CHAPTER THE THIRD.
the wonderful brook.—the overturned carrier's waggon.—nutcracker and harlequin come to life.—the three wishes.—the box of nuremberg toys.—the wandering rats.—how harlequin brings to life a whole nation and army.—battle with the star.—homage.—procession to the root-valley.
The road from Nuremberg to Leipsic, at the time of our story, ran in one part close to a deep hollow, through which a clear brook wound its way. The stream flowed directly from Root-Valley, and had the marvellous property, that whatever fell into it instantly became alive, provided only that it had previously had the form of some living thing.
It chanced one day that a carrier's waggon was passing this spot on its way to the Leipsic Fair, packed full of boxes, when on a sudden a wheel came off, and the waggon rolled over into a hollow. Now in the boxes were Nuremberg toys of all kinds, enough to fit out a whole fair. When the poor carrier saw his waggon overthrown into the hollow, where he could not get at it, off he ran in despair, and nobody ever after heard what became of him. Certain it is that by the upset of the waggon some of the boxes were broken, and, of the puppets which they contained, a Nutcracker and a Harlequin rolled into the brook. No sooner were they touched by the water, than instantly a marvellous animation darted through their limbs. Slowly they raised themselves, and stared at one another with amazement. There stood Nutcracker, upon his stiff legs, like a post, beautifully varnished over, with his bright blue eyes, his wooden pigtail, and the star upon his breast; while Harlequin, in his particoloured jacket, with his laughing face, clapped together his hands and legs over his head for very joy, and hopped about like a magpie.
When these first signs of animation subsided into more tranquil reflection, Harlequin opened his lips, and said, "Great Prince! that you are a Prince, and I your merry councillor, is clear enough, for otherwise you would have no star on your breast, and I no merry-andrew's jacket; but what shall we do first?"
"That is a question for you to answer, not for me," replied Nutcracker, whom the consciousness of his high birth had already made grave and haughty. Muttering in his beard, he kept on moving his under jaw up and down, and continued, "Dear Harlequin! that I am, as you rightly say, born to be a great man, is proved, not only by my star, but also by three wishes which have just come into my head. The first wish is to have a dishfull of the finest nuts, for which I have a marvellous appetite; the second is to have a faithful people and a brilliant army, for unquestionably I am born to govern; the third and last wish is to marry a rich and beautiful Princess, who shall bring me as her dowry a pretty portion of land, where I may live with your assistance in all possible ease and comfort, eat nuts, govern my people, and pass the time merrily. Your duty is now to advise me how these wishes may be fulfilled."
"Better do than advise," cried Harlequin: "only trust, my Prince, to my merriment. Before the sun goes down, you shall be in possession of all these trifles, or my name is not Harlequin, and my legs will never more dance and clatter over my head."
So saying, in a twinkling he climbed up the nearest nut-tree, and shook it with all his might. The large nuts fell like a shower of hail, and the hungry Prince began to crack and eat them with all speed; and he did not feel quite revived until he had eaten his fill.
The second wish it was far more difficult to accomplish; nevertheless Harlequin found ways and means to counsel in this case likewise. The contents of the waggon, which lay scattered about, contained people and soldiers enough; he had only to open the boxes, and bring to life all the thousands of puppets which were shut up in them; but unluckily the lids of the boxes were fastened down so tight, that the united strength of the two little men was unable to force them open. They toiled and moiled till they were quite exhausted, but all in vain. In this perplexity a word of advice was worth something. Nutcracker's big blue eyes started out of his head from the mere effort of considering and contriving, till they looked like those of a crayfish; Harlequin, on the contrary, never lost heart or ceased his merriment for an instant. He twirled round and round like a top, looking for help on all sides; and before he himself thought of it, indeed an unexpected aid came in a marvellous way.
Afar off the brown fields which bordered the forest-glen appeared all at once to become alive. An immense host of migrating Rats, on their journey from the South to the North, were advancing this way, and by chance fell directly upon the scattered heap of boxes.
"Out of the way, my Prince!" cried Harlequin, "if we would not let ourselves be devoured like hazelnuts."
