THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF GUTEFUNDUS.

Once upon a time—it was four hundred years ago—the great Gutefundus, of blessed memory, made up his mind that he would go all over the world, and do good to everybody. A great part of the world as we know it, had not then been discovered, and there were not so many people in those times as there are now. But still it was something of an undertaking to go all over the world, and do good to everybody.

Nevertheless, Gutefundus resolved to do it.

He decided, in the first place, that he would kill the great Sea Serpent. This was a snake three or four miles long, which amused itself by winding its coils around ships, thus crunching them up, after which it would eat the crews at its leisure. If it were not very hungry it would follow a ship a long time, rising out of the water occasionally, and picking off a man or two at a time, until it had made an end of the whole ship’s company.

Nobody ever knew where to find this snake, for it traveled all over the ocean with incredible swiftness; and, it had such an extremely hard and horny skin, that no dart or knife could pierce it. It was therefore not an easy thing either to find the Sea Serpent, or to kill it.

Nevertheless Gutefundus determined to find it and kill it.

He embarked on this expedition in mid-summer, in the very best vessel that could be made in those days, and with a crew of picked men. Fortune favored him, and in the second month of the cruise, the great Sea Serpent was after the ship of Gutefundus, little dreaming that that very ship was after him.

The sailors were frightened nearly out of their wits when they first saw the long line of this monster’s body rising and falling on the waves,far in their rear. But the stout heart of Gutefundus knew no fear. He took in sail, and waited for his foe. But the serpent was in no hurry. He kept his distance for a couple of days, and then he sank into the water and disappeared. Gutefundus feared the snake had escaped him; but, a few days afterwards, it unexpectedly popped its head out of the water, close to the ship’s sides, and, in an instant, seized a sailor in its enormous jaws, and went down again with a tremendous splash.

IT SEIZED A SAILOR IN ITS JAWS.

At that moment Gutefundus thought that, so far, he had done no good to any body, and had been the means of leading the poor sailor to his death.

But he did not despair. The Sea Serpent would come again, he felt sure, and now that he knew the enemy’s tactics, he made his preparations. The next time the Sea Serpent reared his head over the ship’s side Gutefundus was ready for it. Barrels filled with water were arranged all along the sides of the deck, and the moment thegreat head was level with the deck, Gutefundus was in front of it; and, in a twinkling, he rolled a barrel into the gaping mouth of the creature. The astonished snake gulped down this unusual morsel with some difficulty; and Gutefundus took advantage of this interval of choking to plunge his long spear into one of the eyes of the monster. It sank heavily into the water; and, for several days, the ship sailed over a sea reddened with its blood.

And that was the last of the great Sea Serpent. It is a pity that the Serpent’s body never rose to the surface, so that our hero might have had its skin.

The next expedition of Gutefundus was to the Orkney Islands. Wonderful trees grew in the marshes of those distant isles. They bore eggs for fruit! At the proper season these egg-like fruits opened, and out dropped little ducks into the water, where they immediately began to swim about. These trees were called Bird Trees.

It was rather a singular thing that, although the learned men wrote full accounts of these trees, and all the common people talked about them, nobody had ever seen one of them.

Now, in Gutefundus’ country it sometimes happened that the poor people had nothing to eat, and there would be a famine. He wisely thought that if he could get some roots and slips of this Duck Tree, and plant them along all the water courses, in a few years there would be ducks enough for the very poorest family.

It was considered a very dangerous thing to take a voyage to these savage islands, but Gutefundus decided he would do it.

And he did it. He met with some fearful adventures on the way, but, after many weary months, he arrived at the Orkneys. And there, sure enough, right before his eyes, was the wonderful Bird Tree! Its long trunk stretched far out over the water. Its branches were loaded with fruit. Some of this fruit was as close shut as an egg; but some of it was splitting open, and the little ducks coming out. Someof the ducks were just ready to drop into the water, and others had only a small piece of bill stuck out of the egg. Hundreds had already fallen, and were swimming gaily about.

THE BIRD TREE.

The delighted Gutefundus plucked some of the fruit that had not yet opened, and stored it away to take home to show to his countrymen. His next proceeding was to take measures for introducing the culture of bird-trees into his country. He concluded he would cut off some of the smaller branches, and some little twigs, and would put some of their native soil in tubs on the ship, and in these he would root his slips. From these few slips bird-trees could be spread over the country in a few years.

The task of choosing and cutting these slips he took upon himself, and climbed the tree for that purpose. But, no sooner had he cut the first little twig than he felt a great shudder running all through thetree. It shook from top to bottom. The roots tore themselves loose from the soil with such a wrench that the whole tree fell violently forward into the water, and sank beneath the waves as if it were made of iron. The ducks that were swimming around went down with it, and were seen no more. Gutefundus, entangled in the branches, would inevitably have gone down also with the tree, had he not caught fast hold of some sedges on the shore, and, by a great effort, got his feet free from the branches.

He, and the ship’s company knew then that this was a magic tree. The gathered fruit they had, was therefore accursed, and they immediately threw it all overboard. On touching the water it burst with a great explosion. They then sailed away from the spot as quickly as possible.

