o make ready something else and left Brock
to work the bellows.

The gadfly flew in again. Brock did not know it was there until it
lighted on the back of his neck. It stung him till Brock felt the pain
was wrenching him apart. But still he kept his hands on the bellows,
working it so that the fire neither blazed up nor died down for a single
instant. When Sindri came to look into the fire, Brock was not able to
speak for pain.

Again Sindri said magic words over the gold that was being smelted in
the fire. He took it out of the glow and worked it over on the
main-anvil. Then in a while he showed Brock something that looked like
the circle of their sun. "A splendid armring, my brother," he said. "An
armring for a God's right arm. And this ring has hidden wonders. Every
ninth night eight rings like itself will drop from this armring, for
this is Draupnir, the Ring of Increase."

"To Odin, the Father of the Gods, the ring shall be given," said Brock.
"And Odin will have to declare that nothing so wonderful or so
profitable to the Gods was ever brought into Asgard. O Loki, cunning
Loki, I shall have thy head in spite of thy tricks."

"Be not too hasty, brother," said Sindri. "What we have done so far is
good. But better still must be the thing that will make the Dwellers in
Asgard give the judgment that delivers Loki's head to thee. Work as
before, brother, and do not let the fire blaze up or die down for a
single instant."

This time Sindri threw into the fire a bar of iron. Then he went away to
fetch the hammer that would shape it. Brock worked the bellows as
before, but only his hands were steady, for every other part of him was
trembling with expectation of the gadfly's sting.

He saw the gadfly dart into the forge. He screamed as it flew round and
round him, searching out a place where it might sting him most
fearfully. It lighted down on his forehead, just between his eyes. The
first sting it gave took the sight from his eyes. It stung again and
Brock felt the blood flowing down. Darkness filled the cave. Brock tried
to keep his hands steady on the bellows, but he did not know whether the
fire was blazing up or dying down. He shouted and Sindri hurried up.

Sindri said the magic words over the thing that was in the fire. Then he
drew it out. "An instant more," he said, "and the work would have been
perfect. But because you let the fire die down for an instant the work
is not as good as it might have been made