188 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

Without a word the prince and Wassa
seated themselves on the beautiful creature’s
back, and he bounded away into the depths of
the forest. ;

As swift as the wind moves, the fairy
deer bounded over foaming brooks and rocks,
and through the tall
underbrush of the
forest, that parted on
either side as he sped
onward.

By degrees the
wood became more
dense, the trees grew
more lofty, and
the brooks be-
came broader
and rushed more
wildly along,
forming. cas-
cades and waterfalls that murmured loudly in
the silent forest. The path, too, grew rocky
and steep, but the fairy deer flew up the steep
ascents as lightly as he had skimmed over
the level ground of the forest.

At last the deer came to a standstill before