He walked through the forest for several days without seeing anyone but his friends the squirrels and the bears and the birds , but though he stopped and spoke to them all , he was careful not to let them know where he was going . At last , after many days , he came to the river , and beyond it he noticed a small hut standing on a hill which he guessed to be the home of the Bad One . But the stream flowed so quickly that he could not see how he was ever to cross it , and in order to test how swift the current really was , he broke a branch from a tree and threw it in . It seemed hardly to touch the water before it was carried away , and even his magic sight could not follow it . He could not help feeling frightened , but he hated giving up anything that he had once undertaken , and , fastening the ball on his right foot , he ventured on the river . To his surprise he was able to stand up ; then a panic seized him , and he scrambled up the bank again . In a minute or two he plucked up courage to go a little further into the river , but again its width frightened him , and a second time he turned back . However , he felt rather ashamed of his cowardice , as it was quite clear that his ball could support him , and on his third trial he got safely to the other side . Once there he replaced the ball in the bag , and looked carefully round him . The door of the Bad One 's hut was open , and he saw that the ceiling was supported by great wooden beams , from which hung the bags of gold and the little bridge . He saw , too , the Bad One sitting in the midst of his treasures eating his dinner , and drinking something out of a horn . It was plain to the boy that he must invent some plan of getting the Bad One out of the way , or else he would never be able to steal the gold or the bridge . What should he do ? Give horrible shrieks as if he were in pain ? But the Bad One would not care whether he were murdered or not ! Call him by his name ? But the Bad One was very cunning , and would suspect some trick . He must try something better than that ! Then suddenly an idea came to him , and he gave a little jump of joy . ` Oh , how stupid of me not to think of that before ! '
said he , and he wished with all his might that the Bad One should become very hungry -- so hungry XXXXX he could not wait a moment for fresh food to be brought to him .
At To after from in of on than that through