Dr. DoDiddily and the Dee Dot's

THE BALKAN MUSES

Albania.   Croatia.  Bulgaria.  Bosnia Herzegovina. Crete
Greece.  Macedonia.  Romania. Slovenia
Serbia. Transylvania.

from 'A Book of Nonsense' by Edward Lear 1812-1888

There was an Old Person of Sparta,

Who had twenty-five sons and one daughter;

He fed them on snails,

And weighed them in scales,

This wonderful Person of Sparta.

Together with Athens, Sparta is one of the best known city-states of ancient Greece. ...

Sparta was once ruled by two kings and a Council of Elders.

Dr. DoDiddily and the Dee Dot's

THE BALKAN MUSES

Albania.   Croatia.  Bulgaria.  Bosnia Herzegovina. Crete
Greece.  Macedonia.  Romania. Slovenia
Serbia. Transylvania.

COMPLETE AND UTTER NONSENSE, AND TERRIFIC AS WELL,
 it will definitely make you smile

           NONSENSE FROM SERBIA

A little boy came to a mill with a bag of corn that he wanted ground. As he was a Serbian and every Serbian knows that beardless men are a crafty race, the boy was sorry to see that the miller's chin was as smooth as an egg. However the corn was ground, and the miller said: "I tell you what my son, I'll make this into a loaf for you.".
The loaf was mixed and baked, and as it steamed on the ground the miller said:
"Of course I expect half of it for my trouble; yet it seems a pity to cut it. I've a good idea; the one who can say the most nonsensical things shall have the loaf.
         The poor boy was forced to submit, and the miller began. He said:
"There was once a king, a silent woman and a grateful man."
   "That is only sneering," returned the boy. "I can tell you something worth listening to." He set his wits to work with a will, and this is the tale he told the miller.

       In my young days when I was an old man we had many beehives, and I used to count the bees every morning. I counted them easily enough, but I could never contrive to count the beehives.
Well one morning as I was counting the bees I was greatly surprised to find that my best bee was missing, so I straddled a cock, mounted it, and started in search of it. I traced it to the sea shore, and saw that it had gone over the sea, so I decided to follow it.
    When I had crossed the water I discovered that a peasant had caught my bee;  he was ploughing his fields with it and was about to sow millet. So I exclaimed, "That is my bee! How did you get it?" And the ploughman answered, Brother, if this is really your bee you can come over here and take it."
   So I went over to him and he gave me back my bee and a sack of millet on account of the services my bee had rendered him.
Then I put the sack on my back, and moved the saddle from the cock to the bee. Then I mounted the bee, and led my cock behind me that it might rest a little.
As I was crossing the sea one of the strings of my sack burst, and all the millet poured into the water. When I had got across, it was already night, so I alighted and let the bee loose to graze; as to the cock, I fastened him near me and gave him some hay. After that I laid myself down to sleep.
    When I rose next morning great was my surprise to see that during the night the wolves had slaughtered and devoured my bee; and the honey was spread about the valley knee deep and ankle deep on the hills. Then I was puzzled to know in what vessel I could gather up the honey.

      Meantime I remember I had a little axe with me, so I went into the woods to catch a beast in order to make a bag of its skin. When I reached the forest I saw two deer dancing on one leg; so I threw my axe, broke their leg, and caught them both. From the two deer I drew three skins and made a bag of each, and in them gathered up all the honey. Then I loaded the cock with the bags and started hurriedly homeward.
When I arrived I found that my father had just been born, and I was told to go to heaven to fetch some holy water. I did not know how to get there, but as I pondered the matter I remembered the millet which had fallen into the sea. I went back to that place, and found that the grain had grown up quite to heaven, for the spot where it fell happened to be rather damp. So I climbed up one of the stems.
Upon reaching heaven I found that the millet had ripened, and an angel had harvested the grain and made a loaf of it, and was eating it with some warm milk.
I greeted him, saying, "Good-morrow to you!" The angel replied. "And to you neighbour!" and gave me some holy water.
    On my way back I found that there had been a great rain, and the sea had risen so high that my millet was carried away. I was frightened to think how I should descend again to Earth; but at length I remembered that I had long hair - it is so long that when I am standing upright it reaches down to the ground and when I sit it reaches to my ears . Well, I took out my knife and cut off one hair after another, tying them end to end with great care as I descended on them.
     Meantime darkness overtook me before I got to the bottom, and so I decided to make a large knot and pass the night on it. But what was I to do without a fire? A tinder box I had with me , but I had no wood. Suddenly I remembered that I had in my vest a sewing needle. So I split it and made a fire, which warmed me nicely; then I laid myself down to sleep.
    When I fell asleep, unfortunately, a flame burned the hair through, and head over heels I fell to the ground, and sank into the earth up to my girdle. When I found that I was tightly interred I hurried home for a spade, and came back and dug myself out with it.

       As soon as I was freed I took the holy water and started for home. When I arrived reapers were working in the field. It was such a hot day that I feared the poor men would burn to death, and I called them:
"Why do you not fetch our mare which is two days journey long and half a day broad, and on whose back large willows are growing? She would make some shade where you are working."
My father hearing this, quickly brought the mare, and the reapers went on working in the shade. Then I took a jug in which to fetch some water. When I came to the well I found the water was quite frozen, so I took my head off and broke the ice with it; then I filled the jug and carried the water to the thirsty reapers.
When they saw me they asked me, "Where is your head?" I lifted my hands, and to my great surprise my head was not upon my shoulders, and then I remembered having left it by the well. I went back at once, but  on the way I met a man with no legs cleaning his boots by the roadside. He asked for charity and I gave him my favourite button. He thanked me with tears in his eyes, exclaiming, "In return for this I will tell you a secret which I learned from a witch: Water is Wet."
    Terrified at the strange news I went on to the well, but found that a fox was there before me, and was busy devouring my head. I approached slowly and struck the beast fiercely with my foot, so that in great fear it dropped a little book. This I picked up, and, on opening it, found written in it these wise words, "The whole loaf is for thee, and Beardless is to get nothing!"

