the next morning he took it to the court-house to the king. but the king said, "you cannot yet marry my daughter. if you wish to do so, you must first fight with my two demons and kill them." the king a long time ago had caught two demons, and then, as he did not know what to do with them, he had shut them up in a cage. he was afraid to let them loose for fear they would eat up all the people in his country; and he did not know how to kill them. so all the kings and kings' sons who wanted to marry the princess labam had to fight with these demons; "for," said the king to himself, "perhaps the demons may be killed, and then i shall be rid of them."