Free Latin American Folktales by John Bierhorst

without mishap, and the king took notice that the women he had imprisoned were no longer in the keep. The dreaded revolution had not taken place, nor had the citizens pulled him from his throne. “Thank you, my queen.”
    With those words the king changed his ways, and the royal family lived happily from that time on. And that’s the tale of the monarch named Benjamin, king of a far-distant city, and the city, too, was called Benjamin.
    Ecuador / Rosa Salas

5. Antuco’s Luck
    If you ask to hear it you’ll listen and learn it, and any who can’t will have to drink tea; for sleepy wits it’s a mother’s remedy.
    There was an orphan boy, his name was Antuco, though country people called him the Little Blade, since he always liked to be sharply dressed. And this Antuco was a cowherd at a ranch in the mountains. His foreman was an old tippler they called Master Anselmo.
    One day the overseer said to Anselmo, “Cut out the drinking or I’ll replace you with somebody younger.” Master Anselmo immediately thought, “Antuco!” who was a great favorite of the overseer, very reliable, and never touched a drop. So from then on the old foreman took a dislike to Antuco and tried to get him fired.
    One night a cow was missing from the paddock, and the foreman told everybody Antuco was in partnership with the thief. Antuco denied it, but no matter; he was sent away from the ranch without his pay, and the overseer threatened to call the law against him if he didn’t leave immediately.
    So he bundled up what few clothes he had, and without a cent in his pocket he headed for Santiago to join the army, because without a recommendation how could he get a job at another ranch? Since he had never been to Santiago and wasn’t sure which road to take, he lost time getting started. Before he knew it, it was dark.
    He took shelter at an abandoned farm, picked up a few sticks to make a fire, and ate some bread. Then he wrapped himself in his blanket and fell asleep. He had a strange dream: an old woman was sitting there, warming herself by the fire. When he asked her who she was, she said, “I’m your luck.”
    “If you’re my luck, how could you let me suffer for so long without helping me?”
    “Because I’ve been lying asleep at this little farm where you were born, and to wake up I had to have the warmth of a fire only you could light. Now I won’t sleep anymore, and I’ll help you whenever you need me. You’re going to be rich, and you’ll make your mark on the world.”
    “How could I be rich when I don’t have a pittance in my pocket?”
    “You’ll have the answer from the first Christian you meet on the road, if you don’t fail to do him a favor.” With these words the old woman vanished, and Antuco slept on.
    At daybreak he set out again for Santiago. After walking awhile he came to a crossroads. Just then a man came by on horseback, and Antuco asked for directions. The man said, “It’s the road on the right.” Then he invited Antuco to ride behind him on his horse, since he was taking the same road himself.
    As they went along, Antuco explained that he was going to Santiago to be a soldier, and the man said he had left home the day before and was just coming back from a distant ranch where he’d gone to get his brother-in-law. “And what bad luck! My wife’s had a baby, and today there’s a priest coming to our ranch to bless the new warehouse. So we thought we’d have the baptism at the same time. My brother-in-law and my wife’s old aunt were supposed to be the godparents. But it turns out my brother-in-law is in bed with an injury. So what do we do now? It’s a rough crowd at our place, and my wife wouldn’t have any of them for a godfather. Are you in a hurry to get to Santiago? Would you mind being godfather to my little son? I’m sure my wife would be glad to have you as our compadre.”
    Antuco agreed to stay over until the next day, and when they got to the house he was introduced to the wife.