Page:Tales from the Fjeld.djvu/247

Rh and began to use soft words. They begged so prettily that he would give them their eye back, and then he should have both gold and silver and all that he wished to ask. Yes! that seemed all very fine to the lad, but he must have the gold and silver first, and so he said if one of them would go home and fetch as much gold and silver as would fill his and his brother's bags, and give them two good cross-bows beside, they might have their eye, but he should keep it until they did what he said.

The Trolls were very put out, and said none of them could go when he hadn't his eye to see with; but all at once one of them began to bawl out for their goody; for you must know they had a goody between them all three as well as an eye. After a while an answer came from a knoll a long way off to the north. So the Trolls said she must come with two steel cross-bows and two buckets full of gold and silver; and then it was not long, you may fancy, before she was there. And when she heard what had happened, she too began to threaten them with witchcraft. But the Trolls got so afraid, and begged her beware of the little wasp, for they couldn't be sure he would not take away her eye too. So she threw them the cross-bows and the buckets and the gold and the silver, and strode off to the knoll with the Trolls; and since that time no one has ever heard that the Trolls have walked in Hedale Wood snuffing after Christian blood.