From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas)
015. The Vessel Built With Three [Ax] Hacks (El Barco De Los Tres Hachazos)
(Recounted by Captain D. Alberto Muñoz Figueroa, from Santiago in 1922)
Know so one can tell etc.
You should know that there was a King who had in the middle of his palace garden a very stout tree which was never watered [by anyone] except for his daughter, and under this circumstance, arranged by a witch who had raised the Princess, the tree was granted a special power such that no one could tend to it using any tool whatsoever unless this was done on the day when it had not been directly watered by the Princess, or death would come to the person who undertook this task.
Well, the King, who knew of this magical condition, proclaimed to all corners of his kingdom that he would only give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the person capable of making a vessel out of the trunk of that tree using only three hacks [of an ax].
Many suitors came forward to try their luck, but all of them, when they made the first hack, fell dead as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Among the King’s subjects was a poor young man, an excellent son, who woke up one day with the idea that he would win the Princess’s hand, and gaining his mother’s blessing, he went on his travel with an ax, a branding iron, and a tortilla that his mother gave him, without knowing the true difficulty of the task which he was going to undertake.
Shortly after he began his travel, an old man with a sorrowful voice came up to him to ask for alms. The young man, being a compassionate soul, gave him the tortilla that he had with him, and the old man, as repayment for his kindness, gave him a whistle and said that it could serve him well whenever he found himself in trouble. Before parting, he also counseled the young man to take into his service the first four people he would meet on his travel; and as he was saying goodbye, he indicated to the young man the direction in which he should continue in.
The young man again set out on his travel, and after three days on the road he ran into a man who was lying face down on the ground, drinking water from a river.
What are you doing? -asked Antonio, for that was the young man’s name.
What do you want? -replied the person being questioned- I am drinking the water from this river until it runs dry, because I was extremely thirsty when I woke up earlier today.
And are you capable of drinking all of the river?
I’d think so; for me the water that flows in a river is the same as a glass of water for others! And if it was flowing wine instead of water, then all the better; I would drink everything until not a drop remains.
Why don’t you come with me? You can serve me now and when I am done with the tasks that I’ve set out to complete, I will pay you handsomely.
Perfect, I will go with you, sir.
And so they continued on along the same road.
They had not traveled for more than half an hour when they ran into a hunter, who, with a hunting rifle, was aiming at an object that neither of them could see from where they were.
Who are you aiming at? -Antonio asked.
A mosquito that I see flying at about a league high -replied the hunter.
And you think you can kill it?
Of course I do! I will surely kill it! And if you don’t believe me, just wait a moment here.
And having said this, he pulled the trigger.
A while later a mosquito whose body was pierced by the bullet fell at their feet. Antonio and his companion were amazed upon witnessing this, both by the hunter’s perfect vision as well as his peerless marksmanship.
Would you like to come along with us? -Antonio said to him.- I may need to have you in my service for a task that I, myself, am involved with, and once it is finished, I’ll have the means to pay what you deserve.
Well, sir, then I’m going to come along with you.
And the three of them continued on from their previously interrupted travel; and after having been on the road for half an hour, they ran into a very tall and very skinny man who was tightly hugging the trunk of a stout tree.
What a strange man! -said Antonio- , why are you hugging the tree?
Sir, -replied the man- my job is to run and then some, and if I don’t tie myself up or fasten myself down like how I am doing it now, I would have to keep on running forever.
Wouldn’t it be nice -said Antonio to his companions- if we can bring this man along with us? Who knows if we’ll need his talent at some point!
It would be good if he comes with us -answered those who were asked.
I would like to come along with you -said the running man- but it would be necessary for you to tie me up and carry me with you so that I won’t go on running again.
Then one of Antonio’s companions took out a strong strap from his waist and tied the legs of the Runner, who was then alternately carried on the shoulders of one and another in the party; they continued on their travel in this way until they ran into another man who was lying on his belly with one ear pressed against the ground.
What an odd thing I have just heard, -said the man- a most unusual thing!
And what was it that you heard? -Antonio asked.
I heard a lady advised her daughter to continue watering a certain tree early in the morning, for each time a suitor comes to ask for her hand, he would need to make a vessel out of three hacks at the tree, and because it had already been watered, no one could make a vessel out of it on that very same day.
