_The Eleventh Surprise_
PRINCE FIDDLECUMDOO AND THE GIANT
It happened, one morning, that the Monarch of Mo was not in his usualpleasant humor; and, of course, there was an excellent reason for this.
At the back of his garden grew one tree that generally bore an abundantcrop of animal-crackers, and although the King and his court, beingsurfeited with all the dainties of the land, did not care much forthese edibles, the younger inhabitants of Mo were especially fond ofthem, and yelled with delight whenever the King divided the crop of histree among them.
A few days before the King had examined the tree and found theanimal-crackers not quite ripe. Whereupon he had gone away andforgotten all about them. And, in his absence, they had ripened to adelicious light brown; and their forms had rounded out, so that theyhung as thickly together as peas in a pod. As they swung from theirstems, swaying backward and forward in the light breeze, they waitedand waited for some one to come and pick them. But no one came near thetree, and the animals grew cross and restless in consequence.
"I wonder when we shall be gathered," remarked a hippopotamus-cracker,with a yawn.
"Oh, you wonder, do you?" mockingly replied a camel-cracker hangingnear, "do you really expect any one to gather _you_, with your thickhide and clumsy legs? Why, the children would break their teeth on youat the first bite."
"What!" screamed the hippopotamus, in much anger, "do you dare insult_me_, you humpbacked beast of burden?"
"Now then--now then!" interrupted a wolf-cracker that hung from a stemjust above them; "what's the use of fighting, when we are so soon to beeaten?"
But the camel-cracker would not be appeased.
"Thick-headed brute!" he yelled at the hippopotamus, angrily.
"Hump-backed idiot!" shrieked the other.
At this the camel swung himself fiercely on his branch, and bumpedagainst the hippopotamus, knocking him off from the tree. The groundunderneath was chocolate, and it was soft and sticky, not having driedsince the last rain. So when the hippopotamus fell he sank half wayinto the ground, and his beautiful brown color was spattered with themuddy chocolate.
At this vengeful deed on the part of the camel all the other animalsbecame furious. A full-grown goat-cracker swung himself against thecamel and knocked it, in turn, from its stem; and in falling on theground it broke its hump off. Then a lion-cracker knocked the goatdown, and an elephant knocked a cat down, and soon the whole tree wasin a violent commotion. The animals fought with each other sodesperately that before long the entire treeful of animal-crackers hadfallen to the ground, where many lay broken and disfigured, and theremainder were sunk deep in the chocolate mud.
So when the King, finally remembering his tree, came and looked on thesorry sight, it dampened his usual good spirits, and he heartily wishedhe had picked the quarrelsome crackers before they began to fight amongthemselves.
While he stood thinking dismally on this, up came Prince Fiddlecumdooand asked permission to go on a journey.
"Where do you wish to go?" asked the King.
"I am tired of this beautiful Valley," answered Fiddlecumdoo, "and asthe bicycle tree beside the Crystal Lake is now hanging full of ripewheels, I thought I would gather one and ride over into the next valleyin search of adventure." You see, this Prince was the King's youngestson, and had been rather spoiled by petting, as youngest sons oftenare.
"The next valley, my son, is inhabited by the giant Hartilaf," said theKing, "and should you meet him he might do you an injury."
"Oh, I am not afraid of Hartilaf," replied Fiddlecumdoo, boldly. "If heshould not be pleasant to me, I could run away from him on my wheel."
"I don't know about that," responded the King. "There may be bicycletrees in the next valley, as well as here; and it is always dangerousand foolish for any one to leave this Valley, where there is everythingthat heart could wish. Instead of running away in search of adventures,you would do better to remain at home and help your mother pick collarbuttons and neckties for the family."
"That is work," said Fiddlecumdoo, sulkily, "and I hate work."
"Yet somebody has to pick the collar buttons," returned the King, "orwe should be unable to keep our collars on."
"Then let Jollikin help my mother. I am horribly tired of this stupidplace, and shall not be happy until I have traveled around and seensomething more of the world."
"Well, well! go if you wish," answered the King, impatiently. "But takecare of yourself, for when you are away from this Valley there will beno one to protect you from danger."
"I can take care of myself," cried the Prince, "so do not worry aboutme," and he ran away quickly, before his father had time to change hismind and withdraw his consent.
He selected the best and ripest bicycle on the tree, and, havingmounted it, was soon speeding away along the path to the mountains.
