So saying, Jabor scooped up seven of the fattest ewes and stuffed them into his pocket. Then he roared out, “Hum! Ha! What’s your name?”
“K-Konrad, my lord.”
“And I am Monster Jabor, a lord as you say—lord of the universe! You see that stone castle up there at the head of the valley? What—what? Can’t see it? Eh? No matter, it’s there, and it’s where I live. Hum! I invite you to breakfast with me tomorrow. Ha! Bring seven more sheep. What, what, you make butter and cheese, do you? Bring seven cheeses then, and as much butter as you can carry. What, two brothers you say you have—and do you love your brothers? Hum! Ha! What’s to prevent my swallowing them down, and you on top of them? Hey? Only my kind heart! Ha! Ha! What! Up you come to breakfast, or down I come and make a breakfast of the three of you. Ha! Ha! Ha!”
And off strode Monster Jabor, making the valley clang with his shouts of laughter.
Konrad hurriedly collected his flock together and drove them home. “Brothers, brothers!” he cried. “We must hasten to leave this valley!”
And he told them what had happened.
“But where are we to go?” said Fabian. “We cannot run away and leave the flock behind us. And to pack up and drive them off will be a slow and lengthy business. And what is to prevent the monster from coming after us, and devouring the flock and us into the bargain? I think we must sacrifice seven more sheep, brother Konrad; and I think they must be driven up to this Monster Jabor’s castle, first thing tomorrow morning. But I’ll willingly go instead of you.”
“No, I am the youngest and least wanted,” said Karl. “Let me go!”
“You shall neither of you go,” said Konrad. “If one must go, it shall be myself.”
So next morning, very early, Konrad took seven cheeses and a pail full of butter, and set out for Monster Jabor’s castle, driving seven sheep before him.
In the castle courtyard a fire was smouldering, and over the fire a huge cauldron, filled with porridge, hung on a-crook. Jabor was still asleep, and the castle echoed with his snores. Konrad left the sheep in the courtyard, and carried the butter and the cheeses up into the bedroom, guided by Jabor’s snores. He stood by the bed, shaking with fear, and not knowing what to do next. But suddenly Jabor opened his eyes.
“Ha! So you’ve come! What? Here’s the butter I see, and here are the cheeses. Hum! Ha! Where are the sheep?”
“In the courtyard,” faltered Konrad.
“Ha! Ha! What? What? Afraid of me?” roared Jabor. “So you should be—what?” And he seized the pailful of butter and swallowed it down, pail and all. Then he crammed the seven cheeses into his mouth, and bellowed, “Where are the sheep, did you say?”
“In—in the courtyard, my lord.”
“Go and shut them up in the stable—you’ll find the other seven there. Ha! I didn’t eat a single sheep yesterday, and I’m not eating one today. Seven of my friends are coming on a visit the day after tomorrow, and we shall have a feast. Sheep in plenty, eh? And maybe some other juicy little fellows! What? What? Did you see a fire in a corner of the courtyard with a cauldron hanging over it?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“It’s my breakfast porridge cooking. Go and stir it. If you let it burn—ha! ha! you’ll burn with it! Do you want to go and burn in the cauldron? What? What?”
“N-no, my lord.”
“Well, be off and stir, be off and stir!” roared Jabor.
So, for half an hour or so, Konrad stood in the courtyard, stirring the porridge with a long iron spoon. “Perhaps it’s not going to be so bad, after all,” he thought. “Perhaps Jabor will let me go home when I’ve finished stirring.”
But there he was mistaken. When Jabor came out, wiping his mouth with his fist, he seized up Konrad by the heels and flung him into the stable on top of the sheep. “Ha! Ha!” he roared. “So you haven’t burned my porridge! What? What? Today you live, tomorrow you live, and the day after tomorrow we feast, my friends and I. We feast on sheep and little mannikins, sweet, tender little mannikins, whose bones go crick crack, crackle in a monster’s mouth!”
Then, having bolted the stable door, Jabor took the cauldron off the crook, swallowed the porridge at one gulp, smacked his lips, and strode off down into the valley, where he found Fabian tending the sheep.
“Ha! Ha!” roared Jabor. “I had a good breakfast this morning! And your brother is staying with me for the present. A nice tender little boy is your brother. What? What? But if you graze your sheep in my valley, you must pay rent—that’s only fair! What? So tomorrow, my chick, I invite you to breakfast. Hum! Ha! Bring seven more sheep, and seven more cheeses, and as much butter as you can carry. What? What? Do you hear me, hey? Mind you come! If you don’t come, it will be the worse for you! See my finger, see my thumb? They can pinch, little chicken, they can pinch! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Then Jabor, having picked up seven more sheep and stuffed them into his pocket, strode off back to his castle, and put those seven sheep also into his stable. He brought fodder for the sheep, and food and wine for Konrad. “Eat up, eat up!” he roared. “Ha! Ha! Can’t have you pining away. What? What?”
The sheep were glad of the fodder, but Konrad, though he drank the wine, had no heart to eat.
Down in the valley Fabian and Karl spent an unhappy day; and early next morning, Fabian took seven cheeses and a pailful of butter and prepared to set out for the castle, with seven more sheep. “Goodbye, my brother,” he said to Karl, “may the Lord keep you! For I have a strong feeling that I shall never see you again.”
And Karl answered. “But I have a stronger feeling that you will see me again! If we have to die, we will die together, as brothers should. And if we are to live, we will live and rejoice together. So keep up your heart, my brother.”
Well, exactly the same thing happened to Fabian as had happened to Konrad. He found Jabor in bed, gave him the butter and the cheeses, and was sent out into the courtyard to stir the porridge. And when the porridge was cooked, he was shut in the stable, along with Konrad and the sheep.
And again Jabor brought fodder for the sheep and food and wine for the two lads. “No need to starve today, my chickens,” he roared. “You don’t go into the pot until tomorrow!”
Then he strode off down into the valley, where he found young Karl tending the sheep.
“Ah, good morning, good morning!” said Karl. “I was expecting you. How are my brothers?”
“Eating hearty and doing well,” roared Jabor. “And hoping you will join them for breakfast tomorrow morning. Hey? What?”
“I shall be happy to do so,” said Karl. “But keep your distance, if you please; for your breath is so powerful that I find it difficult to stand on my feet.”
Monster Jabor stared; he didn’t quite know what to make of this; but he picked up seven sheep, stuffed them into his pocket, and ordered Karl to bring him seven more sheep in the morning, together with seven cheeses and a pailful of butter.
“And mind you come!” he roared.
“Oh, I shall come,” said Karl. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! What? What? Are you indeed?” roared Jabor.
And he stamped away up the valley, which echoed to the tramp of his feet.
Next morning, there was young Karl going up to the castle with the seven sheep, and the seven cheeses, and the pailful of butter.
“Live together, or die together,” Karl was thinking. “That’s what I said, and that’s what I mean. But I would to heaven we were all three well out of this!”