h
him? What did he say?"

"He has commanded them to bake bread in one-and-twenty ovens and to make
one-and-twenty kettles of soup. If we eat it all, we can take his
daughter; otherwise, not."

The brother who devoured all the meal that seven millstones, ground
said: "Fear not, I will eat everything that comes to hand, and then cry,
'Little father, I die of hunger.'"

When the King saw the hungry man eat he screamed: "May he perish! I
shall certainly meet defeat at his hands."

Again he called his people to him and said, "Kindle a great fire, strew
it with ashes and cover it with blankets. When they come in in the
evening they will be consumed, all seven of them."

The brother with the sharp ears said: "Brother who hast pierced a steel
shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the King said?"

"No; how can I know what he said?"

"He said, 'Kindle a fire, strew it with ashes, and cover it with
blankets, and when they come in in the evening they will be consumed,
all seven of them.'"

Then said the brother who drank up the brook: "I will drink all I can
and go in before you. I will spit it all out and turn the whole house
into a sea."

In the evening they begged the King to allow them to rest in the room
set apart for them. The water-drinker filled the whole room with water,
and they went into another.

The King lost his wits and knew not what to do. He called his people
together, and they said in one voice, "Let what will happen, we will not
let our princess go!"

The man with the sharp ears heard them, and said, "Brother who hast
pierced a steel shield with a steel spear, do you understand what the
King said?"

"How should I know what he said?"

"He said, 'Let what will happen, I will not let my daughter go.'"

The brother who had loaded himself with the whole world said: "Wait, I
will take his castle and all his land on my back and carry it away."

He took the castle on his back and started off. The shepherd played on
his pipes, and mountains and valleys danced to the music. He who had
fastened millstones to his feet led the march, and they all went
joyously forward, making a great noise.

The King began to weep, and begged them to leave him his castle. "Take
my daughter with you. You have earned her."

They put the castle back in its place, the shepherd stopped playing, and
mountain and valley stood still. They took the King's daughter and
departed, and each hero returned to his dwelling-