"oh, very badly," said he, and then they lamented their misfortune together, but they said nothing about it to the youngest, for they did not like him at all, and always called him stupid hans, because he did not exactly belong to the forest. on the third day, the youngest stayed at home, and again the little mannikin came and begged for a piece of bread. when the youth gave it to him, the elf let it fall as before, and asked him to be so good as to give him that piece again. then said hans to the little mannikin, "what! canst thou not pick up that piece thyself? if thou wilt not take as much trouble as that for thy daily bread, thou dost not deserve to have it." then the mannikin grew very angry and said he was to do it, but the huntsman would not, and took my dear mannikin, and gave him a thorough beating. then the mannikin screamed terribly, and cried, "stop, stop, and let me go, and i will tell thee where the king’s daughters are." when hans heard that, he left off beating him and the mannikin told him that he was an earth mannikin, and that there were more than a thousand like him, and that if he would go with him he would show him where the king’s daughters were. then he showed him a deep well, but there was no water in it. and the elf said that he knew well that the companions hans had with him did not intend to deal honourably with him, therefore if he wished to deliver the king’s children, he must do it alone. the two other brothers would also be very glad to recover the king’s daughters, but they did not want to have any trouble or danger. hans was therefore to take a large basket, and he must seat himself in it with his hanger and a bell, and be let down. below were three rooms, and in each of them was a princess, with a many-headed dragon, whose heads she was to comb and trim, but he must cut them off. and having said all this, the elf vanished. when it was evening the two brothers came and asked how he had got on, and he said, "pretty well so far," and that he had seen no one except at mid-day when a little mannikin had come and begged for a piece of bread, that he had given some to him, but that the mannikin had let it fall and had asked him to pick it up again; but as he did not choose to do that, the elf had begun to lose his temper, and that he had done what he ought not, and had given the elf a beating, on which he had told him where the king’s daughters were. then the two were so angry at this that they grew green and yellow. next morning they went to the well together, and drew lots who should first seat himself in the basket, and again the lot fell on the eldest, and he was to seat himself in it, and take the bell with him. then he said, "if i ring, you must draw me up again immediately." when he had gone down for a short distance, he rang, and they at once drew him up again. then the second seated himself in the basket, but he did just the same as the first, and then it was the turn of the youngest, but he let himself be lowered quite to the bottom. when he had got out of the basket, he took his hanger, and went and stood outside the first door and listened, and heard the dragon snoring quite loudly. he opened the door slowly, and one of the princesses was sitting there, and had nine dragon’s heads lying upon her lap, and was combing them. then he took his hanger and hewed at them, and the nine fell off. the princess sprang up, threw her arms round his neck, embraced and kissed him repeatedly, and took her stomacher, which was made of pure gold, and hung it round his neck.