was thinking, he happened to see a little bare-foot-ed boy in
the open field near the road. He was tending a large flock of geese
that were picking the short grass, and wading in a shallow brook.

The king went toward the boy. He held a gold piece in his hand.

"My boy," he said, "how would you like to have this piece of money?"

"I would like it," said the boy; "but I never hope to have so much."

"You shall have it if you will run back to the oak tree at the second
turning of the road, and fetch me the book that I left there."

The king thought that the boy would be pleased. But not so. He turned
away, and said, "I am not so silly as you think."

"What do you mean?" said the king. "Who says that you are silly?"

"Well," said the boy, "you think that I am silly enough to believe
that you will give me that gold piece for running a mile, and
fetch-ing you a book. You can't catch me."

"But if I give it to you now, perhaps you will believe me," said the
king; and he put the gold piece into the little fellow's hand.

The boy's eyes spar-kled; but he did not move.

"What is the matter now?" said the king. "Won't you go?"

The boy said, "I would like to go; but I can't leave the geese. They
will stray away, and then I shall be blamed for it."

[Illustration: "Crack the whip!"]

"Oh, I will tend them while you are away," said the king.

The boy laughed. "I should like to see you tending them!" he said.
"Why, they would run away from you in a minute."

"Only let me try," said the king.

At last the boy gave the king his whip, and started off. He had gone
but a little way, when he turned and came back.

"What is the matter now?" said Max-i-mil-ian.

"Crack the whip!"

The king tried to do as he was bidden, but he could not make a sound.

"I thought as much," said the boy. "You don't know how to do
anything."

Then he took the whip, and gave the king lessons in whip cracking.
"Now you see how it is done," he said, as he handed it back. "If the
geese try to run away, crack it loud."

The king laughed. He did his best to learn his lesson; and soon the
boy again started off on his errand.

Maximilian sat down on a stone, and laughed at the thought of being a
goose-herd. But the geese missed their master at once. With a great
cac-kling and hissing they went, half flying, half running, across the
meadow.

The king ran after them, but he could not run fast. He tried to crack
the whip, but it was of no use.