"Elf, do you know which is the way to the Wishing-Gate?" asked Blunder.
"No," said the elf, "I don't know anything about geography. I was always too delicate to study. But if you will keep on in this path, you will meet the Dream-man, coming down from fairyland, with his bags of dreams on his shoulder; and if anybody can tell you about the Wishing-Gate, he can."
"But how can I find him?" asked Blunder, more and more impatient.
"I don't know, I am sure," answered the elf, "unless you should look for him."
So there was no help for it but to go on; and presently Blunder passed the Dream-man, asleep under a witch-hazel, with his bags of good and bad dreams laid over him to keep him from fluttering away. But Blunder had a habit of not using his eyes; for at home, when told to find anything, he always said, "I don't know where it is," or, "I can't find it," and then his mother or sister went straight and found it for him. So he passed the Dream-man without seeing him, and went on till he stumbled on Jack-o'-Lantern.
"Can you show me the way to the Wishing-Gate?" said Blunder.
"Certainly, with pleasure," answered Jack, and, catching up his lantern, set out at once.
Blunder followed close, but, in watching the lantern, he forgot to look to his feet, and fell into a hole filled with black mud.
"I say! the Wishing-Gate is not down there," called out Jack, whisking off among the tree-tops.
"But I can't come up there," whimpered Blunder.