He woke up in the morning feeling well rested, and more like himself than at any time since his wife’s disappearance. It was late and the sun had already risen. He hurried out anxiously to look at his stick. It was bent directly toward the North, so he pulled it up and started on his journey, with the staff moving along before him.
For two days and two nights he traveled without rest, having a hard time to keep up with that stick, which hopped along in front of him. Then, being tired, he stuck the staff into the ground and went to sleep.
When he woke, the stick was again pointing North. This time it leaned over more than before.
For three days and nights he traveled, then he slept, and in the morning his faithful staff was bending way over, still toward the North.
“Now my wife cannot be very far away,” he thought.
That night he slept again, and when he awoke, the staff had leaned so far over that the tip almost touched the ground; so he felt sure he must be near his journey’s end.
About noon, when the sun hung very round and very red, low down in the sky, he came to a huge snow house, the biggest house he had ever seen. Right by the house stood four posts close together, and on these posts was hung the skin of an enormous bird.
Hiding himself among some willow bushes, he watched to see what would happen.
Pretty soon a very tall man came out of the house and went to the posts. Climbing up on them, he took the skin, put it on, and flew away over the sea.
When the bird man was out of sight, our friend took his faithful staff and went into the house. There he found his wife, who was very happy to see him.