thou growest more stupid every day!" said the father again. hans, however, did not care about that, and did not let it spoil his pleasure, but as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait until the morrow, for he could not get to court that day. all night long he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he dreamt of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, and of silver, and all kinds of things of that sort. early in the morning, he went forth on his way, and directly afterwards the little shabby-looking man in his iron clothes, came to him and asked what he was carrying in the basket. hans gave him the answer that he was carrying apples with which the king’s daughter was to eat herself well. "then," said the little man, "so shall they be, and remain." but at the court they would none of them let hans go in, for they said two had already been there who had told them that they were bringing apples, and one of them had frogs’ legs, and the other hogs’ bristles. hans, however, resolutely maintained that he most certainly had no frogs’ legs, but some of the most beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. as he spoke so pleasantly, the door-keeper thought he could not be telling a lie, and asked him to go in, and he was right, for when hans uncovered his basket in the king’s presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. the king was delighted, and caused some of them to be taken to his daughter, and then waited in anxious expectation until news should be brought to him of the effect they had. but before much time had passed by, news was brought to him: but who do you think it was who came? it was his daughter herself! as soon as she had eaten of those apples, she was cured, and sprang out of her bed. the joy the king felt cannot be described! but now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to hans, and said he must first make him a boat which would go quicker on dry land than on water. hans agreed to the conditions, and went home, and related how it had fared with him. then the father sent uele into the forest to make a boat of that kind. he worked diligently, and whistled all the time. at mid-day, when the sun was at the highest, came the little iron man and asked what he was making? uele gave him for answer, "wooden bowls for the kitchen." the iron man said, "so it shall be, and remain." by evening uele thought he had now made the boat, but when he wanted to get into it, he had nothing but wooden bowls. the next day seame went into the forest, but everything went with him just as it had done with uele. on the third day stupid hans went. he worked away most industriously, so that the whole forest resounded with the heavy strokes, and all the while he sang and whistled right merrily. at mid-day, when it was the hottest, the little man came again, and asked what he was making? "a boat which will go quicker on dry land than on the water," replied hans, "and when i have finished it, i am to have the king’s daughter for my wife." "well,"