As he was too young , and she was too old , to work , they were very poor , and often did not have enough to eat . One day , when the little fellow was hungrier than usual , he asked his grandmother if he might go down to the river and catch a fish for their breakfast , as the thaw had come and the water was flowing freely again . She laughed at him for thinking that any fish would let itself be caught by a hare , especially such a young one ; but as she had the rheumatism very badly , and could get no food herself , she let him go . ` If he does not catch a fish he may find something else , ' she said to herself . So she told her grandson where to look for the net , and how he was to set it across the river ; but just as he was starting , feeling himself quite a man , she called him back . ` After all , I do n't know what is the use of your going , my boy ! For even if you should catch a fish , I have no fire to cook it with . ' ` Let me catch my fish , and I will soon make you a fire , ' he answered gaily , for he was young , and knew nothing about the difficulties of fire-making . It took him some time to haul the net through bushes and over fields , but at length he reached a pool in the river which he had often heard was swarming with fish , and here he set the net , as his grandmother had directed him . He was so excited that he hardly slept all night , and at the very first streak of dawn he ran as fast as ever he could down to the river . His heart beat as quickly as if he had had dogs behind him , and he hardly dared to look , lest he should be disappointed . Would there be even one fish ? And at this thought the pangs of hunger made him feel quite sick with fear . But he need not have been afraid ; in every mesh of the net was a fine fat fish , and of course the net itself was so heavy that he could only lift one corner . He threw some of the fish back into the water , and buried some more in a hole under a stone , where he would be sure to find them . Then he rolled up the net with the rest , put it on his back and carried it home . The weight of the load caused his back to ache , and he was thankful to drop it outside their hut , while he rushed in , full of joy , to tell his grandmother . ` Be quick and clean them ! ' he said , ` and I will go to those people 's tents on the other side of the water . ' The old woman stared at him in horror as she listened to his proposal .
Other people had tried to steal XXXXX before , and few indeed had come back with their lives ; but as , contrary to all her expectations , he had managed to catch such a number of fish , she thought that perhaps there was some magic about him which she did not know of , and did not try to hinder him .
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