er, if you will take my advice, return with empty
hands. But you must never put to sea without having first seen me pass
your house, as if going toward the shore. Obey me in this matter, and I
promise you that you shall never launch your boat in vain."

The fisherman thanked him for this advice; and sure enough it was that
for three years afterward, never putting to sea till he had first seen
his neighbor pass his door, he always launched his boat safely, and
always came home full-handed.

But at the end of the three years it fell out that one day in the early
morning, the fisherman, looking out from his house, saw the wind and
weather favorable, and all other fishers hurrying down to the sea to
make the best of so good a time. But though he waited hour after hour
in the hope of seeing his neighbor pass, the man of Hvammsgil never
came. At last, losing his patience, he started out without having seen
him go by. When he came down to the shore, he found that all the boats
were launched and far away.

Before night the wind rose and became a storm, and every boat that had
that day put to sea was wrecked, and every fisher drowned; the peasant
of Goetur alone escaping, for he had been unable to go out fishing. The
next night he had a strange dream, in which his neighbor from Hvammsgil
came to him and said, "Although you did not yesterday follow my advice,
I yet so far felt kindly toward you that I hindered you from going out
to sea, and saved you thus from drowning; but look no more forth to see
me pass, for we have met for the last time." And never again did the
peasant see his neighbor pass his door.

THE MAGIC SCYTHE

A certain day-laborer once started from his home in the south to earn
wages for hay-cutting in the north country. In the mountains he was
suddenly overtaken by a thick mist and sleet-storm, and lost his way.
Fearing to go on further, he pitched his tent in a convenient spot, and
taking out his provisions, began to eat.

While he was engaged upon his meal, a brown dog came into the tent, so
ill-favored, dirty, wet, and fierce-eyed, that the poor man felt quite
afraid of it, and gave it as much bread and meat as it could devour.
This the dog swallowed greedily, and ran off again into the mist. At
first the man wondered much to see a dog in such a wild place, where he
never expected to meet with a living creature; but after a while he
thought no more about the matter, and having finished his supper, fell