for the
pretty horse. No horse was to be found. The only living thing near was
an old, bony, gray donkey. The man called, and whistled, and looked,
but no little horse appeared. After a long while he gave it up, and,
since there was nothing better to do, he mounted the old gray donkey
and set out again.

The donkey was slow, and he was hard to ride, but he was better than
nothing; and gradually the lazy man saw the towers of the castle draw
nearer.

Now it began to grow dark; in the castle windows the lights began to
show. Then came trouble! Slower, and slower, went the gray donkey;
slower, and slower, till, in the very middle of a pitch-black wood, he
stopped and stood still. Not a step would he budge for all the coaxing
and scolding and beating his rider could give. At last the rider
kicked him, as well as beat him, and at that the donkey felt that he
had had enough. Up went his hind heels, and down went his head, and
over it went the lazy man on to the stony ground.

There he lay groaning for many minutes, for it was not a soft place, I
can assure you. How he wished he were in a soft, warm bed, with his
aching bones comfortable in blankets! The very thought of it made him
remember the castle of fortune, for he knew there must be fine beds
there. To get to those beds he was even willing to bestir his bruised
limbs, so he sat up and felt about him for the donkey.

No donkey was to be found.

The lazy man crept round and round the spot where he had fallen,
scratched his hands on the stumps, tore his face in the briers, and
bumped his knees on the stones. But no donkey was there. He would have
lain down to sleep again, but he could hear now the howls of hungry
wolves in the woods; that did not sound pleasant. Finally, his hand
struck against something that felt like a saddle. He grasped it,
thankfully, and started to mount his donkey.

The beast he took hold of seemed very small, and, as he mounted, he
felt that its sides were moist and slimy. It gave him a shudder, and
he hesitated; but at that moment he heard a distant clock strike. It
was striking eleven! There was still time to reach the castle of
fortune, but no more than enough; so he mounted his new steed and rode
on once more. The animal was easier to sit on than the donkey, and the
saddle seemed remarkably high behind; it was good to lean against. But
even the donkey was not so slow as this; the new steed was slower than
he. After a whi