When they had ridden onwards for some time they reached a king's palace, and inquired there whether they could be taken into service. Quite easily, they were told, if they would be stablemen, otherwise the king had no use for them. They were quite ready for this, and got the task of looking after all the king's horses.
Long after them came Esben riding on his stick, and he also wanted to get a place in the palace, but no one had any use for him, and he was told that he could just go back the way he had come. However, he stayed there and occupied himself as best he could. He got his food, but nothing more, and by night he lay just where he could.
At this time there was in the palace a knight who was called Sir Red. He was very well liked by the king, but hated by everyone else, for he was wicked both in will and deed. This Sir Red became angry with the eleven brothers, because they would not always stand at attention for him, so he determined to avenge himself on them.
One day, therefore, he went to the king, and said that the eleven brothers who had come to the palace a little while ago, and served as stablemen, could do a great deal more than they pretended. One day he had heard them say that if they liked they could get for the king a wonderful dove which had a feather of gold and a feather of silver time about. But they would not procure it unless they were threatened with death.
The king then had the eleven brothers called before him, and said to them, 'You have said that you can get me a dove which has feathers of gold and silver time about.'
All the eleven assured him that they had never said anything of the kind, and they did not believe that such a dove existed in the whole world.
'Take your own mind of it,' said the king; 'but if you don't get that dove within three days you shall lose your heads, the whole lot of you.'
With that the king let them go, and there was great grief among them; some wept and others lamented.
At that moment Esben came along, and, seeing their sorrowful looks, said to them, 'Hello, what's the matter with you?'
'What good would it do to tell you, you little fool? You can't help us.'
'Oh, you don't know that,' answered Esben. 'I have helped you before.'
In the end they told him how unreasonable the king was, and how he had ordered them to get for him a dove with feathers of gold and silver time about.
'Give me a bag of peas' said Esben, 'and I shall see what I can do for you.'
Esben got his bag of peas; then he took his white stick, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Straightway the stick carried him across the river and straight into the old witch's courtyard. Esben had noticed that she had such a dove; so when he arrived in the courtyard he shook the peas out of the bag, and the dove came fluttering down to pick them up. Esben caught it at once, put it into the bag, and hurried off before the witch caught sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, ' I Hey is that you, Esben.?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'Is it you that has taken my dove?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'Was it you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'That may be,' said Esben.
'Then you'll catch it,' shouted the witch.
The stick carried Esben with the dove back to the king's palace, and his brothers were greatly delighted. The king thanked them many times for the dove, and gave them in return both silver and gold. At this Sir Red became still more embittered, and again thought of how to avenge himself on the brothers.
One day he went to the king and told him that the dove was by no means the best thing that the brothers could get for him; for one day he had heard them talking quietly among themselves, and they had said that they could procure a boar whose bristles were of gold and silver time about.
The king again summoned the brothers before him, and asked whether it was true that they had said that they could get for him a boar whose bristles were of gold and silver time about.
'No,' said the brothers; they had never said nor thought such a thing, and they did not believe that there was such a boar in the whole world.
'You must get me that boar within three days,' said the king, 'or it will cost you your heads.'
With that they had to go. This was still worse than before, they thought. Where could they get such a marvellous boar? They all went about hanging their heads; but when only one day remained of the three Esben came along. When he saw his brothers' sorrowful looks he cried, 'Hallo, what's the matter now?'
'Oh, what's the use of telling you?' said his brothers. 'You can't help us, at any rate.'
'Ah, you don't know that,' said Esben; 'I've helped you before.'
In the end they told him how Sir Red had stirred up the king against them, so that he had ordered them to get for him a boar with bristles of gold and silver time about.
'That's all right,' said Esben; 'give me a sack of malt, and it is not quite impossible that I may be able to help you.'
Esben got his sack of malt; then he took his little white stick, set himself upon it, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Off went the stick with him, and very soon he was again in the witch's courtyard. There he emptied out the malt, and next moment came the boar, which had every second bristle of gold and of silver. Esben at once put it into his sack and hurried off before the witch should catch sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, 'Hey! is that you, Esben?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'Is it you that has taken my pretty boar?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'It was also you that took my dove?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye-e-s!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'That may be,' said Esben.
'Then you'll catch it,' said the witch.
Esben was soon back at the palace with the boar, and his brothers scarcely knew which leg to stand on, so rejoiced were they that they were safe again. Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking Esben for what he had done for them.
The king was still more rejoiced over the boar than he had been over the dove, and did not know what to give the brothers for it. At this Sir Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went about and planned how to get the brothers into trouble.
One day he went again to the king and said, 'These eleven brothers have now procured the dove and the boar, but they can do much more than that; I know they have said that if they liked they could get for the king a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms.'
'If they have said that,' said the king, 'they shall also be made to bring it to me. That would be a glorious lamp for me.'
Again the king sent a message to the brothers to come up to the palace. They went accordingly, although very unwillingly, for they suspected that Sir Red had fallen on some new plan to bring them into trouble.
As soon as they came before the king he said to them,
'You brothers have said that you could, if you liked, get for me a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms. That lamp must be mine within three days, or it will cost you your lives.'
The brothers assured him that they had never said so, and they were sure that no such lamp existed, but their words were of no avail.
'The lamp!' said the king, 'or it will cost you your heads.'
The brothers were now in greater despair than ever. They did not know what to do, for such a lamp no one had ever heard of. But just as things looked their worst along came Esben.
'Something wrong again?' said he. 'What's the matter with you now?'
'Oh, it's no use telling you,' said they. 'You can't help us, at any rate.'
'Oh, you might at least tell me,' said Esben; 'I have helped you before.'
In the end they told him that the king had ordered them to bring him a lamp which could shine over seven kingdoms, but such a lamp no one had ever heard tell of.