The Magic Hat and the Staff of Life

Maud Baker, Dry River, Cock-pit country.

語り手 モード・ベイカー(コックピット地方、ドライ・リヴァー)

Once Jack’s wife gave him a cow to sell, and she told him the cow cost twenty pounds. Three men bet they could get the cow cheap. They hid at different places along the wayside, and one came out and asked Jack if he was selling that goat. Jack said, “No, me man, it’s a cow, not a goat! because me wife told me it’s a cow and I can’t sell it for a goat.” The man told Jack his wife was making a fool of him and he would give him a dollar for the goat, but Jack refused. After he had gone for a couple of miles, a second man came out and repeated to him all that the first had said. And Jack refused to sell the cow and went on. After a couple of miles again, the third man came out and said he must sell him the goat. Jack got angry himself now, and the man offered him three dollars and he took it and returned to his wife with it and told her all that had happened to him with this goat she gave him for a cow. The wife was angry and told him she would have nothing more to do with him until she got her twenty pounds for the cow.

あるときジャックの女房が牛を一頭売りに行かせ、この牛は二十ポンドだと言い聞かせた。三人の男が、その牛を安く手に入れてみせると賭けた。三人は道沿いのあちこちに隠れ、一人が出てきて、その山羊を売るのかとジャックに尋ねた。ジャックは言った。「いいや、これは牛だ、山羊じゃない! 女房が牛だと言ったんだから、山羊として売るわけにはいかん」。男は、女房がおまえを馬鹿にしているのだ、その山羊に一ドル出そうと言ったが、ジャックは断った。二マイルほど行くと、二人めの男が出てきて、一人めと同じことを繰り返した。ジャックは牛を売るのを断って進んだ。また二マイルほど行くと、三人めの男が出てきて、その山羊を売れと言った。こんどはジャックも腹を立てた。男が三ドル出すと、ジャックはそれを受け取って女房のもとへ帰り、牛だと言って渡されたこの山羊のせいで起きたことをすっかり話した。女房は怒って、牛の代金の二十ポンドをもらうまで、おまえとは一切かかわらないと言った。

Jack took the three dollars and started off in a deep study. He went to a shop and called for a bottle of whiskey, which cost a dollar. After paying for it, Jack asked the man to let it remain until he returned back, and the clerk consented. He went to a second shop and bought a bottle of whiskey for a dollar and asked the clerk to put it up also till he returned. He went to a third shop, bought a bottle of whiskey also and asked the clerk to let it remain. After going about three miles, he met up with the three men who robbed him out of his wife’s cow and says to them would they mind going to the shop and taking a drink with him; and they said yes. At the shop, Jack called for a bottle of whiskey, the four of them served it in glasses and drunk it all. Jack took off his hat and clapped it on the counter and said, “It’s well paid for!” and the clerk said, “All right, Jack, we know that.” After they go outside, the three men want to know how Jack didn’t pay for the whiskey and yet the clerk believe that he paid for it. Jack said as long as he clapped his hat on the counter, they must say that he paid for it. They bet Jack that he couldn’t go to the next shop and do the same, and Jack said that he could; and he went into the second shop and called for a bottle of whiskey again, the four of them drunk it off, and, taking off his hat, he clapped it on the counter again saying that it was well paid for. The clerk said, “Yes, Jack, it is all right.” They go to the last shop now, call for the third bottle and do the same thing again. They wonder how he can do that and ask to buy the hat. Jack said no. He asked them one hundred pounds for the hat, and the three of them made it up and Jack gave them the hat and got the hundred pounds and carried them to his wife. She was well pleased now.

ジャックは三ドルを持って、深く思案しながら出かけた。店へ行ってウィスキーを一本頼んだ。一ドルだった。払ってから、ジャックはそれを戻ってくるまで預かっておいてくれと頼み、店員は承知した。二軒めの店へ行ってウィスキーを一ドルで買い、やはり戻るまで預かってくれと頼んだ。三軒めの店へ行ってもウィスキーを買い、預かってくれと頼んだ。三マイルほど行くと、女房の牛を奪った三人の男に出会い、店へ行っていっしょに一杯やらないかと言った。三人はいいと言った。店でジャックはウィスキーを一本頼み、四人は杯に注いで飲み干した。ジャックは帽子を取って台に叩きつけて言った。「ちゃんと払ってあるぞ!」 店員は言った。「そうだよジャック、わかってる」。外に出ると、三人の男は、ジャックが払っていないのになぜ店員は払ったと思っているのか知りたがった。ジャックは、帽子を台に叩きつけさえすれば、払ったと言ってもらえるのだと言った。三人は、次の店でも同じことができるかと賭けを挑み、ジャックはできると言った。そして二軒めの店に入ってまたウィスキーを一本頼み、四人で飲み干し、帽子を取って台に叩きつけ、ちゃんと払ってあると言った。店員は言った。「そうだよジャック、大丈夫だ」。こんどは最後の店へ行き、三本めを頼んで、また同じことをした。三人はどうしてそんなことができるのかと不思議がり、その帽子を買いたいと言った。ジャックは断った。そして帽子に百ポンドと言うと、三人は金を出し合い、ジャックは帽子を渡して百ポンドを受け取り、女房のもとへ持ち帰った。女房はこんどはたいそう喜んだ。

