er, who thought he would like to make another test of Manka's
cleverness, sent for ten eggs. He gave them to the shepherd and said:

"Take these eggs to Manka and tell her to have them hatched out by
tomorrow and to bring me the chicks."

When the shepherd reached home and gave Manka the burgomaster's message,
Manka laughed and said: "Take a handful of millet and go right back to
the burgomaster. Say to him: 'My daughter sends you this millet. She
says that if you plant it, grow it, and have it harvested by tomorrow,
she'll bring you the ten chicks and you can feed them the ripe grain.'"

When the burgomaster heard this, he laughed heartily.

"That's a clever girl of yours," he told the shepherd. "If she's as
comely as she is clever, I think I'd like to marry her. Tell her to come
to see me, but she must come neither by day nor by night, neither riding
nor walking, neither dressed nor undressed."

When Manka received this message she waited until the next dawn when
night was gone and day not yet arrived. Then she wrapped herself in a
fishnet and, throwing one leg over a goat's back and keeping one foot on
the ground, she went to the burgomaster's house.

Now I ask you: did she go dressed? No, she wasn't dressed. A fishnet
isn't clothing. Did she go undressed? Of course not, for wasn't she
covered with a fishnet? Did she walk to the burgomaster's? No, she
didn't walk for she went with one leg thrown over a goat. Then did she
ride? Of course she didn't ride for wasn't she walking on one foot?

When she reached the burgomaster's house she called out:

"Here I am, Mr. Burgomaster, and I've come neither by day nor by night,
neither riding nor walking, neither dressed nor undressed."

The young burgomaster was so delighted with Manka's cleverness and so
pleased with her comely looks that he proposed to her at once and in a
short time married her.

"But understand, my dear Manka," he said, "you are not to use that
cleverness of yours at my expense. I won't have you interfering in any
of my cases. In fact if ever you give advice to any one who comes to me
for judgment, I'll turn you out of my house at once and send you home to
your father."

All went well for a time. Manka busied herself in her house-keeping and
was careful not to interfere in any of the burgomaster's cases.

Then one day two farmers came to the burgomaster to have a dispute
settled. One of the farmers owned a mare which had foaled in the
marketpla