THE RELEASE OF THE CHILDREN

Then to the lodge sped brave Eut-le-ten to that great lodge of giant
cedar logs, the home of the dead witch E-ish-so-oolth. The house was
dark, for only through the door and the great smoke hole in the roof,
did the pale light find its dim way. It was gloomy, and for the full
time it takes a man to wake from a deep sleep, Eut-le-ten saw nothing
but just the darkness of a moonless night, then slowly as if the day
was dawning, objects were seen within the hall. In the centre was a
smouldering fire, and in the hot ashes, some heated stones with which
to boil the water in the wooden box in which the food was cooked.
There beside the wooden box he saw two little forms, prepared by that
old witch to satisfy her cruel appetite, and that of her bad chehah
man. Then Eut-le-ten was very sad indeed, to think that he had come
too late to save the little girls from such an awful fate, and as he
looked and moaned within himself believing that his sister lay there
dead, he heard a sound which seemed to come from the further end of
the dark lodge, and turning round he saw some children imprisoned
in a wicker cage. Then he spoke and told them to be brave, that he
had come to save them from the witch; but they were frightened at
the very sound of his strange voice, and cried aloud with fear.
Eut-le-ten whispered softly, and with grease from the great whale
he rubbed their eyes free from the pitch with which E-ish-so-oolth
had closed them. Afterward he told them that his name was Eut-le-ten,
who had killed E-ish-so-oolth, and how he had crushed the ogre within
the log.

The frightened children were much comforted and followed Eut-le-ten
from out of the lodge away from the dark house of E-ish-so-oolth