gain."

Boots took the pipe and thanked the old hag kindly, and then he bade
her good-by and went on his way to the King's palace.

When the King heard what Boots had come for, he was no less ready to
take him for a herdsman than he had been to take his brothers. "But,
mind you, you shall have a drubbing that will make your bones ache if
you come back in the evening with even the smallest leveret missing
from the herd," said the King.

Yes, that was all right. The lad was ready to take the risk, so all
morning Boots herded the hares in the paddock, and in the afternoon he
took them out to the hills, as the bargain was. There the hares could
no longer be kept in a herd. They kicked up their heels and away they
went, every which way.

So that was the game, was it? Boots was very willing to play it, too.
He took out his pipe and blew a tune on the right end of it, and away
the hares flew faster than they had intended, as though a strong wind
had blown them. Presently there was not one left on the hill. Then the
lad lay down in the sun and fell asleep.

When he awoke it was toward evening and time to be bringing the hares
back to the castle, but not one of them was in sight.

Then Boots sat up, and shook the hair out of his eyes and blew on the
wrong end of the pipe. Immediately there was the whole herd before
him, drawn up in ranks just like soldiers. Not even one of the
smallest leverets was missing.

"That is well," said Boots. "And now we'll be going home again."

Off he set for the palace, driving the hares before him, and as soon
as he came near enough he could see the King standing on the steps
waiting for him with a stout cudgel in his hand,--for he had no
thought but that Boots would fail in his task.

When he saw the whole herd come hopping home, as tame as sheep, and
turning into the paddock, he could hardly believe his eyes. He hurried
after and began to count them. He counted them over and over again,
and not one was missing.

Well, Boots had brought them all back safely that time, but the
question was whether he could do it again.

Boots thought he could. Indeed, he was sure he could. So the next
afternoon he set out for the hills, whistling merrily as he tramped
along with the hares hopping before him.

That day things happened just as they had before. As soon as the hares
began to stray Boots took his pipe and blew them away as though they
were so much chaff. He lay down and slept until it was