Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner)/The Tinderbox

by Hans Christian Andersen

For other English-language translations of this work, see The Tinderbox.

THE TINDER-BOX

THE WITCH HOISTED THE SOLDIER UP FROM THE HOLLOW TREE.

THE TINDER-BOX

A SOLDIER came marching along the high road: one, two! one, two! He had his knapsack on his back and a sword by his side, for he had been in the wars, and he was now on his way home. He met an old witch on the road; she was a hideous-looking creature; her under-lip hung right down upon her breast.

"Good evening, soldier," she said. "What a fine sword, and what a big knapsack you have got. You are a real soldier! You shall have as much money as you want."

"Thank you, old witch," said the soldier.

"Do you see that tree?" said the witch, pointing at the tree which stood beside them. "It is quite hollow inside. You must climb to the top, where you will see a hole through which you can let yourself slide down, and get far down into the tree. I'll tie a rope round your waist, so that I can pull you up again when you call me."

"What shall I do down in the tree, then?" asked the soldier.

"Fetch money," said the witch. "You must know that when you get to the bottom of the tree you will find yourself in a large corridor; there is plenty of light there, for over a hundred lamps are burning there. You will then see three doors, which you can open; the keys are in the locks. When you get into the first chamber, you will see, in the middle of the floor, a large chest, on the top of which a dog is sitting; he has a pair of eyes as large as tea-cups, but you must not mind that. I will give you my blue-chequered apron, which you must spread out on the floor, then go quickly and take the dog, put him on my apron, open the chest, and take as many pennies as you like. They are all of copper; but if you would rather have silver, you must go into the next chamber; there a dog is sitting with a pair of eyes as large as mill-wheels, but you must not mind that; put him on my apron, and help yourself to the money. If, however, you want gold, you can have that as well, and as much as you can carry, if you will go into the third chamber. But the dog that sits on the money-chest there has eyes as big as the Round Tower.^[1] That 's the right sort of dog, I can tell you. But you must not trouble yourself about that. Only put the dog on my apron, and he won't harm you, and take as much gold as you like from the chest."

"That 's not at all bad," said the soldier. "But what shall I give you, old witch? For you are sure to want something, I should say."

"No," said the witch, "not a single penny will I have. You shall only bring me an old tinder-box, which my grandmother forgot the last time she was down there."

"Ah, indeed! Let me get the rope round my waist," said the soldier.

"Here it is," said the witch, "and here is my blue-chequered apron."

The soldier then climbed up into the tree, let himself plump down into the hole, and stood now, as the witch had said, in the great corridor below, where the many hundred lamps were burning.

So he opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog with eyes as large as tea-cups, staring at him.

"You are a nice fellow," said the soldier. He put the dog on the witch's apron, and took as many copper pennies as he had room for in his pocket; he then closed the chest, put the dog back again, and went into the second chamber. Ah! there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.

"You should n't look so hard at me," said the soldier; "it might hurt your eyes." And so he put the dog on the witch's apron; but when he

THE SOLDIER LIFTED THE DOG DOWN ON THE FLOOR AND OPENED THE CHEST.

saw all the silver money in the chest, he threw away all the copper money he had, and filled his pocket and his knapsack with silver only.

He then went into the third chamber. But oh, how horrid! The dog in there had really eyes as big as the Round Tower, and they went round in his head like two wheels!

"Good evening!" said the soldier, and touched his cap, for such a dog he had never seen before; but, after having looked at him for a while, he thought he had had enough of that, so he lifted the dog down on the floor and opened the chest. Great heavens! what a lot of gold! He could buy the whole of Copenhagen, and all the sugar-pigs from the sweetstuff women out of it, as well as all the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses in the world. Yes, there was plenty of money, sure enough.

The soldier now threw away all the silver shillings he had filled his pocket and his knapsack with, and took gold coins instead; all his pockets, his knapsack, his cap, and his boots were filled, so that he could scarcely walk. Now he had plenty of money! He put the dog back on the chest, slammed the door to, and cried up the tree:

"Pull me up, old witch!"

"Have you got the tinder-box with you?" asked the witch.

