the hill,
and their twelve foals into the bargain.' For this year also each mare
had her foal. The brothers were quite willing to do this; so the lad got
such shoes for his horse that the sticks and stones flew high up into
the air as he rode away over the hills, and such a gold saddle and such
a gold bridle that they could be seen glittering and glancing from afar.

'And now we will go to the King's palace,' said Dapplegrim--that was the
horse's name, 'but bear in mind that you must ask the King for a good
stable and excellent fodder for me.'

So the lad promised not to forget to do that. He rode to the palace, and
it will be easily understood that with such a horse as he had he was not
long on the way.

When he arrived there, the King was standing out on the steps, and how
he did stare at the man who came riding up!

'Nay,' said he, 'never in my whole life have I seen such a man and such
a horse.'

And when the youth inquired if he could have a place in the King's
palace, the King was so delighted that he could have danced on the
steps where he was standing, and there and then the lad was told that he
should have a place.

'Yes; but I must have a good stable and most excellent fodder for my
horse,' said he.

So they told him that he should have sweet hay and oats, and as much of
them as the dappled horse chose to have, and all the other riders had
to take their horses out of the stable that Dapplegrim might stand alone
and really have plenty of room.

But this did not last long, for the other people in the King's Court
became envious of the lad, and there was no bad thing that they would
not have done to him if they had but dared. At last they bethought
themselves of telling the King that the youth had said that, if he
chose, he was quite able to rescue the Princess who had been carried off
into the mountain a long time ago by the Troll.

The King immediately summoned the lad into his presence, and said that
he had been informed that he had said that it was in his power to rescue
the Princess, so he was now to do it. If he succeeded in this, he no
doubt knew that the King had promised his daughter and half the kingdom
to anyone who set her free, which promise should be faithfully and
honourably kept, but if he failed he should be put to death. The youth
denied that he had said this, but all to no purpose, for the King was
deaf to all his words; so there was nothing to be done but say that he
would make th