//f-. ^l P6? 1875 (•lornell HmuerBttg SItbraty FROM THE BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY COLLECTED BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY To renew this book copy the call No. and give to the librarian. HOME USE RULES All books subject to recall All borrowers must regis- ter in the library to borrow books for home use. All books must be re- turned at end of college year for inspection and repairs. Limited books must be returned within the four week limit and not renewed. Students must return all books before leaving town. Officers should arrange for the return of books wanted during their absence from town. Volumes of periodicals and of pamphlets are held in the library as much as possible. For special pur- poses they are given out for a limited time, Borrowers should not use their library privileges for the benefit of other persons. Books of special value and gift books, when the giver wishes it, are not allowed to circulate. Readers are asked to re- port all cases of books marked, or mutilated. Do not deface books by marks and writing. CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 088 388 768 PIERROT. r I^SP^S p w Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924088388768 1>. #:>--.'.^ Verily, it was a tumble. Page 164. THii FAlNlASnC HISTORV 'F 7-HF. :i.F ) pr i> :■ \\ !■ (..KCIKVN THE FANTASTIC HISTORY OF THE CELEBRATED PIERROT WRITTEN BY THE MAGICIAN ALCOFRIBAS, AND TRANSLATED FROM THE SOGDIAN BY ALFRED ASSOLLANT. RENDERED INTO ENGLISH BY A. G. MUNRO. WITH UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED HUMOROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY YAN' DARGENT. SS^ LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, LOW, AND SEARLE, CROWN BUILBINGS, FLEET STREET. {AH rights reserved.) ^- ^sol^', ' 'I ii !i ^ ',' Hill TABLE OF CONTENTS. FIRST ADVENTURE. PAGE How Pierrot became a great Warrior ... i SECOND ADVENTURE. Pierrot restores Dynasties 37 THIRD ADVENTURE. How Pierrot reforms Abuses, and undertakes to DIG Gardens -79 FOURTH ADVENTURE. Pierrot puts Five Hundred Thousand Tartars to Flight 126 FIFTH ADVENTURE. Pierrot fights against Beelzebub and the infernal Spirits 176 Table of Contents. SIXTH ADVENTURE. PAGE HORRIBILIS FINDS THAT THERE ARE GREAT GENERALS WHO ARE NOT PRINCES, AND PRINCES WHO ARE NOT Great Generals.— End of Pierrot's History 217 .^ FIRST ADVENTURE. How Pierrot became a Great Warrior lERROT was born sprinkled with flour. His - father was a miller ; and his mother.the mil- ler's wife. His godmother, the youngest daughter of Solomon, the prince of the genii, was the fairy Aurora. Aurora was the most charming fairy in all the world. B 2 How Pierrot became She had black hair, a forehead of average size, but high and arched, a delicate, charming turned -up nose, and a Httle mouth which revealed beautiful teeth when she smiled. Her complexion was as white as milk, and her cheeks possessed that transparent rose-tint which is quite unknown among the inhabitants of this coarser ^' - ^I sublunary world. As for her eyes, my friends, you never have seen, and you never will see, their equals ! The stars of heaven were no better than gas-li"-ht, and the moon itself no better than an old dirty lantern, beside them. In her eyes, which were so beautiful, so sweet and so brilliant, you could see shining a supernatural intellect a Great Wai'rior. and unbounded good-nature. Ah ! what a godmother the fortunate Pierrot had ! Fairies, who are grand ladies, do not generahy patronize millers ; but Aurora was so com- passionate, that she liked the society of poor and unfortu- nate people. One day, as she was walking alone in the country, she passed the miller's house, when Pierrot, who was just born, was crying for his mother, and with the curiosity natural to ladies she entered the mill. As she went in Pierrot stopped crying, and held out his arms to her. Aurora was so charmed that she took him at once, embraced him, caressed him, put him to sleep, replaced him in his cradle, and would not leave the mill till she had made them promise she should be the child's godmother. On the next day she became Pierrot's sponsor, and wanted, as was customary, to make him a present. " My friend," she said, " I could make you richer than all the kings of the earth ; but riches are only useful to corrupt and harden those who possess them. I could give you happiness, but it must be deserved. I will give you two things : sense and courage, which will protect you from others ; and a third thing, good nature, which will protect you from yourself These three things will not prevent your meeting many enemies, and having many misfortunes ; but as time