CHAPTER THE SIXTH.
the birdcatcher and his family.—how the children return home with rare treasures.—nutcracker's dead body.—the little maiden in the stork's nest, and who she was.—affecting reconciliation on the nutfield.—threatening danger to the rootmen.—emigration of the rootmen.
At the time when all these wonderful occurrences happened, there lived at the entrance of this forest an old Birdcatcher and his family. During the two years since he had settled here, his business had prospered remarkably; and, especially in the Spring and Autumn, so many birds had been taken in his nets, that he had earned many a bright dollar, and had laid by many a spare penny.
Now once on a Spring day a heavy rain had fallen, and, strange to say, ever since that time not a bird was longer to be seen there: every morning the Birdcatcher found his nets torn, his limed twigs destroyed, and even his screech-owl and other decoy-birds had vanished from their cages and perches. And yet he knew well enough there lived no other man in the whole forest who could have done all this.
One day he had sent his children with the cart deep into the forest, to fetch brushwood. Evening came on, and they did not return. It already began to grow dark, and as they still had not come back, his anxiety increased, and he determined to go in search of them. He had just crossed the threshold, when suddenly he heard a shouting and singing at a distance in the wood. Joyous sounds! it was his dear children, who were dragging and pushing along the little cart, piled up and closely packed.
"You good-for-nothing little brats, where have you been all this time?" he exclaimed, half angrily, though overjoyed. But they laughed, and removing the green brushwood with which they had covered the loaded cart, they exclaimed, quite red in the face with delight, "Only see, father, what we have here!" And, lo and behold, the cart was filled from top to bottom with broken, bent, and gnaw'd playthings!
And now they went on to tell the whole story of their treasures; and amidst a Babel of voices, all speaking together, one louder than another, the sum and substance of the story was this. After losing their way, they had wandered about till they came to a narrow, smooth dale, which lost itself like a footpath in the wood. The ground was all wet and miry from the rain. Suddenly, to their amazement, they found all these splendid things scattered about in radiant confusion; and, had not the sun already sunk behind the pine-trees, they would have followed the path still further. It seemed to have no end, but disappeared deep in the thicket, and, as far as they could see, it was all bestrewn with similar treasures.
The story seemed strange to their father, and he resolved to follow the path they spoke of the next day, hoping in his own mind to discover a track of the culprit who had decoyed away the birds and torn his nets.
The next morning, as soon as the dawn glimmered through the still forest, the Birdcatcher's whole family were on their way with the wood-cart to the dale; and, truly enough, there they found everything as the children had described.
"Look, look, father! there is another splendid little wooden fellow!" exclaimed the youngest child, raking out of the mire a little Nutcracker, bedaubed with mud, his colours all washed off, and his pedestal lost.
"Heyday! what a face the fellow has, and what a mouth, and what goggling eyes!" cried all the children in one voice.
"Silly nonsense! stupid toy!" exclaimed the old man angrily, as he snatched the Nutcracker from them, and flung it far away into the wood.
But now a wonderful sight presented itself to his view.
Out of a Crane's nest, high up on an old oak-tree, there rose a little maiden of human form, quite enveloped in gossamer. She climbed down from the tree like a squirrel, ran with all speed to the spot where Nutcracker lay, dug him a grave with her hands, and, with the aid of the two Cranes, laid him in it, and raked the earth over the spot; after which she climbed again up the tree, and into the nest.
The Birdcatcher and his family stood open-mouthed, in silent astonishment; they feared to frighten away the little maiden, but this strange sight made them hesitate what to do.
"So, so, then, you are the little witch who robs me of my bread!" at last exclaimed the Birdcatcher, giving vent to his repressed anger. "Wait there awhile, my pretty little bird: tomorrow morning we will come again with axe and nets; we will then cut down your tree in a trice and catch you. For the present let us see where this path leads, and whether there are not more of you here."
Before he had finished speaking, he espied the little maiden peeping anxiously from under her white veil out of the nest, and making a sign. And instantly the Cranes came flying to her, took up the nest with their bills, raised it from the branches, and bore it swiftly through the air.
Who other could the little maiden be than our Princess of Root-Valley?
Fear of her father and her countrypeople had prevented her returning to her native Valley. At the same time a feeling of sorrow for the haughtiness with which she had treated the Birds whom she had once loved, had grown so strong in her heart, that she resolved to make amends for her former ill-conduct to these good-natured creatures. Since the fatal day when her husband and his people had been all destroyed, she had made her abode in this tree, and taken under her tender care all the young birds whose parents had died. Indeed she it really was who, in spite of her fear of Men, had every night destroyed the Birdcatcher's nets, and had warned the birds against venturing near him.
At this instant however she saw the danger which threatened her countrymen, if these selfish people should discover the Root-kingdom. All other considerations therefore must yield. Without delay she desired the Cranes to convey her straight to her own Valley, where she was resolved to alight, happen what might.
In the Nutfield, which had so recently been the scene of her false splendour and her follies, the Rootmen happened on this very day to be assembled. Notwithstanding her wrong conduct, they had not yet given up the Princess, and, at the entreaties of her father, they were met to consider what steps could be taken to search for her.
The Cranes alighted with the nest. In an instant the repentant daughter fell on the neck of her overjoyed father, and all the People compassionated her, and forgave her from the bottom of their hearts. In their delight at seeing her again, all were ready to give themselves up to unrestrained rejoicing, but the Princess checked their merriment. She told her People the danger which threatened them of being discovered by Men. Anxiety and terror seized the Rootmen at this news: it was no longer possible to remain in the forest. They at once resolved to leave Root-Valley, and to emigrate by subterranean passages to distant lands.
The whole body put themselves forthwith in motion, when just at that instant there appeared upon the rocky heights, behind the thick hedge, the Birdcatcher with his family. If these folks had been astonished at the first instant, how much more so were they now, when they saw all the little Rootmen disappear in the rocks!
Angry and impatient at not being able to get at them, the Birdcatcher tried all he could to break through the hedge, but in vain,—he only came off with scratched and bleeding hands.
"Ill-luck!" he exclaimed; "had I but my axe and nets, to catch those tiny little creatures, I might sell them in the town, or make a show of them, and become the richest man in the world!" And thereupon he took his whistle, and began to whistle an alluring melody, thinking by this means to entice the little People like birds; but this attempt was likewise in vain. All the little Rootmen passed before his eyes into the rock, actually laughing and making faces at him; and when the very last little elf vanished in the rock, the opening closed. Since that time no one has ever again seen the little Rootmen.