East O the Sun and West O the Moon | Page 9

Reynard, "next year it will be your
turn. Then you shall have the top, and I shall have to put up with the
root."
But when spring came, and it was time to sow, Reynard asked Bruin
what he thought of turnips.
"Aye, aye!" said Bruin, "that's better food than rye," and so Reynard
thought also. But when harvest time came Reynard got the roots, while
Bruin got the turnip-tops. And then Bruin was so angry with Reynard
that he put an end at once to his partnership with him.

BOOTS AND HIS BROTHERS
Once on a time there was a man who had three sons, Peter, Paul and
Espen. Espen was Boots, of course, because he was the youngest. I
can't say the man had anything except these three sons, for he did not
possess one penny to rub against another; and so he told his sons over
and over again they must go out into the world to seek their fortune, for
at home there was nothing to be expected but to starve to death.
Now, a short way from the man's cottage was the King's palace, and
you must know, just against the King's windows a great oak had sprung
up, which was so stout and big that it took away all the light from the
king's palace. The King had said he would give much gold to any man
who could fell the oak, but no one was man enough to do it, for as soon
as one chip of the oak's trunk flew off, two grew in its stead. The King
wished also to have a well dug which was to hold water for the whole
year. All his neighbors had wells, but he had none, and he thought that
a shame.
So the King said he would give to any one who could dig him such a
well as would hold water for the whole year round, both money and
goods, but no one could do it, for the King's palace lay high, high up on
a hill, and they could dig but a few inches before they would come
upon rock.
But as the King had set his heart on having these two things done, he
had it given out in all the churches of his kingdom far and wide, that he
who could fell the big oak in the King's courtyard, and dig him a well
that would hold water the whole year round, should have the Princess

and half the kingdom. Well! you may easily know there was many a
man who came to try his luck; but all their hacking and hewing, and all
their digging and delving were useless. The oak got bigger and stouter
at every stroke, and the rock grew no softer either.
One day the three brothers thought they, too, would set off and try it.
Their father had not a word to say against it; for even if they did not get
the Princess and half the kingdom, it might happen they would get a
place somewhere with a good master and that was all he wanted. So
when the brothers asked his permission, he consented at once, and Peter,
Paul and Espen set forth.
Well, they had not gone far before they came to a fir wood where at
one side there rose a steep hill, and as they went along they heard
something hewing and hacking away up on the hill among the trees.
"I wonder now what it is that is hewing away up yonder," said Boots.
"You're always so clever with your wondering," laughed Peter and Paul
both at once. "What wonder is it, pray, that a wood cutter should stand
and hack up on a hillside?"
"Still, I'd like to see what it is, after all," said Boots, and up he went.
"Oh, if you're such a child, 'twill do you good to go and take a lesson,"
called out his brothers after him.
But Boots didn't care for what they said; he climbed the steep hillside
towards the spot whence the noise came, and when he reached the place,
what do you think he saw? Why, an axe that stood there hacking and
hewing, all of itself, at the trunk of a fir tree.
"Good-day," said Boots. "So you stand here all alone and hew, do
you?"
"Yes, here I've stood and hewed and hacked for hundreds of years,
waiting for you," said the axe.
"Well, here I am at last," said Boots, as he took the axe, pulled it off its
haft, and stuffed both head and haft into his wallet.
When he got down again to his brothers, they began to jeer and laugh at
him.
"And now, what strange thing was it you saw up yonder