goes on they will overcome everything. And lest you ever should want me, take this ring, which I charge you never to part with : when you wish to see me, kiss it three times 4 How Pierrot became and say my name, and wherever I may be, in earth or heaven, I will hear you and come to help you." This, then, was the way Pierrot was baptized. I pass over the sugar plums which the fairy Aurora showered in such quantities that the village children picked up 50,000 bushels and a half, without counting what the birds, hares, and squirrels ate. When Pierrot was eighteen, the fairy Aurora took him aside and said : a Great Wm'rio7'. " My friend Pierrot, your education is now finished ; you know all you ought to 1-cnow : you speak Latin hke Cicero, Greek like Demosthenes ; you know English, German, Italian, Coptic, Hebrew, Sanscrit, and Chal- dee ; you thoroughly understand physics, metaphysics, chemistry, chiromancy, magic, meteorology, dialectics, sophistry, clinics, and hydrostatics. Your have read all the philosophers, and can re- peat all the poets. You run like a steam-engine, and your wrists are so strong and well knit, that you could carry on your outstretched arms a lad- der with a man at the top of it, balancing Strasburg cathe- dral on the tip of his nose. You have good teeth, good feet, and good eyes. What line do you propose to take .'' " " I want to be a soldier," said Pierrot. " I want to go to war, kill a great many enemies, become a great general, and win immortal glory which will hand my name down for ever and ever." " Amen," said the fairy, smiling. " You are still young and have time to throw away. I consent ; but if any accident happens don't reproach me with it. These babies of men are all alike," she added, in a lower tone, as if she were talking to herself, " and the most sensible 6 How Pierrot became of them will die without having any more sense than his great-grandfather, Adam, when he came out of Eden." Pierrot heard the aside distinctly, but it took no effect on him apparently. " There are none so deaf as those that won't hear," says the proverb. His eyes were dazzled with the glories of the uniform, the gold epaulettes, red trousers, blue tunics, and medals which glittered on the breasts of the higher officers. The sword that hung from their belts seemed to him the most beautiful and most useful instrument ever devised by the genius of man. And a horse, as my readers will all easily understand, was the ambitious Pierrot's highest dream. " It is glorious to be a foot soldier," he said ; " but to be a horse guard is divine ! If I were a god I would dine on horseback." His dream was nearer reality than he thought. " Embrace your father and mother," said the fairy, " and let us go." " Where to .'" said Pierrot. " To glory, since you wish it ; and mind we don't break our necks, for it is a hard road." Who can tell the grief of the poor miller's wife when she heard Pierrot's plan ! "Alas!" she cried, " I nourished you from my breast, I cherished you with my caresses and kisses, brought you up and taught you, and in return you are goino- to be killed in the king's service ! Why should you want a Great Warrior. 7 to be a soldier, my unhappy Pierrot ? What do you lack here ? Have you not always had what you wished for at all times ? Pierrot, I beseech you, do not give me the agony of having you one day brought home dead or crippled. What shall we do then ? What will your father do, whose arm is worn out, and can work no longer ? How, and on what are we to live ?" " Forgive me, poor mother," said the infatuated Pierrot, " it is my calling : I feel that I was born for war." Here his mother began to weep. The miller, who had hitherto said nothing, broke in with — " You can go, Pierrot, if you feel that to be your calling which tells you to cut a man's head off, or rip him with a sword-cut, and spill his entrails on the ground. The voice of parents goes for nothing, and never is, and never will be, attended to by children. They believe nothing except experience. Go, then, and try to get the experience as quickly as ever you can." " But must we not fight for our country .