Page:Segnius Irritant or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories.pdf/74

 And the gamekeeper entreated the ale-house keeper to conduct him on to the right road to the town. Mine host conducted him on to the road to the gallows, and went his way. When the gamekeeper had gone on some distance, the road came to an end, and he heard eleven strike. He could go no further, and remained lying there in the hopes that perhaps some one would come in the morning. After a little while he hears a tapping, then again some one comes, and no long time elapsed before a third joined the other two. Now it was three spirits who at night left their bodies and performed all sorts of abominations on earth. They began to talk among themselves, and one remarked: “’Tis exactly a year and a day since we were here together and related to one another our performances of the previous year. A year is again gone by, and the time has come for us to investigate which of us in the past year has done the best stroke of business.” The first answered, and said: ‘I deprived the inhabitants of the city of Ramuli of their water; but there is still help for them, if some one will discover what it is that stops up the source.” “And what pray is it?” says the second; and the first replies: “I have placed a great she-toad upon the source from which the water used to run; if this toad is taken away, the water will then again flow as before.” The second says: “I bewitched the princess of Sarahawsky, so that her beauty perishes, and she is shrinking into a skeleton; still there is help for her, if some one will draw out the silver broad-headed nail which is fixed above her couch.” The third said: “Yesterday evening I had another man deprived of the light of his eyes with a red hot iron; still there is help for him, if he laves his eyes with the water which is to be found in a well not far from this gallows.” After this, in the town it strikes twelve, and in a twinkling the three spirits vanish; the gamekeeper, however, carefully keeps in mind all he has heard, and rejoices to think that he will be able to get the light of his eyes again.

Early next morning he hears some one passing somewhere near, and begs him to send him people from the city to tell him where that good well is. After this, all sorts of people come to him, but none of them can shew him the well, until an old woman does so. He has himself conducted thither, and when he had washed his eyes, he then and there gets the light of his eyes again.

He now immediately enquires for the city of Ramuli, and sets off thither. As soon as he arrived there, he announced at once to the town council that he was willing to give them their water back.