Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it was neither
in my time nor in your time nor in any one else's time, there was an
old man and an old woman, and they had one son, and they lived in a
great forest. And their son never saw any other people in his life,
but he knew that there was some more in the world besides his own
father and mother, because he had lots of books, and he used to read
every day about them. And when he read about some pretty young women,
he used to go mad to see some of them; till one day, when his father
was out cutting wood, he told his mother that he wished to go away to
look for his living in some other country, and to see some other
people besides them two. And he said, "I see nothing at all here but
great trees around me; and if I stay here, maybe I shall go mad before
I see anything." The young man's father was out all this time, when
this talk was going on between him and his poor old mother.
The old woman begins by saying to her son before leaving, "Well, well,
my poor boy, if you want to go, it's better for you to go, and God be
with you."--(
"But stop a bit before you go. Which would you like best for me to
make you, a little cake and bless you, or a big cake and curse you?"
"Dear, dear!" said he, "make me a big cake. Maybe I shall be hungry on
the road." The old woman made the big cake, and she went on top of the
house, and she cursed him as far as she could see him.
He presently meets with his father, and the old man says to him:
"Where are you going, my poor boy?" when the son told the father the
same tale as he told his mother. "Well," says his father, "I'm sorry
to see you going away, but if you've made your mind to go, it's better
for you to go."
The poor lad had not gone far, when his father called him back; then
the old man drew out of his pocket a golden snuff-box, and said to
him: "Here, take this little box, and put it in your pocket, and be
sure not to open it till you are near your death." And away went poor
Jack upon his road, and walked till he was tired and hungry, for he
had eaten all his cake upon the road; and by this time night was upon
him, so he could hardly see his way before him.
He could see some
light a long way before him, and he made up to it, and found the back
door and knocked at it, till one of the maid-servants came and asked
him what he wanted. He said that night was on him, and he wanted to
get some place to sleep. The maid-servant called him in to the fire,
and gave him plenty to eat, good meat and bread and beer; and as he
was eating his food by the fire, there came the young lady to look at
him, and she loved him well and he loved her. And the young lady ran
to tell her father, and said there was a pretty young man in the back
kitchen; and immediately the gentleman came to him, and questioned
him, and asked what work he could do. Jack said, the silly fellow,
that he could do anything. (He meant that he could do any foolish bit
of work, that would be wanted about the house.)
"Well," says the gentleman to him, "if you can do anything, at eight
o'clock in the morning I must have a great lake and some of-the
largest man-of-war vessels sailing before my mansion, and one of the
largest vessels must fire a royal salute, and the last round must
break the leg of the bed where my young daughter is sleeping. And if
you don't do that, you will have to forfeit your life."
"All right," said Jack; and away he went to his bed, and said his
prayers quietly, and slept till it was near eight o'clock, and he had
hardly any time to think what he was to do, till all of a sudden he
remembered about the little golden box that his father gave him. And
he said to himself: "Well, well, I never was so near my death as I am
now;" and then he felt in his pocket, and drew the little box out. And
when he opened it, out there hopped three little red men, and asked
Jack: "What is your will with us?" "Well," said Jack, "I want a great
lake and some of the largest man-of-war vessels in the world before
this mansion, and one of the largest vessels to fire a royal salute,
and the last round to break one of the legs of the bed where this
young lady is sleeping." "All right," said the little men; "go to
sleep."
Jack had hardly time to bring the words out of his mouth, to tell the
little men what to do, but what it struck eight o'clock, when Bang,
bang went one of the largest man-of-war vessels; and it made Jack jump
out of bed to look through the window; and I can assure you it was a
wonderful sight for him to see, after being so long with his father
and mother living in a wood.
By this time Jack dressed himself, and said his prayers, and came down
laughing; for he was proud, he was, because the thing was done so
well. The gentleman comes to him, and says to him: "Well, my young
man, I must say that you are very clever indeed. Come and have some
breakfast." And the gentleman tells him, "Now there are two more
things you have to do, and then you shall have my daughter in
marriage." Jack gets his breakfast, and has a good squint at the
young lady, and also she at him.
The other thing that the gentleman told him to do was to fell all the
great trees for miles around by eight o'clock in the morning; and, to
make my long story short, it was done, and it pleased the gentleman
well The gentleman said to him: "The other thing you have to do"--(and
it was the last thing)--"you must get me a great castle standing on
twelve golden pillars; and there must come regiments of soldiers and
go through their drill. At eight o'clock the commanding officer must
say, 'Shoulder up.'" "All right," said Jack; when the third and last
morning came the third great feat was finished, and he had the young
daughter in marriage. But, oh dear! there is worse to come yet.
