The Bogy and the Farmer

Press, 7 March 1978, Page 24

The Bogy and the Farmer

Once there was a bogy who claimed a farmer's paddock. The farmer did not think this was at all fair. They argued for a long time and in the end they agreed that the farmer would do the work and that they would share the crop between them. That spring the farmer said to the bogy: “What will you have from the crop? Tops or bottoms?” “Bottoms,” said the bogy. Then the farmer sowed wheat and all the bogy received was stubble . and roots. The next year the bogy decided to choose the tops from the crop and so the farmer planted turnips. Again, the bogy was no better off than before. He began to feel discontented, for he was really getting the worst of it.

So the next year the bogy said to the’ farmer: “You sow the wheat and we’ll have a mowing contest, and he who wins it. shall own the paddock for keeps.”

“Agreed” said the farmer, and they divided up the paddock into equal shares. However, a short time before the wheat ripened, the farmer ordered hundreds of thin iron rods from a blacksmith. Then, during the night, he stuck them all over the bogy’s part of the paddock. Early the next morning the mowing contest started. The farmer scythed his half of the crop easily but the poor bogy had a hard time. He could not understand what was the trouble and kept muttering: “Darnation hard docks, darnation hard docks.”

His scythe grew so blunt that it would not have cut butter, and he called out to the farmer desperately: “Mate. When do we sharpen our tools?” For they had arranged to do this together. The farmer smiled. “In a few hours or so. About noon, maybe.” “Noon.” cried the bogy. “Then I’ve lost.” And off he ran and was never seen again.