when he had walked for some time, he came to a small farm, and asked the bailiff if he did not require a head-servant. "yes," said the bailiff, "i can make use of one; you look a strong fellow who can do something, how much a year do you want as wages?" he again replied that he wanted no wages at all, but that every year he would give him three blows, which he must bear. then the bailiff was satisfied, for he, too, was a covetous fellow. next morning all the servants were to go into the wood, and the others were already up, but the head-servant was still in bed. then one of them called to him, "get up, it is time; we are going into the wood, and thou must go with us." "ah," said he quite roughly and surlily, "you may just go, then; i shall be back again before any of you." then the others went to the bailiff, and told him that the head-man was still lying in bed, and would not go into the wood with them. the bailiff said they were to awaken him again, and tell him to harness the horses. the head-man, however, said as before, "just go there, i shall be back again before any of you." and then he stayed in bed two hours longer. at length he arose from the feathers, but first he got himself two bushels of peas from the loft, made himself some broth with them, ate it at his leisure, and when that was done, went and harnessed the horses, and drove into the wood. not far from the wood was a ravine through which he had to pass, so he first drove the horses on, and then stopped them, and went behind the cart, took trees and brushwood, and made a great barricade, so that no horse could get through. when he was entering the wood, the others were just driving out of it with their loaded carts to go home; then said he to them, "drive on, i will still get home before you do." he did not drive far into the wood, but at once tore two of the very largest trees of all out of the earth, threw them on his cart, and turned round. when he came to the barricade, the others were still standing there, not able to get through. "don’t you see," said he, "that if you had stayed with me, you would have got home just as quickly, and would have had another hour’s sleep?" he now wanted to drive on, but his horses could not work their way through, so he unharnessed them, laid them on the top of the cart, took the shafts in his own hands, and pulled it all through, and he did this just as easily as if it had been laden with feathers. when he was over, he said to the others, "there, you see, i have got over quicker than you," and drove on, and the others had to stay where they were. in the yard, however, he took a tree in his hand, showed it to the bailiff, and said, "isn’t that a fine bundle of wood?" then said the bailiff to his wife, "the servant is a good one, if he does sleep long, he is still home before the others." so he served the bailiff for a year, and when that was over, and the other servants were getting their wages, he said it was time for him to take his too. the bailiff, however, was afraid of the blows which he was to receive, and earnestly entreated him to excuse him from having them; for rather than that, he himself would be head-servant, and the youth should be bailiff. "no,"