er
dreamt of. Thousands of snakes, big and little and of every colour, were
gathered together in one great cluster round a huge serpent, whose body
was as thick as a beam, and which had on its head a golden crown, from
which the light sprang. Their hissings and darting tongues so terrified
the young man that his heart sank, and he felt he should never have
courage to push on to certain death, when suddenly he caught sight of
the golden bowl in front of the serpent-king, and knew that if he lost
this chance it would never come back. So, with his hair standing on end
and his blood frozen in his veins, he crept forwards. Oh! what a noise
and a whirr rose afresh among the serpents. Thousands of heads were
reared, and tongues were stretched out to sting the intruder to death,
but happily for him their bodies were so closely entwined one in the
other that they could not disentangle themselves quickly. Like lightning
he seized a bit of bread, dipped it in the bowl, and put it in his
mouth, then dashed away as if fire was pursuing him. On he flew as if a
whole army of foes were at his heels, and he seemed to hear the noise
of their approach growing nearer and nearer. At length his breath failed
him, and he threw himself almost senseless on the turf. While he lay
there dreadful dreams haunted him. He thought that the serpent-king with
the fiery crown had twined himself round him, and was crushing out his
life. With a loud shriek he sprang up to do battle with his enemy, when
he saw that it was rays of the sun which had wakened him. He rubbed his
eyes and looked all round, but nothing could he see of the foes of the
past night, and the moor where he had run into such danger must be at
least a mile away. But it was no dream that he had run hard and far, or
that he had drunk of the magic goats' milk. And when he felt his limbs,
and found them whole, his joy was great that he had come through such
perils with a sound skin.

After the fatigues and terrors of the night, he lay still till mid-day,
but he made up his mind he would go that very evening into the forest to
try what the goats' milk could really do for him, and if he would now be
able to understand all that had been a mystery to him. And once in the
forest his doubts were set at rest, for he saw what no mortal eyes had
ever seen before. Beneath the trees were golden pavilions, with flags of
silver all brightly lighted up. He was still wondering why the pavilions
were there,