and ‘Whoa’ in turn, and directed it where to go. It went quite well, just as though it were being driven by its master; and they went the right way to the wood. Now it happened that while the cart was turning a corner, and Tom was calling to the horse, two strange men appeared on the scene.
‘My goodness,’ said one, ‘what is this? There goes a cart, and a driver is calling to the horse, but there is nothing to be seen.’
‘There is something queer about this,’ said the other; ‘we will follow the cart and see where it stops.’
The cart went on deep into the forest, and arrived quite safely at the place where the wood was cut.
When Tom spied his Father, he said: ‘You see, Father, here I am with the cart; now lift me down.’ The Father held the horse with his left hand, and took his little son out of its ear with the right. Then Tom sat down quite happily on a straw.
When the two strangers noticed him, they did not know what to say for astonishment.
Then one drew the other aside, and said: ‘Listen, that little creature might make our fortune if we were to show him in the town for money. We will buy him.’
So they went up to the Peasant, and said: ‘Sell us the little man; he shall be well looked after with us.’
‘No,’ said the Peasant; ‘he is the delight of my eyes, and I will not sell him for all the gold in the world.’
But Tom Thumb, when he heard the bargain, crept up by the folds of his Father’s coat, placed himself on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear: ‘Father, let me go; I will soon come back again.’
Then his Father gave him to the two men for a fine piece of gold.
‘Where will you sit?’ they asked him.
‘Oh, put me on the brim of your hat, then I can walk up and down and observe the neighbourhood without falling down.’