River Legends; Or, Father Thames and Father Rhine
and rendered houseless and homeless in a moment by the act of the giant,
was a worthy person of the name of Hans. His other name is unknown to
me, or at least I have forgotten it at the present moment, which comes
to much the same thing. Hans had followed the honourable profession of
a tailor in happier days, before the tyranny of the giant had destroyed
trade, crippled commerce, and made men careless {155}as to whether they
wore coats or trousers at all when their whole lives were so full of
misery and uncertainty. When tailoring, like other handicrafts, thus
fell into disuse, and men who were homeless and houseless frequently
became clothes-less also, Hans faced the matter boldly, and lived by his
wits like the others, making himself exceedingly useful in the cave-life
which he and his companions found themselves obliged to adopt. No one
knew better how to arrange the interior of the caves after the best
and most convenient fashion; no one was more urbane to the men, or
more courteous and obliging to the women; no one, in short, had
proved himself a more useful and agreeable companion in that banished
community.
“Having been engaged in some domestic occupation within the cave at
the time of the misfortune which befell its inmates, Hans bore his full
share in the general calamity, and indeed only owed his escape with life
to his activity and presence of mind. Whirled upwards with the tree, he
clung tightly to the nearest root, and had the wisdom to drop himself
just at the right moment upon the ground, and run lightly away into the
brushwood. As soon, however, as the assault was over, and the destroyer
of his brethren had lain down to sleep, the bold Hans again came forth.
“Many men would have fled as far as possible from that scene of sorrow
and destruction, and thought only of the preservation of their own lives
from the fate which had befallen so many of their kind. But Hans had too
much public spirit to take any such selfish course. He descended without
delay into the cave, and ascertained as well as he could the full extent
of the damage which had {156}been sustained. Then he ran to and fro
among his fellows, exhorting them to bear with courage this terrible
reverse, and begging them to meet at once in a cave hard by, and consult
as to the best measures which could be taken under the circumstances in
which they found themselves.
“In a very short time, owing to his exertions, more than a hundred of
the unhappy mortals assembled together and began to take counsel for
the future. As is usual in all such cases, there was a great variety of
opinion. One man advised that they should all forthwith hang themselves,
as life had become so insecure as to be almost worthless. It was urged,
however, that this would afford no remedy for the existing state of
things, and would be like throwing away your gold because you had been
robbed of your silver. Besides, it would be an undignified thing to come
to a general termination of so inglorious a character, and the proposal
was speedily scouted as one totally unworthy of consideration.
“Then it was suggested by another person that a subscription should
immediately be raised for the sufferers, and advertisements to that
effect be inserted in all the daily papers. As the speaker was the
proprietor and editor of one of these, it is possible that he had an eye
to business in making the suggestion, which, however, fell flat upon the
ears of the audience. No one there had any money to spare, and everybody
was more or less a sufferer from a calamity which had fallen so
generally upon the race of man. Some advised that they should all
emigrate, but then they didn’t know where to go to, and, in short, it
seemed as if they were likely {157}to come to no agreement; everybody
objected to everything that anybody else said, no one seemed to have any
weight or authority in the assembly, and it really appeared a hopeless
case altogether.
“At last Hans, who had kept a respectful silence for some time, as
became one in his position, whilst others talked nonsense (which is
occasionally done at public meetings, as well as elsewhere, down to
the present day), came forward, and asked leave to offer his advice.
‘Gentlemen,’ he said, ‘I hope you will agree with me that it is
necessary to do something in this case. To sit still with our hands
folded, and do nothing, would be certainly the very worst course we
could possibly pursue. The horrible cruelty of the vile Daddyroarer
has first driven us from our former happy homes, destroyed our hopes of
prosperity, and condemned us to an almost savage life; then, not content
with the amount of misery which he had already inflicted on us, the
tyrant has followed us even into the forest, uprooted and ruined the new
home which we had formed for ourselves, and once more turned adrift upon
the wide world those of us who have been lucky enough to escape with
life. How long then are we to endure such a state of things as this?
While this huge monster walks the earth unchecked and unrestrained, no
man’s life will be safe; and even if we run away and find for ourselves
fresh hiding-places, what security have we that at any moment he may not
appear amongst us and again inflict upon us ruin and destruction? Depend
upon it, gentlemen, this question must be looked in the face. It cannot
be evaded any longer. Running away is useless. The enemy must be
no longer avoided. At this moment he sleeps in security over our
{158}ruined homes. He must be attacked! Never was there a more
auspicious moment! Let us take courage, and assail the giant where he
lies!’
