Moni the Goat-Boy, Page 3

  CHAPTER III

  A VISIT

  Thus many days passed by, one as sunny and clear as the other, for itwas an unusually beautiful summer, and the sky remained blue andcloudless from morning till evening.

  Every morning, early, without exception the goat-boy, singing lustily,went by the Bath House. Every evening he came back again singinglustily. All the guests were so accustomed to the merry sound that notone would have willingly missed it.

  More than all the others, Paula delighted in Moni's joyfulness and wentout almost every evening to meet him, and talk with him.

  One sunny morning Moni had once more reached the Pulpit-rock, and wasabout to throw himself down, when he changed his mind. "No, go on! Thelast time you had to leave all the nice little plants because we had togo after Maeggerli; now we will go up there again, so that you can finishnibbling them!"

  The goats all leaped with delight after him, for they knew they weregoing up to the lovely bushes on the Dragon-stones. To-day Moni heldhis little Maeggerli the whole time fast in his arms, pulled the sweetplants himself from the rocks and let her eat out of his hand. Thispleased the little goat best of all. She rubbed her head quitecontentedly from time to time against Moni's shoulder and bleatedhappily. So the whole morning passed, before Moni noticed, from his ownhunger, that it had grown late before he was aware of it. But he hadleft his luncheon below near the Pulpit-rock, in the little hole, for hehad intended to return again at noon.

  "Well, you have had your fill of good things, and I have had nothing,"he said to his goats. "Now I must have something too, and you will findenough more down below. Come along!" Whereupon he gave a loud whistle,and the whole flock started away, the liveliest always ahead, and firstof all light-footed Swallow, who was to meet something unexpected to-day.She sprang down from stone to stone and across many a cleft in therocks, but all at once she could go no farther--directly in front ofher suddenly stood a chamois and gazed with curiosity into her face.This had never happened to Swallow before! She stood still, lookedquestioningly at the stranger and waited for the chamois to get out ofher way and let her leap to the boulder, as she intended. But thechamois did not stir and gazed boldly into Swallow's eyes. So they stoodfacing each other, more and more obstinate, and might have stood thereuntil now, if the big Sultan had not come along in the meantime. As soonas he saw the state of things, he stepped quite considerately pastSwallow and suddenly pushed the chamois aside so far and with suchviolence, that she had to make a daring leap, not to fall down over therocks. Swallow went triumphantly on her way, and the Sultan marchedproudly and contentedly behind her, for he felt himself to be the sureprotector of the goats in his flock.

  Meanwhile Moni coming down from above, and another goat-boy coming upfrom below, met at the same spot and looked at each other inastonishment. But they were well acquainted, and after the firstsurprise greeted each other cordially. It was Joergli from Kueblis. Halfthe morning he had been looking in vain for Moni and now he met him uphere, where he had not expected to find him.

  "I didn't suppose you came up so high with the goats," said Joergli.

  "To be sure I do," replied Moni, "but not always; usually I stay by thePulpit-rock and around there. Why have you come up here?"

  "To make you a visit," was the reply. "I have something to tell you.Besides, I have two goats here, that I am bringing to the landlord atthe Baths. He is going to buy one, and so I thought I would come upto see you."

  "Are they your own goats?" asked Moni.

  "Surely, they are ours. I don't tend strange ones any longer. I am nota goat-boy now."

  Moni was very much surprised at this, for Joergli had become the goat-boyof Kueblis at the same time he had been made goat-boy of Fideris, andMoni did not understand how Joergli could give it up without a singlemurmur.

  Meanwhile the goat-boys and their flocks had reached the Pulpit-rock.Moni brought out bread and a small piece of dried meat and invitedJoergli to share his midday meal. They both sat down on the Pulpit-rockand ate heartily, for it had grown very late and they had excellentappetites. When everything was eaten and they had drunk a little goat'smilk, Joergli comfortably stretched himself at full length on the ground,and rested his head on both arms, but Moni remained sitting, for healways liked to look down into the deep valley below.

  "But what are you now, Joergli, if you are no longer goat-boy?" beganMoni. "You must be something."

  "Surely I am something, and something very good," replied Joergli, "I amegg-boy. Every day I carry eggs to all the hotels, as far as I can go;I come up here to the Bath House, too. Yesterday I was there."

  Moni shook his head. "That's nothing. I wouldn't be an egg-boy; I woulda thousand times rather be goat-boy, it is much finer."

  "But why?"

  "Eggs are not alive, you can't speak a word to them, and they don't runafter you like the goats which are glad to see you when you come, andare fond of you, and understand every word you say to them; you can'thave any pleasure with eggs as you can with the goats up here."

  "Yes, and you," interrupted Joergli, "what great pleasure do you have uphere? Just now you have had to get up six times while we were eating,just on account of that silly kid, to prevent it from falling downbelow--is that a pleasure?"

