The King of Root Valley - and his curious daughter

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Title: The King of Root Valley - and his curious daughter
Author: Reinick, Robert, 1805-1852
Language: English
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*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The King of Root Valley - and his curious daughter" ***

[Illustration: THE
KING OF ROOT VALLEY
A FAIRY TALE]

[Illustration]

THE

KING OF ROOT VALLEY

AND HIS CURIOUS DAUGHTER.

A Fairy Tale.

R. REINICK.

With Eight Illustrations, by T. Von Oer and R. Reinick.

LONDON:
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY.
1856.

PRINTED BY
JOHN EDWARD TAYLOR, LITTLE QUEEN STREET,
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.

Contents.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.
PAGE

THE ROOT-VALLEY AND ITS INHABITANTS.--THE STORY-TELLING
GUESTS.--THE KING OF ROOT-VALLEY AND HIS CURIOUS
DAUGHTER.--THE AERIAL CHARIOT.--FESTIVITIES IN THE
TOWN.--RETURN THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE ROOF OF THE
TOWN-HOUSE.--WHIMS OF THE PRINCESS 1

CHAPTER THE SECOND.

THE SPRING FESTIVAL IN ROOT-VALLEY.--THE NUT-FIELD.--THE
MIGRATING BIRDS.--A STRANGE PEOPLE MAKE THEIR
APPEARANCE.--NUTCRACKER AND HARLEQUIN.--THE PRINCESS
FALLS INTO RAPTURES 7

CHAPTER THE THIRD.

THE WONDERFUL BROOK.--THE OVERTURNED CARRIER'S
WAGGON.--NUTCRACKER AND HARLEQUIN COME TO LIFE.--THE
THREE WISHES.--THE BOX OF NUREMBERG TOYS.--THE
WANDERING RATS.--HOW HARLEQUIN BRINGS TO LIFE A WHOLE
NATION AND ARMY.--BATTLE WITH THE
RATS.--HOMAGE.--PROCESSION TO THE ROOT-VALLEY 11

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.

NUTCRACKER IS BETROTHED TO THE PRINCESS OF ROOT-VALLEY, AND
TAKES POSSESSION OF THE NUTFIELD.--THE BIRDS
DEPART.--WHAT ILL COMES OF IT.--WEDDING AND PARTING 19

CHAPTER THE FIFTH.

THE PUPPET-KINGDOM IS SET IN ORDER.--HAUGHTINESS OF
NUTCRACKER, HIS WIFE, AND SUBJECTS.--ANTIPATHY OF THE
TWO PEOPLES.--THE ROOT-KING ABDICATES HIS
CROWN.--NUTCRACKER A TYRANT.--PREPARATIONS FOR WAR IN
ROOT-VALLEY.--THE WAR.--HARLEQUIN'S DEATH.--FLIGHT AND
DESTRUCTION OF THE PUPPET-KINGDOM.--NUTCRACKER'S
DEATH.--THE PRINCESS SAVED 22

CHAPTER THE SIXTH.

THE BIRDCATCHER AND HIS FAMILY.--HOW THE CHILDREN RETURN
HOME WITH RARE TREASURES.--NUTCRACKER'S DEAD BODY.--THE
LITTLE MAIDEN IN THE STORK'S NEST, AND WHO SHE
WAS.--AFFECTING RECONCILIATION ON THE
NUTFIELD.--THREATENING DANGER TO THE
ROOTMEN.--EMIGRATION OF THE ROOTMEN 28

[Illustration: First Chapter.]

The King of Root Valley

AND

His Curious Daughter.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.

The road between Nuremberg and Leipsic ran in former times, in one
part, along the edge of a dark forest, which stretched into the
country far over the mountains. In the middle of this forest the
rocks enclosed a deep green valley, bordered by almost impenetrable
hedges, so that neither man nor beast could enter it. Here dwelt at
that time the merry little people of the Rootmen. They were pretty
little creatures, in form and look like human beings,--the tallest
about six inches high, and the smallest as long as your little
finger. In summer they lived in mossy bowers and under the leaves
of the tall fern; in winter they nestled among the roots of trees,
in the holes of some gnarled old trunk, and crept into the clefts
in the rocks. Their dress was fine and elegant: the little men wore
coats and hose of moss, and the little women dresses of pretty
variegated flowers, leaves, and gossamer, according as the weather
was warm or cold. They never felt the time long, having always
plenty of employment; they had to keep their roads in order, gather
in their stores, and the like; their favourite pastimes were
climbing and jumping, and arranging grand water-parties in
nutshells upon the brook which ran through their country. At other
times they would play at Hunt-the-hare with the Grasshoppers and
May-beetles, and dance the most graceful dances to the song of the
Birds: nor must it be forgotten that they understood the language
of all living creatures.

Two festivals in the year gave the little Rootmen especial delight.
On certain days in Spring and Autumn there arrived large troops of
merry guests, who were hospitably welcomed and entertained, and who
in return used to tell the inquisitive little people what was
passing in the world without.

