Part 1

AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES

BY HUME COOK WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTIAN YANDELL

PUBLISHED BY J HOWLETT-ROSS MELBOURNE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

DEDICATED

TO

Keith, Madge and Kevyn,

whose appreciation encouraged the telling of the tales and prompted this publication.

PREFACE

The Stories in this little book have been set down almost in the same words in which they were told. How the telling of them came about is a very simple matter. Having three children, each of whom loved a Fairy Tale, it somehow became the fashion, on Sunday evenings, to tell them a story.

On one occasion, when the youngest member was just about to be taken to bed, his sister said; “None of the books about Fairies ever say a word about Australia! Are there any Australian Fairies, Father?”

Somewhat hastily, perhaps, I answered: “Why, yes, of course! Whole tribes of them!”

Instantly the order went forth: “Then you will please tell us about them the very next time you tell us a story!”

THE AUTHOR.

Melbourne, Australia, 1925.

FOREWORD.

By the RT. HON. W. M. HUGHES, P.C., M.P.

Formerly Prime Minister of Australia.

War and Science between them have played havoc with the old order. Ancient landmarks have been swept away; cherished superstitions exposed. The World has changed, but man remains the same. His faith in Kings may have gone, but his belief in Fairies remains. In childhood, he lives to-day as he has lived throughout the ages, in a world which knows not change, and where the cold, hard light of science can never penetrate. A wonderful world, inhabited by glorious beings with shimmering wings and glittering diadems and wands; to whom nothing is impossible; for whom neither time nor space exist, save at their will.

“Where is this wonderful world?” sneers Mr. Gradgrind; “I cannot see it—it does not exist!” No, not for you, my dear Sir! You are one of those who are not privileged to pass its magic portals. But it is a very real world for all that. It may indeed turn out to be no less real than this, which is the only one you deem worth knowing, and which it is very obvious you do not know at all.

It is the world in which the children of all the world live: the world of Bogies and Dragons, Fairy Princes and Princesses, Giants and Giant Killers. It is the world we knew so well when we, too, walked with fearful joy amid its mystic, thrilling groves. To dull and prosaic souls it does not exist, for, lacking imagination, they walk in outer darkness. Those fairy forms—so real to the vivid mind—are to them but the shadows of trees in the flickering light of the moon.

Hitherto, the Fairies we have known, though very delightful beings, have had their habitat in far-off lands. Thanks to the researches of Mr. Hume Cook, we are now able to wander through the enchanted Bush with real Australian Fairy Princes and Princesses; share in the thrills of their amazing adventures; rejoice in the triumph of virtue; and be glad at the downfall of vice.

The dwellers in Australian Fairy Land, although akin to those of other climes, have a distinct character of their own. Even the wicked Desert Fairies endear themselves to us. Although they do not vomit fire, as did the dreadful dragon of our childhood, one feels that, given a sporting chance, they would make that boastful beast curl up like a salted worm.

As for the other Fairies, everybody will love them. The stories are well told, and the book is beautifully illustrated. Mr. Hume Cook’s book is, in very truth, a really and truly Fairy Story Book, which Australian children of all ages will read with avid interest and take to their hearts.

W. M. Hughes.

CONTENTS.

The Magic Well 13 The Fairy City 35 The Prince’s Palace 53 The Prince’s Marriage 71 The Skylark’s Story 88 Gourds and Quinces 92 The Grape Vine’s Story 94 When the Stork Called 97 The Raindrop’s Story 98 The Door Mat’s Story 104 Clover Perfume’s Story 108 Music’s Story 115 The Moon’s Garden Party 121

COLOURED PLATES:

Prince Waratah goes to the rescue of the Princess Frontispiece The Arrival of the Shower Fairies 33 The Fairy City by Night 49 The Desert Fairies Kidnap the Princess 79 The Prince and Princess before the Recorder 85 The Mower and His Lady Meet the Queen 131

AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES AS TOLD TO “BIDGYBAH,” “POLLYKIM,” and “PINKLES.”

Time of Telling: Sunday Evenings.

Place: Any old spot remote from the older members of the family.

Descriptive Characteristics of the Audience:

“Bidgybah”: Schoolboy; full of strange noises and a scornful contempt for all things sisterly and feminine; but with such an unquenchable thirst for stories as to be able to keep silence whilst one is being told, and to forget for the nonce to pull his sister’s hair, pinch her arm, or otherwise constitute himself a source of annoyance.

“Pollykim”: Schoolgirl; demure of manner, yet overflowing with the ability to pointedly disregard all that a boy holds in esteem; but so hungry for fairy tales as to forget her airs for the time being, to sit still during the telling of the tale, and to refrain from giving other offence.

