Tiidu The Piper

: The Crimson Fairy Book

Once upon a time there lived a poor man who had more children than

bread to feed them with. However, they were strong and willing, and soon

learned to make themselves of use to their father and mother, and when

they were old enough they went out to service, and everyone was very

glad to get them for servants, for they worked hard and were always

cheerful. Out of all the ten or eleven, there was only one who gave his

pa
ents any trouble, and this was a big lazy boy whose name was Tiidu.

Neither scoldings nor beatings nor kind words had any effect on him, and

the older he grew the idler he got. He spent his winters crouching close

to a warm stove, and his summers asleep under a shady tree; and if he

was not doing either of these things he was playing tunes on his flute.



One day he was sitting under a bush playing so sweetly that you might

easily have mistaken the notes for those of a bird, when an old man

passed by. 'What trade do you wish to follow, my son?' he asked in a

friendly voice, stopping as he did so in front of the youth.



'If I were only a rich man, and had no need to work,' replied the boy,

'I should not follow any. I could not bear to be anybody's servant, as

all my brothers and sisters are.'



The old man laughed as he heard this answer, and said: 'But I do not

exactly see where your riches are to come from if you do not work for

them. Sleeping cats catch no mice. He who wishes to become rich must

use either his hands or his head, and be ready to toil night and day, or

else--'



But here the youth broke in rudely:



'Be silent, old man! I have been told all that a hundred times over;

and it runs off me like water off a duck's back. No one will ever make a

worker out of me.'



'You have one gift,' replied the old man, taking no notice of this

speech, 'and if you would only go about and play the pipes, you would

easily earn, not only your daily bread, but a little money into the

bargain. Listen to me; get yourself a set of pipes, and learn to play on

them as well as you do on your flute, and wherever there are men to hear

you, I promise you will never lack money.'



'But where am I to get the pipes from?' asked the youth.



'Blow on your flute for a few days,' replied the old man, 'and you will

soon be able to buy your pipes. By-and-by I will come back again and see

if you have taken my advice, and whether you are likely to grow rich.'

And so saying he went his way.



Tiidu stayed where he was a little longer, thinking of all the old man

had told him, and the more he thought the surer he felt that the old

man was right. He determined to try whether his plan would really bring

luck; but as he did not like being laughed at he resolved not to tell

anyone a word about it. So next morning he left home--and never came

back! His parents did not take his loss much to heart, but were rather

glad that their useless son had for once shown a little spirit, and they

hoped that time and hardship might cure Tiidu of his idle folly.



For some weeks Tiidu wandered from one village to another, and proved

for himself the truth of the old man's promise. The people he met were

all friendly and kind, and enjoyed his flute-playing, giving him his

food in return, and even a few pence. These pence the youth hoarded

carefully till he had collected enough to buy a beautiful pair of pipes.

Then he felt himself indeed on the high road to riches. Nowhere could

pipes be found as fine as his, or played in so masterly a manner.

Tiidu's pipes set everybody's legs dancing. Wherever there was a

marriage, a christening, or a feast of any kind, Tiidu must be there, or

the evening would be a failure. In a few years he had become so noted a

piper that people would travel far and wide to hear him.



One day he was invited to a christening where many rich men from the

neighbouring town were present, and all agreed that never in all their

lives had they heard such playing as his. They crowded round him, and

praised him, and pressed him to come to their homes, declaring that it

was a shame not to give their friends the chance of hearing such music.

Of course all this delighted Tiidu, who accepted gladly, and left their

houses laden with money and presents of every kind; one great lord

clothed him in a magnificent dress, a second hung a chain of pearls

round his neck, while a third handed him a set of new pipes encrusted

in silver. As for the ladies, the girls twisted silken scarves round his

plumed hat, and their mothers knitted him gloves of all colours, to keep

out the cold. Any other man in Tiidu's place would have been contented

and happy in this life; but his craving for riches gave him no rest,

and only goaded him day by day to fresh exertions, so that even his own

mother would not have known him for the lazy boy who was always lying

asleep in one place or the other.