When he reached the far eastern part of Mo he came on a bush bearing avery good quality of violins, and this at once attracted Fiddlecumdoo,who was a most excellent violinist, being able to play correctly agreat number of tunes. So he dismounted and selected from the bush asmall violin that seemed to have a sweet tone. This he carried withhim, under his arm, thinking if he became lonesome he could amusehimself with the music.
Shortly after resuming his journey he came to the Maple Plains, a levelstretch of country composed entirely of maple sugar. These plains werequite smooth, and very pleasant to ride on; but so swiftly did hisbicycle carry him that he soon crossed the plains and came on a riverof pure maple syrup, so wide and deep that he could neither leap norswim it.
Dismounting from his bicycle the Prince began looking for some means ofcrossing the river. No bridge was visible in either direction, and thebank was bare save for a few low bushes on which grew maple bonbons andmaple caramels.
But Prince Fiddlecumdoo did not mean to be turned back by so small amatter as a river, so he scooped a hole in the maple sand, and havingfilled it with syrup from the river, lighted a match and began boilingit. After it had boiled for a time the maple syrup became stringy, andthe Prince quickly threw a string of it across the river. It hardenedalmost immediately, and on this simple bridge the Prince rode over thestream.
Once on the other side he sped up the mountain and over the top intothe next valley, where, he stopped and began to look about him.
He could see no roads in any direction, but away down at the foot ofthe valley was a monstrous house, so big you could easily put a smallvillage inside it, including the church. This, Fiddlecumdoo thought,must be where the giant lived; and, although he saw no one about thehouse, he decided to make a call and introduce himself to Mr. Hartilaf.So he rode slowly down the valley, playing on his violin as he went,that the music might announce his coming.
The giant Hartilaf was lying on the sofa in his sitting-room, waitingfor his wife to prepare the dinner; and he had nearly fallen asleepwhen the sound of Fiddlecumdoo's music fell on his ear. This was sounusual in his valley that the giant arose and went to the front doorto see what caused it.
The Prince had by this time nearly reached the house, and when thegiant appeared he was somewhat startled, as he had not expected to seeany one quite so big. But he took care not to show any fear, and,taking off his hat, he bowed politely to the giant and said:
"This is Mr. Hartilaf, I suppose?"
"That is my name," replied the giant, grinning at the small size of hisvisitor. "May I ask who you are?"
"I am Prince Fiddlecumdoo, and I live in the next valley, which iscalled the Valley of Mo. Being determined to see something of theworld, I am traveling for pleasure, and have just dropped in on you fora friendly call."
"You are very welcome, I am sure," returned the giant. "If you willgraciously step into my humble home I shall be glad to entertain you atdinner."
Prince Fiddlecumdoo bowed low and accepted the invitation, but when heendeavored to enter the house he found the steps so big that even thefirst one was higher than his head, and he could not climb to the topo
f it.
Seeing his difficulty the giant carefully picked him up with one fingerand his thumb, and put him down on the palm of his other hand.
"Do not leave my bicycle," said the Prince, "for should anything happento it I could not get home again."
So the giant put the bicycle in his vest pocket, and then he enteredthe house and walked to the kitchen, where his wife was engagedpreparing the dinner.
"Guess what I've found," said the giant to his wife, holding his handdoubled up so she could not see the Prince.
"I'm sure I don't know," answered the woman.
"But, guess!" pleaded the giant.
"Go away and don't bother me," she replied, bending over the stewpan,"or you won't have any dinner to-day."
The giant, however, was in a merry mood, and for a joke he suddenlyopened his hand and dropped the Prince down his wife's neck.
"Oh, oh!" she screamed, trying to get at the place where the Prince hadfallen, which was near the small of her back. "What is it? I'm sureit's some horrible crocodile, or dragon, or something that will biteme!" And the poor woman lay down on the carpet and began to kick herheels against the floor in terror.
The giant roared with laughter, but the Prince, now being able to crawlout, scrambled from the lady's neck, and, standing beside her head, hemade a low bow and said:
"Do not be afraid, Madam; it is only I. But I must say it was a veryungallant trick for your husband to play on you, to say nothing of myfeelings in the matter."
"So it was," she exclaimed, getting upon her feet again, and staringcuriously at Fiddlecumdoo. "But tell me who you are and where you camefrom."
The giant, having enjoyed his laugh, now introduced the Prince to hiswife, and as dinner was ready to serve they sat down at the tabletogether.
Fiddlecumdoo got along very well at dinner, for the giant thoughtfullyplaced him on the top of the table, where he could walk around as hepleased. There being no knife nor fork small enough for him to use, thePrince took one of the giant's toothpicks, which was as big as a sword,and with this served himself from the various dishes that stood on thetable.
