The Seven Swabians

Once upon a time, seven Swabians were together. The first was Master Schulz; the second, Jackli; the third, Marli; the fourth, Jergli; the fifth, Michal; the sixth, Hans; the seventh, Veitli. All seven had decided to travel around the world, seeking adventures and performing great deeds. But to go safely and with weapons in hand, they thought it best to have a single very strong and very long spear made for them. All seven took hold of this spear at once. At the front walked the boldest and bravest, Master Schulz; all the others followed in a row, and Veitli was last.

Then one day in the hay-making month (July), after they had walked a long way and still had far to go before reaching the village where they would spend the night, they were in a meadow at twilight.

A large beetle or hornet flew past them from behind a bush, humming in a threatening manner. Master Schulz was so scared that he almost dropped the spear, and cold sweat broke out all over his body. “Listen! Listen!” he cried to his comrades. “Good heavens!

I hear a drum.” Jackli, who was behind him holding the spear and smelled something, said, “Something is certainly going on, for I smell powder and matches.” At these words, Master Schulz began to flee.

In an instant he jumped over a hedge, but he happened to land on the teeth of a rake left lying there after hay-making. The handle struck his face and gave him a tremendous blow. “Oh dear! Oh dear!” screamed Master Schulz. “Take me prisoner! I surrender!

I surrender!” The other six all leaped over, one on top of the other, crying, “If you surrender, I surrender too! If you surrender, I surrender too!” Finally, since no enemy was there to bind and take them away, they realized they had been mistaken.

To keep the story from spreading and being laughed at as fools, they all swore to each other to keep quiet about it unless one of them accidentally mentioned it. Then they journeyed on.

The second danger they survived cannot be compared to the first. A few days later, their path led them through a fallow field where a hare was sitting asleep in the sun. Its ears stood straight up, and its great glassy eyes were wide open.

They were all terrified at the sight of the horrible wild beast and discussed what would be the least dangerous to do. If they ran away, they knew the monster would chase and swallow them whole. So they said, “We must go through a great and dangerous struggle.

Boldly ventured is half won.” And all seven grasped the spear, Master Schulz in front and Veitli behind. Master Schulz kept trying to hold the spear back, but Veitli, feeling brave from behind, wanted to dash forward and cried:

“Strike home, in every Swabian’s name, Or else I wish ye may be lame.”

But Hans knew how to reply, and said:

“Thunder and lightning, it’s fine to prate, But for dragon-hunting thou’rt aye too late.”

Michal cried:

“Nothing is wanting, not even a hair, Be sure the Devil himself is there.”

Then it was Jergli’s turn to speak:

“If it be not, it’s at least his mother, Or else it’s the Devil’s own step-brother.”

Now Marli had a bright thought and said to Veitli:

“Advance, Veitli, advance, advance, And I behind will hold the lance.”

Veitli, however, did not pay attention to that, and Jackli said:

“’Tis Schulz’s place the first to be, No one deserves that honor but he.”

Then Master Schulz plucked up his courage and said gravely:

“Then let us boldly advance to the fight, And thus we shall show our valour and might.”

Hereupon they all together set on the dragon. Master Schulz crossed himself and prayed for God’s help, but as that was of no use and he got nearer and nearer to the enemy, he screamed “Oho! oho! ho! ho! ho!” in the greatest fear. This woke up the hare, which dashed swiftly away in great alarm. When Master Schulz saw it fleeing the battlefield, he cried in joy:

“Quick, Veitli, quick, look there, look there, The monster’s nothing but a hare!”

But the Swabian allies went in search of further adventures and came to the Moselle, a mossy, quiet, deep river with few bridges, where in many places people must cross in boats. The seven Swabians did not know this, so they called to a man working on the opposite side to ask how people got across.

The distance and their way of speaking made the man unable to understand what they wanted, and he said “What? what?” in the way people speak near Treves. Master Schulz thought he was saying, “Wade, wade through the water.” Since he was first, he began to set out and went into the Moselle.

Soon he sank in the mud and the deep waves that washed over him. But his hat was blown to the opposite shore by the wind, and a frog sat beside it, croaking “Wat, wat, wat.” The other six on the opposite side heard that and said, “Oho, comrades, Master Schulz is calling us.

If he can wade across, why can’t we?” So they all jumped into the water together in a great hurry and drowned. Thus one frog took the lives of all six, and not one of the Swabian allies ever reached home again.