Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/68

36 took the two large wings which he had cut off the swan, tied them fast to his shoulders, and the biggest rod which he had got from the old woman who fell and broke her leg, he put in his pocket; he then opened the window and flew over the city straight to the palace, where he hid himself in a corner up under the window which led into the princess's bedchamber.

Everything was quiet all over the town; the clock now struck a quarter to twelve, the window was opened and the princess, with long black wings on her shoulders and dressed in a large white cloak, flew away over the city to a great mountain; but the traveling companion, who had made himself invisible so that she could not see him, flew behind her and kept on whipping her with his rod till there were actually signs of blood where he had struck her. Ugh! what a journey through the air! The wind caught hold of her cloak so that it spread out on all sides just like a big sail on a ship, and the moon shone through it.

"How it hails! How it hails!" the princess said at every blow she got from the rod, and well she deserved them all. At last she reached the mountain and knocked for admission. There was a rumbling sound like the roll of thunder, and then the mountain opened and the princess went in. The traveling companion followed her, for no one could see him as he was invisible. They went through a great long passage where strange lights were seen sparkling on the walls; over a thousand glowing spiders were running up and down the walls, shining like fire. They then came to a great hall, built of silver and gold; red and blue flowers as large as sun-flowers shone from the walls, but no one could pluck any of these flowers, for the stems were horrible poisonous snakes, and the flowers were fiery flames, which blazed out of their mouths. The whole of the ceiling was covered with shining glow-worms and azure blue bats, which were flapping away with their thin wings; it was quite a wonderful sight. In the middle of the hall was a throne, supported by the skeletons of tour horses with harness made of red, fiery spiders; the throne itself was of milk-white glass, and the cushion for sitting on consisted of little black mice biting each other's tails. Above it was a canopy of rose-colored spiders' webs, studded with beautiful little green flies, which sparkled like diamonds. On the throne sat an old troll with a crown on his ugly head and a scepter in his hand. He kissed the princess on the forehead and let her sit by his side on the costly throne, and then the music began. Great black grasshoppers played on Jews' harps, and the owl struck herself on the stomach, for she had no drum. It was a funny concert! Little brownies with will-o'-the-wisps in their caps danced round the hall. Nobody could see the traveling companion; he had taken a place just behind the throne and could hear and see everything. The courtiers, who now came into the hall, looked nice and grand enough, but any one with his wits about him could see what they really were. They were nothing more or less than broomsticks with cabbage heads on their ends to which