was a rod of witch-hazel, which has
the power of showing wherever treasure lies buried. But Claus knew no
more of that than the chick in the shell.

So off he went into the world, walking along with great contentment,
kicking up little clouds of dust at every step, and whistling as gayly
as though trouble had never been hatched from mares' eggs. By-and-by he
came to the great town, and then he went to the market-place and stood,
with many others, with a straw in his mouth--for that meant that he
wanted to take service with somebody.

Presently there came along an old, old man, bent almost double with the
weight of the years which he carried upon his shoulders. This was a
famous doctor of the black-arts. He had read as many as a hundred books,
so that he was more learned than any man in all of the world--even the
minister of the village. He knew, as well as the birds know when the
cherries are ripe, that Claus had a stick of witch-hazel, so he came to
the market-place, peering here and peering there, just as honest folks
do when they are looking for a servant. After a while he came to where
Claus was, and then he stopped in front of him. "Do you want to take
service, my friend?" said he.

Yes, that was what Claus wanted; why else should he stand in the
market-place with a straw in his mouth?

Well, they bargained and bargained, and talked and talked, and the end
of the matter was that Claus agreed to sell his services to the old
master of black-arts for seven pennies a week. So they made their
bargain, and off went the master with Claus at his heels. After they had
come a little distance away from the crowd at the marketplace, the
master of black-arts asked Claus where he had got that fine staff of
hazel.

[Illustration: Claus and the Master of Black-Arts]

"Oh, I got it over yonder," said Claus, pointing with his thumb.

But could he find the place again?

Well, Claus did not know how about that; perhaps he could, and perhaps
he could not.

But suppose that Claus had a thaler in his hand, _then_ could he find
the place again?

Oh yes; in that case Claus was almost sure that he could find the place
again.

So good. Then here was a bottle of yellow water. If Claus would take the
bottle of yellow water, and pour it over the stump from which he had cut
his staff, there would come seven green snakes out of a hole at the foot
of the hazel-bush. After these seven snakes, there would come a white
snake, with a go