In the Esch district there was a man who drove with two horses. His wagon always seemed so heavy that hardly three other horses could have drawn it on level ground. This man, however, knew a thing or two. Uphill his horses went just as lightly as downhill, and unlike other people he never put a brake on his wagon when going down a slope.
One day he came past a meadow where a man was mowing. He watched him for a while and then said:
“Friend, let me give your scythe a good sharpening; I can see you don’t really know how.”
The other agreed, and the carter took his whip, ran the handle three times along the blade of the scythe and said:
“There now, mow—and don’t bother sharpening again.”
And behold, the scythe cut like a razor. The carter went on his way, and the mower mowed until evening, the scythe cutting, if anything, better and better.
This carter— for that is what he was — also once met three students who, just for fun, tried out their own arts on him by “holding” him fast. The carter quickly realised what was going on, went up to the three and said:
“Gentlemen, listen—let me drive on.”
But the students did not know how to break the spell and kept silent.
“Well then, I’ll help myself,” said the carter. He took an iron bar, went to the back wheel on the left side, counted eleven spokes and struck them with the bar so that it cracked.
“Ow! Ow!” screamed the first student and fell down with a smashed leg.
The carter counted another eleven spokes, struck again, and the second student fell to the ground with a broken leg. Yet another eleven spokes—and the third one fell.
Then the carter stepped up to them once more and asked if they would now let him drive on.
“We can’t,” they replied. “Otherwise we would gladly do so.”
“You should have said that earlier,” said the carter. “Then remember this for another time: don’t ‘hold’ a man if you don’t know how to let him go again. Giddyup!”
He called to the horses, and the wagon began to move. The spokes he had struck and split were whole again. He also helped the students back onto their feet.