hey hastened home to the King with his three treasures,
where they arrived late on Christmas night, and Ring handed them over
to him.

The King was beside himself with joy, and was astonished at how clever
a man Ring was in all kinds of feats, so that he esteemed him still
more highly than before, and betrothed his daughter to him; and the
feast for this was to last all through Christmastide. Ring thanked the
King courteously for this and all his other kindnesses, and as soon as
he had finished eating and drinking in the hall went off to sleep in
his own room. Snati, however, asked permission to sleep in the
Prince's bed for that night, while the Prince should sleep where the
Dog usually lay. Ring said he was welcome to do so, and that he
deserved more from him than that came to. So Snati went up into the
Prince's bed, but after a time he came back, and told Ring he could go
there himself now, but to take care not to meddle with anything that
was in the bed.

Now the story comes back to Red, who came into the hall and showed the
King his right arm wanting the hand, and said that now he could see
what kind of a man his intended son-in-law was, for he had done this
to him without any cause whatever. The King became very angry, and
said he would soon find out the truth about it, and if Ring had cut
off his hand without good cause he should be hanged; but if it was
otherwise, then Red should die. So the King sent for Ring and asked
him for what reason he had done this. Snati, however, had just told
Ring what had happened during the night, and in reply he asked the
King to go with him and he would show him something. The King went
with him to his sleeping-room, and saw lying on the bed a man's hand
holding a sword.

'This hand,' said Ring, 'came over the partition during the night, and
was about to run me through in my bed, if I had not defended myself.'

The King answered that in that case he could not blame him for
protecting his own life, and that Red was well worthy of death. So Red
was hanged, and Ring married the King's daughter.

The first night that they went to bed together Snati asked Ring to
allow him to lie at their feet, and this Ring allowed him to do.
During the night he heard a howling and outcry beside them, struck a
light in a hurry and saw an ugly dog's skin lying near him, and a
beautiful Prince in the bed. Ring instantly took the skin and burned
it, and then shook the Prince, who was lying unconsci