Well, you then must accompany us on our travel -said Antonio- and don’t you worry, we will pay you handsomely.
Very well then sir, I will go with you.
And the five of them continued on their way until they arrived at the King’s palace, where they were given lodging, as was customary with all who came with the intention of making a vessel out of the tree. Once the date for his trial had been set, Antonio set out before dawn on that day to scout out the location, and when the sun was breaking out its first rays, as he saw the Princess arriving at the foot of the tree and, squatting down and preparing to water it, he took out his whistle that had been given to him by the old man and blew on it between his lips, and it produced, Oh my God, such a frightening sound that the Princess, greatly taken aback due to fear, ran away to take refuge in her room, without being able to water the tree that day.
The trial was to take place at 12, and long before that the corridors of the courtyard where the tree was located were full of noblemen and court ladies from the Court who, headed by the Sovereigns and the Princess, wanted to witness the event. When the clock struck its first bell, Antonio came out with his ax on his shoulder, and when the sound of the twelfth bell was struck, he took swings at the tree with three hacks that he was entitled to, one after another, not one more, nor one less, and that which until then no one of the numerous suitors who had attempted the task had managed to do successfully, but now had resulted in the most surprising outcome: as if by magic, a marvelous vessel rose up from the place where the tree stood just a moment ago, one with a frame made out of gold and sails of silver, which majestically moved around by itself in a beautiful pond, between swans and goldfish. A thunderous hurrah came from the spectators, including our own Sovereigns and Princess, who, much to their regret, could not contain their approvals.
The Sovereigns, despite the successful outcome of the trial, did not want to concede their daughter’s hand to Antonio, although she, in view of the splendid result obtained by the young man and also his dashing figure, was inclined to accept him as her spouse. And they imposed more trials on him should he want to continue pursuing their daughter, to which Antonio fully agreed, determined as he was to marry the Princess, with whom he had deeply fallen in love with since the moment that he saw her.
Once he had accepted the new demands from the Princess’s parents, the King led Antonio to an immense wine cellar full of huge barrels of wine, and he said to him:
You have to finish all this wine before noon tomorrow, or you’d lose your life, -and he gave him the keys and went away.
Antonio waited for the King to leave, and when he figured the King would already be back in the palace, he went in search of the Drinker and led him to the wine cellar, where he asked him if he would be able to drink up all the wine and liquor that was kept there before noon the next day. The Drinker replied that he was so sure of being able to finish everything that he only asked for two hours in order to leave the wine barrels completely dry. And so it was, in effect, because Antonio returned to the cellar two hours later and found no trace of wine left; he only saw the Drinker, who, sitting on a stone bench, was tranquilly smoking a cigar. –Here we are, sir, -he said to him- I am resting for a bit now, because it’s best to walk after drinking, and I’m only sitting down for a little while and enjoying a cigar to relax myself.
The next day the King asked Antonio for the keys to the wine cellar, and he was speechless with shock when he saw the large quantity of barrels which recently was full of wine and liquors, had now become completely empty. The stunned King began to walk back to his room, but not before saying to Antonio:
I’ll call for you in just a moment.
The King had a wizard in his service and he asked him for counsel on the type of tasks he could give to Antonio, for which the latter would be incapable of completing.
The wizard said to him:
Your Majesty will write two letters to a neighboring King, one you will entrust to me, which I will transform into a turkey vulture and carry it there in a flash; the other you will entrust to the Princess’s suitor so that he can proceed with the challenge, and we will see who among us two will first bring back the reply.
That sounds good to me -the King murmured, and he ordered his secretary to immediately write the two letters and have them ready in a moment. With this done, the monarch sent for Antonio, who, standing in front of the throne, respectfully listened to the order that was given to him, and that, as in the previous time, he would be punished with his life if he were to not accomplish the task successfully. Antonio promised to deliver the reply to the King before the turkey vulture would, and left to prepare for his upcoming task.
He immediately gathered his companions and told them the predicament that he had found himself in.
Don’t you worry, sir, -said the Tall Man- I will take care of delivering the letter and bringing back the reply, and no matter how fast the turkey vulture is, I’ll run faster than he can fly.
And we will keep watch over what might happen -added the Hunter.
