Violet Jacob > Stories told by the miller

102 STORIES TOLD BY THE MILLER
he came suddenly to a chasm so deep that he
could not see its bottom. The rock on either
side was worn smooth, as though with the
passing of many feet, and the opening was
narrow enough for a man to stride across with¬
out difficulty. The horse stopped, and the
rein being loose on his neck, snuffed delicately
at the strange gash that divided his path ; then
he picked his way over it, snorting and cocking
his ears. They were scarcely ten yards on the
farther side when there was a loud cracking
noise, and, looking back, the King saw that the
chasm had split wider asunder and now yawned
behind him like the mouth of a pit. The horse
dashed forward, and had gone some distance
before his rider could check him. When at
last they stood still, they had come to a smooth
face of high rock, with a wide ledge at its foot,
over which the track went.
Crowning its summit, some feet above their
heads, ran a battlemented wall, and on it sat a
woman who looked down at the King while she
supported herself with one white arm. Whirling
vapour floated behind her, through which ap¬
peared the outline of a fantastic castle whose
towers seemed to climb to heaven. Her hair was