THE STORY OF THE FORTY-FIRST BROTHER. 251

youngest, till they were all suited. And the youngest
brother of all said: “Tl take that little damsel who
is sitting on the stove in the corner and has the nice
kerchief in her hand.” ‘Then they all drank a
bumper together to seal the bargain, and after that
the forty-one bridegrooms and the forty-one brides
laid them down to sleep side by side. But the
youngest brother of all said to himself: “I will
bring my foal into the room.” So he brought in the
foal, and then went to his bed-chamber and laid him
down to sleep also. Now his bride lay down with
her kerchief in her hand, and he took a great fancy
to it, and he begged and prayed her for it again and
again, until at last she gave it to him. Now, when
Wednesday thought that all the people were asleep,
he went out into the courtyard to sharpen his sabre.
Then the foal said: ‘Oh, my dear little master, come
here, come here!” He came, and the foal said to
him: “Take off the night-dresses of the forty sleeping
bridegrooms and put them on the forty sleeping brides,
and put the night-dresses of the brides on the bride-
grooms, fora great woe is nigh!” And he did so.
When Wednesday had sharpened his sabre he came into
the room and began feeling for the stiff collars of the
bridegrooms’ night-dresses, and straightway cut off
the forty heads above the collars. Then he carried
off the heads of his forty.daughters in a bunch (for