away for eight years?"

"That is so. And can't be altered--the law must take its course. As
a matter of fact, the sentence is extraordinarily light. There's one
thing you must do now--that is, to set up clear boundaries between
your land and the State's. A straight, direct line, following the
marks I set up on the spot, and entered in my register at the time.
The timber cleared from the boundary line becomes your property. I
will come up some time and have a look at what you have done."

Isak trudged back to his home.




Chapter VIII


Time flies? Ay, when a man is growing old. Isak was not old, he had
not lost his vigour; the years seemed long to him. He worked on his
land, and let his iron beard grow as it would.

Now and again the monotony of the wilderness was broken by the sight
of a passing Lapp, or by something happening to one of the animals on
the place, then all would be as before. Once there came a number of
men at once; they rested at Sellanraa, and had some food and a dish of
milk; they asked Isak and Oline about the path across the hills;
they were marking out the telegraph line, they said. And once came
Geissler--Geissler himself, and no other. There he came, free and
easy as ever, walking up from the village, two men with him, carrying