ee a hole through which you can let yourself down into
the tree. I will tie a rope round your waist, so that I may be able to
pull you up again when you call.'

'What shall I do down there?' asked the Soldier.

'Get money!' answered the Witch. 'Listen! When you reach the bottom of
the tree you will find yourself in a large hall; it is light there,
for there are more than three hundred lamps burning. Then you will see
three doors, which you can open--the keys are in the locks. If you go
into the first room, you will see a great chest in the middle of the
floor with a dog sitting upon it; he has eyes as large as saucers, but
you needn't trouble about him. I will give you my blue-check apron,
which you must spread out on the floor, and then go back quickly and
fetch the dog and set him upon it; open the chest and take as much
money as you like. It is copper there. If you would rather have
silver, you must go into the next room, where there is a dog with eyes
as large as mill-wheels. But don't take any notice of him; just set
him upon my apron, and help yourself to the money. If you prefer gold,
you can get that too, if you go into the third room, and as much as
you like to carry. But the dog that guards the chest there has eyes as
large as the Round Tower at Copenhagen! He is a savage dog, I can tell
you; but you needn't be afraid of him either. Only, put him on my
apron and he won't touch you, and you can take out of the chest as
much gold as you like!'

'Come, this is not bad!' said the Soldier. 'But what am I to give you,
old Witch; for surely you are not going to do this for nothing?'

'Yes, I am!' replied the Witch. 'Not a single farthing will I take!
For me you shall bring nothing but an old tinder-box which my
grandmother forgot last time she was down there.'

'Well, tie the rope round my waist!' said the Soldier.

'Here it is,' said the Witch, 'and here is my blue-check apron.'

Then the Soldier climbed up the tree, let himself down through the
hole, and found himself standing, as the Witch had said, underground
in the large hall, where the three hundred lamps were burning.

Well, he opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog with eyes as
big as saucers glaring at him.

'You are a fine fellow!' said the Soldier, and put him on the Witch's
apron, took as much copper as his pockets could hold; then he shut the
chest, put the dog on it again, and went into the second room. Sure
enough there sat the dog wi