Luigi Barzini

“ I put him on the ground and leaned down to him.
“Fiam,” I whispered, “forgive me if I have tried to hinder you. You are doing well! Go and succeed. Your death is more beautiful than a hundred lives. Some day I shall tell your story.”
“Good-bye.”
“Good-bye.”
I watched him starting off in the dark. His armour shone white in the light of the stars. He was so tiny, he looked like a strange little animal traveling between the stones and over the tufts of grass. Then he disappeared from sight. My little man—my wonderful little man—had gone forever. ”

“ Far out at sea we spied the land—all green hills with pagodas everywhere.
In the morning, not feeling Fiam move, I looked for him in his box, but it was empty, and he had disappeared. I was very anxious. There was no trace anywhere of my little friend except an odor of saki. I was afraid he had fallen on the ground and that some one had picked him up. Every time I saw a lighted pipe or cigarette my heart beat and I ran to see if the burning match could be Fiam. I couldn’t bear to leave the ship until I had found him. I actually ransacked my pockets ten times in succession. ”

“ By this time I knew that all my tree, my beautiful tree, with branches ten arms long, was all burned, fibre by fibre, and had absolutely vanished. It was no use to struggle.”
“Why didn’t you try flight?”
“How? What could I do? How could I open the box? And if it was open how could I fly without legs? If I had only had these legs that you have made for me! But enough of that! By chance the box was forgotten and laid where you found me. And you have saved me. I am your faithful servant forever. To you I am revealing myself for the third and last time.”
“Fiam, you are my dearest friend.” ”

“ Fiam paused, absorbed in his thoughts. Anxious to hear the rest, I said earnestly:
“And who shot the arrows?”
“Exactly the question I asked To.
“‘Who? The men!’ replied To. ‘The valley is full of soldiers, who are fighting with bows and arrows, with lances and spears. There is war! They are killing each other; they pursue, they shout, they gallop on horseback; they are covered with shining armour. A great castle is burning, and all around the ground is covered with the dead. ”

“ I had a beautiful voice, and sang when the wind swayed my branches. Now I am so different—but I can be useful to you and help you. I know many things. I can see a long distance, and I know the world, and can give you advice and information, and tell you old stories when you are sad. I promise [24] to be affectionate and faithful. Now I will try to walk.”
With a stiff step and unsteadily, as if he were walking on stilts, Fiam took a trip around the room and then returned and climbed up on my knee. ”

“ I was so astonished at what Fiammiferino said that I threw up my hand in amazement, and came near sending him flying with his legs in the air.
“You,” I cried. “How could you save him?”
“I twisted the end of one of my branches around the hilt of his sword to attract his attention, and then I spoke to him.”
“How could you speak to him?”
“You know each Haji is allowed to reveal himself three times during his life. This was my first time. I whispered:
“‘Wait.’
“The young man turned and bowing politely exclaimed, ‘Honorable Willow! may you live ten thousand years! ”

“ I repeated.
“Yes, I was the Haji of an old willow.”
Ah! now I understood. Everything was explained. Certain trees in Japan are inhabited by Genii which are like our fairies, and are called Haji. Only we [22] have no more fairies, and Hajis still exist, because Japan is much younger than our countries. When a country grows old it loses all its fairies, magicians and incantations. But how could a Haji ever leave his woods, and his flowers, and become a match, with the risk of being destroyed to light the cigarette of a foreigner? ”

“ So little did I know about men.”
“And weren’t they friends?”
“Far from it! The first voice said, ‘He can’t escape us any longer! He is our prisoner!’ The others echoed, ‘He is ours. Haiya!’ They were enemies looking for him, do you understand? He heard them. He knelt down and bowed his head calling on Amaterasu, the god of the sun, the god who made Japan. Then he took off his armour and bared his chest, which was covered with blood, and put his hand to his side to find the hilt of his sword. ”

