So they sat pondering their fate through the long night with the poisonous vapors rising around them and the forest singing its mournful song and the shadows of the fires leaped about them in the soundless dance and it seemed as if it won’t be a shadows dancing but the evil spirits of forest and bog celebrating their triumph. Danko was one of them and he was young and handsome. Handsome people are always courageous. And he said to his comrades: “Stones are not to be removed by thinking. He who does naught will come to naught. Why should we exhaust our energies thinking and brooding? Arise! Let us go through the forest until we come out at the other end. After all it must have and end. Everything has an end. Come! Let us set forth! They looked at him and saw that he was the best man among them for his eyes were aglow with life and strength. “Lead us.” They said and he led them. And so he led them, Danko. And they followed him willingly for they believed in him. It was a difficult track. It was dark and at every step the yawning bogs swallowed people up and the trees were like a mighty wall barring the way. Their branches were closely interwoven; their roots were like snakes reaching out in every direction and every step these people took cost them blood and sweat. For a long time they went on. And the further they went, the thicker grew the forest and the weaker grew their limbs and then they began to murmur against Danko, saying that he was young and inexperienced and had no right to bring them here. But he kept walking at the head, his spirit undaunted, his mind unclouded. But one day a storm broke over the forest and the trees whispered together menacingly. And instantly it became as dark as if here had gathered all the nights that have passed since the Forrest was born. And the little people walked on under the big trees amid the roar of the storm and as they walked, the giant trees creaked and sang a sinister song and a lightening flashed above the tree tops throwing a cold blue light over the Forrest for a brief instant, disapearing as quickly as it had appeared and striking terror into the hearts of the people. And under the cold flashes of the lightening the trees seemed to be thin live things that were stretching out long nauld arms and weaving them into a net to catch these people who were trying to escape from darkness. And something cold and dark and fearsome peered at them through the dark foliage. It was a difficult track and the people who had set out on it grew exhausted and lost heart but they were ashamed to admit their weakness and so they poured out their anger and resentment on Danko who was walking at the head. They began to accuse him of being incapable of leading them. Fear was born in their hearts, binding their strong arms. Terror gripped them as they listened to the women wailing over the bodies of those who have died of the poisonous vapors or lamenting over the fate of the living made helpless by fear. And cowardly words came to be spoken in the Forrest at first softly and timidly, but louder and louder as time went on. And at last the people thought of going to the enemy and making him a gift of their freedom so frightened were they by the thought of death, that not one of them shrank from living the life of a slave. They came to a halt and tired and angry they began to upbraid him there in the quivering darkness amid the triumph and roar of the storm. “You are a despicable and evil creature who has brought us to grief,” they said. “You have exhausted us by leading us here. And for that you shall die.” “You said ‘Lead Us’ and I led you.” Cried out Danko, turning to face them. “I have the courage to lead you and that is why I undertook to do so. But you? What have you done to help yourselves? You have done nothing but follow me without husbanding your strengths for a longer march. You merely followed me like a flock of sheep.” His words only infuriated them the more, “You shall die! You shall die!” they shrieked. The Forrest roared and echoed their cries and the lightening tore the darkness to shreds. Danko gazed upon those for whose sake he has undertaken such a great labor and he saw that they were like wild beasts. Many people were pressing about him, but he could detect no signs of humanity in their faces and he knew that he could expect no mercy from them. Then resentment sieved in his breast, but it was quelled by compassion. He loved these people and he feared that without him they would perish and the flames of a great yearning to save them and lead them out onto an easy path leaped up in his heart and these mighty flames were reflected in his eyes. And seeing this the people thought that he was enraged. They thought that is why his eyes flashed so, and they instantly grew weary, like wolfs, expecting him to through himself against them and they drew closer about him that they might seize him and kill him. He saw what they were thinking, but the flames in his heart only flared up higher for their thoughts and at the sorrow to the flames of his yearning. And the Forrest went on singing its mournful song and the thunder crashed, and the rain poured down. “What else can I do to save these people?” cried out Danko above the thunder. And suddenly he reaped open his breast and tore out his heart and held it high above his head. It shone like the sun, even brighter than the sun and the raging forrest was subdued and lighted up by this torch, the torch of a grave love for the people, and the darkness retreated before it and plunged quivering into a yarning bark in the depth of the Forrest. And in their astonishment the people were as if turned into stone. The brave Danko cast his eye over the endless steppe, cast a joyful eye over this land of freedom, gave a proud laugh and then he fell down and died. And his followers were so full of joy and hope that they did not notice that he had died and that his brave heart was still flaming beside his dead body. But one timid creature noticed it and fearing he knew not what, stomped on his flaming heart and it sent out a jar of sparks and went out.
