Page:The pink fairy book (IA pinkfairybooklan00lang).pdf/278

262 Esben got his bag of peas; then he took his white stick, and said,

Straightway the stick carried him across the river and straight into the old witch’s courtyard. Esben had noticed that she had such a dove; so when he arrived in the courtyard he shook the peas out of the bag, and the dove came fluttering down to pick them up. Esben caught it at once, put it into the bag, and hurried off before the witch caught sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, ‘Hey! is that you, Esben?’

‘Ye—e—s!’

‘Is it you that has taken my dove?’

‘Ye—e—s!’

‘Was it you that made me kill my eleven daughters?’

‘Ye—e—s!’

‘Are you coming back again?’

‘That may be!’ said Esben.

‘Then you’ll catch it,’ shouted the witch.

The stick carried Esben with the dove back to the king’s palace, and his brothers were greatly delighted. The king thanked them many times for the dove, and gave them in return both silver and gold. At this Sir Red