Francisco Adolfo Coelho

“ Great was the queen's joy at seeing a brother of whose existence she had no knowledge until then. She gave him a most affectionate welcome, and asked him to enter the palace with her. But as she entered the grand entrance, she suddenly turned round to him, and looking very sad, said: "You must know that I am the wife of the great king of fishes. Though he loves me and is kind, he is very jealous, and I fear that when he returns home and finds you here he will be very angry and may try to kill you." ”

“ By large masses of coral of fanciful shapes, like a forest carved in stone, were seen sponges of beautiful growth, and graceful mauve plants, some spreading their gorgeous fronds in the transparent water, and affording a retreat for innumerable little creatures, which no doubt served as food, or at least as bonnes bouches for the great king of fishes. Once or twice he shuddered as he saw a huge serpent armed with silver scales, or some other sea monster of strange and appalling shape, plunge into the deep. ”

“ At last the monkey went to Death, and said, "Oh, Death, carry off the butcher who will not kill the ox, that will not drink up the water, that will not put out the fire, that will not burn the stick, that will not beat the dog, that will not worry the cat, that will not kill the rat, that will not gnaw the queen's skirt, who will not scold the king for not punishing the magistrate, who will not bid the man remove his olive tree to make room for my pomegranate tree to grow." ”

“ George, however, who was brave and fearless, trained to every manly sport, and possessing a fine fiery horse ready and willing to second his master in any adventure, determined, with the help of God, single-handed to encounter and destroy the dragon. He leaped upon his horse, seized his spear, and went forth to meet the dragon, his face illumined with a holy fire and angry defiance—a worthy knight to meet such an enemy. George waited impatiently for the dragon at the entrance of the bush, where, among its caves and thickets, the monster had its stronghold. ”

“ The wretched and truly humbled lady being half-famished—for she had not tasted a morsel of food that day—meekly, and without another word, took the food that was set before her as best she could. "What a change," thought she, "this is from my usual life in my father's palace!" And then she remembered the Count's threat, and how everything was turning out as he in his rage and mortification had said it would, and how different her position would now be if she had not behaved towards him as she had done for so slight a fault. ”

“ Every time this chest is touched, if only by a tiny fish, I at once feel it and am struck with such fear and dismay that death is preferable to me then than life, and yet if I were happy, and had no doom impending ever over my head, I could wish to live, for who is there that loves not life? I must also tell you that inside that chest there is a fish, and inside that fish there is a sea-lion, and inside that lion there is a bird, and in that bird there is an egg ”

“ The girl all the time stood motionless with dismay; but the dogs, at the man's command, bounded forward, and, quicker than I can tell it you, threw themselves upon the dangerous monster and killed it, and the redoubtable snake lay a huge and helpless mass. The girl, surprised to find herself saved so soon and in so marvellous a way, said to the man: "Come with me to the palace, for my father, the king, is prepared to pay you a great price for your noble deed; he has even promised to give me in marriage to any man that shall kill the monster." ”

“ Antonia, as she grew into womanhood, increased in cleverness and beauty; by her natural gift of pleasing she gained the affections of all, and was soon the general favourite in the palace; and she even unconsciously attracted the admiration of the queen, who was foolish enough to fall in love with her handsome page. But the queen found that her favour and attentions were received with indifference and sometimes with disdain, and, unwilling to brook the affront, she began to intrigue against her with the purpose of getting the king to dismiss her. ”

“ One morning the Padre told the negro to cook a chicken for his dinner. The negro did so, but when he dished it the savoury smell from the roast chicken so whetted his appetite that he cut off a leg and ate it, and then arranged it on the dish so that his master should not detect what was wanting. The Padre, however, soon discovered that there was a leg wanting to the bird, and, turning to his servant, he asked him: "Did you cut a leg off the chicken and eat it?"
"No, sir, I did no such thing; the chicken had only one leg when it was alive." ”

“ The old woman, surprised and frightened at what she saw, ran away, and left the neighbourhood as fast as she could.
When the robbers came home and saw their beloved sister lying dead on the floor, they wondered how she had come by her death; they were sorely grieved and wept over her corpse.
"But," said they, "it is a shame for such a face and figure to be hidden underground; we must put her in a coffin with a glass lid, and place it on the hills where the king's son comes to hunt with his nobles; it is right he should see such a rare and lovely flower." ”

“ At night, when she began to undress, the astonished husband found all her beauty disappearing, for her eyes, nose, hair, and the rest were false, and when taken off left her an exceedingly ugly old woman. After a while, growing tired of always having before him so unprepossessing a figure, he one day gave the old hag a push and threw her out of the window. Fortunately for her, under the window there was the low roof of a shed, and as she fell her dress was caught by one of the tiles, and there she remained all night, unable to extricate herself. ”

“ It is a monster snake which no huntsman has ever succeeded in destroying. It devours a human being every day as they pass through these hills, according to whose turn it may be to serve as a morsel for the hungry beast. I am the daughter of a king, but the lot fell upon me to-day, and here I am, waiting in dread for my unhappy fate. ”

