to announce his return.

When he reached the cow-yard, Ilmarinen's wife greeted him joyfully, for
it was late and she had feared that something had happened. And she told
her oldest maid-servant to go and milk the cows as she herself was busy.
But Kullervo said: 'Thou shouldst go thyself, for the cows are in better
condition to-night than they have ever been before.' And so she went,
and when she saw them she cried out in wonder: 'Truly my cattle are
beautiful to-night, for their hair glistens like the fur of lynxes, and
is soft as ermine skin.'

With these words she seated herself to begin milking, but all at once
the wolves and bears appeared in their true shapes and began to tear her
to pieces. Then she cried out to Kullervo, when she saw what he had
done, but he answered: 'If I have done evil thou hast done still greater
evil, for thou hast baked a stone inside my bread, and I have broken on
it my knife, the only relic of my mother's people.'

Then Ilmarinen's wife began to beg him to aid her, and promised him the
best of everything to eat, and that he should never have to work again.
But Kullervo would not listen to her prayers, but rejoiced at her agony,
and then the wolves and bears made one more onset, and she fell and
died. Such was the end of the beauteous Rainbow-maiden, for whom so many
had wooed, and who had become the pride and joy of Kalevala.

[Illustration]

KULLERVO'S LIFE AND DEATH

Then Kullervo hastened off, before Ilmarinen should come home and find
out what had happened. And after he was at a safe distance he began to
play upon the bugle he had made, until Ilmarinen ran out of his smithy
to see who it could be, and there before him in the courtyard Ilmarinen
saw the body of his wife and learned what had happened: and he sat down
and wept bitterly, for all the joy of his life was now gone from him.

But Kullervo hastened on, and as he went he mourned his hard lot. When
he had gone a little way he met an old witch on the road, and she asked
him whither he was going. 'I shall journey to the dismal Northland,'
answered Kullervo, 'there to slay the wicked Untamo, who has killed all
my kinsfolk.' Then the witch said: 'Thou art wrong, for thy father and
thy sisters escaped from Untamo's wrath, and now thy mother has joined
them and they are living happily together on the distant borders of
Kalevala.' And when Kullervo begged her to tell him the way to them she
did so, and he hastened off