old greater fierceness than the
other Welwa had done. But he was not idle either. The battle again
lasted for three days and three nights, and at dawn on the fourth
morning our hero bridled the second Welwa.

"Sweet be your fortune, for you have delivered me from enchantment!"
said the Welwa, and they pursued their journey along the road by which
they had come.

"Stop, stand still, go on at a walk, and let me gaze at what I have
never seen before," cried Petru for the third time; then he covered
his eyes with his hand lest he should be blinded by the rays streaming
from the Gold Forest. He had already beheld marvelous things, but
never even dreamed of a sight like this.

"We will stand here or we shall fare badly," cried the horses in one
breath.

"Why should we fare badly?" asked Petru.

"You'll pluck the flowers again. I know your heart will give you no
rest until you do! And our youngest brother is seven times seven times
stronger and more terrible than we three together. So let us go round
the forest," said the bay.

"Certainly not," replied Petru; "let us go through it! Let us see all,
since we have seen something, and experience all, now that we have
experienced part. Have no fear, I have none!"

I need not tell you that Petru did again what he had already done
twice. Oh dear! How could he help it?

Scarcely was the wreath twined when something began which had never
been experienced before. It was not a more furious tempest or greater
darkness, neither did the earth quake more violently. No! I don't know
how or what it was, but it seemed to Petru as though somebody had got
into the middle of the earth to overturn it. What happened was
something awful, and may Heaven preserve any one from it!

"You see!" said the bay angrily, "why couldn't you keep quiet?"

Petru saw that he saw nothing more, began to feel that he felt nothing
more, and understood that he could understand nothing more, so he made
no reply, but girded his sword tighter and prepared to fight. "Now the
Welwa can come," he cried, "I will die or throw the bridle over its
head." He had scarcely uttered the words when something whose like he
had never beheld before approached him. A dense fog surrounded Petru,
a fog so dense that he could not even see himself in it.

"What's this?" cried the champion, somewhat startled, when he began to
feel that he was aching all over. But he was still more alarmed when
he perceived that he could not hear h