humble. And the proud son took unto himself a wife, and he
said to his mother: “ There is no more room for you in the
house, you must go away and get another shelter. I will have
you no longer.” And to his brother he said the same thing, so
the mother and the humble son were driven forth and lived as
best they could while the proud brother and his wife lived in
comfort and luxury.
And after a long time it came to pass that the humble brother
went a-gathering sticks over the hill-side, for it was very cold
and the old mother needed a fire. And as he went along he found
a few sticks here and there, and at last he came to a Stone Lion
sitting on the hill-side.
And the Lion said to him : “ Do not be afraid, but go fetch
a bucket, and bring it here.” And he brought a bucket, and
the Lion said to him : 1 Hold it beneath my,mouth ” ; and the
m a n did so. And the Lion said : “ Take care that not a piece of
gold fall to the ground,” and as he spoke he let fall from his
mouth a stream of pieces of gold until the bucket was nearly full.
So the humble brother went away thankfully to his mother,
and they two lived in peace and contentment for a long time.
But at last the proud brother began to hear of the comfort
of his mother and brother, and was exceedingly jealous. So
he went to where they were living and found that it was true,
and his jealousy knew no bounds. And he said to his brother :
“ Brother, how came you by all these riches ? Tell me, that I
also may receive much money.” And the younger brother
told him at once, saying, “ On such a hill you will find a Lion
made of stone. Be not afraid, but go to him and ask him to
fill a bucket with gold pieces for you also, and he will do so.”
So the proud brother hasted and took the largest bucket
that was in his house, and went as fast as the wind to the place
that his brother had told him. And he found the Stone Lion,
and the Lion, though unwilling, said to him just what he had
said to the other brother, and the heart of the proud brother was
exceeding glad, and he hasted and set underneath the great
bucket, and the gold pieces dropped from the Lion’s mouth even
as his brother had said. And he said to himself : “ I was a wise
man to bring a great bucket, and I will see that it is well filled
indeed.” So he let the Lion drop gold into the great bucket
until it rose in a heap in the middle over and above the brim.
And then there fell just one gold piece too many, and it slipped
upon the heap and ran over on to the ground. And the proud
brother looked up, and saw that the finest and greatest lump
of the whole was stuck in the jaws of the Lion, and he put out
his hand into the Lion’s jaws, and tried to take it, but the Lion’s
jaws shut tight upon his arm, and he remained caught; and he
cried out a great deal, but no one could help him to get free.
And there he remained for many years, while at home his
wife and children became very poor and everything in the house
was spoiled or stolen. Still the proud brother could not get
his arm out of the mouth of the Stone Lion.
Then, after many years, his wife came weeping to the Stone
Lion and told him how all the house was ruined because her
husband was still being held by the arm, and the Lion laughed
to himself as he heard. And the wife went on with her sad
tale, and the Lion was more and more glad, until at last he could
not help opening his mouth and chuckling. And at once the
proud brother pulled his arm away out of the Stone Lion’s mouth
and became free again.
But he had lost all his money, and from that day he was only
able to beg his livelihood at the street comeis, while his mother
and his brother lived in comfort and luxury in their own house.
III.
THE DEFORMED BOY.
Once upon a time there was a Boy with a deformed head
and as soon as he was bom, his father said that he was so ugly
that he would never get anyone to many him, and so it happened.
For no one would speak to him, and at last he went
away by himself sadly, and kept cattle, and never saw the face
of a man or a woman for a long time. Then there happened to
him a strange thing. One day he was tending his herds by the
side of a great lake, and a white drake came down* from the sky
towards him and settled upon the surface of the lake. And the
bird swam three times all round the lake to the right and three
times ah round the lake to the left, and after that the Bov
caught the drake.
And the bird struggled to get away, but the boy held him fast
and at last the drake told the boy who he really was. Now the