“As Hans spoke a thrill of horror ran through the meeting, who could by
no means bring themselves to realise the idea of attacking a monster
so many sizes larger than themselves, and gifted with strength so
infinitely greater” than the united efforts of many ‘of them put
together. So a murmur of voices, all in the negative, greeted the little
tailor when he resumed his seat; and presently one of those present,
who, being the oldest, was reputed the wisest (which, however, is by
no means a safe rule to go by), stood up and spoke in his turn. He said
that it was folly to talk after the fashion of the speech to which they
had just listened; and, as this remark was somewhat personal, it was at
once much applauded, which encouraged the orator to proceed. He remarked
that since the first man came into the world down to that day no man had
ever-dreamed of attacking a giant, and, therefore, that it could not now
be done. This sentiment also commended itself to many of his
hearers, who cherished the belief that no new scheme ought ever to be
entertained, as the world had gone on so far very well without it,
and that what had never been done before had better not be attempted.
Finding his audience possessed with such a good conservative spirit, the
old man said further, that as giants had from time immemorial tyrannized
over man, it was doubtless intended that they should do so, and it might
savour of impiety to endeavour to alter a state of things which had
lasted so long. Moreover, the power and authority of giants over men was
so well established {159}that it would be almost impossible to reverse
the order of things. Comparing such an attempt with efforts made in
other countries, it seemed to him to be almost as absurd as an attempt
to reform a House of Lords, or reverse the decision of a Governing Body.
Then, hazarding a joke (which was very well received), he said, that
if his friend the little tailor wanted ‘his goose cooked,’ no doubt he
could get that operation performed by attacking authority, and if he
chose to run his head against a wall, no one could prevent him. But
he (the speaker) would appeal to those before him, as sensible and
practical men, and ask them to reject as idle and absurd the wild
theories placed before them by little Hans. Giants would be giants, and
men would be men to the end of the world, and they must put up with the
misfortune which had befallen them as well as they could, and not make
it worse by entering upon such a hopeless enterprise as that which had
been proposed.
“This speech met with so much approval from the mortals there assembled,
who were thoroughly cowed and subdued in spirit by the long course of
suffering which they had undergone, that Hans at first felt his heart
sink within him. He knew well enough that he could do nothing alone, and
it seemed as if all were against him. But, remembering the old adage,
that ‘Fortune favours the brave,’ and being a man of undaunted pluck
and resolution, he determined not to be put down either by taunts or
claptrap. He therefore rose again, and ignoring, like a wise man, the
foolish and vulgar joke directed against his own most respectable trade,
proceeded to state his views to the best of his ability. He acknowledged
that reverence ought to be paid {160}to age, and that the last speaker
was consequently-entitled to every attention. At the same time he could
not but observe, that if his doctrine were to hold good, that things
should be left to go on as they are merely _because_ they are, and that
nothing new ought ever to be attempted for fear of failure, the world
would be in a very lamentable condition, and no improvement would
ever take place in anything. He modestly remarked that, according to
tradition, mankind at one period of their history wore only the skins of
animals, and at a previous time no clothes at all, and that, if the old
gentleman’s views were correct, they never ought to have quitted the
latter condition. ‘Moreover,’ said he, to cut a long story short,
‘it has been suggested to me that _I_ may attack the giant alone if
I please, and no one will interfere. Be it so: I only ask for six
others--half-a-dozen volunteers--and sooner than submit any longer to
the present misery and degradation in which I and my fellow-men are
placed, I will make the attempt; I can but perish, and, in such a cause,
death will be glorious.’
“At these words of the valiant tailor a low murmur of applause ran
through the audience, who now began to perceive that he was really in
earnest, and had not spoken at first out of mere bravado. For the honour
of that oppressed race, I am glad to be able to add, that before any
long time had elapsed, the six volunteers whom Hans had demanded were
forthcoming in the persons of that number of sturdy young men, who felt
that the hour had come when one great effort must be made to set their
race free from slavery, and were prepared to follow their brave leader
in his perilous enterprise. {161}Indeed, a number of others offered
themselves as soon as the thing was fairly started, for man is an
imitative animal, and like a flock of sheep, if the leader once makes a
dash down a lane or up a bank, there are always plenty to follow. Hans,
however, carefully selected six of his own acquaintance, whom he knew to
be skilled in certain trades, of which a knowledge would be requisite in
order to carry out his plans, and upon whom he knew he could thoroughly
rely. He now looked proudly round upon the other mortals, and calling
his six friends to follow him, left the place of meeting, attended
by the good wishes of those whose deliverance he was about to
attempt,--not, however, altogether unmixed with sundry depreciatory
sneers on the part of the old gentleman and his immediate followers.
“Without any delay, Hans journeyed back to the spot upon which the
mighty Bramble-buffer lay fast asleep, his gigantic carcase resting
at full length upon the ground. Hard by, the little tailor stopped
his troop, and unfolded to them the plan which his fertile brain
had conceived, and for the execution of which he depended upon their
assistance. This was none other than to capture the monster, and either