‘I will take you down.’
He carried them all down. And the old dwarf went along with Jack. Jack put one brother and one lady in the Copper Castle, and the other brother in the Silver Castle; and Jack went to the Golden Castle. And Jack kept the old dwarf all his days. The old dwarf died, and at last Jack grew old himself.
There! you’ve done me.
A most interesting variant of our No. 20, the Bukowina-Gypsy story of ‘Mare’s Son,’ and so of Grimm’s ‘Strong Hans’ and Cosquin’s ‘Jean de l’Ours.’ In one respect it is more perfect than ‘Mare’s Son,’ that during the upward flight the hero cuts a piece out of his leg, which piece by rights the dwarf should have kept and restored (cf. p. 79). It is, however, contrary to every canon of the story-teller’s art for the [[247]]dwarf to prove helpful to the hero; and the brother’s treachery, in cutting the rope, is omitted. For the castles of copper, silver, and gold see pp. 233–4. One is left rather sorry for the ugly lady.
No. 59.—The Old Smith[14]
An old smith lived on a hill with his wife and mother-in-law. He could only make ploughshares. A boy comes, and wants his horse shod. The smith could not do it. The boy cuts the horse’s legs off, stops the blood, and puts the legs on the fire, beats them on the anvil, and replaces them on the horse. He gives the smith a guinea, and goes away. The smith tries this with his mother-in-law’s horse, but bungles it: the horse bleeds to death, and its legs are burnt to ashes. The boy comes again with two old women. ‘I want you to make them young again.’ The smith couldn’t. The boy puts them on the fire, beats them on the anvil, and rejuvenates them. The smith tries it with his wife and mother-in-law, but burns them to ashes. He leaves his forge, and sets off in the snow and wind. The barefooted boy follows him. The smith wants to send him off. The boy tells him of a sick king in the next town, whom they will cure, the boy acting as the smith’s servant. The butler admits them, and gives them plenty to eat and drink. The smith forgets all about the sick king, but the boy reminds him. They go up. The boy asks for a knife, pot, water, and spoon. He cuts the king’s head off, and spits on his hand to stop the blood. He puts the head in the pot, boils it, lifts it out with the golden spoon, and replaces it on the king, who is cured. The king gives them a sack of gold. They take the road again.
‘All I want,’ says Barefoot, ‘is a pair of shoes.’
‘I’ve little enough for myself,’ says the smith.
The boy leaves him, and the smith goes on alone. Hearing of another sick king, he goes to cure him, but takes too much to drink, and boils his head all to ribbons, and lets him bleed to death. A knock comes to the door. The smith, frightened, refuses admittance. [[248]]