Oldal 227 [227]
TOM THUMBS TRAVELS. 183
When Tom Thumb had set to work anew, they heard the
chink, chink of the money, and hastily rushed in to catch the
thief. But the little tailor, as he heard them coming, was too
quick for them, and, hiding in a corner, he covered himself up
with a dollar, so that nothing of him was to be seen, and then
he mocked the sentinels, crying, “ Here Iam!” They ran
about, and when they came near him, he was soon in another
corner under a dollar, crying, " Here I am!” Then the
sentinels ran towards him, and in a moment he was in a third
corner, crying, “ Here lam!” In this way he made fools of
them, and dodged them so long about the treasure-chamber,
that they got tired and went away. Then he set to work, and
threw the dollars out of the window, one after the other, till
they were all gone; and when it came to the last, as he flung
it with all his might, he jumped nimbly on it, and flew with it
out of the window. ‘The robbers gave him great praise, saying,
“ You are a most valiant hero; will you be our captain ? ”
But Tom Thumb thanked them, and said he would like to
see the world first. Then they divided the spoil; but the
little tailor’s share was only one farthing, which was all he was
able to carry.
Then binding his sword to his side, he bid the robbers
good day, and started on his way. He applied to several
master tailors, but they would not have anything to do with
him ; and at last he hired himself as indoor servant at an inn.
The maid servants took a great dislike to him, for he used to
see everything they did without being seen by them, and he
told the master and mistress about what they took from the
plates, and what they carried away out of the cellar. And
they said, " Wait a little, we will pay you out,” and took counsel
together to play him some mischievous trick. Once when one
of the maids was mowing the grass in the garden she saw Tom
Thumb jumping about and creeping among the cabbages, and
she mowed him with the grass, tied all together in a bundle, and
threw it to the cows. Among the cows was a big black one,
who swallowed him down, without doing him any harm. But
he did not like his lodging, it was so dark, and there was no
candle to be had. When the cow was being milked, he
cried out,
c Strip, strap, strull,
Will the pail soon be full ?”