The miller was so stunned by this torrent of nonsense that he said nothing as the boy picked up his loaf and walked away in triumph..

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 Dr. DoDiddily and the Dee Dot's

THE BALKAN MUSES
Albania.   Croatia.  Bulgaria.  Bosnia Herzegovina. Crete
Greece.  Macedonia.  Romania. Slovenia
Serbia. Transylvania.
A Lullaby for a Naughty Girl

Oh peace, my Penelope: slaps are the fate
Of all little girls who are born to be great;
And the greatest of Queens have all been little girls
And dried up their tears on their kerchiefs or curls.

Oh sleep; and your heart that has sobbed for so long
Will mend and grow merry and wake you to song;
For the world is lovelier place than it seems,
And a smack cannot follow you into your dreams.

The dark Cleopatra was slapped on the head,
And she wept as she lay in her great golden bed;
But the dark Cleopatra woke up with a smile
As she thought of the little boats out on the Nile.

And Helen of Troy had many a smack:
She moaned and she murmered the Greek for "Alack!
But the sun rose in Argos, and wonderful joy
Came with the morning to Helen of Troy.

They sent Guinevere without supper to sleep
In her grey little room at the top of the Keep;
And the stars over Camelot waited and wept
Till the peeping moon told them that Guinevere slept.

There was grief in Castile and disay in Madrid
When they slapped Isabella for something she did;
But she slept - and could laugh in the morning again
At the Dons of Castile, the Hidalgos of Spain.

And oh, how Elizabeth cried in her cot
When she wanted her doll and her Nanny said not!
But the sparrows awoke and the summer sun rose,
And there was the doll on the bed b her toes!

So sleep, my Penelope: slaps are the fate
of all little girls who are born to be great;
But the world is a lovelier place than it seems
And a smack cannot follow you into your dreams.

Dr. DoDiddily and the Dee Dot's

THE BALKAN MUSES
Romania.   Bulgaria.   Macedonia.   Albania.    Greece.   Slovenia
Transylvania. Croatia.  Bosnia Herzegovina.  Crete

Bulgaria - SanStefano (1878)

It was morning at St. Helen's, in the great and gallant days,

And the sea beneath the sun glittered wide,

When the frigate set her courses, all a-shimmer in the haze

And she hauled her cable home and took the tide.

She'd a right fighting company, three hundred men and more,

Nine and forty guns in tackle running free;

And they cheered her from the shore for her colours at the fore,

When the bold Menelaus put to sea.




She'd a right fighting company, three hundred men and more,
       Nine and forty guns in tackle running free;
And they cheered her from the shore for her colours at the fore,
       When the bold Menelaus put to sea.




She was clear of Monte Cristo, she was heading for the land,

When she spied a pennant red and white and blue;

They were foemen, and they knew it, and they'd half a league in hand,

But she flung aloft her royals, and she flew.

She was nearer, nearer, nearer, they were caught beyond a doubt,

But they slipped her into Orbetello Bay,

And the lubbers gave a shout as they paid their cables out,

With the guns grinning round them where they lay.




Now, Sir Peter was a captain of a famous fighting race,

Son and grandson of an admiral was he;

And he looked upon the batteries, he looked upon the chase,

And he heard the shout that echoed out to sea.

And he called across the decks, "Ay! the cheering might be late

If they kept it til the Menelaus runs;

Bid the master and his mate heave the lead and lay her straight

For the prize lying yonder by the guns!"




When the summer moon was setting, into Orbetello Bay

Came the Menelaus gliding like a ghost;

And her boats were manned in silence, and in silence pulled away,

And in silence every gunner took his post.

With a volley from her broadside the citadel she woke,

And they hammered back like heroes all the night;

But before the morning broke she had vanished through the smoke

With her prize upon her quarter grappled tight.




It was evening at St. Helen's in the great and gallant time,

And the sky behind the down was flushing far;

And the flags were all a-flutter, and the bells were all a-chime,

When the frigate cast her anchor off the bar.

She'd a right fighting company, three hundred men and more,

Nine and forty guns in tackle running free;

And they cheered her from the shore for the colours at the fore

When the bold Menelaus came from the sea.




She'd a right fighting company, three hundred men and more,
       Nine and forty guns in tackle running free;
And they cheered her from the shore for the colours at the fore
       When the bold Menelaus came from the sea.




 Sir Henry Newbolt

HMS Menelaus was a Royal Navy 38-gun fifth rate frigate, launched in 1810 at Plymouth.

Menelaus entered service in 1810 under the command of Captain Peter Parker, and within weeks of commissioning was involved in the suppression of a mutiny aboard HMS Africaine.

The notoriously brutal Captain Robert Corbet had been appointed to command Africaine and the crew had protested and refused to allow him to board.

The Admiralty sent three popular officers to negotiate with the crew and ordered Menelaus to come alongside. If the crew of Africaine refused to agree with the appointment of Corbet, Parker had been ordered to fire on the ship until they submitted.

The crew eventually agreed to allow Corbet aboard and Menelaus was not needed. In the summer of 1810, Parker was ordered to sail for the Indian Ocean to reinforce the squadron operating against Île de France and participated in the capture of the island in December 1810.

In 1812, Menelaus was part of the blockade of Toulon in the Mediterranean and operated against coastal harbours, shipping and privateers off the southern coast of France with some success. In 1813, the frigate was transferred to the Atlantic for service convoying merchant ships to Canada in the War of 1812.

Menelaus was subsequently employed in raiding American positions along the Maryland coastline, destroying a coastal convoy in September. In 1814, Parker was ordered to operate against French ships in the Atlantic and recaptured a valuable Spanish merchant ship in January.

Following the French surrender, Menelaus returned to service off the American seaboard, participating in the Battle of Baltimore at which Parker was killed.

Ano Kaisariani

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The area was once used for farmland and forests dominated its reach. The area was of mixed farming including pastures, vegetables, and groves.

The Kaisariani Monastery can be found to the southeast in the Hymettus mountain, while the eastern bypass of Athens lies in the east.