"Why, no!" said the soldier. "I had forgotten all about it"; and so he went and fetched it. The witch hoisted him up, and there he stood again on the high-road, with his pockets, boots, knapsack, and cap full of money.

"What are you going to do with the tinder-box?" asked the soldier.

"That has nothing to do with you," said the witch; "you have got your money! Give me the tinder-box!"

"Nonsense!" said the soldier; "just tell me at once what you are going to do with it, or I'll draw my sword and cut your head off!"

"No!" said the witch.

The soldier then cut her head off. There she lay. But he tied up all his money in her apron, carried it on his back like a bundle, put the tinder-box in his pocket, and set out straight for the town.

It was a fine town; he put up at the best inn, ordered the very best rooms, and the dishes he was fond of; for now he was rich, since he had so much money.

The servant who was going to clean his boots thought, of course, they were funny old boots for such a rich gentleman to wear, for he had not yet bought himself new ones. The next day, however, he got new boots and fine clothes; and now the soldier looked like a fine gentleman, and the people told him all about the grand things in their town, and about the king, and what a beautiful princess his daughter was.

"Where can one get to see her?" asked the soldier.

"She is not to be seen at all," they all said; "she lives in a big palace of copper, with many walls and towers round about it. No one but the king can go in and out there, because it has been predicted that she will be married to quite a common soldier, and that the king will not hear of."

"I should like to see her," thought the soldier; but that, of course, he would not be permitted to do.

So he began leading a merry life; he went to the theater, drove in the king's park, and gave a deal of money to the poor, which was very good of him. He knew from past experience how terrible it was to be without a penny.

He was now rich, had fine clothes, and a number of friends who all said he was a 'jolly fellow,' a real cavalier, and this the soldier liked much to hear. But as he went on paying out money everyday and received none at all in return, he was at last left with only two pennies, and was obliged to give up the pretty rooms he had been living in, and to move to a small, tiny garret, right under the roof, where he had to brush his own boots and to mend them with a darning-needle; and none of his friends came to see him, for there were so many stairs to walk up!

One dark evening he found he was not even able to buy himself a candle, when suddenly he remembered that there was a candle-end in the tinder-box, which he had taken out of the hollow tree into which the witch had helped him. He brought out the tinder-box and the candle-end, but as soon as he struck fire and the sparks flew from the flint, the door was burst open, and the dog, whom he had seen down under the tree, and who had eyes as large as tea-cups, stood before him and said: "What are master's orders?"

"Hullo! what's this?" said the soldier; "this is a jolly tinder-box, if I can get what I want in this way. "Bring me some money!" he said to the dog; and off the dog went; and the next minute he was back again, holding a large bag full of money in his mouth.

The soldier now knew what a splendid tinder-box it was. It he struck it once, the dog who was sitting on the chest with the copper money came; if he struck it twice, the one who had the silver money appeared; and if he struck it thrice, the one who had the gold came.

So the soldier moved down into his pretty rooms again, put on his fine clothes, and then all his friends knew him at once, and appeared to be very fond of him.

One day he thought to himself: it's very strange one cannot get a sight of that princess! She is so very beautiful, they all say! But what can be the good of that, when she must always sit inside that great copper palace with the many towers. Shall I never be able to see her, I wonder. Where is my tinder-box? He struck a light, and there stood the dog with eyes as large as tea-cups!

It's in the middle of the night, I know," said the soldier, "but I should like so much to see the princess, only for a moment!"

THE SOLDIER COULD SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW HOW THE PEOPLE WERE HURRYING OUT OF THE
TOWN TO SEE HIM HANGED. HE HEARD THE DRUMS GOING AND SAW THE SOLDIERS MARCHING.

The dog was out of the room in an instant, and before the soldier could give it a thought, he saw him returning with the princess, who was sitting on the dog's back asleep. She was so lovely, that any one could see she was a real princess; the soldier could not help it, he had to kiss her, for he was a true soldier.

The dog then ran back again with the princess, but when the morning came and the king and queen were having their cup of tea, the princess said she had had such a wonderful dream in the night about a dog and a soldier. She had ridden upon the dog and the soldier had kissed her. "That 's a pretty story, I must say!" said the queen.

