“‘It’s all up with us!’ he said.  ’Much good it was, either to you or to me, this attempt to save you, Finn-Malin!’

“Up to this point the old woman had been silent—­like one who is accustomed to take abuse—­but now she said a few words.

“’I can’t understand why you don’t throw out your wares and lighten the load.  You can come back again to-morrow and gather them up.’

“The man realized that this was sound advice and was surprised that he had not thought of it before.  He tossed the reins to the old woman, loosed the ropes that bound the casks, and pitched them out.  The wolves were right upon them, but now they stopped to examine that which was thrown on the ice, and the travellers again had the start of them.

“‘If this does not help you,’ said the old woman, ’you understand, of course, that I will give myself up to the wolves voluntarily, that you may escape.’

“While she was speaking the man was trying to push a heavy brewer’s vat from the long sledge.  As he tugged at this he paused, as if he could not quite make up his mind to throw it out; but, in reality, his mind was taken up with something altogether different.

“’Surely a man and a horse who have no infirmities need not let a feeble old woman be devoured by wolves for their sakes!’ he thought.  ’There must be some other way of salvation.  Why, of course, there is!  It’s only my stupidity that hinders me from finding the way.’

“Again he started to push the vat, then paused once more and burst out laughing.

“The old woman was alarmed and wondered if he had gone mad, but the man from Hede was laughing at himself because he had been so stupid all the while.  It was the simplest thing in the world to save all three of them.  He could not imagine why he had not thought of it before.

“‘Listen to what I say to you, Malin!’ he said.  ’It was splendid of you to be willing to throw yourself to the wolves.  But you won’t have to do that because I know how we can all three be helped without endangering the life of any.  Remember, whatever I may do, you are to sit still and drive down to Linsaell.  There you must waken the townspeople and tell them that I’m alone out here on the ice, surrounded by wolves, and ask them to come and help me.’

“The man waited until the wolves were almost upon the sledge.  Then he rolled out the big brewer’s vat, jumped down, and crawled in under it.

“It was a huge vat, large enough to hold a whole Christmas brew.  The wolves pounced upon it and bit at the hoops, but the vat was too heavy for them to move.  They could not get at the man inside.

“He knew that he was safe and laughed at the wolves.  After a bit he was serious again.

“’For the future, when I get into a tight place, I shall remember this vat, and I shall bear in mind that I need never wrong either myself or others, for there is always a third way out of a difficulty if only one can hit upon it.’”