PAGE 5
Ting-a-ling’s visit to Tur-i-li-ra
by
So away he went, and soon was deep in the darkness of the forest. But he could hear no noise, and saw nothing that appeared to have life. Even the very birds and insects seemed to have flown away. After wandering some distance, he suddenly met a fairy, a little bit of a fellow, but somewhat larger than himself, and entirely green. Ting-a-ling spoke to him, and told him what he was after.
“That isn’t exactly his name,” said the green fairy, politely, “but I know what you mean. If you come this way, I can show him to you.”
So Ting-a-ling followed him, and presently they came to the edge of an opening in the middle of the forest; and there, sure enough, was the Kyrofatalapynx. With one of his great red tails coiled around an immense oak-tree, and the other around a huge rock, he sat with his elephantine legs gathered up under him, as if he were about to spring over the tree-tops. But he had no such idea. In his great hands, as big as travelling-trunks, he held a long iron bar, one end of which he was sharpening against a stone. By his side lay an immense bow, made of a tall young yew-tree, and the cord was a long and tough grape-vine. As he sat sharpening this great arrow, he grinned until his horrid teeth looked like a pale-fence around a little garden, and he muttered to himself as he worked away,–“Four hundred and nine more rubs, and I can send it twang through him; twang, twang, twang!”
“Isn’t he horrid?” whispered Ting-a-ling.
“Yes, indeed,” said the green fairy. “When he was young, he came out of the mouth of a volcano; and the King here, who is very fond of wonderful things, got Tur-il-i-ra to catch him, and chain him up for him in a great yard he had made for him. But now that he is grown up, no chains can hold him, and I expect he will kill the Giant with that great iron arrow, before he can come near him.”
“O!” cried Ting-a-ling, “he mustn’t do that. We must never let him do that!”
“We!” said the fairy, in a voice of astonishment.
“Yes, yes, I mean us. O, what shall we do? Let’s cut his bowstring,” said Ting-a-ling, in great excitement, and drawing his little sword. The green fairy, although polite, could not help laughing at this idea; but Ting-a-ling slipped softly to where the bow was lying, a little behind the Kyrofatalapynx, and commenced to cut away at it; but although the green fairy took the sword when he was tired, they could make but little impression on the stout grape-vine, nearly as thick as they were high.
“Let’s nick the sword,” said Ting-a-ling, “and then it will be a saw.” And so, with a sharp little flint, they nicked the edge of it, and the edge of the green fairy’s knife (for he had no sword), and as they commenced to saw away as hard as they could at the grape-vine, they heard the Kyrofatalapynx muttering, “Only three hundred and seven more rubs, and then–twang, twang, twang!”
They worked like little heroes now; and as the fairy’s sword was of the sharpest steel, they cut a good way into the vine; but just when they were nearly tired out, they heard the words,–“Ninety-three more rubs, and–twang, twang, twang!”
“O, let’s saw, let’s saw,” cried Ting-a-ling (and it’s a wonder the Kyrofatalapynx did not hear him), and they worked as hard as they did at first.
“Six more rubs, and–twang, twang, twang!” cried the Kyrofatalapynx, and the two little fairies fell down exhausted and disheartened. The vine was cut but little more than half through.
Up rose the mighty creature; and with his bow and arrow in his hands, he pushed quietly through the wood. The two fairies jumped up in a few minutes, and hurried after him; and as he went very slowly, so as not to be perceived, they reached the edge of the wood just as he crashed out into the open field.