good for much.
I have had enough of such fellows.'

'Well, but as I have come here, you might just give me leave to make the
attempt,' said Cinderlad.

'Oh, very well, if thou art absolutely determined to have thy back
flayed, thou may'st have thine own way if thou wilt,' said the King.

'I would much rather have the Princess,' said Cinderlad.

Next morning, in the grey light of dawn, the Master of the Horse let
out the seven foals again, and off they set over hill and dale, through
woods and bogs, and off went Cinderlad after them. When he had run thus
for a long time, he too came to the cleft in the rock. There the old
hag was once more sitting spinning from her distaff, and she cried to
Cinderlad;

'Come hither, come hither, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair
for you.'

'Come to me, then; come to me!' said Cinderlad, as he passed by jumping
and running, and keeping tight hold of one of the foals' tails.

When he had got safely past the cleft in the rock, the youngest foal
said:

'Get on my back, for we have still a long way to go.' So the lad did
this.

And thus they journeyed onwards a long, long way.

'Dost thou see anything now?' said the Foal.

'No,' said Cinderlad.

So they journeyed onwards a good bit farther.

'Dost thou see anything now?' asked the Foal.

'Oh, no,' said the lad.

When they had gone thus for a long, long way, the Foal again asked:

'Dost thou see anything now?'

'Yes, now I see something that is white,' said Cinderlad. 'It looks like
the trunk of a great thick birch tree.'

'Yes, that is where we are to go in,' said the Foal.

When they got to the trunk, the eldest foal broke it down on one side,
and then they saw a door where the trunk had been standing, and inside
this there was a small room, and in the room there was scarcely anything
but a small fire-place and a couple of benches, but behind the door hung
a great rusty sword and a small pitcher.

'Canst thou wield that sword?' asked the Foal.

Cinderlad tried, but could not do it; so he had to take a draught from
the pitcher, and then one more, and after that still another, and then
he was able to wield the sword with perfect ease.

'Good,' said the Foal; 'and now thou must take the sword away with
thee, and with it shalt thou cut off the heads of all seven of us on thy
wedding-day, and then we shall become princes again as we were before.
For we are brothers of the Princess whom thou art to have when t