Chapter 118 117. Frank's Craft

A woman had an only son named Frank.She wanted her son to learn a craft very much, and Frank replied, "Find me a master, and I will learn the craft." So his mother found him a blacksmith as a master. Frank went to work in the blacksmith shop.Once, he accidentally hurt his hand with a hammer, so he went home and said to his mother, "Mom, I'm not qualified to be a blacksmith, so find another master for me." Mother looked for a master for him everywhere, and finally found a coppersmith.Frank was working at the coppersmith's house when he accidentally let a drill pierce his hand.He went home and said to his mother, "Mom, find me another master. I'm not made to be a coppersmith either."

His mother replied, "Son, I have only ten ducats in my hand. It would be nice if you learned a trade. If you don't, I don't know what to do with you." done." "In that case, mother," said Frank, "you'd better give me the ten ducats, and let me try my luck and see if I can learn a trade by myself." Mother gave Frank ten ducats, and he left home.He walked and walked into a forest.At this time, four robbers suddenly jumped out and shouted: "Face to the ground!" "Face to the ground?" Frank muttered, "How do you say face to the ground?"

"Face to the ground!" "Give me a look first!" Frank replied. The bandit leader thought to himself: This guy is even tougher than us.How about we get him in? So he said to Frank, "Come with us, lad?" "What trade did you teach me?" Frank asked. "Our craft is very respectable," the bandit leader replied. "We stop and rob anyone we meet, and if they won't hand over their money, we kill them. Then we drink big bowls, eat big pieces of meat, and go out into the rivers and lakes." .” In this way, Frank and the gang of robbers wandered around, blocking roads and robbing.A year later, the bandit leader died and Frank became the leader.One day, he ordered the robbers to go out to rob, and he stayed to guard the stolen goods.He suddenly came up with an idea. "I'll take all the money here. I'll put it on a mule and run away, and I won't let them know where I'm going." And he did.

He went back to his mother's door and knocked. "Mom, I'm back, open the door!" His mother opened the door, and saw her son standing in front of her, leading a mule.He immediately started unloading the few sacks of money. "What craft did you learn?" "Decent work, mother. There we all eat and drink and have time to play." The mother didn't understand what the son said at all, thinking that this must be a good craft, so she didn't ask any more questions.Coincidentally, his mother had a good relationship with a bishop.The next day she went to the bishop and said, "Father, your old friend is back, do you know?"

"He's back? Has he learned his trade?" "Well, got it. He learned a respectable trade. He eats and drinks, and has time to hang out. Besides, he brings his money back on mules. "Really? Really?" asked the Bishop.He is a shrewd man, and he has already counted. "Tell him to come see me, I want to talk to him..." Frank came to see him. "Well, old friend, have you really learned your trade?" asked the Bishop. "Yes, Not Bad." "If that's the case, let's make a bet." "How to gamble?" "I have twelve shepherds and twenty dogs. If you can steal a ram from my flock, I will give you a hundred ducats."

"My friend," Frank replied, "how can I succeed when you have twelve shepherds and twenty dogs? I don't know what to say. Well, let's try." Dressed as a monk, he came to the shepherds. "Hey, shepherds, tie up your dogs, I'm a monk." The shepherds tied the dogs, and said, "Come here, Father, to the fire, and keep warm with us." Frank and the shepherds sat down by the fire.He took a loaf of bread from his pocket and began to eat it.Then he took out a bottle of wine from his bag and pretended to drink—note that he only pretended to drink, because the wine had been laced with narcotics.A shepherd said: "Hey, Father, are you like this! You eat and drink, don't let us get a little bit!"

"Sir," Frank said, "I'll just have one sip." So he handed the bottle to the shepherd.The shepherd took a sip, and the other shepherds drank one by one.After the bottle of wine was finished, the shepherds were so drunk that they couldn't even open their eyelids.At this time, only one shepherd was still awake, and he said, "We were going to talk to this monk, but you are all asleep." However, as soon as he said this, he also yawned, and went on Fell asleep. After Frank was sure that they were all asleep, he took off the clothes of the twelve shepherds and changed them into monks' robes.Then he caught one of the fattest rams and escaped.When he got home, he killed the lamb, roasted it, and sent a leg to the bishop.

When the shepherds woke up and found themselves in monk clothes, they immediately understood: Someone had come to steal. "How do we explain to the bishop?" They didn't know what to do. "Go and explain," said one of the shepherds. "No, you'd better go," said another shepherd.However, pushing and pushing, no one is willing to go.As a result, they decided to go together.They went into the bishop's house and knocked on the door.When the bishop's maid saw the crowd coming, she said to the bishop: "Bishop, there are some monks standing in the corridor, and they want to come in!"

"I have to say Mass this morning," replied the Bishop, "tell them to go." "Open the door! Open the door!" cried the shepherds.Finally, they burst into the house. Seeing that these shepherds were all dressed as monks, the bishop immediately understood that it must be Frank who did it, not someone else. He said to himself: "It seems that he has really learned the craft!" He sent for Frank and gave him a hundred ducats. "Well, my friend," said the bishop, "let us play again. This time the bet is two hundred ducats. There is a church in the country, which belongs to our parish. If you can steal from that church Come up with anything, and you win. I'll give you eight days."

"Okay," Frank replied. The bishop called the hermit who lived in that church and said to him, "You must be vigilant. Someone is trying to steal things from that church. You must watch it day and night." "Don't worry, bishop. Just give me a weapon, don't worry, it's all on me." Frank did not act for seven days and seven nights.By the evening of the eighth day, Frank approached the church and hid in a corner.The poor hermit has not slept for seven days and nights.At this moment, he went to the door and said to himself: "Seven nights have passed, and he has not shown up. Today is the last night, and it has knocked six o'clock, and he has not come, which shows that he is afraid." But who knows what's going on? I'm going to relieve my hand and go back to sleep for a while."

Frank heard every word the hermit had to say.While he was going to the toilet, Frank darted into the church and hid.When the hermit came back, he fastened all the doors, and, exhausted, he lay down on the church floor, and fell fast asleep.At this time, Frank collected all the statues in the church and placed them around the hermit, and put a sack at his feet.Then, dressed as a priest, he ascended the chancel steps and began to preach: "Hermit of the church, the time has come to save your soul!" The hermit continued to sleep. "Hermit of the Church, the time has come to save your soul!" The hermit awoke, and seeing the saints surrounding him, said, "Speak, Christ, what shall I do?" "Get in the sack!" said Frank, "because it's time to save your soul!" The poor hermit curled up in the sack.Frank walked down the chancel steps, shouldered the sack, and left the church.He went into the bishop's house and threw the sack in the middle of the room. "Ouch!" the hermit cried out in pain from the sack. "Here, my friend, look what I have brought from the church!" The bishop opened the sack and saw the hermit in front of him. "Frank, my friend," said the Bishop, "this is two hundred ducats. I can see that you have indeed mastered the trade. Let us make friends, or you will make me into this bag!" (Abruzzi region)