There was also a tale of a magnificent black cat as large as a foal , but men could not believe all the wonders told by the peasant , and it was difficult to make out what was true and what was false in his story . However , the fact remained that strange things did happen there , and the King of Sweden , to whom this part of the country belonged , more than once gave orders to cut down the haunted wood , but there was no one with courage enough to obey his commands . At length one man , bolder than the rest , struck his axe into a tree , but his blow was followed by a stream of blood and shrieks as of a human creature in pain . The terrified woodcutter fled as fast as his legs would carry him , and after that neither orders nor threats would drive anybody to the enchanted moor . A few miles from the Tontlawald was a large village , where dwelt a peasant who had recently married a young wife . As not uncommonly happens in such cases , she turned the whole house upside down , and the two quarrelled and fought all day long . By his first wife the peasant had a daughter called Elsa , a good quiet girl , who only wanted to live in peace , but this her stepmother would not allow . She beat and cuffed the poor child from morning till night , but as the stepmother had the whip-hand of her husband there was no remedy . For two years Elsa suffered all this ill-treatment , when one day she went out with the other village children to pluck strawberries . Carelessly they wandered on , till at last they reached the edge of the Tontlawald , where the finest strawberries grew , making the grass red with their colour . The children flung themselves down on the ground , and , after eating as many as they wanted , began to pile up their baskets , when suddenly a cry arose from one of the older boys : ` Run , run as fast as you can ! We are in the Tontlawald ! ' Quicker than lightning they sprang to their feet , and rushed madly away , all except Elsa , who had strayed farther than the rest , and had found a bed of the finest strawberries right under the trees . Like the others , she heard the boy 's cry , but could not make up her mind to leave the strawberries . ` After all , what does it matter ? ' thought she . ` The dwellers in the Tontlawald can not be worse than my stepmother ' ; and looking up she saw a little black dog with a silver bell on its neck come barking towards her , followed by a maiden clad all in silk . ` Be quiet , ' said she ; then turning to Elsa she added : ' I am so glad you did not run away with the other children . Stay here with me and be my friend , and we will play delightful games together , and every day we will go and gather strawberries . Nobody will dare to beat you if I tell them not .
Come , let us go to my mother ' ; and taking XXXXX 's hand she led her deeper into the wood , the little black dog jumping up beside them and barking with pleasure .
Elsa Tontlawald colour day ill-treatment lightning moor right shrieks woodcutter