School: Convent of Mercy, Moville (roll number 9278)

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1. A Clever Thief (continued)

   

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   cattle. One day Jack was sent out with Dan's dinner. On the way he saw his own shadow and he also saw the shadow of the bowl of porridge which was in his hand. Every few minutes he would give a spoonful of porridge to the shadow. By the time he reached Dan, the porridge was all gone. Dan then went home for his dinner and Jack was left to mind the cows. While Dan was at home, Jack got a hatchet and, with it, cut off one of the cows' legs. When Jack went home, the gentleman said to him "I thought you were learning your trad as a thief" Jack said that he would now go down and steal the two horses out of the plough. There was a rabbit running across the field and the two ploughmen ran after it to catch it. At the same moment, Jack took the two horses out of the plough and went home with them. "You have to do a deed yet" said the man "Tonight you must steal the sheet off my bed." When the boy's father heard this he began to cry and he said his boy could never do that. "Do not worry, father! I will be able to do that" said the boy.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT1525: The Master Thief

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Rita Mc Gowan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Carnagarve, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Mrs D Orr

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Carnagarve, Co. Donegal