It was not always a pleasant place to be, during the war the history books show unhappy times.

The town was founded in 1922 as a refugee camp for refugees driven from Asia Minor. Most of whom coming from Smyrna. The municipality was created in 1934, out of a former subdivision of the city of Athens.

ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟΒΡΑΔΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΙΑΝΗ

Μουσική: Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος
Στίχοι: Λευτέρης Παπαδόπουλος

Το απομεσήμερο έμοιαζε να στέκει
σαν αμάξι γέρικο στην ανηφοριά
κάθε απομεσήμερο στο παλιό μας στέκι
πίσω απ' το μαγέρικο του Ντελη-βοριά

Κι όλα μοιάζαν ουρανός και ψωμί σπιτίσιο
κι όλα μοιάζαν ουρανός και γλυκό γλυκό ψωμί

Τάχα τι να ζήλεψαν τα χλωμά σου μάτια
που γιομάτ' απόβραδο γλύκα πρωινή
ήρθαν και βασίλεψαν τα βαθιά σου μάτια
κάποιο Σαββατόβραδο στην Καισαριανή

Κι όλα γίναν κεραυνός πελαγίσια αρμύρα
κι όλα γίναν κεραυνός και πικρό πικρό ψωμί

Today's afternoon appears to be stuck like an old car on a steep hill every afternoon in our old place behind the kitchen of Deli-Voria and everything appears like heaven and homemade bread and everything is sky and sweet, sweet bread

As if  your pale eyes jealously see the full night as a sweet morning which comes as the dawn rises in your deep eyes, some weekend in Kesariani and everything becomes a thunderous, salty sea and everything becomes a bitter, bitter bread

A sad little song I think, I do enjoy the music though , very beautiful.

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 Dr Do-Diddily and the Dee Dot's

THE BALKAN MUSES
Romania.   Bulgaria.   Macedonia.   Albania.    Greece.   Slovenia
Transylvania. Croatia.  Bosnia Herzegovina.  Serbia.   Crete.

THE OFFICIAL SEVEN WONDERS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

The list is in chronological order of when the structure was built

The official 7 wonders of the ancient world list was compiled in the Middle Ages, after most of the 7 wonders had toppled. Only the Great Pyramid at Giza has survived. Wonders of the ancient world were mentioned first by the historian Herodotus and then by Callimachus, librarian at Alexandria. In about 140 B.C. the Greek writer Antipater of Sidon wrote a poem listing the seven wonders, which is Antipater's main claim to fame.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, in Egypt, was build around 2650-2500 B.C. The oldest of the 7 wonders and the only one still standing, the pyramid was built for the Pharaoh Khufu of the 4th Egyptian dynasty.

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were created around c. 600 B.C. if they ever existed. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were destroyed sometime after the 1st century B.C., probably by earthquake.

3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The statue of Artemis and her temple at Ephesus were built around 550 B.C. The temple of Artemis was deliberately burned down by Herostratus in an attempt to gain fame in 356 B.C. supposedly when Alexander the Great was born.

4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was built around 435 B.C. It succumbed to fire in the fifth or sixth centuy A.D.

5. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was commissioned for Mausolus by his wife Artemisia and finished around 350 B.C. It was destroyed by earthquake in the 14th century, but some of its ornaments are in the British Museum.

6. Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was built around 292-280 B.C. It was destroyed by earthquake in 225 making the Colossus of Rhodes the shortest lasting of all the 7 wonders. The statue was of the god Helios.

7. Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria

The Pharos lighthouse was erected by about 270 B.C. The lighthouse in the harbor of Alexandria stood until 14th century earthquakes destroyed it. In 1994 archaeologist found blocks believed to be part of the lighthouse.

The Legend ofRozafa

This is just a most beautiful but also a very sad story!

The castle is known by the topomym "Rozafa" The hill on which castle lies, is in the center of all routes. The German author Johan Georgvan Han has asserted that no other place would be as suitable for its construction as the one chosen by the ancestors who were well aware of this fact. The castle has faced the torrents of history for thousands of years retaining ancient and medieval traces which are inseparably bound up with the roots of Shkodra city.

Its legend, archeology and history testify to its early existence. The legend is about the initiative of three brothers who set about building the castle. They worked all day, but the walls fell down at night. They met a clever old man who advised them to sacrifice someone so that the walls would stand. The three brothers found it difficult to decide whom to sacrifice. Finally, they decided to sacrifice one of their wives who would bring lunch to them the next day. So they agreed that whichever of their wives was the one to bring them lunch the next day was the one who would be buried in the wall of the castle. They also promised not to tell their wives of this. The two older brothers, however, explained the situation to their wives that night, while the honest youngest brother said nothing.

The next afternoon at lunch time, the brothers waited anxiously to see which wife was carrying the basket of food. It was Rosafa, the wife of the youngest brother. He explained to her what the deal was, that she was to be sacrificed and buried in the wall of the castle so that they could finish building it, and she didn't protest.

I plead
When you wall me
Leave my right eye exposed
Leave my right hand exposed
Leave my right foot exposed
for the sake of my newborn son
so that when he starts crying
Let me see him with one eye
Let me caress him with one hand
Let me feed him with one breast
Let me rock his cradle with one foot
May the castle breast be walled
May the castle rise strong
May my son be happy

This was done, and that is why there is a stone in the castle from which, even today, milk still flows.

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Dr Do Diddily and the Dee Dot's
brings to you a small tale from Transylvania.
It is called
"A Winter Adventure in Transylvania"
and they do say it was based on a true happening.

