huge stone
and threw it with all his might into the stern of the boat. Instantly
there rushed out, visible to every one, a gnome in seaman's dress with a
great bunch of sea-weed for a head. It had been sitting at the stern
weighing down the boat, and now rushed out into the sea, dashing the
water up in spray round it as it went. After that the boat went smoothly
into the water. The man with the second sight looked at the boy, and
said he ought not to have done as he had; but the boy only laughed and
said that he did not believe in goblins or spirits. In the night, when
they had come home and lay sleeping in the hut, at about twelve o'clock
they heard the boy crying for help. One of the men thought, too, he saw
by the dim light of the oil lamp a great hand stretching in from the
door up to the bench on which the boy lay. Before they had so far
collected themselves as to lay hold of the hand, the boy, crying out and
resisting, was already dragged to the door. And now a hard struggle took
place in the doorway, the goblin pulling the boy by the legs, while the
whole crew held him by the arms and the upper part of his body. In this
way, at the hour of midnight, he was dragged backwards and forwards in
the half-open doorway, now the men, now the goblin, having the better of
the struggle. All at once the goblin let go his hold, so that the whole
crew fell over one another backwards on to the floor. But the boy was
dead, and they understood that it was only then that the goblin had let
go. The following winter they used to hear wailings at midnight in the
fishing-hut, and they had no peace until it was moved away to another
spot.

The Nordlander has the same, or even a greater pride in owning the
fastest sailing-boat, that the East countryman in many places has in
having the fastest trotting-horse. A really good boat is talked of in as
many districts in the north, as, a really fine trotter would be in the
south. All sorts of traditions about the speed and wonderful racing
powers of the boats are current in Nordland, and romantic tales are told
of some of them. The best boats in Nordland now came from Ranen, where
boatbuilding has made great strides. To build a good boat with the
correct water-lines requires genius, and cannot be learned
theoretically; for it is a matter of special skill on the part of the
builder of each boat. Ill-constructed boats are sometimes put together
but they are, of course, unsatisfactory and sail onl