Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/514

 4 7 8 Collectanea.

The King makes the young man his son. He sets out to go and bring the daughter of the King of the West.

He goes far, or he goes little. He sees a man with his ear to the ground. He asks him, — " Who are you ? " "I am the man who can hear what people are saying in their houses," he replies. " Oh, what a man ! " the other exclaims, " He can hear what people are saying in their houses ! "

" Do you think me a man ? The man who could pierce a steel shield with a steel lance, he is a man ! " The man says, — "Why, I am that man !" and the other replies, — "Then I will be your brother."

They travel on together. They see a man with a millstone hung on each foot, and still he sets one foot in Khezan, and the other in Stamboul. Then the young man exclaims, — "Why, what a man ! He has one foot here, and the other in Stamboul ! " "Do you think me a man?" returns this man. "The man who could pierce a steel shield with steel, he is a man." " Why, I am he !" "Then I will be your brother." They go on, the three of them.

On they go, until they see seven millstones grinding, and one man eating, but still he is hungry, for he cries, — " O mother, O father, I am dying of hunger ! " Then the young man exclaims, — " Why, what a man ! He eats the grist of seven mills, and still he cries, — " I am dying of hunger." "

The man answers, — " Do you think me a man? The man who struck the steel shield with the steel lance, and pierced it, he is a man!" "Why, I am he!" "Then I will be your brother." They go on.

They go on, and they see a man who has loaded a house upon his back, and is carrying it along. " Oh, what a man ! " this young man exclaims. " He has loaded a house upon his back, and is carrying it ! " The man answers, — " Do you think me a man? The man who pierces the steel shield with steel, he is a man ! " " Why, I am that man," he replies. " Then I am your brother ! " and they go on together.

They go on until they see a man who is holding his mouth before a stream of running water. An ocean of water comes. The man drinks it up, but he cries, — " O mother, O father, I am dying of thirst ! " Then this young man exclaims, — " Oh, what a man !