       Bela and Janos lived with their mother in a lonely cottage near the hills of northern Transylvania - which was then in the extreme east of Hungary. Their father had been struck down by a falling tree one sad day, and carried home to die; though Bela was only eleven at the time he made up his mind to take his fathers place to the best of his ability.
He it was who kept the little plot of ground in order,and fetched wood and water for the little household; and in his spare time he herded cows and did odd jobs for the better off peasants, who gave him maize, potatoes, rye-four, or perhaps a piece of salted pork in return. At harvest time and during the vintage Bela spent whole days in the fields, and when he laid his hard earned wages in his mother's lap at the end of the week, he would say, "Only wait till I'm a few years older mother. Then you will have nothing to do but keep house for us and live in ease and comfort."
        In the meantime however the widow worked early and late herself, spinning and weaving, embroidering lines made of home grown flax. It was poorly paid work, but it enabled her to stay at home and not go out working in the fields like most of the other women in the village.
        So long as the weather was mild, they managed pretty well; but when the winter came on and the snow lay deep and crisp on the ground for weeks at a time, it was all that Bela could do to find odd jobs, and their little store of provisions dwindled rapidly away, in spite of all the mother's care.  Worse still the wood shed was nearly empty and there was no possibility of replenishing it so long as the snow stayed on the ground.
        Week after week passed and still the frost held out. Just as Bela was beginning to feel desperate, however a sudden thaw set in ; the snow melted quickly, the sun shone out with a feeble warmth, and the birds came out of their hiding places and chirped cheerily as they hopped from tree to tree. The peasants were obliged to wade ankle deep in slush, it is true, but that was a matter of small importance to them, so long as their enforced idleness was over.
        "Mother," exclaimed Bela one morning, "We must have some firewood so Janos and I might take the sledge and go over to Makosfalva to fetch some. Old Paul always lets us take what we want and if we don't go now, another frost may prevent us?"
     "Yes, yes Mother," cried Janos, delighted at the prospect of the expedition, "Do let me go I am so tired of sitting at home."
     "We need wood badly enough," said his the mother, "but I hardly know whether it is safe for you boys to go so far in this season."
     Bela laughed. "Why there is nothing to be afraid of, Mother. We shall be back before it's dark, and there is sure to be somebody about; and if you like we can ask one of Paul's sons to go with us into the woods."
     These words relieved their mothers anxiety. "Very well dear," she answered, "In that case you will be safe enough  and if the boys are not at home I am sure Paul will go with you himself if he thinks it necessary. Right the sooner you start the better, I will put up some cheese and bread for you to eat on the way, and you shall have something hot for supper when you get back.

 
The lads set off in the best of spirits, whistling and singing as they went dragging their sledge after them. Their home and village was soon far behind them., as they made their way along a rough and stony road seldom used, except by the wagons carting wood out of the forest in autumn.
     "It's a pity we can't take the short cut over the fields," remarked Bela "but I'm afraid we should be stuck fast if we did. Now comes the hill so we must stop chattering and save your breath for the climb.
  When they stopped halfway up to rest, they could see their mother's little cottage and the village beyond. Fields stretched away on either side of them in great patches, which probably accounted for the fact of the boys not having met a single person on their way.
   "How lonely it is here Bela!" exclaimed Janos, suddenly impressed by the stillness around them. "What shall we do if any bears, or wolves, were to rush out of the woods and attack us?"
  "Little silly" was Bela's laughing answer. "As if wolves or bears ever came near the village as this. Father once saw a bear at Megyes but that is at least twenty miles from here. Also it ran away before he could even take a good look at it . . and wolves would never venture down here - especially in broad daylight."
"Are you sure Bela? Quite sure? Or don't you think we had better turn back?"
   "What a baby you are Janos," Bela spoke almost roughly in his desire to turn his brothers thoughts into another channel. "Hurry up now, so that we can stay at Paul's a little while when we get there, see there is the cottage in sight."
     The boys pushed on and presently Bela spoke again: "I wonder why there is no smoke coming out of the chimneys? Why how silly of me, I quite forgot this is the day of the market at Bistritz. Of course old Paul and the boys will be there, how vexing, now we shall have to go alone. But never mind, " He said gaily noticing Janos's face lengthening. "We can manage just as well without them and we can sit on the bench in the garden and eat our bread and cheese there instead of in the house."
   A chorus of hoarse barking greeted them as they reached the gate and three dogs rushed wildly up and down the yard, as far as their long chains would allow.
"Vigyas! Bundash! Rigo!" shouted the lads. "Lie down all of you, and stop that noise."
   On hearing their names, the dogs wagged their tails and jumped up to lick the faces of their little friends; but there was no sign of life about the house.
"You see I was right about the market," said the elder boy; "but I remember very well where we went last time I came up here for wood. We must enter the wood behind the house, and keep to the left till we come to the new clearing."
        The dogs helped to dispose of the bread and cheese, and the boy's soon set off again.
"You take the little hatchet Janos," said Bela. "And let me go first with the sledge. We shall be certain to find lots of wood at the clearing."
   The snow lay undisturbed in the forest, and made it slow work getting along up the steep path. At last however they reached the clearing, and Bela's expectations were not disappointed.
"Hurrah!" he cried, as he shouldered his father's axe manfully, "we can fill up the sledge in no time. Chop off the twigs, Janos, and pile up the lighter branches while I lop off the heavy ones."
    They worked with a will, and in about an hour they had got together as much wood as the sledge would carry. It was warm work running to and fro with the faggots and the boys gave a shout of joy when they had deposited the last armful.
  "I wish I knew how to bind it on, in the way Father used to," remarked Bela, as he drew the strong cord out of his pocket; "first we must pack it up tightly, and then you can press it down while I  - - - - - - -
     A terrified exclamation from Janos made him look up from his work. The clearing stretched far away up the hillside, and  there, outlined against the clear sky, two dark, dog-like animals appeared in sight and advanced towards the children. Alas! there was no mistaking those dreadful grey forms, with their peculiar swinging trot and swift motion.  Bela's brown cheeks turned pale, and Janos clung to his brother in an agony of terror.
    "They are wolves, Bela, aren't they? Oh, we shall be killed, we shall be killed! We shall be torn to pieces. Oh Mother, Mother!"
   "Be quiet, only be quiet! murmured Bela, in a tone which compelled the trembling child to stifle his cries. There was no time to be lost; escape was impossible. Had there been a tree at hand, Bela might have saved himself by its means, but he couldn't have drawn Janos up in time, and he was determined to save his little brother at all costs.
   All this flashed through his mind, he grabbed the younger boy by the arm and said in a half stifled voice, "If you want to save our lives then you must kneel down on the ground and let me hide you." As he spoke he overturned the sled and pushed his brother under it, then hastily covered the whole with the faggots.
"Now ask God to help us, but don't move or cry out no matter what happens to me."
    The brave lad had barely time to run to the spot where his axe was lying, and to arm himself with it before one of the wolves, with lolling red tongue and gaping jaws, sprang at him. A lump rose in his throat and a mist swam before his eyes; but despair gave way to courage and strength and he brought the axe down with such force on the shoulder of the brute that it rolled over backwards. At the same moment, however the second and smaller wolf seized him by the arm and dragged him down. It was an awful situation, but the spirited lad grasped the throat of the animal with both hands and managed to hold it off. His strength failed with every second, yet, he uttered no cry for fear of endangering his brothers life.
It was at this crisis however that Janos, who had been murmuring his prayers and peeping out from his hiding place realised that Bela's life was in danger and ran to his assistance. Though a timid child on ordinary occasions, he grasped his hatchet firmly and began to batter the wolf on the head and face with all his boyish force. Half blinded by the blows, the enraged animal turned on the new enemy and probably would have killed him if his older brother had not sprung up with lightening speed and split the wolf's skull with his axe.
   It was fortunate for the boys, exhausted as they were by their exertions, that the first wolf, which had been prowling about as if meditating another attack, turned tail and ran off when they faced round on it with their weapons.
   Left to themselves, the brothers embraced each other heartily and even Bela couldn't stop the tears from flowing. The danger over the boys prepared to go home with the wood they had obtained at such a risk.
        The news of their adventure was soon noised abroad, and their bravery brought its own reward. The villagers flocked to the cottage to hear the story from the boys own lips, and they did not come empty handed. But best of all was the Count who owned the ground where the encounter had taken place , he was so pleased with Bela's conduct that he undertook to pay for his training at the college of Forestry and Agriculture. The offer was gladly accepted, the more readily because some provision was made for the widow and Janos. And in the course of time, when Bela became a prosperous master forester, he carried out his boyish promise to his mother more completely than they would ever have thought possible. 