These guests were no other than the thousands and thousands of
Birds of Passage, who in Spring came from the South, and in Autumn
from the North. The Storks told their village stories, the Swallows
twittered their fairy-tales, and the Nightingales brought with them
new and beautiful songs. There came frequently too a troop of
migrating Rats, who gave descriptions of their travels, while
Magpies and Ravens told legends and tales of marvel that made one
shudder. In this manner the little Rootmen received constantly news
of the whole wide world. Such stories of course filled them with
curiosity to make acquaintance with Men, but an innate feeling of
dread prevented the little beings from quitting their peaceful
Valley.

Now one time there reigned over this people a dear good old King,
who had one daughter, a very beautiful Princess; she was however
more full of curiosity than all other maidens in the world, nay
even more so indeed than her own little countrywomen. Her longing
to see Men and Women in the world without, of whom she had heard so
many wonderful things, had grown very strong. The good old King did
all in his power to dissuade her from this wish, representing Men
as fierce and selfish giants: "No living creature," said he, "is
secure from their mastery; the biggest elephant is obliged to dance
to their will, as well as the smallest flea." But all was of no
avail; his daughter had taken it into her head to visit the world,
and go she would. The thought of this preyed upon her mind, and she
grew more and more melancholy and thin; until at length the King
resolved to grant her wish, in the hope that the sight would
frighten her for ever, and drive away her curiosity.

A beautiful new Birds'-nest was therefore immediately selected,
cushioned with feathers and moss, and over this was fixed a shadowy
roof of leaves, as a shelter from the sun. In this car the
Root-King seated himself with the Princess; nor was it forgotten to
place in it also a delicate repast of juicy berries, honey, and
tender young buds. Two Cranes, who had practised their task for a
week previously, took up the nest with their bills, and flew with
it through the air to the nearest large Town inhabited by Men.

In a few hours the two birds were hovering with the nest over the
houses of the town. With a gentle flight they descended, and
deposited the royal aerial chariot carefully upon the tower of the
Townhouse, whence there was a view over all the streets, without
any fear of being seen. That was indeed a sight! Even the King
himself had never imagined that a city of Men could be so splendid.
The Princess too shouted and jumped with joy, until she nearly fell
out of the nest, had not one of the Cranes with his long bill
suddenly caught her by her little leg.

Now, as chance would have it, on this same day the Prince of that
country was celebrating his wedding with the daughter of a foreign
King, so that the whole city was in one blaze of splendour.

What shows and sights were there to be seen! processions, fairs,
reviews of a thousand regiments, theatres in the open air,
rope-dancers, races,--in short, it is impossible to describe them
all. But first and foremost the Prince and his young wife! how
splendid he looked in his scarlet uniform, with the star upon his
breast, moustachios, and large blue eyes; and she, in a red velvet
dress, covered with pearls and precious stones, which sparkled and
sent their light high up to the very gallery of the Townhouse.
Wherever you looked there was something new and strange, and so it
went on from early in the morning until the sun disappeared behind
the mountains.

However much all these marvellous sights delighted the old King,
his opinion of Mankind remained unaltered, and he was sorry that
his daughter should just have chosen this day to witness the most
brilliant side of Men's doings. He was however too weak to deny
himself a view of the scene; nay, he would even have remained up
there still longer, but that, as night fell and darkness came on,
some men suddenly appeared on the gallery, to illuminate the
building and let off the fireworks. The men approached the nest.
How the Princess started with affright at the sight of such
gigantic forms! The King too lost his speech from terror; and had
not the Cranes, of themselves, lifted up the stork's nest into the
air and borne it quickly off, there would have been an end of the
King and his daughter, and of our story too. However fortunately
they were just in time: and still from afar off the aerial
travellers saw the fireworks fly into the air, whizzing and
fizzing, and crackling and sparkling, from the tower of the
Townhouse, which was certainly all very splendid at a distance,
but close by would have been certain death. So the King and his
daughter returned safe and sound to their own Root-Valley.

The little Princess of course now saw well that Men were too big
for her to be able to share in their grand doings; still her old
fancies and longing returned, and even stronger than ever, although
in a somewhat altered form. She was firmly convinced that there
must be upon earth yet another race of beings as small as her own
little countrymen, but as clever and wise as Men; and so she
resolved never in her life to marry, unless a Prince of her own
size should take her for his wife; but then too he must have
exactly such an hussar's jacket, and exactly such a star on his
breast, and just the same large blue eyes, as the Man-Prince in the
city; and he must also rule over a little People, who possessed
exactly the same peculiarities as they.

These whims and fancies of his daughter made the good old King
quite sad. Right gladly would he have had a son-in-law,--but such a
one! where in the wide world was he to be found? He indeed did all
in his power to form and teach his People according to the rules
and laws of Men, but nothing came of it,--they were not a whit the
cleverer. The little fellows were never tired of _hearing_ of Men
and their doings, but to become like them--no indeed! They would
remain for ever and aye what they were,--free, merry little
Rootmen! The end of it was that the Princess got no husband, and
the King no son-in-law.

