his mouth, for he did not like the sound of the word "condition."
"Well," said he, "what is the condition?"

"It is only this," said Jacob: "that you shall be _my_ servant for the
ten years, and if, in all that time, I should chance to ask you a
question that you cannot answer, then I am to be my own man again."

Oh, if that was all, the red man was quite willing for that.

Then he took Jacob's gun, and blew down into the barrel of it. "Now,"
said he, "you are as skillful a huntsman as you asked to be."

"That I must try," said Jacob. So Jacob and the red one went around
hunting here and hunting there until they scared up a hare. "Shoot!"
said the red one; and Jacob shot. Clip! off flew the whiskers of the
hare as neatly as one could cut them off with the barber's shears.

"Yes, good!" said Jacob, "now I am a skillful huntsman."

Then the stranger in red gave Jacob a little bone whistle, and told him
to blow in it whenever he should want him. After that Jacob signed the
paper, and the stranger went one way and he went home again.

Well, Jacob brushed the straws off from his coat, and put a fine shine
on his boots, and then he set off to the Herr Mayor's house.

"How do you find yourself, Jacob?" said the Herr Mayor.

"So good," said Jacob.