nvil. When Hans had got this he said,
'Many thanks, father; now I have got my inheritance.' With this he set
off into the country, and the smith was very pleased to be rid of that
son, before he ate him out of house and home.

Hans first arrived at a large estate, and it so happened that the squire
himself was standing outside the farmyard.

'Where are you going?' said the squire.

'I am looking for a place,' said Hans, 'where they have need of strong
fellows, and can give them plenty to eat.'

'Well,' said the squire, 'I generally have twenty-four men at this time
of the year, but I have only twelve just now, so I can easily take you
on.'

'Very well,' said Hans, 'I shall easily do twelve men's work, but then I
must also have as much to eat as the twelve would.'

All this was agreed to, and the squire took Hans into the kitchen, and
told the servant girls that the new man was to have as much food as the
other twelve. It was arranged that he should have a pot to himself, and
he could then use the ladle to take his food with.

It was in the evening that Hans arrived there, so he did nothing more
that day than eat his supper--a big pot of buck-wheat porridge, which
he cleaned to the bottom and was then so far satisfied that he said he
could sleep on that, so he went off to bed. He slept both well and long,
and all the rest were up and at their work while he was still sleeping
soundly. The squire was also on foot, for he was curious to see how the
new man would behave who was both to eat and work for twelve.

But as yet there was no Hans to be seen, and the sun was already high in
the heavens, so the squire himself went and called on him.

'Get up, Hans,' he cried; 'you are sleeping too long.'

Hans woke up and rubbed his eyes. 'Yes, that's true,' he said, 'I must
get up and have my breakfast.'

So he rose and dressed himself, and went into the kitchen, where he got
his pot of porridge; he swallowed all of this, and then asked what work
he was to have.

He was to thresh that day, said the squire; the other twelve men were
already busy at it. There were twelve threshing-floors, and the twelve
men were at work on six of them--two on each. Hans must thresh by
himself all that was lying upon the other six floors. He went out to the
barn and got hold of a flail. Then he looked to see how the others did
it and did the same, but at hte first stroke he smashed the flail in
pieces. There were several flails hanging th