Niels was silent , and wondered what the usual penalty was for a poor sheep-farmer 's son who was so unfortunate as to deliver a princess and carry off things from her bed-room . ` See what else he has about him , ' said the princess to the steward , and Niels had to submit to be searched : out of one pocket came a gold-embroidered slipper , and out of another the half of a gold-hemmed handkerchief . ` That is enough , ' said the princess ; ` now we need n't ask any more questions . Send for my father the king at once . ' ` Please let me go , ' said Niels ; ' I did you as much good as harm , at any rate . ' ` Why , who said anything about doing harm ? ' said the princess . ` You must stay here till my father comes . ' The way in which the princess smiled when she said this gave Niels some hope that things might not be bad for him after all , and he was yet more encouraged when he thought of the words engraver on the horn , though the last line still seemed too good to be true . However , the arrival of the king soon settled the matter : the princess was willing and so was Niels , and in a few days the wedding bells were ringing . Niels was made an earl by that time , and looked as handsome as any of them when dressed in all his robes . Before long the old king died , and Niels reigned after him ; but whether his father and mother stayed with him , or went back to the moor in Jutland , or were sent to Rome in a carriage and four , is something that all the historians of his reign have forgotten to mention . Shepherd Paul Once upon a time a shepherd was taking his flock out to pasture , when he found a little baby lying in a meadow , left there by some wicked person , who thought it was too much trouble to look after it . The shepherd was fond of children , so he took the baby home with him and gave it plenty of milk , and by the time the boy was fourteen he could tear up oaks as if they were weeds . Then Paul , as the shepherd had called him , grew tired of living at home , and went out into the world to try his luck . He walked on for many miles , seeing nothing that surprised him , but in an open space of the wood he was astonished at finding a man combing trees as another man would comb flax . ` Good morning , friend , ' said Paul ; ` upon my word , you must be a strong man ! ' The man stopped his work and laughed . ' I am Tree Comber , ' he answered proudly ; ` and the greatest wish of my life is to wrestle with Shepherd Paul . ' ` May all your wishes be fulfilled as easily , for I am Shepherd Paul , and can wrestle with you at once , ' replied the lad ; and he seized Tree Comber and flung him with such force to the ground that he sank up to his knees in the earth .
However , in a moment he was up again , and catching hold of Paul , threw him so that he sank up to his waist ; but then it was Paul 's turn again , and this time the man was buried up XXXXX his neck .
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