ssed their hair daintily with mussel shells, that the guest might
think them the finer. But he cared for none of them, for the little
old man's daughter was the most beautiful.

And therefore he went down to that house again when it was time to
go to rest. And he said he would have her to wife.

And so they lived happily together, and soon they had a child.

And now the man began to long for his own place and kin. He thought
more and more of his old mother, who was still alive when he started
off.

And so one day he said he was going to visit his home.

"We will all go with you," said the little old man; "we will visit
your kinsfolk."

And so they made ready for the journey, and set out.

Now when they came to the place of real people, all these were greatly
astonished to find their old comrade still alive. For they had thought
him dead long since.

And the dwarf people lived happily enough among the real men, and
after a little time they forgot to be troubled and afraid.

But one day when the little dwarf grandmother was sitting at the
opening of the passage way with the little child, she dropped the
child in the passage.

"Hlurp--hlurp--hlurp," was all she heard. A great dog, his face black
on one side and white on the other, lay there in the passage, and it
ate up the child on the spot.

"Ai--ai," she cried. "Nothing is left but a little smear on the
ground."

And now the dwarf folk were filled with horror, and the little old
man was for setting off at once. So they gathered their belongings
together and set out.

And whenever they came to a village, they went up on shore, and the
old man always went up with his tent-skins on his back.

"Are there any dogs here? Is there a great beast with a black-and-white
face?" was always the first thing he asked.

"Yes, indeed." And before they could turn round, the old man was back
in his boat again, so great was his fear of dogs.

And at last the skin was worn quite away from his forehead with
carrying of tent-skins up on to the shore in vain. [6]

One day they were lying-to, when a wind began to blow from the north.

"Are there dogs here?" asked the old man, and groaned, for his forehead
was flayed and smarting, so often had he borne those tent-skins up
and down. But before any could answer, he heard the barking of the
dogs themselves. And in a moment he was back in his boat again.

The wind had grown stronger. The seas were frothing white, and the
foa