` Oh , I will see to that ! ' replied the Shifty Lad . ` When you are tired , just whistle , and I 'll let you down . ' So the Black Rogue was drawn up , and as soon as he was as high as the rope would allow him to go the Shifty Lad called to him : ` Do n't forest to whistle when you want to come down ; but if you are enjoying yourself as I did , shake your legs . ' And in a moment the Black Rogue 's legs began to shake and to kick , and the Shifty Lad stood below , watching him and laughing heartily . ` Oh , how funny you are ! If you could only see yourself ! Oh , you ARE funny ! But when you have had enough , whistle and you shall be let down ' ; and he rocked again with laughter . But no whistle came , and soon the legs ceased to shake and to kick , for the Black Gallows Bird was dead , as the Shifty Lad intended he should be . Then he went home to the Black Rogue 's wife , and told her that her husband was dead , and that he was ready to marry her if she liked . But the woman had been fond of the Black Rogue , thief though he was , and she shrank from the Shifty Lad in horror , and set the people after him , and he had to fly to another part of the country where none knew of his doings . Perhaps if the Shifty Lad 's mother knew anything of this , she may have thought that by this time her son might be tired of stealing , and ready to try some honest trade . But in reality he loved the tricks and danger , and life would have seemed very dull without them . So he went on just as before , and made friends whom he taught to be as wicked as himself , till they took to robbing the king 's storehouses , and by the advice of the Wise Man the king sent out soldiers to catch the band of thieves . For a long while they tried in vain to lay hands on them . The Shifty Lad was too clever for them all , and if they laid traps he laid better ones . At last one night he stole upon some soldiers while they were asleep in a barn and killed them , and persuaded the villagers that if THEY did not kill the other soldiers before morning they would certainly be killed themselves . Thus it happened that when the sun rose not a single soldier was alive in the village . Of course this news soon reached the king 's ears , and he was very angry , and summoned the Wise Man to take counsel with him .
And this was the counsel of the Wise Man -- that he should invite all the people in the countryside XXXXX a ball , and among them the bold and impudent thief would be sure to come , and would be sure to ask the king 's daughter to dance with him .
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