-' " said Pierrot. " When the country is attacked," said the miller, " the children must go against the enemy, and the fathers show them the road. But you know well, my poor Pierrot, that there is no danger, we are at peace with all the world." " But—" " Another but ! Be off with you, and go ! " said his father, as he embraced him. Pierrot went, surly, but determined. If the good 8 How Pierrot became fairy was sorry for his parents, she knew very well that a little experience was necessary to upset Pierrot's conceit, and she was confidently hopeful about the future. For a long time they walked side by side in silence. At last, after some days, they reached the king's palace. Pierrot was so dazzled by the marble columns, the gilt iron railings, the guards decked with gold lace, and the horsemen galloping through the crowd, sword in hand, to announce liis majesty's approach, that he quite forgot the remonstrances of his pa- rents. As he was staring, open-mouthed, at this sight, so new to him, the king passed in his coach, preceded and followed by a large body-guard. It wanted five minutes to noon, and the royal family were going to dinner after their outing. The coachman seemed in a great hurry, lest his ma- jesty should be kept waiting ; but suddenly an un- expected accident stopped the coach. One of the outriders' horses started, and the page who rode it, a youth of about Pierrot's age, was thrown against a stone and broke his skull. All the others stopped at the same moment, to help him, or at least to prevent trampling on him with their horses. a Great Warrior. g " Well, what's the matter ? " said the king, testily, putting his head out at the window. " Sire," one of the pages answered, " one of my com- rades has just fallen from his horse, and is killed." " The blockhead ! " said the king. " Let him be buried and another take his place. Am I to run the risk of having my soup cold, because a booby has broken his head .■' " This great king'argued very well. If each sovereign, having thirty millions of subjects, were to think of each one of them successively, and without intermission, during the forty years of his reign, he would not have a single minute to eat, drink, sleep, walk, hunt, or think for himself Moreover he could not, in the whole course of his life, give to each of his subjects more than half-a- minute's thought ; evidently that is rather too little. This was the opinion of the great Vantripan, Emperor of China, Thibet, Mongolia, the peninsula of Corea, and of all the Chinese, crooked or straight, black or yellow, white or tawny, whom heaven has placed between the Koukounoor and Himalaya mountains. As, therefore, he could not think of all his subjects either collectively or individually, he thought only of himself By my telling you of the nations under this great king, you will see, my friends, that China was the scene of Pierrot's first exploit. But you need not therefore suppose that Pierrot was a Chinese. On the contrary, he was born some way off, in the forest of Ardennes, lO How Pierrot became but the fairy had by enchantment (the secret of which I would gladly tell you, only she keeps it to herself), at the end of three days' march, transported Pierrot while he was asleep and unconscious, to the banks of the Yellow River, where the porcelain-eyed mandarins quench their thirst, and shake their heads for ever. But let us go back to the king, and his rage lest he should find his soup cold. At the outbreak of the royal anger all the escort trembled. The king was just in the humour to crack the heads of three hundred courtiers like nuts to aven^^e such an insult. They each looked among the crowd to find some one to replace the unhappy page. a Great Warrior. 1 1 The fairy Aurora touched Pierrot's elbow, and he, without hesitation, seized the reins, put his foot in the stirrup, and mounted the horse. " What is your name ? " asked Vantripan. " Pierrot, sire, at your service." " You're a very impudent rascal. Who told you to mount that horse .'' " " Yourself, sire." " I .? " " You, sire; did you not say, ' Let him be buried ; and some one else take his place 1 ' I take his place. Ought not all the world to obey you ? I do ! " " And where is your uniform .'' " At this, Pierrot was embarrassed for a minute, but the fairy came to his aid. She touched him with her wand, and in the twinkling of an eye, Pierrot was dressed like his new companions. Then the king, who had turned to speak to the queen, put his head out again sharply. " Sire," said Pierrot, " Fm ready." " What, are you dressed ? " " Sire, did I not say that all the earth ought to obey you > You wished me to put on uniform. I have done so." " You are a remarkable phenomenon," said Vantripan. " But my soup won't be worth eating. To the palace — at full gallop, too !" In a second, the coach, body-guard, and Pierrot dis- appeared, leaving thirty thousand loungers astounded 1 2 How Pierrot became at Pierrot's impudence, his quickness in dressing, and Vantripan's kindness to him. At the same time, rain drove them home to their families, where the rest of that day, and the three following, nothing was talked of except the new page. Pierrot marvelled at his good luck. "Why," said