, to have spent the money on a useless brute like
that. On the following day she sent him back to the town, saying,
'Here, take our last hundred florins, and buy provisions with them. I
have just emptied the last grains of meal out of the chest, and baked
a bannock; but it won't last over to-morrow.'

Just as Martin was entering the town he met a rough-looking peasant
who was dragging a cat after him by a string which was fastened round
the poor beast's neck.

'Stop,' cried Martin; 'where are you dragging that poor cat?'

'I mean to drown him,' was the answer.

'What harm has the poor beast done?' said Martin.

'It has just killed a goose,' replied the peasant.

'Don't drown him, sell him to me instead,' begged Martin.

'Not for a hundred florins,' was the answer.

'Surely for a hundred florins you'll sell it?' said Martin. 'See! here
is the money;' and, so saying, he handed him the hundred florins,
which the peasant pocketed, and Martin took possession of the cat,
which was called Waska.

When he reached his home his mother greeted him with the question:

'Well, what have you brought back?'

'I have brought this cat, Waska,' answered Martin.

'And what besides?'

'I had no money over to buy anything else with,' replied Martin.

'You useless ne'er-do-weel!' exclaimed his mother in a great passion.
'Leave the house at once, and go and beg your bread among strangers;'
and as Martin did not dare to contradict her, he called Schurka and
Waska and started off with them to the nearest village in search of
work. On the way he met a rich peasant, who asked him where he was
going.

'I want to get work as a day labourer,' he answered.

'Come along with me, then. But I must tell you I engage my labourers
without wages. If you serve me faithfully for a year, I promise you it
shall be for your advantage.'

So Martin consented, and for a year he worked diligently, and served
his master faithfully, not sparing himself in any way. When the day of
reckoning had come the peasant led him into a barn, and pointing to
two full sacks, said: 'Take whichever of these you choose.'

Martin examined the contents of the sacks, and seeing that one was
full of silver and the other of sand, he said to himself:

'There must be some trick about this; I had better take the sand.' And
throwing the sack over his shoulders he started out into the world, in
search of fresh work. On and on he walked, and at last he reached a
great glo