The gentleman now makes a large hunting party, and invites all the
gentlemen around the country to it, and to see the castle as well. And
by this time Jack has a beautiful horse and a scarlet dress to go with
them. On that morning his valet, when putting Jack's clothes by, after
changing them to go a hunting, put his hand in one of Jack's
waistcoat-pockets, and pulled out the little golden snuffbox, as poor
Jack left behind in a mistake. And that man opened the little box, and
there hopped the three little red men out, and asked him what he
wanted with them. "Well," said the valet to them, "I want this castle
to be moved from this place far and far across the sea." "All right,"
said the little red men to him; "do you wish to go with it?" "Yes,"
said he. "Well, get up," said they to him; and away they went far and
far over the great sea.
Now the grand hunting party comes back, and the castle upon the twelve
golden pillars had disappeared, to the great disappointment of those
gentlemen as did not see it before. That poor silly Jack is threatened
by taking his beautiful young wife from him, for taking them in in the
way he did. But the gentleman at last made an agreement with him, and
he is to have a twelvemonths and a day to look for it; and off he goes
with a good horse and money in his pocket.
Now poor Jack goes in search of his missing castle, over hills, dales,
valleys, and mountains, through woolly woods and sheepwalks, further
than I can tell you or ever intend to tell you. Until at last he comes
up to the place where lives the King of all the little mice in the
world. There was one of the little mice on sentry at the front gate
going up to the palace, and did try to stop Jack from going in. He
asked the little mouse: "Where does the King live? I should like to
see him." This one sent another with him to show him the place; and
when the King saw him, he called him in.
And the King questioned him,
and asked him where he was going that way. Well, Jack told him all the
truth, that he had lost the great castle, and was going to look for
it, and he had a whole twelvemonths and a day to find it out. And Jack
asked him whether he knew anything about it; and the King said: "No,
but I am the King of all the little mice in the world, and I will call
them all up in the morning, and maybe they have seen something of it."
Then Jack got a good meal and bed, and in the morning he and the King
went on to the fields; and the King called all the mice together, and
asked them whether they had seen the great beautiful castle standing
on golden pillars. And all the little mice said, No, there was none of
them had seen it. The old King said to him that he had two other
brothers: "One is the King of all the frogs; and my other brother, who
is the oldest, he is the King of all the birds in the world. And if
you go there, may be they know something about the missing castle.
The King said to him: "Leave your horse here with me till you come
back, and take one of my best horses under you, and give this cake to
my brother; he will know then who you got it from. Mind and tell him I
am well, and should like dearly to see him." And then the King and
Jack shook hands together.
And when Jack was going through the gates, the little mouse asked him,
should he go with him; and Jack said to him: "No, I shall get myself
into trouble with the King." And the little thing told him: "It will
be better for you to let me go with you; maybe I shall do some good to
you some time without you knowing it." "Jump up, then." And the little
mouse ran up the horse's leg, and made it dance; and Jack put the
mouse in his pocket.
Now Jack, after wishing good morning to the King and pocketing the
little mouse which was on sentry, trudged on his way; and such a long
way he had to go and this was his first day.
At last he found the
place; and there was one of the frogs on sentry, and gun upon his
shoulder, and did try to hinder Jack from going in; but when Jack said
to him that he wanted to see the King, he allowed him to pass; and
Jack made up to the door. The King came out, and asked him his
business; and Jack told him all from beginning to end. "Well, well,
come in." He gets good entertainment that night; and in the morning
the King made such a funny sound, and collected all the frogs in the
world. And he asked them, did they know or see anything of a castle
that stood upon twelve golden pillars; and they all made a curious
sound, _Kro-kro, kro-kro_, and said, No.
Jack had to take another horse, and a cake to this King's brother, who
is the King of all the fowls of the air; and as Jack was going through
the gates, the little frog that was on sentry asked John should he go
with him. Jack refused him for a bit; but at last he told him to jump
up, and Jack put him in his other waistcoat pocket.
And away he went
again on his great long journey; it was three times as long this time
as it was the first day; however, he found the place, and there was a
fine bird on sentry. And Jack passed him, and he never said a word to
him; and he talked with the King, and told him everything, all about
the castle. "Well," said the King to him, "you shall know in the
morning from my birds, whether they know anything or not." Jack put up
his horse in the stable, and then went to bed, after having something
to eat. And when he got up in the morning the King and he went on to
some field, and there the King made some funny noise, and there came
all the fowls that were in all the world. And the King asked them;
"Did they see the fine castle?" and all the birds answered, No.
"Well," said the King, "where is the great bird?" They had to wait
then for a long time for the eagle to make his appearance, when at
last he came all in a perspiration, after sending two little birds
high up in the sky to whistle on him to make all the haste he possibly
could.
