the elder; 'I know what to do.' And taking a
long piece of string from her pocket, fastened it into the frog's mouth,
like a bit.

'You must swim across the lake,' she said, stooping to put him in, 'and
we will walk across on the line behind you.' And so they did, till they
got to about the middle of the lake, when the frog boy stopped.

'I don't like it, and I won't go any further,' cried he sulkily. And his
mother had to promise him all sorts of nice things before he would go on
again.

When at last they reached the other side, the owl's wife untied the line
from the frog's mouth and told him he might rest and play by the lake
till they got back from the forest. Then she and her sister and the boy
walked on, with the great forest looming before them. But they had by
this time come far and were very tired, and felt glad enough to see some
smoke curling up from a little hut in front of them.

'Let us go in and ask for some water,' said the eagle's wife; and in
they went.

The inside of the hut was so dark that at first they could see nothing
at all; but presently they heard a feeble croak from one corner. But
sisters turned to look, and there, tied by wings and feet, and their
eyes sunken, were the husbands that they sought. Quick as lightning the
wives cut the deer-thongs which bound them; but the poor birds were too
weak from pain and starvation to do more than utter soft sounds of joy.
Hardly, however, were they set free, than a voice of thunder made the
two sisters jump, while the little boy clung tightly round his mother's
neck.

'What are you doing in my house?' cried she. And the wives answered
boldly that now they had found their husbands they meant to save them
from such a wicked witch.

'Well, I will give you your chance,' answered the ogress, with a hideous
grin; 'we will see if you can slide down this mountain. If you can reach
the bottom of the cavern, you shall have your husbands back again.' And
as she spoke she pushed them before her out of the door to the edge of a
precipice, which went straight down several hundreds of feet. Unseen by
the witch, the frog's mother fastened one end of the magic line about
her, and whispered to the little boy to hold fast the other. She had
scarcely done so when the witch turned round.

'You don't seem to like your bargain,' said she; but the girl answered:

'Oh, yes, I am quite ready. I was only waiting for you!' And sitting
down she began her slide. On, on,