“Well! I’m not sure”, said the man; “but I fancy I catch a glimpse of something far away.”
“We’d best be off then”, said the Eagle; and off it flew as fast as it could. After a while it said:
“Do you see anything now?”
“Yes! now he’s close behind us”, said the man.
“Now, you must drop the big stone you lifted up at the stable door”, said the Eagle.
The man did so, and as it fell it became a great high mountain, which Farmer Weathersky had to break his way through. When he had got half through the mountain, he tripped and broke one of his legs, and so he had to limp home again and patch it up.
But while he was doing this, the Eagle flew away to the man’s house with him and the hare, and as soon as they got home, the man went into the churchyard and sprinkled Christian mould over the hare, and lo! it turned into “Jack”, his son.
Well, you may fancy the old dame was glad to get her son again, but still she wasn’t easy in her mind about his trade, and she wouldn’t rest till he gave her a proof that he was “master above all masters”.
So when the fair came round, the lad changed himself into a bay horse, and told his father to lead him to the fair. “Now, when any one comes”, he said, “to buy me, you may ask a hundred dollars for me; but mind you don’t forget to take the headstall off me; if you do, Farmer Weathersky will keep me for ever, for he it is who will come to deal with you.”
So it turned out. Up came a horse-dealer, who had a great wish to deal for the horse, and he gave a hundred dollars down for him; but when the bargain was struck, and Jack’s father had pocketed the money, the horse-dealer wanted to have the headstall. “Nay, nay!” said the man, “there’s nothing about that in the bargain; and besides, you can’t have the headstall, for I’ve other horses at home to bring to town to-morrow.”