Once upon a time there was a man who had much goods. One day he went to
market. There came a greyhound, which ate some meat. The butcher gave it a
blow, which made it yelp. Seeing this, the heart of the man was touched
with compassion. He bought of the butcher half a piece of meat and flung it
to the greyhound. The dog took it and went away. It was the son of a king
of the nether world.
Fortune changed with the man. He lost all his possessions, and began to
wash for people. One day, he had gone to wash something, he stretched it on
the sand to dry. A jerboa appeared with a ring in its ear. The man ran
after it, killed it, hid the ring, made a fire, cooked the jerboa and ate
it. A woman came out of the earth, seized him, and demanded, "Haven't you
seen my son, with an ear-ring?"
"I haven't seen anybody," he answered; "but I saw a jerboa which had a ring
in its ear."
"It is my son." She drew him under the earth and told him: "You have eaten
my son, you have separated me from him. Now I will separate you from your
children, and you shall work in the place of my son." He who was changed
into a greyhound saw this man that day, and said to him: "It is you who
bought some meat for a greyhound and threw it to him?"
"It is I."
"I am that greyhound. Who brought you here?"
"A woman," answered the man, and he recounted all his adventure.
"Go and make a complaint to the King," answered the other. "I am his son.
I'll tell him: 'This man did me a good service,' When he asks you to go to
the treasure and take as much money as you wish, answer him: 'I don't want
any. I only want you to spit a benediction into my mouth,' If he asks you,
'Who told you that?' answer, 'Nobody.'"
The man went and found the King and complained of the woman. The King
called her and asked her: "Why have you taken this man captive?"
"He ate my son."
"Why was your son metamorphosed into a jerboa? When men see one of those
they kill him and eat him." Then addressing the man: "Give her back the
ear-ring." He gave it to her.
"Go," said the King, "take this man to the place from which you brought
him."
The son of the King then said to his father: "This man did me a favor; you
ought to reward him."