[Illustration: Second Chapter.]

CHAPTER THE SECOND.

THE SPRING FESTIVAL IN ROOT-VALLEY.--THE NUT-FIELD.--THE
MIGRATING BIRDS.--A STRANGE PEOPLE MAKE THEIR
APPEARANCE.--NUTCRACKER AND HARLEQUIN.--THE PRINCESS
FALLS INTO RAPTURES.

Several years had passed, and the Spring Festival was returning.
All was green and blooming; the trees and hedges were already in
full leaf, and rock, vale, hill and dale were clothed with
their new dress. The Rootmen had already quitted their dark
winter-quarters, and betaken themselves to their summer abodes by
the cool brook, which now once more ran purling merrily along. All
awaited with eager expectation the appearance of the winged guests.

At length the important day arrived. It was a fine May morning;
through the young foliage of the nut-trees the sunshine played and
sparkled on flowers and turf, on pebbles and rippling waters. Early
in the morning the little Heralds, decked out in new coats of moss,
were seen riding through the Valley upon grasshoppers, and crying
aloud with a clear voice,--

"Come forth, ye Rootmen, all come out!
For the Spring is come, and the birds are about."

The summons was no sooner heard, than the whole of the little
People came pouring from all sides into the Nut-field, which was
set apart for such festivals, and was on this occasion decked out
in the most beautiful manner. In the middle, upon a molehill
prettily covered with small pebbles, stood the throne for the good
King and his fair daughter; it was made of snail-shells and
mussel-shells, and cushioned with feathers. A long alley of
lilies-of-the-valley, six deep, led up to the throne; and when
the royal procession galloped up on squirrels, all the little
lily-bells rang with a lovely melody; for at each lily was
stationed a spider, to pull the bells with a thread of its cobweb.

A solemn silence followed. The Birds had not yet made their
appearance. They had probably alighted somewhere in the
neighbourhood, to smooth and arrange their feathers, ruffled by
their long flight; they must of course show themselves to their
kind hosts in decent attire! On a sudden was heard from afar a
sound, which drew nearer and nearer, the usual sign that the guests
were approaching; and soon there was a great rustling in the air.
First came a flock of birds flying over the forest, then more and
more, until at last the whole field was quite overshadowed by the
winged guests, who alighted in large flocks upon the ground.

A general shout of joy resounded on all sides. The newly-arrived
guests were speedily refreshed with food and drink, and then an old
Stork, the most famous story-teller of his time, mounted upon a
large stone, which served him for a rostrum. He had just put on
that pleasant look with which he used to begin all his stories, he
had just cleared his throat and opened his long red bill, when on a
sudden he was interrupted by a loud murmur from the crowd, and a
strange sound, as of many carriages and horses, was heard in the
distance. The Heralds of the Root-King instantly hastened to
ascertain the cause, and presently returned announcing that a new
and strange People were coming through the forest in innumerable
troops, led by a Prince in a scarlet hussar's uniform, with large
blue eyes, and a star upon his breast: his name was Prince
Nutcracker, and with his councillor Harlequin he sought a gracious
audience of the Root-King and his daughter.

At this news the Princess turned red as scarlet, and the King pale
as death, with affright. The Princess imagined that the Man-Prince
in the town had perceived her on the gallery of the Townhouse, and
was now coming to marry her; but the King feared that the giant
race of Men were come to destroy his subjects and conquer his
country. When however they heard that Prince Nutcracker and his
followers were not bigger than the Rootmen, the Princess's fear was
changed into such joy, that she fell on her father's neck, and
kissed his hands again and again; then the King commanded the
Stork to cease his storytelling, and the Prince with his followers
to be conducted immediately to his presence.

How Prince Nutcracker and his councillor Harlequin happened to come
hither the following Chapter will tell.

[Illustration: Third Chapt^r.]

CHAPTER THE THIRD.

The road from Nuremberg to Leipsic, at the time of our story, ran
in one part close to a deep hollow, through which a clear brook
wound its way. The stream flowed directly from Root-Valley, and had
the marvellous property, that whatever fell into it instantly
became alive, provided only that it had previously had the form of
some living thing.

It chanced one day that a carrier's waggon was passing this spot on
its way to the Leipsic Fair, packed full of boxes, when on a sudden
a wheel came off, and the waggon rolled over into a hollow. Now in
the boxes were Nuremberg toys of all kinds, enough to fit out a
whole fair. When the poor carrier saw his waggon overthrown into
the hollow, where he could not get at it, off he ran in despair,
and nobody ever after heard what became of him. Certain it is that
by the upset of the waggon some of the boxes were broken, and, of
the puppets which they contained, a Nutcracker and a Harlequin
rolled into the brook. No sooner were they touched by the water,
than instantly a marvellous animation darted through their limbs.
Slowly they raised themselves, and stared at one another with
amazement. There stood Nutcracker, upon his stiff legs, like a
post, beautifully varnished over, with his bright blue eyes, his
wooden pigtail, and the star upon his breast; while Harlequin, in
his particoloured jacket, with his laughing face, clapped together
his hands and legs over his head for very joy, and hopped about
like a magpie.

