The poor one immediately thanked him , and promised this . `` Well , here is the ham , and now you must go straight to Dead Man 's Hall , '' said the rich brother , throwing the ham to him . `` Well , I will do what I have promised , '' said the other , and he took the ham and set off . He went on and on for the livelong day , and at nightfall he came to a place where there was a bright light . `` I have no doubt this is the place , '' thought the man with the ham . An old man with a long white beard was standing in the outhouse , chopping Yule logs . `` Good-evening , '' said the man with the ham . `` Good-evening to you . Where are you going at this late hour ? '' said the man . `` I am going to Dead Man 's Hall , if only I am on the right track , '' answered the poor man . `` Oh ! yes , you are right enough , for it is here , '' said the old man . `` When you get inside they will all want to buy your ham , for they do n't get much meat to eat there ; but you must not sell it unless you can get the hand-mill which stands behind the door for it . When you come out again I will teach you how to stop the hand-mill , which is useful for almost everything . '' So the man with the ham thanked the other for his good advice , and rapped at the door . When he got in , everything happened just as the old man had said it would : all the people , great and small , came round him like ants on an ant-hill , and each tried to outbid the other for the ham . `` By rights my old woman and I ought to have it for our Christmas dinner , but , since you have set your hearts upon it , I must just give it up to you , '' said the man . `` But , if I sell it , I will have the hand-mill which is standing there behind the door . '' At first they would not hear of this , and haggled and bargained with the man , but he stuck to what he had said , and the people were forced to give him the hand-mill .
When the man came out again into the yard , he asked the old wood-cutter how he was XXXXX stop the hand-mill , and when he had learned that , he thanked him and set off home with all the speed he could , but did not get there until after the clock had struck twelve on Christmas Eve .
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