“Pinkles”: Chubby male person, aged five, with fair flaxen curls, and a complexion remarkable for the fact that pink carnations seem to be forever chasing white piccotees up over his cheeks into the starry depths of his grey-blue eyes. In addition, he possesses an immeasurable love of stories about Fairies; and a red-gum faith of so sound a quality, that the white ants of doubt and disbelief have hitherto attacked it in vain!

Origins of the Names

“Bidgybah”: Title assumed by the present owner. Supposed to have at one time belonged to an aboriginal Chief of extraordinary bravery and skill. Real name, Keith.

“Pollykim”: Pet name; origin shrouded in mystery. Believed to have arisen out of an attempt to pronounce a word too difficult for a childish tongue to overcome. Real name, Madge.

“Pinkles”: Descriptive appellation; bestowed at a very early age consequent upon a pink and white complexion of more than ordinary beauty. Real name, Kevyn.

THE MAGIC WELL

In the centre of Australia there’s a large and lovely lake, And its waters gleaming golden, from the sun their glory take; In the middle of the waters there’s an Island, wondrous fair, And the perfume of its fruit and flowers, like incense fills the air! In the heart of this fair Island there’s a wonder-working well, By the fairy-folk enchanted; for ’tis there the Fairies dwell!

Most people seem to think that the heart of Australia is nothing but a sandy desert. Well, that’s not quite correct. As a matter of fact, though not a great number know it, the very, very centre is inhabited by Fairies. They live there on a beautiful island in the middle of a great lake; and all they have, including their wonderful city, is all due to the “Magic Well”!

On their splendid Island there are hills covered with trees—forest trees! And there are great valleys where wild-flowers grow; and springs and streams and waterfalls; and caves with stalactites in them; those funny things that look something like sheep’s tails frozen! These stalactites hang down from the cave-roofs, and even they are due to the Magic Well! That may seem strange; but the way it happens is this:—Little drops of water, very slowly oozing down from the top of the cave, carry with them the tiniest bits of sand or limestone. The first pieces of sand or limestone just stick to the roof; and then, every other little piece, after it gets through, just clings to the piece that got there before it, so that, by-and-by, thousands and thousands of them, all joined together, make a stalactite.

But of course there are many other things there beside those that hang in caves! For instance, there are the loveliest birds and butterflies; the most beautiful beetles and moths; and, above all, the rarest lot of Australian animals the eye could wish to see. Kangaroos, Wallabys and Woolly Bears! ’Possums, Platypuses, and gaily-coloured Lizards, big and little!... And then, the fern gullies! Why, there never were such ferns anywhere ever before! Thousands of them! Tree-ferns galore! Stag-ferns in plenty! Maiden-hair in bunches as large as rose bushes; larger indeed; and cat-heads; besides great trailing asparagus ferns, and every kind that the world knows! Date palms, too; and lofty cocoanut trees; with the cocoanuts on them always ready to pull; and banana trees, with great yellow bunches of bananas hanging down most temptingly!

Then there are bread-fruit trees, as well as fruit trees of every other description; and flowers, and flowering shrubs in untold number and variety. Can you imagine such a place? And all due to the Magic Well! For without that Well the Island could not have come into existence; and, if anything were to happen to it, the Lake would disappear, and the Fairies of Australia have to find a new home!

Strictly speaking, it should have been said that the “superior fairies” would have to find a new home, for, as everybody knows, not all the fairies live in one place. Even those who belong to “Fairy Island” are not always there! Over and over again they are sent travelling about on errands for their King and Queen; and sometimes they are given very important work to do. For example, they are constantly showing the rain-drops just exactly where to fall; coaxing the wind to blow more softly on the delicate flowers; pulling the dark clouds away so that the sun can steadily shine upon the Earth, warming the soil, causing things to grow—and making everything very sweet and pleasant for everybody!

Of course there are other tribes, such as the Mountain Fairies, the River Fairies, the Forest Fairies, and many more. But these are all subject to King Waratah at Fairy Island, and have only a Governor over them now. That was not always the case. Many years ago the various tribes were all independent of one another, and each tribe had its own particular piece of country within which it lived and was supreme; and, naturally, each had its own King or Queen! But a time arrived when this was changed; and it came about in quite a wonderful way, and, in a manner of speaking, all through the Magic Well! Some day you shall be told all about it; but, for the moment, attention must be devoted to the discovery of the Magic Well, and what took place as the result of that happy event.

Now this is how the Well came to be found.

