heard,
or else that, having heard, they had refused to come. It was his last
chance, so making a mighty effort he shrieked once more:

'Iron-strong, World's-weight, Quick-ear, fly to my help, or I am a dead
man!'

And Iron-strong heard, and said: 'Yes, he is certainly calling, we must
go at once.' And in an instant he had burst open the door, and all three
were bounding away in the direction of the voice. When they reached the
foot of the tree Peter just said: 'At him!' And in a few minutes there
was nothing left of Eisenkopf.

As soon as his enemy was dead Peter got down and returned to the house,
where he bade farewell to the old woman and her daughter, who gave him
a beautiful ring, all set with diamonds. It was really a magic ring, but
neither Peter nor the maiden knew that.

Peter's heart was heavy as he set out for home. He had ceased to love
the wife whom he had left at his wedding feast, and his heart had gone
out to the golden-haired girl. However, it was no use thinking of that,
so he rode forward steadily.

The fire had to be passed through before he had gone very far, and when
he came to it, Peter shook the napkins three times in the flames and a
passage opened for trim. But then a curious thing happened; the three
dogs, who had followed at his heels all the way, now became three cakes
again, which Peter put into his bag with the napkins. After that he
stopped at the houses of the three old women, and gave each one back her
napkin and her cake.

'Where is my wife?' asked Peter, when he reached home.

'Oh, my dear son, why did you ever leave us? After you had vanished, no
one knew where, your poor wife grew more and more wretched, and would
neither eat nor drink. Little by little she faded away, and a month ago
we laid her in her grave, to hide her sorrows under the earth.'

At this news Peter began to weep, for he had loved his wife before he
went away and had seen the golden-haired maiden.

He went sorrowfully about his work for the space of half a year, when,
one night, he dreamed that he moved the diamond ring given him by the
maiden from his right hand and put it on the wedding finger of the left.
The dream was so real that he awoke at once and changed the ring from
one hand to the other. And as he did so guess what he saw? Why, the
golden-haired girl standing before him. And he sprang up and kissed her,
and said: 'Now you are mine for ever and ever, and when we die we will
both be buried in