When the meal was over the giant lighted his pipe, the bowl of whichwas as big as a barrel, and asked Fiddlecumdoo if he would kindly favorthem with some music.
"Certainly," replied the Prince.
"Please come into the kitchen," said the giantess, "for then I canlisten to the music while I am washing the dishes."
The prince did not like to refuse this request, although at home he wasnot allowed to enter his mother's kitchen; so the giant carried him inand placed him on a high shelf, where Fiddlecumdoo seated himself on aspool of thread and began to play his violin.
The big people enjoyed the music very much at first, for the Prince wasa capital player. But soon came a disagreeable interruption.
About a month before the giant had caught several dancing-bears in themountains, and, having brought them home, had made them into strings ofsausages. These were hanging in graceful festoons from the beams of thekitchen ceiling, awaiting the time when they should be eaten.
Now when the dancing-bear sausages heard the music of Fiddlecumdoo'sviolin, they could not resist dancing; for it is well known thatsausages made from real dancing-bears can not remain quiet where thereis music. The Prince was playing such a lively tune, that presently thestrings of sausage broke away from the ceiling and fell clattering tothe floor, where they danced about furiously. Not being able to seewhere they were going, they bumped against the giant and his wife,thumping them on their heads and backs, and pounding them so severelythat the woman became frightened and hid under the table, while thegiant started to run away.
Seeing their plight, Fiddlecumdoo stopped playing, and at once thesausages fell to the floor and lay still.
"That was strange," said the giant, as soon as he could catch hisbreath; "the bears evidently do not forget how to dance even after theyare chopped up into sausage meat. I must beg you to abandon yourconcert for the present, but before you visit us again we shall haveeaten the sausages, and then you may play to your heart's content."
"Had I known they were so lively," remarked the giantess, as shecrawled from beneath the table, "we should have eaten them beforethis."
"That reminds me that I intended to have stewed polar bears forsupper," continued the giant; "so I think I will walk over into Alaskaand catch some."
"Perhaps the Prince would prefer elephant pie," suggested the lady,"and in that case you might make a run into South America forelephants."
"I have no choice in the matter," said the Prince, "never having eateneither. But is it not rather a long journey to Alaska or to SouthAmerica?"
"Not at all!" protested the giant. "I shall enjoy the walk, and caneasily be back by sundown. Won't you come with me?" he asked the boy.But Fiddlecumdoo did not like the idea of so long a journey, and beggedto be excused.
The giantess brought her lord a great bag to put the polar bears in,and he prepared to start.
"I leave you to amuse my wife during my absence," he said to thePrince. "Pray make yourself entirely at home, and use my castle as youwould your own house, and if I have good luck you shall eat a deliciouspolar-bear stew for your supper."
Then he slung the sack across his back and went away, whistlingmerrily. And so great were his strides that in less than a minute hewas out of sight.
"This is my busy day," said the giantess to Fiddlecumdoo, "and I fear Ishall not be able to entertain you in a proper manner, for I musthasten to the laundry to wash the clothes. However, if you care toaccompany me, we may converse together while I am doing my work."
"I shall take great pleasure in visiting your laundry," he replied,"for never before have I been in such a place. And surely it will bemore agreeable to watch you at your work than to spend the day alone inthese great rooms."
"Come along, then," she said, and picking him up she placed him in thepocket of her apron, for she knew he would be unable to walk down theflight of stairs that led to the laundry. He was very comfortable inthe pocket, which was just deep enough to allow his head and shouldersto project from the top. Therefore he was able to see all that wasgoing on while the lady was at work. He watched her wash and rinse theclothes, and was greatly interested in the operation, as it was all newto him.
By and by the giantess brought an immense clothes-wringer from a shelf,and having fastened it to the side of the big wash tub began to wringout the clothes.
Prince Fiddlecumdoo had never seen a clothes-wringer before, and sopleased was he with the novelty of it that he leaned far out of thepocket to watch it work. But, unfortunately, he lost his balance, andbefore he knew what had happened to him had fallen from the pocket andlay sprawling on one of the giant's shirts, which was just then passingthrough the wringer.
The woman did not notice his fall, and the next instant he was drawnbetween the two great rollers, and came out on the other side as thinand flat as a sheet of paper.
Then the giant's wife saw what she had done, and realizing how seriouswas the Prince's condition, the good lady was much grieved over theaccident. She picked Fiddlecumdoo up and tried to stand him on hisfeet, but he was so thin that at the least draft he fluttered like aflag, while a puff of wind would blow him completely over.