Doctor Do-Diddily and the Dee-Dot's
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A SMALL STORY FROM ROMANIA

The Little Purse with Two Half-Pennies

There was once an old man and an old woman. The old woman had a hen and the old man had a rooster; the old woman's hen laid two eggs a day and she ate a great many, but she would not give the old man a single one. One day the old man lost patience and said:

"Listen, old crony, you live as if you were in clover, give me a couple of eggs so that I can at least have a taste of them."

"No indeed!" replied the old woman, who was very avaricious. "If you want eggs, beat your rooster that he may lay eggs for you, and then eat them; I flogged my hen, and just see how she lays now."

The old man, being stingy and greedy, listened to the old woman's talk, angrily seized his rooster, gave him a sound thrashing and said:

"There, now, lay some eggs for me or else go out of the house, I won't feed you for nothing any longer."

As soon as the rooster escaped from the old man's hands it ran off down the high-road. While thus pursuing its way, lo and behold! it found a little purse with two half-pennies. Taking it in its beak, the bird turned and went back toward the old man's house. On the road it met a carriage containing a gentleman and several ladies. The gentleman looked at the rooster, saw a purse in its bill, and said to the driver:

"Get down and see what this rooster has in its beak."

The driver hastily jumped from his box, took the little purse from the rooster's bill, and gave it to his master. The gentleman put it in his pocket and drove on. The rooster was very angry and ran after the carriage, repeating continually:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

The enraged gentleman said to the coachman as they passed a well:

"Take that impudent rooster and throw it into the well."

The driver got down from his box again, seized the rooster, and flung it down the well. When the rooster saw that its life was in such great danger, what was it to do? It began to swallow the water, and drank and drank till it had swallowed all the water in the well. Then it flew out and again ran after the carriage, calling:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

When the gentleman saw this, he was perfectly amazed and said:

"Hoho! This rooster is a perfect imp of Satan! Never mind! I'll wring your neck, you saucy cockerel!"

When he reached home he told the cook to take the rooster, throw it on the coals burning upon the hearth, and push a big stone in front of the opening in the chimney. The old woman did what her master bade her. When the rooster saw this new injustice, it began to spit out the water it had swallowed till it had poured all the water from the well upon the burning coals. This put out the fire, cooled the hearth, and made such a flood on the kitchen floor that the cook fainted away from pure rage. Then the rooster gave the stone a push, came out safe and sound, ran to the gentleman's window, and began to knock on the panes with its bill, screaming:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

"Heaven knows that I've got a torment in this monster of a rooster," said the gentleman. "Driver, rid me of it, toss it into the middle of the herds of cows and oxen; perhaps some bull will stick its horns through it and relieve us."

The coachman seized the rooster and flung it among the herds. You ought to have seen the rooster's delight. It swallowed bulls, oxen, cows, and calves, till it had devoured the whole herd and its stomach had grown as big as a mountain. Then it went to the window again, spread out its wings before the sun so that it darkened the gentleman's room, and once more began:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

When the gentleman saw this he was ready to burst with rage and did not know what to do to get rid of the rooster. He stood thinking till at last an idea entered his head:

"I'll lock it up in the treasure-chamber. Perhaps if it tries to swallow the ducats one will stick in its throat, and I shall get rid of the bird."

No sooner said than done. He grasped the rooster and flung it into the treasure-chamber. The rooster swallowed all the money and left the chests empty. Then it escaped from the room, went to the gentleman's window, and again began:

"Kikeriki, sir, Kikerikak,
To me the little purse give back."

As the gentleman saw that there was nothing else to be done he tossed the purse out. The rooster picked it up, went about its own business, and left the gentleman in peace. All the poultry ran after the rooster so that it really looked like a wedding; but the gentleman turned green with rage as he watched, and said sighing:

"Let them all run off to the last chick, I'm glad to be rid of the torment; there was witchcraft in that rooster!"

