The Blue Fairy Book
So soon as Little Thumb heard the Ogre snore, he waked his brothers, and
bade them all put on their clothes presently and follow him. They stole
down softly into the garden, and got over the wall. They kept running
about all night, and trembled all the while, without knowing which way
they went.
The Ogre, when he awoke, said to his wife: “Go upstairs and dress those
young rascals who came here last night.”
The wife was very much surprised at this goodness of her husband, not
dreaming after what manner she should dress them; but, thinking that
he had ordered her to go and put on their clothes, she went up, and was
strangely astonished when she perceived her seven daughters killed, and
weltering in their blood.
She fainted away, for this is the first expedient almost all women find
in such cases. The Ogre, fearing his wife would be too long in doing
what he had ordered, went up himself to help her. He was no less amazed
than his wife at this frightful spectacle.
“Ah! what have I done?” cried he. “The wretches shall pay for it, and
that instantly.”
He threw a pitcher of water upon his wife’s face, and, having brought
her to herself, said:
“Give me quickly my boots of seven leagues, that I may go and catch
them.”
He went out, and, having run over a vast deal of ground, both on
this side and that, he came at last into the very road where the poor
children were, and not above a hundred paces from their father’s house.
They espied the Ogre, who went at one step from mountain to mountain,
and over rivers as easily as the narrowest kennels. Little Thumb, seeing
a hollow rock near the place where they were, made his brothers hide
themselves in it, and crowded into it himself, minding always what would
become of the Ogre.
The Ogre, who found himself much tired with his long and fruitless
journey (for these boots of seven leagues greatly fatigued the wearer),
had a great mind to rest himself, and, by chance, went to sit down upon
the rock where the little boys had hid themselves. As it was impossible
he could be more weary than he was, he fell asleep, and, after reposing
himself some time, began to snore so frightfully that the poor children
were no less afraid of him than when he held up his great knife and was
going to cut their throats. Little Thumb was not so much frightened as
his brothers, and told them that they should run away immediately toward
home while the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they should not be
in any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home presently.
Little Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently and put
them on his own legs. The boots were very long and large, but, as they
were fairies, they had the gift of becoming big and little, according to
the legs of those who wore them; so that they fitted his feet and legs
as well as if they had been made on purpose for him. He went immediately
to the Ogre’s house, where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss
of the Ogre’s murdered daughters.
“Your husband,” said Little Thumb, “is in very great danger, being taken
by a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he does not give
them all his gold and silver. The very moment they held their daggers
at his throat he perceived me, and desired me to come and tell you the
condition he is in, and that you should give me whatsoever he has of
value, without retaining any one thing; for otherwise they will kill him
without mercy; and, as his case is very pressing, he desired me to make
use (you see I have them on) of his boots, that I might make the more
haste and to show you that I do not impose upon you.”
The good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had: for this
Ogre was a very good husband, though he used to eat up little children.
Little Thumb, having thus got all the Ogre’s money, came home to his
father’s house, where he was received with abundance of joy.
There are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, and pretend
that Little Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and that he only thought
he might very justly, and with a safe conscience, take off his boots
of seven leagues, because he made no other use of them but to run after
little children. These folks affirm that they are very well assured of
this, and the more as having drunk and eaten often at the fagot-maker’s
house. They aver that when Little Thumb had taken off the Ogre’s boots
he went to Court, where he was informed that they were very much in pain
about a certain army, which was two hundred leagues off, and the success
of a battle. He went, say they, to the King, and told him that, if he
desired it, he would bring him news from the army before night.
The King promised him a great sum of money upon that condition. Little
Thumb was as good as his word, and returned that very same night with
the news; and, this first expedition causing him to be known, he got
whatever he pleased, for the King paid him very well for carrying his
orders to the army. After having for some time carried on the business
of a messenger, and gained thereby great wealth, he went home to his
father, where it was impossible to express the joy they were all in at
his return. He made the whole family very easy, bought places for his
father and brothers, and, by that means, settled them very handsomely in
the world, and, in the meantime, made his court to perfection.(1)
(1) Charles Perrault.
