Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino Read Free Book Online Page B

for his godson, while the real godson was assigned to the stables as stable boy. But the mangy one couldn’t wait to get rid of his companion, and the opportunity soon presented itself. The king one day said to the false godson, “If you could free my daughter from the spell that holds her prisoner on a certain island, I’d give her to you in marriage. The only difficulty is that nobody who has attempted to free her has ever come back alive.” The mangy one lost no time in replying. “Try sending my servant, who is surely capable of setting her free.”
    The king summoned the youth at once and asked, “Can you set my daughter free?”
    â€œYour daughter? Tell me where she is, Majesty!”
    The king would only say, “I warn you that you’ll lose your head if you come back to me without her.”
    The youth went to the pier and watched the ships sail away. He had no idea how to reach the princess’s island. An old sailor with a beard down to his knees approached him and said, “Ask for a ship with three decks.”
    The youth went to the king and had a ship with three decks rigged. When it was in port and ready to weigh anchor, the old sailor reappeared. “Now have one deck loaded with cheese rinds, another with bread crumbs, and the third with stinking carrion.”
    The youth had the three decks loaded.
    â€œNow,” said the old man, “when the king says, ‘Choose all the sailors you want,’ you will reply, ‘I need only one,’ and select me.” That he did, and the whole town turned out to watch the ship sail off with that strange cargo and a crew of one, who also happened to be on his last legs.
    They sailed for three months straight, at the end of which time they spied a lighthouse in the night and entered a port. All they could make out on shore were low, low houses and stealthy movement. At last a voice asked, “What cargo do you carry?”
    â€œCheese rinds,” replied the old sailor.
    â€œFine,” they said on shore. “That’s what we need.”
    It was the Island of Rats, where all the inhabitants were rats, who said, “We’ll buy the entire cargo, but we have no money with which to pay you. But any time you need us, you have only to say, ‘Rats, fine rats, help us!’ and we’ll be right there to help you.”
    The youth and the sailor dropped the gangplank, and the rats came aboard and unloaded the cheese rinds in a flash.
    From there the men sailed to another island. It was also night and they could make out nothing at all in port. It was worse than the other place, with not a house or a tree anywhere in sight. “What cargo do you bring?” asked voices in the dark.
    â€œBread crumbs,” replied the sailor.
    â€œFine! That’s just what we need!”
    It was the Island of Ants, where all the inhabitants were ants. Nor did they have any money either, but they said, “Whenever you need us, you have only to say, ‘Ants, fine ants, help us!’ and we’ll be right there, no matter where you are.”
    The ants carried all the bread crumbs down the fore and aft moorings, and the ship cast off again.
    It came to an island of rocky cliffs that dropped straight down to port. “What cargo do you bring?” cried voices from above.
    â€œStinking carrion!”
    â€œExcellent! That’s just what we need,” and huge shadows swooped down on the ship.
    It was the Island of Vultures, inhabited entirely by those greedy birds. They flew off with every ounce of carrion, promising in return to help the men whenever they called, “Vultures, fine vultures, help us!”
    After several more months of sailing, they landed on the island where the king of England’s daughter was a prisoner. They disembarked, walked through a long cave, and emerged before a palace in a garden. A dwarf walked out to meet them. “Is the king of England’s daughter