Erkki overheard this plan and the next day when they were sure he was safely at work in the forest he slipped back and hid himself in the bedclothes.
Well, when they got to the island and began unpacking their things there was Erkki in the bedclothes!
The Devil’s new wife complained bitterly.
“If you really loved me,” she said, “you’d cut off that boy’s head!”
“But I’ve tried to cut it off!” the Devil declared, “and I never can do it! Plague take such a boy! I’ve always known the Finns were an obstinate lot but I must say I’ve never met one as bad as Erkki! He’s too much for me!”
But the Devil’s wife kept on complaining until at last the Devil promised that he would try once again to cut off Erkki’s head.
“Very well,” his wife said, “to-night when he’s asleep I’ll wake you.”
Well, what with the moving and everything the wife herself was tired and as soon as she went to bed she fell asleep. That gave Erkki just the very chance he needed to try on the new wife the trick he had played on the old one. Without waking her he carried her to his bed and then laid himself down in her place beside the Devil. Then he waked up the Devil and reminded him that he had promised to cut off Erkki’s head.
The poor old Devil got up and went over to Erkki’s bed and of course cut off the head of his new wife.
The next morning when he had found out what he had done, he was perfectly furious.