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174 would cut three red stripes out of his back; and the king seemed to be so sure of this, that he went and sharpened his knife there and then.

"Well, that's a small matter to look after these hares," thought Ashiepattle, for when they were let out they were as tame as a flock of sheep, and as long as they were in the fields about the place they were all in a flock and followed him; but when they came up in the wood it was close upon noon, and the sun shone at his best, and off went the hares scampering about the hills.

"Halloa!" cried Ashiepattle, and blew into the one end of the whistle; "off you go!" and away the hares ran to all sides; not one was to be seen. But when he came to an open place in the wood, where they had been burning charcoal, he took his whistle and blew into the other end of it, and before he could say a word there were the hares, all in a row, just as if they had been a regiment of soldiers on a drill-ground. Well, that is something like a whistle, thought Ashiepattle; and so he went to take a nap over on a sunny hill-side, while the hares scampered about and looked after them selves till the evening came. He then blew them together again, and came back to the palace with them just like a flock of sheep.

The king and the queen and the princess too stood in the door and wondered what sort of a youngster this was, who could look after the hares so well and bring them home with him again. The king counted them backwards and forwards, pointing to each with his finger, but no, not as much as one of the young hares was missing.

"That is something like a lad," said the princess.

The next day he set out again for the wood with the hares, but as he lay and took a rest amongst the strawberries, the housemaid in the palace came up to him. They had sent her after him to find out how it was that he managed to look after the king's hares so well.

He took out his whistle and showed it to her; he blew into the one end of it and away flew the hares like the wind between the hills, and when he blew into the other end, they came scampering down the hill and stood in a row before him.