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'For this very reason have I come here,' the tailor replied, 'I

am ready to enter the king's service.' He was therefore

honourably received, and a special dwelling was assigned him.

The soldiers, however, were set against the little tailor, and

wished him a thousand miles away. 'What is to be the end of

this?' they said among themselves. 'If we quarrel with him, and

he strikes about him, seven of us will fall at every blow; not

one of us can stand against him.' They came therefore to a

decision, betook themselves in a body to the king, and begged for

their dismissal. 'We are not prepared,' said they, 'to stay with

a man who kills seven at one stroke.' The king was sorry that for

the sake of one he should lose all his faithful servants, wished

that he had never set eyes on the tailor, and would willingly

have been rid of him again. But he did not venture to give him

his dismissal, for he dreaded lest he should strike him and all

his people dead, and place himself on the royal throne. He

thought about it for a long time, and at last found good counsel.