“You’re a pretty fellow,” said the soldier, seizing him, and placing him on
the witch’s apron, while he filled his pockets from the chest with as many
pieces as they would hold. Then he closed the lid, seated the dog upon it
again, and walked into another chamber, And, sure enough, there sat the
dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.
“You had better not look at me in that way,” said the soldier; “you will
make your eyes water;” and then he seated him also upon the apron, and
opened the chest. But when he saw what a quantity of silver money it
contained, he very quickly threw away all the coppers he had taken, and
filled his pockets and his knapsack with nothing but silver.
Then he went into the third room, and there the dog was really hideous;
his eyes were, truly, as big as towers, and they turned round and round in
his head like wheels.
“Good morning,” said the soldier, touching his cap, for he had never seen
such a dog in his life. But after looking at him more closely, he thought he
had been civil enough, so he placed him on the floor, and opened the chest.
Good gracious, what a quantity of gold there was! enough to buy all the
sugar-sticks of the sweet-stuff women; all the tin soldiers, whips, and
rocking-horses in the world, or even the whole town itself There was,
indeed, an immense quantity. So the soldier now threw away all the silver
money he had taken, and filled his pockets and his knapsack with gold
instead; and not only his pockets and his knapsack, but even his cap and
boots, so that he could scarcely walk.
He was really rich now; so he replaced the dog on the chest, closed the
door, and called up through the tree, “Now pull me out, you old witch.”
“Have you got the tinder-box?” asked the witch.
“No; I declare I quite forgot it.” So he went back and fetched the
tinderbox, and then the witch drew him up out of the tree, and he stood
again in the high road, with his pockets, his knapsack, his cap, and his boots
full of gold.
“What are you going to do with the tinder-box?” asked the soldier.