he, " if I am admitted to court so quickly, I may go on to good fortune, who knows .'" With these ambitious thoughts they reached the palace. Pierrot was going to dismount with the others, and follow the king to dinner, but the governor of the pages stopped him. " Mount guard at once," he said. " I am dying of hunger," Pierrot answered. " You answer me t You shall have eight days' im- prisonment for that. But now mount guard, sword in hand, before the vestibule. Hear your orders : whoever tries to enter without the password, cut off his head ; and if you fail, your own will be cut off to teach you how to live." Thus saying, the governor went with a grave mien to his room, where a good dinner, with a pleasant fire, and capital wine awaited him. It was the month of November, and Pierrot, decked with gold lace, but thinly clad withal, mounted guard before the vestibule. In front of him the royal cooks kept on bringing succulent dishes in quantities, some for the king, some for the officers of the household ; for a Great Warrior. 13 the queen's bed-chamber women, for the stewards — for everybody, in short, except the desolate Pierrot. Each dish sent up a dehcious smell, which sadly tanta- lized the unhappy page's appetite. The scullions grinned as they passed him, and looked at each other with mocking gestures. " There is a horseman whose digestion will be easy," said one of them. " A velvet coat, and an empty stomach," said another. Pierrot, soaked with rain, and thoroughly chilled, unable to warm his left-hand fingers, which held the bridle, or his right hand, which held his sword, and very hungry, heartily cursed the king, queen, court, courtiers, and the evil wish which had made him leave his father and mother to take military service. Presently the fairy Aurora had compassion on his suffering. " Pierrot," she said, " look in your saddle-bag, and eat." In the saddle-bag he only found a piece of dry, hard bread, which the poor hungry wretch ate in a very few minutes. Thus did he realize his dream of dining on horseback. As he finished, three o'clock struck. Van- tripan had dined, too, but much better, and more com- fortably. " Zounds," said he, as he appeared on the balcony of the first floor of the palace, " I have had a capital dinner ! " and he began to loosen his waist-belt to breathe more easily. 14 How Pierrot became «ps-^ " Who is that page on guard there ? " he added, casting his royal glance on poor Pierrot. " Sire," said an officer, " it is tliat young man who offered himself for your majesty's service in so singular a manner." " Faith ! " said the king, " when I have eaten and drunk well, I like all my subjects to be happy. Come here, page. You," he said, turning to the minister of war, who had dined with him, " draw your sabre, and can,'e this roast capon for me." As Pierrot came up Vantripanthrew the capon to him, and he caught it so cleverly that he received general applause. People, when they have dined well, are not, as ^ve well know, particular in the choice of their jokes, and royal jokes, whatever direction they take, are always good, of course. . Heaven forbid ! You have not a more faithful friend than I am, now my rights to the throne of China are recognized. What do I want } why, only peace, tranquillity, and the maintenance of order, and the welfare of honest folk." Prince Horribilis, more terrified than his father, had a Great IP amor. 29 heard this dialogue without saying a word ; but when he saw the audacity and the success of Pantafilando, anger gave him courage, and he came forward to the middle of the hall. "You forget," he said to the giant, "that the Salic law obtains in China, and that the crown cannot come to my sister, as she is only a woman." " And I — am I a woman .' " cried Pantafilando, in a voice of thunder. "Come, you worm, if you dare to dispute the crown with me, I'll cut you in two with one stroke ! " With these words he seized his scimitar, which was forty feet long, and which twenty strong men could not 30 How Pierrot became lift. Horribilis, trembling, ran to hide himself behind the Minister of War, who hid himself behind Princess Bandoline's chair. Taking this sign of fear as a sign of submission, the giant continued in a milder tone — " Chinese and Tartars, since Providence has seen fit to call me, however unworthy, to the government of this fair country, I swear to fulfil my duties as sovereign religiously, and demand that you shall swear fidelity to me, as well as to my august spouse, the beauteous Bandoline." " We swear," cried the whole assembly with the enthusiasm usual on such occasions. Pierrot said nothing. The giant knelt, and was going to kiss his betrothed's hand : she, frightened at seeing herself joined to such a man, could not help hiding her face with her hands and weeping. " No prudery or affectation !" cried Pantafilando, "or by heaven ! I will — " " What will you do '>. " said Pierrot in a tone which drew the attention of all to him. Till now our friend had prudently held his tongue. At bottom he really cared very little whether Vantripan or Pantafilando reigned over China. " What does it matter to me.'" bethought : "Vantripan has nominated me captain of his guards, and I am ready to fight for him if he gives me the signal ; but if he does not call me to his help, lets himself be dethroned, and prefers a Great Warrior. 