odcraft. All at once they began to
hurry; the last cart was loaded, and they whipped up their horses, so as
to be the first to arrive home.

When Hans had finished his work, he again put his old hacks into the
cart, but they could not move it from the spot. He was annoyed at this,
and took them out again, twisted a rope round the cart, and all the
trees, lifted the whole affair on his back, and set off home, leading
the horses behind him by the rein. When he reached the gate, he found
the whole row of carts standing there, unable to get any further for the
stone which lay in the gap.

'What!' said Hans, 'can twelve men not move that stone?' With that he
lifted it and threw it out of hte way, and went on with his burden on
his back, and the horses behind him, and arrived at the farm long before
any of the others. The squire was walking about there, looking and
looking, for he was very curious to know what had happened. Finally, he
caught sight of Hans coming along in this fashion, and was so frightened
that he did not know what to do, but he shut the gate and put on the
bar. When Hans reached the gate of the courtyard, he laid down the trees
and hammered at it, but no one came to open it. He then took the trees
and tossed them over the barn into the yard, and the cart after them, so
that every wheel flew off in a different direction.

When the squire saw this, he thought to himself, 'The horses will come
the same way if I don't open the door,' so he did this.

'Good day, master,' said Hans, and put the horses into the stable, and
went into the kitchen, to get something to eat. At length the other men
came home with their loads. When they came in, Hans said to them, 'Do
you remember the bargain we made last night? Which of you is it that's
going to be hanged?' 'Oh,' said they, 'that was only a joke; it didn't
mean anything.' 'Oh well, it doesn't matter, 'said Hans, and there was
no more about it.

The squire, however, and his wife and the steward, had much to say to
each other about the terrible man they had got, and all were agreed that
they must get rid of him in some way or other. The steward said that he
would manage this all right. Next morning they were to clean the well,
and they would use of that opportunity. They would get him down into
the well, and then have a big mill-stone ready to throw down on top of
him--that would settle him. After that they could just fill in the well,
and then escape being at any e