silver time
about.

'Give me a bag of peas' said Esben, 'and I shall see what I can do for
you.'

Esben got his bag of peas; then he took his white stick, and said,

Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.

Straightway the stick carried him across the river and straight into the
old witch's courtyard. Esben had noticed that she had such a dove; so
when he arrived in the courtyard he shook the peas out of the bag, and
the dove came fluttering down to pick them up. Esben caught it at once,
put it into the bag, and hurried off before the witch caught sight of
him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, ' I
Hey is that you, Esben.?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Is it you that has taken my dove?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Was it you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Are you coming back again?'

'That may be,' said Esben.

'Then you'll catch it,' shouted the witch.

The stick carried Esben with the dove back to the king's palace, and his
brothers were greatly delighted. The king thanked them many times for
the dove, and gave them in return both silver and gold. At this Sir Red
became still more embittered, and again thought of how to avenge himself
on the brothers.

One day he went to the king and told him that the dove was by no means
the best thing that the brothers could get for him; for one day he had
heard them talking quietly among themselves, and they had said that they
could procure a boar whose bristles were of gold and silver time about.

The king again summoned the brothers before him, and asked whether it
was true that they had said that they could get for him a boar whose
bristles were of gold and silver time about.

'No,' said the brothers; they had never said nor thought such a thing,
and they did not believe that there was such a boar in the whole world.

'You must get me that boar within three days,' said the king, 'or it
will cost you your heads.'

With that they had to go. This was still worse than before, they
thought. Where could they get such a marvellous boar? They all went
about hanging their heads; but when only one day remained of the three
Esben came along. When he saw his brothers' sorrowful looks he cried,
'Hallo, what's the matter now?'

'Oh, what's the use of telling you?' said his brothers. 'You can't help
us, at any rate.'

'Ah, you don't know that,' said Esben; 'I've helped you before.'

In the end they told him how Sir Red