Beyond "This can't go on," said God Allfather, so 



the Blue ]-[e swung a noose and sagged up the Bear 



<.-?™ n ~ into the black Arctic sky. But the hounds 

 tnons. .-in 



hung on to its tail, and so were carried up too. 



And as for Finn, he took the hero-leap, and 

 with one jump was on the Pole, and with the 

 next was in the Northman's Torch {Arctarus), 

 and with the third was on the Hill of Heaven 

 itself. And that's where he went back to on 

 the day he died after his three hundred years 

 of mortal life. He's never moved since, and 

 he won't move again, till Judgment Day. 

 And by the same token, you can see the 

 Great Bear prowling round the Pole still, and 

 Finn the Watchman never letting him go by, 

 night or day, day or night, and far away down 

 are the two Hounds that herd the Great Bear 

 and his mate. And when these come too 

 near, Finn hurls his spears, and that's when 

 we see the Northern Lights. And behind 

 the streamers and the auroras and the rain- 

 bows and the walls of ice Finn looks into the 

 Garden of Eden — Paradise as they say, just 

 the Flatheanas of the old tales, the old songs. 

 And who would be doubting it ? 



326 