Prince Waratah, as he was then called, having come of age, was sent by his father to look for a wife. It was then the custom among the fairies—as it still is among the crowned heads of the world—for the King’s sons and daughters to get their wives or husbands from among the families of other Royal households. The Prince’s father—who was the head of the Forest Fairies—was called King Eucalyptus! And a very clever and prudent old King he was, too; though not nearly so wise as his son became, as you shall learn later on! At the same time he was not without a great deal of what is termed “natural shrewdness”! He therefore reasoned that, if he sent his son travelling from tribe to tribe—with strict injunctions or orders not to choose a wife until he had seen at least six Princesses—he must indeed learn many things that were unknown to his father. So off the Prince went!

As it chanced, however, his father need not have had any anxiety about his making any mistake in selecting a wife; for he had very good taste, and was gifted with what is called discrimination, or the power to see for himself the best in whatever came under his notice. So, though he paid many visits to many Fairy Kings, up to this time he was by no means satisfied to make a choice. His latest journey had taken him to stay for a while with a tribe of Fairies who lived in what is now called the “Northern Territory”—quite close to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The King of those Fairies had several daughters, all very bright and witty in their conversation, but, possibly owing to the heat of the climate, rather sallow complexions, and not nearly beautiful enough to please the Prince’s fancy. He, therefore, finally resolved to make his way across the Continent from North to South; for, so he had heard, the Wattle Fairies of that part of Australia that is now known as Victoria, were particularly fair and lovely, and he cherished the hope that at long last he would discover a Princess fit to be his wife.

As may be imagined, in the course of such an extraordinary lengthy journey—about two thousand miles—he naturally met with quite a number of adventures. Of these there is not time to tell; except to say, that though over and over again in peril from the wicked Desert Fairies, who repeatedly tried to overwhelm him in storms, he always had the good fortune to win safely through!

When he had gotten exactly half way across Australia, he came upon a very singular sort of hill, rising in great slopes above the otherwise level country. Interested, he stayed to closely examine it, climbing at last to the top. Whilst there, night came on, and being very tired, he settled himself to sleep, selecting for a pillow one of the numerous tussocks of grey-green grass which were growing all over the hill.

Of other vegetation there was very little—only a few stunted trees, almost devoid of leaves. But the hill itself spread over a very wide area indeed; and though in many places sandy, there were other spots, as the Prince had seen, that were covered with what looked like excellent soil; ready to grow anything if only plenty of water were available. In point of fact, it was on these patches that the stunted trees were growing, only saved from death, no doubt, by the falling of extremely rare showers of rain. There were gorges and gullies too; but so dry from lack of water that only the merest tuft of things were growing there. Round about the hill, as far as the eye could see, and, further, stretched miles and miles of sandy desert!

Just as the sun rose in the morning, the Prince awoke. In order to pull himself to a sitting posture he clutched at one of the grass tussocks that grew near. To his astonishment, it came easily out of the ground. But judge of his intense surprise, when, gazing steadily into the hole left by the uprooted grass, he saw a tiny drop of water slowly come through the soil at the bottom. Quickly replacing the tussock, and firmly bedding the loosened earth round about it, he gave himself up to pondering on the very peculiar fact that had just come under his observation.

After a while a great thought came to him. The drop of water he had seen could not be there by itself. It must have come from some larger supply located deeper down in the earth. If that were the case—and there could be no reason to doubt it—then it might become possible to do many things, which, in his dreamings, he had often planned to carry out if only the opportunity offered. Such, for example, as the building of a new, safe, and perfectly wonderful City, the creation of a Fairy Navy; or the erection of a glorious Palace greatly in advance of anything that had ever before been seen.

Almost all his life—maybe because he had so frequently noted the comparative scarcity of water in the inland portions of Australia—he had thought of what might be done with unlimited supplies. Here, then, appeared to be his golden opportunity. It was a chance not to be missed!

Giving up his quest of a wife, and hastening home with all speed, he secretly got together a number of his more intimate friends and told them of his remarkable discovery. He then persuaded them to join him in going back to the Well, in order to see what might be done with its waters, and whether or not he could do some of the other things about which he had been thinking; but, for fear of failure, he did not let his father know of his return or of his intentions. For the same reason he did not tell his friends what was in his mind; but he resolved that should the matter turn out as fortunately as he hoped, to take them into his entire confidence and seek their assistance in the carrying out of the great enterprises he had in view. So, having provided them with everything he thought might be required for the works he proposed to carry out, quietly and unobtrusively, off they set upon their mission.

After surmounting many difficulties, in due course they arrived at the place where Prince Waratah had rested a few weeks earlier. He very easily found the spot where he had lain down to sleep, because, quite apart from a pile of stones he had set up to mark it—the tussock he had disturbed was, consequent upon its getting a little more water than it had previously been able to draw from the earth, much greener than before. It was only the work of a moment to again pull it from its place, and there, sure enough, in a very few minutes the tiny bubble of water appeared!

