they said this, he ventured to come out a little from
the wall.

In the afternoon, the boy went out again and again and when he did
so, they looked round the inside of the house, which was covered with
fox skins, blue and white.

At last the boy came in, and said:

"Now I can see her, away to the south."

They looked out and saw her, and she seemed mightily big, having
something on her back. And she came quickly nearer.

Then they heard a great noise, and that was the woman throwing down
her burden. She came in hot and tired, and sat down, and said:

"Thanks, kind little boys. I had to leave him alone in the house,
as usual, and now you have stayed with him while I was fearing for
him on my way."

Then she turned to her son, and said:

"Have they not eaten yet?"

"No," said the boy. And when he had said that, she went out, and came
in with dried flesh of fox and reindeer, and a big piece of suet. And
very glad they were to eat that food. At first they did not eat any
of the dried fox meat, but when they tasted it, they found it was
wonderfully good to eat.

Now when they had eaten their fill, they sat there feeling glad. And
then the little boy whispered something in his mother's ear.

"He has a great desire for one of your sets of arrows, if you would
not refuse to give it." And they gave him that.

In the evening, when they thought it was time to rest, a bed was made
for them under the window, and when this was done the woman said:

"Now sleep, and do not fear any evil thing."

They slept and slept, and when they awoke, the woman had been awake
a long time already.

And when they were setting off to go home again, she paid them for
their arrows with as much meat as they could carry; and when they
went off, she said:

"Be sure you do not let any others come selling arrows."

But in the meantime, the people of the village had begun to fear for
those two boys, because they did not come home. When at last they
appeared in the evening, many went out to meet them. And it was a
great load they had to carry.

"Where have you been?" they asked.

"We have been in a house with one who was not a real man."

They tasted the food they had brought. And it was wonderfully good
to eat.

"That we were given in payment for one set of arrows," they said.

"We must certainly go out and sell arrows, too," said the others.

But the two told them: "No, you must not do that. For when we went
away, she said: 'Do