their slave, he would be their master. The fairy whose cap he got
would be his servant, and obey all his commands.

Midsummer-eve, when the days are longest and the nights shortest, was
now come. In the village of Rambin old and young kept the holiday, had
all sorts of plays, and told all kinds of stories. John, who knew that
this season was the time for all fairy-people to come abroad, could
now no longer contain himself, but the day after the festival he
slipped away to the Nine-hills, and when it grew dark laid himself
down on the top of the highest of them, which Klas had told him was
the principal dancing-ground of the underground people. John lay there
quite still from ten till twelve at night. At last it struck twelve.
Immediately there was a ringing and a singing in the hills, and then a
whispering and a lisping and a whiz and a buzz all about him, for the
little people were now come out, some whirling round and round in the
dance, and others sporting and tumbling about in the moonshine, and
playing a thousand merry pranks. He felt a secret dread creep over
him at this whispering and buzzing, for he could see nothing of them,
as the caps they wore made them invisible; but he lay quite still,
with his face in the grass and his eyes fast shut, snoring a little
just as if he was asleep. Yet now and then he ventured to open his
eyes a little and peep out, but not the slightest trace of them could
he see, though it was bright moonlight.

It was not long before three of the underground people came jumping up
to where he was lying; but they took no heed of him, and flung their
brown caps up into the air, and caught them from one another. At
length one snatched the cap out of the hand of another and flung it
away. It flew direct and fell upon John's head. He could feel, though
he could not see it; and the moment he did feel it, he caught hold of
it. Starting up, he swung it about for joy, and made the little silver
bell of it tingle, then set it upon his head, and--O wonderful to
relate!--that instant he saw the countless and merry swarm of the
little people.

The three little men came slily up to him, and thought by their
nimbleness to get back the cap, but he held his prize fast, and they
saw clearly that nothing was to be done in this way with him, for in
size and strength John was a giant in comparison of these little
fellows, who hardly reached his knee. The owner of the cap now came up
very humbly to the finde