he thereupon sprang upon the serpent and tried to strangle it to death with his bare arms. it was not long before his prodigious strength gained the mastery and the serpent lay dead at his feet. now a sudden darkness came over the mountain and rain began to fall, so that for the gloom and the rain the prince could hardly see which way to take. in a short time, however, while he was groping his way down the pass, the weather cleared, and our brave hero was able to make his way quickly down the mountain.