And right away the Tall Man took the letter and rushed out at astonishing speed, disappearing from view in just a short moment. And he ran so fast that when the turkey vulture was still on its way delivering the letter, the Tall Man was already on his way back with the response. They crossed path at the top of a hill, while the messenger was running and the turkey vulture flying, and when it, which we have said to be the Wizard, saw the man, it dropped a ring from above. The Tall Man, despite running at full speed, saw the shining ring on the ground and stopped to pick it up; he found it to be beautiful and thinking that it wouldn’t look bad on him, he put it on his finger; but as soon as he had it on his finger, he fell to the ground and entered a deep slumber. With his eagle-eye vision the Hunter saw everything that had happened from his look-out location, and knowing that it was the ring which had left his companion as good as dead, he made aims with his rifle and fired with such accuracy that the bullet broke the ring and left it shattered on the ground. With the spell broken, the Tall Man continued with his delivery and in a moment met up with Antonio and handed him the reply, which Antonio immediately took to the King. The Turkey Vulture took more than a day to return with the reply, and the King, fed up with his delay, had him killed.
Very early the next day, the King, who had been counseled by the Queen, asked Antonio to release twenty rabbits in the mountain so they could go free, and to bring them all back in the evening; and if he could not do this, his neck would receive tender loving care from the blade of the executioner. Antonio agreed to come back with the twenty rabbits; and he asked if this was going to be the last trial he’d be subjected to. The King promised him that if he did well on this test, he would not impose any others on him.
Antonio began heading to the mountains with the rabbits and accompanied by the palace steward, who had come along to make sure that Antonio would release the animals; and as he saw that as soon as they arrived at the mountains the animals were granted complete freedom and that they disappeared from sight in a blink of the eyes, he returned to the palace and told the Sovereigns how the rabbits had quickly ran away and that it would be very difficult for Antonio to gather them all back. The King, who remembered how Antonio had deftly completed the prior tasks, asked the Queen to disguise herself and to go buy a couple of rabbits from Antonio, emphasizing that she should give him however much money he would ask for. The Queen did as she was asked; she dressed herself in the clothes belonging to her maid, she combed her hair in a different manner than Antonio had seen her previously and, finally, she prepared herself in a way that he wouldn’t be able to recognize her, then she headed out to the mountain. But Antonio could spot her from afar and easily recognize her, and he took out the whistle and blew on it. As if by magic, the rabbits came running back from all directions and gathered in front of Antonio in just a short moment, gracefully frolicking with one another.
The Queen arrived a short time later, sat down next to Antonio and struck up a conversation with him. At first she talked about those other things, and only later would she touch upon the topic of rabbits. –What beautiful rabbits you have there -she said-, why don’t you sell me a couple so I can raise them as pets? -Antonio replied that he could not do so, that he had to deliver all twenty of them to the King by the evening or else he’d lose his life. She offered him whatever that he might want, in this world and the next; but all was for naught because Antonio would not cede his stance nor yield even a single strand of hair. However, as the Queen pressed on with her requests, Antonio told her that he would only give her a pair of rabbits under one condition, and even up to half a dozen if she’d like, and this condition was that she’d let him brand a mark on her behinds. The Queen, who did not want Antonio to marry her daughter, and seeing that there was no other way to arrange the matters with him, accepted the proposition; and Antonio, so as not to make her suffer, for her suffering would not do anyone any good, instead of heating up the iron bar, he only soaked it in indelible ink and stamped it on her body at the most reasonable place; after this the disguised maid received the two rabbits and wrapped them up in her apron, then joyfully headed back to the palace at a brisk pace. Why should she care about the mark at all? Antonio, who would only be able to hand in 18 rabbits, would die at the hands of the executioner and no one would know what she had put herself through. But the Queen did not take Antonio’s whistle into account, who, once he calculated that the Queen was close to arriving at the palace, took out the whistle and blew it: a minute later the pair of rabbits was back with their companions in front of Antonio. The Queen did not notice that the animals had run away, so that she nearly died from rage when she wanted to show the rabbits to the King yet found out that there were none to be shown. She told the King what had happened and he could only console her with the hope that the rabbits had not run back to reunite with those others already gathered by Antonio, a hope that was soon shown to be overly optimistic, for the young man entered the palace a short time later and handed the twenty rabbits over to the King.
