On a Pincushion · The Hair Tree (2/5)

The bird sat silent, with his head on one side, watching Rupert for some time, and then with a sudden cry rose into the air and was out of sight almost before he knew it had moved.

At first he felt angry at this, but as it was gone, it was no use thinking about it, and, anyhow, he had learnt that the golden nuts were very valuable, and he thought if it wanted them so much it might perhaps return for them.

He was right. All day and night he drifted about without coming in sight of land, but next morning at sunrise he saw, in the far distance, a dim line, and at the same moment he heard a whirring of wings overhead, and the Eagle flew down and perched on the edge of the boat as before.

Rupert remained quiet, without seeming to notice it, until at last it broke silence with⁠—

“Are you in the same mind as last night? I’ll tell you the way to the Hair Tree country for a zirbal nut.”

The sailor took one out of his pocket, and said⁠—

“Tell me first, then, and you shall have the nut afterwards.”

“That is the country where the Hair Tree grows, in front of you,” said the bird. “Many go to it, but very few return.”

“Why is that?” asked Rupert, as he gave the bird the nut.

“Why?” repeated the bird, seizing it with his bill. “You had better go there and find out. You know now where it is.”

Rupert pondered a little; then he said, “If you will tell me how to find my way safely to the Hair Tree and back, when I pass here again I will give you six whole nuts. And if you refuse I shall take my gun and shoot you.”

The bird gave a scornful laugh. “You couldn’t shoot me,” he said; “you can try if you like. Why, if it were not for the magic fruit in your pocket, you wouldn’t be here now. It is only that which has protected you from my spells. Well, perhaps I will do what you want, and tell you how to find your way to the Hair Tree; only, you must promise faithfully to give me the nuts when you return.”

The sailor promised again, and the bird continued⁠—

“When you reach land you can go on shore at any place⁠—it doesn’t matter where⁠—and walk straight on. You will find that all the animals can speak; but I advise you not to speak to any of them. And, whatever you do, beware of the plants and flowers; for they all have hands and arms, and will try to seize you, and if once they get you nothing can save you⁠—no, not even your magic nuts. You must go on till you come to a high wall, in which is a heavy iron door, over which is written⁠—

‘Only he who knows can enter here,

Yet only he can know, who enters without fear.’

And you must stand before it, and say⁠—

‘I know, I know;

Inside the wind does blow,

Inside the waters flow;

This makes the Hair Tree grow⁠—

I know, I know.’

Then the doors will fly open, and you can pass in. Within grows the Hair Tree. What else you will find there I shall not say. Now, I have kept my part of the agreement; see that you keep yours when you return.”

So saying, the bird flapped his wings once and disappeared.

Rupert looked about, and finding himself very near land, rowed to shore, and stepped from his boat. It seemed to be a pretty sort of country, and at first he did not notice anything unusual. He walked straight on till he came to a row of splendid sunflowers, and stopped in front of them to admire them, when all at once a pair of beautiful white hands and arms were thrust out from the nearest stalk, and grasping him by the shoulders began to pull him, with a strength he could not resist. At once all the other stalks had put out their hands, and were reaching towards him. And from above the large yellow flowers there appeared heads⁠—women’s heads⁠—with beautiful dreamy faces and bright golden hair. In another moment Rupert felt the arms would have crushed him to death, for they were fast tightening their hold, and felt like iron hands.

Suddenly he remembered the jewels in his pockets, and drawing out a brilliant emerald, flashed it before the face of the sunflower in whose arms he was. “Leave me alone,” he cried, “and you shall have this.”

But still the arms bound him with their strong grasp, and gave no sign of loosening their hold. Then Rupert took the jewel and, holding it above his head, said, “If you don’t let me go at once, I will throw it beyond your reach, so that you will never get it.”

For a moment the arms wavered, then they slowly gave way, and Rupert burst from them trembling at the danger from which he had escaped. With haste, and still keeping at arms’ length, he dropped the jewel into the cruel beautiful white hand that was stretched out to receive it. Then he ran as fast as he could from the row of sunflowers and sat down, still panting and trembling, on a large bare stone.

After he had a little recovered himself, he looked about him, and perceived that not only the sunflowers but all the trees had hands and arms, which they were always stretching to try and catch something, and on looking on the ground he saw that even the blades of grass were armed with tiny hands, which they kept stretching into the air.

For amusement he buried his hand in the grass, and in an instant it was clutched by a hundred tiny hands, that pulled it hard. He could easily draw it away, for it was no more than if a number of spiders had seized his hand. He wondered much at this country, where all the plants seemed to be alive and he had seen no trace of man or beast. While he was thinking, a shadow fell across his path, and looking up he saw a large handsome striped tigress standing in front of him looking into his face. He at once put his hand to his gun, and would have shot it if it had not said in a quiet voice⁠—

“Why are you going to shoot me? I shall do you no harm. How did you come here? You are the first man who has been on this island since I came.”

Rupert stared in astonishment at hearing a tigress speak so plainly, and said⁠—

“I came in a little boat. My name is Rupert, and I am come to look for the Hair Tree. Who are you? I never heard a tigress speak before.”

“I am not really a tigress; I am a woman who was turned into a tigress by a wicked fairy. Tell me what you want with the Hair Tree, and how you managed to get here alive, and I will tell you my story.”

So Rupert told the tigress all that had happened to him; how he had set out to find the Hair Tree, and how he had picked up the nuts of the zirbal-tree, and his promise to the yellow bird, and how he had only just escaped from the sunflowers.

She listened quietly; then she said, “You owe your life to the nuts of the zirbal-tree. They are enchanted, and that is why the yellow eagle could not kill you at once, as he would otherwise have done, for he is a most spiteful creature, but the magic nuts saved you from him, as well as from a number of dangers of this island of which you do not know. You are the first living man who has ever entered so far. Now let us sit down, and keep well out of reach of the grasping hands, and I will tell you my story.”

Rupert sat down, and the tigress arranged herself at his feet, and curled her tail beneath her, and began as follows:⁠—