Page:Segnius Irritant or Eight Primitive Folk-lore Stories.pdf/40

 this goat out, all over ribbands, and put it into the bar under charge of the barman, and he put it into the alecove where his daughters lay. Now this ale-house fellow had three daughters, and they were not yet asleep. Then that Manka (Maggie) said: “Oh! if I could have some ribbands like those, too! I will go and take some off that goat.” The second, Doodle (Dolly), says: “Don’t go, he will find out next morning.” But she went all the same. And when a long time passed and Manka came not, the third one, that Kate, said: I will go there for her.” So that Doodle went and slapped Manka on the back: “Do come and leave it!” And there she was, and couldn’t tear herself away from it. So that Kate says: “Do come away; don’t untie them all.” She went and shook Doodle by the petticoat, and now she too couldn’t get away, but had to remain fast to her.

So in the morning that George got up early and went for that nanny-goat and led them all out: Kate, Doodle, and Manka. The barman was still asleep. They went through the village, and there was the mayor peeping out of the window. “Oh! fie, Katey, what’s this? what’s this?” He went and seized her by the hand and tried to pull her away, and he also remained stuck fast to her. After this a herdsman drove cows by the lane, and the bull in passing rubbed against them, got fixed, and George led him along with the rest.

So after this they came before the castle, and there came out the servants, and when they saw such a thing they went and said to that king: “Oh! sir, there’s such a strange sight to see; we’ve already had all sorts of masquers here, but never anything like this.” So that king at once brought out his daughter into the square, and she was taken by surprise and laughed until the castle shook again.

So now they asked who it was. He replies: “That it is the shepherd’s son, and that they call him George.” And they: “That it cannot be; that he is of vulgar birth, that they cannot give him that daughter, but that he must do them something else.” He says: “What?” And they: Look, yonder is a well, a hundred miles off; if within a minute he shall bring that jar full of water, then he shall get the girl.” So he, that George, says to him who has his foot on his shoulder: “Thou saidst, if thou wert to take that foot off thy shoulder that thou wouldst skip a hundred miles.” And he: “Oh! as to that, I can easily do it.” Put his foot down, gave a skip, and was there. But after this it already wanted a very little of the time for him to have returned. So George said to that second fellow: “Thou saidst, if thou wert to lift that small plank off thy eyes,