“That’s right,”
said he, “but go faster.” Then the bed rolled on as if six horses were
harnessed to it, up and down, over thresholds and steps, but suddenly
hop, hop, it turned over upside down, and lay on him like a mountain. But he threw quilts and pillows up in the air, got out and said, “Now
any one who likes, may drive,” and lay down by his fire, and slept till
it was day. In the morning the King came, and when he saw him lying
there on the ground, he thought the evil spirits had killed him and he
was dead. Then said he, “After all it is a pity,—he is a handsome man.”
The youth heard it, got up, and said, “It has not come to that yet.”
Then the King was astonished, but very glad, and asked how he had
fared. “Very well indeed,” answered he; “one night is past, the two
others will get over likewise.” Then he went to the innkeeper, who
opened his eyes very wide, and said, “I never expected to see thee
alive again! Hast thou learnt how to shudder yet?” “No,” said he, “it
is all in vain. If some one would but tell me.”

The second night he again went up into the old castle, sat down by the
fire, and once more began his old song, “If I could but shudder.” When
midnight came, an uproar and noise of tumbling about was heard; at
first it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for
awhile, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down the
chimney and fell before him. “Hollo!” cried he, “another half belongs
to this. This is too little!” Then the uproar began again, there was a
roaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise. “Wait,”
said he, “I will just blow up the fire a little for thee.” When he had
done that and looked round again, the two pieces were joined together,
and a frightful man was sitting in his place. “That is no part of our
bargain,” said the youth, “the bench is mine.” The man wanted to push
him away; the youth, however, would not allow that, but thrust him off
with all his strength, and seated himself again in his own place. Then
still more men fell down, one after the other; they brought nine dead
men’s legs and two skulls, and set them up and played at nine-pins with
them. The youth also wanted to play and said “Hark you, can I join
you?” “Yes, if thou hast any money.” “Money enough,” replied he, “but
your balls are not quite round.” Then he took the skulls and put them
in the lathe and turned them till they were round. “There, now, they
will roll better!” said he. “Hurrah! Now it goes merrily!” He played
with them and lost some of his money, but when it struck twelve,
everything vanished from his sight. He lay down and quietly fell
asleep. Next morning the King came to inquire after him. “How has it
fared with you this time?” asked he. “I have been playing at
nine-pins,” he answered, “and have lost a couple of farthings.” “Hast
thou not shuddered then?” “Eh, what?” said he, “I have made merry. If I
did but know what it was to shudder!”

The third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly,
“If I could but shudder.” When it grew late, six tall men came in and
brought a coffin. Then said he, “Ha, ha, that is certainly my little
cousin, who died only a few days ago,” and he beckoned with his finger,
and cried “Come, little cousin, come.” They placed the coffin on the
ground, but he went to it and took the lid off, and a dead man lay
therein. He felt his face, but it was cold as ice. “Stop,” said he, “I
will warm thee a little,” and went to the fire and warmed his hand and
laid it on the dead man’s face, but he remained cold. Then he took him
out, and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his
arms that the blood might circulate again. As this also did no good, he
thought to himself “When two people lie in bed together, they warm each
other,” and carried him to the bed, covered him over and lay down by
him. After a short time the dead man became warm too, and began to
move. Then said the youth, “See, little cousin, have I not warmed
thee?” The dead man, however, got up and cried, “Now will I strangle
thee.”

“What!” said he, “is that the way thou thankest me? Thou shalt at once
go into thy coffin again,” and he took him up, threw him into it, and
shut the lid. Then came the six men and carried him away again. “I
cannot manage to shudder,” said he. “I shall never learn it here as
long as I live.”

Then a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible. He was old, however, and had a long white beard. “Thou wretch,” cried
he, “thou shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, for thou shalt die.”
“Not so fast,” replied the youth. “If I am to die, I shall have to have
a say in it.” “I will soon seize thee,” said the fiend. “Softly,
softly, do not talk so big. I am as strong as thou art, and perhaps
even stronger.” “We shall see,” said the old man. “If thou art
stronger, I will let thee go—come, we will try.” Then he led him by
dark passages to a smith’s forge, took an axe, and with one blow struck
an anvil into the ground. “I can do better than that,” said the youth,
and went to the other anvil. The old man placed himself near and wanted
to look on, and his white beard hung down. Then the youth seized the
axe, split the anvil with one blow, and struck the old man’s beard in
with it. “Now I have thee,” said the youth. “Now it is thou who will
have to die.” Then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he
moaned and entreated him to stop, and he would give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe and let him go. The old man led him back
into the castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold. “Of these,” said he, “one part is for the poor, the other for the king,
the third is thine.” In the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit
disappeared; the youth, therefore, was left in darkness. “I shall still
be able to find my way out,” said he, and felt about, found the way
into the room, and slept there by his fire. Next morning the King came
and said “Now thou must have learnt what shuddering is?” “No,” he
answered; “what can it be? My dead cousin was here, and a bearded man
came and showed me a great deal of money down below, but no one told me
what it was to shudder.” “Then,” said the King, “thou hast delivered
the castle, and shalt marry my daughter.” “That is all very well,” said
he, “but still I do not know what it is to shudder.”

Then the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated; but howsoever
much the young king loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still
said always “If I could but shudder—if I could but shudder.” And at
last she was angry at this. Her waiting-maid said, “I will find a cure
for him; he shall soon learn what it is to shudder.” She went out to
the stream which flowed through the garden, and had a whole bucketful
of gudgeons brought to her.