Farmer Weatherbeard · page 21 2101But when he had got to the middle of the mountain he broke one of his legs, so he had to go home to get it put right.checked by a teacher102While he was doing this the Eagle flew off to the man’s home with him, and with the hare, and when they had got home the man went to the churchyard, and had some Christian earth laid upon the hare, and then it turned into his son Jack.103When the time came for the fair the youth turned himself into a light-coloured horse, and bade his father go to the market with him.104‘If anyone should come who wants to buy me,’ said he, ‘you are to tell him that you want a hundred dollars for me; but you must not forget to take off the halter, for if you do I shall never be able to get away from Farmer Weatherbeard, for he is the man who will come and bargain for me.’105And thus it happened.106A horse-dealer came who had a great fancy to bargain for the horse, and the man got a hundred dollars for it, but when the bargain was made, and Jack’s father had got the money, the horse-dealer wanted to have the halter.107‘That was no part of our bargain,’ said the man, ‘and the halter you shall not have, for I have other horses which I shall have to sell.’108So each of them went his way.109But the horse dealer had not got very far with Jack before he resumed his own form again, and when the man got home he was sitting on the bench by the stove.110The next day he changed himself into a brown horse and told his father that he was to set off to market with him.111‘If a man should come who wants to buy me,’ said Jack, ‘you are to tell him that you want two hundred dollars, for that he will give, and treat you besides; but whatsoever you drink, and whatsoever you do, don’t forget to take the halter off me, or you will never see me more.’112And thus it happened.113The man got his two hundred dollars for the horse, and was treated as well, and when they parted from each other it was just as much as he could do to remember to take off the halter.114But the buyer had not got far on his way before the youth took his own form again, and when the man reached home Jack was already sitting on the bench by the stove.115On the third day all happened in the same way.116The youth changed himself into a great black horse, and told his father that if a man came and offered him three hundred dollars, and treated him well and handsomely into the bargain, he was to sell him, but whatsoever he did, or how much soever he drank, he must not forget to take off the halter, or else he himself would never get away from Farmer Weatherbeard as long as he lived.117‘No,’ said the man, ‘I will not forget.’118When he got to the market, he received the three hundred dollars, but Farmer Weatherbeard treated him so handsomely that he quite forgot to take off the halter; so Farmer Weatherbeard went away with the horse.119When he had got some distance he had to go into an inn to get some more brandy; so he set a barrel full of red-hot nails under his horse’s nose, and a trough filled with oats beneath its tail, and then he tied the halter fast to a hook and went away into the inn.120So the horse stood there stamping, and kicking, and snorting, and rearing, and out came a girl who thought it a sin and a shame to treat a horse so ill.121‘Ah, poor creature, what a master you must have to treat you thus!’ she said, and pushed the halter off the hook so that the horse might turn round and eat the oats.122‘I am here!’ shrieked Farmer Weatherbeard, rushing out of doors.123But the horse had already shaken off the halter and flung himself into a goose-pond, where he changed himself into a little fish.124Farmer Weatherbeard went after him, and changed himself into a great pike.125So Jack turned himself into a dove, and Farmer Weatherbeard turned himself into a hawk, and flew after the dove and struck it.checked by a teacher126But a Princess was standing at a window in the King’s palace watching the struggle.127‘If thou didst but know as much as I know, thou wouldst fly in to me through the window,’ said the Princess to the dove.128So the dove came flying in through the window and changed itself into Jack again, and told her all as it had happened.129‘Change thyself into a gold ring, and set thyself on my finger,’ said the Princess.130‘No, that will not do,’ said Jack, ‘for then Farmer Weatherbeard will make the King fall sick, and there will be no one who can make him well again before Farmer Weatherbeard comes and cures him, and for that he will demand the gold ring.’131‘I will say that it was my mother’s, and that I will not part with it,’ said the Princess.132So Jack changed himself into a gold ring, and set himself on the Princess’s finger, and Farmer Weatherbeard could not get at him there.133But then all that the youth had foretold came to pass.134The King became ill, and there was no doctor who could cure him till Farmer Weatherbeard arrived, and he demanded the ring which was on the Princess’s finger as a reward.135So the King sent a messenger to the Princess for the ring.136She, however, refused to part with it, because she had inherited it from her mother.137When the King was informed of this he fell into a rage, and said that he would have the ring, let her have inherited it from whom she might.138‘Well, it’s of no use to be angry about it,’ said the Princess, ‘for I can’t get it off.139If you want the ring you will have to take the finger too!’140‘I will try, and then the ring will very soon come off,’ said Farmer Weatherbeard.141‘No, thank you, I will try myself,’ said the Princess, and she went away to the fireplace and put some ashes on the ring.142So the ring came off and was lost among the ashes.143Farmer Weatherbeard changed himself into a hare, which scratched and scraped about in the fireplace after the ring until the ashes were up to its ears.144But Jack changed himself into a fox, and bit the hare’s head off, and if Farmer Weatherbeard was possessed by the evil one all was now over with him.145[25]146[25] From P. 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