ers assured him that they had never said so, and they were sure
that no such lamp existed, but their words were of no avail.

'The lamp!' said the king, 'or it will cost you your heads.'

The brothers were now in greater despair than ever. They did not know
what to do, for such a lamp no one had ever heard of. But just as things
looked their worst along came Esben.

'Something wrong again?' said he. 'What's the matter with you now?'

'Oh, it's no use telling you,' said they. 'You can't help us, at any
rate.'

'Oh, you might at least tell me,' said Esben; 'I have helped you
before.'

In the end they told him that the king had ordered them to bring him a
lamp which could shine over seven kingdoms, but such a lamp no one had
ever heard tell of.

'Give me a bushel of salt,' said Esben, 'and we shall see how matters
go.'

He got his bushel of salt, and then mounted his little white stick, and
said,

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

With that both he and his bushel of salt were over beside the witch's
courtyard. But now matters were less easy, for he could not get inside
the yard, as it was evening and the gate was locked. Finally he hit upon
a plan; he got up on the roof and crept down the chimney.

He searched all round for the lamp, but could find it nowhere, for the
witch always had it safely guarded, as it was one of her most precious
treasures. When he became tired of searching for it he crept into the
baking- oven, intending to lie down there and sleep till morning; but
just at that moment he heard the witch calling from her bed to one of
her daughters, and telling her to make some porridge for her. She had
grown hungry, and had taken such a fancy to some porridge. The daughter
got out of bed, kindled the fire, and put on a pot with water in it.

'You mustn't put any salt in the porridge, though,' cried the witch.

'No, neither will I,' said the daughter; but while she was away getting
the meal Esben slipped out of the oven and emptied the whole bushel of
salt into the pot. The daughter came back then and put in the meal, and
after it had boiled a little she took it in to her mother. The witch
took a spoonful and tasted it.

'Uh!' said she; 'didn't I tell you not to put any salt in it, and it's
just as salt as the sea.'

So the daughter had to go and make new porridge, and her mother warned
her strictly not to put any salt in it. But now there was no water in
the house, s