ing the
skin."

"That is a hard thing to learn," said the tall stranger.

Yes; Jacob knew that it was a hard thing; but what one man had done
another man could do.

"What will you give me if I teach you to be as clever a huntsman as
that?" said the tall stranger.

"What will you take to teach me?" said Jacob; for he saw that the
stranger had a horse's hoof instead of a foot, and he did not like his
looks, I can tell you.

"Oh, it is nothing much that I want," said the tall man; "only just sign
your name to this paper--that is all."

But what was in the paper? Yes; Jacob had to know what was in the paper
before he would set so much as a finger to it.

Oh, there was nothing in the paper, only this: that when the red one
should come for Jacob at the end of ten years' time, Jacob should
promise to go along with him whithersoever he should take him.

At this Jacob hemmed and hawed and scratched his head, for he did not
know about that. "All the same," said he, "I will sign the paper, but on
one condition."

[Illustration: Jacob and The Red One]

At this the red one screwed up his face as though he had sour beer in
his mouth, for he did not like the sound of the word "condition."
"Well," said he, "what is the condition?"

"It is only this," said Jacob: "that you shall be _my_ servant for the
ten years, and if, in all that time, I should chance to ask you a
question that you cannot answer, then I am to be my own man again."

Oh, if that was all, the red man was quite willing for that.

Then he took Jacob's gun, and blew down into the barrel of it. "Now,"
said he, "you are as skillful a huntsman as you asked to be."

"That I must try," said Jacob. So Jacob and the red one went around
hunting here and hunting there until they scared up a hare. "Shoot!"
said the red one; and Jacob shot. Clip! off flew the whiskers of the
hare as neatly as one could cut them off with the barber's shears.

"Yes, good!" said Jacob, "now I am a skillful huntsman."

Then the stranger in red gave Jacob a little bone whistle, and told him
to blow in it whenever he should want him. After that Jacob signed the
paper, and the stranger went one way and he went home again.

Well, Jacob brushed the straws off from his coat, and put a fine shine
on his boots, and then he set off to the Herr Mayor's house.

"How do you find yourself, Jacob?" said the Herr Mayor.

"So good," said Jacob.

"And are you a skillful huntsman now?" said the He