Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/129

 Miscellanea. 119

the hanging-place," and this they allowed. When they came to the tree on which he was to be hanged, he tied the donkey to it, and the donkey did as donkeys will do. The beardless man had brought four gold coins with him, and he rushed behind the donkey and sat down and scraped and produced the coins. "Hullo!" said the ogres; "where did you get those from?" " Oh," said the beardless man, " it is only the habit of my donkey. We know no want ; he stales gold pieces all day long." " Give him to us," said the ogres, " and we won't hang you." And so he gave them the donkey, and told them to shut it up in the byre and give it as much corn and water as it could eat, and there would be all the more gold. So the ogres took the donkey, and gave it so much corn and water that it burst and fell down dead against the door of the byre. When they came in the morning, they could not open the door, and they said : " This is fine ; the whole byre is full of gold." And when they pushed the door open a httle and saw the glint of the donkey's shoes, they cheered in chorus. But when they entered, they swore with a much mightier oath to be revenged on the beardless man ; and they went and caught him, and this time they told him they had resolved to put him in a sack and drown him, as hanging was too good for him. He said : " I deserve it ; but hang me up first on a tree, and go right away while I confess my sins." They did so, and he began to call out: " No, I won't marry the princess ; I won't ! " There was a shepherd near, feeding his flocks, and he heard the cries, and came and asked : " What is all this about ? " " They will make me marry the princess," said the beardless man, and I don't want to, and they have hung me up here because of that." " Why," said the shepherd, " you don't want to marry the princess ? I would, if I could." And he readily changed places with the beardless man, and the ogres came back and took him, and drowned him.

On their way home they found the beardless man peacefully feeding his flock, and they were somewhat astonished. " There are only sheep in that shallow place where you threw me," he said. " If you go deeper you will find oxen." So the whole band of ogres ran ofl" and threw themselves into the deep water and were drowned ; and the beardless man went and found their treasure-house, and took all their treasure.

W. R. Paton.