A soldier came marching along the road: left, right! left, right! He had his knapsack on his back and a sword at his side, because he had been to the war and now he was on his way home.

As he marched along, he met an old witch on the road. She was very ugly, and her lower lip hung down to her breast. “Good evening, soldier,” she said. “What a fine sword you have, and what a big knapsack! You look just the way a soldier should. Now I’ll show you how to get as much money as you could ever want.”

“Thank you, old witch,” said the soldier.

“Do you see that big tree over there?” the witch said, pointing. “It’s completely hollow inside. If you climb to the top, you’ll see a hole, and you can crawl through the hole and lower yourself down to the bottom. I’ll tie a rope around your waist, and I’ll pull you up again when you tell me to.”

“But what am I supposed to do once I’m down there in the tree?” the soldier asked.

“Get money,” said the witch. “When you reach the bottom, you’ll find yourself in a large hall. It will be very bright, with hundreds of lamps burning. Then you’ll see three doors. The keys are in the locks, so you’ll be able to open them.

“When you enter the first room, you’ll see a large chest in the middle of the floor, and on it there will be a dog with eyes as big as clocks. But don’t worry about him. I’ll give you my blue-checked apron; spread it on the floor, then grab the dog, put him on my apron, open the chest, and take as much money as you want. The coins are just copper.