‘Will you have a bite of bread?’ said the smith.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Hans, for that was his name.
The smith then told his wife to cut a piece of bread for him. She did so, and the boy swallowed it at one mouthful and went out again to the smithy to his father.
‘Have you got all you can eat?’ said the smith.
‘No,’ said Hans, ‘that was just a little bit.’
The smith went into the house and took a whole loaf, which he cut into two slices and put butter and cheese between them, and this he gave to Hans. In a while the boy came out to the smithy again.
‘Well, have you got as much as you can eat?’ said the smith.
‘No, not nearly,’ said Hans; ‘I must try to find a better place than this, for I can see that I shall never get my fill here.’
Hans wished to set off at once, as soon as his father would make a staff for him of such a kind as he wanted.
‘It must be of iron,’ said he, ‘and one that can hold out.’