“ The fairies, after consulting among themselves what they should do, promised the king that his wish should be granted, and that they would come and be present at the birth, and greet the little stranger with good wishes and gifts. The queen accordingly had a son, and the three fairies came, and bending forward until their heads touched, stood like a canopy over the child's cradle. ”

“ The girl had always felt afraid of the old man, who excited in her a feeling of horror; but now, encouraged by her lover, she went in search of him, and having found him in the highest chamber of the tower, crouching in a corner groaning and sighing, she said, "Poor old man, tell me why you suffer so much, tell me the cause of your trouble, and if it be in my power to relieve you of it I will do so?" ”

“ Great was his surprise when he found he had only one large fish in his nets, and greater still was his astonishment when he heard the huge sea-monster speak and say to him: "My good man, go and seek your eldest daughter, and when you have found her, bring her to me. But let me warn you that unless you obey me in this, you will always be unlucky; you will lead a miserable life, and never improve your position." ”

“ As the man would not believe that story, she repeated her assertion, saying, "Now to prove to you that what I say is the truth, I invite you to go with me to the shrine of Our Lady of Grace, and there before her miraculous statue, ask her who it was that drank your wine, I or the cat. If Our Lady says that I am the guilty party, I promise solemnly that as a punishment for my fault I will bring you home on my back, but if Our Lady says, what is really the fact, that our naughty cat was the thief, why then you must carry me home instead." ”

“ At this moment Grain, unperceived, hid himself under the table, and suddenly cried in a shrill voice: "Stop thieves! stop thieves!"
On hearing this the brigands were alarmed, and took to their heels, leaving the bags of money behind them and thinking only of saving their lives. Grain was so amused at the big fellows all scampering away for fear of him that he was nearly choked with laughter. But on finding himself sole possessor of so much money, he instantly went to the stables for the mules, filled their panniers with the money bags, and started off without loss of time towards home. ”

“ When the young man heard the terrific noise, he was not disposed to face the monster that could utter such an angry sound; he at once put on his cloak, and remained with it on until he saw the great king pacified by the tender caresses of his good sister.
When the queen introduced him to her lord and husband, the king seemed pleased to see him, and asked him to remain with them a few days, that he might take him through his vast realm, and show him all the beautiful objects in it, and the number of subjects who owed him obedience. ”

“ But he noticed the mark of a brand on her forehead, and that one of her little fingers was wanting; and this brought back to his mind the cruel thing he had done to a little child in the forest, when a voice had prophesied to him that some day that very child would be his wife. Determined to defy and defeat this prediction, he stifled the passion he felt for her, and to get her out of his way altogether, he began even to plot against the life of the innocent girl. ”

“ The maiden went through the portal, and soon found herself at the river's side, where a number of birds sat on the trees and bushes growing on its banks. The birds began to flutter over her head, until presently one of them, more beautifully plumed than the rest, fell at her feet and began pecking them. The maiden said: "Are you the white lamb?" That moment the prince was restored to his natural shape, and he started off with his wife back to his mother's palace. ”

“ The fox having made her escape from the hounds, next went into a maize field, which belonged to the hunter, there to hide and rest after her run; and once there she began to meditate revenge against the hunter for the wrong he had done her. Seeing that the maize was well grown and ripe, and that a wall protected and enclosed the field, she saw at once with her usual perspicacity, an opportunity for venting her revenge, and, with great deliberation, she set about the work of destruction. ”

“ A certain king had two favourites who were allowed to be in constant attendance upon him, and as the king was very affable they had many an opportunity of a chat with him. On these occasions the king noticed that one of his favourites was continually singing the praises of his two daughters; while the other, whose one daughter the king knew was renowned for her beauty, never so much as mentioned her name. Struck with the difference of behaviour in the two noblemen, his majesty determined to go and see these maidens for himself, and observe their conduct and manner of life. ”

“ Poor girl, I do pity you, working so hard and economising as you do for that worthless brother of yours, while he is regaling himself at the inn with a fair companion, and then comes home, making you believe he has been hard at work all the time. ”

“ The wall replied: "I may be strong, but a rat can scratch a hole through me."
"Oh, rat, you must be strong to scratch a hole through the wall that keeps the sun from melting the snow that clogs my little feet." ”

“ A long time ago there lived a very beautiful woman, who was the landlady of a roadside inn, principally patronised by muleteers and merchants who passed that way with their merchandise. This woman had a daughter whose great misfortune it was to be still fairer than her mother. The mother was so jealous of this daughter that she kept her shut up in a dark room with all the windows closed, so that no one should see her. Poor girl, she often wished she had been born very plain, so that she might have her liberty, and enjoy life like other young people. ”

“ I was coming from the garden,
Where I went for a cabbage
To make some soup;
When there I reached
I met the huge jolly goat,
That with a spring and a bound
Will cut me in three,
And eat me up in no time. ”

“ One day as she entered the palace yard, carrying a pitcher of water poised on her head in a light and graceful manner, which showed off her elegant figure, a page, who had often noticed her beauty, and secretly suspected that the girl was not born to do this drudgery, and that there was some mystery about her, accosted her very respectfully, and said: "Do you know that our good king is going to give balls for three nights running, so that he may choose himself a wife from among the dancers? ”