CHAPTER XX
THE BITER BIT
Serbian[275:1]
[275:1] From "Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians," by Vojislav M. Petrovic.
Once upon a time there was an old man who, whenever he heard anyone complain how many sons he had to care for, always laughed and said, "I wish that it would please God to give me a hundred sons!"
This he said in jest; as time went on, however, he had, in reality, neither more nor less than a hundred sons.
He had trouble enough to find different trades for his sons, but when they were once all started in life they worked diligently and gained plenty of money. Now, however, came a fresh difficulty. One day the eldest son came in to his father and said, "My dear father, I think it is quite time that I should marry."
Hardly had he said these words before the second son came in, saying, "Dear father, I think it is already time that you were looking out for a wife for me."
A moment later came in the third son, asking, "Dear father, don't you think it is high time that you should find me a wife?" In like manner came the
fourth and fifth, until the whole hundred had made a similar request. All of them wished to marry and desired their father to find wives for them as soon as he could.
The old man was not a little troubled at these requests; he said, however, to his sons, "Very well, my sons, I have nothing to say against your marrying; there is, however, I foresee, one great difficulty in the way. There are one hundred of you asking for wives, and I hardly think we can find one hundred marriageable girls in all the fifteen villages which are in our neighborhood."
To this the sons, however, answered, "Don't be anxious about that, but mount your horse and take in your sack sufficient engagement cakes. You must take, also, a stick in your hand so that you can cut a notch in it for every girl you see. It does not signify whether she be handsome or ugly, or lame or blind, just cut a notch in your stick for every one you meet with."