things. In those days everyone took what they found and got
leave to keep it, so that the smith grew more prosperous day by
day.

When seven years had passed since the smith went out to sea, it
happened one morning, as he stood in the smithy, mending a
plough, that a handsome young lad came in to him and said,
'Good-day, father; my mother the mermaid sends her greetings, and
says that she has had me for six years now, and you can keep me
for as long.'

He was a strange enough boy to be six years old, for he looked as
if he were eighteen, and was even bigger and stronger than lads
commonly are at that age.

'Will you have a bite of bread?' said the smith.

'Oh, yes,' said Hans, for that was his name.

The smith then told his wife to cut a piece of bread for him.
She did so, and the boy swallowed it at one mouthful and went out
again to the smithy to his father.

'Have you got all you can eat?' said the smith.

'No,' said Hans, 'that was just a little bit.'

The smith went into the house and took a whole loaf, which he cut
into two slices and put butter and cheese between them, and this
he gave to Hans. In a while the boy came out to the smithy