“The dean saw everything as plain as plain could be, but his astonishment was so great that he tried to combat it, and would not believe the evidence of his own eyes.

“‘Such things cannot possibly happen!’ he thought.  ’I have ridden much too long in the bleak forest.  This is only an optical illusion.’

“Nevertheless he gave the closest attention to the spectacle, and wondered what was about to be done.

“He hadn’t long to wait before he caught the sound of a familiar bell, coming from the depths of the forest, and the next moment he heard footfalls and crackling of branches—­as when many animals break through the forest.

“A big herd of cattle was climbing the mountain.  They came through the forest in the order in which they had marched to the mountain ranches.  First came the bell cow followed by the bull, then the other cows and the calves.  The sheep, closely herded, followed.  After them came the goats, and last were the horses and colts.  The sheep-dog trotted along beside the sheep; but neither shepherd nor shepherdess attended them.

“The dean thought it heart-rending to see the tame animals coming straight toward the wild beasts.  He would gladly have blocked their way and called ‘Halt!’ but he understood that it was not within human power to stop the march of the cattle on this night; therefore he made no move.

“The domestic animals were in a state of torment over that which they had to face.  If it happened to be the bell cow’s turn, she advanced with drooping head and faltering step.  The goats had no desire either to play or to butt.  The horses tried to bear up bravely, but their bodies were all of a quiver with fright.  The most pathetic of all was the sheep-dog.  He kept his tail between his legs and crawled on the ground.

“The bell cow led the procession all the way up to the Wood-nymph, who stood on the boulder at the top of the mountain.  The cow walked around the rock and then turned toward the forest without any of the wild beasts touching her.  In the same way all the cattle walked unmolested past the wild beasts.

“As the creatures filed past, the dean saw the Wood-nymph lower her pine torch over one and another of them.

“Every time this occurred the beasts of prey broke into loud, exultant roars—­particularly when it was lowered over a cow or some other large creature.  The animal that saw the torch turning toward it uttered a piercing shriek, as if it had received a knife thrust in its flesh, while the entire herd to which it belonged bellowed their lamentations.

“Then the dean began to comprehend the meaning of what he saw.  Surely he had heard that the animals in Delsbo assembled on Black’s Ridge every New Year’s Eve, that the Wood-nymph might mark out which among the tame beasts would that year be prey for the wild beasts.  The dean pitied the poor creatures that were at the mercy of savage beasts, when in reality they should have no master but man.