The King asked the great bird, Did he see the great castle? and
the bird said: "Yes, I came from there where it now is." "Well," says
the King to him; "this young gentleman has lost it, and you must go
with him back to it; but stop till you get a bit of something to eat
first."
They killed a thief, and sent the best part of it to feed the eagle on
his journey over the seas, and had to carry Jack on his back. Now when
they came in sight of the castle, they did not know what to do to get
the little golden box. Well, the little mouse said to them: "Leave me
down, and I will get the little box for you." So the mouse stole into
the castle, and got hold of the box; and when he was coming down the
stairs, it fell down, and he was very near being caught. He came
running out with it, laughing his best. "Have you got it?" Jack said
to him; he said: "Yes;" and off they went back again, and left the
castle behind.
As they were all of them (Jack, mouse, frog, and eagle) passing over
the great sea, they fell to quarrelling about which it was that got
the little box, till down it slipped into the water. (It was by them
looking at it and handing it from one hand to the other that they
dropped the little box to the bottom of the sea.) "Well, well," said
the frog, "I knew that I would have to do something, so you had better
let me go down in the water." And they let him go, and he was down for
three days and three nights; and up he comes, and shows his nose and
little mouth out of the water; and all of them asked him, Did he get
it? and he told them, No. "Well, what are you doing there, then?"
"Nothing at all," he said, "only I want my full breath;" and the poor
little frog went down the second time, and he was down for a day and a
night, and up he brings it.
And away they did go, after being there four days and nights; and
after a long tug over seas and mountains, arrive at the palace of the
old King, who is the master of all the birds in the world. And the
King is very proud to see them, and has a hearty welcome and a long
conversation. Jack opens the little box, and told the little men to go
back and to bring the castle here to them; "and all of you make as
much haste back again as you possibly can."
The three little men went off; and when they came near the castle they
were afraid to go to it till the gentleman and lady and all the
servants were gone out to some dance. And there was no one left behind
there only the cook and another maid with her; and the little red men
asked them which would they rather--go, or stop behind? and they both
said: "I will go with you;" and the little men told them to run
upstairs quick. They were no sooner up and in one of the drawing-rooms
than here comes just in sight the gentleman and lady and all the
servants; but it was too late. Off the castle went at full speed, with
the women laughing at them through the window, while they made motions
for them to stop, but all to no purpose.
They were nine days on their journey, in which they did try to keep
the Sunday holy, when one of the little men turned to be the priest,
the other the clerk, and third presided at the organ, and the women
were the singers, for they had a grand chapel in the castle already.
Very remarkable, there was a discord made in the music, and one of the
little men ran up one of the organ-pipes to see where the bad sound
came from, when he found out it only happened to be that the two women
were laughing at the little red man stretching his little legs full
length on the bass pipes, also his two arms the same time, with his
little red night-cap, which he never forgot to wear, and what they
never witnessed before, could not help calling forth some good
merriment while on the face of the deep. And poor thing! through them
not going on with what they begun with, they very near came to danger,
as the castle was once very near sinking in the middle of the sea.
At length, after a merry journey, they come again to Jack and the
King. The King was quite struck with the sight of the castle; and
going up the golden stairs, went to see the inside.
The King was very much pleased with the castle, but poor Jack's time
of a twelvemonths and a day was drawing to a close; and he, wishing to
go home to his young wife, gives orders to the three little men to get
ready by the next morning at eight o'clock to be off to the next
brother, and to stop there for one night; also to proceed from there
to the last or the youngest brother, the master of all the mice in the
world, in such place where the castle shall be left under his care
until it's sent for. Jack takes a farewell of the King, and thanks him
very much for his hospitality.
Away went Jack and his castle again, and stopped one night in that
place; and away they went again to the third place, and there left the
castle under his care. As Jack had to leave the castle behind, he had
to take to his own horse, which he left there when he first started.
Now poor Jack leaves his castle behind and faces towards home; and
after having so much merriment with the three brothers every night,
Jack became sleepy on horseback, and would have lost the road if it
was not for the little men a-guiding him. At last he arrived weary and
tired, and they did not seem to receive him with any kindness
whatever, because he had not found the stolen castle; and to make it
worse, he was disappointed in not seeing his young and beautiful wife
to come and meet him, through being hindered by her parents. But that
did not stop long. Jack put full power on and despatched the little
men off to bring the castle from there, and they soon got there.
Jack shook hands with the King, and returned many thanks for his
kingly kindness in minding the castle for him; and then Jack
instructed the little men to spur up and put speed on. And off they
went, and were not long before they reached their journey's end, when
out comes the young wife to meet him with a fine lump of a young SON,
and they all lived happy ever afterwards.
