e and crave
another boon."

"Ask, and it is granted," quoth the smaller queen.

"I have yet another son and I know not what has become of him--my eldest
boy--also three daughters, whom the queen witch has metamorphosed into a
bat, a toad, and an owl. Let me set eyes again on my eldest son, if he,
indeed, be living, and, prithee, O gracious queen, disenchant my
daughters."

"It shall be done," responded the pigmy queen, and waving her wand,
there immediately flew through the window, which was open, an owl and a
bat, the owl bearing in its beak a toad by the leg, which it immediately
dropped on entering the royal boudoir, and the three stood in a row
before Bertha.

"Obnoxious beings," said the pigmy queen, "resume your respective
forms."

So saying, she waved her wand over each, and they were suddenly
converted into three beautiful maidens, who immediately recognising
their mother and their two brothers, fell into their arms and devoured
them with kisses.

At the same moment that the three unsightly objects made their
appearance at the window the door opened, and in walked--who? Hans, clad
in complete armour, and the old queen recognised her lost eldest son.
Hans remained stupefied at the group before him; then, when everything
was explained, he wept upon his mother's neck, and embraced his brothers
and sisters.

But Hans had little time to lose; his army was about to march, so taking
a hasty farewell of his relatives, he placed his diminutive spouse
within his helmet, as was his wont, and mounted his charger. His two
younger brothers, Otto and Oscar, were determined to follow him to
battle, so Queen Bertha changed two black pigs that had strayed into the
palace garden, and were uprooting the plants, into two fiery war horses,
nobly caparisoned, and the three brothers started for the war, while
their mother and three sisters waved their handkerchiefs after them
until they were out of sight, and uttered prayers for their safe return.

Now, this war had been brought about by the evil spells of the queen
witch and Bertha's two malicious sisters, who, wishing to avenge
themselves on their pigmy sister, caused the monarch in whose country
they lived to pick a quarrel with King Hans, which should lead to a war,
by which they hoped to be the gainers. But Hans and Bertha were in
favour with the good fairies, and the luck was, as usual, on their side.

The foreign monarch's city was besieged, and many put to the sword