“Up!” said David, “up into the sky above, till through the darkness from some great height we can see the Burning Mountain.” The Horse obeyed, and they rose into the night as the twilight deepened. Up, up, till the stars overhead seemed so near that they fancied they could almost touch them. Far, far away in the distance they saw the Burning Mountain. “There!” cried David. “We must go over _that_, for beyond that lies the Garden.” “Let us go round it,” said Ruth. “It will not be so hard for us to do that.” “No,” said David, “we must go _over_ it. Only so can we be sure of reaching our goal.” “The air in the high regions is so hard to breathe,” said Ruth. “Yes,” answered David, “but I will do all that I can to help you endure it.” Soon they came nearer and nearer to the Burning Mountain. The flames rose high, so high that they seemed almost to burn the stars, and the heat was terrific. It was necessary to fly far up, and the air was so thin that it was almost impossible for them to breathe. It was very, very hard for the poor Horse. Sometimes he would drop down nearer the mountainside, hoping to be able to breathe more easily there; but the heat at that altitude was so fierce that it was impossible to endure it, and he rose upward again. Ruth said nothing, but the blood ran from her ears and nose and mouth. Twice she fainted, losing all consciousness, so that David had to hold her poor limp body to keep her from falling. David himself fought the supreme battle of his life. Nothing that he had ever attempted could compare with this, as a test of courage and endurance. But at last the great Burning Mountain lay behind them, and they could with safety sink down to the plain, where the air was less thin and breathing would be normal. They came out into a country where they could rest, for the great, terrible Mountain towered far in the distance. Here they wished to descend, to rest upon the ground and gain strength before pursuing their journey. In accord with David’s wishes, the Horse descended, and they found themselves in a country filled with little trees and shrubs. They rested for some time, refreshing themselves with water from a beautiful stream near which they had alighted. The country seemed to abound in berries and fruits. David knew that there would be no further need of the Horse; and even Ruth was quite ready to let the creature go, for this last flight had been most perilous and fraught with fears. So David called the good Horse to him and said: “My faithful One, you shall have your liberty. Only, first, you must fly to the little cabin in the woods. Return to Wisdom’s Brother, and he will take the bridle and the golden bit from your mouth. Then you will be free once more.” David stroked the silken coat as he spoke, and the Horse rubbed against his master’s sleeve and nibbled it in affectionate play. Then, stretching his great wings, he rose from the ground and was soon lost in the vastness of the deep sky above.