de a desperate leap over the trench, as he saw Dutch
Michel raise his pole to destroy him. He landed safely on the other
side, and saw the pole shattered in the air as though it had struck an
invisible wall, and a long splinter fell at Peter's feet. He picked it
up triumphantly with the intention of hurling it back at Michel; but at
that moment he felt it moving in his hand, and discovered, to his
horror, that it was an enormous snake, which with darting tongue and
glistening eyes reared its head to strike at him. He let go his hold,
but the reptile had coiled itself tightly about his arm, and its fangs
were already close to his face, when of a sudden a blackcock swooped
down, seized the snake's head in its bill and flew up into the air with
its prey, while Dutch Michel, who had seen all this from the boundary
line, howled and stormed as the snake was carried off by its more
powerful enemy.

Trembling and staggering, Peter continued on his way. The path became
steeper, the region wilder, and soon he found himself at the base of
the large pine tree. He made his obeisance as yesterday to the
invisible Little Glass-Man, and then recited his verse:

"Schatzhauser im gruenen Tannenwald,
Bist schon viel' hundert Jahre alt,
Dein is all' Land, wo Tannen stehen,
Laesst Dich nur Sonntagskindern sehn."

"You haven't quite hit it, but seeing it's you, Charcoal Pete, we'll
let it pass," said a low soft voice near him. He looked around him in
surprise, and beneath a splendid pine sat a little old man, dressed in
a black jacket and red stockings, with a large hat on his head. He had
a delicate, pleasing face, and a beard as fine as a spider's web. He
smoked from a pipe of blue glass; and on approaching nearer, Peter saw,
to his astonishment, that the clothing, shoes, and hat of the little
man were all made of colored glass, but it was as flexible as though
still hot, for it bent like cloth with every movement of the little
man.

"You have met that churl, Dutch Michel?" said the little man, coughing
peculiarly after every word. "He meant to scare you badly; but I have
taken away his magic pole and he will never recover it again."

"Yes, Mr. Schatzhauser," replied Peter, with a low bow. "I was in a
pretty bad fix. Then you must have been the blackcock who killed the
snake! My best thanks for your kindness. But I have come here to
counsel with you. Things are in a bad way with me; a ch