it is gold!" cried they, rushing forward, and seizingthe horses. Then they struck the little jockeys, the coachman, and thefootman dead, and pulled little Gerda out of the carriage. "She is fat and pretty, and she has been fed with the kernels ofnuts," said the old robber-woman, who had a long beard and eyebrowsthat hung over her eyes. "She is as good as a little lamb; how niceshe will taste!" and as she said this, she drew forth a shining knife,that glittered horribly. "Oh!" screamed the old woman the same moment;for her own daughter, who held her back, had bitten her in the ear.She was a wild and naughty girl, and the mother called her an uglything, and had not time to kill Gerda. "She shall play with me," said the little robber-girl; "sheshall give me her muff and her pretty dress, and sleep with me in mybed." And then she bit her mother again, and made her spring in theair, and jump about; and all the robbers laughed, and said, "See howshe is dancing with her young cub." "I will have a ride in the coach," said the little robber-girl;and she would have her own way; for she was so self-willed andobstinate. She and Gerda seated themselves in the coach, and drove away, overstumps and stones, into the depths of the forest. The littlerobber-girl was about the same size as Gerda, but stronger; she hadbroader shoulders and a darker skin; her eyes were quite black, andshe had a mournful look. She clasped little Gerda round the waist, andsaid,- "They shall not kill you as long as you don't make us vexed withyou. I suppose you are a princess." "No," said Gerda; and then she told her all her history, and howfond she was of little Kay. The robber-girl looked earnestly at her, nodded her head slightly,and said, "They sha'nt kill you, even if I do get angry with you;for I will do it myself." And then she wiped Gerda's eyes, and stuckher own hands in the beautiful muff which was so soft and warm. The coach stopped in the courtyard of a robber's castle, the wallsof which were cracked from top to bottom. Ravens and crows flew in andout of the holes and crevices, while great bulldogs, either of whichlooked as if it could swallow a man, were jumping about; but they werenot allowed to bark. In the large and smoky hall a bright fire wasburning on the stone floor. There was no chimney; so the smoke went upto the ceiling, and found a way out for itself. Soup was boiling ina large cauldron, and hares and rabbits were roasting on the spit. "You shall sleep with me and all my little animals to-night," saidthe robber-girl, after they had had something to eat and drink. So shetook Gerda to a corner of the hall, where some straw and carpetswere laid down. Above them, on laths and perches, were more than ahundred pigeons, who all seemed to be asleep, although they movedslightly when the two little girls came near them. "These all belongto me," said the robber-girl; and she seized the nearest to her,held it by the feet, and shook it till it flapped its wings. "Kissit," cried she, flapping it in Gerda's face. "There sit thewood-pigeons," continued she, pointing to a number of laths and a cagewhich had been fixed into the walls, near one of the openings. "Bothrascals would fly away directly, if they were not closely locked up.And here is my old sweetheart 'Ba;' and she dragged out a reindeerby the horn; he wore a bright copper ring round his neck, and was tiedup. "We are obliged to hold him tight too, or else he would run awayfrom us also. I tickle his neck every evening with my sharp knife,which frightens him very much." And then the robber-girl drew a longknife from a chink in the wall, and let it slide gently over thereindeer's neck. The poor animal began to kick, and the littlerobber-girl laughed, and pulled down Gerda into bed with her. "Will you have that knife with you while you are asleep?"