orange fairy book

Chapter 22 Three treasures (2)

After eating and drinking, the old man said: "Your baby is really powerful, but I have a better baby, let's exchange. See this cornet? You just tell it that you want an army, and you You can have as many soldiers as you want."

After hesitating for a while, Jack traded the table for the cornet.After the old man said goodbye to him, the two parted.For a while he was really satisfied with the new contraption, but when he was hungry he began to miss his table, and suddenly he remembered what the cornet was for, and a bad idea popped into his head.

He shouted: "Two hundred hussars, go forward!" Then, with the neighing of horses and the clash of swords, two hundred hussars appeared, and their commander came to Jack and respectfully asked Jack what order he had. .

Jack replied, "Go that way, about a mile or two away, and you'll see an old man with a table on his shoulders. Take his table and give it to me."

The commander saluted and returned to his men, leading them to gallop to carry out Jack's orders.

10 minutes later they came back with the table.

Jack said, "Well done, thanks," and the troopers disappeared into the cornet.

Ah, Jack ate so well that night that he almost forgot that he had snatched the little table back by mean means.The next day, he had breakfast very early, and then walked to a nearby town. On the way, he met an old man again, who also begged him for something to eat.

Jack replied: "Of course, you can eat whatever you want." After finishing speaking, he put the small table on the ground, knocked and shouted: "The emperor's feast!" So all kinds of food appeared.The old man was overjoyed, and he ate hungrily. When he was full, he turned to Jack and said:

"Your baby is wonderful. But if you give it to me, I'll give you an even better one."

Jack replied, "I don't believe there's a better baby."

"No, yes, it is my bag, it can give you as many castles as you want."

Jack thought for a while, and then replied, "Well, I'd like to trade with you." He handed the little table to the old man, and put the magic bag on his arm.

A few minutes later, he couldn't control his greed again, summoned five hundred soldiers from the cornet, ordered them to chase the old man, and snatched back the small table.

Now that he has taken the three magical treasures as his own, he decides to go home.He purposely smeared mud on his face and tore his clothes to pieces like a beggar.He stopped some passers-by, pretended to beg for money and food, and took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in the village, so as to understand the situation of his family members.He learned that the two elder brothers are now rich and prestigious, and are very respected.Jack rushed to his brother's mansion and begged his brother to take him in for food and shelter, but the answer he got was some ugly words and he was told to beg elsewhere.Finally, at the pleading of his mother, his brother agreed to let him spend the night in the stable.That night, when everyone in the house was fast asleep, he took the bag out of his coat and asked it to give him a castle, and with the cornet he summoned soldiers to guard it, and ate a feast on the magic little table Great dinner.In the morning he made it all disappear, and when his brother came to the stable he found him lying on the straw.

Jack went on like this for many days, and everyone thought—he was doing nothing and eating nothing, which puzzled his brother very much, and kept asking him what was the matter. He told them the secret, and gave them a good meal.The meal was an eye-opener and a feast for the two brothers, and although they both swore not to reveal the secret, word somehow got out.Soon, this matter reached the king's ears.One night, the king's attendants came to Jack's residence and said that the king wanted to borrow his little table for three days.

"Very well," replied Jack, "you may take it back, but tell His Majesty that if he does not return the table to me by the end of the third day, I shall declare war on him."

So the attendant took the small table away, returned to the palace and presented it to the king, and conveyed Jack's warning, but the king didn't take it seriously.

The king liked the little table so much, and the feast it provided, that on the third day he was reluctant to give it back to Jack.He called the carpenter and told the carpenter to make an identical table. After the table was finished, he asked the attendant to bring it back to Jack and thank him.It happened to be dinner time at that time, so Jack invited the servant to stay and have dinner together. The servant didn't know the king's trick, so he happily agreed.

Jack yells, "Emperor's Feast!" But nothing happens.

Jack yelled again, louder: "Emperor's Feast!" Still nothing.

At this time, Jack finally understood the truth of the matter. He was so angry that he crushed the table with his hands, turned around and looked at the attendant who was at a loss and just wanted to escape, and said:

"Go back and tell you that dishonest king, tomorrow his castle will be destroyed by me as easily as this table."

The attendant hurried back to the palace, and passed Jack's words to the king, who laughed so hard that he called all his courtiers to hear the joke.When they woke up the next morning, they realized that Jack was not joking. They found that ten thousand horsemen and ten thousand archers surrounded the palace.The king had to surrender, and he held up the white flag of surrender and peace in one hand, and the real little table in the other, and went to see Jack.

The king said: "I was wrong, but I will do my best to make up for it. This is your table. I should not have stolen it. It would be shameful. Now I will give it back to you. In addition, for the sake of atonement, I would like to give My daughter will marry you."

Jack used a small table to conjure up an unusually sumptuous wedding banquet, and the king held a wedding ceremony for him and the princess.After the wedding, Jack took out his bag and asked it to have a castle in the park that belonged to him and his bride, with all kinds of treasures in it.

The ability that Jack showed made the king decide to give up the throne to Jack.

"Your ability is far greater than mine," he said, "you are in the prime of life, and I am old and tired, so please take the scepter in my hand, wear the crown on my head, and rule me better subjects."

Jack's ambition was finally satisfied. Being a king was his greatest ideal, and because of the help of the magic cornet, his country has been strong and has not been invaded by neighboring countries.

He didn't forgive his brother, but he gave his mother a beautiful castle and everything she needed.

In his castle, there is a special room for treasures, in which there are the little table, the cornet and the bag, which are his most precious treasures, and he visits them once a week to make sure their safety.

After a long time, the country has been a peaceful country under his rule, and people love him.But then his posterity did not follow his good example, they were very haughty, and were ashamed to think that the founder of their family was a poor boy.Then there was a very stupid king who threw these three treasures into a dark and damp basement.

After Jack's death, the king was not as good as one generation after another, and the kingdom declined year by year.Much later, the new king heard the news that a great army was marching on his kingdom.The king vaguely remembered some legends about the cornet, and remembered that it could summon an army capable of conquering the world, but the cornet had been thrown into the basement by his grandfather long ago.So he hurried to the basement, hoping to find them.In the dark, damp basement, he did find the three treasures, but when he reached out to touch the table shattered, and the cornet was left with a few rat-gnawed pieces belt, and that bag contained nothing but gravel.

The king could only sit and wait, cursing himself and his ancestors for their pride and stupidity. It was their pride and stupidity that led to the destruction of this kingdom.

(End of this chapter)