Tales of Giants from Brazil Part 9

The lad rode on toward the palace of the king. After a time he became thirsty and pushed the horse into a gallop. The horse became covered with sweat, and with the horse's sweat he quenched his thirst. Soon he arrived at the royal palace.

Dressed in the robber's fine garments and mounted upon the robber's fine horse, Manoel had no difficulty in being admitted to the palace.

He was taken at once before the princess to tell his riddle.

The princess saw in Manoel's eyes all the secrets of the forests and jungles which the kind giant had taught him. "Here is a youth who will tell me a riddle which will be worth listening to," said the princess to herself. All the princes and _cavalheiros_ from all the neighbouring kingdoms had told her such stupid riddles that she had been bored nearly to death. She could always guess the answers, even before she had heard the end of the riddle.

This is the riddle which Manoel told the princess:

"I went away from home with a pocket full; Soon it became empty; Again it became full.

I went away from home with a companion; My pocket-full killed my companion; My dead companion was the slayer of three; The three killed seven.

From the seven I chose the best; I drank water which did not fall from heaven.

And here I stand Before the loveliest princess in the land."

The princess listened to the riddle carefully. Then she asked Manoel to say it all over again. The princess thought and thought, but she did not have a good guess as to the answer to the riddle.

No one in all the palace could understand Manoel's riddle. "You have won my daughter as your bride," said the king, after he had used all his royal wits to solve the riddle and could not do it.

When Manoel explained his riddle to the princess, she said, "_Nossa Senhora_ herself must have sent you to me. I never could have endured a stupid husband."

XII

DOMINGO'S CAT

Once upon a time there was a man who was very poor. He was so poor that he had to sell one thing after another to get food to keep from starving. After a while there was nothing left except the cat. He was very fond of his cat, and he said, "O, Cat, let come what will, I'll never part with you. I would rather starve."

The cat replied, "O good master Domingo, rest in peace. You will never starve as long as you have me. I am going out into the world to make a fortune for us both."

The cat went out into the jungle and dug and dug. Every time he dug he turned up silver pieces. The cat took a number of these home to his master so that he could purchase food. The rest of the pieces of silver the cat carried to the king.

The next day the cat dug up pieces of gold and carried them to the king. The next day he carried pieces of diamonds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The next day the cat dug up pieces of gold and carried them to the king]

"Where do you get these rich gifts? Who is sending me such wonderful presents?" asked the king.

The cat replied, "It is my master, Domingo."

Now the king had a beautiful daughter. He thought that this man Domingo must be the richest man in the whole kingdom. He decided that his daughter should marry him at once. He made arrangements for the wedding through the cat.

"I haven't any clothes to wear at the wedding," said Domingo when the cat told him that he was to marry the daughter of the king.

"Never mind about that. Just leave it to me," replied the cat.

The cat went to the king and said, "O King, there has been a terrible fire in the tailor shop where they were making the wedding garments of my master, Domingo. The tailor and all of his a.s.sistants were burned to death, and the entire outfit of my master Domingo was destroyed.

Hasn't your majesty something which you could lend him to wear at the wedding?" The king sent the richest garments which his wardrobe afforded. Domingo was clothed in state ready for the wedding.

"I have no palace to which to take my bride," said Domingo to the cat.

"Never mind. I'll see about it at once," replied the cat.

The cat went into the forest to the great castle where the giant dwelt. He marched straight up to the big giant and said, "O Giant, I wish to borrow your castle for my master Domingo. Will you not be so kind as to lend it to me a little while?"

The giant was very much insulted. "No, indeed, I'll not lend my castle to you or your master Domingo or anybody else," he shouted in his most terrible voice.

"Very well, then," replied the cat. He changed the giant to a piece of bacon in the twinkling of an eye and devoured him on the spot.

The palace of the giant was a very wonderful palace. There was one room decked with silver, and one room decked with gold, and one room decked with diamonds. A beautiful river flowed by the garden gate.

As Domingo and his bride sailed down the river to the garden gate in the royal barge, they saw the cat sitting in the window singing. After that they never saw him again. He disappeared in the jungle and went to make some other poor man rich. Perhaps he will come your way some day. Who knows? "_Quem sabe?_" they say in Brazil.

THE END