This is the story of guarding Golden Plovers. There was a woman who had three sons: the first son said that he had been at home for quite a long time and that it was time for him to go and seek his fortune.
Guard of the Golden Plovers
– Very good, said the mother, very good, my son, she said, you can set off tomorrow morning.
The next day, the mother made a cake, and when he was ready to set off, she said to him:
– Which of the two do you prefer, my son, she said, the small half with my blessing, or the large half and my curse?
– Well, he said, I prefer the big half, whatever thing you give me with it.
She then gave him the large half, he put it in his bag and left; she stayed at his door to cast her curse on him until he was gone out of sight.
He went on until he was tired and when the middle of the day came he came to the edge of a wood; there was a fallow field on the edge of the woods and a fountain at the foot of a tree in one corner.
– That's good, he said to himself, I'm going to sit here by the fountain and have a bite to eat since I'm tired and hungry.
He sat down by the fountain, and when he looked inside, he saw that the upper part was honey and the lower part was blood; he took out his cake and began to eat, when a little dog came to the west of him and asked for a portion of his cake.
– In truth, I won’t give you a piece big or small, he said to himself.
The little dog left; he put his tail in the fountain so that the upper part became blood and the lower part became honey.
– You would have done better, he said, to give me the piece I asked you for.
The son then set out before him, through the world, to seek his fortune, and he came to a large house where he remained a farmer.
- What are you looking for ? the farmer told him.
“I’m looking to put myself into service,” he said.
– Are you a good day laborer?
– Good enough, said this one, I will do everything possible.
– Very good, said the master of the house, here is the deal I will make with you, if you are not capable of doing the work that I give you, I will cut off your head.
They made the deal together; he then had a good supper, a bed, and he went to bed.
In the morning, the next day, he got up and when he had had his lunch, the farmer led him outside to the stable he owned, he opened the door and what did he see coming out? Twelve golden plovers.
– This is the work I give you, he said, to pasture them during the day and bring them home in the evening.
Thereupon he left him.
– My goodness, said the boy, this is a work that I will not be able to do and I am lost, he said.
The plovers left, he followed them, but they were soon out of sight and my poor man got tired of looking for them; he had to come home without them in the evening, and his head was cut off.
Now, the following year, the second son said he would go and seek his fortune. The mother baked him a cake and asked him which of the two he preferred, the small half with his blessing or the large half with his curse.
- Oh! give me the great half, he said, whatever thing, blessing or curse you give me with it.
He then left and the mother stayed to cast her curse on him until he was out of sight.
When he arrived at the fountain, the upper part of which was honey and the lower part blood, the little dog came and asked him for a piece of his cake; he did not get it and he put his tail in the fountain so that the upper part became blood and the lower part became honey. He went before him, then, to the house of the same farmer where his brother had been; the master of the house made the same deal with him and as he could not keep the plovers, his head was cut off.
So the following year, the young son said to the mother:
“It is time for me, mother,” he said, “to set out now to seek my fortune.
“You can, my son,” she said, “wait until tomorrow morning, and then you can leave,” she said.
In the morning, the next day, she made a cake and asked him:
– Which of the two do you prefer, the big half and my curse or the small half and my blessing?
– I prefer, said this one, the little half and your blessing.
“You will have it, my son,” she said.
He then left and she stayed giving him her blessing until he was out of sight; then he walked until the middle of the day came and he arrived at the fountain where the upper part was honey and the lower part blood. So he sat down and pulled out his cake; the little dog came to the west of him and asked him for a drop to drink and a piece to eat.
– Oh, I will not give you a drop or a morsel, said he, but come here to me and eat your portion as I myself, I will share with you all that I have.
– You have a good heart, said the little dog, and that’s good for you.
They ate and drank together as much as they wanted.
When he got up, to set off, the little dog said to him:
– You are going to seek your fortune as your two brothers did before you; you will go to a large house and the master of the house will ask you if you want to enter his service; your two brothers were in this house before you, and as they could not do their work their heads were cut off; this is the work that the master of the house will give you to do: to look after twelve plovers, and to bring them home with you in the evening. You couldn't do this without help; here is a little flute for you. Blow into it and the plovers will come to you, but on your soul, do not part with them or you will be lost.
The dog then left.