When these first signs of animation subsided into more tranquil
reflection, Harlequin opened his lips, and said, "Great Prince!
that you are a Prince, and I your merry councillor, is clear
enough, for otherwise you would have no star on your breast, and I
no merry-andrew's jacket; but what shall we do first?"

"That is a question for _you_ to answer, not for _me_," replied
Nutcracker, whom the consciousness of his high birth had already
made grave and haughty. Muttering in his beard, he kept on moving
his under jaw up and down, and continued, "Dear Harlequin! that I
am, as you rightly say, born to be a great man, is proved, not only
by my star, but also by three wishes which have just come into my
head. The first wish is to have a dishfull of the finest nuts, for
which I have a marvellous appetite; the second is to have a
faithful people and a brilliant army, for unquestionably I am born
to govern; the third and last wish is to marry a rich and beautiful
Princess, who shall bring me as her dowry a pretty portion of land,
where I may live with your assistance in all possible ease and
comfort, eat nuts, govern my people, and pass the time merrily.
Your duty is now to advise me how these wishes may be fulfilled."

"Better do than advise," cried Harlequin: "only trust, my Prince,
to my merriment. Before the sun goes down, you shall be in
possession of all these trifles, or my name is not Harlequin, and
my legs will never more dance and clatter over my head."

So saying, in a twinkling he climbed up the nearest nut-tree, and
shook it with all his might. The large nuts fell like a shower of
hail, and the hungry Prince began to crack and eat them with all
speed; and he did not feel quite revived until he had eaten his
fill.

The second wish it was far more difficult to accomplish;
nevertheless Harlequin found ways and means to counsel in this case
likewise. The contents of the waggon, which lay scattered about,
contained people and soldiers enough; he had only to open the
boxes, and bring to life all the thousands of puppets which were
shut up in them; but unluckily the lids of the boxes were fastened
down so tight, that the united strength of the two little men was
unable to force them open. They toiled and moiled till they were
quite exhausted, but all in vain. In this perplexity a word of
advice was worth something. Nutcracker's big blue eyes started out
of his head from the mere effort of considering and contriving,
till they looked like those of a crayfish; Harlequin, on the
contrary, never lost heart or ceased his merriment for an instant.
He twirled round and round like a top, looking for help on all
sides; and before he himself thought of it, indeed an unexpected
aid came in a marvellous way.

Afar off the brown fields which bordered the forest-glen appeared
all at once to become alive. An immense host of migrating Rats, on
their journey from the South to the North, were advancing this way,
and by chance fell directly upon the scattered heap of boxes.

"Out of the way, my Prince!" cried Harlequin, "if we would not let
ourselves be devoured like hazelnuts."

They both sprang on one side. The Rats, which, as every one knows,
never turn out of their road, but always go straight forward,
through field and wood, over hedge and ditch, gnawing their way
through stick and stone, fell without ado upon the chests and
boxes. The fresh young pine-wood boards were a welcome prize to
their sharp teeth, and so too the strong hempen ropes. Speedily off
fell the box-lids, one here, one there,--crack went a rope on this
side, another on that! The most splendid toys presently lay
scattered about in confusion on the road, and some of the Rats fell
to gratifying their nibbling propensity upon them. When Harlequin
beheld this, he cried aloud to the Rats, "A good appetite to you,
ye board-eaters! have you enough?" And so saying he jumped into the
brook, and flung his legs and arms about him, till the water
splashed over all the other little Nutcrackers, Harlequins, and tin
and wooden soldiers, who instantly became alive and jumped upon
their legs.

"Follow me!" cried Harlequin: "one fool makes many,--one wise man
many wise!" And he was right. Fresh puppets kept continually rising
up and coming to life; the regiments formed themselves, the little
horses were soon harnessed to the cannons and drew them, the tin
Generals put themselves at the head of their troops, and the order
of battle was arranged against the Rats. It was indeed high time,
for many of the puppets had already fallen under the sharp teeth of
their assailants. At the sight of this, Nutcracker's spirit and
heroic courage were aroused; his eyes rolled, his jaws chattered
with very thirst of fight, his wooden pigtail accompanied all the
motions of his mouth with rapid twitchings. Impatiently he drew his
sword, and at the head of his Body-guard (who were also
Nutcrackers, but without the star, and therefore no princes) he led
his army to battle.

And now he gave the signal to fire! Instantly all the firearms and
cannons of the innumerable regiments were discharged at the Rats,
who, terrified by the strange noise, took to flight in all haste.
Thus a brilliant victory was gained, and in place of the late
confusion of overturned boxes, there was now to be seen quite a
new world, glittering in all the colours of the rainbow. Towns
and villages, fortresses and country-houses, kitchens and
drawing-rooms, lay scattered one upon another, whilst thousands of
little men and animals were running about. The first thing now was,
of course, that Prince Nutcracker should receive the homage of his
subjects as their ruler.

