e blue light that burnt at the bottom of the well.

When morning came she led him to the well's mouth, tied him to a long
rope, and let him down. At the bottom sure enough he found the blue
light as the witch had said, and at once made the signal for her to draw
him up again. But when she had pulled him up so near to the top that she
could reach him with her hands, she said, "Give me the light: I will
take care of it,"--meaning to play him a trick by taking it for herself
and letting him fall again to the bottom of the well.

But the soldier saw through her wicked thoughts, and said, "No, I shall
not give you the light till I find myself safe and sound out of the
well."

At this she became very angry and dashed him, with the light she had
longed for many a year, down to the bottom. And there lay the poor
soldier for a while in despair, on the damp mud below, and feared that
his end was nigh. But his pipe happened to be in his pocket still half
full, and he thought to himself, "I may as well make an end of smoking
you out; it is the last pleasure I shall have in this world." So he lit
it at the blue light and began to smoke.

Up rose a cloud of smoke, and on a sudden a little black dwarf was seen
making his way through the midst of it. "What do you want with me,
soldier?" said he.

"I have no business with you," answered he.

But the dwarf said, "I am bound to serve you in every thing, as lord and
master of the blue light."

"Then first of all, be so good as to help me out of this well." No
sooner said than done: the dwarf took him by the hand and drew him up,
and the blue light of course with him. "Now do me another piece of
kindness," said the soldier: "pray let that old lady take my place in
the well."

When the dwarf had done this, and lodged the witch safely at the bottom,
they began to ransack her treasures; and the soldier made bold to carry
off as much of her gold and silver as he well could. Then the dwarf
said, "If you should chance at any time to want me, you have nothing to
do but to light your pipe at the blue light, and I will soon be with
you."

The soldier was not a little pleased at his good luck, and went to the
best inn in the first town he came to and ordered some fine clothes to
be made and a handsome room to be got ready for him. When all was ready,
he called his little man to him and said, "The king sent me away
penniless and left me to hunger and want. I have a mind to show him that
it