The Blue Light
There was once upon a time a Soldier, who had served his King faithfully for many years; but when the war came to a close, the Soldier, on account of his many wounds, was disabled, and the King said to him, “You may go home, for I no longer need you: but you will not receive any more pay, for I have no money but for those who render me a service for it.” The Soldier did not know where to earn a livelihood, and, full of care, he walked on the whole day ignorant whither he went, till about night he came to a large forest. Through the darkness which covered everything he saw a light, and approaching it, he found a hut wherein dwelt a Witch. “Please give me a night’s lodging, and something to eat and drink, or I shall perish,” said he to the old woman. “Oho! who gives anything to a worn-out Soldier!” she replied; “still out of compassion I will take you in, if you will do what I desire.” The Soldier asked what she wished, and she told him she wanted her garden dug over. To this he willingly consented, and the following day, accordingly, he worked with all his strength, but could not get his work finished by evening. “I see very well,” said the Witch, “that you cannot get further to-day, so I will shelter you another night; and in return you shall fetch me a pile of logs to-morrow, and chop them small.” The Soldier worked all day long at this job, but as he did not finish till quite the evening, the Witch again proposed that he should stop the night. “You shall have but a very little work to-morrow,” said she; “I want you to fetch me out of a half-dry well behind my house, my blue light, which floats there without ever going out.” The next morning, accordingly, the old Witch led him to the well, and let him down into it in a basket. He soon found the blue light, and made a sign to be drawn up; and as soon as he reached the top, the old woman tried to snatch the blue light out of his hand. “No, no!” cried the Soldier, perceiving her wicked intentions, “no, no, I don’t give up the light till both my feet stand on dry ground.” The Witch flew into a passion when he said so, and letting him fall down into the well again, went away.
The poor Soldier fell without injury on the soft mud, and the blue light kept burning: but to what use? he saw well that he should not escape death. For a while he sat there in great trouble, and at length searching in his pocket, he took out his tobacco-pipe, which was only half-smoked out. “This shall be my last consolation,” said he to himself; and lighting the pipe at the blue light, he began to puff. As soon, now, as the smoke began to ascend, a little black man suddenly stood before the Soldier, and asked, “Master, what are your commands?”
“What are my commands?” repeated the astonished Soldier. “I must do all you desire,” replied the Dwarf. “That is well,” said the Soldier; “then help me first out of this well.” The Dwarf, thereupon, took him by the hand and led him through a subterraneous passage out of the well, while he carried the blue light with him. On the way he showed the Soldier the concealed treasure of the Witch, of which he took as much as he could carry; and as soon as they were out of the ground he bade the Dwarf fetch the old Witch, and take her before the judge. In a very short time she was brought riding on a wild cat, which made a fearful noise, and ran as swiftly as the wind: and the Dwarf, taking them before the judge, quickly returned to his master, with the news that the Witch was hung on the gallows. “Master, what else have you to command?” inquired the Dwarf. “Nothing further at present,” replied the Soldier, “and now you can go home, only be at hand when I summon you again.”
“All that is necessary for that,” said the Dwarf, “is, that you should light your pipe at the blue lamp, and immediately I shall present myself.” With these words the little man disappeared.
Then the Soldier returned to the city from whence he first came, and, going to the head inn, ordered some fine clothes, and bade the landlord furnish him a room in the most expensive style. As soon as it was ready, the Soldier took possession of it, and summoned the black Dwarf, to whom he said, “The King of this city I served formerly for many years, faithfully, but he sent me away to suffer hunger, and now I will take my revenge.”
“What shall I do then?” inquired the Dwarf. “Late in the evening, when the King’s daughter is asleep, you must fetch her out of her bed, and bring her here to wait upon me as my maid-servant.”
The Dwarf expostulated with the Soldier, but to no purpose, telling him that though it would be an easy matter for him to bring her, it might cause him danger if it were found out. Accordingly, when twelve o’clock struck, the Dwarf appeared with the Princess. “Aha! you are there,” cried the Soldier, to the Princess; “come, fetch your brush and sweep the room.” When she had done that, he called her to his seat, and, stretching his feet out, bade her pull off his boots. This she did, and, as he threw the boots in her face, she was obliged to go and wash herself. But all was done by her with eyes half shut, without complaint or resistance; and at the first crow of the cock the Dwarf carried her back again to bed in the royal castle.
The next morning when the Princess arose she went to her father, and told him what a curious dream she had had. “I was carried,” she said, “though the streets with lightning speed, and taken into the room of a soldier, whom I waited upon as his maid, even sweeping the room, and polishing his boots. But it was only a dream, and yet I am as tired as if I had really done all this work.”
“The dream may have been real,” said the King, “and so I will give you this piece of advice. To-night, fill your pocket with peas, and make a hole in it, so that if you are fetched again, they will drop through as you go along, and leave a trace on the road.”
While the King spoke this the Dwarf was standing by and overheard all he said; and at night he strewed peas in every street, so that those dropped by the Princess, as he carried her along, were no guide afterwards. The poor maiden had again to do all sorts of hard work till the first cock-crow, when the dwarf took her home to bed.
The next morning the King sent out his servants to seek traces of his daughter’s journey: but it was all in vain, for in every street the children were picking up the peas and saying, “It has rained peas during the night.”
“We must think of some other plan,” said the King, when his servants returned unsuccessful; and he advised his daughter to keep her shoes on when she went to bed; and then, if she were carried off, she must leave one behind in the room whither she was taken, and in the morning it should be searched after. But the black Dwarf again overheard the plan, and counselled the Soldier not to have the Princess that evening, for there was no remedy for the stratagem her father had planned. The Soldier however, would be obeyed, although the finding of the shoe would be a serious offence: and the poor Princess was obliged again to work like any servant; but she managed to conceal one of her shoes beneath the bed before she was taken back to the palace.
The following morning the King ordered the whole city to be searched for his daughter’s shoe, and it was discovered in the room of the Soldier, who, however, at the entreaty of the Dwarf, had slipped out at the door. He was soon caught and thrown into prison, but, unfortunately, he had left behind his best possessions—the blue light and his gold, and had only a single ducat with him in his pocket. While he stood at the window of his cell, laden with chains, he perceived one of his old comrades passing by. So he knocked at the bars, and beckoned his comrade, whom he asked to go to the inn, and bring back a bundle which he had left behind, and he should receive a ducat for the service. The man ran away and soon returned with the wished-for bundle. As soon, then, as the Soldier was alone, he lighted his pipe and summoned up the Dwarf. “Be not afraid,” said the black mannikin; “go whither you are led and let everything happen as it may, only take with you the blue light.”
The next day the Soldier was brought up to be tried, and although he had done no great wrong, he was condemned to death by the judge. When he was led out for execution, he begged a last favour of the King. “What is it?” asked the King. “Permit me to smoke one pipe before I die.” “You may smoke three if you please,” said the King; “but do not expect me to spare your life.” Thereupon the Soldier drew out his pipe and lighted it at the blue light; and before a couple of wreaths of smoke had ascended the Black Dwarf appeared, holding a little cudgel in his hand, and asked, “What are your commands, master?” “Knock down, first, the unjust judge, and his constables and do not spare the King even, who has treated me so shabbily.” The little Black Dwarf commenced wielding his cudgel, and at every blow down went a man, who never ventured to rise again. The King was terribly frightened when he saw this, and begged for mercy, but the Soldier only pardoned him on condition of his giving him his daughter to wife, and his kingdom to rule; and to this the unhappy King consented, for he had no choice.