But there still remained the third task to be accomplished,--to
find a Princess, and with her hand to obtain a piece of land upon
which the new colony might settle. Here again Harlequin's ingenuity
soon suggested advice and aid. Some of the wounded and captured
Rats were commanded to give a description of all the Princesses
whom they had met with in the course of their travels. When they
came to tell of the beauty of the Princess of Root-Valley, the
wooden heart of Prince Nutcracker, as he listened to their
description, warmed so, that a sound shot through it as if a deal
board were cracking and splitting in a room suddenly heated. This
sound he regarded as an omen; this and no other Princess was to be
his Queen. He therefore resolved instantly to go with all his
People to where the Princess lived, and sue for her hand.

The procession was forthwith marshalled in due order; the Rat
prisoners served as pioneers and guides; after these followed the
cavalry, then the Prince with all his Court, and behind him the
cannons and infantry. Now came rocking-horses, heavily laden with
band-boxes, in which were towns, villages, theatres, fortresses,
kitchens, and so forth, and all the furniture and cooking utensils;
behind these followed the little baggage-waggons, and tin and
wooden coaches crammed full of passengers; then people on foot, of
all sorts, in every fashion of dress from the time of Adam to the
present day. After all these came long droves of animals, large and
small, out of all the Noah's-arks and menageries which had been in
the waggon,--first the tame and then the wild animals, the latter
accompanied by tin Bedouins and Circassians, who had to watch lest
the little roaring beasts should devour each other or any other
harmless beings. And all the while Harlequins, Scaramouches, and
Pantaloons kept jumping and skipping about in the procession, and
by their tricks and merriment kept all the people in good heart and
humour on the long and arduous march.

Meanwhile a large fleet of magnetic ships, with tin swans, ducks,
and fishes swimming around them, floated in state on the wonderful
brook, along the bank of which the procession marched. Now let the
Reader picture to himself this interminable multitude advancing in
the beautiful green woods, all amidst lilies-of-the-valley, violets
and buttercups, lettuce-leaves, nettles, and ferns, marching over
hill and dale, in a sparkling sunshine, and with a blue sky
overhead,--and withal the toil and efforts of the little wights,
the creaking of wheels, the cracking of whips, the word of command
resounding through the ranks, the music and singing when the path
was smooth and easy, and the cries and shrieks upon the bad
roads,--how pretty and animated and merry the whole scene must have
been! No wonder indeed that, along the whole way which the
procession journeyed, the birds came out of the trees and hedges,
the beetles crept out of the flowers, even the worms and snails
came out of their hiding-places, all full of curiosity to see the
sight; and no wonder too that they were all impressed with great
admiration for Prince Nutcracker, who ruled over such a splendid
people, and even made long travels with them!

After long and arduous toil, and incredible efforts, the Colony
arrived at the large Nutfield, of which we have before heard.

[Illustration: Fourth Chapter.]

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.

NUTCRACKER IS BETROTHED TO THE PRINCESS OF ROOT-VALLEY, AND
TAKES POSSESSION OF THE NUTFIELD.--THE BIRDS
DEPART.--WHAT ILL COMES OF IT.--WEDDING AND PARTING.

Prince Nutcracker and his followers were received in the most
friendly manner by the good King of Root-Valley. The Princess was
in a sea of rapture at the brilliant appearance of the bright,
varnished, wooden Prince, who in a formal and well-turned speech
declared his love for her, together with his other wishes, in a
pleasing and appropriate manner. The old King even was so moved by
his words, that without more ado he gave him his daughter to wife,
and the whole Nutfield as her dowry. And now, when the old man
tenderly embraced his future son-in-law, all the people around
shouted with joy, and all the thousands of little birds joined in
the general jubilee, piping and singing, and clapping their wings,
amidst shouts of "Long live Prince Nutcracker and his Bride!" Then
it was arranged that the whole procession of the Puppet-people
should take possession of their new land, the Nutfield, before the
eyes of the assembled Rootmen, which immediately took place.

As often happens in life, that dear old friends are forgotten and
put aside for new ones, so it fell out in this instance. The
migrating Birds, who had formerly been treated with the greatest
attention and respect, and who on this occasion testified their
sympathy and joy at the union of the two Peoples, had in the course
of this day to experience the mortification of seeing their old
friends turn their backs upon them. The little Root-mannikins, in
eager curiosity, pushed them back on all sides, and gave them
pretty clearly to understand that they might take to flight, and
remain away for ever.

Indignant at such treatment, the Birds rose all together upon the
wing, like one, hovered an instant over the heads of the two
Peoples with a loud noise, and then disappeared with rapid flight
in the blue distance.