The three men started with the hat to see if they could get something by it also. After buying some things, one of the men tried the hat and it wasn’t successful. The other two were rowing with him, saying that wasn’t the way Jack did with the hat. The second one now took it and went in, but the clerk was angry and was about to call the police; they had to pay for what they called for there. Then there was a big row, the other two saying that wasn’t the way Jack had done with the hat. Now the third one tried it and was not successful. They threatened now to catch Jack and to kill him.

三人の男は帽子を持って、自分たちも何か手に入らないか試しに出かけた。いくつか買ってから一人が帽子を試したが、うまくいかない。ほかの二人が、それはジャックの帽子の使いかたと違うと言い争った。二人めが取って入ったが、店員は怒って巡査を呼ぼうとした。三人は頼んだ分を払わされた。そして大喧嘩になり、ほかの二人は、それはジャックの使いかたと違うと言い張った。こんどは三人めが試したが、やはりうまくいかない。三人はジャックを捕まえて殺すと息巻いた。

Jack knew what would happen and he told his wife he was going to put up a trick. He went to the bed and lay down, and when the wife saw the three men coming she started crying. They asked her what was the matter, and she said her husband was dead and nobody to help her bury him. They said, “A devil act that! should have been dead before now!” and asked to see him. Jack was lying in bed as if dead, and a stick beside him. One of the men said, “Yes, me man, we were looking for you to kill you; we are glad that you are dead already!” and he took up the stick beside him and gave him a wonderful stroke. Jack started up with fright and said to them, “This is the stick of life! it raised me from the dead!” and the wife was so glad to have her husband back again! Well, the three fools asked Jack now to sell them the stick. Jack refused, but they begged and Jack consented. They gave Jack one hundred fifty pounds for the stick because it was the “stick of life.”

ジャックは何が起こるかわかっていて、女房に一計を案じると告げた。そして寝床へ行って横になり、女房は三人の男が来るのを見て泣きはじめた。三人がどうしたのかと尋ねると、女房は亭主が死んだのに葬ってくれる人がいないと言った。三人は言った。「いい気味だ! とっくに死んでいるべきだった!」 そして見せてくれと言った。ジャックは死んだように寝床に横たわり、そばに棒が置いてあった。一人が言った。「そうともおまえ、おれたちはおまえを殺しに来たんだ。もう死んでいてくれて嬉しいよ!」 そしてそばの棒を取り上げて、見事な一撃を食らわせた。ジャックは驚いて跳ね起き、三人に言った。「これは命の棒だ! おれを死からよみがえらせた!」 女房は亭主が戻ってきてたいそう喜んだ! さて三人の愚か者は、その棒を売ってくれとジャックに頼んだ。ジャックは断ったが、三人が拝み倒したので承知した。三人はその棒に百五十ポンド払った。「命の棒」だったからである。

The men started ’round the village advertising that they could raise the dead. The king’s daughter was dead. They went to the king’s home and told him that they could raise the dead, and he was glad and carried them inside where the daughter was lying dead. They began beating her with a stick and crying, “Princess, arise from the dead!” but nothing happened. The king was angry, ordered the furnace well heated and had them thrown into it. That was the end of the three men, and Jack was well rid of them.

三人は村じゅうを回って、死人をよみがえらせられると触れ回った。王の娘が死んでいた。三人は王の家へ行って、死人をよみがえらせられると告げ、王は喜んで、娘が死んで横たわっているところへ案内した。三人は棒で娘を打ちながら「姫よ、死からよみがえれ!」と叫んだが、何も起こらない。王は怒って、炉をよく熱させ、三人をそこへ投げ込ませた。それが三人の男の最期で、ジャックはうまく厄介払いをしたのである。