frisking and jumping to the wizard, who
threw a halter over his neck and leapt on his back.

Peronnik kept silence at the farm about this adventure, but he
understood very well that if he was ever to get to Kerglas he must first
catch the colt which knew the way. Unhappily he had not heard the magic
words uttered by the wizard, and he could not manage to draw the three
circles, so if he was to summon the colt at all he must invent some
other means of doing it.

All day long, while he was herding the cows, he thought and thought how
he was to call the colt, for he felt sure that once on its back he could
overcome the other dangers. Meantime he must be ready in case a chance
should come, and he made his preparations at night, when everyone was
asleep. Remembering what he had seen the wizard do, he patched up an
old halter that was hanging in a corner of the stable, twisted a rope
of hemp to catch the colt's feet, and a net such as is used for snaring
birds. Next he sewed roughly together some bits of cloth to serve as a
pocket, and this he filled with glue and lark's feathers, a string of
beads, a whistle of elder wood, and a slice of bread rubbed over with
bacon fat. Then he went out to the path down which Rogear, his mare, and
the colt always rode, and crumbled the bread on one side of it.

Punctual to their hour all three appeared, eagerly watched by Peronnik,
who lay hid in the bushes close by. Suppose it was useless; suppose the
mare, and not the colt, ate the crumbs? Suppose--but no! the mare and
her rider went safely by, vanishing round a corner, while the colt,
trotting along with its head on the ground, smelt the bread, and began
greedily to lick up the pieces. Oh, how good it was! Why had no one ever
given it that before, and so absorbed was the little beast, sniffing
about after a few more crumbs, that it never heard Peronnik creep up
till it felt the halter on its neck and the rope round its feet, and--in
another moment--some one on its back.

Going as fast as the hobbles would allow, the colt turned into one of
the wildest parts of the forest, while its rider sat trembling at the
strange sights he saw. Sometimes the earth seemed to open in front of
them and he was looking into a bottomless pit; sometimes the trees burst
into flames and he found himself in the midst of a fire; often in the
act of crossing a stream the water rose and threatened to sweep him
away; and again, at the foot of a mountain, great r