英语故事:The Giant And The Fair Man-Servant

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Once upon a time the heir of the King of Eirin shot a raventhat he would seek all through the world for a maidenwith hair like the raven's wing and cheeks like the raven's blood in the snow.

So he travelled east and west, and north and south, looking for this maiden. One day he saw a number of people going into a place like a church, at the door of which a dead man was Iying; and he noticed with horror that the people just walked over the body. So he questioned a man as to why all the passers-by should do this terrible thing, and he was told: "Well, this is the reason. He is a man who did not pay his debts, and he will be left to lie there until someone does it for him."

"Oh well," said the King's son, "be the sum large or small I will pay it rather than see what I have seen."

So the dead man was buried, and the Prince paid his debts and went on his travels again.

He began to get very tired; and while he was looking about for a place in which to rest he saw a woebegone creature approaching him---a red-haired youth, bareheaded and barefooted, who came and asked him:

"Do you want a man-servant?"

"Indeed, I haven't the means enough to keep a man-servant," the Prince said. "I'm only wandering about looking for the lady who is to be my wife."

"Well," the young man said, "I won't be the one to ask much from you," and he pressed the Prince, who at last agreed to take him as his body-servant; and they went on their way together. Now, they found themselves approaching a large cave, and the man-servant said: "A giant lives in that cave and no one gets past him alive, but if you do as I say we may be able to trick him. Stay you here and pretend you are putting an army through its drill, and make as much noise as you can---as if there were many with you---while I go into the cave."

When he got to the cave entrance, there was the giant, licking his lips.

"Ha! I'm glad you have come, for I'm ravenousfor fresh meat!" he roared.

"Wait, wait! You needn't be in all this hurry," the man-servant said, "for the son of the King of Eirin is out there with his army, and he has come to put an end to your life, Master Giant!"

And sure enough, when the giant looked out, there was the Prince at the corner, drilling away at men the giant supposed must be round the corner.

So he came back into his cave right quickly, and he said to the man-servant: "Och, och! but you're right, and I like this not! But listen to me: I've two brothers far worse than me that you must encounter yet. Now, if you will hide me under this great stone I'll give you a magic quilt that will make you invisible, and you can escape my brothers that way."

"All right, then," the man-servant said, and he took the quilt from the giant, who lifted the great stone in the cave and got himself into the hole.

And the man-servant rolled the stone over and let it down edgeways on the giant so that it ground him to powder!

Then he and the Prince filled their pockets with treasure that was in the cave and went on their way.

They soon came to great rocks and precipicesand laughed, for, said he:

"The sands of the seashore are miles long and miles wide, and who will know where to dig ? "

But the man-servant had put on his invisible quilt and his shoes of quietness, and had gone behind the maiden; so when she had gone away from the spot where the spoon was buried he just dug it up again and took it to the Prince.

And oh! the rage of the giant when the Prince met him at sunrise with the spoon in his hand!

He sulked all day, and at evening he thought of another test; and he took out a silver comb from the maiden's hair and said to the Prince:

"Unless you can replace that comb in the maiden's hair at sunrise your head will be on the fifth spike," and he went away to the shore to bury the comb himself this time.

Again the man-servant donned the invisible quilt and the shoes of quietness, and followed unseen and unheard; and again he dug where the giant had buried the comb and took it to the Prince. And when the Prince replaced the comb in the maiden's hair at sunrise the giant foamedat the mouth in his rage!

Then came the third night, and the Prince said to the maiden:

"Why will you be waiting on here with the giant? Come away with me and we will be married."

But she said with a sigh: "No, that cannot be, for I am under a spell and cannot leave this place unless someone will cut off the five heads and five necks of the giant; and who can ever do that?"

"Well," the Prince said, "let us ask this clever fellow of a man-servant of mine."

The man-servant said to her to go and tell the giant he was going to fight him, and she did so.

And the giant laughed, "Ho, ho!" and he laughed, "Hee, hee!" and he rolled with laughing, and took a mightysword in his hand; but he didn't know that the man-servant was there in his invisible quilt and his shoes of quietness---until he felt a sword flashing about among his five heads; and then he cried, "Oh, oh!" instead of, "Ho, ho!" for he couldn't see his opponent. Off went head number one, and off went head number two, and so on, until all five heads were severedfrom the giant's five necks!

And the fair man-servant placed them on a string and slungthem over his shoulder and carried them all to the Prince.

And now the King's son was able to marry the maiden with hair like the raven's wing and cheeks like the raven's blood on the snow; and they stayed on in the giant's house and enjoyed the wealth and the treasure of the three giants, and were very hap

At the end of a year the fair man-servant came to the Prince and said he must now be leaving him- and the Prince said: "What reward will you take for all the fine service you have rendered me?"

"What reward will you give me?" said the man-servant.

"Whatever you choose to ask from me, even should you ask my wife herself," said the Prince.

I will not ask any reward or gift from you," the fair man-servant said, "nor will I ask your wife or your treasures. But do you remember the man whose debts you paid who was lying at the door of the church."

"I do that," said the Prince.

Then I am that man, and I came back to earth to pay my debt to you for bringing me to rest. The debt is now paid and I am wishful to return to the place from which I came to you: so fare you well, master, for ever!"

And where he had been standingthere was now but a mistycloud! And they never saw the fair man-servant again, but they lived for many years to enjoy the wealth of the giants he had killed.

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