escaped
so well. They quite forgot to thank Esben for what he had done for them.

When they had ridden onwards for some time they reached a king's palace,
and inquired there whether they could be taken into service. Quite
easily, they were told, if they would be stablemen, otherwise the king
had no use for them. They were quite ready for this, and got the task of
looking after all the king's horses.

Long after them came Esben riding on his stick, and he also wanted to
get a place in the palace, but no one had any use for him, and he was
told that he could just go back the way he had come. However, he stayed
there and occupied himself as best he could. He got his food, but
nothing more, and by night he lay just where he could.

At this time there was in the palace a knight who was called Sir Red. He
was very well liked by the king, but hated by everyone else, for he was
wicked both in will and deed. This Sir Red became angry with the eleven
brothers, because they would not always stand at attention for him, so
he determined to avenge himself on them.

One day, therefore, he went to the king, and said that the eleven
brothers who had come to the palace a little while ago, and served as
stablemen, could do a great deal more than they pretended. One day he
had heard them say that if they liked they could get for the king a
wonderful dove which had a feather of gold and a feather of silver time
about. But they would not procure it unless they were threatened with
death.

The king then had the eleven brothers called before him, and said to
them, 'You have said that you can get me a dove which has feathers of
gold and silver time about.'

All the eleven assured him that they had never said anything of the
kind, and they did not believe that such a dove existed in the whole
world.

'Take your own mind of it,' said the king; 'but if you don't get that
dove within three days you shall lose your heads, the whole lot of you.'

With that the king let them go, and there was great grief among them;
some wept and others lamented.

At that moment Esben came along, and, seeing their sorrowful looks, said
to them, 'Hello, what's the matter with you?'

'What good would it do to tell you, you little fool? You can't help us.'

'Oh, you don't know that,' answered Esben. 'I have helped you before.'

In the end they told him how unreasonable the king was, and how he had
ordered them to get for him a dove with feathers of gold and