burning, and a noble stag, with its branching horns, was placed on a spit
between the trunks of two pine-trees. It was turning slowly before the fire,
and an elderly woman, as large and strong as if she had been a man in
disguise, sat by, throwing one piece of wood after another into the flames.
“Come in,” she said to the prince; “sit down by the fire and dry yourself.”
“There is a great draught here,” said the prince, as he seated himself on
the ground.
“It will be worse when my sons come home,” replied the woman; “you
are now in the cavern of the Winds, and my sons are the four Winds of
heaven: can you understand that?”
“Where are your sons?” asked the prince.
“It is difficult to answer stupid questions,” said the woman. “My sons
have plenty of business on hand; they are playing at shuttlecock with the
clouds up yonder in the king’s hall,” and she pointed upwards.
“Oh, indeed,” said the prince; “but you speak more roughly and harshly
and are not so gentle as the women I am used to.”
“Yes, that is because they have nothing else to do; but I am obliged to be
harsh, to keep my boys in order, and I can do it, although they are so head-
strong. Do you see those four sacks hanging on the wall? Well, they are just
as much afraid of those sacks, as you used to be of the rat behind the
looking-glass. I can bend the boys together, and put them in the sacks
without any resistance on their parts, I can tell you. There they stay, and
dare not attempt to come out until I allow them to do so. And here comes
one of them.”
It was the North Wind who came in, bringing with him a cold, piercing
blast; large hailstones rattled on the floor, and snowflakes were scattered
around in all directions. He wore a bearskin dress and cloak. His sealskin
cap was drawn over his ears, long icicles hung from his beard, and one
hailstone after another rolled from the collar of his Jeanet.