"Dear me!" exclaimed the woman, sorrowfully, "whatever can we do withyou in that shape?"
"I really do not know what will become of me," replied the Prince. "Iam certainly no good in this condition. I can not even walk across theroom without toppling over. Can not you manage to push me togetheragain?" The giantess tried to do this, but the Prince was so sharp thathis edges hurt her hands, and all she could do was to fold him up andcarry him into the drawing-room, where she laid him carefully on thecenter-table.
Just before sundown the giant returned from Alaska, bringing severalfat polar-bears in his bag; and scarcely had he set foot within thehouse before he inquired after his guest, the Prince.
"You will find him on the drawing-room table," said
the giantess. "Iaccidently ran him through the clothes-wringer this afternoon, and thepoor boy is as thin as a pie crust. So I folded him up and put him awayuntil you returned."
The giant immediately went to the table and unfolded Fiddlecumdoo,asking him how he felt.
"Very miserable," answered the Prince, "for I can not move at all whenI am folded up. Where is my bicycle?"
The giant searched all his pockets, but could not find it.
"I must have lost it on my journey to Alaska," he said.
"Then how am I ever to get home again?" asked the Prince.
"That is a puzzle," the giant responded, thoughtfully. "I do not seehow you could ride on a bicycle even if you had one, and you certainlycan not walk far in your present condition."
"Not if the wind blows," acknowledged the Prince.
"Couldn't you go edgewise?" asked the giant after a moment'sreflection.
"I might try," answered Fiddlecumdoo, hopefully.
So the giant stood him up, and he tried to walk edgewise. But whenevera breath of wind struck him he fell over at once, and several times hegot badly crumpled up, so that the giant had to smooth him out againwith his hands.
"This certainly will not do at all," declared the giant; "for not onlyare you getting wrinkled, but you are liable to be blown away;altogether. I have just thought of a plan to get you back into theValley of Mo again, and when you are in your own country your friendsmay get you out of the scrape the best way they can."
Hartilaf then made the Prince into a neat roll and tied a string aroundthe middle, to hold it in place. Then he tucked the roll under his armand carried it to the top of the mountain that stood between the twovalleys. Placing the Prince carefully on the ground he started himrolling, and in a short time he had rolled down the mountain side intothe Valley of Mo.
At first the people were much frightened, not knowing what this strangething could be that had come rolling into their midst. They stoodaround, curiously looking at the roll, but afraid to touch it, whensuddenly Fiddlecumdoo began to cry out. And then, so fearful was thesound, they all ran away as fast as their legs could carry them.
Prince Thinkabit, however, being more courageous than the rest, at lastventured to approach and cut the string that fastened the roll.Instantly it opened, and to their amazement the people saw what it was.
"Upon my word, it is brother Fiddlecumdoo!" cried Prince Thinkabit."The giant must have stepped on him."
"No, indeed," said poor Fiddlecumdoo, "I've been run through aclothes-wringer, which is much worse than being stepped on."
With many expressions of pity the kind people stood the Prince up andhelped him to the palace, where the King was greatly shocked at his sadplight. Fiddlecumdoo was so broad that the only thing he could sit downon was the sofa, and he was so thin that when Princess Pattycakesneezed he was blown half way across the room.
At dinner he could eat nothing that was not sliced as thin as ashaving, and so sad was his predicament that the King determined to askthe Wise Donkey what could be done to relieve his unfortunate son.
After hearing all the particulars of the accident, the Donkey said:"Blow him up."
"I did blow him up, for being so careless," replied the King; "but itdidn't make him any thicker."
"What I mean," explained the Donkey, "is to bore a hole in the top ofhis head, and blow air into him until he resumes his natural shape.Then, if he takes care of himself, he soon will be all right again."
So the King returned to the palace and bored a hole in Fiddlecumdoo'shead, and then pumped him full of air with a bicycle pump. When he hadfilled out into his natural shape they put a plug in the hole, andstopped it up; and after that Fiddlecumdoo could walk around as well asbefore his accident.
His only danger now was that he might get punctured; and, indeed, hisfriends found him one day lying in the garden, all flattened out again,the Prince having pricked his finger on a rose-bush and thereby allowedhis air to escape. But they inflated him once again, and afterward hewas more careful of himself.
Fiddlecumdoo had such a horror of being flat that, if his father everwished to make him behave, he threatened to stick a pin into him, andthat always had the desired effect.
After several years, the Prince, being a hearty eater, filled up withsolid flesh, and had no further use for the air-pump; but hisexperience had made him so nervous that he never again visited thegiant Hartilaf, for fear of encountering another accident.