ntices when they first begin," and
he swung round his head the huge heavy mallet which Reinhold could not
lift and which Frederick had great difficulty in wielding; and then he
did the same with the ponderous adze with which Master Martin himself
worked. Then he rolled a couple of huge casks on one side as if they
had been light balls, and seized one of the large thick beams which had
not yet been worked at "Marry, master," he cried, "marry, this is good
sound oak; I wager it will snap like glass." And thereupon he struck
the stave against the grindstone so that it broke clean in half with a
loud crack. "Pray be so kind," said Master Martin, "pray have the
kindness, my good fellow, to kick that two-tun cask about or to pull
down the whole shop. There, you can take that balk for a mallet, and
that you may have an adze to your mind I will have Roland's sword,
which is three yards long, fetched for you from the town-house." "Ay,
do, that's just the thing," said the young man, his eyes flashing; but
the next minute he cast them down upon the ground and said, lowering
his voice, "I only thought, good master, that you wanted right strong
journeymen for your heavy work, and now I have, I see, been too
forward, too swaggering, in displaying my bodily strength. But do take
me on to work, I will faithfully do whatever you shall require of me."
Master Martin scanned the youth's features, and could not but admit
that he had never seen more nobility and at the same time more
downright honesty in any man's face. And yet, as he looked upon the
young fellow, there stole into his mind a dim recollection of some man
whom he had long esteemed and honoured, but he could not clearly call
to mind who it was. For this reason he granted the young man's request
on the spot, only enjoining upon him to produce at the earliest
opportunity the needful credible trade attestations.

Meanwhile Reinhold and Frederick had finished setting up their cask and
were now busy driving on the first hoops. Whilst doing this they were
always in the habit of striking up a song; and on this occasion they
began a good song in Adam Puschmann's _Stieglitzweis_. Then Conrad
(that was the name of the new journeyman) shouted across from the bench
where Master Martin had placed him, "By my troth, what squalling do you
call that? I could fancy I hear mice squeaking somewhere about the
shop. An you mean to sing at all, sing so that it will cheer the heart
and make the work