THE THREE BROTHERS. 165

Then the father gave the flute to his brothers to
play upon, but they wouldn't. “ Nay, but you
must!” said their father. Then the younger brother
took and played upon it :

“Play, my brother, play,
But don’t steal my heart away !
Me my brothers took and slew,
Tn the ditch my body threw,
For the hog shot down by me,
That rooted up the tree!”

Then the father gave the flute to the elder brother
who had slain him, but he wouldn’t take it. “Take
it and play upon it!” roared his father at him. Then
he took it and played :

“Play, my brother, play,
But don’t steal my heart away !
Twas thou who didst me slay,
And stowed my corpse away,
For the hog shot down by me,
That rooted up the tree!”

“Then it was thou who didst slay him?” cried
the father. What could the elder brother do but
confess it! Then they dug the dead man up, and
buried him in the cemetery; but they tied the elder
brother to a wild horse, which scattered his bones
about the endless steppe.

But I was there, and drank wine and mead till my
beard was wet.