room.  Not one of the narrow peep-holes did they leave uninspected, but they found no black rats.  When this floor was wholly in their possession, they began, with the same caution, to acquire the next.  Then they had to venture on a bold and dangerous climb through the walls, while, with breathless anxiety, they awaited an assault from the enemy.  And although they were tempted by the most delicious odour from the grain bins, they forced themselves most systematically to inspect the old-time warriors’ pillar-propped kitchen; their stone table, and fireplace; the deep window-niches, and the hole in the floor—­which in olden time had been opened to pour down boiling pitch on the intruding enemy.

All this time the black rats were invisible.  The gray ones groped their way to the third story, and into the lord of the castle’s great banquet hall—­which stood there cold and empty, like all the other rooms in the old house.  They even groped their way to the upper story, which had but one big, barren room.  The only place they did not think of exploring was the big stork-nest on the roof—­where, just at this time, the lady owl awakened Akka, and informed her that Flammea, the steeple owl, had granted her request, and had sent her the thing she wished for.

Since the gray rats had so conscientiously inspected the entire castle, they felt at ease.  They took it for granted that the black rats had flown, and didn’t intend to offer any resistance; and, with light hearts, they ran up into the grain bins.

But the gray rats had hardly swallowed the first wheat-grains, before the sound of a little shrill pipe was heard from the yard.  The gray rats raised their heads, listened anxiously, ran a few steps as if they intended to leave the bin, then they turned back and began to eat once more.

Again the pipe sounded a sharp and piercing note—­and now something wonderful happened.  One rat, two rats—­yes, a whole lot of rats left the grain, jumped from the bins and hurried down cellar by the shortest cut, to get out of the house.  Still there were many gray rats left.  These thought of all the toil and trouble it had cost them to win Glimminge castle, and they did not want to leave it.  But again they caught the tones from the pipe, and had to follow them.  With wild excitement they rushed up from the bins, slid down through the narrow holes in the walls, and tumbled over each other in their eagerness to get out.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a tiny creature, who blew upon a pipe.  All round him he had a whole circle of rats who listened to him, astonished and fascinated; and every moment brought more.  Once he took the pipe from his lips—­only for a second—­put his thumb to his nose and wiggled his fingers at the gray rats; and then it looked as if they wanted to throw themselves on him and bite him to death; but as soon as he blew on his pipe they were in his power.

When the tiny creature had played all the gray rats out of Glimminge castle, he began to wander slowly from the courtyard out on the highway; and all the gray rats followed him, because the tones from that pipe sounded so sweet to their ears that they could not resist them.