22 WITH CARL OF THE HILL 



a Swedish mile and a half (about ten English 

 miles) till she reached the neighbour's farm — it lay in 

 the opposite valley — and then, unaided and alone, 

 bring the cattle back through the lonely forest at 

 night. 



*'And why did you not go instead of her?" asked 

 Carl; "were you not ashamed to let a woman take 

 that journey and you sitting idling here ? " " They 

 ain't my cows," was all the answer the man vouchsafed. 

 *' Well, you had better go after her now," said Carl. 

 The man replied that he did not know which way she 

 had gone. There was a dangerous glitter in Carl's 

 blue eyes, but he only said, and very quietly, " Then 

 you had better go and find out." But the man, 

 deceived perhaps by the calmness of Carl's voice, 

 made no response. "You had better go and find 

 out," repeated Carl in just the same slow measured 

 tones. And still the man moved not. And then up 

 rose Carl, and in one stride. had crossed the room. 

 And before the other had realised what was coming, a 

 huge right hand had closed about his neck. And so, 

 feet trailing on the floor, Carl bore him, lifting the 

 latch with his free left hand, and out through the 

 doorway and on to the little potato patch in front 

 And there he dropped him, saying as he did so, in the 



/■^^htJc 



