` Yes , grandmother , ' answered the boy , ` they have all come , and have given me their gifts . ' This pleased the old woman so much that she brought him another basin of food , and while he was eating it she talked to him , and this is what she said : ` Far away , on the other side of the great river , is the home of the Bad One . In his house is much gold , and what is more precious even than the gold , a little bridge , which lengthens out when the Bad One waves his hand , so that there is no river or sea that he can not cross . Now I want that bridge and some of the gold for myself , and that is the reason that I have stolen so many boys by means of my ball . I have tried to teach them how to gain the gifts of the good spirits , but none of them would fast long enough , and at last I had to send them away to perform simple , easy little tasks . But you have been strong and faithful , and you can do this thing if you listen to what I tell you ! When you reach the river tie this ball to your foot , and it will take you across -- you can not manage it in any other way . But do not be afraid ; trust to the ball , and you will be quite safe ! ' The boy took the ball and put it in a bag . Then he made himself a club and a bow , and some arrows which would fly further than anyone else 's arrows , because of the strength the good spirits had given him . They had also bestowed on him the power of changing his shape , and had increased the quickness of his eyes and ears so that nothing escaped him . And in some way or other they made him understand that if he needed more help they would give it to him . When all these things were ready the boy bade farewell to the witch and set out . 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 XXXXX his third trial he got safely to the other side .
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