Now Tiidu saw quite clearly that he could only hope to become rich by

means of his pipes, and set about thinking if there was nothing he could

do to make the money flow in faster. At length he remembered having

heard some stories of a kingdom in the Kungla country, where musicians

of all sorts were welcomed and highly paid; but where it was, or how

it was reached, he could not recollect, however hard he thought. In

despair, he wandered along the coast, hoping to see some ship or sailing

boat that would take him where he wished to go, and at length he reached

the town of Narva, where several merchantmen were lying at anchor. To

his great joy, he found that one of them was sailing for Kungla in a few

days, and he hastily went on board, and asked for the captain. But the

cost of the passage was more than the prudent Tiidu cared to pay, and

though he played his best on his pipes, the captain refused to lower his

price, and Tiidu was just thinking of returning on shore when his usual

luck flew to his aid. A young sailor, who had heard him play, came

secretly to him, and offered to hide him on board, in the absence of the

captain. So the next night, as soon as it was dark, Tiidu stepped softly

on deck, and was hidden by his friend down in the hold in a corner

between two casks. Unseen by the rest of the crew the sailor managed to

bring him food and drink, and when they were well out of sight of land

he proceeded to carry out a plan he had invented to deliver Tiidu

from his cramped quarters. At midnight, while he was keeping watch and

everyone else was sleeping, the man bade his friend Tiidu follow him on

deck, where he tied a rope round Tiidu's body, fastening the other end

carefully to one of the ship's ropes. 'Now,' he said, 'I will throw you

into the sea, and you must shout for help; and when you see the sailors

coming untie the rope from your waist, and tell them that you have swum

after the ship all the way from shore.'



At first Tiidu did not much like this scheme, for the sea ran high,

but he was a good swimmer, and the sailor assured him that there was no

danger. As soon as he was in the water, his friend hastened to rouse

his mates, declaring that he was sure that there was a man in the sea,

following the ship. They all came on deck, and what was their surprise

when they recognised the person who had bargained about a passage the

previous day with the captain.



'Are you a ghost, or a dying man?' they asked him trembling, as they

stooped over the side of the ship.



'I shall soon indeed be a dead man if you do not help me,' answered

Tiidu, 'for my strength is going fast.'



Then the captain seized a rope and flung it out to him, and Tiidu held

it between his teeth, while, unseen by the sailors; he loosed the one

tied round his waist.



'Where have you come from?' said the captain, when Tiidu was brought up

on board the ship.



'I have followed you from the harbour,' answered he, 'and have been

often in sore dread lest my strength should fail me. I hoped that by

swimming after the ship I might at last reach Kungla, as I had no money

to pay my passage.' The captain's heart melted at these words, and he

said kindly: 'You may be thankful that you were not drowned. I will land

you at Kungla free of payment, as you are so anxious to get there. So he

gave him dry clothes to wear, and a berth to sleep in, and Tiidu and his

friend secretly made merry over their cunning trick.



For the rest of the voyage the ship's crew treated Tiidu as something

higher than themselves, seeing that in all their lives they had never

met with any man that could swim for as many hours as he had done. This

pleased Tiidu very much, though he knew that he had really done nothing

to deserve it, and in return he delighted them by tunes on his pipes.

When, after some days, they cast anchor at Kungla, the story of his

wonderful swim brought him many friends, for everybody wished to hear

him tell the tale himself. This might have been all very well, had not

Tiidu lived in dread that some day he would be asked to give proof of

his marvellous swimming powers, and then everything would be found out.

Meanwhile he was dazzled with the splendour around him, and more than

ever he longed for part of the riches, about which the owners seemed to

care so little.



He wandered through the streets for many days, seeking some one who

wanted a servant; but though more than one person would have been glad

to engage him, they seemed to Tiidu not the sort of people to help him

to get rich quickly. At last, when he had almost made up his mind that

he must accept the next place offered him, he happened to knock at the

door of a rich merchant who was in need of a scullion, and gladly agreed

to do the cook's bidding, and it was in this merchant's house that he

first learned how great were the riches of the land of Kungla. All the

vessels which in other countries are made of iron, copper, brass, or

tin, in Kungla were made of silver, or even of gold. The food was cooked

in silver saucepans, the bread baked in a silver oven, while the dishes

and their covers were all of gold. Even the very pigs' troughs were of

silver too. But the sight of these things only made Tiidu more covetous

than before. 'What is the use of all this wealth that I have constantly

before my eyes,' thought he, 'if none of it is mine? I shall never grow

rich by what I earn as a scullion, even though I am paid as much in a

month as I should get elsewhere in a year.'