They both sprang on one side. The Rats, which, as every one knows, never turn out of their road, but always go straight forward, through field and wood, over hedge and ditch, gnawing their way through stick and stone, fell without ado upon the chests and boxes. The fresh young pine-wood boards were a welcome prize to their sharp teeth, and so too the strong hempen ropes. Speedily off fell the box-lids, one here, one there,—crack went a rope on this side, another on that! The most splendid toys presently lay scattered about in confusion on the road, and some of the Rats fell to gratifying their nibbling propensity upon them. When Harlequin beheld this, he cried aloud to the Rats, "A good appetite to you, ye board-eaters! have you enough?" And so saying he jumped into the brook, and flung his legs and arms about him, till the water splashed over all the other little Nutcrackers, Harlequins, and tin and wooden soldiers, who instantly became alive and jumped upon their legs.
"Follow me!" cried Harlequin: "one fool makes many,—one wise man many wise!" And he was right. Fresh puppets kept continually rising up and coming to life; the regiments formed themselves, the little horses were soon harnessed to the cannons and drew them, the tin Generals put themselves at the head of their troops, and the order of battle was arranged against the Rats. It was indeed high time, for many of the puppets had already fallen under the sharp teeth of their assailants. At the sight of this, Nutcracker's spirit and heroic courage were aroused; his eyes rolled, his jaws chattered with very thirst of fight, his wooden pigtail accompanied all the motions of his mouth with rapid twitchings. Impatiently he drew his sword, and at the head of his Body-guard (who were also Nutcrackers, but without the star, and therefore no princes) he led his army to battle.
And now he gave the signal to fire! Instantly all the firearms and cannons of the innumerable regiments were discharged at the Rats, who, terrified by the strange noise, took to flight in all haste. Thus a brilliant victory was gained, and in place of the late confusion of overturned boxes, there was now to be seen quite a new world, glittering in all the colours of the rainbow. Towns and villages, fortresses and country-houses, kitchens and drawing-rooms, lay scattered one upon another, whilst thousands of little men and animals were running about. The first thing now was, of course, that Prince Nutcracker should receive the homage of his subjects as their ruler.
But there still remained the third task to be accomplished,—to find a Princess, and with her hand to obtain a piece of land upon which the new colony might settle. Here again Harlequin's ingenuity soon suggested advice and aid. Some of the wounded and captured Rats were commanded to give a description of all the Princesses whom they had met with in the course of their travels. When they came to tell of the beauty of the Princess of Root-Valley, the wooden heart of Prince Nutcracker, as he listened to their description, warmed so, that a sound shot through it as if a deal board were cracking and splitting in a room suddenly heated. This sound he regarded as an omen; this and no other Princess was to be his Queen. He therefore resolved instantly to go with all his People to where the Princess lived, and sue for her hand.
The procession was forthwith marshalled in due order; the Rat prisoners served as pioneers and guides; after these followed the cavalry, then the Prince with all his Court, and behind him the cannons and infantry. Now came rocking-horses, heavily laden with band-boxes, in which were towns, villages, theatres, fortresses, kitchens, and so forth, and all the furniture and cooking utensils; behind these followed the little baggage-waggons, and tin and wooden coaches crammed full of passengers; then people on foot, of all sorts, in every fashion of dress from the time of Adam to the present day. After all these came long droves of animals, large and small, out of all the Noah's-arks and menageries which had been in the waggon,—first the tame and then the wild animals, the latter accompanied by tin Bedouins and Circassians, who had to watch lest the little roaring beasts should devour each other or any other harmless beings. And all the while Harlequins, Scaramouches, and Pantaloons kept jumping and skipping about in the procession, and by their tricks and merriment kept all the people in good heart and humour on the long and arduous march.
Meanwhile a large fleet of magnetic ships, with tin swans, ducks, and fishes swimming around them, floated in state on the wonderful brook, along the bank of which the procession marched. Now let the Reader picture to himself this interminable multitude advancing in the beautiful green woods, all amidst lilies-of-the-valley, violets and buttercups, lettuce-leaves, nettles, and ferns, marching over hill and dale, in a sparkling sunshine, and with a blue sky overhead,—and withal the toil and efforts of the little wights, the creaking of wheels, the cracking of whips, the word of command resounding through the ranks, the music and singing when the path was smooth and easy, and the cries and shrieks upon the bad roads,—how pretty and animated and merry the whole scene must have been! No wonder indeed that, along the whole way which the procession journeyed, the birds came out of the trees and hedges, the beetles crept out of the flowers, even the worms and snails came out of their hiding-places, all full of curiosity to see the sight; and no wonder too that they were all impressed with great admiration for Prince Nutcracker, who ruled over such a splendid people, and even made long travels with them!
After long and arduous toil, and incredible efforts, the Colony arrived at the large Nutfield, of which we have before heard.
