He did not show himself to the people, but for several days he lingered on the borders of the wood, and at last he ventured to speak with the maiden and to ask her to be his wife. She did not seem to be at all unwilling; however, she said to him:
"You must be very careful, for my grandmother does not wish me to marry. She is a very wicked old woman, and has thus far succeeded in killing every one of my suitors."
"In that case, we must run away," the young man replied. "To-night, when your grandmother is asleep, pull up some of the tent-pins and come out. I shall be waiting for you!"
The girl did as he had said, and that same night they fled together and by morning were far from the village.
However, the maiden kept looking over her shoulder as if fearing pursuit, and at last her lover said to her:
"Why do you continue to look behind you? They will not have missed you until daylight, and it is quite certain now that no one can overtake us!"
"Ah," she replied, "my grandmother has powerful magic! She can cover a whole day's journey at one step, and I am convinced that she is upon our trail."
"In that case, you shall see that I too know something of magic," returned the young man. Forthwith he threw down one of his mittens, and lo! their trail was changed to the trail of a Buffalo. He threw down the other mitten, and it became the carcass of a Buffalo lying at the end of the trail.
"She will follow thus far and no farther," he declared; but the maiden shook her head, and ceased not from time to time to glance over her shoulder as they hastened onward.
In truth it was not long till she perceived the old woman in the distance, coming on with great strides and shaking her cane and her gray head at the runaways.