Once upon a time, long long ago, there lived a tanner（鞣皮工）. Now this tanner had as many children as a sieve（篩子） has holes and even more.

One day he was cooking porridge for his children. There was just enough for each to have a drop. It was hot, it was summertime, and a swarm of flies flew in through the window.

And this sent the tanner into such a rage, that he lifted his hand and brought it down hard on the table. He managed to get seven of the flies at one and the same time. So he thought to himself: Am I not a true and gallant（英勇的） knight to hit seven at one blow?

He made for himself a sign, and on it he wrote: Seven at one blow. And this he wore around his neck.

Off he went to seek his way in the world and eventually he came upon a well （井）deep in the forest. So he lay himself down and slept.

Just then came devils to sup from the water. One of these devils saw him and said: Now this is a true and gallant knight, he is not a man to battle with.

No sooner had he said this than the tanner woke up and then the devil said: Will you not come and serve us true? Your job will be to carry water in this bison（野牛） skin.

With that they went off to where the devils lived, in the infernal（地獄的） fire or somewhere deep in hell. And the devils drank the water up in a flash. So then the king of the devils said: What wages do you require?

A load of gold carried home, and I will ride on top of it.

And so the bargain（協(xié)議） was struck. They passed the man the bison skin. The poor man almost collapsed under the weight of it. He set out for the well. He wondered how he was going to be able to carry it back full, when he could hardly manage to carry it when it was empty. So he got hold of a spade and when he arrived he started to dig around the well.

Now the devils got fed up of waiting for him to come back with the water. So one of them upped and went off after him. Said the devil: What are you doing, tanner?

I'm not going to come here back and forth and fetch water for you all the time. I'm going to bring the whole well in one go.

No, don't do that. You see my mother is blind and she's going to fall into the hole.

I'll fetch the water for you, and you fetch wood from the forest instead. And with this they started off back.

Then the devil led him to the forest to show him how much wood he had to gather up and bring back.

The devil took the top of a tree and bent it down, and the tanner held on to it. Then the branch came loose from the devil's hand and as the tree sprang back it threw the tanner up and over the forest.

Out sprang a rabbit from under the bush and the tanner chased it. Asked the devil: Now where are you running?

After this rabbit, don't you see?

I jumped across the forest for it and I still couldn't catch it.

Then the devil ran home and told the others: Get rid of this tanner, because he's a bigger devil than any of us!

The tanner said he wouldn't go away because there was a devil here stronger than him. And he pointed at one of the devils, saying he was the stronger one.

And the devil said: I'm stronger than you, come with me to the top of the hill. We'll take a whip（鞭子） with us and make it crack. Whoever makes the whip crack louder is surely the stronger of us too.

The tanner said: I don't mind but give me a club（棍子） as well.

When they got there the devil said: You go first to cracking the whip.

Ah no, – said the tanner – you go first.

The devil took the whip and cracked it so hard that the tanner went and fell over.

I wanted to hold the end of the whip but you were too fast for me. Now then, – said the devil – it's really your go（輪到的機(jī)會）.

Well if it's my go, close your eyes because when I do it, you'll go blind.

The devil closed his eyes and the tanner smacked him right on the head with a club. Then he asked: Now, who can crack the whip harder?

And the devil said: You can crack it harder, you're a bigger devil than all of us!

So they went back and the devil said to the rest of them: Take this tanner home right away.

So they put the money into a big tub and he sat on top of it. When he got home his children came out and said: Father, father, how long is it since we last had the meat of a devil?

The devil emptied the tub, money, tanner and all and run of back to hell.?It's a good thing that we got rid of him– he told the other devils.?Even his children want to eat the meat of a devil!

And that was the full of the story from its head all the way to its tail.