fectly, and in a
very short time they arrived at Louhi's house. When he had given the
Hisi-horse to Louhi, Lemminkainen asked again for the hand of her
fairest daughter. But Louhi told him she would not give him her daughter
until he had killed the swan that swam on Tuoni's river, which flows
between the land of the living and the dead.

Then Lemminkainen started off fearlessly to seek the graceful swan of
Tuoni, and journeyed on and on until at length he came to the coal-black
river. There the old shepherd of Pohjola, Nasshut, was waiting for him,
and, though blind, he heard Lemminkainen's footsteps, and sent a serpent
from the death-river to meet him. The serpent stung Lemminkainen just
over the heart, so that he fell down dead almost instantly, only having
time to call upon his ancient mother to help him.

And Nasshut cast his body into the dismal river Tuoni, where it was
washed down through the rapids to the Deathland, Tuonela. There the son
of the ruler of the Deathland took the body, and cutting it into five
portions, cast them back into the stream, saying: 'Swim there now, O
Lemminkainen! float for ever in this river, so that thou mayst hunt the
wild swan at thy leisure.'

And thus the handsome Lemminkainen died, and was cast into the river of
Tuoni, that flows along the Deathland.

[Illustration]

LEMMINKAINEN'S RESTORATION

Lemminkainen's mother began to grow uneasy at his long absence, and to
fear that some trouble had befallen him. At last one day, as his wife,
the fair Kyllikki, was in her room, she noticed that drops of blood had
begun to flow from the bristles of Lemminkainen's hair-brush. Then she
began to weep and mourn, and ran and told his mother, who came and saw
the blood oozing from the brush, and cried out:

'Woe is me, for my son, my hero, is in some terrible distress; some
awful misfortune has happened to him.' Saying this she hurried off, and
went straight to Louhi's house. There she asked what had become of her
son, but Louhi only replied that she did not know, that he had driven
off long ago in a sledge she had given him, and perhaps the wolves or
bears had eaten him.

'Thou art only telling falsehoods,' replied Lemminkainen's mother, 'for
no bears or wolves can devour him; he would put them to sleep with his
magic singing. Now, tell me truly, O Louhi, whither thou hast sent my
son, or I will destroy all thy storehouses and even thy magic Sampo.'

And then Louhi said that s