The Lady's Magazine/Series 2/Volume 2/April/The History of Kibitz, the Peasant
THE HISTORY OF KIBITZ, THE PEASANT.
(From the German.)
A poor peasant, by name Kibitz, lived with his wife in a little village, and his days were happy and contented. Once, as he was ploughing his field with his two oxen, he heard his name called out suddenly, and, looking round, perceived a bird, which repeated the call without cessation. This was the bird kibitz, that, like the cuckoo, is notorious for calling out its own name; but the peasant thought the bird was mocking him: he therefore took up a stone to fling at it, but the kibitz flew away, and the stone, instead of hitting it, fell upon one of the oxen, and killed him upon the spot. ‘What shall I do now with the other ox?’ thought the peasant to himself; and without more delay he slew this also, skinned them both, and took their hides to the city, there to sell them to a tanner for as much as he could get for them.
He soon found the house of a tanner, and knocked at the door; but before it was opened to him, he saw through the window that the wife hid her lover in a chest. The other asked what he wanted, and on his saying that he wished to sell skins, she answered that the tanner was not at home, and that nothing could be bought without his knowledge. The peasant replied that he would take the old chest in exchange, and he pointed to that in which the lover was. Of course the wife would not yield to this, and Kibitz kept up the dispute till the tanner came home, and wanted to know the matter, when he told his story, and added that he would still receive the chest. The tanner asked his wife why she would not give the chest: ‘You should be glad,’ he said, ‘that the man is contented with it.’ With this Kibitz took the chest, notwithstanding the wife’s opposition, and, having placed it on a truck, went his ways with it.
When he had got about half his road, the lover began to cry out, and to pray that he would let him go; but our peasant was deaf to all his entreaties. At last the young man offered gold, and all to no purpose, till the sum came to a thousand dollars: this being paid, Kibitz suffered his escape.
Our peasant now went back delighted to his village, and told his neighbours how well he had sold his skins; whereupon they all slew their oxen, and hastened to sell them to the tanner. When they came to him, he told them they must be out of their senses, for to Kibitz he had given no more than an old chest: enraged at having been deceived by Kibitz, they determined to kill him when he was working in his garden; but our peasant got notice of their intentions: he therefore proposed to his wife, that by way of jest she should put on his clothes and dig in the garden, that she might be mistaken for himself. To this the wife, not suspecting ill, very readily assented, and accordingly the next morning began digging in the garden. Then came the peasants and struck her dead, with the firm conviction that they had murdered Kibitz.
In the mean time the husband heartily rejoiced in the success of his plan, and even thought of drawing some profit from his wife’s death: with this view he dressed her in her usual dress, put into her hand a basket of the most beautiful fruit, which was scarce as it was now winter; and, having placed her upright against some broad railings in the city, he hid himself at a little distance. In a short time a splendid carriage came by, drawn by six horses, and attended by servants and outriders; within was a lady of rank, who no sooner saw the fruit, than she ordered a footman to ask its price. The servant obeyed, but received no answer, and having twice repeated his question in vain, he thought she slept, and pushed her that she might wake, when the body tumbled backwards into the water. Now came forward Kibitz, groaning and crying that they had flung his wife into the water, and protesting that he would bring a criminal action against the lady, who, to appease his anger, offered him her entire equipage. Our peasant made as if he were granting a mighty favour in accepting the proffer, placed himself in the carriage, and drove off to his village. Upon his arrival, great was the wonder of the peasants at the splendid equipage, but still greater when they saw Kibitz get out of the coach; and when he had told them his story, their envy was redoubled: they shut him up in a tub, with intent to drown him.
In rolling the vessel along they passed by an ale-house; this was an opportunity they could not let slip, for a good dram would confirm their hearts to their design, and accordingly they bound the cask to a tree before the door. No sooner did Kibitz perceive that he was alone than he began to think how he should free himself. Soon he heard, tramp, tramp, a flock of sheep coming by, and he called out ‘I wont be burgomaster, I wont be burgomaster.’ The astonished shepherd asked the meaning of this exclamation. ‘Ha,’ said Kibitz, ‘they want to make a burgomaster of me, and to that I won’t consent, and therefore they are resolved to drown me.’ ‘I should well like to be burgomaster,’ answered the shepherd. ‘Then let me out,’ replied Kibitz; ‘creep into the cask yourself, and they will make you burgomaster.’ No sooner said than done: the shepherd crept into the vessel, and Kibitz was free, and joyfully drove the sheep towards his village.
The peasants now came out of the ale-house, and began to roll on the cask, while the shepherd cried ‘I will be burgomaster; I will be burgomaster.’ ‘That we can easily believe,’ answered the peasants, and splash went the cask into the water, and they went homewards, rejoicing in what they had done; but just as they were entering the village at one end, Kibitz, to their great astonishment, drove in his flock of sheep at the other. ‘Whence come you, Kibitz?’ was echoed from all sides. ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘did you observe the white bladders that rose when you flung me into the water? the stream is enchanted: all those white bladders were sheep, out of which I collected this little flock; there are thousands more in the water yet.’ ‘And can we also get some?’ asked the peasants. ‘Why not?’ was the answer: you have only to jump in and fetch them.’
It was now concluded that all the peasants should fetch sheep, first the bailiff, and then the others in succession. Accordingly the bailiff leaped in first, and the white bladders instantly rising, his comrades began to be alarmed, lest he should take too many, to prevent which they plunged in after him: all were drowned, and Kibitz, inheriting the whole village, became a rich man.