When he had walked on for a long time , he met for the third time an old , old crook-backed hag , who had only one eye . This eye also Minnikin stole , and when the woman screamed and lamented , and asked what had become of her eye , Minnikin said , ` What will you give me to get your eye back ? ' ' I will give thee the art to brew a hundred lasts of malt in one brewing . ' So , for teaching that art , the old hag got her eye back , and they both went away by different roads . But when Minnikin had walked a short distance , it seemed to him that it might be worth while to see what his ship could do ; so he took it out of his pocket , and first he put one foot into it , and then the other , and no sooner had he put one foot into the ship than it became much larger , and when he set the other foot into it , it grew as large as ships that sail on the sea . Then Minnikin said : ` Now go over fresh water and salt water , over high hills and deep dales , and do not stop until thou comest to the King 's palace . ' And in an instant the ship went away as swiftly as any bird in the air till it got just below the King 's palace , and there it stood still . From the windows of the King 's palace many persons had seen Minnikin come sailing thither , and had stood to watch him ; and they were all so astounded that they ran down to see what manner of man this could be who came sailing in a ship through the air . But while they were running down from the King 's palace , Minnikin had got out of the ship and had put it in his pocket again ; for the moment he got out of it , it once more became as small as it had been when he got it from the old woman , and those who came from the King 's palace could see nothing but a ragged little boy who was standing down by the sea-shore . The King asked where he had come from , but the boy said he did not know , nor yet could he tell them how he had got there , but he begged very earnestly and prettily for a place in the King 's palace . If there was nothing else for him to do , he said he would fetch wood and water for the kitchen-maid , and that he obtained leave to do . When Minnikin went up to the King 's palace he saw that everything there was hung with black both outside and inside , from the bottom to the top ; so he asked the kitchen-maid what that meant . ` Oh , I will tell you that , ' answered the kitchen-maid . ` The King 's daughter was long ago promised away to three Trolls , and next Thursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her . Ritter Red has said that he will be able to set her free , but who knows whether he will be able to do it ? so you may easily imagine what grief and distress we are in here . ' So when Thursday evening came , Ritter Red accompanied the Princess to the sea-shore ; for there she was to meet the Troll , and Ritter Red was to stay with her and protect her . He , however , was very unlikely to do the Troll much injury , for no sooner had the Princess seated herself by the sea-shore than Ritter Red climbed up into a great tree which was standing there , and hid himself as well as he could among the branches . The Princess wept , and begged him most earnestly not to go and leave her ; but Ritter Red did not concern himself about that . ` It is better that one should die than two , ' said he .
In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily to give him leave XXXXX go down to the strand for a short time .
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