it.

The Finn sat there with his skin-wrappings as full of yellow flies as a
beehive. He had sent them out searching in every direction, but back
they had all come, and were humming and buzzing about him.

When he saw Jack in the doorway, and perceived that the flies had
pointed truly, he grew somewhat milder, and laughed till he regularly
shook within his skin-wrappings, and mumbled, "The bear we'll bind fast
beneath the scullery-sink, and his eyes I've turned all awry,[5] so that
he can't see his boat,[6] and I'll stick a sleeping-peg in front of him
till springtime."

But the same day the Finn stood in the doorway, and was busy making
magic signs and strange strokes in the air.

Then he sent forth two hideous Gan-flies, which flitted off on their
errands, and scorched black patches beneath them in the snow wherever
they went. They were to bring pain and sickness to a cottage down in the
swamps, and spread abroad the Finn disease, which was to strike down a
young bride at Bodoe with consumption.

But Jack thought of nothing else night and day but how he could get the
better of the Gan-Finn.

The lass Seimke wheedled him and wept and begged him, as he valued his
life, not to try to get down to his boat again. At last, however, she
saw it was no use--he had made up his mind to be off.

Then she kissed his hands and wept bitterly. At least he must promise to
wait till the Gan-Finn had gone right away to Jokmok[7] in Sweden.

On the day of his departure, the Finn went all round his hut with a
torch and took stock.

Far away as they were, there stood the mountain pastures, with the
reindeer and the dogs, and the Finn's people all drew near. The Finn
took the tale of the beasts, and bade his grandsons not let the reindeer
stray too far while he was away, and could not guard them from wolves
and bears. Then he took a sleeping potion and began to dance and turn
round and round till his breath quite failed him, and he sank moaning to
the ground. His furs were all that remained behind of him. His spirit
had gone--gone all the way over to Jokmok.

There the magicians were all sitting together in the dark sea-fog
beneath the shelter of the high mountain, and whispering about all
manner of secret and hidden things, and blowing spirits into the novices
of the black art.

But the Gan-flies, humming and buzzing, went round and round the empty
furs of the Gan-Finn like a yellow ring and kept watch.

In the night Jack w