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water, she was angry beyond all conception, and ran far out on the strand, crying: Is that thou, Pinkel?" The youth answered: "Yes, it is I, dear mother." The crone said: "Hast thou taken my beautiful gold cloak?" Pinkel responded: "Yes, dear mother, I have." The Troll continued: "Art thou not a great knave?" The youth replied: "Yes, I am so, dear mother." The old witch was now almost beside herself, and began to whine and lament, and said: "Ah! how silly was it of me to let thee slip away. I was well assured thou wouldst play me many wicked tricks." They then parted from each other.

The Troll-wife now returned to her hut, and Pinkel crossed the water, and arrived safely at the king's palace; there he delivered the gold cloak, of which every one said that a more sumptuous garment was never seen nor heard of. The king honourably kept his word with the youth; and gave him his young daughter to wife. Pinkel afterwards lived happy and content to the end of his days; but his brothers were and continued to be helpers in the stable as long as they lived.

A version, with slight variations, from Östergötland, relates that the Troll-wife possessed three precious things, a Gold brand, a Gold goat, and a Golden coverlet. For the purpose of getting the gold brand, the boy mounts up to the roof of the crone's hut, and drops stones down the chimney, causing the sparks to fly about all the apartment. When the Troll goes out to ascertain the cause, the boy, who was on the alert, steals the shining brand, and hastily flees across the lake to another country.

To get the golden goat, the boy uses the same stratagem as that related in the preceding story.

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When the crone had thus lost both her gold brand and gold goat, she was apprehensive lest she should also lose her beautiful gold coverlet, and, therefore, hid it under her bed. At night the lad stole into the hut, crept under the bed, and began pulling the coverlet softly to him; but the Troll-wife waking discovered the thief, and seized him.

The boy is now to be killed, and chooses how he shall die, as in the foregoing story; but the crone, not feeling certain that he is dead, strikes him on the stomach and bursts the bag, so that all the porridge runs out. Thinking that the boy was now killed outright, she runs out in her joy to tell her neighbours all that had passed. But the lad waiting his opportunity, seizes the beautiful coverlet, and flees away over the water to the king's palace, whose daughter he gets for a wife.

III. THE GOLDEN HORSE, THE MOON-LANTERN, AND THE PRINCESS IN THE TROLL'S CAGE.

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THERE was once two poor boys, who had neither father nor mother, and were obliged to go about the country begging for a livelihood. In the course of their wandering they came one day to a corn-field, where the grains stood higher than a man. The elder then said: "Let us pluck some ears; we have not yet had any breakfast." The younger brother agreed, and the lads went into the field. They had not been there long before a man met them; he was of large stature and had a fierce countenance. The giant (for such he was) said: "Who has given you leave to pluck ears in my corn-field?" The boys answered: "We thought thou wouldst not be angry with us; we were very hungry, and thou hast, nevertheless, an abundance left." The giant now affected great kindness, and said: Neither am I angry; and if ye will follow me home, ye shall eat your fill, and have no need to go about gathering ears of corn." This proposal pleased the elder boy exceedingly; but his brother thought the giant entertained some evil design, and was, therefore, unwilling to place himself in his power. They then consulted with each other. The elder said: "I think we should go with him." "No, answered the younger, "I think it best not." The elder replied: "We can at all events follow him; if we find things unpleasant there, we can always go away.' The giant now asked whether they would accompany him or not. "Yes, surely," answered the elder brother; and so the two brothers followed the giant home to his dwelling.

On reaching the place, the giant conducted them into a small room, and gave them such entertainment as they had never known before. He then went out and locked the door. The elder boy said: "Was it not clever of me to propose going with the giant? Now we are well off, and have no occasion to go about begging." The younger answered: "We have not yet seen how it will all fall out. I am not pleased at our being locked in, and unable to come and go as has been our wont." The elder lad would give no ear to these words, but laid himself down to sleep,

while the younger placed himself on the watch by the door, to discover what was going on outside in the habitation. Several days passed in this manner; the brothers had no lack of food, but were constantly locked in.

