Little Thumb

LITTLE THUMB

There was, once upon a time, a man and his wife fagot-makers by trade,

who had several children, all boys. The eldest was but ten years old,

and the youngest only seven.

They were very poor, and their seven children incommoded them greatly,

because not one of them was able to earn his bread. That which gave

them yet more uneasiness was that the youngest was of a very puny

constitution, and scarce ever spoke a word, which made them take that

for stupidity which was a sign of good sense. He was very little, and

when born no bigger than one’s thumb, which made him be called Little

Thumb.

The poor child bore the blame of whatsoever was done amiss in the house,

and, guilty or not, was always in the wrong; he was, notwithstanding,

more cunning and had a far greater share of wisdom than all his brothers

put together; and, if he spake little, he heard and thought the more.

There happened now to come a very bad year, and the famine was so great

that these poor people resolved to rid themselves of their children. One

evening, when they were all in bed and the fagot-maker was sitting with

his wife at the fire, he said to her, with his heart ready to burst with

grief:

“Thou seest plainly that we are not able to keep our children, and I

cannot see them starve to death before my face; I am resolved to lose

them in the wood to-morrow, which may very easily be done; for, while

they are busy in tying up fagots, we may run away, and leave them,

without their taking any notice.”

“Ah!” cried his wife; “and canst thou thyself have the heart to take thy

children out along with thee on purpose to lose them?”

In vain did her husband represent to her their extreme poverty: she

would not consent to it; she was indeed poor, but she was their mother.

However, having considered what a grief it would be to her to see them

perish with hunger, she at last consented, and went to bed all in tears.

Little Thumb heard every word that had been spoken; for observing, as

he lay in his bed, that they were talking very busily, he got up softly,

and hid himself under his father’s stool, that he might hear what they

said without being seen. He went to bed again, but did not sleep a wink

all the rest of the night, thinking on what he had to do. He got up

early in the morning, and went to the river-side, where he filled his

pockets full of small white pebbles, and then returned home.

They all went abroad, but Little Thumb never told his brothers one

syllable of what he knew. They went into a very thick forest, where they

could not see one another at ten paces distance. The fagot-maker began

to cut wood, and the children to gather up the sticks to make fagots.

Their father and mother, seeing them busy at their work, got away from

them insensibly, and ran away from them all at once, along a by-way

through the winding bushes.

When the children saw they were left alone, they began to cry as loud as

they could. Little Thumb let them cry on, knowing very well how to get

home again, for, as he came, he took care to drop all along the way the

little white pebbles he had in his pockets. Then he said to them:

“Be not afraid, brothers; father and mother have left us here, but I

will lead you home again, only follow me.”

They did so, and he brought them home by the very same way they came

into the forest. They dared not go in, but sat themselves down at the

door, listening to what their father and mother were saying.

The very moment the fagot-maker and his wife reached home the lord of

the manor sent them ten crowns, which he had owed them a long while, and

which they never expected. This gave them new life, for the poor people

were almost famished. The fagot-maker sent his wife immediately to the

butcher’s. As it was a long while since they had eaten a bit, she bought

thrice as much meat as would sup two people. When they had eaten, the

woman said:

“Alas! where are now our poor children? they would make a good feast of

what we have left here; but it was you, William, who had a mind to lose

them: I told you we should repent of it. What are they now doing in the

forest? Alas! dear God, the wolves have perhaps already eaten them up;

thou art very inhuman thus to have lost thy children.”

The fagot-maker grew at last quite out of patience, for she repeated it

above twenty times, that they should repent of it, and that she was in

the right of it for so saying. He threatened to beat her if she did not

hold her tongue. It was not that the fagot-maker was not, perhaps, more

vexed than his wife, but that she teased him, and that he was of the

humor of a great many others, who love wives to speak well, but

think those very importunate who are continually doing so. She was

half-drowned in tears, crying out:

“Alas! where are now my children, my poor children?”

She spoke this so very loud that the children, who were at the gate,

began to cry out all together:

“Here we are! Here we are!”

She ran immediately to open the door, and said, hugging them:

“I am glad to see you, my dear children; you are very hungry and weary;

and my poor Peter, thou art horribly bemired; come in and let me clean

thee.”

Now, you must know that Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved above

all the rest, because he was somewhat carroty, as she herself was. They

sat down to supper, and ate with such a good appetite as pleased both

father and mother, whom they acquainted how frightened they were in

the forest, speaking almost always all together. The good folks were

extremely glad to see their children once more at home, and this joy

continued while the ten crowns lasted; but, when the money was all gone,

they fell again into their former uneasiness, and resolved to lose them

again; and, that they might be the surer of doing it, to carry them to a

much greater distance than before.

They could not talk of this so secretly but they were overheard by

Little Thumb, who made account to get out of this difficulty as well as

the former; but, though he got up very early in the morning to go and

pick up some little pebbles, he was disappointed, for he found the

house-door double-locked, and was at a stand what to do. When their

father had given each of them a piece of bread for their breakfast,

Little Thumb fancied he might make use of this instead of the pebbles by

throwing it in little bits all along the way they should pass; and so he

put the bread in his pocket.

