The chief then spoke up, saying, "Daughter, be ready to go with him in the morning."
Now it happened when the chief was thus speaking that there was a foolish fellow in the lodge, who had thought to have got this chief's daughter for a wife. He jumped up, looked grimly at Maidwa, and said: "Who is he that he should take her for a few presents? I will kill him."
And he raised a knife which he had in his hand and gave it a mighty flourish in the air. He kept up this terrible flourish till some one came and pulled him back to his seat. He had been waiting for this and yielded quietly enough.
At peep of day amid the greetings of their new friends, Maidwa and the Red Swan, with the chief's daughter, took their leave. Toward evening they reached the other town. The watchman gave the signal, and numbers of men, women and children stood out to see them. They were again shown into the chief's lodge, and the chief welcomed Maidwa, saying: "Son-in-law, you are welcome."
And he requested Maidwa to take a seat by his daughter, and the two women did the same.
After suitable refreshments for all, and while Maidwa smoked a pipe, the chief asked him to relate his adventures in the hearing of all the inmates of the lodge and of the strangers who had gathered in at report of his singular fortunes.
Maidwa gave them his whole story. When he came to those parts which related to the Red Swan, they turned and looked upon her in wonder and admiration, for she was very beautiful.
The chief then informed Maidwa that his brothers had been to their town in search of him, but that they had gone back some time before, having given up all hopes of ever seeing him again.
"But you are a man of spirit," the chief continued, "whom fortune is pleased to befriend. Take my daughter with you and treat her well. So shall we be more closely bound together."
It is always the case in an assembly or gathering that some one of the number is foolish and disposed to play the clown. It happened to be so here. One of this very sort was in the lodge, and now this pretender jumped up in a passion and cried out: