asked the farmer, looking up anddiscovering Little Claus. "Why are you lying up there? Come down,and come into the house with me." So Little Claus came down and toldthe farmer how he had lost his way and begged for a night's lodging.
  "All right," said the farmer; "but we must have something to eatfirst."
  The woman received them both very kindly, laid the cloth on alarge table, and placed before them a dish of porridge. The farmer wasvery hungry, and ate his porridge with a good appetite, but LittleClaus could not help thinking of the nice roast meat, fish and pies,which he knew were in the oven. Under the table, at his feet, laythe sack containing the horse's skin, which he intended to sell at thenext town. Now Little Claus did not relish the porridge at all, sohe trod with his foot on the sack under the table, and the dry skinsqueaked quite loud. "Hush!" said Little Claus to his sack, at thesame time treading upon it again, till it squeaked louder than before.
  "Hallo! what have you got in your sack!" asked the farmer.
  "Oh, it is a conjuror," said Little Claus; "and he says we neednot eat porridge, for he has conjured the oven full of roast meat,fish, and pie."
  "Wonderful!" cried the farmer, starting up and opening the ovendoor; and there lay all the nice things hidden by the farmer's wife,but which he supposed had been conjured there by the wizard underthe table. The woman dared not say anything; so she placed thethings before them, and they both ate of the fish, the meat, and thepastry.
  Then Little Claus trod again upon his sack, and it squeaked asbefore. "What does he say now?" asked the farmer.
  "He says," replied Little Claus, "that there are three bottlesof wine for us, standing in the corner, by the oven."
  So the woman was obliged to bring out the wine also, which she hadhidden, and the farmer drank it till he became quite merry. He wouldhave liked such a conjuror as Little Claus carried in his sack. "Couldhe conjure up the evil one?" asked the farmer. "I should like to seehim now, while I am so merry."
  "Oh, yes!" replied Little Claus, "my conjuror can do anything Iask him,- can you not?" he asked, treading at the same time on thesack till it squeaked. "Do you hear? he answers 'Yes,' but he fearsthat we shall not like to look at him."
  "Oh, I am not afraid. What will he be like?"
  "Well, he is very much like a sexton."
  "Ha!" said the farmer, "then he must be ugly. Do you know I cannotendure the sight of a sexton. However, that doesn't matter, I shallknow who it is; so I shall not mind. Now then, I have got up mycourage, but don't let him come too near me."
  "Stop, I must ask the conjuror," said Little Claus; so he trodon the bag, and stooped his ear down to listen.
  "What does he say?"
  "He says that you must go and open that large chest which standsin the corner, and you will see the evil one crouching down inside;but you must hold the lid firmly, that he may not slip out."
  "Will you come and help me hold it?" said the farmer, goingtowards the chest in which his wife had hidden the sexton, who now layinside, very much frightened. The farmer opened the lid a verylittle way, and peeped in.
  "Oh," cried he, springing backwards, "I saw him, and he is exactlylike our sexton. How dreadful it is!" So after that he was obligedto drink again, and they sat and drank till far into the night.
  "You must sell your conjuror to me," said the farmer; "ask as muchas you like, I will pay it; indeed I would give you directly a wholebushel of gold."
  "No, indeed, I cannot," said Little Claus; "only think how muchprofit I could make out of this conjuror."
  "But I should like to have him," said the fanner, still continuinghis entreaties.
  "Well," said Little Claus at length, "you have been so good asto give me a night's lodging, I will not refuse you; you shall havethe conjuror for a bushel of money, but I will have quite fullmeasure."
  "So you shall," said the farmer; "but you must take away the chestas well. I would not have it in the house another hour; there is noknowing if he may not be still there."
  So Little Claus gave the farmer the sack containing the driedhorse's skin, and received in exchange a bushel of money- fullmeasure. The farmer also gave him a wheelbarrow on which to carry awaythe chest and the gold.
  "Farewell," said Little Claus, as he went off with his money andthe great chest, in which the sexton lay still concealed. On oneside of the forest was a broad, deep river, the water flowed sorapidly that very few were able to swim against the stream. A newbridge had lately been built across it, and in the middle of thisbridge Little Claus stopped, and said, loud enough to be heard bythe sexton, "Now what shall I do with this stupid chest; it is asheavy as if it were full of stones: I shall be tired if I roll itany farther, so I may as well throw it in the river; if it swims afterme to my house, well and good, and if not, it will not much matter."
  So he seized the chest in his hand and lifted it up a little, asif he were going to throw it into the water.
  "No, leave it alone," cried the sexton from within the chest; "letme out first."
  "Oh," exclaimed Little Claus, pretending to be frightened, "heis in there still, is he?