Oh horror and alarm! What happened then? The sudden flight of these
thousands of Birds created such a rush of air, like a whirlwind,
that scarcely a man of the newly-arrived guests could keep himself
on his feet. Whole ranks of tin soldiers fell one upon another; the
cardpaper heroes, actors, and huntsmen were swept far away over the
fields; and even Prince Nutcracker himself, who was at that instant
just going in a polite manner to kiss the hand of his beloved
Princess, was so shaken that he staggered and fell, rolled down
the molehill, and lay sprawling at the foot of it with open mouth.

An ill omen this for the power of the new Government! The great
admiration which the Rootmen had hitherto felt for their new
friends quickly turned into disdain at this catastrophe. The good
King and the fair Princess alone did not allow themselves to be
carried away by their astonishment; they instantly descended from
their throne, and helped the fallen Prince to regain his legs. But
Nutcracker broke out into bitter reproaches; he called the Birds,
who had upset him, silly high-flying fools, who set themselves
above the whole world, and overturned all rule and order. His anger
was not to be softened, until his future father-in-law promised
that, to prevent the recurrence of any similar disaster, he would
allow nothing flying to enter his kingdom, not even flying leaves.

One by one all the little people got up on their legs again, and
the rest of the day was passed in merriment and feasting. On the
morrow the wedding of Prince Nutcracker and his fair Bride was
celebrated with the grandest solemnities; after which the two
Peoples took leave of one another in the most friendly manner; the
Root-mannikins returned to their own Valley, and the Puppet-folks
remained on the Nutfield.

[Illustration: Fifth Chapter.]

CHAPTER THE FIFTH.

It took Prince Nutcracker a full week to put his State in order, to
erect towns, fortresses, and villages on their proper spots, and to
assign to his subjects their places and sphere of activity. All
this was admirably executed with the aid of his indefatigable
councillor Harlequin, who was the soul of the whole undertaking.
Everything too seemed to favour the new State, for as yet there had
been no cloud in the sky, no gust of wind to overthrow a company of
soldiers, no rain to wash off the beautiful colours of the castles,
or to wet the princely decorations of the great theatre.

Thus lived the young Princess for some days with her husband in joy
and splendour. She had laid aside her old dresses of leaves,
flowers, and gossamer, and was arrayed like the most elegant
State Puppet, after the newest Paris fashions. She left off her
natural lively movements, and assumed the stiff and stately
deportment of her husband and the ladies of the Court, who
considered it unbecoming to turn their head ever so little on
one side. She almost wholly forgot how to walk, while she
was constantly driving to balls, concerts, and parades, to
cockchafer-hunts and fly-chases. Her chief delight was in finery:
every day she put on a new dress, and before her windows were shops
of all the newest fashions, so that her first glance fell upon them
when she got up in the morning.

Her husband too, and his subjects, grew continually more and more
haughty. They looked down with contempt upon everything that was
not a Puppet, or so finely painted and varnished as they. Every
bird that flew past, or came near them, was pursued with the
greatest cruelty.

Even the Rootmen, who came from time to time for their pleasure,
were received with more and more coldness, insomuch that they soon
ceased coming at all. Nay the good King himself was compelled to
witness how his son-in-law and his own daughter came in time to
treat him with indifference. Naturally the former friendship of the
two Peoples was soon turned into bitter hatred. Before a month had
elapsed Prince Nutcracker's arrogance became so great, that he
demanded of the Rootmen a monthly tribute of two thousand of the
finest hazelnuts: at the same time he assembled his troops and
planted his fortresses in a line on the frontier of the
Root-kingdom, resolving, in case of refusal, to invade with his
army the territory of his father-in-law.

Such a violation of all right naturally filled the gentle spirit of
the good old King with indignation. One whole day long he wept
tears of bitterness into his mossy beard; he then publicly
renounced his ungrateful daughter, and forbade her ever to come
into his sight again. At length he retired from all affairs of
government; he felt that he was too tender-hearted for such arduous
business.

The tidings of this soon reached his daughter. Her eyes were now at
once opened, and she saw how unworthily she had given away her
hand, how from vanity she had violated her duty to her father, and
to all those who had once been dear to her. Alas, it was too late!
She tried all means to dissuade her husband from his unjust
demands, but he was resolute; and when she continued unceasingly
her entreaties, his anger turned against her likewise; he shut her
up in her room, and would not hear a word more from her. Instead of
joy and peace, her constant companions now were sorrow and
repentance.

Meanwhile in the Root-kingdom a young and vigorous King was
elected, who shared the hostility of his people against the
insolent intruders, and forthwith declared war upon them. He
resolved by a decisive battle either to annihilate or drive them
away, and to this end he summoned his Allies from all sides to his
aid. Rabbits and moles, lizards and worms, were to invade
Nutcracker's country by an underground attack, and overthrow towns
and villages; locusts, bees, and cockchafers were to fall upon the
enemy from the air; whilst on the ground the Rootmen themselves
should assail the foe with sharp rush-lances and two-edged blades
of grass.