31 peace to war, why should I get knocked about for him ? if the Chinese put up with Tartars, why should not I ? " These thoughts made him keep neutral till he saw Bandoline begin to weep. And here I must tell of a weakness of Pierrot's. He was in love with the princess. I am very sorry for it, for Pierrot was only a peasant ; and if we see kings marry shepherdesses, we very rarely see queens marry shepherds. But love knows no reason, and Pierrot passed all the nights he was on guard watching under the window of the too-much-adored Bandoline. He loved her because she was beautiful, and also — though he did not admit it — because she was the king's daughter, and had magnificent clothes. Pierrot used to say, " I am a captain, I shall be a general, conquer the enemy, and take a kingdom, and then I will offer it to the fair Bandoline with my hand." He did not tell his project to his godmother, who was generally his confidante, but she guessed it. " The moth zvill burn itself in the candle," she said ; " so much the worse for it. Man never becomes wise save at his own cost. It is not I that made the law, but I don't want to help him to break it." The amorous Pierrot, therefore, was filled with indig- nation when he saw his adored princess on the point of passing into the giant's hands ; with an impulse, of which he was not master, he drew his sword. Pantafilando was so astounded, that he found not a 32 How Pierrot became word to say. Then, in his rage, his blood mounted to his face with such force that he seemed hkely to have an apoplexy ; his forehead knit, and his terrible eyes flashed like lightning. All present trembled : Pierrot the in- domitable alone was not shaken. The princess gave him a look in which recognition of his service, and fear lest he should fall in the unequal combat, strove for the mastery. This look raised Pierrot's soul to heaven. " Take the kingdom of China, Thibet, and Mongolia," he cried; "take the kingdom of Nepaul, where the rocks are made of diamonds ; take Lahore and Cashmere, which is the valley of paradise on earth ; take the king- dom of the Grand Lama if you will, but take not my dear princess, or I will kill you like a pig !" " And you," said Pantafilando, in a transport of rage, " if you don't take flight, I will take your ears." With these words, raising his sabre, he dealt a furious blow at Pierrot, but he avoided it by leaping aside. The sabre struck the table of the dining-hall, cut it in two, and went into the floor like a knife through a pat of butter; it went through to the cellar, cutting off the head of a wretched butler, who, profiting by the general disorder, was drinking his majesty's Shiraz wine, and stuck more than ten feet in the ground. While the giant was trying to get his sword out, Pierrot seized a bronze goblet, chased by the celebrated Li-Ki, the greatest sculptor China ever had, and threw it at the giant's head with such swiftness, that if, instead of hittino- While the giant was trying to get his sword out, Pierrot seized a bronze goblet and threw it at his head. Page 32. a Great Warrior. 33 the giant on the head as it did, it had struck the wall it would have made a hole like a cannon ball from a 48-pounder. But Pantafilando's forehead was of metal far superior even to the diamond itself He was scarcely stunned by the blow, and, without leaving off pulling at his sword, he picked up one of the three generals who had followed him, and who looked on at the combat in silence, and threw him at Pierrot. The wretched Tartar struck the wall, and his head was crushed like a bunch of ripe grapes under the vintagers' feet. At this the queen and princess, who alone remained in the hall after the flight of the court ladies, fainted with fright. Pierrot himself felt affected. All the other spectators, still and pale, kept in the background along the wall, and measured with their eyes the distance between the window and the Yellow River, which ran at the foot of the palace. Unfortunately