As for Esben , no one had ever thought about him ; his brothers had not even said farewell to him . After the eleven were gone Esben went to his father and said , ` Father , give me also a horse and money ; I should also like to see round about me in the world . ' ` You are a little fool , ' said his father . ` If I could have let you go , and kept your eleven brothers at home , it would have been better for me in my old age . ' ` Well , you will soon be rid of me at any rate , ' said Esben . As he could get no other horse , he went into the forest , broke off a branch , stripped the bark off it , so that it became still whiter than his brothers ' horses , and , mounted on this . rode off after his eleven brothers . The brothers rode on the whole day , and towards evening they came to a great forest , which they entered . Far within the wood they came to a little house , and knocked at the door . There came an old , ugly , bearded hag , and opened it , and they asked her whether all of them could get quarters for the night . ` Yes , ' said the old , bearded hag , ` you shall all have quarters for the night , and , in addition , each of you shall have one of my daughters . ' The eleven brothers thought that they had come to very hospitable people . They were well attended to , and when they went to bed , each of them got one of the hag 's daughters . Esben had been coming along behind them , and had followed the same way , and had also found the same house in the forest . He slipped into this , without either the witch or her daughters noticing him , and hid himself under one of the beds . A little before midnight he crept quietly out and wakened his brothers . He told these to change night-caps with the witch 's daughters . The brothers saw no reason for this , but , to get rid of Esben 's persistence , they made the exchange , and slept soundly again . When midnight came Esben heard the old witch come creeping along . She had a broad-bladed axe in her hand , and went over all the eleven beds .
It was so dark that she could not see a hand 's breadth XXXXX her , but she felt her way , and hacked the heads off all the sleepers who had the men 's night-caps on -- and these were her own daughters .
As about before for of off on than whether without