THE BEETLE WHO WENT ON HIS TRAVELS故事

　　 THERE was once an Emperor who had a horse shod with gold.

　　 He had a golden shoe on each foot, and why was this? He was a

　　 beautiful creature, with slender legs, bright, intelligent

　　 eyes, and a mane that hung down over his neck like a veil. He

　　 had carried his master through fire and smoke in the

　　 battle-field, with the bullets whistling round him; he had

　　 kicked and bitten, and taken part in the fight, when the enemy

　　 advanced; and, with his master on his back, he had dashed over

　　 the fallen foe, and saved the golden crown and the Emperor's

　　 life, which was of more value than the brightest gold. This is

　　 the reason of the Emperor's horse wearing golden shoes.

　　 A beetle came creeping forth from the stable, where the

　　 farrier had been shoeing the horse. "Great ones, first, of

　　 course," said he, "and then the little ones; but size is not

　　 always a proof of greatness." He stretched out his thin leg as

　　 he spoke.

　　 "And pray what do you want?" asked the farrier.

　　 "Golden shoes," replied the beetle.

　　 "Why, you must be out of your senses," cried the farrier.

　　 "Golden shoes for you, indeed!"

　　 "Yes, certainly; golden shoes," replied the beetle. "Am I

　　 not just as good as that great creature yonder, who is waited

　　 upon and brushed, and has food and drink placed before him?

　　 And don't I belong to the royal stables?"

　　 "But why does the horse have golden shoes?" asked the

　　 farrier; "of course you understand the reason?"

　　 "Understand! Well, I understand that it is a personal

　　 slight to me," cried the beetle. "It is done to annoy me, so I

　　 intend to go out into the world and seek my fortune."

　　 "Go along with you," said the farrier.

　　 "You're a rude fellow," cried the beetle, as he walked out

　　 of the stable; and then he flew for a short distance, till he

　　 found himself in a beautiful flower-garden, all fragrant with

　　 roses and lavender. The lady-birds, with red and black shells

　　 on their backs, and delicate wings, were flying about, and one

　　 of them said, "Is it not sweet and lovely here? Oh, how

　　 beautiful everything is."

　　 "I am accustomed to better things," said the beetle. "Do

　　 you call this beautiful? Why, there is not even a dung-heap."

　　 Then he went on, and under the shadow of a large haystack he

　　 found a caterpillar crawling along. "How beautiful this world

　　 is!" said the caterpillar. "The sun is so warm, I quite enjoy

　　 it. And soon I shall go to sleep, and die as they call it, but

　　 I shall wake up with beautiful wings to fly with, like a

　　 butterfly."

　　 "How conceited you are!" exclaimed the beetle. "Fly about

　　 as a butterfly, indeed! what of that. I have come out of the

　　 Emperor's stable, and no one there, not even the Emperor's

　　 horse, who, in fact, wears my cast-off golden shoes, has any

　　 idea of flying, excepting myself. To have wings and fly! why,

　　 I can do that already;" and so saying, he spread his wings and

　　 flew away. "I don't want to be disgusted," he said to himself,

　　 "and yet I can't help it." Soon after, he fell down upon an

　　 extensive lawn, and for a time pretended to sleep, but at last

　　 fell asleep in earnest. Suddenly a heavy shower of rain came

　　 falling from the clouds. The beetle woke up with the noise and

　　 would have been glad to creep into the earth for shelter, but

　　 he could not. He was tumbled over and over with the rain,

　　 sometimes swimming on his stomach and sometimes on his back;

　　 and as for flying, that was out of the question. He began to

　　 doubt whether he should escape with his life, so he remained,

　　 quietly lying where he was. After a while the weather cleared

　　 up a little, and the beetle was able to rub the water from his

　　 eyes, and look about him. He saw something gle

　　aming, and he

　　 managed to make his way up to it. It was linen which had been

　　 laid to bleach on the grass. He crept into a fold of the damp

　　 linen, which certainly was not so comfortable a place to lie

　　 in as the warm stable, but there was nothing better, so he

　　 remained lying there for a whole day and night, and the rain

　　 kept on all the time. Towards morning he crept out of his

　　 hiding-place, feeling in a very bad temper with the climate.

