o his neck. He had small horns
behind the ears, and a goat's beard under his chin. He asked humbly to
be allowed to taste the soup, and the hero gave him leave, but warned
him to take care not to drown himself in it.

The dwarf replied that he would like to taste the soup without a spoon,
and jumped on the edge of the pot; but he grew up in an instant to the
height of a pine-tree, and then to the clouds, rising to the height of
seventy fathoms and more. Then he vanished like a mist, and the Alevide
found the pot as empty as if the contents had been scraped out.[95] So
he refilled the pot with water, put in some fresh cabbage, and roused
the Olevide, but said nothing of what had happened. Then he lay down and
went to sleep, leaving his companion on guard. But presently the dwarf
reappeared, and neither the Olevide nor the Sulevide, who took the third
watch, fared any better than their companion.

The watch now fell to the Kalevide, but he would not allow the dwarf to
taste the soup until he gave him his gold bell as a pledge of good
faith. As soon as he had received it, he playfully gave the dwarf a
fillip on the forehead, when there was a tremendous crash of thunder,
and the dwarf sank into the earth and disappeared from the sight of the
hero. The other heroes and the old woman then assembled round the fire
to hear what had happened. They sat down to their supper, after which
the Kalevide advised his companions to lie down and rest for the
remainder of the night, and to return home to their wives and children
in the morning. During the night the daughters of the Meadow Queen
danced and sported, and sang to the Kalevide of his approaching
adventures and journey.

[Footnote 93: Linda's bosom, now Revel.]

[Footnote 94: The bells of the dwarfs are often of great importance in
Northern fairy mythology.]

[Footnote 95: This incident is common in Esthonian tales.]

CANTO XVIII

THE KALEVIDE'S JOURNEY TO PORGU

Next morning the Kalevide rose at daybreak and looked about him. Where
the dwarf had vanished in blue smoke, he now beheld a sheet of blue
water with rushes on the bank, and knew that he had unexpectedly chanced
upon the entrance to Porgu. His wearied comrades were still sleeping,
and, without disturbing them, he stamped with his right foot, and the
hidden strongly-guarded doors of Hades flew open.

The hero gazed down into the abyss, but clouds of smoke and hot steam
rolled up, and made his eyes smar