From that day to this there has never been another bird tree found anywhere. And the poor people of Gutefundus’ country lived and died without ever tasting tree-ducks.

His next expedition was the greatest of all the undertakings of Gutefundus. Immense stores of gold, silver, and precious stones lay buried in the rocks of certain caverns in the mountains. But men could not go there to dig out the treasures, because the entrance to these caverns was guarded by a terrible dragon. A few daring individuals had ventured near this entrance, and, peeping in, had seen heaps of bones. These, no doubt, were all that was left of men, who, in some previous time had attempted to get the treasures. They even got a sight of the dragon, and represented it as a gigantic creature, partly beast, partly bird, and partly serpent.

These venturesome men were thankful to have escaped from the neighborhood without going any nearer the cave; and, from that time, no one had ever been within miles of it. But Gutefundus resolved that these treasures should no longer lie there useless. Mankind should have the benefit of them. Nobody believed he could conquerthis dragon. Nobody would accompany him on such a mad enterprise. It did seem like going to certain death. Nevertheless Gutefundus made up his mind to do it.

He set out alone. It took him three years to reach the forest that surrounded the mountain, of which he was in search. He had passed through strange countries, and had taken part in many a good fight, but he arrived at the edge of the forest, a day’s journey only from the caverns, well and in good spirits for the fight with the dragon.

But here something befell him more wonderful than all he had gone through in his life.

Night was approaching, and he looked about for a resting-place. He heard the tinkling sound of a little bell, and bent his steps in that direction. It led him some distance into the forest to a small hut, made of dried mud. A little wooden belfry was built upon this, and the bell was ringing at the close of day. Gutefundus, believing it to be the dwelling of some hermit, entered it to ask for a night’s lodging. There was no one there, and he wondered by what contrivance the bell rang itself. While waiting for the owner to appear, he stretched himself upon a couch of dried moss; and, being very tired, he soon fell asleep.

When he awoke, he started up, and looked around in surprise. He was still alone. His clothes were in rags; his feet were bare, for his shoes had fallen to pieces on the floor; the hut had crumbled until it was only a shattered mound; the wooden belfry lay around in broken bits; the little bell was half buried in the dried mud, by his side, and was nearly eaten up with rust. This reminded him of his sword, and he looked anxiously for it. He saw it directly, on the earthen floor close by him. It had, evidently, just fallen out of the scabbard, which, all full of rents, was still attached to his rusty belt. The sword was as bright as ever. He remembered now that it was the clattering it had made in falling that had awakened him. Just then the gleam of somethingwhite crossed his eyes. It was his beard, grown very long, and perfectly grey. He was conscious then that his head felt cold. He clapped his hands there, and found he was bald!

He understood the whole matter now. He had been in a magic sleep! How many years he had slept he could not guess. Maybe two or three hundred years. Such instances were not so very uncommon. He recalled the names of several great men, who had slept for a hundred years and more. Some of them were sleeping still. It was clear that the dragon was a magician, and had led him into the wood to put him into a magic sleep.

Gutefundus, upon this, arrived at two comfortable reflections. Firstly, that the dragon was afraid of him, or it would not have sent this sleep upon him; and, secondly, that it had no power over his trusty sword, which was there by him unharmed. He took it up, felt the edge, and found it sharp and keen.

He walked out of the wood, and sought the nearest town. His appearance at first alarmed the people in the market place; but when he told who he was, and on what errand he had come, and what had befallen him, they received him with joy. They had heard all about him, but everybody supposed he had been killed by the dragon twenty years before.

He had slept for twenty years! He went into the hut a man in the prime of life. He came out of it an old, bald-headed man.

But he was as courageous as ever. The dragon, it appeared, was still alive, and no mortal man dared go near the treasures he guarded. No one would go with Gutefundus to attack the fearful beast. He could get no kind of armor in the town; and no suit to wear except a blouse, and a pair of baggy trowsers. Such was the costume of the place.

But he had his bright and trusty sword that had never yet failed him, and he marched boldly into the wood again after the dragon.

He entered the cavern, and had proceeded unmolested for somedistance, when he heard a fearful roar, and out upon him rushed the dragon. It stretched its beast’s body; opened its huge jaws; ran out its hissing, serpent tongue; flapped loudly its bird’s wings; and curled its snake tail.

THE DRAGON OF THE CAVERN.

But Gutefundus stood his ground undaunted. He felt from the tips of his toes to his bald crown that that serpent’s time had come. He swung his sword on high. Up rushed the dragon; down came the sword, whack! and cut the terrible head into two parts! The beast was stunned, but not killed. Another stroke severed the body; and the third cut off its tail.

The dragon was dead, and the treasures thus became the property of mankind.

Gutefundus contented himself with a small share of the spoils, and passed the rest of his days quietly at home. He had been pretty much all over the world; and, if he had not done good to everybody, he had certainly taken some of the evil out of the earth.

I suppose none of my readers believe that these adventures actually befell any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth. But I have told you nothing that was not held to be true at the time Gutefundus lived; and at a much later period too. Such wild legends were fully credited, and not by ignorant people only. The three pictures I have given in the story were drawn by the most learned men of that olden time; and they had no doubt whatever of the existence of the Dragon, the Sea Serpent, and the Bird Tree.

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