em, as the youngest had stayed at home. The air was warm and damp, and
the snow soft and slushy, and the elder brother's bowstring hung loose,
while the bow of the younger caught in a tree and snapped in half. At
that moment the dogs began to bark loudly, and the bear rushed out
of the thicket and set off in the direction of the mountain. Without
thinking that they had nothing to defend themselves with, should the
bear turn and attack them, the boys gave chase. The bear, who knew quite
well that he could not be shot, sometimes slackened his pace and let the
dogs get quite close; and in this way the elder son reached the mountain
without observing it, while his brother, who had hurt his foot, was
still far behind.

As he ran up, the mountain opened to admit the bear, and the boy, who
was close on his heels, rushed in after him, and did not know where he
was till he saw bears sitting on every side of him, holding a council.
The animal he had been chasing sank panting in their midst, and the boy,
very much frightened, stood still, letting his bow fall to the ground.

'Why are you trying to kill all my servants?' asked the chief. 'Look
round and see their shades, with arrows sticking in them. It was I who
told the bear to-day how he was to lure you into my power. I shall take
care that you shall not hurt my people any more, because you will become
a bear yourself.'

At this moment the second brother came up--for the mountain had been
left open on purpose to tempt him also--and cried out breathlessly:
'Don't you see that the bear is lying close to you? Why don't you shoot
him?' And, without waiting for a reply, pressed forward to drive his
arrow into the heart of the bear. But the elder one caught his raised
arm, and whispered: 'Be quiet! can't you tell where you are?' Then the
boy looked up and saw the angry bears about him. On the one side were
the servants of the chief, and on the other the servants of the chief's
sister, who was sorry for the two youths, and begged that their lives
might be spared. The chief answered that he would not kill them, but
only cast a spell over them, by which their heads and bodies should
remain as they were, but their arms and legs should change into those of
a bear, so that they would go on all fours for the rest of their lives.
And, stooping over a spring of water, he dipped a handful of moss in
it and rubbed it over the arms and legs of the boys. In an instant the
transformation took pla