The Water of Life · page 21 2101They went to the peasant and said, "Sell us the little man.102He shall be well treated with us." "103No," replied the father, "he is the apple of my eye, and all the money in the world cannot buy him from me."104Thumbling, however, when he heard of the bargain, had crept up the folds of his father's coat, placed himself on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear. "105Father, do give me away; I will soon come back again."106Then the father parted with him to the two men for a handsome bit of money. "107Where do you want to sit?" they said to him. "108Oh, just set me on the rim of your hat, and then I can walk backwards and forwards and look at the country, and still not fall down."109They did as he wished, and when Thumbling had taken leave of his father, they went away with him.110They walked until it was dusk, and then the little fellow said, "Do take me down; I want to come down."111The man took his hat off, and put the little fellow on the ground by the wayside, and he leapt and crept about a little between the sods, and then he suddenly slipped into a mouse-hole which he had sought out. "112Good-evening, gentlemen, just go home without me," he cried to them, and mocked them.113They ran thither and stuck their sticks into the mouse-hole, but it was all lost labor.114Thumbling crept still farther in, and as it soon became quite dark, they were forced to go home with their vexation and their empty purses.115When Thumbling saw that they were gone, he crept back out of the subterranean passage. "116It is so dangerous to walk on the ground in the dark," said he; "how easily a neck or a leg is broken!"117Fortunately, he knocked against an empty snail-shell. "118Thank God!" said he. "119In that I can pass the night in safety," and got into it.120Not long afterwards, when he was just going to sleep, he heard two men go by, and one of them was saying, "How shall we contrive to get hold of the rich pastor's silver and gold?" "121I could tell you that," cried Thumbling, interrupting them. "122What was that?" said one of the thieves in a fright; "I heard some one speaking."123They stood still listening, and Thumbling spoke again and said, "Take me with you, and I'll help you."124"But where are you?" "125Just look on the ground, and observe from where my voice comes," he replied.126There the thieves at length found him, and lifted him up. "127You little imp, how will you help us?" they said. "128A great deal," said he; "I will creep into the pastor's room through the iron bars, and will reach out to you whatever you want to have." "129Come, then," they said, "and we will see what you can do."130When they got to the pastor's house, Thumbling crept into the room, but instantly cried out with all his might, "Do you want to have everything that is here?"131The thieves were alarmed, and said, "But do speak softly, so as not to waken any one!"132Thumbling, however, behaved as if he had not understood this, and cried again, "What do you want?133Do you want to have everything that is here?"134The cook, who slept in the next room, heard this and sat up in bed, and listened.135The thieves, however, had in their fright run some distance away, but at last they took courage, and thought, "The little rascal wants to mock us."136They came back and whispered to him, "Come, be serious, and reach something out to us."137Then Thumbling again cried as loudly as he could, "I really will give you everything, only put your hands in."138The maid who was listening, heard this quite distinctly, and jumped out of bed and rushed to the door.139The thieves took flight, and ran as if the Wild Huntsman were behind them, but as the maid could not see anything, she went to strike a light.140When she came to the place with it, Thumbling, unperceived, hid himself in the granary, and the maid, after she had examined every corner and found nothing, lay down in her bed again, and believed that, after all, she had only been dreaming with open eyes and ears.141Thumbling had climbed up among the hay and found a beautiful place to sleep in: there he intended to rest until day, and then go home again to his parents.142But he had other things to go through.143Truly there is much affliction and misery in this world!144When day dawned, the maid arose from her bed to feed the cows.145Her first walk was into the barn, where she laid hold of an armful of hay, and precisely that very one in which poor Thumbling was lying asleep.146He, however, was sleeping so soundly that he was aware of nothing, and did not awake until he was in the mouth of the cow, who had picked him up with the hay. "147Ah, heavens!" cried he, "how have I got into the fulling mill?" but he soon discovered where he was.148Then it was necessary to be careful not to let himself go between the teeth and be dismembered, but he was nevertheless forced to slip down into the stomach with the hay. "149In this little room the windows are forgotten," said he, "and no sun shines in, neither will a candle be brought."150His quarters were especially unpleasing to him, and the worst was, more and more hay was always coming in by the door, and the space grew less and less.151Then, at length in his anguish, he cried as loud as he could, "Bring me no more fodder, bring me no more fodder."152The maid was just milking the cow, and when she heard some one speaking, and saw no one, and perceived that it was the same voice that she had heard in the night, she was so terrified that she slipped off her stool, and spilt the milk.153She ran in the greatest haste to her master, and said, "Oh, heavens, pastor, the cow has been speaking!" "154You are mad," replied the pastor; but he went himself to the byre to see what was there.155Hardly, however, had he set his foot inside than Thumbling again cried, "Bring me no more fodder, bring me no more fodder."156Then the pastor himself was alarmed, and thought that an evil spirit had gone into the cow, and ordered her to be killed.157She was killed, but the stomach, in which Thumbling was, was thrown on the midden.158Thumbling had great difficulty in working his way out; however, he succeeded so far as to get some room, but, just as he was going to thrust his head out, a new misfortune occurred.159A hungry wolf ran thither, and swallowed the whole stomach at one gulp.160Thumbling did not lose courage. "161Perhaps," thought he, "the wolf will listen to what I have got to say," and he called to him from out of his stomach, "Dear wolf, I know of a magnificent feast for you."162"Where is it to be had?" said the wolf.163"In such and such a house; you must creep into it through the kitchen-sink; you will find cakes, and bacon, and sausages, and as much of them as you can eat," and he described to him exactly his father's house.164The wolf did not require to be told this twice, squeezed himself in at night through the sink, and ate to his heart's content in the larder.165When he had eaten his fill, he wanted to go out again, but he had become so big that he could not go out by the same way.166Thumbling had reckoned on this, and now began to make a violent noise in the wolfs body, and raged and screamed as loudly as he could. "167Will you be quiet," said the wolf; "you will waken up the people!" "168Eh, what," replied the little fellow, "you have eaten your fill, and I will make merry likewise," and began once more to scream with all his strength.169At last his father and mother were aroused by it, and ran to the room and looked in through the opening in the door.170When they saw that a wolf was inside, they ran away, and the husband fetched his axe, and the wife the scythe. "171Stay behind," said the man, when they entered the room. "172When I have given him a blow, if he is not killed by it, you must cut him down and hew his body to pieces."173Then Thumbling heard his parents' voices, and cried, "Dear father, I am here; I am in the wolf's body."174Said the father, full of joy, "Thank God, our dear child has found us again," and bade the woman take away her scythe, that Thumbling might not be hurt with it.175After that he raised his arm, and struck the wolf such a blow on his head that he fell down dead, and then they got knives and scissors and cut his body open, and drew the little fellow forth. "176Ah," said the father, "what sorrow we have gone through for your sake." "177Yes, father, I have gone about the world a great deal.178Thank heaven, I breathe fresh air again!" "179Where have you been, then?" "180Ah, father, I have been in a mouse's hole, in a cow's stomach, and then in a wolf's; now I will stay with you." "181And we will not sell you again; no, not for all the riches in the world," said his parents, and they embraced and kissed their dear Thumbling.1 2← previousFaithful Johnnext →Briar Rose↑ back to Grimm's Fairy StoriesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg11027/17/page/2/