had stirred up the king against
them, so that he had ordered them to get for him a boar with bristles of
gold and silver time about.

'That's all right,' said Esben; 'give me a sack of malt, and it is not
quite impossible that I may be able to help you.'

Esben got his sack of malt; then he took his little white stick, set
himself upon it, and said,

Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.

Off went the stick with him, and very soon he was again in the witch's
courtyard. There he emptied out the malt, and next moment came the boar,
which had every second bristle of gold and of silver. Esben at once put
it into his sack and hurried off before the witch should catch sight of
him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, 'Hey!
is that you, Esben?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Is it you that has taken my pretty boar?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'It was also you that took my dove?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Are you coming back again?'

'That may be,' said Esben.

'Then you'll catch it,' said the witch.

Esben was soon back at the palace with the boar, and his brothers
scarcely knew which leg to stand on, so rejoiced were they that they
were safe again. Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking
Esben for what he had done for them.

The king was still more rejoiced over the boar than he had been over the
dove, and did not know what to give the brothers for it. At this Sir
Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went about and
planned how to get the brothers into trouble.

One day he went again to the king and said, 'These eleven brothers have
now procured the dove and the boar, but they can do much more than that;
I know they have said that if they liked they could get for the king a
lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms.'

'If they have said that,' said the king, 'they shall also be made to
bring it to me. That would be a glorious lamp for me.'

Again the king sent a message to the brothers to come up to the palace.
They went accordingly, although very unwillingly, for they suspected
that Sir Red had fallen on some new plan to bring them into trouble.

As soon as they came before the king he said to them,

'You brothers have said that you could, if you liked, get for me a lamp
that can shine over seven kingdoms. That lamp must be mine within three
days, or it will cost you your lives.'

The broth