His wife began to tremble. “Perhaps I have gone too far with him and now he is going to whip me,” she thought with dismay.
But Hershele would never have such ideas. When his boy returned with the whip, he took him along to the market place and cracking the whip aloud, shouted, “I am taking people to Slutzk for half fare!”
Soon a crowd gathered eager to participate in such a bargain. Hershele collected the money from them and gave it to his boy, saying, “Run home and give it to your mother.”
“Don’t worry, just follow me,” Hershele replied. “I’ll take you right into Slutzk.”
They followed him without further questions. They had already left the town and in the distance they saw the bridge. “He must have the horses on the other side of the bridge,” they all thought. But, lo and behold, when they crossed the bridge they still saw no horses. But by this time they had already walked half the distance and they became angry with Hershele, but what could they do? They might as well continue onward.
Finally they reached Slutzk. “Give us back our money, you thief!” they shouted at Hershele. “You fooled us!”
“I fooled you?” said Hershele innocently. “Did I or did I not promise to take you to Slutzk?”
“Yes, but ride there, not walk!” they all shouted in unison.
Hershele looked amazed. “Did I say a word about horses? I merely said I would take you to Slutzk.”
The passengers looked at each other dumbfounded, and since there was nothing they could do about it they departed in disgust.
When Hershele arrived home, his wife was waiting for him at the door, beaming. “I can’t understand it,” she said. “I know you had a whip, but where did you manage to get the horses?”
“You ask foolish questions,” Hershele replied. “Why do I need a horse? You know the saying, ‘If you crack a whip you can always find some horses.’”