hou
canst tell the King what we eat and drink, but there is a mighty Troll
who has cast a spell over us. When thou hast cut off our heads, thou
must take the greatest care to lay each head at the tail of the body to
which it belonged before, and then the spell which the Troll has cast
upon us will lose all its power.'

Cinderlad promised to do this, and then they went on farther.

When they had travelled a long, long way, the Foal said:

'Dost thou see anything?'

'No,' said Cinderlad.

So they went on a great distance farther.

'And now?' inquired the Foal, 'seest thou nothing now?'

'Alas! no,' said Cinderlad.

So they travelled onwards again, for many and many a mile, over hill and
dale.

'Now, then,' said the Foal, 'dost thou not see anything now?'

'Yes,' said Cinderlad; 'now I see something like a bluish streak, far,
far away.'

'That is a river,' said the Foal, 'and we have to cross it.'

There was a long, handsome bridge over the river, and when they had got
to the other side of it they again travelled on a long, long way, and
then once more the Foal inquired if Cinderlad saw anything. Yes, this
time he saw something that looked black, far, far away, and was rather
like a church tower.

'Yes,' said the Foal, 'we shall go into that.'

When the Foals got into the churchyard they turned into men and looked
like the sons of a king, and their clothes were so magnificent that they
shone with splendour, and they went into the church and received
bread and wine from the priest, who was standing before the altar, and
Cinderlad went in too. But when the priest had laid his hands on the
princes and read the blessing, they went out of the church again, and
Cinderlad went out too, but he took with him a flask of wine and some
consecrated bread. No sooner had the seven princes come out into the
churchyard than they became foals again, and Cinderlad got upon the back
of the youngest, and they returned by the way they had come, only they
went much, much faster.

First they went over the bridge, and then past the trunk of the birch
tree, and then past the old hag who sat in the cleft of the rock
spinning, and they went by so fast that Cinderlad could not hear what
the old hag screeched after him, but just heard enough to understand
that she was terribly enraged.

It was all but dark when they got back to the King at nightfall, and he
himself was standing in the courtyard waiting for them.

'Hast thou watch