|| An Austrian folktale ||
Once there lived a couple who had three sons. Two of them passed for the handsomest fellows of the place; but they played every kind of trick on their brother, who was a hunchback.
At first the latter took no notice, but the brothers carried their tormenting so far that at last he was compelled to go away from home.
The hunchback went sorrowfully on, and wandered the whole day through the mountains with nothing more than some water and bits of bread.
Towards evening he was so weary that he swooned away, and lay on some rocks in a cavern.
When he woke up, he saw a dwarf trying to revive him. The dwarf asked him if he was hungry.
Indeed he was! He would eat anything!
The dwarf led him to another cave, gave him some food. The hunchback was very thankful and told the sorrowful tale of his journey. After he ate, he slept soundly.
The next day, the hunchback thanked the dwarf for his hospitality and prepared to leave.
The dwarf said, “You travel on strange path, but fear not. Keep this pipe for company. It can make anyone dance” and he bade goodbye.
He met a shepherd and thought he would try the power of the pipe. He started playing the pipe, whereupon the shepherd instantly began to dance. Even the sheep leaped joyously around in a circle.
Later that night he was passing through a forest, and was going to lie down and sleep by a bush, when he heard a noise, growing louder every moment. Concealed by a branch he observed a number of robbers, who were dividing their booty, consisting of many gold pieces. He thought the gold could give him a comfortable life.
His pipe occurred to him. Quickly he took it in his hand, and blew hard into it. Instantly the robbers got up and danced until they fell down. Then the hunchback came out, took the money and ran away.
He walked through the night and came to a place where the people seemed to be very sad.
He asked the cause, and learned that the landlord, who had been so good to the people, was going to sell his property, and move to another place.
The hunchback went to the proprietor, purchased his property, and became lord of the land.
He treated the tenants very kindly, only he was very fond of teasing them with his pipe.
One day there came two beggars, who begged an alms from him. He looked more closely at them, and recognized his two brothers.
He disclosed himself, and asked how it had come about that they were going round as beggars. They told him that soon after his departure a fire had broken out in the place, which consumed all their property.
And as the brothers had nothing left, they had set out, and so come to that place.
Then they begged the hunchback’s pardon for their behaviour to him in the past. He saw that his brothers had indeed changed, forgave them and retained them on his property.
They lived comfortably for a while. Then the hunchback left his brothers in charge of the property and set out for a new place.
At first the brothers refused, but as he would not listen to them, they let him go, and wished him much good luck on the journey.
He went on, and had wandered for some months, when one day a gentleman in splendid attire joined him.
They spoke of different things, and the gentleman showed him a box, saying that it would never be empty.
“I could use that,” said the hunchback.
The gentleman promised he would give the box if the hunchback agreed to bind his soul to the gentleman.But the hunchback refused, because he knew of an easier way of getting the box.
He took his pipe, and piped so long that at last the gentleman, who was actually a devil in disguise, fell all of a heap.
Then he took the box, went into a great city, and lived long, rich and respected. Whenever someone asked him his story he would smile and say, “You wouldn’t believe it!”
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