The boy set out, he went and went for a long time until he reached the height of the big house; the master of the house went out and asked him what he was looking for.
– I’m looking for work, said this one.
- What can you do?
– Whatever work you give me to do, I will do my best to carry it out, said the latter.
– This is the deal I will make with you, said the master of the house; If you are not able to do the work I am going to give you, I will cut off your head.
– And if I am able to do it, said the boy, will you give me permission to cut off your head?
– I certainly won’t give it to you, said he, but I will give you a good salary for your work.
They made a deal and they arranged things together in this way; the boy found a supper and a good bed and went to bed.
In the morning, the next day, when he had eaten his lunch, the farmer led him to the barn, he opened the door, the twelve plovers came out instantly and there they were in the air.
“This is the work you have to do today, to look after the plovers,” said the farmer, “and let them all be back with you this evening, or I will cut off your head.
When he was out of sight the boy drew his little flute, he blew into it and all the plovers came around him.
“Don’t go too far from me now,” he said.
A servant came to bring him his dinner; when he had eaten it and the servant was gone, he blew into his flute and the plovers came around him.
“Don’t go too far from me,” he said.
When he was about to leave in the evening he blew his flute again and gathered them all together, and when the farmers and the people of the house saw him coming they were most astonished in the world that the twelve plovers were with him.
– I see that you have done your work this time, said the farmer.
– Oh yes, it’s not difficult, said our man.
He ate his supper that night and went to bed. The farmer and his wife were amazed that he had been able to bring the plovers home with him and they counseled together all night long to find out what they would do to find out what sort of thing he had. to round up the plovers.
The next day, as he was guarding the plovers around midday, they sent their young daughter to bring him her dinner; while he was eating, she made conversation with him and she asked him how he could round up the wild plovers.
- With this little flute, said the latter, pulling it, wait a little until I have eaten my dinner and I will show you how they will arrive when I have blown into them.
When he had eaten his dinner he blew the flute and the plovers came around him.
– I gather them twice a day, he said, in the middle of the day, lest they go too far from me, and a second time when I go home in the evening.
The girl returned home and told them that the boy had a small flute, and that with it he gathered the plovers.
“We will have to get it,” they said.
When he came home that evening, the master told him that he would like to buy the little flute he had and that his wife could go and watch the plovers and that he would have nothing to do.
- Oh ! said this one, I don't want to part with it.
The woman then said that she would go herself and buy it from him; she was a very beautiful woman; she went to find him the next day with his dinner, and told him that she had heard her daughter say that he had a flute which gathered the plovers.
– Yes, he said.
– Won’t you show it to me? she says.
He pulled it out and showed it to her.
– Wouldn’t you sell it to me? she says.
– In truth, she is not for sale, said he, but what would you give me for her?
– I will give you five books, she says.
“I won’t give it to you,” he said.
“I’ll give you ten pounds,” she said.
“I won’t give it to you,” he said.
“I’ll give you fifty pounds,” she said.
“I won’t give it to you,” he said.
She went home, and he gathered plovers and led them home with him that night.
The next day, she returned to find him with dinner and promised him a hundred pounds for the flute.
– My flute is not for sale at all, he said.
The man got angry when the woman came home without the flute.
The next day she went to find him again with dinner.
– I will tell you, she said, the deal I am going to make with you; I'll give you two hundred pounds for your flute and something into the bargain.
– And what will there be on top of that? he said.
– Permission to kiss me for half an hour, she said.
“You must first give me what’s in the bargain,” he said.
He got what he asked for.
– Now, she said, give me the flute.
– In truth, I won't give it to you, he said, there is no danger of me giving it to you, I already told you that it was not for sale.
She had to go home like this without the slightest flute; she got very angry and said to her husband:
“The wretch who came here,” she said, “I cannot stay with him any longer; Drive him and his flute out of here altogether, and I will no longer have him before my eyes.
When the boy came home that evening with his plovers, the master told him that he no longer needed the day laborer.
“Go away,” he said.
– I did the work you gave me to do and I did it well, said the boy, and you promised me a good salary for my work; You will have to give me two full bags of gold and put them on this old mare.
He refused him, but in the end, as he held on, he gave him a bag of gold; the boy then left, he went home to find his mother and he was rich from that day on.
