The Thief and his Master

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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Hans wished to put his son to learn a trade, so he went into the churchand prayed to our Lord God to know which would be most advantageousfor him. Then the clerk got behind the altar, and said, "Thieving,thieving." On this Hans goes back to his son, and tells him he is tolearn thieving, and that the Lord God had said so. So he goes with hisson to seek a man who is acquainted with thieving. They walk a longtime and come into a great forest, where stands a little house withan old woman in it. Hans says, "Do you know of a man who is acquaintedwith thieving?" "You can learn that here quite well," says the woman,"my son is a master of it." So he speaks with the son, and asks if heknows thieving really well? The master-thief says, "I will teach himwell. Come back when a year is over, and then if you recognize your son,I will take no payment at all for teaching him; but if you don't know him,you must give me two hundred thalers."

　　The father goes home again, and the son learns witchcraft and thieving,thoroughly. When the year is out, the father is full of anxiety to knowhow he is to contrive to recognize his son. As he is thus going aboutin his trouble, he meets a little dwarf, who says, "Man, what ails you,that you are always in such trouble?"

　　"Oh," says Hans, "a year ago I placed my son with a master-thief whotold me I was to come back when the year was out, and that if I thendid not know my son when I saw him, I was to pay two hundred thalers;but if I did know him I was to pay nothing, and now I am afraid of notknowing him and can't tell where I am to get the money." Then the dwarftells him to take a small basket of bread with him, and to stand beneaththe chimney. "There on the cross-beam is a basket, out of which a littlebird is peeping, and that is your son."

　　Hans goes thither, and throws a little basket full of black bread infront of the basket with the bird in it, and the little bird comes out,and looks up. "Hollo, my son, art thou here?" says the father, and theson is delighted to see his father, but the master-thief says, "The devilmust have prompted you, or how could you have known your son?" "Father,let us go," said the youth.

　　Then the father and son set out homeward. On the way a carriage comesdriving by. Hereupon the son says to his father, "I will change myselfinto a large greyhound, and then you can earn a great deal of moneyby me." Then the gentleman calls from the carriage, "My man, willyou sell your dog?" "Yes," says the father. "How much do you want forit?" "Thirty thalers." "Eh, man, that is a great deal, but as it issuch a very fine dog I will have it." The gentleman takes it into hiscarriage, but when they have driven a little farther the dog springsout of the carriage through the window, and goes back to his father,and is no longer a greyhound.

　　They go home together. Next day there is a fair in the neighboringtown, so the youth says to his father, "I will now change myself intoa beautiful horse, and you can sell me; but when you have sold me,you must take off my bridle, or I cannot become a man again." Then thefather goes with the horse to the fair, and the master-thief comes andbuys the horse for a hundred thalers, but the father forgets, and doesnot take off the bridle. So the man goes home with the horse, and putsit in the stable. When the maid crosses the threshold, the horse says,"Take off my bridle, take off my bridle." Then the maid stands still,and says, "What, canst thou speak?" So she goes and takes the bridleoff, and the horse becomes a sparrow, and flies out at the door, andthe wizard becomes a sparrow also, and flies after him. Then they cometogether and cast lots, but the master loses, and betakes himself to thewater and is a fish. Then the youth also becomes a fish, and they castlots again, and the master loses. So the master changes himself intoa cock, and the youth becomes a fox, and bites the master's head off,and he died and has remained dead to this day.

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