　　 Two frogs were sitting on the linen, and their bright eyes

　　 actually glistened with pleasure.

　　 "Wonderful weather this," cried one of them, "and so

　　 refreshing. This linen holds the water together so

　　 beautifully, that my hind legs quiver as if I were going to

　　 swim."

　　 "I should like to know," said another, "If the swallow who

　　 flies so far in her many journeys to foreign lands, ever met

　　 with a better climate than this. What delicious moisture! It

　　 is as pleasant as lying in a wet ditch. I am sure any one who

　　 does not enjoy this has no love for his fatherland."

　　 "Have you ever been in the Emperor's stable?" asked the

　　 beetle. "There the moisture is warm and refreshing; that's the

　　 climate for me, but I could not take it with me on my travels.

　　 Is there not even a dunghill here in this garden, where a

　　 person of rank, like myself, could take up his abode and feel

　　 at home?" But the frogs either did not or would not understand

　　 him.

　　 "I never ask a question twice," said the beetle, after he

　　 had asked this one three times, and received no answer. Then

　　 he went on a little farther and stumbled against a piece of

　　 broken crockery-ware, which certainly ought not to have been

　　 lying there. But as it was there, it formed a good shelter

　　 against wind and weather to several families of earwigs who

　　 dwelt in it. Their requirements were not many, they were very

　　 sociable, and full of affection for their children, so much so

　　 that each mother considered her own child the most beautiful

　　 and clever of them all.

　　 "Our dear son has engaged himself," said one mother, "dear

　　 innocent boy; his greatest ambition is that he may one day

　　 creep into a clergyman's ear. That is a very artless and

　　 loveable wish; and being engaged will keep him steady. What

　　 happiness for a mother!"

　　 "Our son," said another, "had scarcely crept out of the

　　 egg, when he was off on his travels. He is all life and

　　 spirits, I expect he will wear out his horns with running. How

　　 charming this is for a mother, is it not Mr. Beetle?" for she

　　 knew the stranger by his horny coat.

　　 "You are both quite right," said he; so they begged him to

　　 walk in, that is to come as far as he could under the broken

　　 piece of earthenware.

　　 "Now you shall also see my little earwigs," said a third

　　 and a fourth mother, "they are lovely little things, and

　　 highly amusing. They are never ill-behaved, except when they

　　 are uncomfortable in their inside, which unfortunately often

　　 happens at their age."

　　 Thus each mother spoke of her baby, and their babies

　　 talked after their own fashion, and made use of the little

　　 nippers they have in their tails to nip the beard of the

　　 beetle.

　　 "They are always busy about something, the little rogues,"

　　 said the mother, beaming with maternal pride; but the beetle

　　 felt it a bore, and he therefore inquired the way to the

　　 nearest dung-heap.

　　 "That is quite out in the great world, on the other side

　　 of the ditch," answered an earwig, "I hope none of my children

　　 will ever go so far, it would be the death of me."

　　 "But I shall try to get so far," said the beetle, and he

　　 walked off without taking any formal leave, which is

　　 considered a polite thing to do.

　　 When he arrived at the ditch, he met several friends, all

　　 them beetles; "We live here," they said, "and we are very

　　 comfortable. May we ask you to step down into this rich mud,

　　 you must be fatigued after your journey."

　　 "Certainly," said the beetle, "I shall be most happy; I

　　 have been exposed to the rain, and have had to lie upon linen,

　　 and cleanliness is a thing that greatly exhausts me; I have

　　 also pains in one of my wings from standing in the draught

　　 under a piece of broken crockery. It is really quite

　　 refreshing to be with one's own kindred again."

　　 "Perhaps you came from a dung-heap," observed the oldest

　　 of them.