Pantafilando had closed the door before the fight began. Vantripan cried out as loud as he could, " Well done, Signor Pantafilando ! kill the wretch for me who has dared to raise his hand against my beloved son-in-law, against Heaven's anointed." Prince Horribilis, not less terrified, loudly called on heaven to take vengeance on the rash, sacrilegious Pierrot, who dared attack his brother-in-law and sister's lover. " Cowardly rascals," thought Pierrot, " if I die they will pitch me in the gutter, and if I conquer they will D 34 How Pierrot became receive the fruits of my victory. I have a great mind to leave them in the lurch, and make peace with Panta- filando ; nothing would be easier ; only then I must give up Bandoline." All at once he saw that his fair princess had fainted. At the same time Pantafilando, opening the door, called to his Tartars to come to his help. " I was a great fool to wait for them," said Pierrot, and, with a spring, he seized his beloved by the waist with one hand, with the other he opened the window, and leapt with Bandoline into the Yellow River. His action was so quick and unexpected, that the giant had no time to prevent it. With impotent rage he saw Pierrot swim to the opposite bank, and there give thanks to heaven for saving his princess and himself from a terrible misfortune. At Pantafilando's cr)' the hundred thousand Tartars started at once and came up into the palace. Their spurs were heard on the staircase. " Great emperor," said the first who appeared on the threshold, " what do you wish ; are we to plunder, or kill, or burn .■■ we are ready." "You have come too late, you fool !" cried the giant, at the same time giving him a box on the ears, which spun him round, and threw him on to the second, who fell on the third, the third on the fourth, and all, to the very last of those hundred thousand, fell one over the other like a house of cards — such was the force of that first blow. a Great Warrior. 35 When they had got up again, "Take boats," said the giant, "cross the river, and run after Pierrot. Bring him to me, dead or alive ; if you come without him I will behead you all." These words gave courage to everybody. They jumped into the boats, crossed the stream, and hunted for Pierrot, but they could find no traces of him. Pierrot and Bandoline had disappeared. The unhappy Tartars came back hanging their heads, like hounds who have missed the game. Pantafilando had all their right ears cut off and thrown into the streets to frighten the Chinese, and let them know the sort of master they had to deal with. Vantripan and Horribilis were not the last to con- 36 How Pierrot became a Great Warrior. gratulate Pantafilando on this act of justice. The queen kept silence. She could not blame her daughter for trying to escape the giant ; but, on the other hand, how could she excuse a young princess who had jumped into the water with the son of a miller .' Meanwhile, what had become of Pierrot and the fair Bandoline .'' You will know, my friends, if you care to read the next chapter. SECOND ADVENTURE Pierrot Restores Dynasties. UCKILY, the fresh - waterbroughtBan- '" dolinetohersenses. - _ Pierrot took ad- r vantage to explain, ^ quickly, how it came about that he had crossed the Yellow River by a swim so uncom- fortable and un- usual for a great princess, and finished his dis- course with a thousand protestations of devotion. 38 Pierrot restores Dynasties. Bandoline hesitated to reply. She knew she ought either to laugh or to be angry. To laugh at the chagrin of the terrible Pantafilando, who thought he should marry her; or to be angry at Pierrot's audacity in daring, without asking her, to plunge her in the river. True, he had saved her, but he had shown a devotion too strong to be disinterested. She got over her embarrass- ment by saying, that though no doubt there were some details in the matter which were reprehensible, yet she could not on the whole but recognize the trouble Pierrot had taken for her : that she accepted his declaration of devotion, knowing it to be offered not to her only, but to the whole illustrious race of Vantripan : that neither her father, mother, or brother would ever forget the service he had rendered, and probably before many days they would be in a position to requite it worthily. Pierrot gave no further explanation. He saw clearly that this was not a fit moment for doing it, and, more- over, on the opposite bank the Tartars were already assembling. He kissed the magic ring three times and invoked the fairy Aurora. She at once appeared, and said, "Friend Pierrot, you are getting into the habit of acting without consulting me, and then, when you find yourself in a fix, you call me to help you. This confi- dence is flattering but tiresome." " Alas ! good godmother," said Pierrot, throwing him- self at her feet and kissing her hand, " are not you my Pierrot restores Dynasties. 