By this time he had been in his place for two years, and had put by

quite a large sum of money. His passion of saving had increased to such

a pitch that it was only by his master's orders that he ever bought any

new clothes, 'For,' said the merchant, 'I will not have dirty people in

my house.' So with a heavy heart Tiidu spent some of his next month's

wages on a cheap coat.



One day the merchant held a great feast in honour of the christening of

his youngest child, and he gave each of his servants a handsome garment

for the occasion. The following Sunday, Tiidu, who liked fine clothes

when he did not have to pay for them, put on his new coat, and went for

a walk to some beautiful pleasure gardens, which were always full of

people on a sunny day. He sat down under a shady tree, and watched the

passers-by, but after a little he began to feel rather lonely, for he

knew nobody and nobody knew him. Suddenly his eyes fell on the figure of

an old man, which seemed familiar to him, though he could not tell when

or where he had seen it. He watched the figure for some time, till at

length the old man left the crowded paths, and threw himself on the soft

grass under a lime tree, which stood at some distance from where Tiidu

was sitting. Then the young man walked slowly past, in order that he

might look at him more closely, and as he did so the old man smiled, and

held out his hand.



'What have you done with your pipes?' asked he; and then in a moment

Tiidu knew him. Taking his arm he drew him into a quiet place and told

him all that had happened since they had last met. The old man shook his

head as he listened, and when Tiidu had finished his tale, he said: 'A

fool you are, and a fool you will always be! Was there ever such a piece

of folly as to exchange your pipes for a scullion's ladle? You could

have made as much by the pipes in a day as your wages would have come

to in half a year. Go home and fetch your pipes, and play them here, and

you will soon see if I have spoken the truth.'



Tiidu did not like this advice--he was afraid that the people would

laugh at him; and, besides, it was long since he had touched his

pipes--but the old man persisted, and at last Tiidu did as he was told.



'Sit down on the bank by me,' said the old man, when he came back, 'and

begin to play, and in a little while the people will flock round you.'

Tiidu obeyed, at first without much heart; but somehow the tone of the

pipes was sweeter than he had remembered, and as he played, the crowd

ceased to walk and chatter, and stood still and silent round him. When

he had played for some time he took off his hat and passed it round, and

dollars, and small silver coins, and even gold pieces, came tumbling

in. Tiidu played a couple more tunes by way of thanks, then turned to

go home, hearing on all sides murmurs of 'What a wonderful piper! Come

back, we pray you, next Sunday to give us another treat.'



'What did I tell you?' said the old man, as they passed through the

garden gate. 'Was it not pleasanter to play for a couple of hours on

the pipes than to be stirring sauces all day long? For the second time

I have shown you the path to follow; try to learn wisdom, and take the

bull by the horns, lest your luck should slip from you! I can be your

guide no longer, therefore listen to what I say, and obey me. Go every

Sunday afternoon to those gardens; and sit under the lime tree and play

to the people, and bring a felt hat with a deep crown, and lay it on the

ground at your feet, so that everyone can throw some money into it.

If you are invited to play at a feast, accept willingly, but beware of

asking a fixed price; say you will take whatever they may feel inclined

to give. You will get far more money in the end. Perhaps, some day,

our paths may cross, and then I shall see how far you have followed my

advice. Till then, farewell'; and the old man went his way.



As before, his words came true, though Tiidu could not at once do

his bidding, as he had first to fulfil his appointed time of service.

Meanwhile he ordered some fine clothes, in which he played every Sunday

in the gardens, and when he counted his gains in the evening they were

always more than on the Sunday before. At length he was free to do as

he liked, and he had more invitations to play than he could manage to

accept, and at night, when the citizens used to go and drink in the inn,

the landlord always begged Tiidu to come and play to them. Thus he grew

so rich that very soon he had his silver pipes covered with gold, so

that they glistened in the light of the sun or the fire. In all Kungla

there was no prouder man than Tiidu.



