to weave his magic
spells, while the lightning shot from his fur mantle and flames from his
eyes. He sang them all under the power of his magic--some beneath the
waters, some into the burning fire, some beneath the heaped-up
mountains. Only one poor old man, who was blind and lame, did he leave
untouched. And when the old man asked him why it was that he had alone
been left, cruel Lemminkainen began to abuse him and to torment him with
words, until the old man, Nasshut, grew almost wild with anger, and
hobbled away, swearing to have vengeance. Nasshut journeyed on and on,
and at last arrived at the river Tuoni, which separates the land of the
dead from the land of the living. There he waited until Lemminkainen
should come, for he knew, by his wizard's skill, that he would come
thither soon.

[Illustration]

LEMMINKAINEN'S SECOND WOOING

After this Lemminkainen travelled on through dismal Pohjola until he
came to the home of aged Louhi. He went in to Louhi and begged her to
give him one of her daughters in marriage, but Louhi refused, saying:
'Thou hast already taken one wife from Lapland, the fair Kyllikki, and I
will give thee neither the loveliest nor yet the ugliest of my
daughters.'

Still Lemminkainen kept urging her, and at last, to get rid of him, she
said: 'I will never give one of my daughters to a worthless man. Thou
mayst not ask me again until thou bringest me the Hisi-reindeer.'

Then Lemminkainen set to work to make his arrows and his darts. When
these were done he went to Lylikki, the great snow-shoe maker, and bade
him make a huge pair of snow-shoes, as he was going to hunt the
Hisi-reindeer. At first Lylikki tried to dissuade him, telling him he
could never succeed, but perhaps would die in the forest. But
Lemminkainen ordered him again to make the snow-shoes, and Lylikki set
to work. He made them of wood, only a few inches wide, but longer than
Lemminkainen was tall, and with straps in the middle to fasten them on
to the feet; and he also made a staff for Lemminkainen to push himself
along with, or to keep his balance with when he slid down the hills.

At length they were finished, and Lemminkainen put them on, and his
quiver on his back, and took his snow-staff in his hand, and as he set
off he cried out: 'There is no living thing in all the forest that can
escape me now, when I take my mighty strides in Lylikki's snow-shoes.'

But the evil spirit Hisi overheard him as he boasted thus,