, and Old Top
rose and shook himself and growled. In another moment the Stag, ridden
by the grinning old woman, flitted past; but, quick as a flash, Three
Wits threw the first bobbin, and he threw it so hard that it made a
zooning sound in the air. The Stag made one tremendous bound and
disappeared. The dogs came next, and Three Wits threw the second
bobbin. It zooned through the air, and the silver wire unwound with a
twanging sound, and fell full upon the panting and baying pack. It
fell upon them, and wound itself about them, and smothered their
cries, and held them fast in its glistening meshes.

"Then came the rushing horse and its furious rider. Three Wits threw
the third bobbin, but the horse shied at the motion of the boy's hand,
and flew through the woods in the direction taken by the Stag. When
Three Wits saw both the Stag and the horse escape, he fell upon the
ground and began to weep.

"'Hity-tity!' exclaimed the little old man, coming from behind the
tree where he had concealed himself. 'What's this? Why, I was about to
cry "Bravo!" and here I find you pretending to be a baby. Get up. If
I am not mistaken you have accomplished even more than I expected you
would. Let's see.'

"He lifted Three Wits to his feet, and then the two went to where the
hunt had passed. At one point the dogs were entangled in the silver
wire, and were unable to free themselves. A little farther in, they
found a thick wisp of gray hair which the wire had cut from the head
of the grinning old woman who rode the Stag. The little old man
clapped his hands with delight and cut some joyful capers, for he was
very nimble.

"'Good!' he exclaimed. 'Another half inch and you would have cut off
her head instead of her hair! But where is the bobbin? I don't see the
bobbin! We must have the bobbin!'

"Three Wits hunted, but he could find no bobbin. Then he caught hold
of the wire, and found that it led into the woods the way the Stag had
gone. He caught hold of it and followed it along, calling to the
little old man. They followed the silver wire far into the woods, and
finally they came to the end of it, and there was the Stag, strangled
and dead. The weight of the bobbin had carried the wire around his
body and around his neck, and the bobbin itself had caught in the
fork of one of his antlers.

[Illustration: THE STAG AND THE WITCH]

"The little old man seemed to be very happy. He patted Three Wits on
the shoulder, and declared that