In the morning he ran to the nearest stream to wash himself, but to his
horror, when he caught sight of his face, he saw his nose had grown the
colour of an apple, and reached nearly to his waist. He started back
thinking he was dreaming, and put up his hand; but, alas! the dreadful
thing was true. “Oh, why does not some wild beast devour me?” he cried
to himself; “never, never, can I go again amongst my fellow-men! If
only the sea had swallowed me up, how much happier it had been for me!”
And he hid his head in his hands and wept. His grief was so violent,
that it exhausted him, and growing hungry he looked about for something
to eat. Just above him was a bough of ripe, brown nuts, end he picked
them and ate a handful. To his surprise, as he was eating them, he felt
his nose grow shorter and shorter, and after a while he ventured to
feel it with his hand, and even to look in the stream again! Yes, there
was no mistake, it was as short as before, or perhaps a little shorter.
In his joy at this discovery Tiidu did a very bold thing. He took one
of the apples out of his pocket, and cautiously bit a piece out of it.
In an instant his nose was as long as his chin, and in a deadly fear
lest it should stretch further, he hastily swallowed a nut, and awaited
the result with terror. Supposing that the shrinking of his nose had
only been an accident before! Supposing that that nut and no other was
able to cause its shrinking! In that case he had, by his own folly, in
not letting well alone, ruined his life completely. But, no! he had
guessed rightly, for in no more time than his nose had taken to grow
long did it take to return to its proper size. “This may make my
fortune,” he said joyfully to himself; and he gathered some of the
apples, which he put into one pocket, and a good supply of nuts which
he put into the other. Next day he wove a basket out of some rushes, so
that if he ever left the island he might be able to carry his treasures
about.
That night he dreamed that his friend the old man appeared to him and
said: “Because you did not mourn for your lost treasure, but only for
your pipes, I will give you a new set to replace them.” And, behold! in
the morning when he got up a set of pipes was lying in the basket. With
what joy did he seize them and begin one of his favourite tunes; and as
he played hope sprang up in his heart, and he looked out to sea, to try
to detect the sign of a sail. Yes! there it was, making straight for
the island; and Tiidu, holding his pipes in his hand, dashed down to
the shore.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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