is to come to fetch her. Ritter Red has said that he
will be able to set her free, but who knows whether he will be able
to do it? so you may easily imagine what grief and distress we are in
here.'

So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red accompanied the Princess to
the sea-shore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and Ritter Red was
to stay with her and protect her. He, however, was very unlikely to do
the Troll much injury, for no sooner had the Princess seated herself
by the sea-shore than Ritter Red climbed up into a great tree which was
standing there, and hid himself as well as he could among the branches.

The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and leave
her; but Ritter Red did not concern himself about that. 'It is better
that one should die than two,' said he.

In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily to give
him leave to go down to the strand for a short time.

'Oh, what could you do down at the strand?' said the kitchen-maid. 'You
have nothing to do there.'

'Oh yes, my dear, just let me go,' said Minnikin. 'I should so like to
go and amuse myself with the other children.'

'Well, well, go then!' said the kitchen-maid, 'but don't let me find you
staying there over the time when the pan has to be set on the fire for
supper, and the roast put on the spit; and mind you bring back a good
big armful of wood for the kitchen.'

Minnikin promised this, and ran down to the sea-shore.

Just as he got to the place where the King's daughter was sitting, the
Troll came rushing up with a great whistling and whirring, and he was so
big and stout that he was terrible to see, and he had five heads.

'Fire!' screeched the Troll.

'Fire yourself!' said Minnikin.

'Can you fight?' roared the Troll.

'If not, I can learn,' said Minnikin.

So the Troll struck at him with a great thick iron bar which he had in
his fist, till the sods flew five yards up into the air.

'Fie!' said Minnikin. 'That was not much of a blow. Now you shall see
one of mine.'

So he grasped the sword which he had got from the old crook-backed
woman, and slashed at the Troll so that all five heads went flying away
over the sands.

When the Princess saw that she was delivered she was so delighted that
she did not know what she was doing, and skipped and danced.

'Come and sleep a bit with your head in my lap,' she said to Minnikin,
and as he slept she put a golden dress on him.

But when Rit