"Is it you that has taken my pretty boar?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"It was also you that took my dove?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"Are you coming back again?"
"That may be," said Esben.
"Then you"ll catch it," said the witch.
Esben was soon back at the palace with the boar, and his brothers scarcely knew which leg to stand on, so rejoiced were they that they were safe again. Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking Esben for what he had done for them.
The king was still more rejoiced over the boar than he had been over the dove, and did not know what to give the brothers for it. At this Sir Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went about and planned how to get the brothers into trouble.
One day he went again to the king and said, "These eleven brothers have now procured the dove and the boar, but they can do much more than that; I know they have said that if they liked they could get for the king a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms."
"If they have said that," said the king, "they shall also be made to bring it to me. That would be a glorious lamp for me."
Again the king sent a message to the brothers to come up to the palace.
They went accordingly, although very unwillingly, for they suspected that Sir Red had fallen on some new plan to bring them into trouble.
As soon as they came before the king he said to them,
"You brothers have said that you could, if you liked, get for me a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms. That lamp must be mine within three days, or it will cost you your lives."
The brothers a.s.sured him that they had never said so, and they were sure that no such lamp existed, but their words were of no avail.
"The lamp!" said the king, "or it will cost you your heads."
The brothers were now in greater despair than ever. They did not know what to do, for such a lamp no one had ever heard of. But just as things looked their worst along came Esben.
"Something wrong again?" said he. "What"s the matter with you now?"
"Oh, it"s no use telling you," said they. "You can"t help us, at any rate."
"Oh, you might at least tell me," said Esben; "I have helped you before."
In the end they told him that the king had ordered them to bring him a lamp which could shine over seven kingdoms, but such a lamp no one had ever heard tell of.
"Give me a bushel of salt," said Esben, "and we shall see how matters go."
He got his bushel of salt, and then mounted his little white stick, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
With that both he and his bushel of salt were over beside the witch"s courtyard. But now matters were less easy, for he could not get inside the yard, as it was evening and the gate was locked. Finally he hit upon a plan; he got up on the roof and crept down the chimney.
He searched all round for the lamp, but could find it nowhere, for the witch always had it safely guarded, as it was one of her most precious treasures. When he became tired of searching for it he crept into the baking- oven, intending to lie down there and sleep till morning; but just at that moment he heard the witch calling from her bed to one of her daughters, and telling her to make some porridge for her. She had grown hungry, and had taken such a fancy to some porridge. The daughter got out of bed, kindled the fire, and put on a pot with water in it.
"You mustn"t put any salt in the porridge, though," cried the witch.
"No, neither will I," said the daughter; but while she was away getting the meal Esben slipped out of the oven and emptied the whole bushel of salt into the pot. The daughter came back then and put in the meal, and after it had boiled a little she took it in to her mother. The witch took a spoonful and tasted it.
"Uh!" said she; "didn"t I tell you not to put any salt in it, and it"s just as salt as the sea."
So the daughter had to go and make new porridge, and her mother warned her strictly not to put any salt in it. But now there was no water in the house, so she asked her mother to give her the lamp, so that she could go to the well for more.
"There you have it, then," said the witch; "but take good care of it."
The daughter took the lamp which shone over seven kingdoms, and went out to the well for water, while Esben slipped out after her. When she was going to draw the water from the well she set the lamp down on a stone beside her. Esben watched his chance, seized the lamp, and gave her a push from behind, so that she plumped head first into the well. Then he made off with the lamp. But the witch got out of her bed and ran after him, crying:
"Hey! is that you again, Esben?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"Was it you that took my dove?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"Was it also you that took my boar?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"And now you have taken my lamp, and drowned my twelfth daughter in the well?"
"Ye--e--s!"
"Are you coming back again?"
"That may be," said Esben.
"Then you"ll catch it," said the witch.
It was only a minute before the stick had again landed Esben at the king"s palace, and the brothers were then freed from their distress. The king gave them many fine presents, but Esben did not get even so much as thanks from them.
Never had Sir Red been so eaten up with envy as he was now, and he racked his brain day and night to find something quite impossible to demand from the brothers.