Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-12-19
COURAGE AND PATIENCE.
A Story.

The following Is from a work entl-
tied "Icelandic Legends"
Zone autumn six men went on a
search into the sheep walks, with their
leader who was q strong man and
- dauntIess withal. When they had
reached the farthest point Of their
search, a storm came on with heavy
snowfall, and the men lost their way,
not knowing where they were. After
a long walk they found that their path
led down hill, and soon they found
themselves in a small valley, and hay
ing bv chance come across a house,
they knocked at the door. There
came out an old fellow, ugly and
rascally looking, and said it was a new
thing for strangers to come and pry
about his dwelling, and looked with
uDgleeful eye on his guests. The lead
er spoke for them all, and told him
how they happened to come thitheT:
and having told the old fellow this, he
stepped inside the door with all his
men, without waiting for the inhospit-
able mans leave or refusal"
When they had sat for awhile,
meat was brought them on dishes, by
young damsel of downcast mien.-
She whispered to the guests, as she
gave the meat 10 them. Eat only the
meat on the edge of the dish farthest
from YOU They looked and were soon
sure hat all at the edge was mutton,
but all the other human flesh. When
they had finished, the girl removed
the meat from the table, and took the
wet clothes of the strangers to dry
them, and said in a low voice, be
Watchful; do not take off your under
clothes, neither sleep! 1t was a moon
light night, and the leader lay in a
bed IN the shadow, and told his com
rades that they should not move or
speak aught till he called them
Shortly after they had gone to rest
the old man came in, and going to the
bedside of one of his guests, touched
his breast, Lean breast and craven.'-
And in the same way he felt them all,
muttering the like well-nigh at every
one, till at last, when he came to the
leader and had felt his breast, he said,
Fat breast and mettlesome.' And, in
the same moment, he turned to a nook
in the room and seized an axe, and
returned with it to the bed of the
leader. But the latter, seeing what
was to come, sprang nimbly down
from the bed, wherein the old cannibal
dealt him a blow, missing him, of
course; but the leader now seized the
axe, and wrung it from the wretch's
hand, who roared out: Up, my twelve,
in the devils namep Now the leader
drove the axe into the old carl's pate,
and he fell dead on the spot. Then
the leader said: up my six, in Jesus
namey When he had thus called upon
his followers a trap-door was opened in
the Goor, and there came up the head
of a man. But the leader was not long
in cutting it of, and thus he killed
twelve of them in the open trap-door
of a cellar which was under the floor"
AFTER this they found the girl who
had waited on them in the evening
She turned cut 10 be a farmers dauCht-
er from Dyejatjordr, whom the Oldham
had stolen, and would force. against
her viii, to marry his eldest son. But
She bore an unreliable loathing to
wards them al, chiefly because they
killed every one who came in their
way, and then cat their flesh. Here
the men found many precious things,
and many sheep in the valley. They
agreed that the leader should remain,
and one man with him, TO comfort the
girl, and to watch the sheep during the
Winter, in order that they might not
starve for want of care. But the rest
returned home. NextSprirg the leader
brought the girl home, and afterwards,
with the consent other father, married
her, and moved everything that he
found in the valley to the North be-
gan farming, and lived a happy and
lucky life with his Wife-to a high age