rest. Into this wood the boy had never been allowed to
enter, from the evil name it had acquired in the traditions of the
peasantry. Some said that robbers haunted its deep recesses, for
travellers had entered it, notwithstanding all the entreaties of those
who would have detained them, but had never been seen again; in fact,
none had ever been known to return, who had been fool-hardy enough to
enter into that snare. Others argued that they had been devoured by the
wild beasts, whose savage roar might sometimes be heard at night; or
that, losing their way, they had perished with hunger. But the older and
wiser shook their heads at these suggestions, insinuating that
skepticism on such awful subjects might bring down vengeance upon the
unbelieving; and intimated, more by look and by gesture than by word,
that the whole forest was enchanted ground, and that powers more than
mortal claimed it as their own. All agreed that the Fairy Wood--so it
was called--was a dangerous place, and few, indeed, would venture into
its shady depths. Rudolph's curiosity had been excited in the most vivid
manner by what he had heard concerning the mysteries of the forest, and
he had long determined to seize the first opportunity of gratifying it.
Old Fritz would not have consented to his entering it, if he had given
him his weight in gold, but the worthy seneschal was now out of sight,
and here was a glorious opportunity for the boy--he dashed into the
wood, and urging Saladin onward, was soon involved in the intricacies of
the forest.

On went the fearless boy, determined to explore, and doubting nothing,
although the dark, gloomy shades might well have appalled an older
person, and the numerous, faintly defined paths would certainly have
made an experienced one hesitate. On he went, deeper and deeper into the
wood, until he was suddenly startled by low, prolonged, growling
thunder. He tried to retrace his steps, but was only more entangled in
the maze: the sky had become black as midnight, the rain fell in
torrents, the lightnings flashed fearfully, and all nature appeared
convulsed. Rudolph had never before witnessed such a storm, and brave
boy as he was, his heart quaked with terror--he felt how powerless a
human being is, when, unsheltered, he is brought face to face with the
elements, lashed up to fury. He now realized, in addition, that he had
lost his way, and feared that in his efforts to extricate himself, he
might penetrate still de