But the puffed-up rooster stalked proudly along, followed by all the fowls, and went merrily on and on till he reached the old man's house and began to crow:

"Kikeriki!"

When the old man heard the rooster's voice he ran out joyfully to meet the bird, but looking through the door what did he see? His rooster had become a terrible object. An elephant beside it would have seemed like a flea; and following behind came countless flocks of birds, each one more beautiful and brilliant than the other.

When the old man saw the rooster so huge and fat, he opened the gate for it.

"Master," said the bird, "spread a sheet here in the middle of the yard."

The old man, as nimble as a top, laid down the sheet. The rooster took its stand upon it, spread its wings, and instantly the whole yard was filled with birds and herds of cattle, but it shook out on the sheet a pile of ducats that flashed in the sun till they dazzled the eyes. When the old man beheld this vast treasure he did not know what to do in his delight, and hugged and kissed the rooster. But all at once the old woman appeared from somewhere, and when she saw this marvelous spectacle her eyes glittered in her head, and she was ready to burst with wrath.

"Dear old friend," she said, "give me a few ducats."

"Pine away with longing for them, old woman; when I begged you for some eggs, you know what you answered. Now flog your hen, that it may bring you ducats. I beat my rooster, and you see what it has fetched me."

The old woman went to the hen-coop, shook the hen, took it by the tail, and gave it such a drubbing that it was enough to make one weep for pity. When the poor hen escaped from the old woman's hands it fled to the highway.

While walking along it found a bead, swallowed it, hurried back home as fast as possible, and began to cackle at the gate. The old woman welcomed it joyfully. The hen ran quickly in at the gate, passed its mistress, and went to its nest - at the end of an hour it jumped off, cackling loudly. The old woman hastened to see what the hen had laid.

But when she glanced into the nest what did she perceive? A little glass bead. The hen had laid a glass bead! When the old woman saw that the hen had fooled her, she began to beat it, and beat till she flogged it to death.

So the stupid old soul remained as poor as a church-mouse.

From that time she might live on roast nothing and golden wait a while, instead of eggs, for she had abused and killed the poor hen, though it was not at all to blame.

But the old man was very rich; he built great houses, laid out beautiful gardens, and lived luxuriously. He made the old woman his poultry-maid, the rooster he took about with him everywhere, dressed in a gold collar, yellow boots, and spurs on its heels, so that one might have thought it was one of the Three Kings from the Christmas play instead of a mere ordinary rooster.

DR. DO-DIDDILY AND THE DEE-DOT'S

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THE THREE CITRONS
Sur La Lune Fairy Tales
Czecholovak Fairy Tales
by Parker Fillmore
 

Longshanks, Girth, and Keen

THERE was once an aged king who had an only son. One day he called the prince to him and said:

"My dear son, you know that ripe fruit falls in order to make room for other fruit. This my old head is like ripe fruit and soon the sun will no longer shine upon it. Now before I die I should like to see you happily married. Get you a wife, my son."

"I would, my father, that I could please you in this," the prince answered, "but I know of no one who would make you a worthy daughter-in-law."

The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key, and handed it to the prince. He said:

"Go up into the tower to the very top. There look about you and when you have decided what you like best of all you see, come back and tell me."

The prince took the key and at once mounted the tower. He had never before gone to the very top and he had never heard what was there. He went up and up until at last he saw a small iron door in the ceiling. He opened this with the golden key, pushed it back, and entered a large circular hall. The ceiling was blue and silver like the heavens on a bright night when the stars shine, and the floor was covered with a green silken carpet. There were tall windows set in gold frames, and on the crystal glass of each window a beautiful young girl was pictured in glowing colors. Every one of them was a princess with a royal crown upon her head. As the prince looked at them it seemed to him that each was more lovely than the last, and for the life of him he knew not which was the loveliest. Then they began to move as if alive, and they smiled at the prince and nodded, and looked as if they were about to speak. Suddenly the prince noticed that one of the twelve windows was covered with a white curtain. He pulled the curtain aside and there without any question was the most beautiful princess of them all, clothed in pure white, with a silver girdle and a crown of pearls. Her face was deathly pale and sad as the grave.For a long time the prince stood before this picture in utter amazement and as he looked at it a pain seemed to enter his heart.

"This one I want for my bride," he said aloud, "this one and no other."

At these words the maiden bowed, flushed like a rose, and then instantly all the pictures disappeared.

When the prince told his father what he had seen and which maiden he had chosen, the old king was greatly troubled.

"My son," he said, "you did ill to uncover what was covered and in declaring this, your choice, you have exposed yourself to a great danger. This maiden is in the power of a black magician who holds her captive in an iron castle. Of all who have gone to rescue her not one has ever returned. However, what's done is done and you have given your word. Go, then, try what fortune has in store for you, and may Heaven bring you back safe and sound."

So the prince bade his father farewell, mounted his horse, and rode forth to find his bride. His first adventure was to lose his way in a deep forest. He wandered about some time not knowing where to turn when suddenly he was hailed from behind with these words:

"Hey, there, master, wait a minute!"

He looked around and saw a tall man running toward him.

"Take me into your service, master," the tall man said. "If you do you won't regret it."

"What is your name," the prince asked, "and what can you do?"

"People call me Longshanks because I can stretch myself out. I'll show you. Do you see a bird's nest in the top of that tall fir? I'll get it down for you and not by climbing the tree either."

So saying he began to stretch out and his body shot up and up until he was as tall as the fir tree. He reached over and got the nest and then, in a shorter time than it had taken him to stretch out, he reduced himself to his natural size.

"You do your trick very well," the prince said, "but just now a bird's nest isn't of much use to me. What I need is some one to show me the way out of this forest."

"H'm," Longshanks said, "that's an easy enough matter."

Again he began to stretch himself up and up and up until he was three times as tall as the highest pine in the forest. He looked around and said: "Over there, in that direction, is the nearest way out."

