`It's all the same to me what trade I follow,' said the youth,
`for when I came away from home my father gave me leave to
take to any trade I fancied.'

`Have you a fancy for stealing, then?' said the robbers.

`Yes,' said the boy, for he thought that was a trade which would
not take long to learn.

Not very far off there dwelt a man who had three oxen, one of
which he was to take to the town to sell. The robbers had heard
of this, so they told the youth that if he were able to steal the ox
from him on the way, without his knowing, and without doing him
any harm, he should have leave to be their servant-man. So the
youth set off, taking with him a pretty shoe with a silver buckle
that was lying about in the house. He put this in the road by
which the man must go with his ox, and then went into the wood
and hid himself under a bush. When the man came up he at once
saw the shoe.

`That's a brave shoe,' said he. `If I had but the fellow to it, I
would carry it home with me, and then I should put my old woman
into a good humour for once.'

For he had a wife who was so cross and ill-tempered that the
time between the beatings she gave him was very short. But then
he bethought himself that he could do nothing with one shoe if he
had not the fellow to it, so he journeyed onwards and let it lie
where it was. Then the youth picked up the shoe and hurried off
away through the wood as fast as he was able, to get in front of the