it is I, your son!'

Then he picked up his dates and went away to his uncle.

'Here they are, dear uncle; eat as many as you want.'

And his uncle ate them.

When he saw that the uncle did not mean to come near the cask, the
serpent crawled out and regained his proper shape.

'I am thankful I did not kill him,' he said to his wife; 'for, after
all, he is my brother-in-law, and it would have been a great sin!'

'Either you kill him or I leave you,' said she.

'Well, well!' sighed the man, 'to-morrow I will do it.'

The woman let that night go by without doing anything further, but at
daybreak she said to her brother, 'Get up, brother; it is time to take
the goats to pasture!'

'All right,' cried he.

'I will come with you, uncle,' called out the little boy.

'Yes, come along,' replied he.

But the mother ran up, saying, 'The child must not go out in this cold
or he will be ill;' to which he only answered, 'Nonsense! I am going, so
it is no use your talking! I am going! I am! I am!'

'Then go!' she said.

And so they started, driving the goats in front of them.

When they reached the pasture the boy said to his uncle: 'Dear uncle,
this night my father means to kill you. While we are away he will creep
into your room and hide in the straw. Directly we get home my mother
will say to you, "Take that straw and give it to the sheep," and, if you
do, he will bite you.'

'Then what am I to do?' asked the man.

'Oh, do not be afraid, dear uncle! I will kill my father myself.'

'All right,' replied the uncle.

As they drove back the goats towards the house, the sister cried: 'Be
quick, dear brother, go and get me some straw for the sheep.'

'Let me go,' said the boy.

'You are not big enough; your uncle will get it,' replied she.

'We will both get it,' answered the boy; 'come, uncle, let us go and
fetch that straw!'

'All right,' replied the uncle, and they went to the door of the room.

'It seems very dark,' said the boy; 'I must go and get a light;' and
when he came back with one, he set fire to the straw, and the serpent
was burnt.

Then the mother broke into sobs and tears. 'Oh, you wretched boy! What
have you done? Your father was in that straw, and you have killed him!'

'Now, how was I to know that my father was lying in that straw, instead
of in the kitchen?' said the boy.

But his mother only wept the more, and sobbed out, 'From this day you
have no father. You must do without him as bes