`` God knows what there was to make you two so frightened . '' `` Well , we shall soon see whether you have watched the meadow or not , '' answered the brothers , but when they got there the grass was all standing just as long and as thick as it had been the night before . The next St. John 's eve it was the same thing , once again : neither of the two brothers dared to go to the outlying field to watch the crop , but Cinderlad went , and everything happened exactly the same as on the previous St. John 's eve : first there was a rumbling and an earthquake , and then there was another , and then a third : but all three earthquakes were much , very much more violent than they had been the year before . Then everything became still as death again , and the boy heard something chewing outside the barn door , so he stole as softly as he could to the door , which was slightly ajar , and again there was a horse standing close by the wall of the house , eating and chewing , and it was far larger and fatter than the first horse , and it had a saddle on its back , and a bridle was on it too , and a full suit of armor for a knight , all of bright silver , and as beautiful as anyone could wish to see . `` Ho , ho ! '' thought the boy , `` is it thou who eatest up our hay in the night ? but I will put a stop to that . '' So he took out his steel for striking fire , and threw it over the horse 's mane , and the beast stood there as quiet as a lamb . Then the boy rode this horse , too , away to the place where he kept the other , and then went home again . `` I suppose you will tell us that you have watched well again this time , '' said the brothers . `` Well , so I have , '' said Cinderlad . So they went there again , and there the grass was , standing as high and as thick as it had been before , but that did not make them any kinder to Cinderlad . When the third St. John 's night came neither of the two elder brothers dared to lie in the outlying barn to watch the grass , for they had been so heartily frightened the night that they had slept there that they could not get over it , but Cinderlad dared to go , and everything happened just the same as on the two former nights . There were three earthquakes , each worse than the other , and the last flung the boy from one wall of the barn to the other , but then everything suddenly became still as death . When he had lain quietly a short time , he heard something chewing outside the barn door ; then he once more stole to the door , which was slightly ajar , and behold , a horse was standing just outside it , which was much larger and fatter than the two others he had caught . `` Ho , ho ! it is thou , then , who art eating up our hay this time , '' thought the boy ; `` but I will put a stop to that . '' So he pulled out his steel for striking fire , and threw it over the horse , and it stood as still as if it had been nailed to the field , and the boy could do just what he liked with it . Then he mounted it and rode away to the place where he had the two others , and then he went home again . Then the two brothers mocked him just as they had done before , and told him that they could see that he must have watched the grass very carefully that night , for he looked just as if he were walking in his sleep ; but Cinderlad did not trouble himself about that , but just bade them go to the field and see .
They did go , and this time too the grass was standing , looking XXXXX fine and as thick as ever .
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