Well, he put it into all the papers to find out who saved his daughter,
and who had the dragon's tongue and the princess's diamond ring, and was
without his forefinger. Whoever could show these signs should marry his
daughter and have his kingdom after his death. Well, any number of
gentlemen came from all parts of England, with forefingers cut off, and
with diamond rings and all kinds of tongues, wild beasts' tongues and
foreign tongues. But they couldn't show any dragons' tongues, so they
were turned away.
At last the little boy turned up, looking very ragged and desolated
like, and the king's daughter cast her eye on him, till her father grew
very angry and ordered them to turn the little beggar boy away.
"Father," says she; "I know something of that boy."
Well, still the fine gentlemen came, bringing up their dragons' tongues
that weren't dragons' tongues, and at last the little boy came up,
dressed a little better. So the old king says: "I see you've got an eye
on that boy. If it has to be him it must be him." But all the others
were fit to kill him, and cried out: "Pooh, pooh, turn that boy out, it
can't be him." But the king said: "Now, my boy, let's see what you have
to show." Well, he showed the diamond ring with her name on it, and the
fiery dragon's tongue. How the others were thunderstruck when he showed
his proofs! But the king told him: "You shall have my daughter and my
estate."
So he married the princess, and afterwards got the king's estate. Then
his step-father came and wanted to own him, but the young king didn't
know such a man.
The Wee, Wee Mannie
Once upon a time, when all big folks were wee ones and all lies were
true, there was a wee, wee Mannie that had a big, big Coo. And out he
went to milk her of a morning, and said--
"Hold still, my Coo, my hinny,
Hold still, my hinny, my Coo,
And ye shall have for your dinner
What but a milk white doo."
But the big, big Coo wouldn't hold still. "Hout!" said the wee, wee
Mannie--
"Hold still, my Coo, my dearie,
And fill my bucket wi' milk,
And if ye 'll be no contrairy
I'll gi'e ye a gown o' silk."
But the big, big Coo wouldn't hold still. "Look at that, now!" said the
wee, wee Mannie--
"What's a wee, wee mannie to do,
Wi' such a big contrairy Coo?"
So off he went to his mother at the house. "Mother," said he, "Coo
won't stand still, and wee, wee Mannie can't milk big, big Coo."
"Hout!" says his mother, "take stick and beat Coo."
So off he went to get a stick from the tree, and said--
"Break, stick, break,
And I'll gi'e ye a cake."
But the stick wouldn't break, so back he went to the house. "Mother,"
says he, "Coo won't hold still, stick won't break, wee, wee Mannie can't
beat big, big Coo."
"Hout!" says his mother, "go to the Butcher and bid him kill Coo."
So off he went to the Butcher, and said--
"Butcher, kill the big, big Coo,
She'll gi'e us no more milk noo."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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