Chapter 101 100. Neapolitan soldiers

Three soldiers deserted and fled to the countryside.One of them was a Roman, one a Florentine, and the youngest a Neapolitan.The three of them were wandering in the fields, and when it was dark they came to a wood.The oldest Roman said: "Guys, we can't sleep with three of us. We should each take turns to watch for an hour." The sentry started from him, and the other two threw their backpacks on the ground, spread out the quilt and fell asleep.About an hour later, a giant came out of the woods. "What are you doing here?" he asked the soldier. The Roman didn't even look him in the face, and replied, "I don't have to tell you."

The giant sprang at him, but the soldier, quicker than he, drew his knife, and chopped off the giant's head.Then, holding the head in one hand and dragging the body with the other, the soldiers threw the giant into a well.The Roman cleaned the knife, put it back into the sheath, and went to wake his companions for the shift.Before waking him, the Roman thought: It would be better not to tell him anything, or the Florentine would run away in terror.So when the Florentine woke up and asked him, "What do you see?", he answered, "No, no, everything is quiet," and went to sleep.

The Florentine began to stand guard, and at the end of his hour a giant like the previous one appeared before him, and asked him, "Well, what are you doing here?" And he said, "I don't have to tell you or anyone." The giant sprang at him, but the soldier was quicker than he was, and cut off his head with a knife.Then, he took the head and the body and threw them into the river.When it was time to change the shift, he thought: it would be best not to tell that timid Neapolitan.If he knew that such a terrible thing happened here, he would be scared away. So when the Neapolitan asked him: "Nothing happened to you, did you?", he replied: "Nothing happened, you can rest assured." Then he also went back to sleep.

The Neapolitan soldier stood guard for nearly an hour, and the woods were very quiet.Suddenly, footsteps were heard deep in the woods, and then a giant stepped out. "What are you doing here?" "What does it matter to you?" said the Neapolitan.The giant raised one hand over the soldier, trying to crush him into a battered egg.But the soldier was more agile than he, and he raised his knife, and cut off his head very simply.Then seized the corpse and threw it into the well.It's time to wake up the Romans, but he thought: Before that, I'm going to see where this giant came from.So he went into the woods.The soldier saw a bright light, walked towards it, and came to a small house.He peeped in through the keyhole, and there he saw three old women sitting talking by the fire.

"It's midnight and our husband hasn't shown up yet," said one of them. "Did something happen to them?" said another. The third said, "Anyway, we should pick them up, what do you think?" "Let's go now," said the first, "and I'll take the lantern, which can shine as far as a hundred miles away." "As for me," said the second, "take this sword, it can destroy an army with one swing." The third said, "I'll take the rifle, it will kill the she-wolf in the palace." "Let's go." They opened the door.

A scrawny Neapolitan waited for them behind a door frame.The first came out with a lantern in his hand, the soldier raised his knife and fell, and the woman died before she could even say "Amen".The second one came out, and he slashed again, click!She fell to the ground like a sack.The third also fell to the ground with a clatter and died. The soldier now had the witches' lanterns, swords, and rifles, and he wanted to try them out at once. "Let's see if what the three witches said is true." He raised his lantern, and saw a group of soldiers a hundred miles away, holding spears and shields, guarding a castle.A she-wolf with flaming eyes was tethered under the castle platform. "Let's satisfy our curiosity," said the soldier.He raised his sword and drew a circle in the air.Then he raised the lantern again, and saw that all the soldiers fell to the ground dead, their spears were all broken, and their horses were on their backs.He took up his rifle and shot at the she-wolf again, and the wolf died in response.

"Now I'm going to take a closer look," said the soldier. He walked and walked until he came to the castle.There was no answer to knocking or shouting.So he went in, looked around in all the rooms, and still saw no one.Finally, in the most beautiful room, he saw a sleeping beautiful girl sitting on the velvet sofa. Soldiers approached her, but she was still asleep.A slipper had long since fallen from her foot.The soldier picked up the shoe and put it in his pocket.He kissed the girl, then tiptoed out. No sooner had he left than the girl woke up.She called to the maids, who were also asleep in the next room.The maids woke up and came running. "The magic is broken, the magic is broken! We are awake, the princess is awake! Who is the knight who saved us?"

