Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/132

100 top, where you will see a hole through which you can let yourself slide down, and get far down into the tree. I'll tie a rope round your waist, so that I can pull you up again when you call me."

"What shall I do down in the tree, then?" asked the soldier.

"Fetch money," said the witch. "You must know that when you get to the bottom of the tree you will find yourself in a large corridor; there is plenty of light there, for over a hundred lamps are burning there. You will then see three doors, which you can open; the keys are in the locks. When you get into the first chamber, you will see, in the middle of the floor, a large chest, on the top of which a dog is sitting; he has a pair of eyes as large as tea-cups, but you must not mind that. I will give you my blue-chequered apron, which you must spread out on the floor, then go quickly and take the dog, put him on my apron, open the chest, and take as many pennies as you like. They are all of copper; but if you would rather have silver, you must go into the next chamber; there a dog is sitting with a pair of eyes as large as mill-wheels, but you must not mind that; put him on my apron, and help yourself to the money. If, however, you want gold, you can have that as well, and as much as you can carry, if you will go into the third chamber. But the dog that sits on the money-chest there has eyes as big as the Round Tower. That 's the right sort of dog, I can tell you. But you must not trouble yourself about that. Only put the dog on my apron, and he won't harm you, and take as much gold as you like from the chest."

"That 's not at all bad," said the soldier. "But what shall I give you, old witch? For you are sure to want something, I should say."

"No," said the witch, "not a single penny will I have. You shall only bring me an old tinder-box, which my grandmother forgot the last time she was down there."

"Ah, indeed! Let me get the rope round my waist," said the soldier.

"Here it is," said the witch, "and here is my blue-chequered apron."

The soldier then climbed up into the tree, let himself plump down into the hole, and stood now, as the witch had said, in the great corridor below, where the many hundred lamps were burning.

So he opened the first door. Ugh! there sat the dog with eyes as large as tea-cups, staring at him.

"You are a nice fellow," said the soldier. He put the dog on the witch's apron, and took as many copper pennies as he had room for in his pocket; he then closed the chest, put the dog back again, and went into the second chamber. Ah! there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.

"You should n't look so hard at me," said the soldier; "it might hurt your eyes." And so he put the dog on the witch's apron; but when he