could rob him. So he went up to
the man and said to him:

"Your purse or your life!"

The man gave him his purse, whereupon Will took all the money out of
it and gave it back to the man and took the purse back to the robbers,
who said:

"Well, what luck?"

"Oh, I got his purse from him quite easily; here it is."

"Well, what about the money?" said they.

"Well, that I gave back to him. You only asked me to say, 'Your purse
or your life.'"

At that the robbers roared with laughter and said: "You'll never be a
thief."

Will was quite ashamed of making such a fool of himself and determined
he would do better next time.

So one day he saw two farmers driving a herd of cattle to market, and
told the robbers that he knew a way to take the cattle from them
without fighting for them.

"If you do that," said they, "you will be a Master Thief."

Then Will went a little way ahead of the robbers with a stout cord,
which he tied under his armpits and then fixed himself upon a branch
of a tree over the road so that it looked as if he had been hanged.

When the farmers came with their cattle they said: "There's one of the
robbers hung up for an example," and drove their cattle on farther.

Then Will got down, and running across a bypath got again in front of
the farmers and hung himself up as before on a tree by the side of the
road.

When the farmers came up to him one of them said: "Goodness gracious
me, why there's the same robber hanged up here again."

"Oh, that's not the same robber," said the other.

"Yes, it is," said the first, "for I noticed he had a white horn
button on his coat, and see, there it is. It must be the same man."

"How could that be?" said the other. "We left that one hanging up dead
half a mile back."

"I am sure it is."

"I am certain it isn't."

"Well, give a good look at him, and we'll go back and see if it isn't
the same."

So the farmers went back to look, and Will took their cattle and drove
them back to the robbers, who agreed that he was a Master Thief.

He stopped with them for several years and made much money, and then
drove back in a carriage and pair to his father's farm.

When he came there his father came to the carriage and bowed to him
and asked him, "What is your pleasure, sir?"

"Oh, I want to make some inquiries about a young fellow named William
who used to be on this farm. What has become of him?"

"Oh, I don't know; he was my son and I have not heard f