At these words the girl averted her eyes from Claes, nor did she go near Lamme, but hid behind her mother’s skirts, and when she got back into the town, she went about crying everywhere:
“The Charcoal-man has beaten me, and he keeps the devil in his cave.”
Nevertheless she did not attack Lamme any more; but being the bigger of the two, she made him work in her place, and the gentle simpleton obeyed her right willingly.
Now Claes, on his way home, sold his catch to a farmer that often used to buy fish from him. And when he was home again, he said to Soetkin:
“Behold! Here’s what I have found in the bellies of four pike, nine carp, and a basketful of eels.” And he threw on the table a couple of florins and half a farthing.
“Why don’t you go fishing every day, my man?” asked Soetkin.
“For fear of becoming a fish myself, and being caught on the hook of the village constable,” he told her.
IV
Claes, the father of Ulenspiegel, was known in Damme by the name of Kooldraeger, that is to say, the Charcoal-burner. Claes had a black head of hair, bright eyes, and a skin the colour of his own merchandise—save only on Sundays and Feast Days, when his cottage ran with soap and water. He was a short, thick-set man, strong, and of a joyful countenance.