"Quick," said the princess, "go to the window and see if there is anyone outside." The maids poked their heads out of the windows, only to see the slain army and the frozen she-wolf.So the princess said: "Quickly, go and tell my father that a brave knight has come here. He defeated the army that imprisoned me, killed the she-wolf who guarded me, and broke the magic with a kiss." She looked down. Looking at the bare feet, he said, "Then, I took away the slippers on my left foot." The king was very happy, and he ordered people to post notices everywhere in the country:

Please come whoever saved my daughter, and I will marry her to him, whether he is a prince or a beggar. By this time the Neapolitan had returned to his companions, and it was daylight. "Why didn't you wake us up earlier? How many shifts did you do?" The Neapolitan, unwilling to tell everything, said: "I'm not sleepy, so I've been on sentry." A few days passed, but there was still no one in the princess's country as a legitimate savior to marry the princess. "What is to be done?" thought the King. The princess had an idea: "Dad, let's do this: we open a hotel in the countryside, provide accommodation, and then hang a sign: Here you can eat, drink, and live for three days for free. There will be many people staying there, and we will stay there." know something."

So they did, and the king's daughter acted as boss.Three soldiers happened to come here, and they were as hungry as wolves.The three passed by the door, although they were so hungry that they tightened their belts, they still sang as usual.They read the signs, and the Neapolitans said: "Boys, you can eat and stay here for free." The partners said: "Yes, just believe it! People wrote this to deceive people!" However, the lady boss dressed as a princess came to invite them in and said that what was written on the sign was true.Three soldiers came in, and the princess brought them the supper of the great man.Then she sat down at their table and said, "Well, you three are from outside, can you tell me anything new? I live in the country and never know anything about what happens."

"What would you like us to talk about, madam?" said the Roman.In this way, he pretended to be modest and told the story that when he was on guard, a giant appeared and he cut off the giant's head. "Well!" said the Florentine, "it has happened to me too!" and he told of him and the Giant. "And you?" the princess asked the Neapolitan. "Has nothing happened to you?" His companions laughed: "What do you hope happens to him? Our cowardly friend runs away at night when the leaves rustle, and is never seen for a week." "Why do you treat him like this, poor man?" said the girl, still insisting that the Neapolitans should also speak. Then the Neapolitan said: "You know, while you were asleep, a giant appeared before me, and I killed him." "Ha!" jeered his companions, "you'll be frightened to death just looking at him! That's enough, we don't want to hear any more, let's go to bed." They left him alone with the princess. The lady boss toasts the Neapolitan and tells him to go on.In this way he told, bit by bit, the whole thing: the three old witches, the lantern, the rifle, the sword, and the beautiful sleeping girl whom he had kissed, and had taken one of her shoes from. "Do you still have this shoe?" "Here it is," said the soldier, taking the shoe out of his pocket. The princess was very happy and continued to toast him until he fell into a deep sleep.Then the princess said to the attendant, "Take him into the room I have specially prepared, take off his clothes, and put the king's clothes on the chair." Neapolitans woke up in the morning to find themselves in a room decorated entirely with gold and brocade.He went to look for his own clothes, but what he saw were the king's clothes.He twisted himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.Since he couldn't figure it out on his own, he rang a bell. Four servants in uniform came in. They bowed deeply and said, "Please tell me, Your Highness. Are you sleeping well, Your Highness?" The Neapolitan opened his eyes wide: "Are you crazy? Why is Your Highness not Your Highness? Get my clothes quickly, I want to wear them, this scene should end." "Be quiet, Your Highness. Come shave and comb your hair." "Where are my friends? Where have you put my things?" "They are coming, and you will have everything, but please allow us to dress you, Your Highness." Unable to get rid of them, the soldier was at their mercy: he shaved, combed his hair, and dressed him in the king's clothes.They then served him chocolates, cakes and sweets.After breakfast, he asked, "Where are my friends, can I see them?" "Immediately, Your Highness." They brought in the Roman and the Florentine, who opened their mouths agape when they saw him dressed like this: "But tell us, how did you get dressed like this!" "Don't you know what to say? I don't understand like you!" "Who knows what you're up to?" said the friends, "who knows what you were bragging about with the female boss last night!" "I'm not bragging to anyone at all," he said. "So what's the matter?" "I will tell you how it is," said the king, and his daughter entered, and the princess in her most precious cloak. "My daughter was trapped by magic and this young man saved her." During the conversation, everyone understood what happened. "For this," said the king, "I give him my daughter in marriage, and make him my heir. You two need not worry, for I will make you dukes. For without you I slew the other two giants, my daughter will not be saved." They held their wedding in a happy atmosphere. They ate the broken bread, and a maggot-ridden hen, Long live the bride, long live the groom. (Rome area)