lashed off the oxen's horns and tails, and stuck them, half hid, in
the ploughman's last furrow. He then drove off the beasts pretty
sharply towards the palace. In a short time the rustic found his way
back, and looking towards the spot for his oxen could see nothing of
them. Searching on all sides, he came at last to examine the furrow,
and beheld, to his horror, the horns and tails of his poor beasts
sticking out of the ground. Imagining that a thunderbolt must have
struck the beasts, and the earth swallowed them up, he poured forth a
most dismal lamentation over his lot, roaring aloud until the woods
echoed to the sound. When he was tired of this, he bethought him of
running home to find a pick and a spade to dig his unlucky oxen out of
the earth as soon as possible.

As he went he was met by the king and the conjurer, who inquired the
occasion of his piteous lamentation.

"My oxen! my poor oxen!" cried the boor, and then he related all that
had happened to him, entreating them to go with him to the place. The
conjurer said--

"Why don't you see if you cannot pull the oxen out again by the horns
or by the tail?"

With this the rustic, running back, seized one of the tails, and,
pulling with all his might, it gave way and he fell backward.

"Thou hast pulled thy beast's tail off," said the conjurer. "Try if
thou canst succeed better with his horns. If not, thou must even dig
them out."

Again the rustic tried with the same result, while the king laughed
very heartily at the sight. As the worthy man now appeared excessively
troubled at his misfortunes, the king promised him another pair of
oxen, and the rustic was content.

"You have made good your boast," said the king to the conjurer, as
they returned to the palace; "but now you will have to deal with a
more difficult matter, so muster your wit and courage. To-night you
must steal my favourite charger out of his stable, and let nobody know
who does it."

Now, thought the king, I have trapped him at last, for he will never
be able to outwit my master of the horse, and all my grooms to boot.
To make the matter sure, he ordered a strong guard under one of his
most careful officers to be placed round the stable court. They were
armed with stout battle-axes, and were enjoined every half-hour to
give the word, and pace alternately through the court. In the royal
stables others had the like duty to perform, while the master of the
horse himself was to ride the fa