334 Collectanea.
to hear if any of them should low for food. Whilst she sat there she heard a voice away in the barn crying, —
" I would, I would, that blind she were. Who sitteth on the gate out there."
It was the cow, to whom she had forgotten to give corn, and the farm-girl was blind from thenceforward all her life's days.
20. The Eeindeer-hunters. — Once, two reindeer-hunters went up into the mountains to search for reindeer. They had roamed about all day and foimd none, and in the evening they came down to Grodalen --^ to pass the night, in the sseters, which were already empty. When they had settled in, and eaten, each went to lie down in his own hut ; they were close together. After one of them had lain an hour, he heard one shriek after another. At first he did not think that it was anything to trouble about, so he lay still ; an hour later, however, on hearing a yet louder shriek, he could not help feeling that something evil was hap- pening ; so he got up, clothed himself, examined his rifle, so as to see if it was properly loaded, and opened the door to go to the aid of his troubled friend. He met him, with only his shirt on,, just outside the door, and, on questioning him as to what the matter was, and wherefore he had shrieked so, he told him that the underground folk had been out. They were vexed to find their beds "taken up," and started striking the milk tubs that were set out upon the shelves, with a whip, which made a most horrid hubbub. As that was no good, they began to shake him about in the bed, until they became so rough that he yelled out. But as he would not go they took hold of him again, whipping him so severely that he could not help shrieking a second tinie^ and was thankful to slip away from that " unfriendly " place, with almost a " whole skin."
21. In olden days it was very dangerous to roam about in the mountains, as the villages and the whole countryside were over- run by wanderers and gypsies. Once a man from Roimoen ^'^ was attacked by two men, up in the mountains. He bade them
"^ Grodal is a high-lying mountain valley branching from the south of Sundal. •^"Roimoen is a high mountain farm near Grodal, celebrated for its reindeer hunters.
