Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 08 (5 page)

'Don't kill me, O king! I am really not as bad as you think. Why,
had I chosen, I could have robbed the royal treasury, have bribed
your judges to let me off, and built a white marble palace with what
was left. But though I know how to steal I don't do it. You
yourself asked me my trade. If you kill me you will break your
royal word.'

'Very well,' said the king, 'I will not kill you. I pardon you. But
from this hour you shall be shut up in a dark dungeon. Here,
guards! away with him to the prison. But you six Simons follow
me and be assured of my royal favour.'

So the six Simons followed the king. The seventh Simon was
seized by the guards, who put him in chains and threw him in prison
with only bread and water for food. Next day the king gave the
first Simon carpenters, masons, smiths and labourers, with great
stores of iron, mortar, and the like, and Simon began to build. And
he built his great white pillar far, far up into the clouds, as high as
the nearest stars; but the other stars were higher still.

Then the second Simon climbed up the pillar and saw and heard all
that was going on through the whole world. When he came down
he had all sorts of wonderful things to tell. How one king was
marching in battle against another, and which was likely to be the
victor. How, in another place, great rejoicings were going on,
while in a third people were dying of famine. In fact there was not
the smallest event going on over the earth that was hidden from
him.

Next the third Simon began. He stretched out his arms, once,
twice, thrice, and the wonder-ship was ready. At a sign from the
king it was launched, and floated proudly and safely like a bird on
the waves. Instead of ropes it had wires for rigging, and musicians
played on them with fiddle bows and made lovely music. As the
ship swam about, the fourth Simon seized the prow with his strong
hand, and in a moment it was gone—sunk to the bottom of the sea.
An hour passed, and then the ship floated again, drawn up by
Simon's left hand, while in his right he brought a gigantic fish from
the depth of the ocean for the royal table.

Whilst this was going on the fifth Simon had built his forge and
hammered out his iron, and when the king returned from the
harbour the magic cross-bow was made.

His Majesty went out into an open field at once, looked up into the
sky and saw, far, far away, an eagle flying up towards the sun and
looking like a little speck.

'Now,' said the king, 'if you can shoot that bird I will reward you.'

Simon only smiled; he lifted his cross-bow, took aim, fired, and the
eagle fell. As it was falling the sixth Simon ran with a dish, caught
the bird before it fell to earth and brought it to the king.

'Many thanks, my brave lads,' said the king; 'I see that each of you
is indeed a master of his trade. You shall be richly rewarded. But
now rest and have your dinner.'

The six Simons bowed and went to dinner. But they had hardly
begun before a messenger came to say that the king wanted to see
them. They obeyed at once and found him surrounded by all his
court and men of state.

'Listen, my good fellows,' cried the king, as soon as he saw them.
'Hear what my wise counsellors have thought of. As you, Simon
the second, can see the whole world from the top of the great pillar,
I want you to climb up and to see and hear. For I am told that, far
away, across many seas, is the great kingdom of the Island of
Busan, and that the daughter of the king is the beautiful Princess
Helena.'

Off ran the second Simon and clambered quickly up the pillar. He
gazed around, listened on all sides, and then slid down to report to
the king.

'Sire, I have obeyed your orders. Far away I saw the Island of
Busan. The king is a mighty monarch, but full of pride, harsh and
cruel. He sits on his throne and declares that no prince or king on
earth is good enough for his lovely daughter, that he will give her to
none, and that if any king asks for her hand he will declare war
against him and destroy his kingdom.'

'Has the king of Busan a great army?' asked King Archidej; 'is his
country far off?'

'As far as I could judge,' replied Simon, 'it would take you nearly
ten years in fair weather to sail there. But if the weather were
stormy we might say twelve. I saw the army being reviewed. It is
not so very large—a hundred thousand men at arms and a hundred
thousand knights. Besides these, he has a strong bodyguard and a
good many cross-bowmen. Altogether you may say another
hundred thousand, and there is a picked body of heroes who
reserve themselves for great occasions requiring particular courage.'