The morning of the fatal battle dawned gloomily; the sky was
covered with black clouds. Clad in their green and brown moss coats
the Rootmen marched toward the Nutfield, so that the enemy did not
observe them until they were close under his fortresses. Suddenly
there burst forth a cannonade and firing from all the loopholes;
but the balls remained sticking in the moss of the assailants, who
answered the terrific discharge with loud laughter. Quickly the
army of the Rootmen pressed onward into the Nutfield: Prince
Nutcracker threw himself upon them with his Body-guard, but was
driven back; whereupon he fled into the palace, and made Harlequin
his Fieldmarshal. With wild leaps of despair Harlequin led the main
army to the field.

But soon a general panic seized upon all. The subterranean Allies
of the enemy had already undermined the ground along which the army
of Puppets were marching, and with it the fortresses, towns, and
villages on the Nutfield; at the same time almost all the buildings
round about tumbled one upon another with a loud crash.
Fieldmarshal Harlequin himself was seized by the leg by a fierce
old Mole, who dragged him down into the earth, in spite of the most
heroic struggles: he was never seen again!

This was the signal for a general and wild flight of Nutcracker's
brilliant army, who fled to the royal palace with the cry of "Save
yourselves as you can!" The palace consisted of strongly-built
wooden saloons, and longest withstood the labours of the
undermining animals. Here Nutcracker had already put the horses to
his State-carriage; then quickly jumping into it with his wife, he
holloa'd to the coachman, "Off and away, far out of this Valley, as
fast as you can, and as far as possible!" And all his people
crowded round the coach in wild confusion to find a refuge, for on
every side insects came flying and buzzing around in the air, and
with their wings overthrew everything that was not firmly fixed.

Away went the fugitives, rolling over the field like a great ball.
Although hard pressed by the enemy, and with the loss of many
killed, they succeeded in creeping through the great hedge which
surrounded the Valley, and escaping into the forest.

The reverses of the insolent Prince and his subjects now reached
their height: the very sky waged war against them, and poured down
upon them torrents of rain. Nutcracker and his Princess saw with
grief, from the windows of their coach, the torrent increasing and
overflowing the road,--their subjects, houses, and furniture swept
past in the whirlpool, one after another falling under the toils of
the march, tumbling over precipices or getting entangled in roots,
nettles, and heaps of fallen leaves, and perishing miserably.
Nutcracker's whole People were speedily destroyed: he too had not
gone many yards, when the water unglued the joints of his coach,
and the princely pair were carried away by the flood. But the
natural strong and active spirit of the Princess was now
re-awakened by the danger. How had she once used to skip about
exultingly, and swim upon the waves in such weather! With one hand
she seized her husband's pigtail, and with the other a twig. She
tried with a spring to reach the root of a tree; but alas! the hair
of the terrified Prince was not strong enough: the pigtail remained
in her hand, and she saw her husband carried away by the torrent
and vanish from her sight.

At first she called sorrowfully after him, but presently her
natural spirit became only the more daring. She threw off her silly
fashionable dress, soaked with the rain, which cramped her slender
limbs; and quickly clothing herself in the first leaves she could
find, climbed up like a squirrel into an old tree, and in a hole in
its branches sought shelter from the storm and the approaching
night.

[Illustration: Sixth Chapter.]

CHAPTER THE SIXTH.

At the time when all these wonderful occurrences happened, there
lived at the entrance of this forest an old Birdcatcher and his
family. During the two years since he had settled here, his
business had prospered remarkably; and, especially in the Spring
and Autumn, so many birds had been taken in his nets, that he had
earned many a bright dollar, and had laid by many a spare penny.

Now once on a Spring day a heavy rain had fallen, and, strange to
say, ever since that time not a bird was longer to be seen there:
every morning the Birdcatcher found his nets torn, his limed twigs
destroyed, and even his screech-owl and other decoy-birds had
vanished from their cages and perches. And yet he knew well enough
there lived no other man in the whole forest who could have done
all this.

One day he had sent his children with the cart deep into the
forest, to fetch brushwood. Evening came on, and they did not
return. It already began to grow dark, and as they still had not
come back, his anxiety increased, and he determined to go in search
of them. He had just crossed the threshold, when suddenly he heard
a shouting and singing at a distance in the wood. Joyous sounds! it
was his dear children, who were dragging and pushing along the
little cart, piled up and closely packed.

"You good-for-nothing little brats, where have you been all this
time?" he exclaimed, half angrily, though overjoyed. But they
laughed, and removing the green brushwood with which they had
covered the loaded cart, they exclaimed, quite red in the face with
delight, "Only see, father, what we have here!" And, lo and behold,
the cart was filled from top to bottom with broken, bent, and
gnaw'd playthings!

And now they went on to tell the whole story of their treasures;
and amidst a Babel of voices, all speaking together, one louder
than another, the sum and substance of the story was this. After
losing their way, they had wandered about till they came to a
narrow, smooth dale, which lost itself like a footpath in the wood.
The ground was all wet and miry from the rain. Suddenly, to their
amazement, they found all these splendid things scattered about in
radiant confusion; and, had not the sun already sunk behind the
pine-trees, they would have followed the path still further. It
seemed to have no end, but disappeared deep in the thicket, and, as
far as they could see, it was all bestrewn with similar treasures.

