the princess. The mermaid looked in vain for him, and coated all night upon the sea; but he never came back, and never more did he gladden her eyes. But the princess felt that something strange was about her, though she knew not what, and returned quickly to the palace, where the young man at once resumed his own shape. Oh, what joy filled her heart at the sight of him! But there was no time to be lost, and she led him right into the hall, where the king and his nobles were still sitting at the feast. 'Here is a man who boasts that he can do wonderful tricks,' said she, 'better even than the Red Knight's! That cannot be true, of course, but it might be well to give this impostor a lesson. He pretends, for instance, that he can turn himself into a lion; but that I do not believe. I know that you have studied the art of magic,' she went on, turning to the Red Knight, 'so suppose you just show him how it is done, and bring shame upon him.'
Now the Red Knight had never opened a book of magic in his life; but he was accustomed to think that he could do everything better than other people without any teaching at all. So he turned and twisted himself about, and bellowed and made faces; but he did not become a lion for all that.
'Well, perhaps it is very difficult to change into a lion. Make yourself a bear,' said the princess. But the Red Knight found it no easier to become a bear than a lion.
'Try a bee,' suggested she. 'I have always read that anyone who can do magic at all can do that.' And the old knight buzzed and hummed, but he remained a man and not a bee.
'Now it is your turn,' said the princess to the youth. 'Let us see if you can change yourself into a lion.' And in a moment such a fierce creature stood before them, that all the guests rushed out of the hall, treading each other underfoot in their fright. The lion sprang at the Red Knight, and would have torn him in pieces had not the princess held him back, and bidden him to change himself into a man again. And in a second a man took the place of the lion.
'Now become a bear,' said she; and a bear advanced panting and stretching out his arms to the Red Knight, who shrank behind the princess.
By this time some of the guests had regained their courage, and returned as far as the door, thinking that if it was safe for the princess perhaps it was safe for them. The king, who was braver than they, and felt it needful to set them a good example besides, had never left his seat, and when at a new command of the princess the bear once more turned into a man, he was silent from astonishment, and a suspicion of the truth began to dawn on him. 'Was it he who fetched the sword?' asked the king.
'Yes, it was,' answered the princess; and she told him the whole story, and how she had broken her gold ring and given him half of it. And the prince took out his half of the ring, and the princess took out hers, and they fitted exactly. Next day the Red Knight was hanged, as he richly deserved, and there was a new marriage feast for the prince and princess.
[Lapplandische Mahrchen.]
Pivi and Kabo
When birds were men, and men were birds, Pivi and Kabo lived in an island far away, called New Claledonia. Pivi was a cheery little bird that chirps at sunset; Kabo was an ugly black fowl that croaks in the darkness. One day Pivi and Kabo thought that they would make slings, and practice slinging, as the people of the island still do. So they went to a banyan tree, and stripped the bark to make strings for their slings, and next they repaired to the river bank to find stones. Kabo stood on the bank of the river, and Pivi went into the water. The game was for Kabo to sling at Pivi, and for Pivi to dodge the stones, if he could. For some time he dodged them cleverly, but at last a stone from Kabo's sling hit poor Pivi on the leg and broke it. Down went Pivi into the stream, and floated along it, till he floated into a big hollow bamboo, which a woman used for washing her sweet potatoes.
'What is that in my bamboo?' said the woman. And she blew in at one end, and blew little Pivi out at the other, like a pea from a pea-shooter.
'Oh!' cried the woman, 'what a state you are in! What have you been doing?'
'It was Kabo who broke my leg at the slinging game,' said Pivi.
'Well, I am sorry for you,' said the woman; 'will you come with me, and do what I tell you?'
'I will!' said Pivi, for the woman was very kind and pretty. She took Pivi into a shed where she kept her fruit laid him on a bed of mats, and made him as comfortable as she could, and attended to his broken leg without cutting off the flesh round the bone, as these people usually do.
'You will be still, won't you, Pivi?' she said. 'If you hear a little noise you will pretend to be dead. It is the Black Ant who will come and creep from your feet up to your head. Say nothing, and keep quiet, won't you, Pivi?'
'Certainly, kind lady,' said Pivi, 'I will lie as still as can be.'
'Next will come the big Red Ant-you know him?'
'Yes, I know him, with his feet like a grasshopper's.'
'He will walk over your body up to your head. Then you must shake all your body. Do you understand, Pivi?'
'Yes, dear lady, I shall do just as you say.'
'Very good,' said the woman, going out and shutting the door.
Pivi lay still under his coverings, then a tiny noise was heard, and the Black Ant began to march over Pivi, who lay quite still. Then came the big Red Ant skipping along his body, and then Pivi shook himself all over. He jumped up quite well again, he ran to the river, he looked into the water and saw that he was changed from a bird into a fine young man!
'Oh, lady,' he cried, 'look at me now! I am changed into a man, and so handsome!'
'Will you obey me again?' said the woman.
'Always; whatever you command I will do it,' said Pivi, politely.
'Then climb up that cocoa-nut tree, with your legs only, not using your hands,' said the woman.
Now the natives can run up cocoa-nut trees like squirrels, some using only one hand; the girls can do that. But few can climb without using their hands at all.
'At the top of the tree you will find two cocoa-nuts. You must not throw them down, but carry them in your hands; and you must descend as you went up, using your legs only.'
'I shall try, at least,' said Pivi. And up he went, but it was very difficult, and down he came.
'Here are your cocoa-nuts,' he said, presenting them to the woman.
'Now, Pivi, put them in the shed where you lay, and when the sun sets to cool himself in the sea and rise again not so hot in the dawn you must go and take the nuts.'
All day Pivi played about in the river, as the natives do, throwing fruit and silvery showers of water at each other. When the sun set he went into the hut. But as he drew near he heard sweet voices talking and laughing within.
'What is that? People chattering in the hut! Perhaps they have taken my cocoa-nuts,' said Pivi to himself.
In he went, and there he found two pretty, laughing, teasing girls. He hunted for his cocoanuts, but none were there.
Down he ran to the river. 'Oh, lady, my nuts have been stolen!' he cried.
'Come with me, Pivi, and there will be nuts for you,' said the woman.
They went back to the hut, where the girls were laughing and playing.
'Nuts for you?' said the woman, 'there are two wives for you, Pivi, take them to your house.'
'Oh, good lady,' cried Pivi, 'how kind you are!'
So they were married and very happy, when in came cross old Kabo.
'Is this Pivi?' said he. 'Yes, it is-no, it isn't. It is not the same Pivi-but there is a kind of likeness. Tell me, are you Pivi?'
'Oh, yes!' said Pivi. 'But I am much better looking, and there are my two wives, are they not beautiful?'
'You are mocking me, Pivi! Your wives? How? Where did you get them? You, with wives!'
Then Pivi told Kabo about the kind woman, and all the wonderful things that had happened to him.
'Well, well!' said Kabo, 'but I want to be handsome too, and to have pretty young wives.'
