fell down in a faint. After a little, however, he recovered
again, and they went a short distance along a level plain, until they
came to a cave. This was on Christmas Eve. They went up above the cave,
and found a window in it, through which they looked, and saw four
trolls lying asleep beside the fire, over which a large porridge-pot was
hanging.

'Now you must empty all the salt into the porridge-pot,' said Snati.

Ring did so, and soon the trolls wakened up. The old hag, who was the
most frightful of them all, went first to taste the porridge.

'How comes this?' she said; 'the porridge is salt! I got the milk by
witchcraft yesterday out of four kingdoms, and now it is salt!'

All the others then came to taste the porridge, and thought it nice, but
after they had finished it the old hag grew so thirsty that she could
stand it no longer, and asked her daughter to go out and bring her some
water from the river that ran near by.

'I won't go,' said she, 'unless you lend me your bright gold piece.'

'Though I should die you shan't have that,' said the hag.

'Die, then,' said the girl.

'Well, then, take it, you brat,' said the old hag, 'and be off with you,
and make haste with the water.'

The girl took the gold and ran out with it, and it was so bright that it
shone all over the plain. As soon as she came to the river she lay down
to take a drink of the water, but meanwhile the two of them had got down
off the roof and thrust her, head first, into the river.

The old hag began now to long for the water, and said that the girl
would be running about with the gold piece all over the plain, so she
asked her son to go and get her a drop of water.

'I won't go,' said he, 'unless I get the gold cloak.'

'Though I should die you shan't have that,' said the hag.

'Die, then,' said the son.

'Well, then, take it,' said the old hag, 'and be off with you, but you
must make haste with the water.'

He put on the cloak, and when he came outside it shone so bright that he
could see to go with it. On reaching the river he went to take a drink
like his sister, but at that moment Ring and Snati sprang upon him, took
the cloak from him, and threw him into the river.

The old hag could stand the thirst no longer, and asked her husband
to go for a drink for her; the brats, she said, were of course running
about and playing themselves, just as she had expected they would,
little wretches that they were.

'I won't go,' said