your gold some locks of hair that will be as soft and fine and beautiful as the golden hair which adorns the head of Sif, the wife of Thor. You have heard, no doubt, of its beauty, so you know how difficult a task 5 I have given you." The elves, nothing daunted, set at once to work, and selecting a bar of perfect gold they pounded it very soft, then spun it into threads so fine that they looked like sunbeams, and so soft that they felt like silk. 10 When the work was finished and placed in Loki's hand, it exceeded in beauty anything he had ever seen, and he felt sure that Thor could not complain of his gift. Then he thanked the swarthy elves and hastened with his prize back to Asgard and to the palace of Thor, 15 where all the gods had assembled to see the fulfillment of Loki's promise. In spite of the success of his undertaking, the fear of Thor's hasty temper kept Loki somewhat humbled, for the Thunderer had been known to crush the object of 20 his anger with his hammer when once his wrath was fully roused. His face was now dark and threatening as Loki approached, and beside him stood Sif, weeping bitterly, and trying to cover her head with her hands. But Loki came up boldly and placed the golden hair 25 which the elves had made upon her head. To the astonishment of all, it immediately grew fast, and no one could have told that it was not her own golden hair. So Sif was proud and happy once again, and Loki was forgiven. When Loki went to the underground home of the elves to find the golden hair for Sif, he thought that it would be as well to get two other gifts -one for Odin and 5 one for Freyr so that their anger would fall less heavily on him for his cruelty to Thor's beautiful wife. The dwarfs were always very glad to help Loki when he was in trouble, for they, too, delighted in mischiefmaking; so when he asked them for the other two gifts, 10 they gladly set to work. The spun gold hair they had already placed in Loki's hands; and now they hurried about, getting together a hundred different materials to use in their work; for things of earth, air, fire, and water went into the making of the wonderful 15 gifts that came from the hands of the elves. In a short time they handed to the waiting god a spear that would always hit the mark no matter how badly it was thrown, and a marvelous boat that would fold up into a tiny package, but could also expand 20 large enough to hold all the gods and goddesses in Asgard. Loki was delighted with these gifts and hurried with them back to Odin's council hall where the gods had assembled to pass judgment on him for his cruel treatment of Sif. 25 25 II Though the hair of spun gold proved to be so perfect that Loki had nothing to fear from Thor's anger, he saw that Odin was still displeased and was looking at him with stern brows. So the wily god produced his 5 two other gifts, and handed the spear to Odin and the boat to Freyr. Both the gods were delighted with the clever workmanship of the elves; and all the company were so busy examining Loki's gifts that they did not notice the dwarf Brock, who had followed Loki to 10 Asgard and was now standing in the shadow of Odin's throne. When the gods grew loud in their approval of the magic spear and boat, Brock could contain his anger no longer and cried out: "Can you find nothing better 15 than those petty toys to praise? My brother Sindri can make far more wonderful things than these." At this boastful interference Loki grew very angry and said: "Prove it, then; for I know that your brother is only a stupid workman. Let us make a wager that 20 you cannot bring here three gifts better than those you scorn; and whichever of us loses in the contest shall pay for it with his head." Brock accepted the challenge and set off at once to the cave where Sindri kept his dwarfs at work night and day. 25 He told his brother of the wager he had made with Loki, and Sindri laughed and promised that the god's head should hang that night in the cave as a trophy. Then he made ready a huge fire, and as he worked busily over his tools he bade Brock keep the bellows going as hard as he could so that the flames would leap 5 higher and higher. Then, when he thought the right moment had come, he threw into the fire a pigskin; and bidding Brock keep steadily at work on the bellows, he left the cave. The dwarf blew hard at the fire, and the forge gleamed 10 so brightly that the whole cave was lit up, and Brock could see the piles of gold and silver and glittering gems that lay all around. Then suddenly an enormous gadfly flew into the room; and, lighting on his hand, stung him so badly that he roared with pain. Still he 15 did not take his hand from the bellows, for, with the cunning of his race, he knew that the gadfly was none other than Loki, who had taken this form hoping to spoil Sindri's work. When the master smith returned, he looked eagerly 20 at the forge and saw that the fire glowed as brightly as ever. So he muttered a few magic words over the flame and drew forth a golden boar. This he handed to his brother, saying that the boar had the power to fly through the air, and shed light from his golden bristles 25 as he flew. Brock was so much pleased with this gift that he said nothing about his swollen hand; and when |