Then they arranged that each day, in turn, two
should go out hunting, and one should stay at home, and cook nine
pounds of meat for each of them. Fir-twister stayed at home the first,
and Hans and Rock-splitter went out hunting. When Fir-twister was busy
cooking, a little shrivelled-up old mannikin came to him in the castle,
and asked for some meat. “Be off, sly hypocrite,” he answered, “thou
needest no meat.” But how astonished Fir-twister was when the little
insignificant dwarf sprang up at him, and belaboured him so with his
fists that he could not defend himself, but fell on the ground and
gasped for breath! The dwarf did not go away until he had thoroughly
vented his anger on him. When the two others came home from hunting,
Fir-twister said nothing to them of the old mannikin and of the blows
which he himself had received, and thought, “When they stay at home,
they may just try their chance with the little scrubbing-brush;” and
the mere thought of that gave him pleasure already. The next day Rock-splitter stayed at home, and he fared just as
Fir-twister had done, he was very ill-treated by the dwarf because he
was not willing to give him any meat. When the others came home in the
evening, Fir-twister easily saw what he had suffered, but both kept
silence, and thought, “Hans also must taste some of that soup.”

Hans, who had to stay at home the next day, did his work in the kitchen
as it had to be done, and as he was standing skimming the pan, the
dwarf came and without more ado demanded a bit of meat. Then Hans
thought, “He is a poor wretch, I will give him some of my share, that
the others may not run short,” and handed him a bit. When the dwarf had
devoured it, he again asked for some meat, and good-natured Hans gave
it to him, and told him it was a handsome piece, and that he was to be
content with it. But the dwarf begged again for the third time. “Thou
art shameless!” said Hans, and gave him none. Then the malicious dwarf
wanted to spring on him and treat him as he had treated Fir-twister and
Rock-splitter, but he had got to the wrong man. Hans, without exerting
himself much, gave him a couple of blows which made him jump down the
castle steps. Hans was about to run after him, but fell right over him,
for he was so tall. When he rose up again, the dwarf had got the start
of him. Hans hurried after him as far as the forest, and saw him slip
into a hole in the rock. Hans now went home, but he had marked the
spot. When the two others came back, they were surprised that Hans was
so well. He told them what had happened, and then they no longer
concealed how it had fared with them. Hans laughed and said, “It served
you quite right; why were you so greedy with your meat? It is a
disgrace that you who are so big should have let yourselves be beaten
by the dwarf.” Thereupon they took a basket and a rope, and all three
went to the hole in the rock into which the dwarf had slipped, and let
Hans and his club down in the basket. When Hans had reached the bottom,
he found a door, and when he opened it a maiden was sitting there who
was lovely as any picture, nay, so beautiful that no words can express
it, and by her side sat the dwarf and grinned at Hans like a sea-cat! She, however, was bound with chains, and looked so mournfully at him
that Hans felt great pity for her, and thought to himself, “Thou must
deliver her out of the power of the wicked dwarf,” and gave him such a
blow with his club that he fell down dead. Immediately the chains fell
from the maiden, and Hans was enraptured with her beauty. She told him
she was a King’s daughter whom a savage count had stolen away from her
home, and imprisoned there among the rocks, because she would have
nothing to say to him. The count had, however, set the dwarf as a
watchman, and he had made her bear misery and vexation enough. And now
Hans placed the maiden in the basket and had her drawn up; the basket
came down again, but Hans did not trust his two companions, and
thought, “They have already shown themselves to be false, and told me
nothing about the dwarf; who knows what design they may have against
me?” So he put his club in the basket, and it was lucky he did; for
when the basket was half-way up, they let it fall again, and if Hans
had really been sitting in it he would have been killed. But now he did
not know how he was to work his way out of the depths, and when he
turned it over and over in his mind he found no counsel. “It is indeed
sad,” said he to himself, “that I have to waste away down here,” and as
he was thus walking backwards and forwards, he once more came to the
little chamber where the maiden had been sitting, and saw that the
dwarf had a ring on his finger which shone and sparkled. Then he drew
it off and put it on, and when he turned it round on his finger, he
suddenly heard something rustle over his head. He looked up and saw
spirits of the air hovering above, who told him he was their master,
and asked what his desire might be? Hans was at first struck dumb, but
afterwards he said that they were to carry him above again. They obeyed
instantly, and it was just as if he had flown up himself. When,
however, he was above again, he found no one in sight. Fir-twister and
Rock-splitter had hurried away, and had taken the beautiful maiden with
them. But Hans turned the ring, and the spirits of the air came and
told him that the two were on the sea. Hans ran and ran without
stopping, until he came to the sea-shore, and there far, far out on the
water, he perceived a little boat in which his faithless comrades were
sitting; and in fierce anger he leapt, without thinking what he was
doing, club in hand into the water, and began to swim, but the club,
which weighed a hundredweight, dragged him deep down until he was all
but drowned. Then in the very nick of time he turned his ring, and
immediately the spirits of the air came and bore him as swift as
lightning into the boat. He swung his club and gave his wicked comrades
the reward they merited and threw them into the water, and then he
sailed with the beautiful maiden, who had been in the greatest alarm,
and whom he delivered for the second time, home to her father and
mother, and married her, and all rejoiced exceedingly. 167 The Peasant in Heaven

Once on a time a poor pious peasant died, and arrived before the gate
of heaven. At the same time a very rich, rich lord came there who also
wanted to get into heaven. Then Saint Peter came with the key, and
opened the door, and let the great man in, but apparently did not see
the peasant, and shut the door again. And now the peasant outside,
heard how the great man was received in heaven with all kinds of
rejoicing, and how they were making music, and singing within. At
length all became quiet again, and Saint Peter came and opened the gate
of heaven, and let the peasant in.