso that whosoever solved her riddle should marry her, let him bewho he might. At length, three tailors fell in with each other, thetwo eldest of whom thought they had done so many dexterous jobs ofwork successfully that they could not fail to succeed in this also,the third was a little, useless harum-scarum, who did not even knowhis trade, but thought he must have some luck in this venture, forwhere else was it to come from. Then the two others said to him,just stay at home, you cannot do much with your little understanding.The little tailor, however, did not let himself be discouraged, andsaid he had set his mind to work on this for once, and he wouldmanage well enough, and he went forth as if the whole world were his.They all three announced themselves to the princess, and said she wasto propound her riddle to them, and that the right persons were nowcome, who had understandings so fine that they could be threaded in aneedle. Then said the princess, "I have two kinds of hair on myhead, of what color is it." "If that be all," said the first, "itmust be black and white, like the cloth which is called pepper andsalt." The princess said, "Wrongly guessed, let the second answer."Then said the second, "If it be not black and white, then it is brownand red, like my father's sunday coat." "Wrongly guessed," said theprincess, "let the third give the answer for I see very well he knowsit for certain." Then the little tailor stepped boldly forth andsaid, "The princess has a silver and a golden hair on her head, andthose are the two different colors."When the princess heard that, she turned pale and nearly fell downwith terror, for the little tailor had guessed her riddle, and shehad firmly believed that no man on earth could discover it. When hercourage returned she said, "You have not won me yet by that. Thereis still something else that you must do. Below, in the stable is abear with which you shall pass the night, and when I get up in themorning if you are still alive, you shall marry me." She expected,however, she would thus get rid of the tailor, for the bear had neveryet left anyone alive who had fallen into his clutches. The littletailor did not let himself be frightened away, but was quitedelighted, and said, "Boldly ventured is half won."So when the evening came, our little tailor was taken down to thebear. The bear was about to set on the little fellow at once, andgive him a hearty welcome with his paws. "Softly, softly," said thelittle tailor, "I will soon make you quiet." Then quite composedly,and as if he had no anxiety in the world, he took some nuts out ofhis pocket, cracked them, and ate the kernels. When the bear sawthat, he was seized with a desire to have some nuts too. The tailorfelt in his pockets, and reached him a handful, they were, however,not nuts, but pebbles. The bear put them in his mouth, but could getnothing out of them, let him bite as he would. "Eh," thought he,"what a stupid blockhead am I, I cannot even crack a nut." And thenhe said to the tailor, "Here, crack me the nuts." "There, see what astupid fellow you are," said the little tailor, "to have such a greatmouth, and not be able to crack a small nut." Then he took the pebbleand nimbly put a nut in his mouth in the place of it, and crack, itwas in two. "I must try the thing again," said the bear, "when Iwatch you, I then think I ought to be able to do it too." So thetailor once more gave him a pebble, and the bear tried and tried tobite into it with all the strength of his body. But even you do notbelieve that he managed it.When that was over, the tailor took out a violin from beneath hiscoat, and played something to himself. When the bear heard themusic, he could not help beginning to dance, and when he had danced awhile, the thing pleased him so well that he said to the littletailor, "Listen, is it difficult to fiddle?" "Easy enough for achild. Look, with the left hand I lay my fingers on it, and with theright I stroke it with the bow, and then it goes merrily, hop sa savivallalera." "So," said the bear, "fiddling is a thing I should liketo learn too, that I might dance whenever I felt like it. What doyou think of that? Will you give me lessons?" "With all my heart,"said the tailor, "if you have a talent for it. But just let me seeyour claws, they are terribly long, I must cut your nails a little."Then a vise was brought, and the bear put his claws in it, and thelittle tailor screwed it tight, and said, "Now wait until I come withthe scissors." And he let the bear growl as he liked, and lay down inthe corner on a bundle of straw, and fell asleep.When the princess heard the bear growling so fiercely during thenight, she believed nothing else but that he was growling for joy,and had made an end of the tailor. In the morning she arose carelessand happy, but when she peeped into the stable, the tailor stoodgaily before her, and was as healthy as a fish in water. Now shecould not say another word against the wedding because she had givena promise before everyone, and the king ordered a carriage to bebrought in which she was to drive to church with the tailor, andthere she was to be married.When they had climbed into the carriage, the two other tailors, whohad false hearts and envied him his good fortune, went into thestable and unscrewed the bear again. The bear in great fury ranafter the carriage. The princess heard snorting and growling. Shewas terrified, and she cried, "Ah, the bear is behind us and wants toget you." The tailor was quick and stood on his head, stuck his legsout of the window, and cried, "Do you see the vise? If you do not beoff you shall be put into it again." When the bear saw that, heturned round and ran away. The tailor drove quietly to church, andthe princess was married to him at once, and he lived with her ashappy as a woodlark. Whosoever does not believe this, must pay ataler.