“ CHAPTER XIX THE EFFECT OF FIAM’S FORESIGHT
As soon as we were alone I said to Fiam:
“You see what a fine figure you made me cut.”
He gave no answer. My request to dictate a telegram to the newspaper he flatly refused. Half an hour later we arrived at the encampment. From inside my tent I heard a horse trotting and then stop. A voice asked:
“May I come in?”
“Come in,” I cried.
An officer entered. I knew him at once. It was the surgeon I had talked to on the railroad train.
“The general sent me,” he announced. “I am an army surgeon; my name is Tasa. Let me feel your pulse.” ”

“ Now I have met the man who has the spirit of Prince Funato.”
“And who is it?”
“The general.”
“Not really.”
“It is he who is the descendant of the prince.”
“How did you find it out?”
“I am a Haji, and can see things that men can’t.”
“And does the general know it?”
“No; the spirit never remembers its former life.” ”

“ One evening in May, a wonderful evening, my friend the stork arrived. He was always traveling around, and when he passed by the mountain Hamiyama he never failed to rest himself on my third branch toward the east. He was called To. He brought a lot of news from the other mountains and from the plains across which he had flown in his travels. This evening while he was still far off, he stopped in the air, poising on his wings, and looking about for his favorite branch began to cry, ‘Mikara! terrible things are happening. It is a miracle that I am still alive.’ ”

“ Never believe in the courage of any one who boasts of not being afraid.”
“And weren’t you afraid?” I asked Fiam.
“To tell the truth, I wasn’t any too brave. I kept thinking about the castle on fire. My father had often told me, when I was a little tree, that in war men burned the woods in order to drive out the enemy. If the war came near me and the woods were burned, poor me! You can imagine how anxiously I waited. I listened all night. When the wind blew I held my branches still so they wouldn’t make a noise. ”

“ But I shall be seven hours at least.”
“But the mine is hidden; you can’t find it.”
“I can see what a man can’t. I am a match, but I am also a Haji. I know about the mine; do you know how? Because I saw it when they were making it and we were forty miles off. I shall find it easily. I shall go directly to the dynamite, and light it myself.” ”

“ There was a perfect slaughter of matches. Poor Fiam was so frightened that he hurried under my waistcoat and, creeping near a buttonhole, hid his head under a button.
Outside of the train there was the noise of a great crowd. We could hear the tread of the troops as they went to their places in the cars prepared for them. We heard shouted commands, the rattle of cartridges in their boxes at the belts of the [76] soldiers, and the guns dropping to the ground all at once sounded like falling iron. In the distance hundreds of people kept shrieking and repeating: “Sayonara!” ”

“ I arose and said solemnly:
“I know who blew up the mine and made your victory and escape possible.”
“Tell us, tell us!” they shouted in chorus. “Who?”
“It was Fiam, who....”
“Who is that?” asked twenty voices at once. “Who is our hero and our rescuer? How did you know him?”
“It is,” I proceeded firmly, “the Haji of an old willow tree that....” A tumult of laughter greeted [164] me. Even the general joined in. They thought I was joking. ”

“ First he was very bold, with arms and legs stretched out in the position of a fierce warrior. Then I changed him into a calm and civilized person, and made him sit down on his box, and then began to hold an old time conversation with him.
“Good-morning, little match [1] ; how are you?”
I suppose that you are surprised that a man of my age could still amuse himself with this game. But you know a man is always a boy when he is all by himself and lonely. ”

“ There were really men in arms in the vicinity. Imagine my surprise when I saw Prince Funato appear at the head of his soldiers and a great number of servants all dressed in holiday clothes. They surrounded me, they saluted me, they knelt about me, they burned incense to me under my branches. They had brought food and saki, which is their wine made of rice. For two days they had a great festival. Beautiful songs were sung in my honor by their musicians. They poured saki on my trunk. ”

“ Later when I told this to Fiam he was sad and very much hurt.
“Well,” he said, “let’s see. Look at the blessings you have brought us from the West. Those lovely inventions that chop down, split and cut poor willows in [135] pieces. These are your beautiful ideas. The most sacred things are only legends to you.”
“Fiam, I am....” ”