Then he made himself small again, took the horse by the bridle, walked ahead, and in a short time they emerged from the forest. A broad plain stretched out before them and beyond it they could see tall gray rocks that looked like the walls of a great city and mountains overgrown with forests. Longshanks pointed off across the plain and said: "There, master, goes a comrade of mine who would be very useful to you. You ought to take him into your service too."

"Very well," said the prince, "call him here that I may find out what sort of a fellow he is."

As he said this, Longshanks stretched out and out until his head was lost in the clouds. He took two or three strides, reached his comrade, set him on his shoulder, and brought him to the prince. The new man was heavily built and round as a barrel.

"Who are you?" the prince asked. "And what can you do?"

"I am called Girth," the man said. "I can widen myself."

"Let me see you do it," the prince said.

"Very well, master," said Girth, beginning to puff out, "I will. But take care! Ride off into the forest as fast as you can!"

The prince did not understand the warning, but he saw that Longshanks was in full flight, so he spurred his horse and galloped after him. It was just as well he did, for in another moment Girth would have crushed both him and his horse, so fast did he spread out, so huge did he become. In a short time he filled the whole plain until it looked as though the mountain had fallen upon it. When the plain was entirely covered, he stopped expanding, heaved a deep breath that shook the forest trees, and returned to his natural size.

"You made me run for my life!" the prince said. "I tell you I don't meet a fellow like you every day! By all means join me."

They went across the plain and as they neared the rocks they met a man whose eyes were bandaged with a handkerchief.

"Master," said Longshanks, "there is my other comrade. Take him into your service, too, and I can tell you you won't regret the bread he eats."

"Who are you?" the prince asked. "And why do you keep your eyes bandaged? You can't see where you're going."

"On the contrary, master, it is just because I see too well that I have to bandage my eyes. With bandaged eyes I see as well as other people whose eyes are uncovered. When I take the handkerchief off, my sight is so keen it goes straight through everything. When I look at anything intently it catches fire, and if it can't burn, it crumbles to pieces. On account of my sight I'm called Keen."

He untied the handkerchief, turned to one of the rocks opposite, and gazed at it with glowing eyes. Soon the rock began to crumble and fall to pieces. In a few moments it was reduced to a heap of sand. In the sand something gleamed like fire. Keen picked it up and handed it to the prince. It was a lump of pure gold.

"Ha, ha!" said the prince. "You are a fine fellow and worth more than wages! I should be a fool not to take you into my service. Since you have such keen eyes, look and tell me how much farther it is to the Iron Castle and what is happening there now."

"If you rode there alone," Keen answered, "you might get there within a year, but with us to help you, you will arrive this very day. Our coming is not unexpected, either, for at this very moment they are preparing supper for us."

"What is the captive princess doing?"

"She is sitting on a high tower behind an iron grating. The magician stands on guard."

"If you are real men," the prince cried, "you will all help me to free her."

The three comrades promised they would.They led the prince straight through the gray rocks by a defile which Keen made with his eyes, and on and on through high mountains and deep forests. Whatever obstacle was in the way one or another of the three comrades was able to remove it. By late afternoon they had crossed the last mountain, had left behind them the last stretch of dark forest, and they saw looming up ahead of them the Iron Castle. Just as the sun sank the prince and his followers crossed the drawbridge and entered the courtyard gate. Instantly the drawbridge lifted and the gate clanged shut. They went through the courtyard and the prince put his horse in the stable, where he found a place all in readiness. Then the four of them marched boldly into the castle.

Everywhere—in the courtyard, in the stables, and now in the various rooms of the castle—they saw great numbers of richly clad men all of whom, masters and servants alike, had been turned to stone. They went on from one room to another until they reached the banquet hall. This was brilliantly lighted and the table, with food and drink in abundance, was set for four persons. They waited, expecting someone to appear, but no one came. At last, overpowered by hunger, they sat down and ate and drank heartily. After supper they began to look about for a place to sleep. It was then without warning that the doors burst open and the magician appeared. He was a bent old man with a bald head and a gray beard that reached to his knees. He was dressed in a long black robe and he had, instead of a belt, three iron bands about his waist. He led in a beautiful lady dressed in white with a silver girdle and a crown of pearls. Her face was deathly pale and as sad as the grave. The prince recognized her instantly and sprang forward to meet her. Before he could speak, the magician raised his hand and said:

"I know why you have come. It is to carry off this princess. Very well, take her. If you can guard her for three nights so that she won't escape you, she is yours. But if she escapes you, then you and your men will suffer the fate of all those who have come before you and be turned to stone."

Then when he had motioned the princess to a seat, he turned and left the hall. The prince could not take his eyes from the princess, she was so beautiful. He tried to talk to her, asking her many questions, but she made him no answer. She might have been marble the way she never smiled and never looked at any of them.

He seated himself beside her, determined to stay all night on guard in order to prevent her escape. For greater security Longshanks stretched himself out on the floor like a strap and wound himself around the room the whole length of the wall. Girth sat in the doorway and puffed himself out until he filled that space so completely that not even a mouse could slip through. Keen took his place by a pillar in the middle of the hall. But, alas, in a few moments they all grew heavy with drowsiness and in the end slept soundly all night long. In the morning in the early dawn the prince awoke and with a great pain in his heart that was like a blow from a dagger, he saw that the princess was gone. Instantly he aroused his men and asked them what was to be done.

"It's all right, master, don't worry," said Keen as he took a long look through the window. "I see her now. A hundred miles from here is a forest, in the midst of the forest is an ancient oak, on top of the oak an acorn. The princess is that acorn. Let Longshanks take me on his shoulders and we'll go get her."

Longshanks picked Keen up, stretched himself out, and set forth. He took ten miles at a stride and in the time it would take you or me to run around a cottage, here he was back again with the acorn in his hand. He gave it to the prince.

"Drop it, master, on the floor."

