India
Once upon a time a soldier died, leaving a widow and one son. They were
dreadfully poor, and at last matters became so bad that they had nothing
left in the house to eat.
"Mother," said the son, "give me four shillings, and I will go seek my
fortune in the wide world."
"Alas!" answered the mother, "and where am I, who haven't a farthing
wherewith to buy bread, to find four shillings?"
"There is that old coat of my father's," returned the lad. "Look in the
pocket -- perchance there is something there."
So she looked, and behold! there were six shillings hidden away at the
very bottom of the pocket! "More than I bargained for," quoth the lad,
laughing. "See, mother, these two shillings are for you. You can live on
that till I return; the rest will pay my way until I find my fortune."
So he set off to find his fortune, and on the way lie saw a tigress,
licking her paw, and moaning mournfully. He was just about to run away
from the terrible creature, when she called to him faintly, saying, "Good
lad, if you will take out this thorn for me, I shall be forever grateful."
"Not I!" answered the lad. "Why, if I begin to pull it out, and it pains
you, you will kill me with a pat of your paw."
"No, no!" cried the tigress, "I will turn my face to this tree, and when
the pain comes I will pat it."
To this the soldier's son agreed; so he pulled out the thorn, and when the
pain came the tigress gave the tree such a blow that the trunk split all
to pieces. Then she turned towards the soldier's son, and said gratefully,
"Take this box as a reward, my son, but do not open it until you have
traveled nine miles."
So the soldier's son thanked the tigress, and set off with the box to find
his fortune. Now when he had gone five miles, he felt certain that the box
weighed more than it had at first, and every step he took it seemed to
grow heavier and heavier. He tried to struggle on -- though it was all he
could do to carry the box -- until he had gone about eight miles and a
quarter, when his patience gave way.
"I believe that tigress was a witch, and is playing off her tricks upon
me," he cried, "but I will stand this nonsense no longer. Lie there, you
wretched old box! Heaven knows what is in you, and I don't care."
So saying, he flung the box down on the ground. It burst open with the
shock, and out stepped a little old man. He was only one span high, but
his beard was a span and a quarter long, and trailed upon the ground. The
little manikin immediately began to stamp about and scold the lad roundly
for letting the box down so violently.
"Upon my word!" quoth the soldier's son, scarcely able to restrain a smile
at the ridiculous little figure, " but you are weighty for your size, old
gentleman! And what may your name be?"
"Sir Buzz!" snapped the one-span manikin, still stamping about in a great
rage.
"Upon my word!" quoth the soldier's son once more, "if you are all
the box contained, I am glad I didn't trouble to carry it farther."
"That's not polite," snarled the manikin. "Perhaps if you had carried it
the full nine miles you might have found something better; but that's
neither here nor there. I'm good enough for you, at any rate, and will
serve you faithfully according to my mistress's orders."
"Serve me! Then I wish to goodness you'd serve me with some dinner, for I
am mighty hungry! Here are four shillings to pay for it."
No sooner had the soldier's son said this and given the money, than with a
whiz! boom! bing! like a big bee, Sir Buzz flew through the air to
a confectioner's shop in the nearest town. There he stood, the one-span
manikin, with the span and a quarter beard trailing on the ground, just by
the big preserving pan, and cried in ever so loud a voice, "Ho! ho! Sir
Confectioner, bring me sweets!"
The confectioner looked round the shop, and out of the door, and down the
street, but could see no one, for tiny Sir Buzz was quite hidden by the
preserving pan. Then the manikin called out louder still, " Ho! ho! Sir
Confectioner, bring me sweets! " And when the confectioner looked in vain
for his customer, Sir Buzz grew angry, and ran and pinched him on the
legs, and kicked him on the foot, saying, " Impudent knave! do you mean to
say you can't see me? Why, I was standing by the preserving pan all
the time!"
The confectioner apologized humbly, and hurried away to bring out his best
sweets for his irritable little customer. Then Sir Buzz chose about a
hundredweight of them, and said, "Quick, tie them up in something and give
them into my hand; I'll carry them home."
"They will be a good weight, sir," smiled the confectioner.
"What business is that of yours, I should like to know?" snapped Sir Buzz.
"Just you do as you're told, and here is your money." So saying he jingled
the four shillings in his pocket.
"As you please, sir," replied the man cheerfully, as he tied up the sweets
into a huge bundle and placed it on the little manikin's outstretched
hand, fully expecting him to sink under the weight; when lo! with a
boom! bing! he whizzed off with the money still in his pocket.
He alighted at a corn-chandler's shop, and, standing behind a basket of
flour, called out at the top of his voice, "Ho! ho! Sir Chandler, bring me
flour!"
