The king again summoned the brothers before him, and asked whether it was true that they had said that they could get for him a boar whose bristles were of gold and silver time about. ‘No,’ said the brothers; they had never said nor thought such a thing, and they did not believe that there was such a boar in the whole world. ‘You must get me that boar within three days,’ said the king, ‘or it will cost you your heads.’ With that they had to go. This was still worse than before, they thought. Where could they get such a marvellous boar? They all went about hanging their heads; but when only one day remained of the three Esben came along. When he saw his brothers’ sorrowful looks he cried, ‘Hallo, what’s the matter now?’ ‘Oh, what’s the use of telling you?’ said his brothers. ‘You can’t help us, at any rate.’ ‘Ah, you don’t know that,’ said Esben; ‘I’ve helped you before.’ In the end they told him how Sir Red had stirred up the king against them, so that he had ordered them to get for him a boar with bristles of gold and silver time about. ‘That’s all right,’ said Esben; ‘give me a sack of malt, and it is not quite impossible that I may be able to help you.’ Esben got his sack of malt; then he took his little white stick, set himself upon it, and said, Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream. Off went the stick with him, and very soon he was again in the witch’s courtyard. There he emptied out the malt, and next moment came the boar, which had every second bristle of gold and of silver. Esben at once put it into his sack and hurried off before the witch should catch sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and shouted after him, ‘Hey! is that you, Esben?’ ‘Ye--e--s!’ ‘Is it you that has taken my pretty boar?’ ‘Ye--e--s!’ ‘It was also you that took my dove?’ ‘Ye--e--s!’ ‘And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?’ ‘Ye--e--s!’ ‘Are you coming back again?’ ‘That may be,’ said Esben. ‘Then you’ll catch it,’ said the witch. Esben was soon back at the palace with the boar, and his brothers scarcely knew which leg to stand on, so rejoiced were they that they were safe again. Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking Esben for what he had done for them. The king was still more rejoiced over the boar than he had been over the dove, and did not know what to give the brothers for it. At this Sir Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went about and planned how to get the brothers into trouble. One day he went again to the king and said, ‘These eleven brothers have now procured the dove and the boar, but they can do much more than that; I know they have said that if they liked they could get for the king a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms.’ ‘If they have said that,’ said the king, ‘they shall also be made to bring it to me. That would be a glorious lamp for me.’