ged to-morrow," they told
him.

What a fright the soldier was in, and, worst of all, he had left his
tinder-box at the hotel.

Morning came! Through the narrow bars of his little window the soldier
could see the people all hurrying out of town. They were going to see
him hanged.

He heard the drums, he saw the soldiers marching along. He wished he
were marching with them. Alas, alas! that could never be now--

A little shoemaker's apprentice, with a leather apron, came running
along. He was in such a hurry that he lost one of his slippers. It
fell close under the soldier's window, as he sat peering out through
the narrow bars.

The soldier called to the boy, "There is no hurry, for I am still
here. Nothing will happen till I go. I will give you two-pence if you
will run to the house where I used to live and fetch me my tinder-box.
You must run all the way."

The shoemaker's boy thought he would like to earn twopence, and off he
raced to bring the tinder-box.

He found it. "A useless little box," he said to himself, but back he
raced with it to the soldier; and then--what do you think happened?

Outside the town the scaffold had been raised, the soldiers were drawn
up round it, as well as crowds of people.

The King and Queen were there too, seated on a magnificent throne,
exactly opposite the judges and councilors.

The rope was being put round the soldier's neck, when he turned to
the King and Queen and earnestly entreated one last favor--only to be
allowed to smoke one pipe of tobacco.

What a harmless request! How could the King refuse so harmless a
request?

"Yes," said his Majesty, "you may smoke one pipe of tobacco."

The soldier took out his tinder-box, struck a match, once, twice,
thrice, and lo! there before him stood the three enormous dogs,
waiting his commands.

"Help me," shouted the soldier; "do not let me be hanged."

At once the three terrible dogs rushed at the judges and councilors,
tossed them high into the air, so that as they fell they were broken
into pieces.

The King began to speak; perhaps he was going to forgive the soldier,
but no one knows what he was going to say, for the biggest dog gave
him no time to finish his sentence.

He rushed at the King and Queen, flung them high into the air, so that
when they fell down, they too were broken all to pieces.

Then the soldiers and the people, who were all terribly frightened,
shouted in a great hurry, "Brave soldier, you sha