orse for her. She did not dare to do otherwise than as he bade her.
When he had eaten he went out, his breath smelling abominably. It was
very dark; there was driving snow, the wind was howling and it became
worse as the day advanced. The shepherd's voice was heard in the early
part of the day, but less later on. Blizzards set in and a terrific
storm in the evening. People went to mass and so the time passed. In
the evening Glam did not return. They talked about going out to look
for him, but the storm was so violent and the night so dark that no one
went. The night passed and still he had not returned; they waited till
the time for mass came. When it was full day some of the men set forth
to search. They found the animals scattered everywhere in the snow and
injured by the weather; some had strayed into the mountains. Then they
came upon some well-marked tracks up above in the valley. The stones and
earth were torn up all about as if there had been a violent tussle.
On searching further they came upon Glam lying on the ground a short
distance off. He was dead; his body was as black as Hel and swollen
to the size of an ox. They were overcome with horror and their hearts
shuddered within them. Nevertheless they tried to carry him to the
church, but could not get him any further than the edge of a gully a
short way off. So they left him there and went home to report to the
bondi what had happened. He asked what could have caused Glam's death.
They said they had tracked him to a big place like a hole made by the
bottom of a cask thrown down and dragged along up below the mountains
which were at the top of the valley, and all along the track were great
drops of blood. They concluded that the evil spirit which had been about
before must have killed Glam, but that he had inflicted wounds upon
it which were enough, for that spook was never heard of again. On the
second day of the festival they went out again to bring in Glam's body
to the church. They yoked oxen to him, but directly the downward incline
ceased and they came to level ground, they could not move him; so they
went home again and left him. On the third day they took a priest with
them, but after searching the whole day they failed to find him. The
priest refused to go again, and when he was not with them they found
Glam. So they gave up the attempt to bring him to the church and buried
him where he was under a cairn of stones.
It was not long before men became awa
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