they plucked the birds and made him a bed of down; but he was forced
to eat his meat raw, and he was blind. At last, one day the biggest
lion was chasing a hare which was blind, for it ran straight over
stock and stone, and the end was, it ran right up against a fir-stump
and tumbled head over heels across the field right into a spring; but
lo! when it came out of the spring it saw its way quite plain, and so
saved its life.

'So, so!' thought the lion, and went and dragged the lad to the
spring, and dipped him over head and ears in it. So, when he had got
his sight again, he went down to the shore and made signs to the
lions that they should all lie close together like a raft; then he
stood upon their backs while they swam with him to the mainland. When
he had reached the shore he went up into a birchen copse, and made
the lions lie quiet. Then he stole up to the castle, like a thief, to
see if he couldn't lay hands on his belt; and when he got to the
door, he peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw his belt
hanging up over a door in the kitchen. So he crept softly in across
the floor, for there was no one there; but as soon as he had got hold
of the belt, he began to kick and stamp about as though he were mad.
Just then his mother came rushing out.

'Dear heart, my darling little boy! do give me the belt again', she
said.

'Thank you kindly', said he. 'Now you shall have the doom you passed
on me', and he fulfilled it on the spot. When the old Troll heard
that, he came in and begged and prayed so prettily that he might not
be smitten to death.