"Yes; there are ever so many coming after us, at least a score," said the lad.
"Aye, aye, that"s the _Troll_ coming," said the _Horse_; "now he"s after us with his pack."
So they rode on a while, until those who followed were close behind them.
"Now throw your bramble-bush rod behind you, over your shoulder," said the _Horse_; "but mind you throw it a good way off my back."
So the lad did that, and all at once a close, thick bramblewood grew up behind them. So the lad rode on a long, long time, while the _Troll_ and his crew had to go home to fetch something to hew their way through the wood. But at last the _Horse_ said again:
"Look behind you! can you see anything now?"
"Yes, ever so many," said the lad, "as many as would fill a large church."
"Aye, aye, that"s the _Troll_ and his crew," said the _Horse_; "now he"s got more to back him; but now throw down the stone, and mind you throw it far behind me."
And as soon as the lad did what the _Horse_ said, up rose a great black hill of rock behind him. So the _Troll_ had to be off home to fetch something to mine his way through the rock; and while the _Troll_ did that, the lad rode a good bit further on. But still the _Horse_ begged him to look behind him, and then he saw a troop like a whole army behind him, and they glistened in the sunbeams.
[Ill.u.s.tration: But still the Horse begged him to look behind him.]
"Aye, aye," said the _Horse_, "that"s the _Troll_, and now he"s got his whole band with him, so throw the pitcher of water behind you, but mind you don"t spill any of it upon me."
So the lad did that; but in spite of all the pains he took, he still spilt one drop on the horse"s flank. So it became a great deep lake; and because of that one drop, the horse found himself far out in it, but still he swam safe to land. But when the _Trolls_ came to the lake, they lay down to drink it dry; and so they swilled and swilled till they burst.
"Now we"re rid of them," said the _Horse_.
So when they had gone a long, long while, they came to a green patch in a wood.
"Now, strip off all your arms," said the _Horse_, "and only put on your ragged clothes, and take the saddle off me, and let me loose, and hang all my clothing and your arms up inside that great hollow lime-tree yonder. Then make yourself a wig of fir-moss, and go up to the king"s palace, which lies close here, and ask for a place.
Whenever you need me, only come here and shake the bridle, and I"ll come to you."
Yes! the lad did all his _Horse_ told him, and as soon as ever he put on the wig of moss he became so ugly, and pale, and miserable to look at, no one would have known him again. Then he went up to the king"s palace and begged first for leave to be in the kitchen, and bring in wood and water for the cook, but then the kitchen-maid asked him:
"Why do you wear that ugly wig? Off with it. I won"t have such a fright in here."
"No, I can"t do that," said the lad; "for I"m not quite right in my head."
"Do you think then I"ll have you in here about the food," cried the cook. "Away with you to the coachman; you"re best fit to go and clean the stable."
But when the coachman begged him to take his wig off, he got the same answer, and he wouldn"t have him either.
"You"d best go down to the gardener," said he; "you"re best fit to go about and dig in the garden."
So he got leave to be with the gardener, but none of the other servants would sleep with him, and so he had to sleep by himself under the steps of the summer-house. It stood upon beams, and had a high staircase. Under that he got some turf for his bed, and there he lay as well as he could.
So, when he had been some time at the palace, it happened one morning, just as the sun rose, that the lad had taken off his wig, and stood and washed himself, and then he was so handsome, it was a joy to look at him.
So the _Princess_ saw from her window the lovely gardener"s boy, and thought she had never seen any one so handsome. Then she asked the gardener why he lay out there under the steps.
"Oh," said the gardener, "none of his fellow-servants will sleep with him; that"s why."
"Let him come up to-night, and lie at the door inside my bedroom, and then they"ll not refuse to sleep with him any more," said the _Princess_.
So the gardener told that to the lad.
"Do you think I"ll do any such thing?" said the lad. "Why they"d say next there was something between me and the _Princess_."
"Yes," said the gardener, "you"ve good reason to fear any such thing, you who are so handsome."
