ead for himself. Vincenzo followed the
horse, and after a while came to a river of milk, and began to eat bread
and milk, and could not overtake the horse again. He then returned to
his master, who, seeing him return to no purpose, said: "To-morrow the
horse will come again; if you cannot tell me where he goes I will no
longer have you for my apprentice." The next day the apprentice followed
the horse again, and came to a river of wine, and began to eat bread and
wine, and lost sight of the horse. He returned to his master in despair
at having lost the horse. His master said: "Listen. The first time, one
pardons; the second time, one condones; the third time, one beats. If
to-morrow you do not follow the horse I will give you a good thrashing
and send you home." What did poor Vincenzo do? He followed the horse the
next day with his eyes open. After a while he came to a river of oil.
"What shall I do? the horse will get away from me now!" So he tied the
horse's reins to his girdle and began to eat bread and oil. The horse
pulled, but Vincenzo said: "When I finish the bread I will come." When
he had finished the bread he followed the horse, and after a time he
came to a cattle-farm where the grass was long and thick and the cattle
so thin that they could scarcely stand on their feet. Vincenzo was
astonished at seeing the grass so long and the cattle so lean. Then he
came to another farm, and saw that the grass was dry and short, and the
cattle fatter than you can believe. He said to himself: "Just see!
There, where the grass was long, the cattle were lean; here, where you
can hardly see the grass, the cattle are so fat!" The horse kept on, and
Vincenzo after him. After a while he met a sow with her tail full of
large knots, and wondered why she had such a tail. Farther on he came to
a watering-trough, where there was a toad trying to reach a crumb of
bread, and could not. Vincenzo continued his way, and arrived at a large
gate. The horse knocked at the gate with his head, and the door opened
and a beautiful lady appeared, who said she was the Madonna. When she
saw the youth she asked: "And what are you here for?" Vincenzo replied:
"This horse comes constantly to my master's to get an ounceworth of
bread, and my master never has been able to find out where he carries
it." "Very well; enter," said the lady; "I will show you where he
carries it." Then the lady began to call all the souls in purgatory: "My
children, come hither