Their father and mother brought them into the thickest and most obscure

part of the forest, when, stealing away into a by-path, they there left

them. Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it, for he thought he could

easily find the way again by means of his bread, which he had scattered

all along as he came; but he was very much surprised when he could not

find so much as one crumb; the birds had come and had eaten it up, every

bit. They were now in great affliction, for the farther they went the

more they were out of their way, and were more and more bewildered in

the forest.

Night now came on, and there arose a terribly high wind, which made them

dreadfully afraid. They fancied they heard on every side of them the

howling of wolves coming to eat them up. They scarce dared to speak or

turn their heads. After this, it rained very hard, which wetted them to

the skin; their feet slipped at every step they took, and they fell into

the mire, whence they got up in a very dirty pickle; their hands were

quite benumbed.

Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if he could

discover anything; and having turned his head about on every side, he

saw at last a glimmering light, like that of a candle, but a long way

from the forest. He came down, and, when upon the ground, he could see

it no more, which grieved him sadly. However, having walked for some

time with his brothers toward that side on which he had seen the light,

he perceived it again as he came out of the wood.

They came at last to the house where this candle was, not without an

abundance of fear: for very often they lost sight of it, which happened

every time they came into a bottom. They knocked at the door, and a good

woman came and opened it; she asked them what they would have.

Little Thumb told her they were poor children who had been lost in the

forest, and desired to lodge there for God’s sake.

The woman, seeing them so very pretty, began to weep, and said to them:

“Alas! poor babies; whither are ye come? Do ye know that this house

belongs to a cruel ogre who eats up little children?”

“Ah! dear madam,” answered Little Thumb (who trembled every joint of

him, as well as his brothers), “what shall we do? To be sure the wolves

of the forest will devour us to-night if you refuse us to lie here; and

so we would rather the gentleman should eat us; and perhaps he may take

pity upon us, especially if you please to beg it of him.”

The Ogre’s wife, who believed she could conceal them from her husband

till morning, let them come in, and brought them to warm themselves at a

very good fire; for there was a whole sheep upon the spit, roasting for

the Ogre’s supper.

As they began to be a little warm they heard three or four great raps at

the door; this was the Ogre, who had come home. Upon this she hid them

under the bed and went to open the door. The Ogre presently asked if

supper was ready and the wine drawn, and then sat himself down to table.

The sheep was as yet all raw and bloody; but he liked it the better for

that. He sniffed about to the right and left, saying:

“I smell fresh meat.”

“What you smell so,” said his wife, “must be the calf which I have just

now killed and flayed.”

“I smell fresh meat, I tell thee once more,” replied the Ogre, looking

crossly at his wife; “and there is something here which I do not

understand.”

As he spoke these words he got up from the table and went directly to

the bed.

“Ah, ah!” said he; “I see then how thou wouldst cheat me, thou cursed

woman; I know not why I do not eat thee up too, but it is well for thee

that thou art a tough old carrion. Here is good game, which comes very

quickly to entertain three ogres of my acquaintance who are to pay me a

visit in a day or two.”

With that he dragged them out from under the bed one by one. The poor

children fell upon their knees, and begged his pardon; but they had to

do with one of the most cruel ogres in the world, who, far from having

any pity on them, had already devoured them with his eyes, and told

his wife they would be delicate eating when tossed up with good

savory sauce. He then took a great knife, and, coming up to these poor

children, whetted it upon a great whet-stone which he held in his left

hand. He had already taken hold of one of them when his wife said to

him:

“Why need you do it now? Is it not time enough to-morrow?”

“Hold your prating,” said the Ogre; “they will eat the tenderer.

“But you have so much meat already,” replied his wife, “you have no

occasion; here are a calf, two sheep, and half a hog.”

“That is true,” said the Ogre; “give them their belly full that they may

not fall away, and put them to bed.”

The good woman was overjoyed at this, and gave them a good supper; but

they were so much afraid they could not eat a bit. As for the Ogre,

he sat down again to drink, being highly pleased that he had got

wherewithal to treat his friends. He drank a dozen glasses more than

ordinary, which got up into his head and obliged him to go to bed.

The Ogre had seven daughters, all little children, and these young

ogresses had all of them very fine complexions, because they used to

eat fresh meat like their father; but they had little gray eyes, quite

round, hooked noses, and very long sharp teeth, standing at a

good distance from each other. They were not as yet over and above

mischievous, but they promised very fair for it, for they had already

bitten little children, that they might suck their blood.

They had been put to bed early, with every one a crown of gold upon her

head. There was in the same chamber a bed of the like bigness, and it

was into this bed the Ogre’s wife put the seven little boys, after which

she went to bed to her husband.

Little Thumb, who had observed that the Ogre’s daughters had crowns of

gold upon their heads, and was afraid lest the Ogre should repent his

not killing them, got up about midnight, and, taking his brothers’

bonnets and his own, went very softly and put them upon the heads of

the seven little ogresses, after having taken off their crowns of gold,

which he put upon his own head and his brothers’, that the Ogre might

take them for his daughters, and his daughters for the little boys whom

he wanted to kill.

