y wanted to go out, but found the doors and windows fastened,
then they knew that the King meant them harm and was trying to
suffocate them.

'But he shall not succeed,' cried he of the little hat, 'I will make a
frost come which shall make the fire ashamed and die out!' So he put
his hat on straight, and at once there came such a frost that all the
heat disappeared and the food on the dishes began to freeze. When a
couple of hours had passed, and the King thought they must be quite
dead from the heat, he had the doors opened and went in himself to
see.

But when the doors were opened, there stood all Six, alive and well,
saying they were glad they could come out to warm themselves, for the
great cold in the room had frozen all the food hard in the dishes.
Then the King went angrily to the cook, and scolded him, and asked him
why he had not done what he was told.

But the cook answered, 'There is heat enough there; see for yourself.'
Then the King saw a huge fire burning under the iron room, and
understood that he could do no harm to the Six in this way. The King
now began again to think how he could free himself from his unwelcome
guests. He commanded the master to come before him, and said, 'If you
will take gold, and give up your right to my daughter, you shall have
as much as you like.'

'Oh, yes, your Majesty,' answered he, 'give me as much as my servant
can carry, and I will give up your daughter.'

The King was delighted, and the man said, 'I will come and fetch it in
fourteen days.'

[Illustration]

Then he called all the tailors in the kingdom together, and made them
sit down for fourteen days sewing at a sack. When it was finished, he
made the strong man who had uprooted the trees take the sack on his
shoulder and go with him to the King. Then the King said, 'What a
powerful fellow that is, carrying that bale of linen as large as a
house on his shoulder!' and he was much frightened, and thought 'What
a lot of gold he will make away with!' Then he had a ton of gold
brought, which sixteen of the strongest men had to carry; but the
strong man seized it with one hand, put it in the sack, saying, 'Why
don't you bring me more? That scarcely covers the bottom!' Then the
King had to send again and again to fetch his treasures, which the
strong man shoved into the sack, and the sack was only half full.

'Bring more,' he cried, 'these crumbs don't fill it.' So seven
thousand waggons of the gold of the whole k