“ I am a Haji.”
[89]
“Yes, but you are also acting disgracefully. Let me put you in your box and to-morrow you will thank me.”
“You want to lock me up. You want to make me a prisoner. You aren’t satisfied to have me for a servant to carry around with you everywhere. You are the cause of all my woes, but my power is infinite. At a call from me all the animals in the world will come and tear you to pieces. My friend To, the Stork, will come and eat your eyes out. The Prince Funato will come and cut your head off with his sword.”
“Fiam, keep still; you are not used to wine. ”

“ The men became old. The army dwindled away. The musicians lost their voices, and each year the songs were slower and feebler. Prince Funato’s hair turned white, then his back was bent, then he came up the mountain leaning on a cane, then he was carried on a litter, and then he came no more. ”

“ I didn’t dare to have Fiam come out during the day, as I was [80] never alone. But at night he took a walk on my shoulders, and we held whispered conversations.
On board the steamer on our way to China we had more liberty, and often conferred together. After our work was put away in an envelope, Fiammiferino began looking for a postage stamp in the depths of the portfolio. He went in and traveled all about the leather, explored [81] the little pockets, and came out with amazing dexterity. He had a passion for putting on postage stamps after I had wet them. ”

“ If I hadn’t been found by you....”
“Thank you, my friend.”
“And when you put me in there wrap up my head in cotton; have you any?”
“No. Let me see; wait. I will take some from the quilt. Will that be all right?”
“Yes; I’m so afraid of taking fire, you see. Imagine how scared you would be if your head were covered with phosphorus like mine.”
“Don’t speak of it. I can imagine it very well. It makes me shudder to think of it.”
“Look out for fire, then. Don’t mix me up with others; I mean with ordinary matches. Never smoke in my presence.” ”

“ Don’t be offended if I don’t pass the night with you. I must go farther on. Not that I am afraid, you know, quite otherwise, but it is best to be careful. Lances and spears don’t frighten me, but arrows—you never know. ”

“ I am going to save him.”
“But how?”
“I am going to set fire to the mine, and so make a way out for him and his soldiers. Go back to your [156] tent and send this message: ‘To-morrow will be a day of victory.’ It is the last thing I shall tell you, my dear good foreign friend.”
“Fiam, you are crazy. You will never succeed, never.”
“Why not? It will take me seven hours to go from here to the mine. A man could go in a few minutes, but my legs are so short. I shall run. I shall run faster than seems possible to you. ”

“ The terrible pass was traversed by the soldiers singing while the bayonets glistened in the rising sun. Two hours later we were safely outside the [163] mountainous defile, and were joined by the main army.
The enemy was forced to give battle, and was defeated.
That evening they all feasted in the general’s tent. All the officers were happy. I alone was sad.
After a while they began to ask, Who could have blown up the mine? Some one said:
“The soldiers sent to explore returned without finding anything.” ”

“ He breathed hard. He stumbled over tufts of grass, he fell and rose again and went on staggering. Where he fell the grass was covered with blood. I am telling the truth when I [41] say I forgot my own danger, I was so full of pity for him.”
“Good for you, Fiam!”
“At last he fell, close to my trunk. I looked at him. He was very young. The armour on his breast was broken. He took off his helmet, which was tied with a red cord under his chin, and laid his head against me to rest better. The sun had risen and I gave some shade to the wounded man. ”

“ In the box, however, there were only three, and you know with three matches even a genius can’t make anything but a triangle, the simplest of all the figures in geometry.
After all, I might try to make a little man. I had learned that game long ago when I wore short trousers and went to school, and always had my pockets stuffed full of marbles, pens, peach stones, buttons, twine and other precious things—sometimes even matches. ”

“ I covered his head with a tuft of cotton which I [26] took from the quilt on my bed, and placed my friend in the wooden box, on which was printed the picture of a dragon surrounded by Chinese words which meant “Matches made in Sweden.” ”