"But you must have great courage and perseverance: there is nothing of importance ever gained in this world without them."

"Oh, I have lots of courage!--only tell me where I shall find the plant."

"Well--when you get to the top of the mountain, you must call the doctor who has charge of the plant; tell him that I sent you, and he will give you a sprig."

Mark thanked the kind fairy, and kissed her hand; he then leaned over and softly kissed his mother, and then departed.

He walked quickly, but found the mountain further off than he expected.

He had hardly got a third of the way when he saw a crow caught in a trap.

"Oh, poor crow!" exclaimed the kind little fellow, and he pressed down the spring and released him. The crow flew off with a "caw, caw," and then spoke like a human being, saying, "Thank you; I will repay you."

Mark was surprised to hear a bird talk; but he hurried on, and soon after he saw a rooster chased by a fox. Mark caught the rooster up in his arms, and concealed him under his coat; and the fox, staring, surprised, in every direction, ran off disappointed. As soon as he was out of sight Mark let the rooster go, who turned and said, with a grateful and very long crow, "Thank you, Mark; I will repay you."

"Why, they can all talk!" exclaimed Mark; "they must be fairy people, turned into birds!"

He walked on a long way, and jumped quickly on one side as he came up to a great ugly bullfrog, who, charmed by a snake, was too terrified to move. The snake was just about to swallow it whole, when Mark seized a large stone and threw it with all his strength into the reptile's wide-open mouth. Down went the stone into his throat, and choked him directly.

The frog hopped joyfully into the ditch at the side of the road, croaking out, "Thank you, Mark; I will repay you!"

"I declare the frog said the same thing," said Mark; "it is very strange! But no doubt they are all fairies."

By this time he had arrived at the foot of the mountain; but, alas!

between it and him flowed a deep river, and so broad you could scarcely see the other side.

"Oh dear," cried Mark, "what shall I do? I can't walk on water, and there is neither boat or bridge." He sat down on the bank, covered his face with his hands, and cried aloud, "Oh, Fairy Benevolence, come and help me! Why did you tell me about the wonderful plant which would save my dear mother's life, when you knew very well I could never get to the mountain!"

At this instant, the rooster he had saved from the fox appeared, and said, "Listen to me, Mark; the fairy Benevolence cannot help you here.

This mountain is beyond her dominions. But you have saved my life, and I am not ungrateful: get on my back, and I promise you, on the faith of an honorable rooster, I will carry you to the other side of the river."

Little Mark was overjoyed to hear this. He gave a spring, and was in a moment astride of his comical steed, holding on by two feathers. The rooster carried him as smoothly and easily as a steamboat; but not quite so fast, for it took twenty-one days' paddling to accomplish the journey; but at last he was landed high and dry on the opposite bank of the river.

Mark now travelled for a long time, but the mountain seemed to recede; and when at last he arrived at its foot, and began to climb, he thought it was growing up in the air, like Jack's beanstalk. He journeyed twenty-one days up and up, but did not get the least bit discouraged: his great love for his mother gave him both patience and perseverance.

"If I have to walk for twenty-one years," he said aloud, "I will never stop till I get to the top."

"Twenty-one years," echoed a malicious, sneering voice. "You are a very conceited little chap! Pray, what do you want?" and out came, from a cave in the mountain, a little man with one eye in the middle of his face, and two noses side by side.

"I wish to find the plant of life, sir," answered Mark, with a bow.

"Oh, you do! Pray, whom for?"

"For my dear mother, who is lying very ill at home."

"Oh, well you look like a tolerably good boy, and I believe I will permit you to go, under certain conditions. I am a _genie_; so, you see, I could cook and eat you, if I liked. You must reap all my wheat, thrash out the grains, grind them into flour, and knead the flour into loaves, and bake them. You will find all the tools you want in the cave.

When all is done, you can call me; but till you have finished, you shall not stir a step." So saying, he disappeared in a streak of blue smoke.

Mark had listened in terror, and, when the _genie_ was out of sight, he looked all round him. On every side were immense fields of wheat. He raised his arms, then dropped them in despair, and, covering his face with his hands, cried out, "Oh, fairy Benevolence, come and help me!"

"Go to work, Mark," said a soft voice close to his ear.

