Part 44 (1/2)

”'I am so sharp-sighted,' he said, 'that I'm a dead shot up to the world's end;' and so he too asked if he might have leave to be one of the s.h.i.+p's company.

”'If you care to come, step in,' said Boots.

”Yes, he was willing enough, and so he stepped up into the s.h.i.+p and joined Boots and his comrades.

”So when they had sailed a bit farther, they came on a man who went about hopping on one leg, and on the other he had seven hundred weight.

”What sort of a chap are you?' asked Boots; 'and what's the good of your limping and hopping on one leg, with seven hundred weight on the other?'

”'Oh?' said he, 'I'm as light as a feather, and if I went on both legs I should be at the world's end in less than five minutes;' and so he too begged if he might have leave to be one of the s.h.i.+p's company.

”'If you care to come, step in,' said Boots.

”Yes, he was willing enough, and he stepped on board to Boots and his comrades.'

”So when they had sailed a bit farther, they met a man who stood holding his throat.

”'What sort of a chap are you?' asked Boots, 'and why in the world do you stand here holding your throat?'

”'Oh!' said he, 'you must know I have got seven summers and fifteen winters inside me, so I've good need to hold my gullet, for if they all slipped out at once they'd freeze the whole world in a trice.' That was what he said, and so he begged leave to be with them.

”'If you care to come, step in,' said Boots. Yes, he was willing enough, and so he too stepped on board the s.h.i.+p to the rest.

”So when they had sailed a good bit farther, they came to the king's grange. Then Boots strode straight into the king, and said, that the s.h.i.+p was ready out in the courtyard, and now he was come to claim the princess, as the king had given his word.

”But the king wouldn't hear of it, for Boots did not look very nice; he was grimy and sooty, and the king was loath to give his daughter to such a fellow. So he said he must wait a little, he couldn't have the princess until they cleared a barn which the king had with three hundred casks of salt meat in it.

”'All the same,' said the king, 'if you can do it by this time to-morrow you shall have her.'

”'I can but try,' said Boots; 'I may have leave, perhaps, to take one of my crew with me?'

”'Yes, he might have leave to do that, even if he took them all six,'

said the king, for he thought it quite beyond his power though he had six hundred to help him.

”But Boots only took with him the man who ate granite, and was always so sharp set; and so when they came next morning and unlocked the barn, if he hadn't eaten all the casks, so that there was nothing left but half a dozen spare-ribs, and that was only one for each of his other comrades.

So Boots strode into the king, and said, now the barn was empty, and now he might have the princess.

”Then the king went out to the barn, and empty it was, that was plain enough; but still Boots was so sooty and s.m.u.tty, that the king thought it a shame that such a fellow should have his daughter. So he said he had a cellar full of ale and old wine, three hundred casks of each kind, which he must have drunk out first, and said the king,--

”'All the same, if you are man enough to drink them out by this time to-morrow, you shall have her.'

”'I can but try,' said Boots; 'but I may have leave perhaps, to take one of my comrades with me.'

”'With all my heart,' said the king, who thought he had so much ale and wine that the whole seven of them would soon get more than their skins could hold.

”But Boots only took with him the man who sucked the tap, and who had such a swallow for ale, and then the king locked them both up in the cellar.