大拇哥游记Thumbling as Journeyman

A certain tailor had a son, who happened to be small, and no bigger than a thumb, and on this account he was always called thumbling. He had, however, some courage in him, and said to his father, father, I must and will go out into the world. That's right, my son, said the old man, and took a long darning-needle and made a knob of sealing-wax on it at the handle, and there is a sword for you to take with you on the way. Then the little tailor wanted to have one more meal with them, and hopped into the kitchen to see what his mother had cooked for the last time. But it was already served, and the dish stood on the hearth. Then he said, mother, what is there to eat to-day. See for yourself, said his mother. So thumbling jumped on to the hearth, and peeped into the dish, but as he stretched his neck in too far the steam from the food caught hold of him, and carried him up the chimney. He rode about in the air on the steam for a while, until at length he sank down to the ground again. Now the little tailor was outside in the wide world, and he traveled about, and went to a master in his craft, but the food was not good enough for him. Mistress, if you give us no better food, said thumbling, I will go away, and early to-morrow morning I will write with chalk on the door of your house - too many potatoes, too little meat.Farewell, Mr. Potato-king.

What would you have forsooth, grasshopper, said the mistress, and grew angry, and seized a dishcloth, and was just going to strike him, but my little tailor crept nimbly under a thimble, peeped out from beneath it, and put his tongue out at the mistress. She took up the thimble, and wanted to get hold of him, but little thumbling hopped into the cloth, and while the mistress was opening it out and looking for him, he got into a crevice in the table. Ho, ho, lady mistress, cried he, and thrust his head out, and when she began to strike him he leapt down into the drawer. At last, however, she caught him and drove him out of the house.

The little tailor journeyed on and came to a great forest, and there he fell in with a band of robbers who had a design to steal the king's treasure. When they saw the little tailor, they thought, a little fellow like that can creep through a
key-hole and serve as picklock to us. HI, there, cried one of them, you giant goliath, will you go to the treasure-chamber with us. You can slip yourself in and throw out the money. Thumbling reflected a while, and at length he said, yes, and went with them to the treasure-chamber. Then he looked at the doors above and below, to see if there was any crack in them. It was not long before he espied one which was broad enough to let him in. He was therefore about to get in at once, but one of the two sentries who stood before the door, observed him, and said to the other, what an ugly spider is creeping there, I will kill it. Let the poor creature alone, said the other, it has done you no harm. Then thumbling got safely through the crevice into the treasure-chamber, opened the window beneath which the robbers were standing, and threw out to them one taler after another. When the little tailor was in the full swing of his work, he heard the king coming to inspect his treasure-chamber, and crept hastily into a hiding-place. The king noticed that several solid talers were missing, but could not conceive who could have stolen them, for locks and bolts were in good condition, and all seemed well guarded. Then he went away again, and said to the sentries, be on the watch, someone is after the money. When therefore thumbling recommenced his labors, they heard the money moving, and a sound of klink, klink, klink. They ran swiftly in to seize the thief, but the little tailor, who heard them coming, was still swifter, and leapt into a corner and covered himself with a taler, so that nothing could be seen of him, and at the same time he mocked the sentries and cried, here am I.

The sentries ran thither, but as they got there, he had already hopped into another corner under a taler, and was crying, ho, ho, here am I. And thus he made fools of them, and drove them so long round about the treasure-chamber that they were weary and went away. Then by degrees he threw all the talers out, dispatching the last with all his might, then hopped nimbly upon it, and flew down with it through the window. The robbers paid him great compliments. You are a valiant hero, said they, will you be our captain.

Thumbling, however, declined, and said he wanted to see the world first. They now divided the booty, but the little tailor only asked for a kreuzer because he could not carry more. Then he once more buckled on his sword, bade the robbers goodbye,
and took to the road. First, he went to work with some masters, but he had no liking for that, and at last he hired himself as manservant in an inn. The maids, however, could not endure him, for he saw all they did secretly, without their
seeing him, and he told their employers what they had taken off the plates, and carried away out of the cellar, for themselves. Then said they, wait, and we will pay you out, and arranged with each other to play him a trick. Soon afterwards when one of the maids was mowing in the garden, and saw thumbling jumping about