the tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was still standing there motionless, when the stag in full career bounded up to him, and before he could escape, caught him up on his great horns. he had not much time to collect his thoughts, for it went in a swift race over stock and stone, mountain and valley, wood and meadow. he held with both hands to the tops of the horns, and resigned himself to his fate. it seemed, however, to him just as if he were flying away. at length the stag stopped in front of a wall of rock, and gently let the tailor down. the tailor, more dead than alive, required a longer time than that to come to himself. when he had in some degree recovered, the stag, which had remained standing by him, pushed its horns with such force against a door which was in the rock, that it sprang open. flames of fire shot forth, after which followed a great smoke, which hid the stag from his sight. the tailor did not know what to do, or whither to turn, in order to get out of this desert and back to human beings again. whilst he was standing thus undecided, a voice sounded out of the rock, which cried to him, "enter without fear, no evil shall befall you thee." he hesitated, but driven by a mysterious force, he obeyed the voice and went through the iron-door into a large spacious hall, whose ceiling, walls and floor were made of shining polished square stones, on each of which were cut letters which were unknown to him. he looked at everything full of admiration, and was on the point of going out again, when he once more heard the voice which said to him, "step on the stone which lies in the middle of the hall, and great good fortune awaits thee."