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'Oh,' said he, 'what long nails you have! Wait, I must first cut

them for you.' Thereupon he seized them by the throats, put them

on the cutting-board and screwed their feet fast. 'I have looked

at your fingers,' said he, 'and my fancy for card-playing has

gone,' and he struck them dead and threw them out into the water.

But when he had made away with these two, and was about to sit

down again by his fire, out from every hole and corner came black

cats and black dogs with red-hot chains, and more and more of

them came until he could no longer move, and they yelled

horribly, and got on his fire, pulled it to pieces, and tried to

put it out. He watched them for a while quietly, but at last when

they were going too far, he seized his cutting-knife, and cried:

'Away with you, vermin,' and began to cut them down. Some of them

ran away, the others he killed, and threw out into the fish-pond.

When he came back he fanned the embers of his fire again and

warmed himself.