d been set to catch him, until at length he came out safe into
the land of the living again; and the next morning, when Tuoni's wizard
son went to look at his nets, he found all kinds of evil fish and
serpents, but not the wise old magician.

But Wainamoinen prayed to Ukko: 'I thank thee, O Ukko, that thou hast
protected me; but never suffer any other of thy heroes, not even the
wisest, to go against the laws of nature to the awful Tuonela. For there
are but few who return from thence.'

And then Wainamoinen called together the people on the plains of
Kalevala, and spoke to the young men and maidens, saying: 'Listen, all
ye young people. Never disobey your parents; never harm the innocent,
nor wrong the weak, nor utter falsehood, else ye will pay the penance
for it in the gloomy prison of Manala; for there is the dwelling-place
of the wicked, and a place for the guilty. Beneath the burning rocks
there are fiery couches, with pillows of hissing serpents, and coverlets
of green writhing vipers. And the wicked there drink the blood of
adders, but have nothing to eat at all. If ye would be happy, shun this
abode of the wicked ones in Tuonela.'

* * * * *

'But I thought Wainamoinen wasn't to use any wood for his boat except
the pieces of the distaff,' said Mimi.

'Well, you see,' said Father Mikko, 'the main thing was to build the
boat by _magic_, and we'll see now how he did that. I don't believe a
little extra wood made any difference.' So he went on:

[Illustration: A LAPLAND WIZARD.]

[Illustration]

WAINAMOINEN FINDS THE LOST WORDS

Wainamoinen had failed to find the three magic words in the Deathland,
and now he sat and pondered whither he should go next to seek them.
While he was thinking over this, a shepherd came to him and said: 'Thou
canst find a thousand words of wisdom on the tongue of the dead hero
Wipunen. I know the road that leads to his grave: first, thou must
journey a long distance over the points of needles, and then a long way
upon the edges of sharp swords, and then a third road on the edges of
hatchets.'

Then Wainamoinen considered how he should be able to walk over the
needles and swords and hatchets, and at last hit on a plan. He went to
the smith Ilmarinen and bade him make shoes of iron, and gloves of
copper, and a magic staff of the sent by mighty Ukko, for if so I will
be resigned, but if thou art of some human race, I will search out thy
tri