, all weeping as they do when they are
subjected to heat after frost. Then the messengers came back again,
thinking they had done their errand well. On their way they came to a
cave wherein sat a hag named Thaukt. The messengers prayed her to assist
in weeping Baldur out of Hel.

"I will weep dry tears," answered she, "over Baldur's pyre. What gain I
by the son of man, be he live or dead? Let Hela hold what she has."

It was thought that this must have been Loki, Laufey's son, he who has
ever wrought such harm to the gods.

THE PUNISHMENT OF LOKI.

The gods were so angry with Loki that he had to run away and hide
himself in the mountains, and there he built a house which had four
doors, so that he could see around him on every side. He would often in
the day-time change himself into a salmon and hide in the water called
Franangursfors, and he thought over what trick the gods might devise to
capture him there. One day while he sat in his house, he took flax and
yarn, and with it made meshes like those of a net, a fire burning in
front of him. Then he became aware that the gods were near at hand, for
Odin had seen out of Hlidskjalf where he was. Loki sprang up, threw his
work into the fire, and went to the river. When the gods came to the
house, the first that entered was Kvasir, who was the most acute of them
all. In the hot embers he saw the ashes of a net, such as is used in
fishing, and he told the gods of it, and they made a net like that which
they saw in the ashes. When it was ready they went to the river and cast
the net in, Thor holding one end and the rest of the gods the other, and
so they drew it. Loki travelled in front of it and lay down between two
stones so that the net went over him, but the gods felt that something
living had been against the net. Then they cast the net a second time,
binding up in it a weight so that nothing could pass under it. Loki
travelled before it till he saw the sea in front of him. Then he leapt
over the top of the net and again made his way up the stream. The gods
saw this, so they once more dragged the stream, while Thor waded in the
middle of it. So they went to the sea.

Then Loki saw in what a dangerous situation he was. He must risk his
life if he swam out to sea. The only other alternative was to leap over
the net. That he did, jumping as quickly as he could over the top cord.

Thor snatched at him, and tried to hold him, but he slipped through his
hand, and