One day a youth started off from his native village , resolved never to come back till he had done some great deed that would make his name famous . But adventures did not seem very plentiful just then , and he wandered about for a long time without meeting either with fierce giants or distressed damsels . At last he saw in the distance a wild mountain , half covered with a dense forest , and thinking that this promised well at once took the road that led to it . The difficulties he met with -- huge rocks to be climbed , deep rivers to be crossed , and thorny tracts to be avoided -- only served to make his heart beat quicker , for he was really brave all through , and not merely when he could not help himself , like a great many people . But in spite of all his efforts he could not find his way out of the forest , and he began to think he should have to pass the night there . Once more he strained his eyes to see if there was no place in which he could take shelter , and this time he caught sight of a small chapel in a little clearing . He hastened quickly towards it , and curling himself up in a warm corner soon fell asleep . Not a sound was heard through the whole forest for some hours , but at midnight there suddenly arose such a clamour that the young man , tired as he was , started broad awake in an instant . Peeping cautiously between the wooden pillars of the chapel , he saw a troop of hideous cats , dancing furiously , making the night horrible with their yells . The full moon lighted up the weird scene , and the young warrior gazed with astonishment , taking great care to keep still , lest he should be discovered . After some time he thought that in the midst of all their shrieks he could make out the words , ` Do not tell Schippeitaro ! Keep it hidden and secret ! Do not tell Schippeitaro ! ' Then , the midnight hour having passed , they all vanished , and the youth was left alone . Exhausted by all that had been going on round him , he flung himself on the ground and slept till the sun rose . The moment he woke he felt very hungry , and began to think how he could get something to eat . So he got up and walked on , and before he had gone very far was lucky enough to find a little side-path , where he could trace men 's footsteps . He followed the track , and by-and-by came on some scattered huts , beyond which lay a village . Delighted at this discovery , he was about to hasten to the village when he heard a woman 's voice weeping and lamenting , and calling on the men to take pity on her and help her . The sound of her distress made him forget he was hungry , and he strode into the hut to find out for himself what was wrong .
But the men whom he asked only shook their heads and told him it was not a matter in which he could give any help , for all this sorrow was caused by the Spirit of the Mountain , to whom every year they were bound XXXXX furnish a maiden for him to eat .
At So as before from of on till to towards