Grimm's Household Tales

There was once a poor woman who had a son who wanted very much to travel, but his mother said, “How can you travel? We have no money at all for you to take away with you.” Then the son said, “I will manage very well for myself; I will always say, ‘Not much, not much, not much.’”

So he walked for a long time, always saying, “Not much, not much, not much.” Then he passed a group of fishermen and said, “May God speed you! Not much, not much, not much.” “What do you say, boor? ‘Not much’?” And when the net was drawn out, they had not caught much fish. So one of them fell on the youth with a stick and said, “Have you never seen me threshing?” “What ought I to say, then?” asked the youth. “You must say, ‘Get it full, get it full.’” After this he again walked a long time, saying, “Get it full, get it full,” until he came to the gallows, where they had a poor sinner whom they were about to hang. Then he said, “Good morning; get it full, get it full.” “What do you say, rascal? ‘Get it full’? Do you want to make out that there are still more wicked people in the world? Is this not enough?” And again he got some blows on his back. “What am I to say, then?” he asked. “You must say, ‘May God have pity on the poor soul.’”

Again the youth walked on for a long while, saying, “May God have pity on the poor soul!” Then he came to a pit, beside which stood a knacker who was cutting up a horse. The youth said, “Good morning; may God have pity on the poor soul!” “What do you say, you ill-tempered rascal?” and the knacker gave him such a blow on the ear that he could not see. “What am I to say, then?” “You must say, ‘There lies the carrion in the pit!’”

So he walked on, always saying, “There lies the carrion in the pit; there lies the carrion in the pit.” And he came to a cart full of people, and he said, “Good morning; there lies the carrion in the pit!” Then the cart pushed him into a hole, and the driver took his whip and cracked it on the youth until he was forced to crawl back to his mother, and as long as he lived he never went out traveling again.