`How clever you always are!' said the Troll.`How could you let him go away? You must have known that I was just wanting a man of that kind.'
`Well, but I didn't let him go, after all,' said the Princess;`but father is so quick-tempered, so I hid him in the cupboard, but if father has not found any one then the man is still here.'
`Let him come in,' said the Troll.
When Minnikin came, the Troll asked if it were true that he could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one brewing.
`Yes,' said Minnikin, `it is.'
`It is well then that I have lighted on thee,' said the Troll.
`Fall to work this very minute, but Heaven help thee if thou dost not brew the ale strong.'
`Oh, it shall taste well,' said Minnikin, and at once set himself to work to brew.
`But I must have more trolls to help to carry what is wanted,'
said Minnikin; `these that I have are good for nothing.'
So he got more and so many that there was a swarm of them, and then the brewing went on.When the sweet-wort was ready they were all, as a matter of course, anxious to taste it, first the Troll himself and then the others; but Minnikin had brewed the wort so strong that they all fell down dead like so many flies as soon as they had drunk any of it.At last there was no one left but one wretched old hag who was lying behind the stove.
`Oh, poor old creature!' said Minnikin, `you shall have a taste of the wort too like the rest.' So he went away and scooped up a little from the bottom of the brewing vat in a milk pan, and gave it to her, and then he was quit of the whole of them.
While Minnikin was now standing there looking about him, he cast his eye on a large chest.This he took and filled it with gold and silver, and then he tied the cable round himself and the Princess and the chest, and tugged at the rope with all his might, whereupon his men drew them up safe and sound.
As soon as Minnikin had got safely on his ship again, he said:
`Now go over salt water and fresh water, over hill and dale, and do not stop until thou comest unto the King's palace.' And in a moment the ship went off so fast that the yellow foam rose up all round about it.
When those who were in the King's palace saw the ship, they lost no time in going to meet him with song and music, and thus they marched up towards Minnikin with great rejoicings; but the gladdest of all was the King, for now he had got his other daughter back again.
But now Minnikin was not happy, for both the Princesses wanted to have him, and he wanted to have none other than the one whom he had first saved, and she was the younger.For this cause he was continually walking backwards and forwards, thinking how he could contrive to get her, and yet do nothing that was unkind to her sister.One day when he was walking about and thinking of this, it came into his mind that if he only had his brother, King Pippin, with him, who was so like himself that no one could distinguish the one from the other, he could let him have the elder Princess and half the kingdom; as for himself, he thought, the other half was quite enough.As soon as this thought occurred to him he went outside the palace and called for King Pippin, but no one came.So he called a second time, and a little louder, but no!
still no one came.So Minnikin called for the third time, and with all his might, and there stood his brother by his side.
`I told you that you were not to call me unless you were in the utmost need,' he said to Minnikin, `and there is not even so much as a midge here who can do you any harm!' and with that he gave Minnikin such a blow that he rolled over on the grass.
`Shame on you to strike me!' said Minnikin.`First have I won one Princess and half the kingdom, and then the other Princess and the other half of the kingdom; and now, when I was just thinking that I would give you one of the Princesses and one of the halves of the kingdom, do you think you have any reason to give me such a blow?'
When King Pippin heard that he begged his brother's pardon, and they were reconciled at once and became good friends.
`Now, as you know,' said Minnikin, `we are so like each other that no one can tell one of us from the other; so just change clothes with me and go up to the palace, and then the Princesses will think that I am coming in, and the one who kisses you first shall be yours, and I will have the other.' For he knew that the elder Princess was the stronger, so he could very well guess how things would go.
King Pippin at once agreed to this.He changed clothes with his brother, and went into the palace.When he entered the Princess's apartments they believed that he was Minnikin, and both of them ran up to him at once; but the elder, who was bigger and stronger, pushed her sister aside, and threw her arms round King Pippin's neck and kissed him; so he got her to wife, and Minnikin the younger sister.It will be easy to understand that two weddings took place, and they were so magnificent that they were heard of and talked about all over seven kingdoms.[27]
[27] From J.Moe.