And when the corn-chandler looked round the shop, and out of the window,
and down the street, without seeing anybody, the one-span manikin, with
his beard trailing on the ground, cried again louder than before, "Ho! ho!
Sir Chandler, bring me flour!"
Then on receiving no answer, he flew into a violent rage, and ran and bit
the unfortunate corn-chandler on the leg, pinched him, and kicked him,
saying, "Impudent varlet! Don't pretend you couldn't see me! Why, I
was standing close beside you behind that basket!"
So the corn-chandler apologized humbly for his mistake, and asked Sir Buzz
how much flour he wanted.
"Two hundredweight," replied the manikin. "Two hundredweight, neither more
nor less. Tie it up in a bundle, and I'll take it with me."
"Your honor has a cart or beast of burden with you, doubtless?" said the
chandler, "for two hundredweight is a heavy load."
"What's that to you? " shrieked Sir Buzz, stamping his foot, " isn't it
enough if I pay for it? " And then he jingled the money in his pocket
again. So the corn-chandler tied up the flour in a bundle, and placed it
in the manikin's outstretched hand, fully expecting it would crush him,
when, with a whiz! Sir Buzz flew off, with the shillings still in his
pocket. Boom! bing! boom!
The soldier's son was just wondering what had become of his one-span
servant, when, with a whir! the little fellow alighted beside him, and
wiping his face with his handkerchief, as if he were dreadfully hot and
tired, said thoughtfully, "Now I do hope I've brought enough, but you men
have such terrible appetites!"
"More than enough, I should say," laughed the lad, looking at the huge
bundles.
Then Sir Buzz cooked the girdle-cakes, and the soldier's son ate three of
them and a handful of sweets; but the one-span manikin gobbled up all the
rest, saying at each mouthful, "You men have such terrible appetites --
such terrible appetites!"
After that, the soldier's son and his servant Sir Buzz traveled ever so
far, until they came to the king's city. Now the king had a daughter
called Princess Blossom, who was so lovely, and tender, and slim, and
fair, that she only weighed five flowers. Every morning she was weighed in
golden scales, and the scale always turned when the fifth flower was put
in, neither less nor more.
Now it so happened that the soldier's son by chance caught a glimpse of
the lovely, tender, slim, and fair Princess Blossom, and, of course, he
fell desperately in love with her. He would neither sleep nor eat his
dinner, and did nothing all day long but say to his faithful manikin, "Oh,
dearest Sir Buzz! oh, kind Sir Buzz! -- carry me to the Princess Blossom,
that I may see and speak to her."
"Carry you!" snapped the little fellow scornfully. "That's a likely story!
Why, you're ten times as big as I am. You should carry me!"
Nevertheless, when the soldier's son begged and prayed, growing pale and
pining away with thinking of the Princess Blossom, Sir Buzz, who had a
kind heart, was moved, and bade the lad sit on his hand. Then with a
tremendous boom! bing! boom! they whizzed away and were in the
palace in a second. Being nighttime, the Princess was asleep; nevertheless
the booming wakened her and she was quite frightened to see a handsome
young man kneeling beside her. She began of course to scream, but stopped
at once when the soldier's son with the greatest politeness, and in the
most elegant of language, begged her not to be alarmed. And after that
they talked together about everything delightful, while Sir Buzz stood at
the door and did sentry; but he stood a brick up on end first, so that he
might not seem to pry upon the young people.
Now when the dawn was just breaking, the soldier's son and Princess
Blossom, wearied of talking, fell asleep; whereupon Sir Buzz, being a
faithful servant, said to himself, "Now what is to be done? If my master
remains here asleep, someone will discover him, and he will be killed as
sure as my name is Buzz; but if I wake him, ten to one he will refuse to
go."
So without more ado he put his hand under the bed, and bing! boom!
carried it into a large garden outside the town. There he set it down in
the shade of the biggest tree, and pulling up the next biggest one by the
roots, threw it over his shoulder, and marched up and down keeping guard.
Before long the whole town was in a commotion, because the Princess
Blossom had been carried off, and all the world and his wife turned out to
look for her. By and by the one-eyed chief constable came to the garden
gate.
"What do you want here?" cried valiant Sir Buzz, making passes at him with
the tree.
The chief constable with his one eye could see nothing save the branches,
but he replied sturdily, "I want the Princess Blossom!"
"I'll blossom you! Get out of my garden, will you?" shrieked the
one-span manikin, with his one and quarter span beard trailing on the
ground; and with that he belabored the constable's pony so hard with the
tree that it bolted away, nearly throwing its rider.
