f of bread, and then to refuse to give him a bit
of ours until he has promised to let us put out his eyes or break his
legs.'

His eldest brother was delighted with this proposal, and the two
wicked wretches seized Ferko's loaf and ate it all up, while the poor
boy was still asleep.

When he did awake he felt very hungry and turned to eat his bread, but
his brothers cried out, 'You ate your loaf in your sleep, you glutton,
and you may starve as long as you like, but you won't get a scrap of
ours.'

[Footnote 11: From the Hungarian. Kletke.]

Ferko was at a loss to understand how he could have eaten in his
sleep, but he said nothing, and fasted all that day and the next
night. But on the following morning he was so hungry that he burst
into tears, and implored his brothers to give him a little bit of
their bread. Then the cruel creatures laughed, and repeated what they
had said the day before; but when Ferko continued to beg and beseech
them, the eldest said at last, 'If you will let us put out one of your
eyes and break one of your legs, then we will give you a bit of our
bread.'

At these words poor Ferko wept more bitterly than before, and bore the
torments of hunger till the sun was high in the heavens; then he could
stand it no longer, and he consented to allow his left eye to be put
out and his left leg to be broken. When this was done he stretched out
his hand eagerly for the piece of bread, but his brothers gave him
such a tiny scrap that the starving youth finished it in a moment and
besought them for a second bit.

But the more Ferko wept and told his brothers that he was dying of
hunger, the more they laughed and scolded him for his greed. So he
endured the pangs of starvation all that day, but when night came his
endurance gave way, and he let his right eye be put out and his right
leg broken for a second piece of bread.

After his brothers had thus successfully maimed and disfigured him for
life, they left him groaning on the ground and continued their journey
without him.

Poor Ferko ate up the scrap of bread they had left him and wept
bitterly, but no one heard him or came to his help. Night came on, and
the poor blind youth had no eyes to close, and could only crawl along
the ground, not knowing in the least where he was going. But when the
sun was once more high in the heavens, Ferko felt the blazing heat
scorch him, and sought for some cool shady place to rest his aching
limbs. He climbed to