One night, watching her attentively, he
remarked that she slipped through a hole or opening in the wall, on
which he cautiously crept after the animal, and found she was in a cave,
busily engaged in gleaning the grains of corn that fell down singly from
the roof. Peter did not look long before the shower of corn that now
saluted him made him shake his ears, and inflamed his curiosity the more
to discover the cause of so singular an occurrence in that out-of-the-
way place. However, at last he heard the neigh and stamping of horses,
apparently proceed from above; and it was doubtless from their mangers
that the oats had fallen.
While standing, still wrapped in amazement at the singularity of the
adventure, Peter's surprise was not diminished on observing a boy, who,
without saying a word, silently beckoned him to follow. Peter
mechanically obeyed the gestures of the lad, and ascended some steps,
which led over a walled court into a hollow place, completely surrounded
on all sides by lofty rocks, and crowned by the rich foliage of shrubs,
through which an imperfect twilight displayed a smooth, well-trimmed
lawn, that formed the ground he stood upon. Here were twelve knights,
who, without so much as uttering a syllable, were very gravely playing
at nine-pins; and as silently was Peter inducted into the office of
assistant, namely, in setting up these nine-pins.
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