nor does he seem to recognize Don Juan Bolondron. The latter is a variant of Grimm's well-known German tale of The Valiant Little Tailor, and the former is also a variant of a well-known folk-tale, but seems to me to be made up from classic, Spanish, and perhaps Arabian sources.
But I leave this matter to more competent writers, who I hope will follow Don Machado y Alvarez's example, and enrich these tales with their valuable commentaries.
The Black Woman and the Turtle-dove.
a Chilian Popular Tale, collected vivâ voce in the country and literally translated.
Thou must know so as to tell and understand so as to know, that this was a king married to a very comely damsel. One day that he had to go away from the city to make war upon another king of a neighbouring city, and not liking to leave his wife in the house for fear that some one might fall in love with her, he left her up in a tree of very thick foliage, with everything that she had need of, with strict orders not to come down from there until his return. In very deed she did as her husband told her, until one day that she saw a black woman who came to get water from a well that lay beneath the tree. Seeing a pretty figure in the well [the black woman] believed that it was her own; so she said:—"I so pretty and a drawing water!" threw away her pitcher, which broke, and went away. The next day she returned, saw the same figure, and said:—"I so pretty, and a drawing water!" and breaking her pitcher again, went away. The third day she saw the same figure, and said the same words, and broke her pitcher again. So the damsel who was there looking on could not hold in any longer, and set up a loud laugh. The black woman, very much surprised, looked up, and said:—"Aye, the little lady! the little lady so pretty and so lonely. What is she doing up there? Come down here a short while little lady and lie in my lap and I will hunt a little louse[1] for you!" "No, black woman,"
- ↑ It must be charitably supposed that this inducement to come down is an American innovation on the original story. The fact remains that the suggestion and the practice suggested is strictly true to local colour in all Spanish America.—(Translator.)
