The only nice thing to see was a teakettle singing and steaming away merrily on the fire in the grate.

Old Jacob set about preparing the evening meal; and soon they sat down at a small deal table to a supper of cold mutton and potatoes, and tea which did not taste very nice, as it was sweetened with moist black sugar.

Martin was too hungry to turn up his nose at anything, and while he ate and drank the old man chuckled and talked aloud to himself about his good fortune in finding the little boy to do his work for him.

After supper he cleared the table, and put two mugs of tea on it, and then got out his clay pipe and tobacco.
"Now, little boy," he cried, "let's have a jolly evening together.
Your very good health, little boy," and here he jingled his mug against Martin's, and took a sip of tea.
"Would you like to hear a song, little boy ?" he said, after finishing his pipe.
"No," said Martin, who was getting sleepy; but Jacob took no to mean yes, and so he stood up on his legs and sang this song:-- "My name is Jacob, that's my name; And tho' I'm old, the old man's game-- The air it is so good, d'ye see: And on the plain my flock I keep, And sing all day to please my sheep, And never lose them like Bo-Peep, Becos the ways of them are known to me." "When winter comes and winds do blow, Unto my sheep so good I go-- I'm always good to them, d'ye see-- Ho, sheep, say I, both ram, both ewe, I've sung you songs all summer through, Now lend to me a skin or two, To keep the cold and wet from out o' me." This song, accompanied with loud raps on the table, was bellowed forth in a dreadfully discordant voice; and very soon all the dogs rushed into the room and began to bark and howl most dismally, which seemed to please the old man greatly, for to him it was a kind of applause.

But the noise was too much for Martin; so he stopped up his ears, and only removed his fingers from them when the performance was over.