hed in the depths of
the forest.

Then the young man drew rein for the first time, and looked about him.
He had left his companions far behind, and, glancing back, he beheld
them entering some tents, dotted here and there amongst the trees. For
himself, the fresh coolness of the woods was more attractive to him
than any food, however delicious, and for hours he strolled about as
his fancy led him.

By-and-by, however, it began to grow dark, and he thought that the
moment had arrived for them to start for the palace. So, leaving the
forest with a sigh, he made his way down to the tents, but what was
his horror to find his men lying about, some dead, some dying. These
were past speech, but speech was needless. It was as clear as day that
the wine they had drunk contained deadly poison.

'I am too late to help you, my poor friends,' he said, gazing at them
sadly; 'but at least I can avenge you! Those that have set the snare
will certainly return to see to its working. I will hide myself
somewhere, and discover who they are!'

Near the spot where he stood he noticed a large walnut tree, and into
this he climbed. Night soon fell, and nothing broke the stillness of
the place; but with the earliest glimpse of dawn a noise of galloping
hoofs was heard.

Pushing the branches aside the young man beheld a youth approaching,
mounted on a white horse. On reaching the tents the cavalier
dismounted, and closely inspected the dead bodies that lay about them.
Then, one by one, he dragged them to a ravine close by and threw them
into a lake at the bottom. While he was doing this, the servants who
had followed him led away the horses of the ill-fated men, and the
courtiers were ordered to let loose the deer, which was used as a
decoy, and to see that the tables in the tents were covered as before
with food and wine.

Having made these arrangements he strolled slowly through the forest,
but great was his surprise to come upon a beautiful horse hidden in
the depths of a thicket.

'There was a horse for every dead man,' he said to himself. 'Then
whose is this?'

'Mine!' answered a voice from a walnut tree close by. 'Who are you
that lure men into your power and then poison them? But you shall do
so no longer. Return to your house, wherever it may be, and we will
fight before it!'

The cavalier remained speechless with anger at these words; then with
a great effort he replied:

'I accept your challenge. Mount and follow me. I a