“I’ll give you the art how to brew a hundred lasts of malt at one
strike.”
Well! for teaching that art the old hag got back her eye, and they each
went their way.
But when Shortshanks had walked a little way, he thought it might be
worth while to try his ship; so he took it out of his pocket, and put
first one foot into it, and then the other; and as soon as ever he set
one foot into it, it began to grow bigger and bigger, and by the time he
set the other foot into it, it was as big as other ships that sail on
the sea. Then Shortshanks said,—
“Off and away, over fresh water and salt water, over high hills and deep
dales, and don’t stop till you come to the king’s palace.”
And lo! away went the ship as swiftly as a bird through the air, till it
came down a little below the king’s palace, and there it stopped. From
the palace windows people had stood and seen Shortshanks come sailing
along, and they were all so amazed that they ran down to see who it
could be that came sailing in a ship through the air. But while they
were running down, Shortshanks had stepped out of his ship and put it
into his pocket again; for as soon as he stepped out of it, it became as
small as it was when he got it from the old woman. So those who had run
down from the palace saw no one but a ragged little boy standing down
there by the strand. Then the king asked whence he came, but the boy
said he didn’t know, nor could he tell them how he had got there. There
he was, and that was all they could get out of him; but he begged and
prayed so prettily to get a place in the king’s palace; saying, if there
was nothing else for him to do, he could carry in wood and water for the
kitchen-maid, that their hearts were touched, and he got leave to stay
there.
Now when Shortshanks came up to the palace, he saw how it was all hung
with black, both outside and in, wall and roof; so he asked the
kitchen-maid what all that mourning meant?
“Don’t you know?” said the kitchen-maid; “I’ll soon tell you: the king’s
daughter was promised away a long time ago to three ogres, and next
Thursday evening one of them is coming to fetch her. Ritter Red, it is
true, has given out that he is man enough to set her free, but God knows
if he can do it; and now you know why we are all in grief and sorrow.”
So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red led the Princess down to the
strand, for there it was she was to meet the Ogre, and he was to stay by
her there and watch; but he wasn’t likely to do the Ogre much harm, I
reckon, for as soon as ever the Princess had sat down on the strand,
Ritter Red climbed up into a great tree that stood there, and hid
himself as well as he could among the boughs. The Princess begged and
prayed him not to leave her, but Ritter Red turned a deaf ear to her,
and all he said was,—
“’Tis better for one to lose life than for two.” That was what Ritter
Red said.
Meantime Shortshanks went to the kitchen-maid, and asked her so prettily
if he mightn’t go down to the strand for a bit?
“And what should take you down to the strand?” asked the kitchen-maid.
“You know you’ve no business there.”
“Oh, dear friend,” said Shortshanks, “do let me go? I should so like to
run down there and play a while with the other children; that I should.”
“Well, well!” said the kitchen-maid, “off with you; but don’t let me
catch you staying there a bit over the time when the brose for supper
must be set on the fire, and the roast put on the spit; and let me see;
when you come back, mind you bring a good armful of wood with you.”
Yes! Shortshanks would mind all that; so off he ran down to the strand.
But just as he reached the spot where the Princess sat, what should come
but the Ogre tearing along in his ship, so that the wind roared and
howled after him. He was so tall and stout it was awful to look on him,
and he had five heads of his own.
“Fire and flame!” screamed the Ogre.
“Fire and flame yourself!” said Shortshanks.
“Can you fight?” roared the Ogre.
“If I can’t, I can learn,” said Shortshanks.
So the Ogre struck at him with a great thick iron club which he had in
his fist, and the earth and stones flew up five yards into the air after
the stroke.
“My!” said Shortshanks, “that was something like a blow, but now you
shall see a stroke of mine.”
Then he grasped the sword he had got from the old crook-backed hag, and
cut at the Ogre; and away went all his five heads flying over the sand.
So when the Princess saw she was saved, she was so glad that she scarce
knew what to do, and she jumped and danced for joy. “Come, lie down, and
sleep a little in my lap,” she said to Shortshanks, and as he slept she
threw over him a tinsel robe.
