Then his mother burst out laughing and said, 'What an idea! You
a messenger! Why, your little feet would take an hour to go the
distance an ordinary person could do in a minute!'
But the Hazel-nut child replied, 'Nevertheless I mean to be a
messenger! Just send me a message and you'll see that I shall be
back in next to no time.'
So his mother said, 'Very well, go to your aunt in the
neighbouring village, and fetch me a comb.' The Hazel-nut child
jumped quickly out of the egg-shell and ran out into the street.
Here he found a man on horseback who was just setting out for the
neighbouring village. He crept up the horse's leg, sat down
under the saddle, and then began to pinch the horse and to prick
it with a pin. The horse plunged and reared and then set off at
a hard gallop, which it continued in spite of its rider's efforts
to stop it. When they reached the village, the Hazel-nut child
left off pricking the horse, and the poor tired creature pursued
its way at a snail's pace. The Hazel-nut child took advantage of
this, and crept down the horse's leg; then he ran to his aunt and
asked her for a comb. On the way home he met another rider, and
did the return journey in exactly the same way.
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