One day the merchant held a great feast in honour of the christening of his youngest child, and he gave each of his servants a handsome garment for the occasion.The following Sunday, Tiidu, who liked fine clothes when he did not have to pay for them, put on his new coat, and went for a walk to some beautiful pleasure gardens, which were always full of people on a sunny day.He sat down under a shady tree, and watched the passers-by, but after a little he began to feel rather lonely, for he knew nobody and nobody knew him.
Suddenly his eyes fell on the figure of an old man, which seemed familiar to him, though he could not tell when or where he had seen it.He watched the figure for some time, till at length the old man left the crowded paths, and threw himself on the soft grass under a lime tree, which stood at some distance from where Tiidu was sitting.Then the young man walked slowly past, in order that he might look at him more closely, and as he did so the old man smiled, and held out his hand.
'What have you done with your pipes?' asked he; and then in a moment Tiidu knew him.Taking his arm he drew him into a quiet place and told him all that had happened since they had last met.
The old man shook his head as he listened, and when Tiidu had finished his tale, he said: 'A fool you are, and a fool you will always be! Was there ever such a piece of folly as to exchange your pipes for a scullion's ladle? You could have made as much by the pipes in a day as your wages would have come to in half a year.Go home and fetch your pipes, and play them here, and you will soon see if Ihave spoken the truth.'
Tiidu did not like this advice--he was afraid that the people would laugh at him; and, besides, it was long since he had touched his pipes--but the old man persisted, and at last Tiidu did as he was told.
'Sit down on the bank by me,' said the old man, when he came back, 'and begin to play, and in a little while the people will flock round you.' Tiidu obeyed, at first without much heart; but somehow the tone of the pipes was sweeter than he had remembered, and as he played, the crowd ceased to walk and chatter, and stood still and silent round him.When he had played for some time he took off his hat and passed it round, and dollars, and small silver coins, and even gold pieces, came tumbling in.Tiidu played a couple more tunes by way of thanks, then turned to go home, hearing on all sides murmurs of 'What a wonderful piper! Come back, we pray you, next Sunday to give us another treat.'
'What did I tell you?' said the old man, as they passed through the garden gate.'Was it not pleasanter to play for a couple of hours on the pipes than to be stirring sauces all day long? For the second time I have shown you the path to follow; try to learn wisdom, and take the bull by the horns, lest your luck should slip from you! Ican be your guide no longer, therefore listen to what I say, and obey me.Go every Sunday afternoon to those gardens; and sit under the lime tree and play to the people, and bring a felt hat with a deep crown, and lay it on the ground at your feet, so that everyone can throw some money into it.If you are invited to play at a feast, accept willingly, but beware of asking a fixed price; say you will take whatever they may feel inclined to give.You will get far more money in the end.Perhaps, some day, our paths may cross, and then I shall see how far you have followed my advice.
Till then, farewell'; and the old man went his way.
As before, his words came true, though Tiidu could not at once do his bidding, as he had first to fulfil his appointed time of service.
Meanwhile he ordered some fine clothes, in which he played every Sunday in the gardens, and when he counted his gains in the evening they were always more than on the Sunday before.At length he was free to do as he liked, and he had more invitations to play than he could manage to accept, and at night, when the citizens used to go and drink in the inn, the landlord always begged Tiidu to come and play to them.Thus he grew so rich that very soon he had his silver pipes covered with gold, so that they glistened in the light of the sun or the fire.In all Kungla there was no prouder man than Tiidu.
In a few years he had saved such a large sum of money that he was considered a rich man even in Kungla, where everybody was rich.
And then he had leisure to remember that he had once had a home, and a family, and that he should like to see them both again, and show them how well he could play.This time he would not need to hide in the ship's hold, but could hire the best cabin if he wished to, or even have a vessel all to himself.So he packed all his treasures in large chests, and sent them on board the first ship that was sailing to his native land, and followed them with a light heart.The wind at starting was fair, but it soon freshened, and in the night rose to a gale.For two days they ran before it, and hoped that by keeping well out to sea they might be able to weather the storm, when, suddenly, the ship struck on a rock, and began to fill.Orders were given to lower the boats, and Tiidu with three sailors got into one of them, but before they could push away from the ship a huge wave overturned it, and all four were flung into the water.Luckily for Tiidu an oar was floating near him, and with its help he was able to keep on the surface of the water; and when the sun rose, and the mist cleared away, he saw that he was not far from shore.By hard swimming, for the sea still ran high, he managed to reach it, and pulled himself out of the water, more dead than alive.Then he flung himself down on the ground and fell fast asleep.
When he awoke he got up to explore the island, and see if there were any men upon it; but though he found streams and fruit trees in abundance, there was no trace either of man or beast.Then, tired with his wanderings he sat down and began to think.