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One evening, when the boy as usual stood peeping through a cranny in the wall, he saw the giant enter the apartment and ask for food. While he was eating he inquired of his wife whether the two boys would soon be sufficiently fat. The giantess answered: "One of them is fleshy enough, but the other is only so so." The giant said: “I think they both ought to be fat, provided thou givest them food enough. I will now go and invite our kindred to the feast; thou meanwhile canst kill the two boys, so that they may be eaten to-morrow." When the lad heard this conversation, he went and waked his brother, and told him what he had seen and heard. What thou sayest cannot be true," said the elder, yet in terror crept close to the wall. When they looked through the opening, the giant had just finished his meal, and called to the maidservant to fetch him water. "Hast thou forgotten," said he, "that I always drink as soon as I have eaten?" The servant-girl excused herself by saying, it was so dark that she could not find the way to the well. Take my Moonlantern, then," said the giant in a harsh tone. The girl thereupon took from the wall a lantern that shone like the moon at full, and went to fetch water. After the giant had quenched his thirst, he began talking again to his wife: "I will now," said he, saddle my Golden horse, and ride to invite our guests. In the meantime take the boys out, that thou mayest not forget them." He then departed. When the elder boy heard these words he was mortally terrified, and besought his brother to devise some means of saving their lives. The other answered: Be of good cheer; I shall, no doubt, hit on some plan.' When the night was a little advanced, the giantess came in to the two boys. She affected to be very friendly, and uttered many fair words. Follow me, little boys," said she, "and ye shall look about the cottage: to-night ye shall sleep there." The boys did as she bade them, although the elder was almost dying with fear. The crone now let them go to bed, then laying herself near them, she soon

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fell into a deep sleep. Towards midnight the younger lad rose up and placed a fire-steel over the giantess's head; for he knew well that steel has power over giants and other Trolls, so that if it be laid over them while they are asleep, they cannot wake before it is daylight. The crone now slept more profoundly, and continued sleeping till the following day; but the younger lad waked his brother, and they both stole out of the place, and hastened with all speed from the spot.

Towards dawn they came to a large grange, where they knocked and begged for shelter. The owner of the grange inquired whence they came, seeing that they sought a lodging at so late an hour. The brothers thereupon related their adventure, how with great difficulty they had escaped from the giant. The man received them well, and gave them food, and whatever else they stood in need of. He said: Few are they who escape with life from the giant's clutches. Take care, therefore, that he does not entice you again. But he has no power as long as you do not pass across the broad ditch that separates our fields." The boys thanked the farmer for his good advice, and promised in all respects to do as he had said.

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About noon the giant came riding on his gold horse, and stopped close by the broad ditch. His steed had golden. hair, and was so beautiful that it shone and sparkled whithersoever it went. When the giant saw the two boys, he called to them and asked why they had run away from him, adding, at the same time, a deal of wheedling talk, and saying: "Come back with me, little boys; I will give my gold horse to one of you, and the other shall have a beautiful princess, whom I have in my power." But the boys gave no ear to his talk, and ran off, to wander and beg about the country.

After rambling about a considerable time, they came at length to a spacious royal palace, into which they entered and prayed for employment. The king, to whom the palace belonged, took a liking to the younger lad, on account of his activity, and received him among his pages; but the

For instances of this virtue in steel, see "Northern Mythology," ii. passim.

elder brother went about begging as before. Things continued thus for some time, and the youth was well liked by every one. When it came to the elder lad's knowledge what good fortune had attended his brother at court, he became extremely jealous, and never rested until he also was taken into the king's service. The younger brother, now become a courtier, interceded for the elder, who was received as a stable-lad. But in proportion as the younger was well spoken of by all, the stable-boy was an object of aversion, on account of his baseness and falsehood. Hence his heart was filled with malice, and he thought of nothing so much as how he might ruin his brother, and gain the king's favour for himself.

One day when the king happened to be in the stable viewing his stud, and after he had looked at every horse, he stopped by the one on which he himself was in the habit of riding, and, patting the animal on the flank, said to those about him: "Tell me where in the whole world you have ever seen so excellent a horse as this?" The stable-lad instantly answered: "Sir king, your horse is certainly handsome; but I know of another that by far excels it." The king was now all attention, and asked: "Where is that horse to be seen, and who can obtain it for me?" The lad answered: "I believe no one can obtain it, unless it be my brother; he is likely to know best where it is to be found." The king was now seized with a strong desire to possess the horse, which he had heard so highly praised, and commanded the courtier brother to set out and fetch it. Although the courtier had no great fear, he would, nevertheless, have preferred staying at home. But the stablelad was glad at heart, thinking that his brother would hardly return safe from the journey.

The youth now made his preparations, and set forth on his enterprise. When he arrived at the grange, he went in, greeted the farmer courteously, and solicited his good. advice as to the course he should take in executing the king's commission. When the farmer recalled to his memory the boy that had escaped from the giant, he received him kindly, and promised him all the assistance in his power. They then held a consultation together, the result of which I will now relate.

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