To say that they all were deeply interested is to put it mildly. But they were not allowed to waste much time in merely wondering from whence the water came. Acting under the Prince’s orders, a circle was first drawn round the opening from which the tussock had come. From centre to circumference the distance was six feet, so that from edge to edge of the circle was exactly twelve feet. Within the circle they all then set to work removing the earth, even the Prince himself digging away with the others.

Curiously enough, as the digging advanced, they found embedded in the soil several implements such as are used by the Garden Fairies in cultivating their lands; just exactly in the same way as people in England, in digging wells, often come across old Roman coins or other articles. When they had reached a depth of about twelve feet, meeting a little more moisture as they proceeded, they suddenly came upon some broad flat stones. The Prince instantly ordered them all to stop working until he had looked them over carefully, with a view to seeing how they might best be removed. Gently stamping his foot to test the thickness of the stones, the Prince thought he detected a somewhat hollow sound coming from underneath. Listening intently, he vigorously stamped upon the particular stone upon which he was then standing. In doing so he involuntarily stepped backwards, and, to his amazement, the stone immediately tip-tilted a little, and out shot a long thin stream of clear cold water!

Naturally enough, the startlingly sudden appearance of the water caused the Prince to step still further back, with the result that when his weight was removed the stone fell into its place again, and so shut off the water. But the secret was out! They had found the entrance to a subterranean spring or well! Further experiments showed that two stones, fitting together, formed a kind of trap-door barring the waters from coming out. To open or close the trap-door stones required very little effort once the trick was learned; and in accordance with the extent to which they were opened, the amount of water released could be easily regulated.

Of course they all got very wet indeed whilst they were learning the Secret of the Well. But that gave them very little concern. The truth is, they were far too interested to bother about so small a matter, and they eagerly awaited the further instructions of the Prince. These were brief but effective. They were to replace the earth in the Well; and, having done so, to so cover the whole with tussocks of grass as to make it appear to any too enquiring eye that there were only an unusual number growing there. A further advantage of placing so many together would be to serve as a distinguishing mark, on their return in strength, to carry out the projects of which he would later on inform them. Meantime, it was his wish that they should all return to their homes, as he particularly desired to tell his father the wonderful news, and to consult him as to the future.

A little disappointed, perhaps, but nevertheless perfectly loyal to the Prince’s wishes, they therefore set about returning. Arrived back, the Prince immediately waited upon his father, King Eucalyptus, and, omitting no essential detail, told him the whole story from the time when he first observed the tiny drop of water up to the actual unearthing of the Well and the learning of how to release its waters.

Very quietly the King listened to the end, smiling occasionally as the narrative proceeded. When the Prince had finished he said: “The Well you have found once belonged to the Garden Fairies. It is a Magic Well; and it is fed by an underground stream called ‘Fruitful River.’ The river will never run dry, no matter how much water is taken from it. The Garden Fairies are now dispersed all over Australia; every tribe having some of their number attached to it except the Desert Fairies and the Ocean Fairies. It was the Desert Fairies who drove them out of their original home and scattered them among the other tribes.

“All this happened hundreds of years ago, but the Golden Fairies still tell the tale of their lost possessions; and, though they are extremely peaceful and industrious, in their hearts they loathe the Desert Fairies for the injuries done them.

“It is said that the Desert Fairies, who are very vicious in their habits and also very war-like, became envious of the prosperity of the Garden Fairies, and resolved to attack and conquer them. This they did, but, to their surprise, the war lasted for years and years, the Garden Fairies resisting with all their might the malicious onslaughts of their enemies.

“But the time came when they saw they must be defeated, and, rather than leave their Sacred Well (from which they gained all they had) to the mercy of the Desert Fairies, they resolved to seal it up with stones. This they successfully accomplished, covering the seal with earth.

“Then they left, but not before they sustained another terrific siege from the Desert Fairies, who, determined to overcome them, threw enormous quantities of sand over the whole place. If they had not done this they might afterwards have discovered just where the Well was, but so completely had they done their wicked work that it was almost impossible to tell one spot from another.

“So the place has remained these many hundreds of years, till you, fortunately, have had the good luck to find what the Desert Fairies have looked for in vain. Having found the Magic Well, you are at liberty to ask me for such a favour connected with it as may be within my power to bestow!”

For a moment Prince Waratah was so taken aback at the unexpected conclusion to his father’s remarks, that he could hardly find words to express himself. Quickly realising, however, that here was an opening that might never occur again, he promptly asked permission to give up for the time being his search for a wife, to go back to the Well, and to take with him such of his friends, and so many of the working Fairies as would enable him to begin his most cherished ambition—the building of the City of his Dreams! It was of this he was thinking when he had said to his friends at the Well that he would later on discuss with them projects of great importance.