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Borrow, George Henry, 1803-1881

"The Romany Rye"


After some time the young woman communicated the whole affair to
her elder brother, whose name was Gaspar, and begged him to convey
her and the child to the king at Buda. The brother consented, and
both set out, taking the child with them. On their way, the woman,
wanting to wash her clothes, laid the child down, giving it the
king's ring to play with. A raven, who saw the glittering ring,
came flying, and plucking it out of the child's hand, carried it up
into a tree; the child suddenly began to cry, and the mother,
hearing it, left her washing, and running to the child, forthwith
missed the ring, but hearing the raven croak in the tree, she
lifted up her eyes, and saw it with the ring in its beak. The
woman, in great terror, called her brother, and told him what had
happened, adding that she durst not approach the king if the raven
took away the ring. Gaspar, seizing his cross-bow and quiver, ran
to the tree, where the raven was yet with the ring, and discharged
an arrow at it, but, being in a great hurry, he missed it; with his
second shot he was more lucky, for he hit the raven in the breast,
which, together with the ring, fell to the ground. Taking up the
ring, they went on their way, and shortly arrived at Buda. One
day, as the king was walking after dinner in his outer hall, the
woman appeared before him with the child, and, showing him the
ring, said, "Mighty lord! behold this token! and take pity upon me
and your own son.


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