The poor man went straight to the king, saying, " Your majesty! I am
convinced your majesty's daughter, the Princess Blossom, is in your
majesty's garden, just outside the town, as there is a tree there which
fights terribly."
Upon this the king summoned all his horses and men, and going to the
garden tried to get in; but Sir Buzz behind the tree routed them all, for
half were killed, and the rest ran away. The noise of the battle, however,
awoke the young couple, and as they were now convinced they could no
longer exist apart, they determined to fly together. So when the fight was
over, the soldier's son, the Princess Blossom, and Sir Buzz set out to see
the world.
Now the soldier's son was so enchanted with his good luck in winning the
princess, that he said to Sir Buzz, " My fortune is made already; so I
shan't want you anymore, and you can go back to your mistress."
"Pooh!" said Sir Buzz. "Young people always think so; however, have it
your own way, only take this hair out of my beard, and if you should get
into trouble, just burn it in the fire. I'll come to your aid."
So Sir Buzz boomed off, and the soldier's son and the Princess Blossom
lived and traveled together very happily, until at last they lost their
way in a forest, and wandered about for some time without any food. When
they were nearly starving, a Brahman found them, and hearing their story
said, "Alas! you poor children! Come home with me, and I will give you
something to eat."
Now had he said, "I will eat you," it would have been much nearer the
mark, for he was no Brahman, but a dreadful vampire, who loved to devour
handsome young men and slender girls. But, knowing nothing of all this,
the couple went home with him quite cheerfully. He was most polite, and
when they arrived at his house, said, "Please get ready whatever you want
to eat, for I have no cook. Here are my keys; open all my cupboards save
the one with the golden key. Meanwhile I will go and gather firewood."
Then the Princess Blossom began to prepare the food, while the soldier's
son opened all the cupboards. In them he saw lovely jewels, and dresses,
and cups and platters, such bags of gold and silver, that his curiosity
got the better of his discretion, and, regardless of the Brahman's
warning, he said, "I will see what wonderful thing is hidden in the
cupboard with the golden key." So he opened it, and lo! it was full of
human skulls, picked quite clean, and beautifully polished. At this
dreadful sight the soldier's son flew back to the Princess Blossom, and
said, "We are lost! we are lost! This is no Brahman, but a horrid
vampire!"
At that moment they heard him at the door, and the princess, who was very
brave and kept her wits about her, had barely time to thrust the magic
hair into the fire, before the vampire, with sharp teeth and fierce eyes,
appeared. But at the selfsame moment a boom! boom! binging noise
was heard in the air, coming nearer and nearer. Whereupon the vampire, who
knew very well who his enemy was, changed into a heavy rain pouring down
in torrents, hoping thus to drown Sir Buzz, but he changed into the
storm wind beating back the rain. Then the vampire changed to a dove, but
Sir Buzz, pursuing it as a hawk, pressed it so hard that it had barely
time to change into a rose, and drop into King Indra's lap as he sat in
his celestial court listening to the singing of some dancing girls.
Then Sir Buzz, quick as thought, changed into an old musician, and
standing beside the bard who was thrumming the guitar, said, "Brother, you
are tired; let me play."
And he played so wonderfully, and sang with such piercing sweetness, that
King Indra said, "What shall I give you as a reward? Name what you please,
and it shall be yours."
Then Sir Buzz said, " I only ask the rose that is in your Majesty's lap."
"I had rather you asked more, or less," replied king Indra. "It is but a
rose, yet it fell from heaven; nevertheless it is yours."
So saying, he threw the rose towards the musician, and lo! the petals fell
in a shower on the ground. Sir Buzz went down on his knees and instantly
gathered them up; but one petal escaping, changed into a mouse. Whereupon
Sir Buzz, with the speed of lightning, turned into a cat, which caught and
gobbled up the mouse.
Now all this time the Princess Blossom and the soldier's son, shivering
and shaking, were awaiting the issue of the combat in the vampire's hut;
when suddenly, with a bing! boom! Sir Buzz arrived victorious,
shook his head, and said, "You two had better go home, for you are not fit
to take care of yourselves."
Then he gathered together all the jewels and gold in one hand, placed the
Princess and the soldier's son in the other, and whizzed away home, to
where the poor mother -- who all this time had been living on the two
shillings -- was delighted to see them. Then with a louder boom! bing!
boom! than usual, Sir Buzz, without even waiting for thanks, whizzed
out of sight, and was never seen or heard of again.
But the soldier's son and the Princess Blossom lived happily ever after.
Source: Flora Annie Steel, Tales
of the Punjab: Told by the People (London and New York: Macmillan and
Company, 1894),
pp.
1-12.
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