NINE AT A BLOW
Once upon a time there was a tailor, and, whenever he hadn’t a job, he used to spend his time mending stockings. One day after dinner the table was covered with flies. The tailor struck at them with a stocking and killed nine of them at a blow.
As he hadn’t any job in hand, he started out to see the world, and his belt had written on it “Nine at a blow.” On his way he met a boy, who asked him to buy a finch from him. He bought it, put it in his knapsack, and went on his way. Then he came to a farm where the farmer’s wife was making cheese. He asked her for something to eat, so she gave him some sour milk and a piece of Yorkshire cheese. The tailor drank the milk and put the cheese in his knapsack and went on his way. At last he reached a town. It was a hot day, so he lay down and fell asleep. Now, a giant happened to pass that way, and he saw written in golden letters: “Nine at a blow.”
So he waked the tailor and asked him: “Have you really killed nine at a blow?”
The tailor answered that he had, and the giant said: “Let’s have a trial which of us is the stronger. I’ll cast a stone, and it will be an hour before it comes down.”
The tailor said: “I’ll cast a stone that won’t come down at all.”
So the giant cast a stone, and it was a full hour before it came down again. Instead of casting a stone, the tailor let the finch go, and, of course, it didn’t come back again.
So the giant said: “Let’s have another try. I’ll crush a stone to powder.”
The tailor said: “I’ll squeeze water from a stone.”
So the giant took a pebble and crushed it to powder. The tailor took the cheese and squeezed it till the water oozed out of it.