soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of people. The King
and Queen were sitting on a magnificent throne opposite the judges and
the whole council.

The Soldier was already standing on the top of the ladder; but when
they wanted to put the rope round his neck, he said that the
fulfilment of one innocent request was always granted to a poor
criminal before he underwent his punishment. He would so much like to
smoke a small pipe of tobacco; it would be his last pipe in this
world.

The King could not refuse him this, and so he took out his tinder-box,
and rubbed it once, twice, three times. And lo, and behold! there
stood all three dogs--the one with eyes as large as saucers, the
second with eyes as large as mill-wheels, and the third with eyes each
as large as the Round Tower of Copenhagen.

'Help me now, so that I may not be hanged!' cried the Soldier. And
thereupon the dogs fell upon the judges and the whole council, seized
some by the legs, others by the nose, and threw them so high into the
air that they fell and were smashed into pieces.

'I won't stand this!' said the King; but the largest dog seized him
too, and the Queen as well, and threw them up after the others. This
frightened the soldiers, and all the people cried: 'Good Soldier, you
shall be our King, and marry the beautiful Princess!'

Then they put the Soldier into the King's coach, and the three dogs
danced in front, crying 'Hurrah!' And the boys whistled and the
soldiers presented arms.

The Princess came out of the copper castle, and became Queen; and that
pleased her very much.

The wedding festivities lasted for eight days, and the dogs sat at
table and made eyes at everyone.

_THE WITCH IN THE STONE BOAT_[31]

There were once a King and a Queen, and they had a son called Sigurd,
who was very strong and active, and good-looking. When the King came
to be bowed down with the weight of years he spoke to his son, and
said that now it was time for him to look out for a fitting match for
himself, for he did not know how long he might last now, and he would
like to see him married before he died.

Sigurd was not averse to this, and asked his father where he thought
it best to look for a wife. The King answered that in a certain
country there was a King who had a beautiful daughter, and he thought
it would be most desirable if Sigurd could get her. So the two parted,
and Sigurd prepared for the journey, and went to where his father had
d