THE FLYING FISHERMAN

Once upon a time there was a fine fisherman out fishing upon the briny deep, and he came at last to fish at a bountiful place where the fish clustered about a great rock, and there he let down his long lines and waited in good hope of happy harvest. While he waited he sang to himself a song to call the fish out of the deeps to his lines, and at the end of his soft sweet song he heard a still small voice say, "That was a good song, fisherman. Give out with another."

He looked behind him, and to his surprise there sat upon the great rock was a small grey man streaked with white, a dwarf. The fisherman was most surprised to see the dwarf, for he had never seen one before, but he was not afraid for he was a fearless one.

"This is not a comfortable sort of place to live," said the fisherman.

"Indeed, I am weary of living here myself, and of a mind to go find entertainment. I am short of good companionship. Would you like to come along with me?"

"Why would I not?"

"Then take a hold of my coattail and we shall go."

The dwarf rose up and flew into the air, and the fisherman that was agripping his coattail went flying up behind him. They flew a great way, and came down to land unnoticed in the branches of a great tree that overlooked a dancing place. Below them there were lovely lasses dancing in slow and stately style. The dwarf looked keenly at each of the lasses, commenting on the noble bearing and high beauty of each. He asked the fisherman which he thought finest, and the fisherman chose one who was shining bright as the snow and redlipped as the rose.

"She is the one, then."

The dwarf waited until the girl passed under the branch where he sat, and from a bag he took a little pinch of a sneezing dust. "This stuff," he said, "is made from the leaves of the tree that grew out of the grave of Snoring Suaxsis when he died." He dropped the pinch of powder down, just under her nose, and she sneezed, but with their concentration upon the dancing none of the other young women heard, and so none of them took the bad luck off the sneeze by saying "Luck to you".

Round in the stately dance tripped the women, and a second time the fairest girl came under the tree, and a second time the dwarf dropped a pinch of the dust, and a second time she sneezed, but still no-one heard her.

A third time she came dancing round, and the dwarf made ready to drop a third pinch of dust. The fisherman thought to say, "What is it that you are doing?"

The dwarf explained that he was in need of a companion upon his rock, someone who would cook and clean for him, and this girl looked ideal. For him to get her into his power, she must sneeze three times with no-one saying "Luck to you".

The fisherman was angry at this news, so when the sneezing dust floated down, and the girl sneezed, he shouted aloud "Luck to you."

The dwarf was so angry he flew off in a cloud of sneezing dust that floated down on the dancers. The fisherman had let go of the dwarf's coattail, so he was left behind, and tumbled down in midst of the sneezing girls, and began to sneeze himself. The girls were astonished and afraid to see him, but he excused himself and explained himself, and the girl that he had saved from the evil designs of the dwarf was impressed with him and thankful to him, and it was not a long time after that they were married one to the other.

And if you want any more of a tale you must look to the back end of a donkey, for there is none here.