A soldier came marching along the high road—left, right! A left, right!
He had
his knapsack on his back and a sword by his side,
for he had been to the wars
and was now returning home.
An old witch met him on the road. She was very
ugly to look at: her under-lip hung down to her breast.
"Good evening, soldier!" she said.
"What a fine sword and knapsack you have!
You ought to have as much money
as you would like to carry!"
"Thank you, old witch," said the
soldier.
"Do you see that great tree there?"
said the witch, pointing to a tree beside them.
"It is hollow within. Climb
up to the top, and then you will see a hole.
You can let yourself down into the
tree through it.
I will tie a rope round your waist, so that I can to pull you
up again when you call."
"What shall I do down there?" asked the
soldier.
"Get money!" answered the witch.
"Listen!
When you reach the bottom of the tree you will find yourself in a
large hall;
it is light there, for there are more than a hundred lamps burning.
Then you will see three doors that you can open—the keys are in the locks.
If
you go into the first room, you will see a great chest in the middle of the
floor
with a dog sitting on it; he has eyes as large as saucers, but you needn't
trouble about him.
I will give you my blue-check apron to spread out on the
floor.
Fetch the dog and set him on it, open the chest and take as much money as
you like.
It is copper there. If you would rather have
silver.
Go into the next
room, where there is a dog with eyes as large as mill-wheels.
But don't take any
notice of him; just set him on my apron, and help yourself to the money.
If you
rather would have gold, go into the third room, and take as much as you like to
carry.
But the dog that guards the chest there has eyes as large as the midnight
sun!
But you needn't be afraid of him either.
Only, put him on my apron and he
won't touch you,
and you can take out of the chest as much gold as you
like!"
"This is not bad!" said the soldier.
"But what am I to give you, old witch; for surely you are not going to do
this for nothing?"
"Not a single farthing will I take!"
replied the witch.
"Bring me only an old tinder-box which my grandmother
forgot last time she was down there."
"Well, tie the rope round my waist!" said
the soldier.
"Here it is," said the witch, "and
here is my blue-check apron."
Then the soldier climbed up the tree, let himself
down through the hole,
and found himself standing underground in the large hall,
where the hundred lamps were burning.
He opened the first door. There sat the dog with
eyes as big as saucers glaring at him.
"You are a fine fellow!" said the
soldier, and put him on the witch's apron,
took as much copper as his pockets
could hold;
then he shut the chest, put the dog on it again, and went into the
second room.
There sat the dog with eyes as large as mill-wheels. He set the dog
on the apron.
When he saw all the silver in the chest, he threw
away the copper he had taken,
and filled his pockets and knapsack with nothing
but silver.
Then he went into the third room.
The dog there had two eyes, each
as large as the midnight sun spinning round in his head like a wheel.
"Good evening!" said the soldier and
saluted, for he had never seen a dog like this before.
But he managed to put him
down on the floor and opened the chest.
What a heap of gold there was!
With all
that he could buy up the whole town,
all the sugar pigs, and all the tin
soldiers, whips and rocking-horses in the country.
In order to make room for gold,
he threw away all the silver that he had
filled his pockets and knapsack with.
Then he filled pockets, knapsack, cap and boots with gold.
In his greediness he continued till he could hardly walk.