Sir, -he said to the King- I think I’ve successfully passed the test. Hopefully I have taken care of all your concerns, but do tell me if there is any work that I’d still need to do.
There is this -replied the King:- take this sack; bring it back to me at noon filled with nothing (nada), a trifle (nonada), three woes (tres ayes) and a truth; and as you already well know, if there is anything missing, your head will roll!
[Nguyen: here it is a play on words. “Nada” means nothing, “Nonada” means a trifle, “Ayes” means woes, and “Verdad” means truth. These are the meaning that one would think of upon first hearing the King’s response. But there will be a twist that can be seen later on in the story.]
Your Majesty needs not worry, you will be pleased with the outcome.
The next day before Antonio left the house, he put in his sack the branding iron, a large bunch of horse nettles, a rock and a piece of wood, then tied up the sack’s mouth (e.g. opening), went to the palace and stood next to the pond where the vessel made from the three hacks was located, waiting for the King, the Queen, the Princess and the noblemen to come down as they had done in the previous trials. A little before noon the entire audience was assembled, and at the sound of the clock’s twelfth bell, the King said:
I suppose you have brought nada (in the King’s mind, nada means “nothing”) in the sack?
Yes, Your Majesty, and here it is -replied Antonio, taking out the piece of wood, which he threw into the pond;- Your Majesty can see that it nada (Antonio meant “swims” or “floats”, from nadar – to swim).
That is true -said the King- and the nonada (the King meant “trifle”)?
Here you have it -replied the young man, showing him the clump of rock that he took out from the sack,- well if I throw it into the water, it no nada (Antonio meant “it doesn’t swim”).
The King had no choice but to agree, and with a voice fueled by anger at seeing himself being close to defeat, he asked:
And the three ayes (the King was thinking of “woes”)?
For that it’ll be necessary for Your Majesty to send one of your servants to check, so no one would believe that I have falsified them.
The King ordered the Princess’s maid to go and take out the ayes, and when she approached the young man to complete her task, he said to her:
It is imperative that you put both hands in the sack and search carefully between the herbs lying at the bottom, so that they do not escape.
The girl believed that if she were to quickly search the sack then the ayes could escape and the young man would fail the test, and to do so, she hastily placed her hands in between the nettles, moving them to and fro so as to make it easier for the ayes to come out, but this did not last long, because her hands were so irritated and the pain was so great that she had to pull them out almost immediately, shouting “ay, ay, ay!” Antonio then said to the King:
Those are the three ayes that Your Majesty had demand.
Now let us see that truth, -said the King with a raised voice.
And Antonio removed the branding iron from the sack, then said to the King:
Your Majesty should know that yesterday, while I was caring for the rabbits in the mountain, the Queen came, whom I recognized at once, despite her disguise, and she asked me to sell two of those little animals to her, and I, after discussing over the matter for a bit, agreed to give them to her under one condition…
We will give him the hand of our daughter -exclaimed the Queen, addressing the King, but did so in such a way that everyone heard what she said.
So it is, -Antonio confirmed- and I hope that after what had happened, Your Majesty won’t go back on your words and allow me to marry your daughter.
I will gladly permit you to marry our daughter -replied the Queen,- all the more so when I see that you are someone of such merit that no tasks entrusted to you, no matter how difficult they might be, were not completed in the most accomplished manner.
