The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old FavoritesTappan, Eva March
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The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old Favorites
Tappan, Eva March
Children's stories; Literature -- Adaptations
valiant Pentapolin with the naked arm; follow me, and you shall see
how easily I will revenge him on that infidel Alifanfaron of
Taprobana."
So saying, he charged into the midst of the squadron of sheep and
commenced to spear them with his lance with as much gallantry and
resolution as if he were verily engaging with his mortal enemies.
The shepherds and drovers, seeing their sheep go to wreck, called out
to him; till finding fair means ineffectual, they unloosed their
slings, and began to ply him with stones as big as their fists. But
the champion, disdaining such a distant war, spite of their showers of
stones rushed among the routed sheep, trampling both the living and
the slain in a most terrible manner, impatient to meet the general of
the enemy, and end the war at once. "Where, where art thou?" cried he,
"proud, Alifanfaron? Appear! See here a single knight who seeks thee
everywhere, to try now, hand to hand, the boasted force of thy
strenuous arm, and deprive thee of life, as a due punishment for the
unjust war which thou hast audaciously waged with the valiant
Pentapolin." Just as he had said this, while the stones flew about his
ears, one unluckily hit upon his small ribs, and had like to have
buried two of the shortest deep in the middle of his body.
The knight thought himself slain, or at least desperately wounded; and
therefore calling to mind his precious balsam, and pulling out his
earthen jug, he clapped it to his mouth; but before he had swallowed a
sufficient dose, souse comes another of those bitter almonds, that
spoiled his draught, and hit him so pat upon the jug, hand, and teeth,
that it broke the first, maimed the second, and struck out three or
four of the last. These two blows were so violent that the boisterous
knight, falling from his horse, lay upon the ground as quiet as the
slain; so that the shepherds, fearing he was killed, got their flock
together with all speed, and carrying away their dead, which were no
less than seven sheep, they made what haste they could out of harm's
way, without looking any further into the matter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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