Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 29, 1918.djvu/217

 Rh The Seven Robbers.

Once there were two brothers; one was rich, the other was poor. The poor brother gave the rich one his three sons to christen. Every day the children went to their godfather to get bread. Then he said that giving them bread every day was very expensive. One day one of his god-children came to his house to get bread. He took the bread, he threw it in his face, he said, "Do not come to get bread any more." The poor brother got grass for a living. One day he went out early for grass. He was too early, he sat down to wait for daybreak. He saw seven robbers come out through the rocks. He heard them say where they were going to steal. One said, "I'm going to Providence"; another said, "I'm going to Newport"; another said, "I'm going to San Francisco." After they left he went to the rock, he said, "Rock, open." He entered, he found all kinds of money on the ground like grass. He had only one donkey, no sack. He took off his trousers, filled them with money, saddled them on his donkey, he went home. Next day he borrowed a donkey, making two, and he took with him a sack. When he came home with all this money he saw he had too much money not to measure it. He sent to borrow a quarta from his rich brother. He measured the money, he buried it under the bed. Next day he went again with four donkeys, he sent to borrow the quarta again. Before this he bought food by the litre. His brother thought he could buy only by the litre, not by the quarta. He put some tar on the quarta he lent. He measured, when he sent the quarta a pound of gold stuck to the bottom of the quarta. The rich brother found it. He went to ask his brother where he got it. The poor brother said that was a quarta of corn which he bought. The rich brother answered, "No, I found a pound sticking to the quarta. If you don't tell me, I'm going to denounce you in the