“Wait a moment,” said the youth, “and I’ll poke up the fire.”
When this was done, and he looked around, the two halves had joined themselves together, and a hideous man sat on the bench. “We didn’t bargain for that,” said the lad. “The bench is mine.”
He went to sit down, and the man tried to push him out of the way. Then the youth became angry and flung the man aside and sat down in his usual seat. Presently more men fell down the chimney, one after the other, and they fetched with them nine thigh bones and two skulls, and began to play skittles. The youth felt inclined to join in the sport, and he called out, “I say, can I play too?”
“Certainly,” said they.
“Then here goes!” he cried. “The more, the merrier!”
He played with them till ten o’clock, when they disappeared. So he lay down, and soon was fast asleep.
Next morning the king again came to see him, and said, “Well, how did you get on this time?”
“I have been playing skittles,” he answered.
“Didn’t you learn to shiver?” the king asked.
“Not I,” he responded. “I only made merry.”