Part 32 (2/2)
A little farther on there was another river and over it another wonderful bridge, this one made entirely of stone.
Beyond it the rich man came to a meadow where there was a hayrick around which two angry bulls were chasing each other and goring each other until the blood spurted.
”I wonder some one doesn't stop them!” the rich man thought to himself.
The next river had an iron bridge, more beautiful than the rich man had ever supposed an iron bridge could be.
Beyond the iron bridge there was a field and a bush and two angry rams that were chasing each other around the bush and fighting. Their horns cracked as they met and their hides were torn and bleeding where they had gored each other.
”I never saw so many angry fighting animals!” the rich man thought to himself.
The next bridge glowed in the sun like the embers of a fire for it was built entirely of s.h.i.+ning copper--copper rivets, copper plates, copper beams, nothing but copper.
The silver tracks led over the copper bridge into a broad valley. By the roadside there was a high crossbar from which depended heavy cuts of meat--lamb and pork and veal. Two large b.i.t.c.h dogs were jumping at the meat and then snarling and snapping at each other.
The next bridge was the loveliest of them all for it was built of white gleaming silver.
The rich man climbed down from his wagon and examined it closely.
”It would be worth a man's while to carry home a piece of this bridge!”
he muttered to himself.
He tried the rivets, he shook the railing. At last he found four loose bolts which he was able to pull out. The four together were so heavy that he was scarcely able to lift them. He looked cautiously about and when he saw that no one was looking, he slipped them one by one into the bottom of his wagon and covered them with straw. Then he turned his horse's head and drove home as fast as he could. It was midnight when he got there and n.o.body about to spy on him as he hid the silver bolts in the hay.
The next day when he went out alone to gloat over his treasure he found instead of four heavy silver bolts four pieces of wood!
So that's what the rich brother got for following the silver tracks.
A day or two later without saying a word to any one, the second brother decided that he would follow the silver tracks and have a look at the strange Beggar whose cart had silver bolts and whose wheezy horse had golden shoes.
”Perhaps if I keep my wits about me I'll be able to pick up a few golden horse-shoes. Not many boys inherit golden horse-shoes from their fathers!”
[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Beggar's Garden_]
Well, the second brother went over exactly the same route and saw exactly the same things. He crossed all those wonderful bridges that his brother had crossed--the wooden bridge, the stone bridge, the iron bridge, the copper bridge, the silver bridge, and he saw all those angry animals still trying to gore each other to death.
He didn't stop at the silver bridge for he thought to himself:
”Perhaps the next bridge will be golden and if it is I may be able to break off a piece of it!”
Beyond the silver bridge was another broad valley and the second brother saw many strange sights as he drove through. There was a man standing alone in a field and trying to beat off a flock of ravens that were swooping down and pecking at his eyes. Near him was an old man with snow-white hair who was making loud outcries to heaven praying to be delivered from the two oxen who were munching at his white hair as though it were so much hay. They ate great wisps of it and the more they ate the more grew out.
There was an apple-tree heavily laden with ripe fruit and a hungry man forever reaching up and plucking an apple. The apples were apples of Sodom and always as the hungry man raised each new one to his mouth it turned to ashes.
In another place a thirsty man was reaching with a dipper into a well and always, just as he was about to scoop up some water, the well moved away from under the dipper.
”What a strange country this is!” thought the second brother as he drove on.
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