Northern mythology

NORTH GERMAN TRxVDITIONS. 81
driven his corn thither, but having staid till it was rather
late, did not reach home with his wagon-load of flour
before dark. On his way he heard on a sudden a tremendous
uproar, and immediately after. Old Frick with
her dogs came thundering along. In his fright, the only
way to save himself that occurred to him was to pour out
the contents of his flour-sacks to the dogs, which instantly
set to work, and in a twinkling most ravenously
devoured every atom of flour. Had he not so done, it
would have gone hard with him. Frightened and sad he
hastened home, with his empty sacks, and said to his wife :
" Mother, it has gone ill with me ; I have met with Old
Frick, and as quickly as I could have thrown out all the
flour to her dogs, in order to get clear of them.^^ " As
the sacks are empty,^' said the wife, " they may be thrown
aside.^^ The man did accordingly, but what was his surprise,
when, on coming to the same place on the following
morning, there stood his sacks well-filled, just as when,
on the preceding evening, he brought them from Boitzenburg
!
THE WITCHES' RIDE.
There was once a peasant that had an old wife, who had
a great partiality for her man Hans. One night, when the
peasant was gone to bed, but the wife was alone in the
kitchen, in came Hans, as usual, and saw how she was
anointing first her grey he-cat and then her own feet with
some ointment or salve. " What art thou doing there ? ^'
said he (for in his master^s absence he always thoued her).
" I am going to the Blocksberg,^^ answered she, " and if
thou canst keep from babbling, thou mayest go with me, and
be my servant.^' Thereupon she desired him to fetch the
black cock, and when both animals had been smeared with
the ointment J
there in one instant stood before them u
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