o she asked her mother to give her the lamp, so that she
could go to the well for more.

'There you have it, then,' said the witch; 'but take good care of it.'

The daughter took the lamp which shone over seven kingdoms, and went out
to the well for water, while Esben slipped out after her. When she was
going to draw the water from the well she set the lamp down on a stone
beside her. Esben watched his chance, seized the lamp, and gave her a
push from behind, so that she plumped head first into the well. Then he
made off with the lamp. But the witch got out of her bed and ran after
him, crying:

'Hey! is that you again, Esben?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Was it you that took my dove?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Was it also you that took my boar?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'And now you have taken my lamp, and drowned my twelfth daughter in the
well?'

'Ye--e--s!'

'Are you coming back again?'

'That may be,' said Esben.

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

It was only a minute before the stick had again landed Esben at the
king's palace, and the brothers were then freed from their distress. The
king gave them many fine presents, but Esben did not get even so much as
thanks from them.

Never had Sir Red been so eaten up with envy as he was now, and he
racked his brain day and night to find something quite impossible to
demand from the brothers.

One day he went to the king and told him that the lamp the brothers had
procured was good enough, but they could still get for him something
that was far better. The king asked what that was.

'It is,' said Sir Red, 'the most beautiful coverlet that any mortal ever
heard tell of. It also has the property that, when anyone touches it, it
sounds so that it can be heard over eight kingdoms.'

'That must be a splendid coverlet,' said the king, and he at once sent
for the brothers.

'You have said that you know of a coverlet, the most beautiful in the
whole world, and which sounds over eight kingdoms when anyone touches
it. You shall procure it for me, or else lose your lives,' said he.

The brothers answered him that they had never said a word about such a
coverlet, did not believe it existed, and that it was quite impossible
for them to procure it. But the king would not hear a word; he drove
them away, telling them that if they did not get it very soon it would
cost them their heads.

Things looked very black ag