In a few years he had saved such a large sum of money that he was

considered a rich man even in Kungla, where everybody was rich. And then

he had leisure to remember that he had once had a home, and a family,

and that he should like to see them both again, and show them how well

he could play. This time he would not need to hide in the ship's hold,

but could hire the best cabin if he wished to, or even have a vessel

all to himself. So he packed all his treasures in large chests, and sent

them on board the first ship that was sailing to his native land, and

followed them with a light heart. The wind at starting was fair, but it

soon freshened, and in the night rose to a gale. For two days they ran

before it, and hoped that by keeping well out to sea they might be able

to weather the storm, when, suddenly, the ship struck on a rock, and

began to fill. Orders were given to lower the boats, and Tiidu with

three sailors got into one of them, but before they could push away from

the ship a huge wave overturned it, and all four were flung into the

water. Luckily for Tiidu an oar was floating near him, and with its help

he was able to keep on the surface of the water; and when the sun rose,

and the mist cleared away, he saw that he was not far from shore. By

hard swimming, for the sea still ran high, he managed to reach it, and

pulled himself out of the water, more dead than alive. Then he flung

himself down on the ground and fell fast asleep.



When he awoke he got up to explore the island, and see if there were any

men upon it; but though he found streams and fruit trees in abundance,

there was no trace either of man or beast. Then, tired with his

wanderings he sat down and began to think.



For perhaps the first time in his life his thoughts did not instantly

turn to money. It was not on his lost treasures that his mind dwelt, but

on his conduct to his parents: his laziness and disobedience as a boy;

his forgetfulness of them as a man. 'If wild animals were to come and

tear me to pieces,' he said to himself bitterly, 'it would be only what

I deserve! My gains are all at the bottom of the sea--well! lightly won,

lightly lost--but it is odd that I feel I should not care for that if

only my pipes were left me.' Then he rose and walked a little further,

till he saw a tree with great red apples shining amidst the leaves,

and he pulled some down, and ate them greedily. After that he stretched

himself out on the soft moss and went to sleep.



In the morning he ran to the nearest stream to wash himself, but to his

horror, when he caught sight of his face, he saw his nose had grown the

colour of an apple, and reached nearly to his waist. He started back

thinking he was dreaming, and put up his hand; but, alas! the dreadful

thing was true. 'Oh, why does not some wild beast devour me?' he cried

to himself; 'never, never, can I go again amongst my fellow-men! If only

the sea had swallowed me up, how much happier it had been for me!' And

he hid his head in his hands and wept. His grief was so violent, that it

exhausted him, and growing hungry he looked about for something to eat.

Just above him was a bough of ripe, brown nuts, end he picked them and

ate a handful. To his surprise, as he was eating them, he felt his nose

grow shorter and shorter, and after a while he ventured to feel it

with his hand, and even to look in the stream again! Yes, there was no

mistake, it was as short as before, or perhaps a little shorter. In his

joy at this discovery Tiidu did a very bold thing. He took one of the

apples out of his pocket, and cautiously bit a piece out of it. In an

instant his nose was as long as his chin, and in a deadly fear lest

it should stretch further, he hastily swallowed a nut, and awaited the

result with terror. Supposing that the shrinking of his nose had only

been an accident before! Supposing that that nut and no other was able

to cause its shrinking! In that case he had, by his own folly, in not

letting well alone, ruined his life completely. But, no! he had guessed

rightly, for in no more time than his nose had taken to grow long did it

take to return to its proper size. 'This may make my fortune,' he said

joyfully to himself; and he gathered some of the apples, which he put

into one pocket, and a good supply of nuts which he put into the other.

Next day he wove a basket out of some rushes, so that if he ever left

the island he might be able to carry his treasures about.



