The Little Giant.
By Thomas Dunn English.
CHAPTER I.
Once upon a time, in the country of the giants, there lived a young man who was the mock of all his companions because he was somewhat deficient in the qualities of a first-rate giant. He was very little, being not seven feet high, while not one of his kinsfolk were less than ten; he had so little bodily strength that he could scarcely lift an ox; and he was so slow in his movements that his companions, in derision, called him Gofaster. Although that was not his name, it clung to him, and he was never known by any other. He had some merits, however; for he was not only sensible and full of truthfulness and honor, but so good-natured and kind-hearted that he was ever ready to do a good turn to others, and would not harm even the meanest creeping thing.
GOFASTER FALLS IN WITH THE COWARDLY GIANTS.
It chanced one day that Gofaster fell in with some giants who were great cowards, but who took advantage of their superior strength to cuff him and tweak his nose. As he had the heart of a lion, he fought them lustily. But their numbers and strength were too much for him, and so they overcame him and beat him severely. Then they carried away his cap, his jerkin, and his shoes, leaving his head, back, and feet bare, and his body bruised.
Poor Gofaster, so soon as his tormentors had gone, wandered into the woodland in no very pleasant frame of mind. Bewailing his unhappy lot, he came across a wretched hut with a low door, through which he entered by stooping. He found there no occupants nor sign of human habitation but a small heap of clothes, which lay upon the earthen floor. Examining these, he found them to consist of a cap, a jerkin, and a pair of shoes. They all seemed too small for him, but on trying them on they fitted admirably.
"They are just what I want," said he, "and it is good fortune to find them. On second thoughts, however, I shall put them off, for they are not mine, and I must not, because of my need, rob another."
"You may take them and welcome," said a voice. "I have no use for them for eleven months, and before that time you can return them to me, as you will then have other garments to wear."
"But who are you," said Gofaster, "and where are you?"
"I am a Phooka," said the voice, "and my name is Shon. I am condemned to be invisible for eleven months of the year, and banishment from Wales, from whence I came, is also my penalty."
"But what was your fault?" asked Gofaster.
"My fault is like yours," said the goblin: "I am naturally too good-natured. The Phookas, to whom I belong, are not only full of mischief, but ill-natured in the pranks they play upon men. I am mischievous also, but never to any one's hurt or serious annoyance. Hence it is that the King of the Phookas has banished me from Wales for three years, and my term will not expire for a twelvemonth. He has also condemned me to be visible for only one month in the year. I have watched you for months. I am the little old man whom you helped out of a ditch to your own discomfort. I sympathize with you in your distress, and, if you take my counsel, will bring you to good fortune."
"That is very kind of you," said Gofaster. "But how?"
"A thousand miles from here, in the far north," replied the Phooka, "in the city of Huperborea, there reigns a King named Jornet, who has an only child—a daughter called Amber. The Huperboreans are what you would call dwarfs, being under five feet in height, with the exception of the King, who is three inches taller than any of his subjects. He married in the country of the giants where you live, and his daughter, though much smaller than her mother, is within two inches of your height. She is beautiful, intelligent, and affectionate, but no one of the princes around have sought her hand, because of her height. Her father has been enraged at this, and declares that the first man coming to his country, though he be a private gentleman, if taller than she, provided he does three things for the benefit of the state, shall be her husband and succeed to the crown. Many have tried, having heard of these conditions, but have done nothing worthy of the prize; besides, none of them found favor in the eyes of the Princess Amber, and that is a part of the conditions. You shall go, and you shall win."
"But how am I to get there, so great a distance? and how am I to support myself when there? and what am I to do if I were to get there?"
"Listen," said the Phooka. "The clothes you have assumed have magic powers. The cap is the cap of intellect, and makes you see clearly and determine correctly. When in doubt, state the case in your own mind; when you have come to what you should do, the cap will bind itself tightly to your head. The jerkin is the jerkin of strength. While you wear it you will have four times the strength of other men. The shoes are the shoes of endurance. So long as they are on your feet you will be able to bear any toil without fatigue. As for means to support you, place your hand in your pocket and draw out a purse which it contains."
Gofaster obeyed, and drew out a small silken purse. "Why, this," he said, "contains but one coin—a broad gold piece."
"Take out the coin and put it in your pocket." And Gofaster obeyed.
"Why," said the giant, "there is another piece in the purse."
"Do with that as you did with the other." And Gofaster did so.
"Well," said the giant, "there seems to be another still."
"As often as you draw out," said the goblin, "from that inexhaustible treasury it will be replaced by another. And now I can transport you to Huperborea. You could not get there without my assistance, for between that country and this there are hundreds of miles of eternal ice and snow, with a very short season of growth of stunted herbage, with few animals that you could kill for support; and those who have tried to visit this great open sea, which skirts the Huperborea kingdom, have either been obliged to turn back or have perished miserably. I have the power to transport you thither. How will you go? Above, below, or between?"
THE JOURNEY TO HUPERBOREA.
Gofaster said to himself, "Which shall it be? Shall I go upward or on the ground—that seems best—or midway?"
When he uttered to himself "midway" the cap clasped itself tightly to his head, so he answered, "Midway."
The goblin gave a hollow laugh. "The cap has counselled you wisely," he said. "Had you said above, I should have carried you so high that you would have almost died of terror before we ended our short journey. Had you said on the ground, you would have been dragged over rocks and bushes, so as to get there much hurt, and I would have had no power to change this. But as you have said midway, you will have a swift and pleasant journey. Let us depart."
Gofaster felt something take his hand and lead him out of the door. Then he was drawn upward slightly, and forward, with great speed but no discomfort. It was noon when they started. They passed over lakes, rivers, and mountains, the weather changing to somewhat more chilly from what they had departed; and it seemed as though they must have gone the whole night through without his knowing it, for when they gently touched the ground at the end of the journey there appeared to Gofaster the rays of the morning sun.