39 refuge always ? If you scorn me to whom shall I go ? Are you not the most beautiful, the sweetest, and kindest of fairies ? " "He flatters me," said the fairy, "because he needs me. Well, what is it you want ? " This dialogue was spoken in a low voice, and Bando- line, taken up with drying her dress, and pulling out her crinoline, did not see the fairy, who was invisible to all save Pierrot, and did not hear a word she said. She only saw Pierrot speaking in a low tone on his knees, and thought he was praying. " First of all," said Pierrot, " the princess and I must get to a place of safety, for there are ten thousand Tartars crossing the river in pursuit : and next, is there any way of getting this beautiful, persecuted princess a throne .'' " " We shall see," said the fairy. " But my boy, now you are playing the knight-errant, don't count too much on the good graces of your lady. Remember, she will be twice ungrateful, as a woman and as a queen, for none are so forgetful and ungrateful as kings and women ; and don't come afterwards and weep out your love-troubles to me." " Never fear, adorable godmother," said Pierrot ; " I require no reward for my services, so I cannot think her ungrateful." "Well, well, that is your look-out. But don't you trust that little woman." 40 Pierrot restores Dynasties. With these words, just as the Tartars reached the bank, she took up Pierrot and Bandoline in a cloud, and put them down a hundred and fifty leagues from thence in a small wood, near which Vantripan's army- was encamped. This army consisted of five hundred thousand Chinese who received for pay a ration of rice every morning and leave to go and drink in the Yellow River, which ran near them. Each soldier naturally took with him to the service courage and patriotic zeal in proportion to his ration of rice. That is, whenever a Tartar appeared on the left, he disappeared on the right. An accident, said the Chinese, so often happens ; when two men of war have arms in their hands, and they are enemies, and there is no one by to separate them, it is much better for them to separate of their own accord than to run the risk of cutting their throats, when perhaps they are fathers of families, or likely to become so. This was the reason why, at the first sound of Pantafilando's entry into China, the commander-in-chief gave the first order and first example of retreat, and they pitched their camp more than two hundred leagues away from the route the Tartars would have to take. Pierrot and the princess, when they were put down on the ground again, lost no time in going to the com- mander-in-chief's tent. This gallant warrior, by name Barakhan, was Vantripan's nephew, and he had more than once cast envious eyes on his cousin, and on the Pierrot restores Dynasties. 4 1 crown his uncle wore. For this reason, Vantripan, with his usual perception,' put him at the head of the army, to get rid of him from the court. As soon as the princess had told her misfortunes, and described the exploits of Pierrot to her cousin, he clapped his hands, and a slave appeared. " Call the generals to council, and order the whole army to get under arms ! " In the meantime he assumed royal robes, and when all the principal officers were assembled, to Pierrot's disgust, he took his cousin's hand and said, " Friends, Vantripan is dethroned ; Horribilis isn't much better ; they are both prisoners of cruel Pantafi- lando's. I am, therefore, lawful heir to the throne, and I am about to marry my cousin, whom you see here, Princess Bandoline, Queen of Beauty. If any one of you opposes me in this, I shall have him impaled." " Long live King Barakhan the First 1 " cried all present with one voice. Princess Bandoline turned her eyes on Pierrot, look- ing so beautiful and languishing, that he could not resist it. " Down with Barakhan, the usurper," he cried, cou- rageously. " May Vantripan, our lawful king, live for ever ! " " Seize that man, and impale him ! " said Barakhan. Pierrot drew his scimitar and whirled it round in the air: three of the mandarins' heads rolled off like ripe 42 Pierrot restores Dynasties. apples at the'usurper's feet; all turned and fled ; Barakhan himself ran out of the tent calling for his guards. In a few minutes, Pierrot was surrounded by six thousand men ; none dared come near him, but they hurled stones and darts at him like hail. "Where can I hide myself.'"' thought our hero; and V/JI ''■''^■^ 'l'k''