　　 "No, indeed, I came from a much grander place," replied

　　 the beetle; "I came from the emperor's stable, where I was

　　 born, with golden shoes on my feet. I am travelling on a

　　 secret embassy, but you must not ask me any questions, for I

　　 cannot betray my secret."

　　 Then the beetle stepped down into the rich mud, where sat

　　 three young-lady beetles, who tittered, because they did not

　　 know what to say.

　　 "None of them are engaged yet," said their mother, and the

　　 beetle maidens tittered again, this time quite in confusion.

　　 "I have never seen greater beauties, even in the royal

　　 stables," exclaimed the beetle, who was now resting himself.

　　 "Don't spoil my girls," said the mother; "and don't talk

　　 to them, pray, unless you have serious intentions."

　　 But of course the beetle's intentions were serious, and

　　 after a while our friend was engaged. The mother gave them her

　　 blessing, and all the other beetles cried "hurrah."

　　 Immediately after the betrothal came the marriage, for

　　 there was no reason to delay. The following day passed very

　　 pleasantly, and the next was tolerably comfortable; but on the

　　 third it became necessary for him to think of getting food for

　　 his wife, and, perhaps, for children.

　　 "I have allowed myself to be taken in," said our beetle to

　　 himself, "and now there's nothing to be done but to take them

　　 in, in return."

　　 No sooner said than done. Away he went, and stayed away

　　 all day and all night, and his wife remained behind a forsaken

　　 widow.

　　 "Oh," said the other beetles, "this fellow that we have

　　 received into our family is nothing but a complete vagabond.

　　 He has gone away and left his wife a burden upon our hands."

　　 "Well, she can be unmarried again, and remain here with my

　　 other daughters," said the mother. "Fie on the villain that

　　 forsook her!"

　　 In the mean time the beetle, who had sailed across the

　　 ditch on a cabbage leaf, had been journeying on the other

　　 side. In the morning two persons came up to the ditch. When

　　 they saw him they took him up and turned him over and over,

　　 looking very learned all the time, especially one, who was a

　　 boy. "Allah sees the black beetle in the black stone, and the

　　 black rock. Is not that written in the Koran?" he asked.

　　 Then he translated the beetle's name into Latin, and said

　　 a great deal upon the creature's nature and history. The

　　 second person, who was older and a scholar, proposed to carry

　　 the beetle home, as they wanted just such good specimens as

　　 this. Our beetle considered this speech a great insult, so he

　　 flew suddenly out of the speaker's hand. His wings were dry

　　 now, so they carried him to a great distance, till at last he

　　 reached a hothouse, where a sash of the glass roof was partly

　　 open, so he quietly slipped in and buried himself in the warm

　　 earth. "It is very comfortable here," he said to himself, and

　　 soon after fell asleep. Then he dreamed that the emperor's

　　 horse was dying, and had left him his golden shoes, and also

　　 promised that he should have two more. All this was very

　　 delightful, and when the beetle woke up he crept forth and

　　 looked around him. What a splendid place the hothouse was! At

　　 the back, large palm-trees were growing; and the sunlight made

　　 the leaves- look quite glossy; and beneath them what a

　　 profusion of luxuriant green, and of flowers red like flame,

　　 yellow as amber, or white as new-fallen snow! "What a

　　 wonderful quantity of plants," cried the beetle; "how good

　　 they will taste when they are decayed! This is a capital

　　 store-room. There must certainly be some relations of mine

　　 living here; I will just see if I can find any one with whom I

　　 can associate. I'm proud, certainly; but I'm also proud of

　　 being so. Then he prowled about in the earth, and thought what

　　 a pleasant dream that was about the dying horse, and the

　　 golden shoes he had inherited. Suddenly a hand seized the

　　 beetle, and squeezed him, and turned him round and round. The

　　 gardener's little son and his playfellow had come into the

　　 hothouse, and, seeing the beetle, wanted to have some fun with

　　 him. First, he was wrapped, in a vine-leaf, and put into a

　　 warm trousers' pocket. He twisted and turned about with all

　　 his might, but he got a good squeeze from the boy's hand, as a

　　 hint for him to keep quiet. Then the boy went quickly towards

　　 a lake that lay at the end of the garden. Here the beetle was

　　 put into an old broken wooden shoe, in which a little stick

　　 had been fastened upright for a mast, and to this mast the

　　 beetle was bound with a piece of worsted. Now he was a sailor,

　　 and had to sail away. The lake was not very large, but to the

　　 beetle it seemed an ocean, and he was so astonished at its

　　 size that he fell over on his back, and kicked out his legs.

