Boots & His Brothers
Illustrated By: Elizabeth Rocha
ONCE UPON A TIME IN NORWAY there was a poor father who lived with his three sons. The names of the sons were Peter, Paul, and Boots. The father was so poor, he didn't even have one penny to rub against the other. So one day he told his sons they must go out into the world, for at home there was nothing to look forward to but starving to death.
Now, the land was ruled by a King whose palace stood on top of a high hill. The King gloried in the golden rays of sunlight that streamed in through the palace windows. But a great oak tree had sprung up against the king's windows, and this oak tree had grown so wide and so tall that it blocked all the sunlight and so no light could come in through the palace windows.
The king declared he would give a fortune to anyone who could chop down the oak, but no one could do it, for as soon as one chip of the oak's trunk flew off, two more grew back in its stead.
What's more, the hill under the King's palace was made up of solid rock. No well water could rise up through that dense rock, so the King could not have fresh well water to drink. He was confounded that everyone else in the kingdom had clean, fresh well water to drink, but not him - King of all the land!
The King set his heart on having these two things done, so he had it announced far and wide that whoever could fell the big oak in the king's courtyard AND dig a well, should win half the kingdom.
The King set his heart on having these two things done.
Well! As you can imagine there was many a man who came to try his luck, but all the chopping and hacking, and all the digging, came to naught. The oak tree only got wider and taller at every stroke, and the bedrock didn't get any softer for well water to come through, either.
So one day the three brothers decided to set off and try, too. The father was delighted, for even if they didn't win half the kingdom it might happen that along the way they might find a place somewhere with a good master, and that was surely more than what he could provide for them at home. So Peter, Paul and Boots said good-bye to their father and set off.
The brothers had not gone far before they came to a forest of fir trees. On one side of the forest rose a steep hill. Along one side of the woods rose a steep hillside. As they walked, they heard something chopping and hacking away on the hillside among the trees.
As they walked, they heard something chopping and hacking away on the hillside among the trees.
“I wonder what it is that is chopping away up yonder?” said Boots.
“Since when is it so unusual for a woodcutter to chop away up on a hillside?” said Peter and Paul together.
“This sound is different,” said Boots. “I'd like to find out what it is.”
His brothers laughed. "What a waste of time!”
“Just the same," said Boots, "I would like to find out.”
Boots climbed the steep hill to see where the noise came from. When he reached the place, what do you think he saw? Why, an axe stood there hacking and chopping, all by itself, at the trunk of a fir tree.
“Good day!” said Boots. “So you stand here all alone and chop, do you?”
“Yes," said the Axe. "Here I have stood and chopped and hacked for a long, long time, waiting for you."
“Well, here I am,” said Boots. He took the Axe and tucked it under his belt. Then he hurried on to catch up with his brothers.
"Well, here I am," said Boots. He took the Axe and tucked it under his belt.
They all walked on a bit more. Soon the brothers were walking under a steep rocky overhang. Above the rocks, they heard a noise that sounded like digging.
“I wonder,” said Boots, “what would be digging and shoveling up on top of this rock.”
“There you go again, with your foolish wondering!” laughed Peter and Paul again. “Did you ever hear a woodpecker?”
“This one sounds different,” said Boots. “I think I will go see what it is for myself.”
And so off he set to climb the rock. His brothers laughed and made fun of him, but he did not let that get to him.
His brothers laughed and made fun of him, but he did not let that get to him.
Up Boots climbed. When he got near the top, what do you think he saw? Why, a shovel that stood there digging all by itself.
“Good day!” said Boots. “So you stand here all alone, digging away!”
“Yes, that is what I do,” said the Shovel, “and that is what I have done this many a long day, waiting for you.”
“Well, here I am,” said Boots. He took the Shovel. Slinging it over his shoulder, he hurried to catch up with his brothers.
They all went on again a good bit, till they came to a brook. They were all thirsty, the three of them, after their long walk. And they lay down at the brook to have a drink.
They all went on again a good bit, till they came to a brook.
“I wonder where all this water comes from,” said Boots.
“We wonder what's wrong with you!” said Peter and Paul. “Who cares where water comes from?”
“Just the same, I would like to find out,” said Boots. Away he went.
As he walked on and on, the brook got smaller and smaller. At last, what do you think Boots saw? Why, a great walnut! And out of the walnut ran a flow of water.
“Good-day!” said Boots again. “So you lie here all alone, and let the water run out in a big flow?”
"Yes, I do," said the Walnut, "and I have let the water run out in a big flow this many a long day, waiting for you."
"Here I am,” said Boots. He plugged the hole with moss, so the water would not run anymore. Then he stuffed the Walnut into his pocket and ran to catch up to his brothers.
But his brothers were nowhere to be found. They had gone ahead to the city.
At the King's palace, many had already come to try their luck. They all knew they might win half the kingdom if they could only chop down the big oak and dig the king’s well. It didn't sound that hard! But many tried, and now the oak was twice as big as before. And there was not one dent in the rock.
So the King had now laid it down as a punishment that if anyone tried and couldn't chop down the oak, he should be sent in disgrace to a faraway island. By the time Boots had reached the city, his two brothers had already tried and failed. They already climbed on board the ship in disgrace, headed to the faraway island.
By the time Boots had reached the city, his two brothers had already tried and failed.
Now it was Boots' turn to try.
“What makes you think you will do better than any of the others?” snapped the King. “You may as well save us the trouble of watching you fail and go over to that ship now!”
“Well, I would just like to try first,” said Boots, “if I may.”
So the King said to go ahead since it would not take long anyway. Boots took the Axe out from under his belt.
“Chop away!” he said to the Axe. And away it chopped, making the chips fly. It was not long before the oak tree was chopped down!
"Chop away!" he said to the Axe.
When that was done, Boots reached for the Shovel over his shoulder.
“Dig away!” said he to the Shovel. The Shovel began to dig and dig till the dirt and rock flew out. Soon a hole was dug right next to the palace.
Boots took out the Walnut and set it down in the well. He pulled out the plug of moss.
“Let the water flow,” said Boots. So the Walnut let the water out in a big flow. In a short time, cool water bubbled as high as a fountain. The king had all the fresh water he could ever want!
Boots was the one who chopped down the oak tree. And Boots was the one who dug a well in the palace yard. And so Boots was the one who won half the kingdom, just as the King had promised.
The King smiled. Boots said, “You know, everyone who came before was trying to help. How about if you let all of them come back from the island?”
The King was so happy with all the new light in his bedrooms and all the fresh water he could ever drink, that he said Yes. And so all the young men came back, including Boot's brothers, Peter and Paul.
His two brothers Peter and Paul were glad to return to the mainland, though in later years they often wondered if they hadn't been better off back on the island, where they didn't have to listen all day long to everyone's saying, "Well, that Boots sure was a clever fellow to wonder about things and go in search of the answers!"
AWESOME
The story is trying to show you not to make the same mistakes that the King made during his lifetime or his time on earth. And he’s trying to teach people how to do stuff the right way.