He spoke loudly, and the Black Gallows Bird heard, and ran out of
the loft, dragging the big leather hide after him which the
Shifty Lad had sewed to his coat.

'He is stealing my hide!' shouted the farmer, and they all darted
after him; but he was too swift for them, and at last he managed
to tear the hide from his coat, and then he flew like a hare till
he reached his old hiding-place. But all this took a long time,
and meanwhile the Shifty Lad got down from the loft, and searched
the house till he found the chest with the gold and silver in it,
concealed behind a load of straw and covered with loaves of bread
and a great cheese. The Shifty Lad slung the money bags round his
shoulders and took the bread and the cheese under his arm, then
set out quietly for the Black Rogue's house.

'Here you are at last, you villain!' cried his master in great
wrath. 'But I will be revenged on you.'

'It is all right,' replied the Shifty Lad calmly. 'I have brought
what you wanted'; and he laid the things he was carrying down on
the ground.

'Ah! you are the better thief,' said the Black Rogue's wife; and
the Black Rogue added:

'Yes, it is you who are the clever boy'; and they divided the
spoil and the Black Gallows Bird had one half and the Shifty Lad
the other half.