h the son of a poor
sheep-farmer need not hope for.

When Niels came to the gate of the castle, he found that there was a
large door and a small one, so he opened the latter.

'Can't you open the big door?' said the giants; 'we shall hardly be able
to get in at this one.'

'The bars are too heavy for me to draw,' said Niels; 'if you stoop a
little you can quite well come in here.' The first giant accordingly
bent down and entered in a stooping posture, but before he had time to
straighten his back again Niels made a sweep with the sword, and oft
went the giant's head. To push the body aside as it fell was quite easy
for Niels, so strong had the wine made him, and the second giant as he
entered met the same reception. The third was slower in coming, so Niels
called out to him: 'Be quick,' he said, 'you are surely the oldest of
the three, since you are so slow in your movements, but I can't wait
here long; I must get back to my own people as soon as possible.' So the
third also came in, and was served in the same way. It appears from the
story that giants were not given fair play!

By this time day was beginning to break, and Niels thought that his
folks might already be searching for him, so, instead of waiting to see
what took place at the castle, he ran off to the forest as fast as he
could, taking the sword with him. He found the others still asleep, so
he woke them up, and they again set out on their journey. Of the night's
adventures he said not a word, and when they asked where he got the
sword, he only pointed in the direction of the castle, and said, 'Over
that way.' They thought he had found it, and asked no more questions.

When Niels left the castle, he shut the door behind him, and it closed
with such a bang that the porter woke up. He could scarcely believe
his eyes when he saw the three headless giants lying in a heap in the
courtyard, and could not imagine what had taken place. The whole castle
was soon aroused, and then everybody wondered at the affair: it was soon
seen that the bodies were those of the king's great enemies, but how
they came to be there and in that condition was a perfect mystery. Then
it was noticed that the drinking-horn was empty and the sword gone,
while the princess reported that half of her handkerchief and one of her
slippers had been taken away. How the giants had been killed seemed a
little clearer now, but who had done it was as great a puzzle as before.
The old knight who