Now you must know, it wasn’t long before Ritter Red crept down from the
tree, as soon as he saw there was nothing to fear in the way, and he
went up to the Princess and threatened her until she promised to say it
was he who had saved her life; for if she wouldn’t say so, he said he
would kill her on the spot. After that he cut out the Ogre’s lungs and
tongue, and wrapped them up in his handkerchief, and so led the Princess
back to the palace, and whatever honours he had not before he got then,
for the king did not know how to find honour enough for him, and made
him sit every day on his right hand at dinner.
As for Shortshanks, he went first of all on board the Ogre’s ship, and
took a whole heap of gold and silver rings, as large as hoops, and
trotted off with them as hard as he could to the palace. When the
kitchen-maid set her eyes on all that gold and silver, she was quite
scared, and asked him,—
“But dear, good, Shortshanks, wherever did you get all this from?” for
she was rather afraid he hadn’t come rightly by it.
“Oh!” answered Shortshanks, “I went home for a bit, and there I found
these hoops, which had fallen off some old pails of ours, so I laid
hands on them for you, if you must know.”
Well! when the kitchen-maid heard they were for her, she said nothing
more about the matter, but thanked Shortshanks, and they were good
friends again.
The next Thursday evening it was the same story over again; all were in
grief and trouble, but Ritter Red said, as he had saved the Princess
from one Ogre, it was hard if he couldn’t save her from another; and
down he led her to the strand as brave as a lion. But he didn’t do this
Ogre much harm either, for when the time came that they looked for the
Ogre, he said, as he had said before,—
“’Tis better one should lose life than two,” and crept up into his tree
again. But Shortshanks begged the kitchen-maid to let him go down to the
strand for a little.
“Oh!” asked the kitchen-maid, “and what business have you down there?”
“Dear friend,” said Shortshanks, “do pray let me go. I long so to run
down and play a while with the other children.”
Well! the kitchen-maid gave him leave to go, but he must promise to be
back by the time the roast was turned, and he was to mind and bring a
big bundle of wood with him. So Shortshanks had scarce got down to the
strand, when the Ogre came tearing along in his ship, so that the wind
howled and roared around him; he was twice as big as the other Ogre, and
he had ten heads on his shoulders.
“Fire and flame!” screamed the Ogre.
“Fire and flame yourself!” answered Shortshanks.
“Can you fight?” roared the Ogre.
“If I can’t, I can learn,” said Shortshanks.
Then the Ogre struck at him with his iron club; it was even bigger than
that which the first Ogre had, and the earth and stones flew up ten
yards into the air.
“My!” said Shortshanks, “that was something like a blow; now you shall
see a stroke of mine.” Then he grasped his sword, and cut off all the
Ogre’s ten heads at one blow, and sent them dancing away over the sand.
Then the Princess said again to him, “Lie down and sleep a little while
on my lap;” and while Shortshanks lay there, she threw over him a silver
robe. But as soon as Ritter Red marked that there was no more danger in
the way, he crept down from the tree, and threatened the Princess, till
she was forced to give her word, to say it was he who had set her free;
after that, he cut the lungs and tongue out of the Ogre, and wrapped
them in his handkerchief, and led the Princess back to the palace. Then
you may fancy what mirth and joy there was, and the King was at his
wit’s end to know how to shew Ritter Red honour and favour enough.
This time, too, Shortshanks took a whole armful of gold and silver rings
from the Ogre’s ship, and when he came back to the palace the
kitchen-maid clapped her hands in wonder, asking wherever he got all
that gold and silver from. But Shortshanks answered that he had been
home a while, and that the hoops had fallen off some old pails, so he
had laid his hands on them for his friend the kitchen-maid.
So when the third Thursday evening came, everything happened as it had
happened twice before; the whole palace was hung with black, and all
went about mourning and weeping. But Ritter Red said he couldn’t see
what need they had to be so afraid; he had freed the Princess from two
Ogres, and he could very well free her from a third; so he led her down
to the strand, but when the time drew near for the Ogre to come up, he
crept into his tree again, and hid himself. The Princess begged and
prayed, but it was no good, for Ritter Red said again,—
“’Tis better that one should lose life than two.”
That evening, too, Shortshanks begged for leave to go down to the
strand.
