but at last came one who had a suit
of brass mail, and a brass bridle and saddle, all so bright that the
sun shone from them a mile off. He was a chap to ride, just! He rode a
third of the way up the _Hill of Glass_, and he could easily have
ridden the whole way up, if he chose; but he turned round and rode
down, thinking, maybe, that was enough for once."

"Oh! I should so like to have seen him, that I should," said _Boots_,
who sat by the fireside, and stuck his feet into the cinders, as was
his wont.

"Oh!" said his brothers, "you would, would you? You look fit to keep
company with such high lords, nasty beast that you are, sitting there
amongst the ashes."

Next day the brothers were all for setting off again, and _Boots_
begged them this time, too, to let him go with them and see the
riding; but no, they wouldn't have him at any price, he was too ugly
and nasty, they said.

"Well, well!" said _Boots_; "if I go at all, I must go by myself. I'm
not afraid."

So when the brothers got to the _Hill of Glass_, all the princes and
knights began to ride again, and you may fancy they had taken care to
shoe their horses sharp; but it was no good--they rode and slipped,
and slipped and rode, just as they had done the day before, and there
was not one who could get so far as a yard up the hill. And when they
had worn out their horses, so that they could not stir a leg, they
were all forced to give it up as a bad job. So the king thought he
might as well proclaim that the riding should take place the day after
for the last time, just to give them one chance more; but all at once
it came across his mind that he might as well wait a little longer, to
see if the knight in brass mail would come this day too. Well, they
saw nothing of him; but all at once came one riding on a steed, far,
far braver and finer than that on which the knight in brass had
ridden, and he had silver mail, and a silver saddle and bridle, all so
bright that the sunbeams gleamed and glanced from them far away. Then
the others shouted out to him again, saying, he might as well hold
hard, and not try to ride up the hill, for all his trouble would be
thrown away; but the knight paid no heed to them, and rode straight
at the hill, and right up it, till he had gone two-thirds of the way,
and then he wheeled his horse round and rode down again. To tell the
truth, the _Princess_ liked him still better than the knight in brass,
and she sat and wished he might