said Stalo , putting aside the box . But , meanwhile , Patto had slipped from the hook and concealed himself behind the door , so that , as Stalo stepped in , his prisoner raised the axe , and with one blow the ogre 's head was rolling on the ground . His sons were so frightened at the sight that they all ran away . And in this manner Patto avenged his dead children . But though Stalo was dead , his three sons were still living , and not very far off either . They had gone to their mother , who was tending some reindeer on the pastures , and told her that by some magic , they knew not what , their father 's head had rolled from his body , and they had been so afraid that something dreadful would happen to them that they had come to take refuge with her . The ogress said nothing . Long ago she had found out how stupid her sons were , so she just sent them out to milk the reindeer , while she returned to the other house to bury her husband 's body . Now , three days ' journey from the hut on the pastures two brothers Sodno dwelt in a small cottage with their sister Lyma , who tended a large herd of reindeer while they were out hunting . Of late it had been whispered from one to another that the three young Stalos were to be seen on the pastures , but the Sodno brothers did not disturb themselves , the danger seemed too far away . Unluckily , however , one day , when Lyma was left by herself in the hut , the three Stalos came down and carried her and the reindeer off to their own cottage . The country was very lonely , and perhaps no one would have known in which direction she had gone had not the girl managed to tie a ball of thread to the handle of a door at the back of the cottage and let it trail behind her . Of course the ball was not long enough to go all the way , but it lay on the edge of a snowy track which led straight to the Stalos ' house . When the brothers returned from their hunting they found both the hut and the sheds empty . Loudly they cried : ` Lyma ! Lyma ! ' But no voice answered them ; and they fell to searching all about , lest perchance their sister might have dropped some clue to guide them . At length their eyes dropped on the thread which lay on the snow , and they set out to follow it . On and on they went , and when at length the thread stopped the brothers knew that another day 's journey would bring them to the Stalos ' dwelling . Of course they did not dare to approach it openly , for the Stalos had the strength of giants , and besides , there were three of them ; so the two Sodnos climbed into a big bushy tree which overhung a well .
` Perhaps our sister may be sent to draw water here , ' they said XXXXX each other .
At ago behind by on out so to while with