033. (El Enano Y El Gigante) The Dwarf And The Giant
A dwarf was barely two feet from the ground, but who was as sharp as a needle, went out to search for work because he was in great needs [of spending money]. And he looked here and there yet no one would give him a job. Until he met a giant. And the giant said to him:
Very well, I will give you a job, but [only] on one condition.
And what is that condition? -asked the dwarf.
The condition is that you have to do things they way I do them; if you don’t, I’ll kill you; if you do, I’ll make you rich.
And the dwarf said:
All right, if I do them well, that’s good; and if not, [go ahead and] kill me.
The next morning the giant told him that they were going to steal firewood from the ranch of a rich man who lived nearby. The giant gathered a huge bundle of firewood and carried it away, but the dwarf took a rope and stretched it out on the ground and began to pile branches on it. And the giant said to him:
What are you doing?
And the dwarf answered him:
It’s [just] that what you are carrying is [really] nothing; as for me, I will not leave here until I have tied up all the branches of this forest.
Man, you are crazy! Then you’d give the owner enough time to come and kill us both!
Nah, nah -said the dwarf-. I’ll either carry the entire forest or nothing at all.
Well, then, don’t take anything, you’ve already won me over. Let’s leave here quickly.
And off they went, the giant with his bundle and the dwarf with his hands in his pockets.
The next day they went to get water. There was a spring which fed water to the village. The giant carried two enormous cauldrons hanging from a pole, and the dwarf said to him:
I don’t carry cauldrons, for a pick and shovel is enough for me.
And why do you want a pick and a shovel? -asked the giant.
Because I don’t want to bother with carrying the two cauldrons, for I thought about carrying the entire spring back home.
So he grabbed the pick and the shovel, began to dig and dig and cut off the water from the stream. And the frightened giant said to him:
But what are you doing? If the townspeople come they will kill us both.
Well -said the dwarf- I will carry either the entire spring away or nothing at all -and he went on digging.
And the giant said to him:
Very well then, [just] stop digging, you have won.
And on the next day they went to play a game where they threw a crossbar at the door of the town hall. The giant threw the crossbar and hurled it very far away, farther than anyone else would have. Then the the dwarf grabbed his crossbar and said:
Stand aside everyone, I’ll throw it now!
And everyone stood back; and the dwarf said:
Farther back, farther back! Much farther back!
And the giant said to him:
But where do you want to throw the crossbar?
And the dwarf:
Do you see that window over there? Well, that’s where I’m going to put this.
And the giant:
You are crazy, that’s the mayor’s house and they’ll put us both in jail!
Well, -said the dwarf- I will either throw the crossbar there or not throw it at all.
Well, don’t throw it -said the giant -, you’ve beaten me again.
So the giant prepared a donkey with saddlebags filled with money and said to the dwarf to leave now, for the pact had been completed. And the dwarf led the donkey and left.
After the dwarf had left, the giant’s wife said to him:
What a fool you are, just look at how that dwarf had cheated you, taking your money and the donkey, too.
And the giant said angrily:
You are right. I’ll go and find him right away. And once I have found him, I’ll kill him.
The dwarf, as soon as he saw the furious giant coming, hid the donkey real well behind some bushes and stood looking at the sky with his hand cupping as a visor, as if he was looking [at something] with great interest.
The giant arrived and said to him:
What are you looking at?
And the dwarf said:
Nothing really, the donkey couldn’t handle the sack and I gave it a kick that sent it flying in the air, and it still has yet to come down. But, as soon as it falls down to earth, I’ll kick it once more and this time it will never come down again in its life.
And the giant, all fearful from what he heard, returned to his house saying:
Mother of God, if I’m not careful he will do the same to me as well!
And so the dwarf was left in peace with his donkey and his money.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Agarrar – to grab, to take
Alcalde – mayor
Amontonar – to pile up, to heap
Apartarse – to move out of the way
Arbusto – bush, shrub
Arrear – (to hit) to thump; (to plunder) to loot
Arroyo – brook, stream
Asustar – to frighten, to scare
Atar – to bind, to tie
Atrás – (movement) back, backward; (position) behind, at the back of
Ayuntamiento – city hall, town hall
Barra – (long piece of metal or wood) bar, crossbar, pole
Burro – donkey
Cárcel – prison, jail
Cavar – (to excavate) to dig, to hoe
Cuerda – rope, string
Descuido – carelessness, negligence
Enfadado – angry, mad, infuriated
Engañar – to deceive, to trick, to fool
Haz – bundle, sheaf, truss
Lanzar – to propel, to throw, to hurl
Lejísimo – really far
Manantial – (body of water) spring
Molestar – to bother, to annoy
Palmo – span, handspan, several inches
Pala – shovel, spade
Palo – stick, post, pole
Patada – (thrust of the foot) kick
Pico – (tool) pick, pickaxe
Rama – (botany) branch
Todavía – still
Tonto – stupid, dumb
Trato – deal, contract
Vale – okay
Visera – bill of a cap; visor