All this succeeded according to his desire; for, the Ogre waking about

midnight, and sorry that he deferred to do that till morning which

he might have done over-night, threw himself hastily out of bed, and,

taking his great knife,

“Let us see,” said he, “how our little rogues do, and not make two jobs

of the matter.”

He then went up, groping all the way, into his daughters’ chamber, and,

coming to the bed where the little boys lay, and who were every soul of

them fast asleep, except Little Thumb, who was terribly afraid when

he found the Ogre fumbling about his head, as he had done about his

brothers’, the Ogre, feeling the golden crowns, said:

“I should have made a fine piece of work of it, truly; I find I drank

too much last night.”

Then he went to the bed where the girls lay; and, having found the boys’

little bonnets,

“Ah!” said he, “my merry lads, are you there? Let us work as we ought.”

And saying these words, without more ado, he cut the throats of all his

seven daughters.

Well pleased with what he had done, he went to bed again to his wife.

So soon as Little Thumb heard the Ogre snore, he waked his brothers, and

bade them all put on their clothes presently and follow him. They stole

down softly into the garden, and got over the wall. They kept running

about all night, and trembled all the while, without knowing which way

they went.

The Ogre, when he awoke, said to his wife: “Go upstairs and dress those

young rascals who came here last night.”

The wife was very much surprised at this goodness of her husband, not

dreaming after what manner she should dress them; but, thinking that

he had ordered her to go and put on their clothes, she went up, and was

strangely astonished when she perceived her seven daughters killed, and

weltering in their blood.

She fainted away, for this is the first expedient almost all women find

in such cases. The Ogre, fearing his wife would be too long in doing

what he had ordered, went up himself to help her. He was no less amazed

than his wife at this frightful spectacle.

“Ah! what have I done?” cried he. “The wretches shall pay for it, and

that instantly.”

He threw a pitcher of water upon his wife’s face, and, having brought

her to herself, said:

“Give me quickly my boots of seven leagues, that I may go and catch

them.”

He went out, and, having run over a vast deal of ground, both on

this side and that, he came at last into the very road where the poor

children were, and not above a hundred paces from their father’s house.

They espied the Ogre, who went at one step from mountain to mountain,

and over rivers as easily as the narrowest kennels. Little Thumb, seeing

a hollow rock near the place where they were, made his brothers hide

themselves in it, and crowded into it himself, minding always what would

become of the Ogre.

The Ogre, who found himself much tired with his long and fruitless

journey (for these boots of seven leagues greatly fatigued the wearer),

had a great mind to rest himself, and, by chance, went to sit down upon

the rock where the little boys had hid themselves. As it was impossible

he could be more weary than he was, he fell asleep, and, after reposing

himself some time, began to snore so frightfully that the poor children

were no less afraid of him than when he held up his great knife and was

going to cut their throats. Little Thumb was not so much frightened as

his brothers, and told them that they should run away immediately toward

home while the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they should not be

in any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home presently.

Little Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently and put

them on his own legs. The boots were very long and large, but, as they

were fairies, they had the gift of becoming big and little, according to

the legs of those who wore them; so that they fitted his feet and legs

as well as if they had been made on purpose for him. He went immediately

to the Ogre’s house, where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss

of the Ogre’s murdered daughters.

“Your husband,” said Little Thumb, “is in very great danger, being taken

by a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he does not give

them all his gold and silver. The very moment they held their daggers

at his throat he perceived me, and desired me to come and tell you the

condition he is in, and that you should give me whatsoever he has of

value, without retaining any one thing; for otherwise they will kill him

without mercy; and, as his case is very pressing, he desired me to make

use (you see I have them on) of his boots, that I might make the more

haste and to show you that I do not impose upon you.”

The good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had: for this

Ogre was a very good husband, though he used to eat up little children.

Little Thumb, having thus got all the Ogre’s money, came home to his

father’s house, where he was received with abundance of joy.

There are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, and pretend

that Little Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and that he only thought

he might very justly, and with a safe conscience, take off his boots

of seven leagues, because he made no other use of them but to run after

little children. These folks affirm that they are very well assured of

this, and the more as having drunk and eaten often at the fagot-maker’s

house. They aver that when Little Thumb had taken off the Ogre’s boots

he went to Court, where he was informed that they were very much in pain

about a certain army, which was two hundred leagues off, and the success

of a battle. He went, say they, to the King, and told him that, if he

desired it, he would bring him news from the army before night.

The King promised him a great sum of money upon that condition. Little

Thumb was as good as his word, and returned that very same night with

the news; and, this first expedition causing him to be known, he got

whatever he pleased, for the King paid him very well for carrying his

orders to the army. After having for some time carried on the business

of a messenger, and gained thereby great wealth, he went home to his

father, where it was impossible to express the joy they were all in at

his return. He made the whole family very easy, bought places for his

father and brothers, and, by that means, settled them very handsomely in

the world, and, in the meantime, made his court to perfection.(1)

(1) Charles Perrault.