she at once set forth ; and she was no sooner out of sight than the young man and his dog , spirit - iron , blowing a strong breath in the face of the toad - woman 's four children ( who were all bad spirits , or bear - fiends ) , they put out their life . they then set them up by the side of the door , having first thrust a piece of the white fat in each of their mouths . the toad - woman spent a long time in finding the bear which she had been sent after , and she made at least five and twenty attempts before she was able to climb to the carcass . she slipped down three times where she went up once . when she returned with the great bear on her back , as she drew near her lodge she was astonished to see the four children standing up by the door - posts with the fat in their mouths . she was angry with them , and called out : " why do you thus insult the pomatum of your brother ? "
the children had fat in their mouths .
why did the toad-woman think her children insulted the young man ?
why did the toad-woman think her children insulted the young man ?