The reason bridges exist is so they can be crossed. The people of Uri looked at the beautiful strong bridge, and they looked at each other, and they looked at the trail that the Säumer could now take to cross their sturdy bridge, and they didn't move. They had agreed to a deal and now payment was due. They had told themselves they would think of something when the time came for keeping their side of the bargain, but what would it be? A volunteer? Nobody offered. A vote for someone to sacrifice? Too hard, and it might be me. Wait for an unsuspecting soul to happen upon the bridge? Rather unethical. And again they sighed.
They were about to gather their children and dogs and baggage to disperse and think more for a good solution, when one farmer's buck goat pulled away from him and trotted down the path looking for leaves. As the farmer started after him, the buck the moved further away, and would not let himself be caught. A few others helped in the chase, but the goat then started climbing nimbly up the mountainside to keep his freedom. Even the boys couldn't scramble up the steep sides like a goat. "The devil take you....." The farmer shouted, then suddenly stopped.
So did everyone else.
The altogether they formed a semi-circle around the buck, blocking all paths but the way to the bridge. They shooed and shouted and advanced on the buck until he was at the bridge. Then the farmer ran at the buck and chased him across the bridge.
Just at the end, the devil appeared and screamed and stomped and tried to stop the buck and get the farmer to finish crossing the bridge, but the farmer turned as fast he could and ran back the other way.
The buck was more stubborn. Though he was a little frightened of all the commotion, he couldn't go back where the farmer was waiting to catch him, and this noisy creature was blocking his way, so he put down his head with its pair of mighty horns and charged. The devil leaped aside and the buck was across the bridge.
His life now belonged to the devil. This made the devil so angry at being tricked that he threw the buck at the mountainside. But that is like throwing a rabbit in a briar patch, so the buck picked himself up and lived happily ever after on the other side of the mountain, for no one would ever touch the devil's property.
But the devil roared that he would have his vengeance on the people.
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