One of the old court-ladies was then set to watch by the princess's bedside next night, to see if it really had been a dream, or what it might be.

The soldier was longing terribly to see the beautiful princess again, and in the night the dog came for her; he took her on his back and ran as fast as he could, but the old lady put on spring-heeled boots and ran behind, keeping up the same pace as they. When she saw them disappear in a big house, she thought to herself: "Now I know where it is," and made a big cross on the gate with a piece of chalk. She then went home, and soon afterward the dog came back with the princess; but when he saw that a cross had been put on the gate where the soldier lived, he took a piece of chalk and make a cross on all the gates all over town; this was clever of him, for now the court-lady could not find the right gate, since there were crosses on all of them.

Early next morning the king and the queen, the old court-lady and all the officers went to see where the princess had been to.

"There it is!" said the king, when he saw the first gate with a cross on it.

"No, my dear, there it is!" said the queen, who saw another gate with a cross.

"But here is one, and there is one!" said all of them; wherever they looked there were crosses on the gates. So they knew it would be of no use to go on searching any farther.

But the queen was a very clever woman, who could do something more than ride in a carriage. She took her large pair of gold scissors, cut out a large piece of silk and made a nice little bag, which she filled with small fine buckwheat groats. This she tied to the princess's back, and when this was done, she cut a little hole in the bag, so that the groats should run out along the ground the whole of the way the princess went.

In the night the dog came again; he took the princess on his back and ran with her to the soldier, who was so deeply in love with her, and who wished so much he had been a prince, that he might make her his wife.

The dog did not notice that the groats were running out of the bag all the way from the palace right up to the soldier's window, where he climbed up along the wall with the princess. In the morning the king and the queen could easily see where their daughter had been, and so they took the soldier and put him in prison.

There he sat. Ugh, how dark and miserable it was! And the people said to him: "To-morrow you will be hanged." That was not pleasant to hear, and he had forgotten his tinder-box at home in the inn.

THE THREE DOGS DANCED IN FRONT OF CARRIAGE AND CRIED "HURRAH!"

Next morning he could see through the iron bars in the little window how the people were hurrying out of the town to see him hanged. He heard the drums going and saw the soldiers marching. All the inhabitants were running about; amongst them was a shoemaker's boy with a leather apron and with slippers on his feet; he galloped past at such a rate, that one of his slippers flew off right against the wall, where the soldier sat peering out through the iron bars.

"Hey, you shoemaker's boy! You need not be in such a hurry," said the soldier to him, "there'll be nothing going on till I come! But won't you run across to where I have been living and fetch my tinder-box, and I'll give you twopence? But you'll have to use your legs!" The shoemaker's boy was glad to earn the twopence, and rushed off to fetch the tinder-box; he gave it to the soldier, and—well, now you shall hear all about it.

Outside the city a great gallows had been erected, and round about stood the soldiers and many hundred thousand people. The king and the queen sat in a gorgeous throne right opposite the judge and the whole court.

The soldier was already standing at the top of the ladder, but as they were going to place the halter round his neck, he said that they always allowed a poor sinner to have an innocent wish granted before he suffered his punishment. He would so like to smoke a pipe of tobacco; it would be the last pipe he would get in this world.

The king would not say no to that, and so the soldier took the tinder-box and struck a light, once, twice, thrice! and there stood all the dogs, the one with eyes as large as tea-cups, the one with eyes like mill-wheels, and the one who had eyes as large as the Round Tower.

"Now help me, so that I sha'n't be hanged!" said the soldier, and then the dogs rushed at the judges and the whole court, seized one by the legs and one by the nose, and threw them many fathoms up in the air, so that they fell down and were dashed to pieces.

"I will not!" said the king, but the biggest dog seized both him and the queen and threw them after all the others. Then all the soldiers grew frightened, and all the people shouted: "Little soldier, you shall be our king and marry the beautiful princess!"

So they placed the soldier in the king's carriage, and the three dogs danced in front of it and cried "hurrah!" and the boys whistled through their fingers, while the soldiers presented arms. The princess left the copper palace and became queen, which she liked very much. The wedding lasted eight days, and the dogs sat at the table and looked on in astonishment with their big eyes.

1. A well-known tower in Copenhagen.