“Oh!” said the kitchen-maid, “what should take you down there?”
But he begged and prayed so, that at last he got leave to go, only he
had to promise to be back in the kitchen again when the roast was to be
turned. So off he went, but he had scarce reached the strand when the
Ogre came with the wind howling and roaring after him. He was much, much
bigger than either of the other two, and he had fifteen heads on his
shoulders.
“Fire and flame!” roared out the Ogre.
“Fire and flame yourself,” said Shortshanks.
“Can you fight?” screamed the Ogre.
“If I can’t, I can learn,” said Shortshanks.
“I’ll soon teach you,” screamed the Ogre, and struck at him with his
iron club, so that the earth and stones flew up fifteen yards into the
air.
“My!” said Shortshanks, “that was something like a blow; but now you
shall see a stroke of mine.”
As he said that, he grasped his sword, and cut off all the Ogre’s
fifteen heads at one blow, and sent them all dancing over the sand.
So the Princess was freed from all the Ogres, and she both blessed and
thanked Shortshanks for saving her life.
“Sleep now a while on my lap,” she said; and he laid his head on her
lap, and while he slept, she threw over him a golden robe.
“But how shall we let it be known that it is you that have saved me?”
she asked, when he awoke.
“Oh, I’ll soon tell you,” answered Shortshanks. “When Ritter Red has led
you home again, and given himself out as the man who has saved you, you
know he is to have you to wife, and half the kingdom. Now, when they ask
you, on your wedding-day, whom you will have to be your cup-bearer, you
must say, ‘I will have the ragged boy who does odd jobs in the kitchen,
and carries in wood and water for the kitchen-maid.’ So when I am
filling your cups, I will spill a drop on his plate, but none on yours;
then he will be wroth, and give me a blow, and the same thing will
happen three times. But the third time you must mind and say, ‘Shame on
you! to strike my heart’s darling; he it is who set me free, and him
will I have!’”
After that Shortshanks ran back to the palace, as he had done before;
but he went first on board the Ogre’s ship, and took a whole heap of
gold, silver, and precious stones, and out of them he gave the
kitchen-maid another great armful of gold and silver rings.
Well! as for Ritter Red, as soon as ever he saw that all risk was over,
he crept down from his tree, and threatened the Princess till she was
forced to promise she would say it was he who had saved her. After that
he led her back to the palace, and all the honour shown him before was
nothing to what he got now, for the king thought of nothing else than
how he might best honour the man who had saved his daughter from the
three Ogres. As for his marrying her, and having half the kingdom, that
was a settled thing, the king said. But when the wedding-day came, the
Princess begged she might have the ragged boy who carried in wood and
water for the cook to be her cup-bearer at the bridal-feast.
“I can’t think why you should want to bring that filthy beggar boy in
here,” said Ritter Red; but the Princess had a will of her own, and said
she would have him, and no one else, to pour out her wine; so she had
her way at last. Now everything went as it had been agreed between
Shortshanks and the Princess; he spilled a drop on Ritter Red’s plate,
but none on her’s, and each time Ritter Red got wroth and struck him. At
the first blow Shortshank’s rags fell off which he had worn in the
kitchen; at the second the tinsel robe fell off; and at the third the
silver robe; and then he stood in his golden robe, all gleaming and
glittering in the light. Then the Princess said,—
“Shame on you! to strike my heart’s darling! he has saved me, and him
will I have!”
Ritter Red cursed and swore it was he who had set her free; but the king
put in his word, and said,—
“The man who saved my daughter must have some token to show for it.”
Yes! Ritter Red had something to show, and he ran off at once after his
handkerchief with the lungs and tongues in it, and Shortshanks fetched
all the gold and silver, and precious things, he had taken out of the
Ogres’ ships. So each laid his tokens before the king, and the king
said,—
“The man who has such precious stores of gold, and silver, and diamonds,
must have slain the Ogre, and spoiled his goods, for such things are not
to be had elsewhere.”
So Ritter Red was thrown into a pit full of snakes, and Shortshanks was
to have the Princess and half the kingdom.
One day Shortshanks and the king were out walking, and Shortshanks asked
the king if he hadn’t any more children?
