A certain tailor had a son, who happened to be small, and
no bigger than a thumb, and on this account he was always
called thumbling. He had, however, some courage in him, and
said to his father, father, I must and will go out into the
world. That's right, my son, said the old man, and took a
long darning-needle and made a knob of sealing-wax on it at the
handle, and there is a sword for you to take with you on the way.
Then the little tailor wanted to have one more meal with them,
and hopped into the kitchen to see what his mother had cooked
for the last time. But it was already served, and the dish stood
on the hearth. Then he said, mother, what is there to eat to-day.
See for yourself, said his mother. So thumbling jumped on to the
hearth, and peeped into the dish, but as he stretched his neck
in too far the steam from the food caught hold of him, and carried
him up the chimney. He rode about in the air on the steam for a
while, until at length he sank down to the ground again. Now
the little tailor was outside in the wide world, and he traveled
about, and went to a master in his craft, but the food was not
good enough for him. Mistress, if you give us no better food,
said thumbling, I will go away, and early to-morrow morning
I will write with chalk on
the door of your house - too many potatoes, too little meat.
Farewell, mr. Potato-king. What would you have forsooth,
grasshopper, said the mistress, and grew angry, and seized
a dishcloth, and was just going to strike him, but my little
tailor crept nimbly under a thimble, peeped out from beneath it,
and put his tongue out at the mistress. She took up the thimble,
and wanted to get hold of him, but little thumbling hopped into
the cloth, and while the mistress was opening it out and looking
for him, he got into a crevice in the table. Ho, ho, lady
mistress, cried he, and thrust his head out, and when she began
to strike him he leapt down into the drawer. At last, however,
she caught him and drove him out of the house.
The little tailor journeyed on and came to a great forest, and
there he fell in with a band of robbers who had a design to
steal the king's treasure. When they saw the little tailor,
they thought, a little fellow like that can creep through a
key-hole and serve as picklock to us. HI, there, cried one of
them, you giant goliath, will you go to the treasure-chamber
with us. You can slip yourself in and throw out the money.
Thumbling reflected a while, and at length he said, yes, and went
with them to the treasure-chamber. Then he looked at the doors
above and below, to see if there was any crack in them. It was
not long before he espied one which was broad enough to let
him in. He was therefore about to get in at once, but one
of the two sentries who stood before the door, observed him, and
said to the other, what an ugly spider is creeping there, I
will kill it. Let the poor creature alone, said the other,
it has done you no harm. Then thumbling got safely through the
crevice into the treasure-chamber, opened the window beneath
which the robbers were standing, and threw out to them one
taler after another. When the little tailor was in the full
swing of his work, he heard the king coming to inspect his
treasure-chamber, and crept hastily into a hiding-place. The king
noticed that several solid talers were missing, but could not
conceive who could have stolen them, for locks and bolts were
in good condition, and all
seemed well guarded. Then he went away again, and said to the
sentries, be on the watch, someone is after the money. When
therefore thumbling recommenced his labors, they heard the money
moving, and a sound of klink, klink, klink. They ran swiftly
in to seize the thief, but the little tailor, who heard them
coming, was still swifter, and leapt into a corner and covered
himself with a taler, so that nothing could be seen of him, and
at the same time he mocked the sentries and cried, here am I.
The sentries ran thither, but as they got there, he had
already hopped into another corner under a taler, and was
crying, ho, ho, here am I. And thus he made fools of them,
and drove them so long round about the treasure-chamber that
they were weary and went away. Then by degrees he threw all the
talers out, dispatching the last with all his might, then hopped
nimbly upon it, and flew down with it through the window. The
robbers paid him great compliments. You are a valiant hero,
said they, will you be our captain.
Thumbling, however, declined, and said he wanted to see the
world first. They now divided the booty, but the little tailor
only asked for a kreuzer because he could not carry more.
Then he once more buckled on his sword, bade the robbers goodbye,
and took to the road. First, he went to work with some masters,
but he had no liking for that, and at last he hired himself
as manservant in an inn. The maids, however, could not endure
him, for he saw all they did secretly, without their
seeing him, and he told their employers what they had taken off
the plates, and carried away out of the cellar, for themselves.
Then said they, wait, and we will pay you out, and arranged with
each other to play him a trick. Soon afterwards when one of the
maids was mowing in the garden, and saw thumbling jumping about
and creeping up and down the plants, she mowed him up quickly with
the grass, tied all in a great cloth, and secretly threw it to
the cows. Now amongst them there was a great black one, who
swallowed him down without hurting him. Down below, however, it
did not suit him, for it
was quite dark, neither was any candle burning. When the cow
was being milked he cried,
strip, strap, strull,
when will the pail be full.
But the noise of the milking prevented his being understood.
After this the master of the house came into the stall and
said, that cow shall be killed to-morrow. Then thumbling was so
alarmed that he cried out in a clear voice, let me out first,
I am sitting inside her. The master heard that quite well,
but did not know from whence the voice came. Where are you, asked
he. In the black one, answered thumbling, but the master
did not understand what that meant, and went out.
Next morning the cow was killed. Happily thumbling did not meet
with one blow at the cutting up and chopping, he got among
the sausage-meat. And when the butcher came in and began his
work, he cried out with all his might, don't chop too deep,
don't chop too deep, I am amongst it. No one heard this because
of the noise of the chopping-knife. Now poor thumbling was in
trouble, but trouble sharpens the wits, and he sprang out so
adroitly between the blows that none of them touched him, and
he escaped with a whole skin. But still he could not get away,
there was nothing for it but to let himself be thrust into a
black-pudding with the bits of bacon. His quarters there were
rather confined, and besides that he was hung up in the chimney
to be smoked, and there time did hang terribly heavy on his hands.
At length in winter he was taken down again, as the black-pudding
had to be set before a guest. When the hostess was cutting
it in slices, he took care not to stretch out his head too
far lest a bit of it should be cut off, at last he saw his
opportunity, cleared a passage for himself, and jumped out.
The little tailor, however, would not stay any longer in a house
where he fared so ill, so at once set out on his journey again.
But his liberty did not last long. In the open country he met
with a fox who snapped him up without thinking. HI, there,
mr. Fox, cried
the little tailor, it is I who am sticking in your throat, set
me at liberty again. You are right, answered the fox. You
are next to nothing for me, but if you will promise me the
fowls in your father's yard I will let you go. With all my
heart, replied thumbling. You shall have all the cocks and hens,
that I promise you. Then the fox let him go again, and himself
carried him home. When the father once more saw his dear son,
he willingly gave the fox all the fowls which he had. For this
I likewise bring you a handsome bit of money, said thumbling, and
gave his father the kreuzer which he earned on his travels.
But why did the fox get the poor chickens to eat. Oh, you
silly, your father would surely love his child far more than the
fowls in the yard.
