WHERE TO LAY THE BLAME

' The fisherman had his net over one arm and his cap of

gold in the other hand; nevertheless, there he felt the
same hairy thing he had felt before. He flung his leg
over it, and away he was gone through the air like a sky-
rocket.

Now, he had grown somewhat used to strange things
by this time, so he began to think that he would like to
see what sort of a creature it was upon which he was
riding thus through the sky. So he contrived, in spite of
his net and cap, to push up the handkerchief from over
one eye. Out he peeped, and then he saw as clear as
day what the strange steed was.

He was riding upon a he-goat as black as night, and in
front of him was the magician riding upon just such
another, his great red robe fluttering out behind him in
the moonlight like huge red wings.

“ Great herring and little fishes!” roared the fisherman ;
“it is a billy-goat !”

Instantly goats, old man, and all were gone like a flash.
Down fell the fisherman through the empty sky, whirling
over and over and around and around like a frog. He
held tightly to his net, but away flew his fur cap, the
golden money falling in a shower like sparks of yellow
light. Down he fell and down he fell, until his head
spun like a top.

By good luck his house was just below, with its thatch
of soft rushes. Into the very middle of it he tumbled,
and right through the thatch—bump!—into the room.
below.

‘The good wife was in bed, snoring away for dear life ;
but such a noise as the fisherman made coming into the
house was enough to wake the dead. Up she jumped,

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