k up her buckets and carried them into the house, and did
as her brothers had told her. They were so hungry that they ate the food
up greedily without speaking, but when there was nothing left in the
pot, the eldest one said:

'Listen carefully to what I have to tell you. After the eldest Stalo has
cooked and eaten a fresh supper, he will go to bed and sleep so soundly
that not even a witch could wake him. You can hear him snoring a mile
off, and then you must go into his room and pull off the iron mantle
that covers him, and put it on the fire till it is almost red hot. When
that is done, come to us and we will give you further directions.'

'I will obey you in everything, dear brothers,' answered Lyman; and so
she did.

It had happened that on this very evening the Stalos had driven in some
of the reindeer from the pasture, and had tied them up to the wall of
the house so that they might be handy to kill for next day's dinner.
The two Sodnos had seen what they were doing, and where the beasts were
secured; so, at midnight, when all was still, they crept down from their
tree and seized the reindeer by the horns which were locked together.
The animals were frightened, and began to neigh and kick, as if they
were fighting together, and the noise became so great that even the
eldest Stalo was awakened by it, and that was a thing which had never
occurred before. Raising himself in his bed, he called to his youngest
brother to go out and separate the reindeer or they would certainly kill
themselves.

The young Stalo did as he was bid, and left the house; but no sooner
was he out of the door than he was stabbed to the heart by one of the
Sodnos, and fell without a groan. Then they went back to worry the
reindeer, and the noise became as great as ever, and a second time the
Stalo awoke.

'The boy does not seem to be able to part the beasts,' he cried to his
second brother; 'go and help him, or I shall never get to sleep.' So the
brother went, and in an instant was struck dead as he left the house by
the sword of the eldest Sodno. The Stalo waited in bed a little longer
for things to get quiet, but as the clatter of the reindeer's horns was
as bad as ever, he rose angrily from his bed muttering to himself:

'It is extraordinary that they cannot unlock themselves; but as no one
else seems able to help them I suppose I must go and do it.'

Rubbing his eyes, he stood up on the floor and stretched his great arms
and gave a