"May be, Iven," said the boy.
"Well, I thought you came to fetch me; come on, we must go home. There's nothing new to see here."
The boy would not move till the man had turned him round by force and pulled him onto the path. "Listen, Karsten," he said when the ghostly island was already a good bit behind them, "they say you're a fellow that's ready for anything; I believe you'd like best to investigate that yourself."
"Yes," replied Karsten, shuddering a little at the recollection, "yes, I'd like to, Iven."
"Are you in earnest?" asked the man after Karsten had given him his hand on it. "Well then, tomorrow evening we'll take our boat; you can go over to Jeverssand and I'll wait for you on the dike."
"Yes," replied the boy, "we can do that. I'll take my whip with me."
"Yes, do!"
In silence they went up the high mound to their master's house.
The same time the following evening the man was sitting on the big stone in front of the stable door as the boy came up to him cracking his whip. "That makes an odd whistle!" said Iven.