36 lines
2.2 KiB
Text
36 lines
2.2 KiB
Text
Going A-Travelling
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There was once a poor woman who had a son, who much wished to travel,
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but his mother said, “How canst thou travel? We have no money at all
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for thee to take away with thee.” Then said the son, “I will manage
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very well for myself; I will always say, Not much, not much, not much.”
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So he walked for a long time and always said, “Not much, not much, not
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much.” Then he passed by a company of fishermen and said, “God speed
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you! not much, not much, not much.” “What sayst thou churl, ‘not
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much?’” And when the net was drawn out they had not caught much fish.
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So one of them fell on the youth with a stick and said, “Hast thou
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never seen me threshing?” “What ought I to say, then?” asked the youth.
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“Thou must say, ‘Get it full, get it full.’” After this he again walked
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a long time, and said, “Get it full, get it full,” until he came to the
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gallows, where they had got a poor sinner whom they were about to hang.
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Then said he, “Good morning; get it full, get it full.” “What sayst
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thou, knave, get it full? Dost thou want to make out that there are
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still more wicked people in the world is not this enough?” And he again
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got some blows on his back. “What am I to say, then?” said he. “Thou
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must say, may God have pity on the poor soul.”
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Again the youth walked on for a long while and said, “May God have pity
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on the poor soul!” Then he came to a pit by which stood a knacker who
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was cutting up a horse. The youth said, “Good morning; God have pity on
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the poor soul!” “What dost thou say, thou ill-tempered knave?” and the
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knacker gave him such a box on the ear, that he could not see out of
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his eyes. “What am I to say, then?” “Thou must say, ‘There lies the
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carrion in the pit!’”
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So he walked on, and always said, “There lies the carrion in the pit,
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there lies the carrion in the pit.” And he came to a cart full of
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people, so he said, “Good morning, there lies the carrion in the pit!”
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Then the cart pushed him into a hole, and the driver took his whip and
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cracked it upon the youth, till he was forced to crawl back to his
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mother, and as long as he lived he never went out a-travelling again.
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