  "Yes, I like to do that! Isn't it so, Maeggerli? Come! Come here!" Monijumped up and ran after the kid, for it was making dangerous leaps forsheer joy. When he sat down again, Joergli said:

  "There is another way to keep the young goats from falling over therocks, without having to be always jumping after them, as you do."

  "What is it?" asked Moni.

  "Drive a stick firmly into the ground and fasten the goat by the leg toit; she will kick furiously, but she can't get away."

  "You needn't think I would do any such thing to the little kid!" saidMoni quite angrily and drew Maeggerli to him and held her fast, as if toprotect her from any such treatment.

  "You really won't have to take care of that one much longer," beganJoergli again. "It won't come up here many times more."

  "What? What? What did you say, Joergli?" demanded Moni.

  "Bah, don't you know about it? The landlord will not raise her, she istoo weak; there never was a more feeble goat. He wanted to sell her tomy father, but he wouldn't have her either; now the landlord is going tohave her killed next week, and then he will buy our spotted one."

  Moni had become quite pale from terror. At first he couldn't speak aword; but now he broke out and complained aloud over the little kid:

  "No, no, that shall not be done, Maeggerli, it shall not be done. Theyshall not slay you, I can't bear that. Oh, I would rather die with you;no, that cannot be!"

  "Don't do so," said Joergli, angrily, and pulled Moni up, for in hisgrief he had thrown himself face down on the ground. "Stand up, you knowthe kid really belongs to the landlord and he can do what he likes withher. Think no more about it! Come, I know something. See! See!"Whereupon Joergli held out one hand to Moni, and with the other almostcovered the object, which Moni was to admire; it sparkled wonderfully inhis hand, for the sun shone straight into it.

  "What is it?" asked Moni, when it sparkled again, lighted up by a sunbeam.

  "Guess!"

  "A ring?"

  "No, but something like that."

  "Who gave it to you?"

  "Gave it to me? Nobody. I found it myself."

  "Then it does not belong to you, Joergli."

  "Why not? I didn't take it from anybody. I almost stepped on it with myfoot, then it would have been broken; so I can just as well keep it."

  "Where did you find it?"

  "Down by the Bath House, yesterday evening."

  "Then some one from the house below lost it. You must tell the landlord,and if you don't, I will do it this evening."

  "No, no, Moni, don't do that," said Joergli, beseechingly. "See, I willshow you what it is, and I will sell it to a maid in one of the hotels,but she will surely have to give me four francs; then I will give youone or two, and
nobody will know anything about it."

  "I will not take it! I will not take it!" interrupted Moni, hotly, "andthe dear Lord has heard everything you have said."

  "_Joergli had opened his band. In it lay a cross set witha large number of stones_."]

  Joergli looked up to the sky: "Oh, so far away," he said skeptically;but he immediately began to speak more softly.

  "He hears you still," said Moni, confidently.

  It was no longer Joergli's secret. If he didn't know how to bring Moni tohis side, all would be lost. He thought and thought.

  "Moni," he said suddenly, "I will promise you something that willdelight you, if you will not say anything to a human being about what Ihave found; you really don't need to take anything for it, then you willhave nothing to do with it. If you will do as I say, I will make myfather buy Maeggerli, so she will not be killed. Will you?"

  A hard struggle arose in Moni. It was wrong to help keep the discoverysecret. Joergli had opened his hand. In it lay a cross set with a largenumber of stones, which sparkled in many colors. Moni realized that itwas not a worthless thing which no one would inquire about; he feltexactly as if he himself should be keeping what did not belong to him ifhe remained silent. But on the other hand was the little, affectionateMaeggerli, that was going to be killed in a horrible way with a knife,and he could prevent it if he kept silent. Even now the little kid waslying so trustfully beside him, as if, she knew that he would alwayskeep it; no, he could not let this happen, he must try to save it.

  "Yes, I will, Joergli," he said, but without any enthusiasm.

  "Then it is a bargain!" and Joergli offered his hand to Moni, thathe might seal the argument, as that was the only way to make apromise binding.

  Joergli was very glad that now his secret was safe; but as Moni hadbecome so quiet, and he had much farther to go to reach home thanMoni, he considered it well to start along with his two goats. He saidgood-night to Moni and whistled for his two companions, which meanwhilehad joined Moni's grazing goats, but not without much pushing and otherdoubtful behavior between the two parties, for the goats from Fiderishad never heard that they ought to be polite to visitors and the goatsfrom Kueblis did not know that they ought not to seek out the best plantsor push the others away from them, when they were visiting. When Joerglihad gone some distance down the mountain, Moni also started along withhis flock, but he was very still and neither sang a note nor whistled,all the way home.