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now； after looking all over for you； we see you return with the king's daughter！ That calls for a real celebration！〃 To Samphire Starboard； who'd not touched a drop of wine for months on end； that seemed too good to be true。
They were almost in sight of their home port when the captain led Samphire to a table and placed several bottles of wine before him。 Samphire drank and drank until he fell unconscious to the floor。 Then the captain said to the king's daughter； 〃Don't you dare tell your father that drunkard freed you。 Tell him that I freed you myself； since I'm the captain of the ship and ordered him to rescue you。〃
The king's daughter neither agreed nor disagreed。 〃I know what I'll tell him；〃 she answered。
To be on the safe side； the captain decided to do away with Samphire Starboard once and for all。 That night； they picked him up； still as drunk as could be； and threw him into the sea。 At dawn the ship was in sight of port。 With flags they signaled they were bringing home the king's daughter safe and sound。 A band played on the pier； where the king waited with the entire court。
A date was chosen for the king's daughter to wed the captain。 On the day of the wedding； the mariners in port saw a man emerge from the water。 He was covered from head to foot with seaweed； and out of his pockets and the holes in his clothes swam fish and shrimps。 It was none other than Samphire Starboard。 He climbed out of the water and went ambling through the city streets； with seaweed draping his head and body and dragging along behind him。 At that very moment the wedding procession was moving through the street and came face to face with the man wreathed in seaweed。 Everyone stopped。 〃Who is this？〃 asked the king。 〃Seize him！〃 The guards came up； but Samphire Starboard raised a hand and the diamond on his finger sparkled in the sunlight。
〃My daughter's ring！〃 exclaimed the king。
〃Yes；〃 said the daughter； 〃this man was my rescuer and will be my bridegroom。〃
Samphire Starboard told the story； and the captain was imprisoned。 Green though he was with seaweed； Samphire took his place beside the bride clad in white and was joined to her in matrimony。
（Riviera ligure di ponente）
NOTES：
〃The Man Wreathed in Seaweed〃 （L'uomo verde d'alghe） from Andrews； 7； Menton； told by the widow Lavigna。
This sea tale transfers to an unusual setting a plot well known throughout Europe： that of the younger brother who goes down into the well to free the princess and is subsequently abandoned there himself （cf。 my no。78）。 Andrews's collection of tales presents no more than brief summaries in French； for this tale； then； as well as the following； taken from the same pilation； I gave free rein to my imagination in supplying details； while adhering to the basic plot。 I chose the name Baciccin Tribordo （Giovanni Battista Starboard） to replace the original name whose meaning is not very clear。 In the original text； the princess is abducted by a dragon instead of by an octopus； and the dragon changes into a barnacle； which seemed to me too easy to catch。
Copyright： Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino；
translated by George Martin；
Pantheon Books； New York 1980
有三个货舱的船
从前，在一个偏僻的乡下住着一对贫穷的夫妻。他们生了个儿子，可是附近找不到人来当孩子的教父。他们想进城去找，在那儿又没有熟人；没有教父，就不能给孩子洗礼。在教堂门口的台阶上，他们看见一个披黑斗篷的男人，便问道：“好心的先生，您愿意当这个孩子的教父吗？”那人同意了，这样就给孩子施了洗礼。
他们走出了教堂，那个陌生人说：“现在，我要送一件礼物给我的教子。请收下这个钱包，就用这些钱来抚养他，供他上学。等他识字以后，把这封信交给他。”孩子的父母大吃一惊，还没来得及问他姓甚名谁，也没来得及感谢他，他已经不见了。
钱包里装满了金克郎，孩子后来读书就用的是这笔钱。当孩子能写会念以后，父母便把那封信交给了他，信上写着：
亲爱的教子：
经长期流放以后，我现在回去重新执掌朝政了。我需要一个继承人。你读完此信，马上动身来找你亲爱的教父——英格兰国王。
又及，旅途中，你务必提防三个人：一个斗鸡眼，一个跛子和一个瘌痢头。
年轻人读完信说：“爸爸，妈妈，再见啦，我得去找我的教父。”走了几天以后，他在路上遇到一个行人。这个人问道：“小伙子，你上哪儿去呀？”
“去英格兰。”
“正好跟我同路，咱们一起走吧。”
年轻人见那人的眼睛一只眼珠向左，一只眼珠向右，发觉正是他要提防的那个斗鸡眼。于是他找了个借口，停了下来，后来朝另一条路走了。
他又遇到一个坐在石头上休息的行人。“你去英格兰吗？我们一起走吧，”陌生人说。他站起身来，拄著拐棍一瘸一拐地朝前走。年轻人想：他是个跛子，我必须避开他，于是朝另一条路走了。
他遇到的第三个行人的眼睛和腿脚都正常，还长著一头乌黑发亮的头发。也是去英格兰，所以他们就结伴同行。他们在一家旅店过夜。为了预防意外，年轻人将他的钱包和国王的信交给旅店老板保管。夜间，趁大家都睡熟了，陌生人爬起来，向老板要了年轻人的钱包、信和马便逃走了。第二天早晨，年轻人发现只剩下自己一个人，身上一分钱也没有，信也丢了，马也丢了。
“夜里，你的仆人来找我，”老板解释说，“他要了你你的财物，就走了……”
年轻人只好步行赶路，走到一个岔路口时，蓦地发现他的马拴在田里的一棵树上。他正要解缰绳，突然，他那个同伴拿著手枪从树后奔了出来。“如果你想活，”他说，“你就得给我当仆人，就说我是英格兰国王的教子。”说著，他脱下头上的黑色假发，露出了秃顶，头上满是瘌疤。
瘌痢头骑著马，年轻人步行跟在后头，最后到了英格兰。国王伸开双臂欢迎瘌痢头，把他当作自己的教子，而真教子却被派到马厩里当马倌去了。可是，瘌痢头急不可耐地还想把真教子除掉。不久，机会来了。一天，国王对瘌痢头说：“我的女儿被符咒镇住了，被囚禁在某个岛上，假如你能救她出来，我就将她许配给你做妻子。不过，这事不容易做到，以前去救她的人没有一个能活著回来的。”瘌痢头一听，连忙回话说：“派我的仆人去试试吧，他肯定能行。”
国王马上把年轻人叫来，问他：“你能救我的女儿吗？”
“您的女儿？陛下，请告诉我她在什么地方！”
国王只是说：“我警告你，假如你救不回来，我可要砍你的脑袋。”
年轻人到了码头，望着一艘艘扬帆出航的船。他不知道怎样才能到达公主居住的岛上。一位胡须拖到膝盖的老水手走到他面前说：“去要一艘有三个货舱的船吧。”
年轻人去见国王，要了一艘有三个货舱的船。当这艘船停在港口准备起航时，老水手又出现了。他说：“你在一个货舱里装干酪皮，另一个货舱里装面包屑，第三个货舱里装臭肉。”
年轻人就叫人把三个货舱都装满了这些货。
“现在，”老年人说