Part 2 (1/2)
Next morning, with the diamond in his pocket and the axe on his shoulder, the young man set out on his travels. All day long he walked through the forest, until at evening time he saw before him another hut, like the first, where lived the old man with no legs. Before this hut, too, there was a fire burning, and beside the fire sat an old man without any arms. Whether a tiger had bitten off his arms or whether he never had any, I cannot say, because he never told me; but there he sat like a pair of compa.s.ses. He had the stump of a tree to sit on, and before him was another stump, and on this stump was a large bowl of milk, out of which he was drinking. When he saw our friend, he tipped over this bowl with his chin; instantly a deep roaring river surrounded him and his hut, and he sat in the middle, laughing at the young man's surprise. But he did not laugh long, for the young man instantly wished himself over the river, and there he was. Now it was his turn to laugh.
”How on earth did you do that?” asked the old man. He was much too astonished to think of saying good-day.
”Oh, that's nothing,” said the young man, and showed him his diamond.
The old man's eyes glistened. He thought how nice it would be to have that diamond.
”What do you say to selling me that diamond?” said he.
”What will you give me for it?” asked the young man.
”I will give you this bowl. It is a wis.h.i.+ng bowl. Whenever you are hungry all you have to do is to wish for something in it, and there it is; milk, or soup, or wine; anything that can go in a bowl. And if you turn it over, as you saw me do just now, a rus.h.i.+ng, roaring river pours out, and surrounds you, or, if you like, it will flood a whole country and drown every living thing.”
”Dear me!” said the young man, ”that is a wonderful bowl. Well, I agree; I'll give you my diamond for it.” So they exchanged the bowl and the diamond. The old man took the diamond in his hand and watched it sparkle; but he did not watch long, for the young man slapped his hatchet and cried, ”Heads!” In a jiffy the steel sliced through the old man's neck like a cuc.u.mber, and he had no more head than arms. Then the young man picked up his diamond and put it away in his pocket. So now he had three wonderful things instead of two. He blessed his good luck, wished for some delicious wine in his bowl, drank it, and went to sleep happily, in the old man's hut.
Next morning the young man was up betimes; and after taking a meal out of his wis.h.i.+ng-bowl, he set out once more to walk through the forest. After he had walked for some hours, he heard, far in the distance, a loud rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub, boom, boom, boom. He felt as if he could hardly help running away; still, with a great effort, he began to walk towards the sound, which got louder and louder every minute, till at last it made a tremendous din. Then, suddenly, just as he came upon a little open glade in the forest, he heard a rustle, bustle, jostle, and out of the trees came a great herd of elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, and all sorts of wild animals, their hair bristling with fright, and every one of them tearing along at full speed. They were far too much terrified to notice him, and, scurrying across the glade, they vanished among the trees.
By this time the noise had ceased, but it was not long before he came upon another little glade, and at the end of the glade was a hut, and in front of that hut sat a big black giant with a drum.
”Good day to you!” roared the giant, in a great voice.
”Good day!” said the young man, rather frightened.
”Come and have something to eat!” roared the giant.
”Thank you,” said the young man.
They sat down, and the giant offered him some food. But the young man thought it was safer not to take any of the giant's food, so he pulled out his bowl, and wished for some soup, and sipped it.
”What is that?” asked the giant.
The young man told him it was a wis.h.i.+ng bowl, that gave any food he wanted. The giant was very much delighted with the wis.h.i.+ng bowl, and thought that if he could get that bowl, he would be able to eat without the trouble of getting things.
”I'll buy that bowl!” he roared.
”What will you give me for it?” asked the young man.
”I will give you this drum,” said the giant. ”If you beat on one side, everybody that hears it will run away.”
”Ah, that was why the lions and tigers were running away just now!” said the young man.
”Yes,” said the giant. ”And if you beat on the other side, a splendid army of soldiers and horses will spring up out of the ground and defend you.”
”All right, here you are,” said the young man, and gave him the bowl.
The giant took the bowl in great glee, and horrid to tell, wished out loud for a bowlful of blood! He began to drink it, but he did not finish; for as he buried his nose in the bowl, the young man slapped his axe, and said--”Heads!” Down came the axe with a crash on the giant's head, and cut it clean in two!