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178 THE HERMIT AND KING'S DAUGHTER
'Good father,' exclaimed the youth, 'only look! What can he have done that for?'
' Ask him why he has torn up all those trees.'
And the man replied, ' Why, 1 've merely been gathering; a handful of brushwood.'
' Beg him to come with us,' whispered the hermit.
And the strong man answered : ' Willingly, as long as you give me enough to eat and drink.' And he came on the ship.
And the youth said to the hermit, ' Good father, before we were three, and now we are four.'
The ship travelled on again, and some miles further on they saw a man drinking out of a stream till he had nearly drunk it dry.
' Good father,' said the youth, ' just look at that man! Did you ever see anybody drink like that? '
' Ask him why he does it,' answered the hermit.
' Why, there is nothing very odd in taking a mouthful of water! ' replied the man, standing up.
' Beg him to come with us.' And the youth did so.
' With pleasure, as long as you give me enough to eat and drink.'
And the youth whispered to the hermit, ' Good father, before we were four, and now we are five.'
A little way along they noticed another man in the middle of a stream, who was shooting into the water.
' Good father,' said the youth, ' what can he be shooting at? '
' Ask him,' answered the hermit.
' Hush, hush! ' cried the man; ' now you have frightened it away. In the Underworld sits a quail on a tree, and I wanted to shoot it. That is my business. I hit everything I aim at.'
' Ask him if he will come with us.'
And the man replied, ' With all my heart, as long as I get enough to eat and drink.'
So they took him into the ship, and the young man |
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