“Yes,” said the king, “I had another daughter; but the Ogre has taken
her away, because there was no one who could save her. Now you are going
to have one daughter, but if you can set the other free whom the Ogre
has carried off, you shall have her too with all my heart, and the other
half of my kingdom.”
“Well,” said Shortshanks, “I may as well try; but I must have an iron
cable, five hundred fathoms long, and five hundred men, and food for
them to last fifteen weeks, for I have a long voyage before me.”
Yes! the king said he should have them, but he was afraid there wasn’t a
ship in his kingdom big enough to carry such a freight.
“Oh! if that’s all,” said Shortshanks, “I have a ship of my own.”
With that he whipped out of his pocket the ship he had got from the old
hag.
The king laughed, and thought it was all a joke; but Shortshanks begged
him only to give him what he asked, and he should soon see if it was a
joke. So they got together what he wanted, and Shortshanks bade him put
the cable on board the ship first of all; but there was no one man who
could lift it, and there wasn’t room for more than one at a time round
the tiny ship. Then Shortshanks took hold of the cable by one end, and
laid a link or two into the ship; and as he threw in the links, the ship
grew bigger and bigger, till at last it got so big, that there was room
enough and to spare in it for the cable, and the five hundred men, and
their food, and Shortshanks, and all. Then he said to the ship,—
“Off and away, over fresh water and salt water, over high hill and deep
dale, and don’t stop till you come to where the king’s daughter is.” And
away went the ship over land and sea, till the wind whistled after it.
So when they had sailed far, far away, the ship stood stock still in the
middle of the sea.
“Ah!” said Shortshanks, “now we have got so far; but how we are to get
back is another story.”
Then he took the cable and tied one end of it round his waist, and
said,—
“Now, I must go to the bottom, but when I give the cable a good tug, and
want to come up again, mind you all hoist away with a will, or your
lives will be lost as well as mine;” and with these words overboard he
leapt, and dived down, so that yellow waves rose round him in an eddy.
Well, he sank and sank, and at last he came to the bottom, and there he
saw a great rock rising up with a door in it, so he opened the door and
went in. When he got inside, he saw another Princess, who sat and sewed,
but when she saw Shortshanks, she clasped her hands together and cried
out,—
“Now, God be thanked! you are the first Christian man I’ve set eyes on
since I came here.”
“Very good,” said Shortshanks; “but do you know I’ve come to fetch you?”
“Oh!” she cried, “you’ll never fetch me; you’ll never have that luck,
for if the Ogre sees you, he’ll kill you on the spot.”
“I’m glad you spoke of the Ogre,” said Shortshanks; “’twould be fine fun
to see him; whereabouts is he?”
Then the Princess told him the Ogre was out looking for some one who
could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one strike, for he was going to
give a great feast, and less drink wouldn’t do.
“Well! I can do that,” said Shortshanks.
“Ah!” said the Princess; “if only the Ogre wasn’t so hasty, I might tell
him about you; but he’s so cross; I’m afraid he’ll tear you to pieces as
soon as he comes in, without waiting to hear my story. Let me see what
is to be done. Oh! I have it; just hide yourself in the side-room
yonder, and let us take our chance.”
Well! Shortshanks did as she told him, and he had scarce crept into the
side-room before the Ogre came in.
“HUF!” said the Ogre; “what a horrid smell of Christian man’s blood!”
“Yes!” said the Princess, “I know there is, for a bird flew over the
house with a Christian man’s bone in his bill and let it fall down the
chimney. I made all the haste I could to get it out again, but I daresay
it’s that you smell.”
“Ah!” said the Ogre, “like enough.”
Then the Princess asked the Ogre if he had laid hold of any one who
could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one strike?
“No,” said the Ogre, “I can’t hear of any one who can do it.”
“Well,” she said, “a while ago, there was a chap in here who said he
could do it.”
“Just like you with your wisdom!” said the Ogre; “why did you let him go
away then, when you knew he was the very man I wanted?”
“Well then, I didn’t let him go,” said the Princess; “but father’s
temper is a little hot, so I hid him away in the side-room yonder; but
if father hasn’t hit upon any one, here he is.”
