“Fire and flame!” roared out the Ogre.
“Fire and flame yourself!” said Shortshanks.
“Can you fight?” screamed the Ogre.
“If I can’t, I can learn”, said Shortshanks.
“I’ll soon teach you”, screamed the Ogre, and struck at him with his iron club, so that the earth and stones flew up fifteen yards into the air.
“My!” said Shortshanks, “that was something like a blow; but now you shall see a stroke of mine.”
As he said that, he grasped his sword, and cut off all the Ogre’s fifteen heads at one blow, and sent them all dancing over the sand.
So the Princess was freed from all the Ogres, and she both blessed and thanked Shortshanks for saving her life.
“Sleep now a while on my lap”, she said; and he laid his head on her lap, and while he slept, she threw over him a golden robe.
“But how shall we let it be known that it is you that have saved me?” she asked, when he awoke.