Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/389

 Collectanea. 335

be gone, several times, or else he would be obliged to shoot. "Ah that would be no good," said they, "for thy gun is not loaded with silver bullets"; but, as they threatened to take his life, he fired. One of them fell, but the other fled, and now the hunter started to pursue him, but he got away. A year later the man from Roimoen went to the market at Trondhjem. Some one came up to him and said, — "Thou didst shoot a fine buck in the mountains, but thou didst not flay it!" (The same story is told at the mountain farms between Orkedalen and Hevne.)

22. Staale. — A robber, murderer, and troll man, named "Staale," dwelt at one time under Hohammer in "Graaora" on the old road near to where it crosses the boundary between Sundal and Opdal. He had dug himself out a cave in the earth, whereto he carried the folk who wandered by. He wore a styrkebelte (" strength belt ") or livgjord (" waist girdle "), in which were eleven men's hearts. This "waist girdle" preserved him from being captured. Once he slew a little child, but afterwards it lay heavily on his conscience, and he declared that it was the worst deed he had done. He under- stood the speech of the birds, and gave great heed to their cries. Naturally he was very distrustful, and feared a surprise attack from the dalesfolk. Once he went to Vollan, and they managed to persuade him to stay over night, and to take off the " waist girdle," from which his weapons hung. In the mean time, a message was sent to the farmers down the valley, to make use of this chance. Whereupon twelve of the strongest and " quickest " men in the valley came together. Their leader was a farmer named Frederick, a tall, heavy man from Musgjerd. In the night the folk collected, and set a " man guard " round the house. The house-wife told them that Staale lay upon the big " board " (table), as was the custom and use when " great folk " lodged [at the farms], and that, when he had gone to rest, he had taken the " waist girdle " off and laid it behind the bed's head. " Strong Frederick " went in first, and by good luck he managed to fling the " waist girdle " away and seize hold of him ; the others then came in, seeing that this was the nick of time in which to capture Staale. He was now overmastered, and the " waist girdle " was burnt. Then Staale spoke, — " If only I had had a whole dozen [hearts] in the belt, Strong Frederick