That night he dreamed that his friend the old man appeared to him and

said: 'Because you did not mourn for your lost treasure, but only for

your pipes, I will give you a new set to replace them.' And, behold! in

the morning when he got up a set of pipes was lying in the basket. With

what joy did he seize them and begin one of his favourite tunes; and as

he played hope sprang up in his heart, and he looked out to sea, to try

to detect the sign of a sail. Yes! there it was, making straight for

the island; and Tiidu, holding his pipes in his hand, dashed down to the

shore.



The sailors knew the island to be uninhabited, and were much surprised

to see a man standing on the beach, waving his arms in welcome to them.

A boat was put off, and two sailors rowed to the shore to discover how

he came there, and if he wished to be taken away. Tiidu told them the

story of his shipwreck, and the captain promised that he should come on

board, and sail with them back to Kungla; and thankful indeed was Tiidu

to accept the offer, and to show his gratitude by playing on his pipes

whenever he was asked to do so.



They had a quick voyage, and it was not long before Tiidu found himself

again in the streets of the capital of Kungla, playing as he went along.

The people had heard no music like his since he went away, and they

crowded round him, and in their joy gave him whatever money they had in

their pockets. His first care was to buy himself some new clothes, which

he sadly needed, taking care, however, that they should be made after a

foreign fashion. When they were ready, he set out one day with a small

basket of his famous apples, and went up to the palace. He did not have

to wait long before one of the royal servants passed by and bought all

the apples, begging as he did so that the merchant should return and

bring some more. This Tiidu promised, and hastened away as if he had a

mad bull behind him, so afraid was he that the man should begin to eat

an apple at once.



It is needless to say that for some days he took no more apples back to

the palace, but kept well away on the other side of the town, wearing

other clothes, and disguised by a long black beard, so that even his own

mother would not have known him.



The morning after his visit to the castle the whole city was in an

uproar about the dreadful misfortune that had happened to the Royal

Family, for not only the king but his wife and children, had eaten of

the stranger's apples, and all, so said the rumour, were very ill. The

most famous doctors and the greatest magicians were hastily summoned to

the palace, but they shook their heads and came away again; never had

they met with such a disease in all the course of their experience.

By-and-bye a story went round the town, started no one knew how, that

the malady was in some way connected with the nose; and men rubbed their

own anxiously, to be sure that nothing catching was in the air.



Matters had been in this state for more than a week when it reached the

ears of the king that a man was living in an inn on the other side

of the town who declared himself able to cure all manner of diseases.

Instantly the royal carriage was commanded to drive with all speed and

bring back this magician, offering him riches untold if he could restore

their noses to their former length. Tiidu had expected this summons,

and had sat up all night changing his appearance, and so well had he

succeeded that not a trace remained either of the piper or of the apple

seller. He stepped into the carriage, and was driven post haste to the

king, who was feverishly counting every moment, for both his nose and

the queen's were by this time more than a yard long, and they did not

know where they would stop.



Now Tiidu thought it would not look well to cure the royal family by

giving them the raw nuts; he felt that it might arouse suspicion. So he

had carefully pounded them into a powder, and divided the powder up into

small doses, which were to be put on the tongue and swallowed at once.

He gave one of these to the king and another to the queen, and told them

that before taking them they were to get into bed in a dark room and not

to move for some hours, after which they might be sure that they would

come out cured.



The king's joy was so great at this news that he would gladly have given

Tiidu half of his kingdom; but the piper was no longer so greedy of

money as he once was, before he had been shipwrecked on the island. If

he could get enough to buy a small estate and live comfortably on it for

the rest of his life, that was all he now cared for. However, the king

ordered his treasure to pay him three times as much as he asked, and

with this Tiidu went down to the harbour and engaged a small ship to

carry him back to his native country. The wind was fair, and in ten days

the coast, which he had almost forgotten, stood clear before him. In

a few hours he was standing in his old home, where his father, three

sisters, and two brothers gave him a hearty welcome. His mother and his

other brothers had died some years before.



When the meeting was over, he began to make inquiries about a small

estate that was for sale near the town, and after he had bought it the

next thing was to find a wife to share it with him. This did not take

long either; and people who were at the wedding feast declared that the

best part of the whole day was the hour when Tiidu played to them on the

pipes before they bade each other farewell and returned to their homes.



[From Esthnische Mahrchen.]



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