hey could do
nothing against the soldiers. It happened at last that the king of the
country heard of it, and he was indignant, and sent a captain with his
troops to drive the disturber of the peace out of the town: but the man
with his knapsack soon assembled a greater company, who beat back the
captain and his people, sending them off with bleeding noses. Then the
king said,

"This vagabond fellow must be put down," and he sent the next day a
larger company against him, but they could do nothing: for he assembled
more men than ever, and in order to bring them more quickly, he pulled
his hat twice lower over his brows; then the heavy guns came into play,
and the king's people were beaten and put to flight.

"Now," said he, "I shall not make peace until the king gives me his
daughter to wife, and lets me rule the whole kingdom in his name."

This he caused to be told to the king, who said to his daughter,

"This is a hard nut to crack; there is no choice but for me to do as he
asks; if I wish to have peace and keep the crown on my head, I must give
in to him."

So the wedding took place, but the king's daughter was angry that the
bridegroom should be a common man, who wore a shabby hat, and carried an
old knapsack. She wished very much to get rid of him, and thought day
and night how to manage it. Then it struck her that perhaps all his
wonder-working power lay in the knapsack, and she pretended to be very
fond of him, and when she had brought him into a good humour she
said,--"Pray lay aside that ugly knapsack; it misbecomes you so much
that I feel ashamed of you."

"My dear child," answered he, "this knapsack is my greatest treasure; so
long as I keep it I need not fear anything in the whole world," and then
he showed her with what wonderful qualities it was endowed. Then she
fell on his neck as if she would have kissed him, but, by a clever
trick, she slipped the knapsack over his shoulder and ran away with it.
As soon as she was alone she struck upon it and summoned the soldiers,
and bade them seize her husband and bring him to the king's palace. They
obeyed, and the false woman had many more to follow behind, so as to be
ready to drive him out of the country. He would have been quite done for
if he had not still kept the hat. As soon as he could get his hands free
he pulled it twice forward on his head; and then the cannon began to
thunder and beat all down, till at last the king's daughter had to come
and to