Part 4 (1/2)
Then to all the other slaves he called:--
”Get below, every one of you! Crawl into your dingy shafts and dig the gold! Begone, I say! You must obey the master of the ring!”
As soon as the black swarm had crept away, Alberich spoke angrily to Wotan and Loki. ”What do you want in here?”
”We just came to see you,” said Wotan. ”We hoped you might be glad to have us. We think you must be a very clever man. We have heard a great deal about the wonderful things you can do.”
This pleased Alberich. He grew very proud and began to boast.
”See all this gold of mine!” he said.
”Yes,” answered Loki; ”it is the most gold I have ever seen, but what use is it? It does no one any good in here where nothing useful can be bought with it.”
”I am heaping it up,” said Alberich. ”Some day, with this same treasure, heaped and hid, I hope to work some wonders. You shall see! I shall be master of the whole wide world! Ha! the smoke of Alberich's kingdom shall smudge even your flowery mountain-sides and your sparkling rivers.
Everybody shall be my slave! Beware of this black Nibelung, I say, for he shall rule the world!”
THE WIs.h.i.+NG-CAP
Loki was very sly and cunning. While Alberich boasted, he was planning how he might trick the dwarf and take his gold.
To Alberich he said: ”Surely, you will be the mightiest of men. But suppose that while you sleep, one of your slaves should creep upon you and steal your ring?”
Alberich smiled. ”There is no danger of that,” he said. ”I will show you a trick or two. Do you see this helmet? It is a magic helmet. With it I can make myself so no one can see me, or I can change myself, quick as a flash, into anything I wish to be. So, you see, I am perfectly safe.”
”I never heard of such wonders,” answered Loki. ”I really cannot believe it.”
”I shall prove it to you,” said the dwarf, never dreaming that the sly Loki was only laying a trap for him. ”What form will you have me take?”
”Turn into anything you wish. Only let me see it done and then I shall believe.”
Alberich put on the helmet. ”Ho! Monster Dragon, come!” And quick as a flash he turned into a huge dragon.
Loki pretended to be frightened. As the fierce monster squirmed toward him, he made believe that he was going to rush from the cave.
THE TRICK
The dragon vanished and there stood Alberich again.
”Now do you believe?” he asked.
”Indeed, I do,” replied Loki. ”It is wonderful. But if you could shrink to some tiny thing, it would be even much more clever, because you could creep into a crevice and spy upon your enemies. But, of course, getting small would be too hard a thing to do.”
”Only tell me what you would have me be,” said Alberich.
”Now I shall catch him,” thought Loki. ”Could you make yourself as little as a toad that quickly slinks under the rock when there is danger near?”
”Ha! Nothing easier,” laughed Alberich.