“Well,” said the Ogre, “let him come in then.”
So Shortshanks came in, and the Ogre asked him if it were true that he
could brew a hundred lasts of malt at a strike?
“Yes it is,” said Shortshanks.
“’Twas good luck then to lay hands on you,” said the Ogre “and now fall
to work this minute; but heaven help you if you don’t brew the ale
strong enough.”
“Oh,” said Shortshanks, “never fear, it shall be stinging stuff;” and
with that he began to brew without more fuss, but all at once he cried
out,—
“I must have more of you Ogres to help in the brewing, for these I have
got a’nt half strong enough.”
Well, he got more—so many that there was a whole swarm of them, and then
the brewing went on bravely. Now when the sweet-wort was ready, they
were all eager to taste it, you may guess; first of all the Ogre, and
then all his kith and kin. But Shortshanks had brewed the wort so strong
that they all fell down dead, one after another, like so many flies, as
soon as they had tasted it. At last there wasn’t one of them left alive
but one vile old hag, who lay bed-ridden in the chimney-corner.
“Oh, you poor old wretch,” said Shortshanks, “you may just as well taste
the wort along with the rest.”
So he went and scooped up a little from the bottom of the copper in a
scoop, and gave her a drink, and so he was rid of the whole pack of
them.
As he stood there and looked about him, he cast his eye on a great
chest, so he took it and filled it with gold and silver; then he tied
the cable round himself and the Princess and the chest, and gave it a
good tug, and his men pulled them all up, safe and sound. As soon as
ever Shortshanks was well up, he said to the ship.
“Off and away, over fresh water and salt water, high hill and deep dale,
and don’t stop till you come to the king’s palace;” and straightway the
ship held on her course, so that the yellow billows foamed round her.
When the people in the palace saw the ship sailing up, they were not
slow in meeting them with songs and music, welcoming Shortshanks with
great joy; but the gladdest of all was the king, who had now got his
other daughter back again.
But now Shortshanks was rather down-hearted for you must know that both
the princesses wanted to have him, and he would have no other than the
one he had first saved, and she was the youngest. So he walked up and
down, and thought and thought what he should do to get her, and yet do
something to please her sister. Well, one day as he was turning the
thing over in his mind, it struck him if he only had his brother King
Sturdy, who was so like him that no one could tell the one from the
other, he would give up to him the other princess and half the kingdom,
for he thought one-half was quite enough.
Well, as soon as ever this came into his mind he went outside the palace
and called on King Sturdy, but no one came. So he called a second time a
little louder, but still no one came. Then he called out the third time
“King Sturdy” with all his might, and there stood his brother before
him.
“Didn’t I say!” he said to Shortshanks, “didn’t I say you were not to
call me except in your utmost need? and here there is not so much as a
gnat to do you any harm,” and with that he gave him such a box on the
ear that Shortshanks tumbled head over heels on the grass.
“Now shame on you to hit so hard!” said Shortshanks. “First of all I won
a princess and half the kingdom, and then I won another princess and the
other half of the kingdom; and now I’m thinking to give you one of the
princesses and half the kingdom. Is there any rhyme or reason in giving
me such a box on the ear?”
When King Sturdy heard that, he begged his brother to forgive him, and
they were soon as good friends as ever again.
“Now,” said Shortshanks, “you know we are so much alike that no one can
tell the one from the other; so just change clothes with me and go into
the palace; then the princesses will think it is I that am coming in,
and the one that kisses you first you shall have for your wife, and I
will have the other for mine.”
And he said this because he knew well enough that the elder king’s
daughter was the stronger, and so he could very well guess how things
would go. As for King Sturdy, he was willing enough, so he changed
clothes with his brother and went into the palace. But when he came into
the princesses’ bower they thought it was Shortshanks, and both ran up
to him to kiss him; but the elder, who was stronger and bigger, pushed
her sister on one side, and threw her arms round King Sturdy’s neck, and
gave him a kiss; and so he got her for his wife, and Shortshanks got the
younger Princess. Then they made ready for the wedding, and you may
fancy what a grand one it was, when I tell you that the fame of it was
noised abroad over seven kingdoms.
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