On they went , on and on and one , till they reached a cottage which was thatched with heather . With a bound the deer sprang on the roof , and lay down where none could see her , but as she did so she called out , ` Go in , fisher 's son , and eat and drink while you may . ' So he entered and found food and wine on the table , but no man , for the house belonged to some robbers , who were still away at their wicked business . After Ian , the fisher 's son , had eaten all he wanted , he hid himself behind a great cask , and very soon he heard a noise , as of men coming through the heather , and the small twigs snapping under their feet . From his dark corner he could see into the room , and he counted four and twenty of them , all big , cross-looking men . ` Some one has been eating our dinner , ' cried they , ` and there was hardly enough for ourselves . ' ` It is the man who is lying under the cask , ' answered the leader . ` Go and kill him , and then come and eat your food and sleep , for we must be off betimes in the morning . ' So four of them killed the fisher 's son and left him , and then went to bed . By sunrise they were all out of the house , for they had far to go . And when they had disappeared the deer came off the roof , to where the dead man lay , and she shook her head over him , and wax fell from her ear , and he jumped up as well as ever . ` Trust me and eat as you did before , and no harm shall happen to you , ' said she . So Ian ate and drank , and fell sound asleep under the cask . In the evening the robbers arrived very tired , and crosser than they had been yesterday , for their luck had turned and they had brought back scarcely anything . ` Someone has eaten our dinner again , ' cried they . ` It is the man under the barrel , ' answered the captain . ` Let four of you go and kill him , but first slay the other four who pretended to kill him last night and did n't because he is still alive . ' Then Ian was killed a second time , and after the rest of the robbers had eaten , they lay down and slept till morning . No sooner were their faces touched with the sun 's rays than they were up and off . Then the deer entered and dropped the healing wax on the dead man , and he was as well as ever .
By this time he did not mind what befell him , so sure was he that the deer would take care of him , and in the evening that which had happened before happened again -- the four robbers were put to death and the fisher 's son also , but because there was no food left for them to eat , they were nearly mad with rage , and began XXXXX quarrel .
After By On So With from into over to under