Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/141

Rh "Hey, you shoemaker's boy! You need not be in such a hurry," said the soldier to him, "there'll be nothing going on till I come! But won't you run across to where I have been living and fetch my tinder-box, and I'll give you twopence? But you'll have to use your legs!" The shoemaker's boy was glad to earn the twopence, and rushed off to fetch the tinder-box; he gave it to the soldier, and—well, now you shall hear all about it.

Outside the city a great gallows had been erected, and round about stood the soldiers and many hundred thousand people. The king and the queen sat in a gorgeous throne right opposite the judge and the whole court.

The soldier was already standing at the top of the ladder, but as they were going to place the halter round his neck, he said that they always allowed a poor sinner to have an innocent wish granted before he suffered his punishment. He would so like to smoke a pipe of tobacco; it would be the last pipe he would get in this world.

The king would not say no to that, and so the soldier took the tinder-box and struck a light, once, twice, thrice! and there stood all the dogs, the one with eyes as large as tea-cups, the one with eyes like mill-wheels, and the one who had eyes as large as the Round Tower.

"Now help me, so that I sha'n't be hanged!" said the soldier, and then the dogs rushed at the judges and the whole court, seized one by the legs and one by the nose, and threw them many fathoms up in the air, so that they fell down and were dashed to pieces.

"I will not!" said the king, but the biggest dog seized both him and the queen and threw them after all the others. Then all the soldiers grew frightened, and all the people shouted: "Little soldier, you shall be our king and marry the beautiful princess!"

So they placed the soldier in the king's carriage, and the three dogs danced in front of it and cried "hurrah!" and the boys whistled through their fingers, while the soldiers presented arms. The princess left the copper palace and became queen, which she liked very much. The wedding lasted eight days, and the dogs sat at the table and looked on in astonishment with their big eyes.