eat
fancy to it, and he begged and prayed her for it again and again,
until at last she gave it to him. Now, when Wednesday thought that
all the people were asleep, he went out into the courtyard to sharpen
his sabre. Then the foal said, "Oh, my dear little master, come
here, come here!" He came, and the foal said to him, "Take off the
night-dresses of the forty sleeping bridegrooms and put them on the
forty sleeping brides, and put the night-dresses of the brides on
the bridegrooms, for a great woe is nigh!" And he did so. When
Wednesday had sharpened his sabre he came into the room and began
feeling for the stiff collars of the bridegrooms' night-dresses, and
straightway cut off the forty heads above the collars. Then he carried
off the heads of his forty daughters in a bunch (for the brides
now had on the night-dresses of their bridegrooms), and went and
lay down to sleep. Then the foal said, "My dear little father! awake
the bridegrooms, and we'll set off." So he awoke the bridegrooms
and sent them on before, while he followed after on his own little
nag. They trotted on and on, and at last the foal said to him, "Look
behind, and see whether Wednesday is not pursuing." He looked round:
"Yes, little brother," said he, "Wednesday _is_ pursuing!"--"Shake
thy kerchief then!" said the foal. He shook his kerchief, and
immediately a vast sea was between him and the pursuer. Then they
went on and on till the foal said to him again, "Look behind, and
see if Wednesday is still pursuing!"--He looked round. "Yes, little
brother, he _is_ pursuing!"--"Wave thy handkerchief on the left
side!" said the foal. He waved it on the left side, and immediately
between them and the pursuer stood a forest so thick that not
even a little mouse could have squeezed through it. Then they went on
still farther, till the foal said again, "Look behind, and see
whether Wednesday is still pursuing!"--He looked behind, and
there, sure enough, was Wednesday running after them, and he was not
very far off either.--"Wave thy kerchief!" said the foal. He waved
his kerchief, and immediately a steep mountain--oh, so steep!--lay
betwixt them. They went on and on, until the foal said again, "Look
behind, is Wednesday still pursuing?"--So he looked behind him and
said, "No, now he is not there." Then they went on and on again,
and soon they were not very far from home. Then the youngest brother
said, "You go home now, but I am going to seek a bride!" So he we