Once on a time there was a man and his wife, who had an only son, and
his name was Jack. The old dame thought it high time for her son to go
out into the world to learn a trade, and bade her husband be off with
him.
“But all you do”, she said, “mind you bind him to some one who can
teach him to be master above all masters”; and with that she put some
food and a roll of tobacco into a bag, and packed them off.
Well! they went to many masters; but one and all said they could make
the lad as good as themselves, but better they couldn’t make him. So
when the man came home again to his wife with that answer, she said:
“I don’t care what you make of him; but this I say and stick to, you
must bind him to some one where he can learn to be master above all
masters”; and with that she packed up more food and another roll of
tobacco, and father and son had to be off again.
Now when they had walked a while they got upon the ice, and there they
met a man who came whisking along in a sledge, and drove a black horse.
“Whither away?” said the man.
“Well!” said the father, “I’m going to bind my son to some one who is
good to teach him a trade; but my old dame comes of such fine folk, she
will have him taught to be master above all masters.”
“Well met then”, said the driver; “I’m just the man for your money, for
I’m looking out for such an apprentice. Up with you behind!” he added
to the lad, and whisk! off they went, both of them, and sledge and
horse, right up into the air.
“Nay, nay!” cried the lad’s father, “you haven’t told me your name, nor
where you live.”
“Oh!” said the master, “I’m at home alike north and south, and east and
west, and my name’s _Farmer Weathersky_. In a year and a day you may
come here again, and then I’ll tell you if I like him.” So away they
went through the air, and were soon out of sight.
So when the man got home, his old dame asked what had become of her
son.
“Well”, said the man, “Heaven knows, I’m sure I don’t. They went up
aloft”; and so he told her what had happened. But when the old dame
heard that her husband couldn’t tell at all when her son’s
apprenticeship would be out, nor whither he had gone, she packed him
off again, and gave him another bag of food and another roll of
tobacco.
So, when he had walked a bit, he came to a great wood, which stretched
on and on all day as he walked through it. When it got dark he saw a
great light, and he went towards it. After a long, long time he came to
a little but under a rock, and outside stood an old hag drawing water
out of a well with her nose, so long was it.
“Good evening, mother!” said the man.
“The same to you”, said the old hag. “It’s hundreds of years since any
one called me mother.”
“Can I have lodging here to-night?” asked the man.
“No! that you can’t”, said she.
But then the man pulled out his roll of tobacco, lighted his pipe, and
gave the old dame a whiff, and a pinch of snuff. Then she was so happy
she began to dance for joy, and the end was, she gave the man leave to
stop the night.
So next morning he began to ask after Farmer Weathersky. “No! she never
heard tell of him, but she ruled over all the four-footed beasts;
perhaps some of them might know him.” So she played them all home with
a pipe she had, and asked them all, but there wasn’t one of them who
knew anything about Farmer Weathersky.
“Well!” said the old hag, “there are three sisters of us; maybe one of
the other two know where he lives. I’ll lend you my horse and sledge,
and then you’ll be at her house by night; but it’s at least three
hundred miles off, the nearest way.”
Then the man started off, and at night reached the house, and when he
came there, there stood another old hag before the door, drawing water
out of the well with her nose.
“Good evening, mother!” said the man.
“The same to you”, said she; “it’s hundreds of years since any one
called me mother.”
“Can I lodge here to-night?” asked the man.
“No!” said the old hag.
But he took out his roll of tobacco, lighted his pipe, and gave the old
dame a whiff, and a good pinch of snuff besides, on the back of her
hand. Then she was so happy that she began to jump and dance for joy,
and so the man got leave to stay the night. When that was over, he
began to ask after Farmer Weathersky. “No! she had never heard tell of
him; but she ruled all the fish in the sea; perhaps some of them might
know something about him.” So she played them all home with a pipe she
had, and asked them, but there wasn’t one of them who knew anything
about Farmer Weathersky.
“Well, well!” said the old hag, “there’s one sister of us left; maybe
she knows something about him. She lives six hundred miles off, but
I’ll lend you my horse and sledge, and then you’ll get there by
nightfall.”
Then the man started off, and reached the house by nightfall, and there
he found another old hag who stood before the grate, and stirred the
fire with her nose, so long and tough it was.
“Good evening, mother!” said the man.
“The same to you”, said the old hag; “it’s hundreds of years since any
one called me mother.”
“Can I lodge here to-night?” asked the man.
“No”, said the old hag.
Then the man pulled out his roll of tobacco again, and lighted his
pipe, and gave the old hag such a pinch of snuff it covered the whole
back of her hand. Then she got so happy she began to dance for joy, and
so the man got leave to stay. But when the night was over, he began to
ask after Farmer Weathersky. She never heard tell of him she said; but
she ruled over all the birds of the air, and so she played them all
home with a pipe she had, and when she had mustered them all, the Eagle
was missing. But a little while after he came flying home, and when she
asked him, he said he had just come straight from Farmer Weathersky.
Then the old hag said he must guide the man thither; but the eagle said
he must have something to eat first, and besides he must rest till the
next day; he was so tired with flying that long way, he could scarce
rise from the earth.
So when he had eaten his fill and taken a good rest, the old hag pulled
a feather out of the Eagle’s tail, and put the man there in its stead;
so the Eagle flew off with the man, and flew, and flew, but they didn’t
reach Farmer Weathersky’s house before midnight.