At length his breath failed him , and he threw himself almost senseless on the turf . While he lay there dreadful dreams haunted him . He thought that the serpent-king with the fiery crown had twined himself round him , and was crushing out his life . With a loud shriek he sprang up to do battle with his enemy , when he saw that it was rays of the sun which had wakened him . He rubbed his eyes and looked all round , but nothing could he see of the foes of the past night , and the moor where he had run into such danger must be at least a mile away . But it was no dream that he had run hard and far , or that he had drunk of the magic goats ' milk . And when he felt his limbs , and found them whole , his joy was great that he had come through such perils with a sound skin . After the fatigues and terrors of the night , he lay still till mid-day , but he made up his mind he would go that very evening into the forest to try what the goats ' milk could really do for him , and if he would now be able to understand all that had been a mystery to him . And once in the forest his doubts were set at rest , for he saw what no mortal eyes had ever seen before . Beneath the trees were golden pavilions , with flags of silver all brightly lighted up . He was still wondering why the pavilions were there , when a noise was heard among the trees , as if the wind had suddenly got up , and on all sides beautiful maidens stepped from the trees into the bright light of the moon . These were the wood-nymphs , daughters of the earth-mother , who came every night to hold their dances , in the forest . The young man , watching from his hiding place , wished he had a hundred eyes in his head , for two were not nearly enough for the sight before him , the dances lasting till the first streaks of dawn . Then a silvery veil seemed to be drawn over the ladies , and they vanished from sight . But the young man remained where he was till the sun was high in the heavens , and then went home . He felt that day to be endless , and counted the minutes till night should come , and he might return to the forest . But when at last he got there he found neither pavilions nor nymphs , and though he went back many nights after he never saw them again . Still , he thought about them night and day , and ceased to care about anything else in the world , and was sick to the end of his life with longing for that beautiful vision . And that was the way he learned that the wizard had spoken truly when he said , ` Blindness is man 's highest good . ' -LRB- Ehstnische Marchen . -RRB-
THE BOYS WITH THE GOLDEN STARS Once upon a time what happened did happen : and XXXXX it had not happened , you would never have heard this story .
At Beneath While about if in into though till with