uth made a salve from oak-bark and young shoots, and many
sorts of healing grasses. Three days and three nights he steeped them in
a copper kettle, but when he had finished the salve would not do. Then
he added still other healing herbs, and steeped it for three days more,
and at last it was ready. First he tried it on a birch-tree that had
been broken down by wicked Lempo. He rubbed the salve on the broken
branches and said: 'With this salve I anoint thee, recover, O
birch-tree, and grow more beautiful than ever!'

And the tree grew together and became more beautiful and strong than
ever before. Then he tried the salve on broken granite boulders and on
fissures in the mountains, and it was so powerful that it closed them
all together as if they had never existed. After this he hurried home
and gave the magic salve to his father, and told him what he had done
with it.

The old man anointed Wainamoinen's knee with it, saying: 'Do not rely on
thine own virtue or power, but in thy creator's strength; do not speak
with thine own wisdom, but with great Ukko's. Whatever in thee is good
comes from Ukko.'

No sooner had the old man put on the salve and said these words, than
Wainamoinen was seized with a terrible pain, and lay rolling and
writhing on the floor in agony. But the old man bandaged up his knee
with a silken bandage, and prayed to Ukko to come to his assistance.

And suddenly the pain left Wainamoinen and his knee became as strong
and well as ever. Then he raised his eyes in gratitude to heaven and
prayed thus to Ukko: 'Praise to thee, my Creator, for the aid that thou
hast given me. For thou hast banished all my pain and trouble. O all ye
people of Kalevala, both those now living and those to come, boast not
of the work that ye have done but give to God the praise, for the great
Ukko alone can make all things perfect, Ukko is the one master!'

* * * * *

There was a moment's pause, and then little Mimi said that she was so
glad Wainamoinen was well again, and asked Father Mikko to tell them
what happened to him next. But the old man answered that he must have a
_little_ time to breathe at least. So he filled his pipe again and
lighted it, and Erik brought up some more beer, and they sat and smoked
and drank beer and chatted for a while.

Then, when he felt rested once more, Father Mikko obeyed Mimi's urgent
request and began again to tell them how Wainamoinen got home, and what