"What will I have to do?" said she.
"You will have to wash me and dress me, and sweep the hearth clean; but on
the peril of your life, never look up the chimney," said the hag.
"All right," she agreed to this.
The next day, when the hag arose, she washed her and dressed her, and when
the hag went out, she swept the hearth clean, and she thought it would be
no harm to have one wee look up the chimney. And there what did she see but
her own mother's long leather bag of gold and silver? So she took it down
at once, and getting it on her back, started for home as fast as she could
run.
But she had not gone far when she met a horse grazing in a field, and when
he saw her, he said: "Rub me! Rub me! for I haven't been rubbed these seven
years."
But she only struck him with a stick she had in her hand, and drove him out
of her way.
She had not gone much further when she met a sheep, who said "O, shear me!
Shear me! for I haven't been shorn these seven years."
But she struck the sheep, and sent it scurrying out of her way.
She had not gone much further when she met a goat tethered, and he said:
"O, change my tether! Change my tether! for it hasn't been changed these
seven years."
But she flung a stone at him, and went on.
Next she came to a lime-kiln, and it said: "O, clean me! Clean me! for I
haven't been cleaned these seven years."
But she only scowled at it, and hurried on.
After another bit she met a cow, and it said:
"O, milk me! Milk me! for I haven't been milked these seven years."
She struck the cow out of her way, and went on.
Then she came to a mill. The mill said: "O, turn me! Turn me! for I haven't
been turned these seven years."
But she did not heed what it said, only went in and lay down behind the
mill door, with the bag under her head, for it was then night.
When the hag came into her hut again and found the girl gone, she ran to
the chimney and looked up to see if she had carried off the bag. She got
into a great rage, and she started to run as fast as she could after her.
She had not gone far when she met the horse, and she said: "O, horse, horse
of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my tag, with my
long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned since I was a
maid?"
"Ay," said the horse, "it is not long since she passed here."
So on she ran, and it was not long till she met the sheep, and said she:
"Sheep, sheep of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my
tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned
since I was a maid?"
"Ay," said the sheep, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the goat, and said she:
"Goat, goat of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my
tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned
since I was a maid?"
"Ay," said the goat, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the lime-kiln, and said
she: "Lime-kiln, lime-kiln of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my
tig, with my tag, with my long leather bag, and with all the gold and
silver I have earned since I was a maid?"
"Ay," said the lime-kiln, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the cow, and said she,
"Cow, cow of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my tag,
with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned since I
was a maid?"
"Ay," said the cow, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the mill, and said she:
"Mill, mill of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my
tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned
since I was a maid?"