The Beetle Who Went on His Travels Page #2

"The Beetle Who Went on His Travels" is a captivating children's book by famed author Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers around an adventurous young beetle who doesn't want to settle for his mundane life under a fern. Despite warnings from his elders, he sets off to see the world. The beetle undertakes an enchanting and life-changing journey encountering many interesting characters and experiences. His travels challenges his worldview and eventually teaches him the true meaning of home and happiness. The book is adorned with timeless lessons about self-discovery, adventure, and the charm of the simple life.

• Children

								

so far, it would be the death of me."

"But I shall try to get so far," said the beetle, and he walked
off without taking any formal leave, which is considered a polite
thing to do.

When he arrived at the ditch, he met several friends, all them
beetles; "We live here," they said, "and we are very comfortable.
May we ask you to step down into this rich mud, you must be fatigued
after your journey."

"Certainly," said the beetle, "I shall be most happy; I have
been exposed to the rain, and have had to lie upon linen, and
cleanliness is a thing that greatly exhausts me; I have also pains
in one of my wings from standing in the draught under a piece of
broken crockery.  It is really quite refreshing to be with one's own
kindred again."

"Perhaps you came from a dung-heap," observed the oldest of them.

"No, indeed, I came from a much grander place," replied the
beetle; "I came from the emperor's stable, where I was born, with
golden shoes on my feet.  I am travelling on a secret embassy, but
you must not ask me any questions, for I cannot betray my secret."

Then the beetle stepped down into the rich mud, where sat three
young-lady beetles, who tittered, because they did not know what to
say.

"None of them are engaged yet," said their mother, and the
beetle maidens tittered again, this time quite in confusion.

"I have never seen greater beauties, even in the royal stables,"
exclaimed the beetle, who was now resting himself.

"Don't spoil my girls," said the mother; "and don't talk to
them, pray, unless you have serious intentions."

But of course the beetle's intentions were serious, and after a
while our friend was engaged.  The mother gave them her blessing, and
all the other beetles cried "hurrah."

Immediately after the betrothal came the marriage, for there was
no reason to delay.  The following day passed very pleasantly, and
the next was tolerably comfortable; but on the third it became
necessary for him to think of getting food for his wife, and, perhaps,
for children.

"I have allowed myself to be taken in," said our beetle to
himself, "and now there's nothing to be done but to take them in, in
return."

No sooner said than done.  Away he went, and stayed away all day
and all night, and his wife remained behind a forsaken widow.

"Oh," said the other beetles, "this fellow that we have received
into our family is nothing but a complete vagabond.  He has gone away
and left his wife a burden upon our hands."

"Well, she can be unmarried again, and remain here with my other
daughters," said the mother.  "Fie on the villain that forsook her!"

In the mean time the beetle, who had sailed across the ditch on
a cabbage leaf, had been journeying on the other side.  In the
morning two persons came up to the ditch.  When they saw him they
took him up and turned him over and over, looking very learned all the
time, especially one, who was a boy.  "Allah sees the black beetle in
the black stone, and the black rock.  Is not that written in the
Koran?" he asked.

Then he translated the beetle's name into Latin, and said a
great deal upon the creature's nature and history.  The second
person, who was older and a scholar, proposed to carry the beetle
home, as they wanted just such good specimens as this.  Our beetle
considered this speech a great insult, so he flew suddenly out of
the speaker's hand.  His wings were dry now, so they carried him to a
great distance, till at last he reached a hothouse, where a sash of
the glass roof was partly open, so he quietly slipped in and buried
himself in the warm earth.  "It is very comfortable here," he said to
himself, and soon after fell asleep.  Then he dreamed that the
emperor's horse was dying, and had left him his golden shoes, and also
promised that he should have two more.  All this was very delightful,
and when the beetle woke up he crept forth and looked around him.  What
a splendid place the hothouse was!  At the back, large palm-trees
were growing; and the sunlight made the leaves--look quite glossy; and
beneath them what a profusion of luxuriant green, and of flowers red
like flame, yellow as amber, or white as new-fallen snow!  "What a
wonderful quantity of plants," cried the beetle; "how good they will
taste when they are decayed!  This is a capital store-room.  There
must certainly be some relations of mine living here; I will just
see if I can find any one with whom I can associate.  I'm proud,
certainly; but I'm also proud of being so."  Then he prowled about in
the earth, and thought what a pleasant dream that was about the
dying horse, and the golden shoes he had inherited.  Suddenly a hand
seized the beetle, and squeezed him, and turned him round and round.
The gardener's little son and his playfellow had come into the
hothouse, and, seeing the beetle, wanted to have some fun with him.
First, he was wrapped, in a vine-leaf, and put into a warm trousers'
pocket.  He twisted and turned about with all his might, but he got a
good squeeze from the boy's hand, as a hint for him to keep quiet.
Then the boy went quickly towards a lake that lay at the end of the
garden.  Here the beetle was put into an old broken wooden shoe, in
which a little stick had been fastened upright for a mast, and to this
mast the beetle was bound with a piece of worsted.  Now he was a
sailor, and had to sail away.  The lake was not very large, but to
the beetle it seemed an ocean, and he was so astonished at its size
that he fell over on his back, and kicked out his legs.  Then the
little ship sailed away; sometimes the current of the water seized it,
but whenever it went too far from the shore one of the boys turned
up his trousers, and went in after it, and brought it back to land.
But at last, just as it went merrily out again, the two boys were
called, and so angrily, that they hastened to obey, and ran away as
fast as they could from the pond, so that the little ship was left
to its fate.  It was carried away farther and farther from the shore,
till it reached the open sea.  This was a terrible prospect for the
beetle, for he could not escape in consequence of being bound to the
mast.  Then a fly came and paid him a visit.  "What beautiful
weather," said the fly; "I shall rest here and sun myself.  You must
have a pleasant time of it."

"You speak without knowing the facts," replied the beetle;
"don't you see that I am a prisoner?"

"Ah, but I'm not a prisoner," remarked the fly, and away he flew.

"Well, now I know the world," said the beetle to himself; "it's an
abominable world; I'm the only respectable person in it.  First, they
refuse me my golden shoes; then I have to lie on damp linen, and to
stand in a draught; and to crown all, they fasten a wife upon me.
Then, when I have made a step forward in the world, and found out a
comfortable position, just as I could wish it to be, one of these
human boys comes and ties me up, and leaves me to the mercy of the
wild waves, while the emperor's favorite horse goes prancing about
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