There came a soldier marching along the high road - one, two! one, two! He had his knapsack on his back and a sabre by his side, for he had been in the wars, and now he wanted to go home. And on the way he met with an old witch: she was very hideous, and her under lip hung down upon her breast. She said, “Good evening, soldier.What a fine sword you have, and what a big knapsack! You’re a proper soldier! Now you shall have as much money as you like to have.”
“I thank you, you old witch!” said the soldier.
“Do you see that great tree?” quoth the witch;and she pointed to a tree which stood beside them. “It’s quite hollow inside. You must climb to the top, and then you’ll see a hole, through which you can let yourself down and get deep into the tree. I’ll tie a rope round your body, so that I can pull you up again when you call me.”
“What am I to do down in the tree?” asked the soldier.
“Get money,” replied the witch. “Listen to me. When you come down to the earth under the tree, you will find yourself in a great hall：it is quite light, for many hundred lamps are burning there. Then you will see three doors：these you can open, for the keys are in the locks. If you go into the first chamber, you’ll see a great chest in the middle of the floor;on this chest sits a dog, and he’s got a pair of eyes as big as two tea-cups. But you need not care for that. I’ll give you my blue-checked apron, and you can spread it out upon the floor;then go up quickly and take the dog, and set him on my apron;then open the chest, and take as many farthings as you like. They are of copper：if you prefer silver, you must go into the second chamber. But there sits a dog with a pair of eyes as big as mill-wheels. But do not you care for that. Set him upon my apron, and take some of the money. And if you want gold, you can have that too - in fact, as much as you can carry-if you go into the third chamber. But the dog that sits on the money-chest there has two eyes as big as the round tower of Copenhagen. He is a fierce dog, you may be sure;but you needn’t be afraid, for all that. Only set him on my apron, and he won’t hurt you;and take out of the chest as much gold as you like.”
“That’s not so bad,” said the soldier. “But what am I to give you, you old witch? for you will not do it for nothing, I fancy.”
“No,” replied the witch, “not a single farthing will I have. You shall only bring me an old tinder-box which my grandmother forgot when she was down there last.”
“Then tie the rope round my body,” cried the soldier.
“Here it is,” said the witch, “and here’s my blue-checked apron.”
Then the soldier climbed up into the tree, let himself slip down into the hole, and stood, as the witch had said, in thegreat hall where the many hundred lamps were burning.
Now he opened the first door. Ugh! There sat the dog with eyes as big as tea-cups, staring at him. “You’re a nice fellow!” exclaimed the soldier; and he set him on the witch’s apron, and took as many copper farthings as his pockets would hold, and then locked the chest, set the dog on it again, and went into the second chamber. Aha! There sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.
“You should not stare so hard at me,” said the soldier; “you might strain your eyes.” And he set the dog up on the witch’s apron. When he saw the silver money in the chest, he threw away all the copper money he had, and filled hispockets and his knapsack with silver only. The he went into the third chamber. Oh, but that was horrid! The dog there had eyes as big as the round tower and they turned round and round in his head like wheels.
“Good evening!” said the soldier; and he touched his cap, for he had never seen such a dog as that before. When he had looked at him a little more closely, he thought,“That will do,” and lifted him down to the floor, and opened the chest. Mercy! What a quantity of gold was there! He could buy with it the whole of Copenhagen, and the sugar pigs of the cake-woman, and all the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses in the whole world. Yes, that was a quantity of money! Now the soldier threw away all the silver coin with which he had filledhis pockets and his knapsack, and took gold instead：yes, all his pockets, his knapsack, his boots, and his cap were filled, so that he could scarcely walk. Now indeed he had plenty of money. He put the dog, on the chest, shut the door, and then called up through the tree, “Now pull me up, you old witch.”
“Have you the tinder-box?” asked the witch.