The prince dropped the acorn and instantly the princess appeared. As the sun came over the mountain tops the doors slammed open and the magician entered. A crafty smile was on his face. But when he saw the princess the smile changed to a scowl, he growled in rage, and bang! one of the iron bands about his waist burst asunder. Then he took the princess by the hand and dragged her off. That whole day the prince had nothing to do but wander about the castle and look at all the strange and curious things it contained. It seemed as if at some one instant all life had been arrested. In one hall he saw a prince who had been turned into stone while he was brandishing his sword. The sword was still uplifted. In another room there was a stone knight who was taken in the act of flight. He had stumbled on the threshold but he had not yet fallen. A serving man sat under the chimney eating his supper. With one hand he was reaching a piece of roast meat to his mouth. Days, months, perhaps years had gone by, but the meat had not yet touched his lips. There were many others, all of them still in whatever position they happened to be when the magician cried:

"Be ye turned to stone!"

In the courtyard and the stables the prince found many fine horses overtaken by the same fate. Outside the castle everything was equally dead and silent. There were trees but they had no leaves, there was a river but it didn't flow, and no fish could live in its waters. There wasn't a singing bird anywhere, and there wasn't even one tiny flower. In the morning, at noon, and at supper-time the prince and his companions found a rich feast prepared for them. Unseen hands served them food and poured them wine.

Then after supper, as on the preceding night, the doors burst open and the magician led in the princess, whom he handed over to the prince to guard for the second night. Of course the prince and his men determined to fight off drowsiness this time with all their strength. But in spite of this determination again they fell asleep. At dawn the prince awoke and saw that the princess was gone. He jumped up and shook Keen by the shoulder.

"Wake up, Keen, wake up! Where is the princess?"

Keen rubbed his eyes, took one look out of the window, and said:

"There, I see her. Two hundred miles from here is a mountain, in the mountain is a rock, in the rock a precious stone. That stone is the princess. If Longshanks will carry me over there we'll get her."

Longshanks put Keen on his shoulder, stretched himself out until he was able to go twenty miles at a stride, and off he went. Keen fixed his glowing eyes on the mountain and the mountain crumbled. Then the rock that was inside the mountain broke into a thousand pieces and there was the precious stone glittering among the pieces. They picked it up and carried it back to the prince. As soon as he dropped it on the floor the princess reappeared. When the magician came in and found her there, his eyes sparkled with anger, and bang! the second of his iron bands cracked and burst asunder. Rumbling and growling he led the princess away. That day passed as the day before. After supper the magician brought back the princess and, looking fiercely at the prince, he sneered and said: "Now we'll see who wins, you or I."

This night the prince and his men tried harder than ever to stay awake. They didn't even allow themselves to sit down but kept walking. All in vain. One after another they fell asleep on their feet and again the princess escaped. In the morning the prince, as usual, was the first to awake. When he saw the princess was gone, he aroused Keen.

"Wake up, Keen!" he cried. "Look out and tell me where the princess is."

This time Keen had to look long before he saw her.

"Master, she is far away. Three hundred miles from here is a black sea. At the bottom of that sea is a shell. In that shell is a golden ring. That ring is the princess. But don't be worried, master, we'll get her. This time let Longshanks take Girth as well as me, for we may need him."

So Longshanks put Keen on one shoulder and Girth on the other. Then he stretched himself out until he was able to cover thirty miles at a stride. When they reached the black sea Keen showed Longshanks where to reach down in the water for the shell. Longshanks reached down as far as he could but not far enough to touch bottom.

"Wait, comrades, wait a bit," said Girth. "Now it's my turn to help."

With that he puffed himself out and out as far as he could. Then he lay down on the beach and began drinking up the sea. He drank it in such great gulps that soon Longshanks was able to reach bottom and to get the shell. Longshanks took out the ring and then, putting his comrades on his shoulders, started back for the castle. He was not able to go fast, for Girth, with half the sea in his stomach, was very heavy. At last in desperation Longshanks turned Girth upside down and shook him and instantly the great plain upon which he emptied him turned into a huge lake. It was all poor Girth could do to scramble out of the water and back to Longshanks' shoulder.

Meanwhile at the castle the prince was awaiting his men in great anxiety. Morning was breaking and still they did not come. As the first rays of the sun shot over the mountain tops the doors slammed open and the magician stood on the threshold. He glanced around and when he saw that the princess was not there he gave a mocking laugh and entered.

But at that very instant there was the crash of a breaking window, a golden ring struck the floor, and lo! the princess! Keen had seen in time the danger that was threatening the prince and Longshanks had hurled the ring through the window. The magician bellowed with rage until the castle shook and then, bang! the third iron band burst asunder and from what had once been the magician a black crow arose and flew out of the broken window and was never seen again. Instantly the beautiful princess blushed like a rose and was able to speak and to thank the prince for delivering her.

Everything in the castle came to life. The prince with the uplifted sword finished his stroke and put the sword into its scabbard. The knight who was stumbling fell and jumped up holding his nose to see whether he still had it. The serving man under the chimney put the meat into his mouth and kept on eating. And so every one finished what he had been doing at the moment of enchantment. The horses, too, came to life and stamped and neighed. Around the castle the trees burst into leaf. Flowers covered the meadows. High in the heavens the lark sang, and in the flowing river there were shoals of tiny fish. Everything was alive again, everything happy. The knights who had been restored to life gathered in the hall to thank the prince for their deliverance. But the prince said to them:

"You have nothing to thank me for. If it had not been for these, my three trusty servants, Longshanks, Girth, and Keen, I should have met the same fate as you."

The prince set out at once on his journey home with his bride and his three serving men. When he reached home the old king, who had given him up for lost, wept with joy at his unexpected return.

All the knights whom the prince had rescued were invited to the wedding which took place at once and lasted for three weeks. When it was over, Longshanks, Girth, and Keen presented themselves to the young king and told him that they were again going out into the world to look for work. The young king urged them to stay.

"I will give you everything you need as long as you live," he promised them, "and you won't have to exert yourselves at all."

But such an idle life was not to their liking. So they took their leave and started out again and to this day they are still knocking around somewhere.

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