business, and on finding out that he was going to kill the devil, they told the youth that he must first eat the bread of the oven and then drink the wine in the cauldron if he could. The son of the cinders wished for nothing better. He ate the loaves that were baked in the oven, drank all the wine, and further on he saw the wooden bridge and the iron bridge, and beyond the bridges the apple-trees.
The devil had observed the youth from afar, and his courage began to ooze out of him when he saw the deeds of the son of the ashes. "Any fool can go across the iron bridge," thought the youth, "I'll go across the wooden one," and as it was no very great feat to eat the sweet apples he ate the sour ones.—"There will be no joking with this one," said the devil, "I see I must get ready my lance and measure my strength with him."
The son of the ashes saw the devil from afar, and full of the knowledge of his own valour went straight up to him.
"If thou doest not homage to me, I'll swallow thee straight off," cried the devil.
"And if thou doest not homage to me, I'll knock thee to pieces with my lance," replied the youth.
"Oh ho! if we're so brave as all that," cried the three-faced monster, "let us out with our lances without losing any more time."