"Well, well," said the lad, "since it"s her will, I suppose I must go."
So, when he was to go up the steps in the evening, he tramped and stamped so on the way, that they had to beg him to tread softly lest the _King_ should come to know it. So he came into the _Princess"_ bedroom, lay down, and began to snore at once. Then the _Princess_ said to her maid:
"Go gently, and just pull his wig off;" and she went up to him.
But just as she was going to whisk it off, he caught hold of it with both hands, and said she should never have it. After that he lay down again, and began to snore. Then the _Princess_ gave her maid a wink, and this time she whisked off the wig; and there lay the lad so lovely, and white and red, just as the _Princess_ had seen him in the morning sun.
[Ill.u.s.tration: And this time she whisked off the wig; and there lay the lad, so lovely, and white and red, just as the Princess had seen him in the morning sun.]
After that the lad slept every night in the _Princess"_ bedroom.
But it wasn"t long before the _King_ came to hear how the gardener"s lad slept every night in the _Princess"_ bedroom; and he got so wroth he almost took the lad"s life. He didn"t do that, however, but he threw him into the prison tower; and as for his daughter, he shut her up in her own room, whence she never got leave to stir day or night.
All that she begged, and all that she prayed, for the lad and herself, was no good. The _King_ was only more wroth than ever.
Some time after came a war and uproar in the land, and the _King_ had to take up arms against another king who wished to take the kingdom from him. So when the lad heard that, he begged the gaoler to go to the _King_ and ask for a coat of mail and a sword, and for leave to go to the war. All the rest laughed when the gaoler told his errand, and begged the _King_ to let him have an old worn-out suit, that they might have the fun of seeing such a wretch in battle. So he got that, and an old broken-down hack besides, which went upon three legs, and dragged the fourth after it.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The Lad in the Battle.]
Then they went out to meet the foe; but they hadn"t got far from the palace before the lad got stuck fast in a bog with his hack. There he sat and dug his spurs in, and cried, "Gee up! gee up!" to his hack.
And all the rest had their fun out of this, and laughed, and made game of the lad as they rode past him. But they were scarcely gone, before he ran to the lime-tree, threw on his coat of mail, and shook the bridle, and there came the _Horse_ in a trice, and said: "Do now your best, and I"ll do mine."
But when the lad came up the battle had begun, and the _King_ was in a sad pinch; but no sooner had the lad rushed into the thick of it than the foe was beaten back, and put to flight. The _King_ and his men wondered and wondered who it could be who had come to help them, but none of them got so near him as to be able to talk to him, and as soon as the fight was over he was gone. When they went back, there sat the lad still in the bog, and dug his spurs into his three-legged hack, and they all laughed again.
"No! only just look," they said; "there the fool sits still."
The next day when they went out to battle, they saw the lad sitting there still, so they laughed again, and made game of him; but as soon as ever they had ridden by, the lad ran again to the lime-tree, and all happened as on the first day. Every one wondered what strange champion it could be that had helped them, but no one got so near him as to say a word to him; and no one guessed it could be the lad; that"s easy to understand.
So when they went home at night, and saw the lad still sitting there on his hack, they burst out laughing at him again, and one of them shot an arrow at him and hit him in the leg. So he began to shriek and to bewail; "twas enough to break one"s heart; and so the _King_ threw his pocket-handkerchief to him to bind his wound.
When they went out to battle the third day, the lad still sat there.
"Gee up! gee up!" he said to his hack.
"Nay, nay," said the _King"s_ men; "if he won"t stick there till he"s starved to death."
And then they rode on, and laughed at him till they were fit to fall from their horses. When they were gone, he ran again to the lime, and came up to the battle just in the very nick of time. This day he slew the enemy"s king, and then the war was over at once.
When the battle was over, the _King_ caught sight of his handkerchief, which the strange warrior had bound round his leg, and so it wasn"t hard to find him out. So they took him with great joy between them to the palace, and the _Princess_, who saw him from her window, got so glad, no one can believe it.