Page:Tales from the Fjeld.djvu/77

Rh "I'm a pretty good trencherman myself," said Grumblegizzard; "but whoever has been here, has a sharper tooth, for he has eaten up bones and all."

That was how things went the first day, and it was no better the next. The third day he set off to quarry stones again, and took with him the third meal of food; but he lay down behind it, and shammed sleep.

Just then there came out of the hill a Troll with seven heads, and began to munch and eat his food.

"Now the board is laid, and I will eat," said the Troll.

"That we'll have a tussle for," said Grumblegizzard; and gave him a blow with his club, and knocked off all his seven heads at once.

So he went into the hill, out of which the Troll had come, and in there stood a horse, which ate out of a tub of glowing coals, and at its heels stood a tub of oats.

"Why don't you eat out of the tub of oats?" said Grumblegizzard.

"Because I am not able to turn round," said the horse.

"I'll soon turn you," said he.

"Rather strike off my head," said the horse.

"So he struck it off, and then the horse was turned into a handsome man. He said he had been taken into the hill by the Troll, and turned into a horse, and then he helped him to find the sword, which the Troll had hidden at the bottom of his bed, and upon the bed lay the Troll's old mother, asleep and snoring.

Home again they went by water, and when they had got well out, the old witch came after them; as