Page:The book of wonder voyages (1919).djvu/224

 flowed gently over a stretch of sand. This water we crossed, and came to a cavern yet steeper than the first. Then we entered a dim, gloomy room, where lay Utgarda-Loki, bound hand and foot with enormous chains. Every hair of his head was as large and stiff as an iron spear, indeed, his hair looked like a mass of spears. These spears grew on his face in the form of a beard as well as on his head, and I, in order to win yet greater renown, plucked one from his chin, my comrades helping me. Straightway a most noisome smell overcame us so that we could scarce breathe and had to bury our noses in our mantles. We could hardly make our way out, for the snakes crowded round about us, crawled on us, clung to us, twisted round us, and seemed to be doing their best to hinder our departure.

"So horrible was all this, that only five of my men embarked with me; the rest were killed by the poison. The demons followed them and threw their poison at them. The sailors covered themselves with their hides and threw the venom back. One man, wishing to peep out of the hide, was touched by the poison, and his head was taken off as if it had been severed by a sword. Another who looked out of his hide was blinded by the poison which touched his eyes. Another had his arm withered as he thrust it out while unfolding the hide. We besought our gods to be kinder to us, but they took no notice, until I prayed to the Great God of the world, who sent us a clear sky and a peaceful voyage.

"Then we came to another world, the world of living