The Pink Fairy Book, part 28 · page 21 2101Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking Esben for what he had done for them.102The 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.103At this Sir Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went about and planned how to get the brothers into trouble.104One 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.’105‘If they have said that,’ said the king, ‘they shall also be made to bring it to me.106That would be a glorious lamp for me.’107Again the king sent a message to the brothers to come up to the palace.108They went accordingly, although very unwillingly, for they suspected that Sir Red had fallen on some new plan to bring them into trouble.109As soon as they came before the king he said to them,110‘You brothers have said that you could, if you liked, get for me a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms.111That lamp must be mine within three days, or it will cost you your lives.’112The brothers assured him that they had never said so, and they were sure that no such lamp existed, but their words were of no avail.113‘The lamp!’ said the king, ‘or it will cost you your heads.’114The brothers were now in greater despair than ever.115They did not know what to do, for such a lamp no one had ever heard of.116But just as things looked their worst along came Esben.117‘Something wrong again?’ said he.118‘What’s the matter with you now?’119‘Oh, it’s no use telling you,’ said they.120‘You can’t help us, at any rate.’121‘Oh, you might at least tell me,’ said Esben; ‘I have helped you before.’122In 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.123‘Give me a bushel of salt,’ said Esben, ‘and we shall see how matters go.’124He got his bushel of salt, and then mounted his little white stick, and said,125Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.126With that both he and his bushel of salt were over beside the witch’s courtyard.127But now matters were less easy, for he could not get inside the yard, as it was evening and the gate was locked.128Finally he hit upon a plan; he got up on the roof and crept down the chimney.129He 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.130When 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.131She had grown hungry, and had taken such a fancy to some porridge.132The daughter got out of bed, kindled the fire, and put on a pot with water in it.133‘You mustn’t put any salt in the porridge, though,’ cried the witch.134‘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.135The daughter came back then and put in the meal, and after it had boiled a little she took it in to her mother.136The witch took a spoonful and tasted it.1 2← previousThe Pink Fairy Book, part 27next →The Pink Fairy Book, part 29↑ back to The Pink Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg5615/28/page/2/