The king sat for some time lost in thought. At last he said to the
nobles and courtiers standing round: 'I am determined to marry the
Princess Helena, but how shall I do it?'

The nobles, courtiers and counsellors said nothing, but tried to hide
behind each other. Then the third Simon said:

'Pardon me, your Majesty, if I offer my advice. You wish to go to
the Island of Busan? What can be easier? In my ship you will get
there in a week instead of in ten years. But ask your council to
advise you what to do when you arrive—in one word, whether you
will win the princess peacefully or by war?'

But the wise men were as silent as ever.

The king frowned, and was about to say something sharp, when the
Court Fool pushed his way to the front and said: 'Dear me, what are
all you clever people so puzzled about? The matter is quite clear.
As it seems it will not take long to reach the island why not send
the seventh Simon? He will steal the fair maiden fast enough, and
then the king, her father, may consider how he is going to bring his
army over here—it will take him ten years to do it!—no less! What
do you think of my plan?'

'What do I think? Why, that your idea is capital, and you shall be
rewarded for it. Come, guards, hurry as fast as you can and bring
the seventh Simon before me.'

Not many minutes later, Simon the seventh stood before the king,
who explained to him what he wished done, and also that to steal
for the benefit of his king and country was by no means a wrong
thing, though it was very wrong to steal for his own advantage.

The youngest Simon, who looked very pale and hungry, only
nodded his head.

'Come,' said the king, 'tell me truly. Do you think you could steal
the Princess Helena?'

'Why should I not steal her, sire? The thing is easy enough. Let my
brother's ship be laden with rich stuffs, brocades, Persian carpets,
pearls and jewels. Send me in the ship. Give me my four middle
brothers as companions, and keep the two others as hostages.'

When the king heard these words his heart became filled with
longing, and he ordered all to be done as Simon wished. Every one
ran about to do his bidding; and in next to no time the wonder-ship
was laden and ready to start.

The five Simons took leave of the king, went on board, and had no
sooner set sail than they were almost out of sight. The ship cut
through the waters like a falcon through the air, and just a week
after starting sighted the Island of Busan. The coast appeared to be
strongly guarded, and from afar the watchman on a high tower
called out: 'Halt and anchor! Who are you? Where do you come
from, and what do you want?'

The seventh Simon answered from the ship: 'We are peaceful
people. We come from the country of the great and good King
Archidej, and we bring foreign wares—rich brocades, carpets, and
costly jewels, which we wish to show to your king and the princess.
We desire to trade—to sell, to buy, and to exchange.'

The brothers launched a small boat, took some of their valuable
goods with them, rowed to shore and went up to the palace. The
princess sat in a rose-red room, and when she saw the brothers
coming near she called her nurse and other women, and told them
to inquire who and what these people were, and what they wanted.

The seventh Simon answered the nurse: 'We come from the country
of the wise and good King Archidej,' said he, 'and we have brought
all sorts of goods for sale. We trust the king of this country may
condescend to welcome us, and to let his servants take charge of
our wares. If he considers them worthy to adorn his followers we
shall be content.'

This speech was repeated to the princess, who ordered the brothers
to be brought to the red-room at once. They bowed respectfully to
her and displayed some splendid velvets and brocades, and opened
cases of pearls and precious stones. Such beautiful things had
never been seen in the island, and the nurse and waiting women
stood bewildered by all the magnificence. They whispered together
that they had never beheld anything like it. The princess too saw
and wondered, and her eyes could not weary of looking at the
lovely things, or her fingers of stroking the rich soft stuffs, and of
holding up the sparkling jewels to the light.

'Fairest of princesses,' said Simon. 'Be pleased to order your
waiting-maids to accept the silks and velvets, and let your women
trim their head-dresses with the jewels; these are no special
treasures. But permit me to say that they are as nothing to the
many coloured tapestries, the gorgeous stones and ropes of pearls
in our ship. We did not like to bring more with us, not knowing
what your royal taste might be; but if it seems good to you to
honour our ship with a visit, you might condescend to choose such
things as were pleasing in your eyes.'

