face.
Then, while heated and breathless with the ascent of one of these, he
would see her wave her staff downward, and plunge down a steep
declivity, into the darkness of which he followed her pell-mell, not
knowing whether he was going to descend a few yards or a mile. Very
soon, however, he began to get his blood up, and, kicking out his legs
like a wild goat of Cashmere, he prepared to show her that it would have
to be a very smart old woman who could beat him in a race. So away they
went, like a cat and a dog, the Prince clearing the great gaps as fast
as Mahbracca could make them. At last he actually gained on her, and
kept ahead of her for a few minutes, during which time he had level
running. But with a great effort, she passed him, and, violently
throwing up the end of her staff, caused a great rock to rise with such
promptness, that the Prince came within an inch of braining himself
against it. But over it they went, and for half a mile kept neck and
neck; but the old woman soon put an end to this, for, whirling her staff
round her head, the Prince instantly found himself wading in sand up to
his armpits.

"That's mean!" he cried, with tears of indignation in his eyes. But
Mahbracca jumped up and down on top of the sand, waving her arms, and
laughing and screaming like a hyena.

"Ah ha! my vigorous Prince," cried she, "why do you stop? Hasten,
hasten! Swiftest of youths, the Princess awaits us!"

Incensed by her mockery, he gave a mighty plunge into the sand before
him, and surged along like a ship in the ocean, while Mahbracca skipped
gayly by him, playfully kicking the sand into his eyes.

"You see the advantage of lightness, my dear," cried she. "I pass easily
over the top of this sand, while you--O, how you do wallow! Ha, ha, ha!
I never saw anything like it."

With such remarks, she beguiled his way, until relenting, she at last
waved her staff again above her head, and the Prince found himself by
her side, on solid ground.

She complimented him on his remarkable agility and strength, but he made
her no answer, and, wiping his face with his handkerchief, walked on
without a word. At length they reached the end of the avenue, and,
passing through a circular aperture with which it terminated, the Prince
found himself in the cavity of an immense hollow mountain, the floor of
which was a great plain, and into which the light of day was admitted
through an opening in the top, more than two miles above hi