little better dwelling
for summer. You might build us a two-storey house, and fetch soil to
make a garden. Then you might make a little arbour up there to let
us have a sea-view; and we might have a fiddler to fiddle to us of an
evening, and a little steamer to take us to church in stormy weather.'

'Anything more?' asked Matte; but he did everything that his wife
wished. The rock Ahtola became so grand and Maie so grand that all the
sea-urchins and herring were lost in wonderment. Even Prince was fed
on beefsteaks and cream scones till at last he was as round as a butter
jar.

'Are you satisfied now?' asked Matte.

'I should be quite satisfied,' said Maie, 'if only I had thirty cows. At
least that number is required for such a household.'

'Go to the fairies,' said Matte.

His wife set out in the new steamer and sang to the sea-king. Next
morning thirty cows stood on the shore, all finding food for themselves.

'Know'st thou, good man, that we are far too cramped on this wretched
rock, and where am I to find room for so many cows?'

'There is nothing to be done but to pump out the sea.'

'Rubbish!' said his wife. 'Who can pump out the sea?'

'Try with thy new steamer, there is a pump in it.'

Maie knew well that her husband was only making fun of her, but still
her mind was set upon the same subject. 'I never could pump the sea
out,' thought she, 'but perhaps I might fill it up, if I were to make
a big dam. I might heap up sand and stones, and make our island as big
again.'

Maie loaded her boat with stones and went out to sea. The fiddler was
with her, and fiddled so finely that Ahti and Wellamos and all the sea's
daughters rose to the surface of the water to listen to the music.

'What is that shining so brightly in the waves?' asked Maie.

'That is sea foam glinting in the sunshine,' answered the fiddler.

'Throw out the stones,' said Maie.

The people in the boat began to throw out the stones, splash, splash,
right and left, into the foam. One stone hit the nose of Wellamos's
chief lady-in-waiting, another scratched the sea queen herself on the
cheek, a third plumped close to Ahti's head and tore off half of the
sea-king's beard; then there was a commotion in the sea, the waves
bubbled and bubbled like boiling water in a pot.

'Whence comes this gust of wind?' said Maie; and as she spoke the sea
opened and swallowed up the steamer. Maie sank to the bottom like a
stone, but, stretching out her arm