ill not do," said Queen Ran.

"Lend me thy net that I may catch Andvari the Dwarf who boasts that he
has a greater treasure than ever thou wilt take out of the sea," said
Loki.

The cold Queen of the sea ceased plying her net. She looked at Loki
steadily. Yes, if he were going to catch Andvari she would lend her net
to him. She hated all the Dwarfs because this one and that one had told
her they had greater treasures than ever she would be mistress of. But
especially she hated Andvari, the Dwarf who had the greatest treasure in
the nine worlds.

"There is nothing more to gather here," she said, "and if thou wilt
swear to bring me back my net by tomorrow I shall lend it to you."

"I swear by the sparks of Muspelheim that I will bring thy net back to
thee by tomorrow, O Queen of AEgir," Loki cried. Then Ran put into his
hands the Magic Net. Back then he went to where the Dwarf, transformed,
was guarding his wondrous hoard.

Dark was the pool in which Andvari floated as a pike; dark it was, but
to him it was all golden with the light of his wondrous treasure. For
the sake of this hoard he had given up his companionship with the
Dwarfs and his delight in making and shaping the things of their
workmanship. For the sake of his hoard he had taken on himself the
dumbness and deafness of a fish.

Now as he swam about before the cave he was aware again of a shadow
above him. He slipped toward the shadow of the bank. Then as he turned
round he saw a net sweeping toward him. He sank down in the water. But
the Magic Net had spread out and he sank into its meshes.

Suddenly he was out of the water and was left gasping on the bank. He
would have died had he not undone his transformation.

Soon he appeared as a Dwarf. "Andvari, you are caught; it is one of the
AEsir who has taken you," he heard his captor say.

"Loki," he gasped.

"Thou art caught and thou shalt be held," Loki said to him. "It is the
will of the AEsir that thou give up thy hoard to me."

"My hoard, my hoard!" the Dwarf shouted. "Never will I give up my
hoard."

"I hold thee till thou givest it to me," said Loki.

"Unjust, unjust," shouted Andvari. "It is only thou, Loki, who art
unjust. I will go to the throne of Odin and I will have Odin punish thee
for striving to rob me of my treasure."

"Odin has sent me to fetch thy hoard to him," said Loki.

"Can it be that all the AEsir are unjust? Ah, yes. In the beginning of
things they cheated the Giant who