Mark, upon this, took up a scythe and began to cut the wheat. This took five times twenty-one days; four times twenty-one days were spent in thrashing the grain; three times twenty-one days in grinding it into flour; and twice twenty-one days in making it into loaves, and baking them.

As fast as the loaves were taken out of the oven, they arranged themselves in even rows, like books on the shelves.

When all was done, Mark called the _genie_, saying, "Here they are, sir, smoking hot."

The little man appeared immediately, and counted them--five hundred thousand loaves. He tasted a bit from the first and last loaf, smacked his lips, and said they were "prime." Then he took a snuff box from his pocket, and said to Mark, "Here, take this, and when you return home, you will find it filled with a new kind of snuff."

Mark thanked the _genie_, who immediately disappeared in a streak of brown smoke.

He went on climbing the mountain, but had not got far, when he came suddenly upon a giant sitting at the mouth of a cave. He seemed a jolly, good-natured old fellow, with a pipe, and a bundle of cigars, and a bag of money on a sort of table before him.

Mark was not very much afraid of him, and, making a low bow, said, "Please, sir, tell me if I am near the place where the plant of life grows."

"It is not very far off, youngster; but you don't stir a step farther, until you gather all my grapes, and make wine of them. So be in a hurry."

Poor little Mark! He looked round and saw grape vines, with the fruit weighing them down in every direction. It took three times twenty-one days to gather them, and twice the same time to make the wine and put it into casks.

When all was done, he called out, "It's all done, Mr. Giant."

The giant tasted the wine, from the first and last cask, smacked his lips, and said, "That's what I call good! Here, monkey, take this thistle; when you reach home you will find in it everything you wish."

In an instant, giant, casks, and all had disappeared.

But little Mark, holding fast to his thistle, journeyed on. Soon he came to a wide ravine. It was impossible to jump across, and so deep that the bottom could not be seen. He walked along the edge for a long time, but it grew wider and more precipitous. "Oh!" cried Mark in despair, "no sooner do I overcome one obstacle, than another rises in its place. How shall I ever get past this dreadful ravine?" He covered his face with his hands, and murmured, "Oh, fairy Benevolence, must my mother die!"

Hardly was the last word spoken, when a wolf appeared, and asked in a rough voice what he wanted in his domains.

"Oh, Mr. Wolf," said Mark trembling, "I seek the plant of life for my mother."

"Well," growled the wolf, "you must first kill all the game in my forests, and make them into game pies. Here are a bow and arrows, and here is a fire in this hole; not a step shall you stir till you have finished."

Mark took the bow and arrows, and tried to shoot the birds, but he could not hit a single one. Just then the crow appeared, and, with a polite "caw, caw," said, "You have saved my life: now I will show you my grat.i.tude." So saying, she killed all the game for him. It took four times twenty-one days, and he killed five hundred thousand, of all sorts and sizes, woodc.o.c.ks, partridges, quails, chip birds, robins, and cat birds, for a wolf likes all varieties. As fast as the crow killed, Mark cooked, and when it was all done, he called out, "Mr. Wolf, here are your pies with plenty of pepper and salt."

The wolf tasted the first and last, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "My! how nice!" He then gave Mark a stick, saying, "When you have found the plant of life, and want to go home, get astride of this stick; but now get on my back."

Mark obeyed, somewhat frightened, and holding fast to his steed's ears; the wolf went to the edge of the ravine, gave a prodigious jump; and, lo and behold! Mark was safely over.

And now, at last, the high wall of the garden appeared, in which grew the plant of life. In the distance was a tall tower, from the window of which a pretty little girl was watching him.

Mark uttered a thankful exclamation, but alas! before he could get inside the garden, there was a deep moat to cross. He walked along the edge, hoping to come to a bridge; but found none. Still the brave, determined boy was not in the least discouraged, but said aloud, "I won't stir from this place until I find some way of getting across."

Hardly had he uttered these words before he saw an enormous cat, who, giving a loud "mew," by way of clearing her voice, asked him what he wanted there.

Mark repeated his story, and the cat, with another mew, said, "You cannot go across without you catch all the fish in the moat, and fry them with parsley and catsup. You will find a fishing rod and bait on the sand. Come! begin! while I set the table."

"Oh!" said little Mark, "how can I catch all these fish! Oh, fairy Benevolence! come to me."

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Cat shot up in the air.]