The three little men came slily up to him, and thought by their
nimbleness to get back the cap, but he held his prize fast, and they
saw clearly that nothing was to be done in this way with him, for in
size and strength John was a giant in comparison of these little
fellows, who hardly reached his knee. The owner of the cap now came up
very humbly to the finder, and begged in as supplicating a tone as if
his life depended upon it, that he would give him back his cap. "No,"
said John, "you sly little rogue, you'll get the cap no more. That's
not the sort of thing: I should be in a nice perplexity if I had not
something of yours; now you have no power over me, but must do what I
please. And I will go down with you, and see how you live below and
you shall be my servant.--Nay, no grumbling, you know you must. And I
know it too, just as well as you do, for Klas Starkwolt told it to me
often and often."
The little man made as if he had not heard or understood one word of
all this; he began all his crying and whining over again, and wept,
and screamed, and howled most piteously for his little cap. But John
cut the matter short by saying to him, "Have done; you are my servant,
and I intend to take a trip with you." So the underground man gave up
the point; especially as he well knew there was no remedy.
John now flung away his old hat, and put on the cap, and set it firmly
on his head, lest it should slip off or fly away, for all his power
lay in it.
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