he forest.'

At this the giantess roared out with a terrible voice: 'If he is near
enough to hear my words, I lay this spell on him: Let him be half
scorched and half withered; and may he have neither rest nor peace till
he finds me.' And with these words she stalked off.

For a moment Ingiborg stood as if turned to stone, then she fetched
Sigurd from his hiding-place, and, to her horror, there he was, half
scorched and half withered.

'Now you see what has happened through your own obstinacy,' said she;
'but we must lose no time, for your father will soon be coming home.'

Going quickly into the next room she opened a chest and took out a ball
of string and three gold rings, and gave them to Sigurd, saying: 'If you
throw this ball on the ground it will roll along till it reaches some
high cliffs. There you will see a giantess looking out over the rocks.
She will call down to you and say: "Ah, this is just what I wanted!
Here is Prince Sigurd. He shall go into the pot to-night"; but don't be
frightened by her. She will draw you up with a long boat-hook, and you
must greet her from me, and give her the smallest ring as a present.
This will please her, and she will ask you to wrestle with her. When you
are exhausted, she will offer you a horn to drink out of, and though she
does not know it, the wine will make you so strong that you will easily
be able to conquer her. After that she will let you stay there all
night. The same thing will happen with my two other sisters. But, above
all, remember this: should my little dog come to you and lay his paws on
you, with tears running down his face, then hurry home, for my life will
be in danger. Now, good-bye, and don't forget your stepmother.'

Then Ingiborg dropped the ball on the ground, and Sigurd bade her
farewell.

That same evening the ball stopped rolling at the foot of some high
rocks, and on glancing up, Sigurd saw the giantess looking out at the
top.

'Ah, just what I wanted!' she cried out when she saw him; 'here is
Prince Sigurd. He shall go into the pot to-night. Come up, my friend,
and wrestle with me.'

With these words she reached out a long boat hook and hauled him up the
cliff. At first Sigurd was rather frightened, but he remembered what
Ingiborg had said, and gave the giantess her sister's message and the
ring.

The giantess was delighted, and challenged him to wrestle with her.
Sigurd was fond of all games, and began to wrestle with joy; but he wa