THE FORTY THIEVES
In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the
other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty,
while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood in
a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali Baba
was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him
in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into
a tree for safety. When they came up to him and dismounted, he counted
forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to trees. The
finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a
little way among some bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!”(1) so plainly
that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened in the rocks, and having made the
troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again of itself. They
stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and
catch him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door
opened again, and the Forty Thieves came out. As the Captain went in
last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then closed
the door, saying: “Shut, Sesame!” Every man bridled his horse and
mounted, the Captain put himself at their head, and they returned as
they came.
(1) Sesame is a kind of grain.
Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the
bushes, and said: “Open, Sesame!” and it flew open. Ali Baba, who
expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large
and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault,
which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich
bales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold
and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in and the
door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as
many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside,
could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it all with fagots.
Using the words: “Shut, Sesame!” he closed the door and went home.
Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the
money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her
keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. “Let me first
measure it,” said his wife. “I will go borrow a measure of someone,
while you dig the hole.” So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a
measure. Knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, the sister was curious to find out
what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and artfully put some
suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Baba’s wife went home and set the
measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her
great content. She then carried it back to her sister, without noticing
that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which Cassim’s wife perceived
directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to Cassim
when he came home: “Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not
count his money, he measures it.” He begged her to explain this riddle,
which she did by showing him the piece of money and telling him where
she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he could not sleep, and
went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. “Ali Baba,” he said,
showing him the gold piece, “you pretend to be poor and yet you measure
gold.” By this Ali Baba perceived that through his wife’s folly Cassim
and his wife knew their secret, so he confessed all and offered Cassim a
share. “That I expect,” said Cassim; “but I must know where to find the
treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all.” Ali
Baba, more out of kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very
words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba, meaning to be beforehand with him
and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning, and set
out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place,
and the door in the rock. He said: “Open, Sesame!” and the door opened
and shut behind him. He could have feasted his eyes all day on the
treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it as
possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say
for thinking of his great riches. Instead of “Sesame,” he said: “Open,
Barley!” and the door remained fast. He named several different sorts of
grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was so
frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the
word as if he had never heard it.
About noon the robbers returned to their cave, and saw Cassim’s mules
roving about with great chests on their backs. This gave them the alarm;
they drew their sabres, and went to the door, which opened on their
Captain’s saying: “Open, Sesame!” Cassim, who had heard the trampling of
their horses’ feet, resolved to sell his life dearly, so when the door
opened he leaped out and threw the Captain down. In vain, however, for
the robbers with their sabres soon killed him. On entering the cave they
saw all the bags laid ready, and could not imagine how anyone had got in
without knowing their secret. They cut Cassim’s body into four quarters,
and nailed them up inside the cave, in order to frighten anyone who
should venture in, and went away in search of more treasure.
As night drew on Cassim’s wife grew very uneasy, and ran to her
brother-in-law, and told him where her husband had gone. Ali Baba did
his best to comfort her, and set out to the forest in search of Cassim.
The first thing he saw on entering the cave was his dead brother. Full
of horror, he put the body on one of his asses, and bags of gold on the
other two, and, covering all with some fagots, returned home. He drove
the two asses laden with gold into his own yard, and led the other to
Cassim’s house. The door was opened by the slave Morgiana, whom he knew
to be both brave and cunning. Unloading the ass, he said to her: “This
is the body of your master, who has been murdered, but whom we must bury
as though he had died in his bed. I will speak with you again, but now
tell your mistress I am come.” The wife of Cassim, on learning the fate
of her husband, broke out into cries and tears, but Ali Baba offered to
take her to live with him and his wife if she would promise to keep
his counsel and leave everything to Morgiana; whereupon she agreed, and
dried her eyes.