Maie loaded her boat with stones and went out to sea. The fiddler was with her, and fiddled so finely that Ahti and Wellamos and all the sea's daughters rose to the surface of the water to listen to the music.
'What is that shining so brightly in the waves?' asked Maie.
'That is sea foam glinting in the sunshine,' answered the fiddler.
'Throw out the stones,' said Maie.
The people in the boat began to throw out the stones, splash, splash, right and left, into the foam. One stone hit the nose of Wellamos's chief lady-in-waiting, another scratched the sea queen herself on the cheek, a third plumped close to Ahti's head and tore off half of the sea-king's beard; then there was a commotion in the sea, the waves bubbled and bubbled like boiling water in a pot.
'Whence comes this gust of wind?' said Maie; and as she spoke the sea opened and swallowed up the steamer. Maie sank to the bottom like a stone, but, stretching out her arms and legs, she rose to the surface, where she found the fiddler's fiddle, and used it as a float. At the same moment she saw close beside her the terrible head of Ahti, and he had only half a beard!
'Why did you throw stones at me?' roared the sea-king.
'Oh, your majesty, it was a mistake! Put some bear's grease on your beard and that will soon make it grow again.'
'Dame, did I not give you all you asked for—nay, even more?'
'Truly, truly, your majesty. Many thanks for the cows.'