By morning's light within the courtyard still, He saw the log back in its former place; And looking close he saw with firming will, Within the log an empty hollow space, A space a man could crawl in and not fill.- At once a purpose formed for him apace. Next evening Spidala set off to bed. Bearslayer swiftly hastened to his room; He put his cap of marten on his head, With sword in hand sought out the courtyard's gloom, And, watching out for Spidala's light tread, Concealed himself within the log's dark womb. Again at midnight hour she left her cell, And in her garments black her body dressed. Astride the log she spoke a magic spell, Struck with her staff, and then at her behest, The branch bore both to where he could not tell, Above Aizkraukle's forests on her quest. Scene 4: In the Devil's Pit The Devil digs the pit At time's beginning, so is often told, To birds and beasts gave Perkons stern commands, To dig the Daugava, come from nature's fold, To gnaw, to scratch, to peck in toiling bands. Alone the peacock sat and did not work.- The Devil, passing by, then asked the bird: "Where is the place the other creatures lurk?" "They dig for Perkons," answer then he heard. "But why," he asked, "do you not labour too?" "To save my yellow feet," the peacock said! Then to the river bird and Devil flew, And dug a chasm in the torrent's bed, Which down into this pit poured straight away.- From fear all creatures lost the power of speech; They all commenced to run and jump and bray, And each one found a voice with which to screech. The bears roared fierce, the wolves and dogs all howled, The pigs made grunts, the oxen lowed unmuted, The horses neighed, the strident cats all yowled, The blackbirds shrieked, the owls all harshly hooted. The cuckoos called, the hornets made a hum, The little birds sang loudly all around!- The noise rose up, a riot of such sum, That, high in Heaven, Perkons heard the sound. He soon grew angry with the Devil's wit, Cast lightning down and blocked the water's track; A hill with high steep slopes enclosed the pit- Since then the peacock's golden feet are black! Today the people all avoid this place. Should travellers in the night risk passing still, Their eyes behold foul spirits in the space, That now is called the "Devil's Dark Pit Hill." They enter the pit Straight Spidala swooped down to this dread place, Across the starlit sky flown swiftly thence. Bearslayer crouched within the log's dark space, And struggled for his breath with swooning sense. Fierce fork-tailed dragons coiled around them there, With gold and treasure flying through the night, And breathed their fiery sparks into the air, While other witches joined them in the height.