the skillful thief climbed up, and took the five eggs from beneath the bird, which never observed what he was doing, and remained quietly sitting where she was, and brought them down to his father. the father took them, and put one of them on each corner of the table, and the fifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, "with one shot thou shalt shoot me the five eggs in two, through the middle." the huntsman aimed, and shot the eggs, all five as the father had desired, and that at one shot. he certainly must have had some of the powder for shooting round corners. "now it’s your turn," said the father to the fourth son; "you shall sew the eggs together again, and the young birds that are inside them as well, and you must do it so that they are not hurt by the shot." the tailor brought his needle, and sewed them as his father wished. when he had done this the thief had to climb up the tree again, and carry them to the nest, and put them back again under the bird without her being aware of it. the bird sat her full time, and after a few days the young ones crept out, and they had a red line round their necks where they had been sewn together by the tailor.