This polite speech pleased the princess very much. She went to the
king and said: 'Dear father, some merchants have arrived with the
most splendid wares. Pray allow me to go to their ship and choose
out what I like.'

The king thought and thought, frowned hard and rubbed his ear.
At last he gave consent, and ordered out his royal yacht, with 100
cross-bows, 100 knights, and 1,000 soldiers, to escort the Princess
Helena.

Off sailed the yacht with the princess and her escort. The brothers
Simon came on board to conduct the princess to their ship, and, led
by the brothers and followed by her nurse and other women, she
crossed the crystal plank from one vessel to another.

The seventh Simon spread out his goods, and had so many curious
and interesting tales to tell about them, that the princess forgot
everything else in looking and listening, so that she did not know
that the fourth Simon had seized the prow of the ship, and that all
of a sudden it had vanished from sight, and was racing along in the
depths of the sea.

The crew of the royal yacht shouted aloud, the knights stood still
with terror, the soldiers were struck dumb and hung their heads.
There was nothing to be done but to sail back and tell the king of
his loss.

How he wept and stormed! 'Oh, light of my eyes,' he sobbed; 'I am
indeed punished for my pride. I thought no one good enough to be
your husband, and now you are lost in the depths of the sea, and
have left me alone! As for all of you who saw this thing—away with
you! Let them be put in irons and lock them up in prison, whilst I
think how I can best put them to death!'

Whilst the King of Busan was raging and lamenting in this fashion,
Simon's ship was swimming like any fish under the sea, and when
the island was well out of sight he brought it up to the surface
again. At that moment the princess recollected herself. 'Nurse,'
said she, 'we have been gazing at these wonders only too long. I
hope my father won't be vexed at our delay.'

She tore herself away and stepped on deck. Neither the yacht nor
the island was in sight! Helena wrung her hands and beat her breast.
Then she changed herself into a white swan and flew off. But the
fifth Simon seized his bow and shot the swan, and the sixth Simon
did not let it fall into the water but caught it in the ship, and the
swan turned into a silver fish, but Simon lost no time and caught the
fish, when, quick as thought, the fish turned into a black mouse and
ran about the ship. It darted towards a hole, but before it could
reach it Simon sprang upon it more swiftly than any cat, and then
the little mouse turned once more into the beautiful Princess
Helena.

Early one morning King Archidej sat thoughtfully at his window
gazing out to sea. His heart was sad and he would neither eat nor
drink. His thoughts were full of the Princess Helena, who was as
lovely as a dream. Is that a white gull he sees flying towards the
shore, or is it a sail? No, it is no gull, it is the wonder-ship flying
along with billowing sails. Its flags wave, the fiddlers play on the
wire rigging, the anchor is thrown out and the crystal plank laid
from the ship to the pier. The lovely Helena steps across the plank.
She shines like the sun, and the stars of heaven seem to sparkle in
her eyes.

Up sprang King Archidej in haste: 'Hurry, hurry,' he cried. 'Let us
hasten to meet her! Let the bugles sound and the joy bells be rung!'

And the whole Court swarmed with courtiers and servants. Golden
carpets were laid down and the great gates thrown open to
welcome the princess.

King Archidej went out himself, took her by the hand and led her
into the royal apartments.

'Madam,' said he, 'the fame of your beauty had reached me, but I
had not dared to expect such loveliness. Still I will not keep you
here against your will. If you wish it, the wonder-ship shall take
you back to your father and your own country; but if you will
consent to stay here, then reign over me and my country as our
queen.'

What more is there to tell? It is not hard to guess that the princess
listened to the king's wooing, and their betrothal took place with
great pomp and rejoicings.

The brothers Simon were sent again to the Island of Busan with a
letter to the king from his daughter to invite him to their wedding.
And the wonder-ship arrived at the Island of Busan just as all the
knights and soldiers who had escorted the princess were being led
out to execution.