The wild boars had not been fed for a week , and when the shepherd was thrust into their don they rushed at him to tear him to pieces . But the shepherd took a little flute out of the sleeve of his jacket and began to play a merry tune , on which the wild boars first of all shrank shyly away , and then got up on their hind legs and danced gaily . The shepherd would have given anything to be able to laugh , they looked so funny ; but he dared not stop playing , for he knew well enough that the moment he stopped they would fall upon him and tear him to pieces . His eyes were of no use to him here , for he could not have stared ten wild boars in the face at once ; so he kept on playing , and the wild boars danced very slowly , as if in a minuet , then by degrees he played faster and faster till they could hardly twist and turn quickly enough , and ended by all falling over each other in a heap , quite exhausted and out of breath . Then the shepherd ventured to laugh at last ; and he laughed so long and so loud that when the Lord Chamberlain came early in the morning , expecting to find only his bones , the tears were still running down his cheeks from laughter . As soon as the king was dressed the shepherd was again brought before him ; but he was more angry than ever to think the wild boars had not torn the man to bits , and he said : ` Well , you have learned what it feels to be near ten deaths , now say `` To my good health ! '' ' But the shepherd broke in with , ' I do not fear a hundred deaths , and I will only say it if I may have the princess for my wife . ' ` Then go to a hundred deaths ! ' roared the king , and ordered the shepherd to be thrown down the deep vault of scythes . The guards dragged him away to a dark dungeon , in the middle of which was a deep well with sharp scythes all round it . At the bottom of the well was a little light by which one could see if anyone was thrown in whether he had fallen to the bottom . When the shepherd was dragged to the dungeons he begged the guards to leave him alone a little while that he might look down into the pit of scythes ; perhaps he might after all make up his mind to say ` To your good health ' to the king . So the guards left him alone and he stuck up his long stick near the well , hung his cloak round the stick and put his hat on the top . He also hung his knapsack up inside the cloak so that it might seem to have some body within it . When this was done he called out to the guards and said that he had considered the matter but after all he could not make up his mind to say what the king wished . The guards came in , threw the hat and cloak , knapsack and stick all down the well together , watched to see how they put out the light at the bottom and came away , thinking that now there really was an end of the shepherd . But he had hidden in a dark corner and was laughing to himself all the time . Quite early next morning came the Lord Chamberlain , carrying a lamp and he nearly fell backwards with surprise when he saw the shepherd alive and well . He brought him to the king , whose fury was greater than ever , but who cried : ` Well , now you have been near a hundred deaths ; will you say : `` To your good health '' ? ' But the shepherd only gave the same answer : ' I wo n't say it till the princess is my wife . '
` Perhaps after all you may do it for less , ' said the king , who saw XXXXX there was no chance of making away with the shepherd ; and he ordered the state coach to be got ready , then he made the shepherd get in with him and sit beside him , and ordered the coachman to drive to the silver wood .
So after before by down for if in near that