Translation:Collection of Slavic Folk Tales/XVII
XVII
THE ENCHANTED STAFF
(BOHEMIAN TALE)
A peasant had three sons. The youngest was considered the most foolish, and his brothers often mocked him. When the eldest son reached the age to fend for himself, his father sent him to travel the world and earn a living. He met a kind old man who offered him a job tending sheep. He accepted. After a year, the old man let him go and gave him, as payment, a snow-white sheep.
"Whenever you say to it: ‘Sheep, shake yourself,’ gold coins will fall from its fleece."
The lad thanked him a thousand times and set off to return home. Barely entering the nearest wood, he wanted to test the sheep's marvelous power; at the magic words, the sheep shook itself, and a rain of gold coins fell from its white fleece. The happy shepherd gathered them and returned home overjoyed: he counted his riches in his mind and saw himself already living like a prince.
By evening, he reached an inn and went in to spend the night. He immediately called the innkeeper and asked him to ensure his sheep was well guarded in the stable.
"Above all," he added (very unwisely), "be sure not to say to it: ‘Sheep, shake yourself.’"
Then he had a good supper prepared and went to bed.
The innkeeper was very curious. Why had this traveler forbidden saying certain words to his sheep? This question troubled her. As soon as everyone was asleep, she went to the sheep and eagerly said:
"Sheep, shake yourself!"
A strange sight! Gold coins began to pour like snowflakes. The innkeeper couldn't believe her eyes!
"Ah! If I had a sheep like that," she thought, "instead of this miserable inn, I'd build a grand hotel, under the sign of the Prodigious Sheep… No, that would give me away. Great lords would stay with me, and I, instead of serving them myself, would have a whole battalion of waiters and maids calling me Madam and carrying out my orders. But, come to think of it… I have a sheep just like it, same size, same fleece; I can easily swap it for this one: the fool sleeping upstairs won't notice, and if he does, I'll know how to silence him."
No sooner said than done. The next morning, our young shepherd left with a sheep that wasn't his.
Barely home, he began to talk about his riches. He thought he'd dazzle his father and brothers with the sight of the miracle.
"Sheep, shake yourself!"
But the sheep didn't shake.
"Shake yourself!" repeated its master in a despairing voice.
Nothing! In the end, he resorted to blows, but he could only draw pitiful bleats from the poor beast.
Farewell to grand dreams! Our shepherd had to take up service again and abandon the princely life he had hoped for.
Soon after, the second son set off to travel the world. He met the same old man and served him for a year. At the end of that time, the kind master gave him a towel as his wage.
"Whenever you spread this towel and say: ‘Towel, serve me,’ you'll see it covered with the finest wines and the most exquisite dishes."
Barely reaching the nearest wood, our lad wanted to test the towel's marvelous powers. He spoke the sacred words and saw a magnificent meal appear. He dined heartily and set off again.
By evening, he arrived at a splendid hotel that seemed newly decorated. He stopped there; the hotel was full of distinguished travelers, and they could only offer the shepherd a common room where servants, carters, peddlers, in short, all the riffraff of travelers, slept together.
Our lad was very afraid of losing his towel in this chaos. He went to find the mistress of the hotel. He found her in the kitchen, giving orders to twenty cooks roasting, grilling, boiling, frying, and sautéing all sorts of appetizing meats. The lady looked stern and walked majestically with her hands in her apron pockets. Our lad approached her humbly, hat in hand, and begged her to kindly keep his towel safe:
"Above all," he added (as naively as his elder brother), "be sure not to say to it: ‘Towel, serve me.’"
The innkeeper took the towel and carried it to her room. When everyone was asleep, she hurried to say:
"Towel, serve me!"
What was her astonishment to see the table covered with the finest wines and most delicate dishes. She nearly fainted with joy.
"This would be a fine piece of hotel furniture, such a towel," she thought. "It would save me a cook, even a kitchen, and the travelers would always be satisfied. Come to think of it, why not keep this towel? I'll give him another just like it, the fool won't notice. And even if he does… I'll have my servants throw him out."
No sooner said than done. Our lad left the inn with a towel that wasn't his.
Arriving home, he told how he had served a respectable old man, and how this old man had given him a marvelous towel. He spread it on the table and said:
"Towel, serve me!"
The towel didn't move.
"I must have spread it wrong," he thought; and he turned it over.
"Towel, serve me! … Serve me, or I'll tear you to pieces!"
Pleas and threats, nothing worked. The boy saw he'd been robbed: he suspected his hostess, but what could he do? He had to take up service with a rich neighbor.
Finally came the turn of the youngest, the one everyone considered a simpleton. He set off in his turn.
"Here's one who'll do great things," his brothers said mockingly as he left.
He met the same old man who took him into his service and tasked him with tending his sheep. He served him for a year.
When the old man offered his wages, he told him of his brothers' misadventures and asked for a gift that would allow him to punish the unfaithful innkeeper and recover the sheep and towel.
"Here, take my staff; whenever you say to it: ‘Up, staff! — Up to the lad! — Catch, — And strike,’ it will beat those you point out to it. As soon as you call it back, it will stop striking."
The youngest thanked him politely; on the way back through the forest, he met two thieves who attacked him; but he had time to shout: "Up, staff! — Up to the lad! — Catch, — And strike."
The staff began to beat the thieves so hard and fast that they fled; the youngest knew what he needed to know; he took his staff and set off for the inn.
He found it full of people; only, in the kitchen, there was neither fireplace nor stoves. The dishes were brought directly from the innkeeper's room; there, a table was set, and on the white towel covering it, the most delicate dishes were displayed. Our lad entered her room and politely asked her to keep his staff safe.
"Above all," he added, "don't say to it: ‘Up, staff! — Up to the lad!’"
The hostess was delighted.
She could hardly wait for everyone to be asleep. She approached the marvelous staff and, with an excited voice: "Up, staff! — Up to the lad!"
But here's a different story. A hail of blows fell on her back, a hail… The hostess let out terrible screams: everyone rushed in, trying to stop the cursed staff. But whoever touched it received a beating that took away any desire to try again.
Finally, the staff's owner arrived in turn; the hostess begged him to have pity on her and end her torment.
"I agree," he said, "on one condition: you return the real white sheep and the real enchanted towel."
The hostess wasn't happy; but the staff didn't stop. She had to agree.
Our youngest returned home with the sheep, the towel, and the staff. You can imagine if he was well received and if his brothers regretted having underestimated him.
And from then on, they lived happily together.
They lacked nothing: the sheep gave them gold, the towel supplied their table, and the staff mercilessly beat anyone who dared envy these treasures.