　　 Then the little ship sailed away; sometimes the current of the

　　 water seized it, but whenever it went too far from the shore

　　 one of the boys turned up his trousers, and went in after it,

　　 and brought it back to land. But at last, just as it went

　　 merrily out again, the two boys were called, and so angrily,

　　 that they hastened to obey, and ran away as fast as they could

　　 from the pond, so that the little ship was left to its fate.

　　 It was carried away farther and farther from the shore, till

　　 it reached the open sea. This was a terrible prospect for the

　　 beetle, for he could not escape in consequence of being bound

　　 to the mast. Then a fly came and paid him a visit. "What

　　 beautiful weather," said the fly; "I shall rest here and sun

　　 myself. You must have a pleasant time of it."

　　 "You speak without knowing the facts," replied the beetle;

　　 "don't you see that I am a prisoner?"

　　 "Ah, but I'm not a prisoner," remarked the fly, and away

　　 he flew.

　　 "Well, now I know the world," said the beetle to himself;

　　 "it's an abominable world; I'm the only respectable person in

　　 it. First, they refuse me my golden shoes; then I have to lie

　　 on damp linen, and to stand in a draught; and to crown all,

　　 they fasten a wife upon me. Then, when I have made a step

　　 forward in the world, and found out a comfortable position,

　　 just as I could wish it to be, one of these human boys comes

　　 and ties me up, and leaves me to the mercy of the wild waves,

　　 while the emperor's favorite horse goes prancing about proudly

　　 on his golden shoes. This vexes me more than anything. But it

　　 is useless to look for sympathy in this world. My career has

　　 been very interesting, but what's the use of that if nobody

　　 knows anything about it? The world does not deserve to be made

　　 acquainted with my adventures, for it ought to have given me

　　 golden shoes when the emperor's horse was shod, and I

　　 stretched out my feet to be shod, too. If I had received

　　 golden shoes I should have been an ornament to the stable; now

　　 I am lost to the stable and to the world. It is all over with

　　 me."

　　 But all was not yet over. A boat, in which were a few

　　 young girls, came rowing up. "Look, yonder is an old wooden

　　 shoe sailing along," said one of the younger girls.

　　 "And there's a poor little creature bound fast in it,"

　　 said another.

　　 The boat now came close to our beetle's ship, and the

　　 young girls fished it out of the water. One of them drew a

　　 small pair of scissors from her pocket, and cut the worsted

　　 without hurting the beetle, and when she stepped on shore she

　　 placed him on the grass. "There," she said, "creep away, or

　　 fly, if thou canst. It is a splendid thing to have thy

　　 liberty." Away flew the beetle, straight through the open

　　 window of a large building; there he sank down, tired and

　　 exhausted, exactly on the mane of the emperor's favorite

　　 horse, who was standing in his stable; and the beetle found

　　 himself at home again. For some time he clung to the mane,

　　 that he might recover himself. "Well," he said, "here I am,

　　 seated on the emperor's favorite horse,- sitting upon him as

　　 if I were the emperor himself. But what was it the farrier

　　 asked me? Ah, I remember now,- that's a good thought,- he

　　 asked me why the golden shoes were given to the horse. The

　　 answer is quite clear to me, now. They were given to the horse

　　 on my account." And this reflection put the beetle into a good

　　 temper. The sun's rays also came streaming into the stable,

　　 and shone upon him, and made the place lively and bright.

　　 "Travelling expands the mind very much," said the beetle. "The

　　 world is not so bad after all, if you know how to take things

　　 as they come.

　　 THE END