m all that had befallen him, and the
magician said:

'Do not grieve, young man! If you will guard the children who are
hidden in the golden apple-tree, I will bring you at once up to the
earth. Another magician who lives in this land always eats my children
up. It is in vain that I have hidden them under the earth and locked
them into the castle. Now I have hidden them in the apple-tree; hide
yourself there too, and at midnight you will see my enemy.'

The youth climbed up the tree, and picked some of the beautiful golden
apples, which he ate for his supper.

At midnight the wind began to rise, and a rustling sound was heard at
the foot of the tree. The youth looked down and beheld a long thick
serpent beginning to crawl up the tree. It wound itself round the stem
and gradually got higher and higher. It stretched its huge head, in
which the eyes glittered fiercely, among the branches, searching for
the nest in which the little children lay. They trembled with terror
when they saw the hideous creature, and hid themselves beneath the
leaves.

Then the youth swung his mighty sword in the air, and with one blow
cut off the serpent's head. He cut up the rest of the body into little
bits and strewed them to the four winds.

The father of the rescued children was so delighted over the death of
his enemy that he told the youth to get on his back, and in this way
he carried him up to the world above.

With what joy did he hurry now to his brothers' house! He burst into a
room where they were all assembled, but no one knew who he was. Only
his bride, who was serving as cook to her sisters, recognised her
lover at once.

His brothers, who had quite believed he was dead, yielded him up his
treasures at once, and flew into the woods in terror. But the good
youth forgave them all they had done, and divided his treasures with
them. Then he built himself a big castle with golden windows, and
there he lived happily with his golden-haired wife till the end of
their lives.

_THE BOY AND THE WOLVES, OR

THE BROKEN PROMISE_[18]

Once upon a time an Indian hunter built himself a house in the middle
of a great forest, far away from all his tribe; for his heart was
gentle and kind, and he was weary of the treachery and cruel deeds of
those who had been his friends. So he left them, and took his wife and
three children, and they journeyed on until they found a spot near to
a clear stream, where they began to cut down trees