when the wild man had once more reached the dark forest, he took the boy down from his shoulder, and said to him, "thou wilt never see thy father and mother again, but i will keep thee with me, for thou hast set me free, and i have compassion on thee. if thou dost all i bid thee, thou shalt fare well. of treasure and gold have i enough, and more than anyone in the world." he made a bed of moss for the boy on which he slept, and the next morning the man took him to a well, and said, "behold, the gold well is as bright and clear as crystal, thou shalt sit beside it, and take care that nothing falls into it, or it will be polluted. i will come every evening to see if thou hast obeyed my order." the boy placed himself by the margin of the well, and often saw a golden fish or a golden snake show itself therein, and took care that nothing fell in. as he was thus sitting, his finger hurt him so violently that he involuntarily put it in the water. he drew it quickly out again, but saw that it was quite gilded, and whatsoever pains he took to wash the gold off again, all was to no purpose. in the evening iron john came back, looked at the boy, and said, "what has happened to the well?" "nothing, nothing," he answered, and held his finger behind his back, that the man might not see it. but he said, "thou hast dipped thy finger into the water, this time it may pass, but take care thou dost not again let anything go in." by daybreak the boy was already sitting by the well and watching it. his finger hurt him again and he passed it over his head, and then unhappily a hair fell down into the well. he took it quickly out, but it was already quite gilded. iron john came, and already knew what had happened. "thou hast let a hair fall into the well," said he. "i will allow thee to watch by it once more, but if this happens for the third time then the well is polluted, and thou canst no longer remain with me."