And that was how Antonio, a poor but fine young man, married the King’s daughter and later inherited the throne, being as happy as one can be in this land of misfortunes, with his wife and the many children that they had together.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Hachazo – (cutting blow) ax blow, blow with an ax, hack; (bullfighting) sidelong blow
Regar – (to drench with water) to water, to irrigate, to hose down; (geography) to flow through; (to cause to flow) to spill; (to sprinkle) to scatter; (to disseminate) to spread
Herramienta – tool
Salvo que – unless, except, except that
Tentar – (to entice) to tempt; (to examine by touch) to feel; (to test) to try
Descargar – (to strike a blow) to deal; (to shoot a weapon) to fire; (to remove bullets) to unload
Rayo – (of light) ray, beam; (meteorology) bolt of lightning
Acometer – (to assault) to attack, to charge against; (to overwhelm) to overcome, to take hold of, to seize; (to take on) to undertake, to tackle
Compungido – (regretful) contrite, remorseful; (disconsolate) sorrowful, sad
Pito – whistle; horn, hooter
De bruces – flat on one’s face
Arrastrar – (to pull) to sweep away (a river); (automobile) to tow
Puntería – (act of aiming) aim; (line of sight) aim; (skill) marksmanship, aim
Mosco – mosquito; fly
Interrumpir – (to stop) to interrupt; (to cut off) to suspend; (to obstruct) to hold up, to block; (to end) to terminate
Sujetar – (to grasp) to hold; (to fix in place) to fasten, to hold in place
Cintura – waist
Alojamiento – (place to stay) accommodations, lodging, lodgings
Acecho – stalking, scouting
En acecho – lurking, on stalking
Despuntar – (to dull the point of) to blunt; (botany) to sprout (plant), to bud (flower); (to begin to become light) to break, to dawn
Encuclillarse, acuclillarse – to squat down
Aposento – (somewhere to stay) lodging, accommodations
Repleto – (filled) full, packed
Presenciar – (to view) to witness, to see; (to go to) to attend, to be present at
Reloj – clock, watch
Armazón – (support structure) frame, framework, frames (of glasses); (architecture) skeleton, frame
Estanque – (body of water) pond; (automobile) (Southern Cone) tank
Cisne – swan
Estruendoso – thunderous
Pesar – (sadness) grief, sorrow; (guilt) remorse, regret
No obstante – however, nevertheless
Exigencia – (obligation) demand, requirement, exigency; (claim) demand
Bodega – (place where wine is produced) winery; (place where wine is stored) wine cellar; pantry
Ingerir – (to swallow) to ingest, to consume
Poyo – (seat) stone bench; (windowsill) stone ledge
Pitar – (to boo) to hiss at, to catcall; (to act as referee) to referee; (to consume tobacco) (South America) to smoke
Atontado – (in a daze) stunned, dazed; (stupid) dumb
Hechicero – (magician) sorcerer, wizard
Jote – turkey vulture, turkey buzzard; (toy) (Chile) large kite
Velar – (to observe the deceased overnight) to keep vigil over, to have a wake for; (to care for a sick person overnight) to sit up with; (to partially conceal) to mask, to veil; (to care for) to look after, to watch over, to see to it, to ensure that, to safeguard
Zancajear – to rush around
Pasmoso – (surprising) astonishing, amazing
Perspicaz – (clever) sharp, perspicacious; (perceptive) shrewd, perspicacious; (acute) keen; (having keen vision) sharp-sighted
Roto – (in pieces) broken; (ripped) torn; (damaged) broken
Despechado – spiteful
Soltar – (to stop holding) to let go of, to drop, to put down, to let out; (to make less tight) to loosen; (to free) to set free, to release
Caricia – (affectionate touch) caress, pat, stroke; (sensation) caress
Someterse – (to go through; used with “a”) to undergo, to be subjected to; (to concede) to bow to, to comply with
Imponer – (to implement) to impose, to set, to enforce; (to force to be accepted) to impose, to instill, to make compulsory; (to tax) to levy, to put; (to award) to confer
Comprobar – (to verify) to check; (to demonstrate) to prove; (to notice) to realize
Disfrazarse – (to put on a costume) to dress up, to disguise
Retozar – (to frisk) to frolic, to gambol, to romp, to cavort; (to fool around with) to make out
Entablar – (to initiate) to start, to start up, to strike up, to enter into, to open
Inútilmente – uselessly
Aflojar – (to make looser) to loosen, to slacken, to relax; (to make less strict) to relax
Calentar – (to make hot) to heat, to heat up, to warm up
Ojalá – (used to express a desire) hopefully, if only, I hope so (first person singular)
Ay – (sound) cry, moan; (used to express dismay) oh dear, jeez; (used to express pain) ow, ouch
Nonada – trifle, insignificant thing, mere nothing
Manojo – (group) bunch, handful
Caballuna – horsey, horsiness, horse-like
Madera – (of a tree) wood, timber
Concurrencia – (crowd) audience, public, spectators; (people present) turnout, attendance; (simultaneity) coincidence, concurrence
Precipitadamente – rashly, in a hurry
Ortiga – (botany) nettle, stinging nettle
Encomendar – (to assign the responsibility of) to entrust, to commend
Hasta donde – up to where, as far as, as far as where (distance), as high as (height)