The story seemed strange to their father, and he resolved to follow
the path they spoke of the next day, hoping in his own mind to
discover a track of the culprit who had decoyed away the birds and
torn his nets.

The next morning, as soon as the dawn glimmered through the still
forest, the Birdcatcher's whole family were on their way with the
wood-cart to the dale; and, truly enough, there they found
everything as the children had described.

"Look, look, father! there is another splendid little wooden
fellow!" exclaimed the youngest child, raking out of the mire a
little Nutcracker, bedaubed with mud, his colours all washed off,
and his pedestal lost.

"Heyday! what a face the fellow has, and what a mouth, and what
goggling eyes!" cried all the children in one voice.

"Silly nonsense! stupid toy!" exclaimed the old man angrily, as he
snatched the Nutcracker from them, and flung it far away into the
wood.

But now a wonderful sight presented itself to his view.

Out of a Crane's nest, high up on an old oak-tree, there rose a
little maiden of human form, quite enveloped in gossamer. She
climbed down from the tree like a squirrel, ran with all speed to
the spot where Nutcracker lay, dug him a grave with her hands, and,
with the aid of the two Cranes, laid him in it, and raked the earth
over the spot; after which she climbed again up the tree, and into
the nest.

The Birdcatcher and his family stood open-mouthed, in silent
astonishment; they feared to frighten away the little maiden, but
this strange sight made them hesitate what to do.

"So, so, then, you are the little witch who robs me of my bread!"
at last exclaimed the Birdcatcher, giving vent to his repressed
anger. "Wait there awhile, my pretty little bird: tomorrow morning
we will come again with axe and nets; we will then cut down your
tree in a trice and catch you. For the present let us see where
this path leads, and whether there are not more of you here."

Before he had finished speaking, he espied the little maiden
peeping anxiously from under her white veil out of the nest, and
making a sign. And instantly the Cranes came flying to her, took up
the nest with their bills, raised it from the branches, and bore it
swiftly through the air.

Who other could the little maiden be than our Princess of
Root-Valley?

Fear of her father and her countrypeople had prevented her
returning to her native Valley. At the same time a feeling of
sorrow for the haughtiness with which she had treated the Birds
whom she had once loved, had grown so strong in her heart, that she
resolved to make amends for her former ill-conduct to these
good-natured creatures. Since the fatal day when her husband and
his people had been all destroyed, she had made her abode in this
tree, and taken under her tender care all the young birds whose
parents had died. Indeed she it really was who, in spite of her
fear of Men, had every night destroyed the Birdcatcher's nets, and
had warned the birds against venturing near him.

At this instant however she saw the danger which threatened her
countrymen, if these selfish people should discover the
Root-kingdom. All other considerations therefore must yield.
Without delay she desired the Cranes to convey her straight to her
own Valley, where she was resolved to alight, happen what might.

In the Nutfield, which had so recently been the scene of her false
splendour and her follies, the Rootmen happened on this very day to
be assembled. Notwithstanding her wrong conduct, they had not yet
given up the Princess, and, at the entreaties of her father, they
were met to consider what steps could be taken to search for her.

The Cranes alighted with the nest. In an instant the repentant
daughter fell on the neck of her overjoyed father, and all the
People compassionated her, and forgave her from the bottom of their
hearts. In their delight at seeing her again, all were ready to
give themselves up to unrestrained rejoicing, but the Princess
checked their merriment. She told her People the danger which
threatened them of being discovered by Men. Anxiety and terror
seized the Rootmen at this news: it was no longer possible to
remain in the forest. They at once resolved to leave Root-Valley,
and to emigrate by subterranean passages to distant lands.

The whole body put themselves forthwith in motion, when just at
that instant there appeared upon the rocky heights, behind the
thick hedge, the Birdcatcher with his family. If these folks had
been astonished at the first instant, how much more so were they
now, when they saw all the little Rootmen disappear in the rocks!

Angry and impatient at not being able to get at them, the
Birdcatcher tried all he could to break through the hedge, but in
vain,--he only came off with scratched and bleeding hands.

"Ill-luck!" he exclaimed; "had I but my axe and nets, to catch
those tiny little creatures, I might sell them in the town, or make
a show of them, and become the richest man in the world!" And
thereupon he took his whistle, and began to whistle an alluring
melody, thinking by this means to entice the little People like
birds; but this attempt was likewise in vain. All the little
Rootmen passed before his eyes into the rock, actually laughing
and making faces at him; and when the very last little elf vanished
in the rock, the opening closed. Since that time no one has ever
again seen the little Rootmen.

The End.

[Illustration: The End.]

[Illustration]

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been retained; however, some
mid-paragraph illustrations have been moved to the beginning of the
chapter.

The caret in "Third Chapt^r" indicates a superscripted letter "r."

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The King of Root Valley - and his curious daughter" ***

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