midnight
His good horse stumbled painfully over the tangled ground , often hardly finding himself a path among the dense trunks . And all around , those wild yells which had mingled with the tempest seemed to draw closer , as though eagerly awaiting the horse and its rider somewhere not far off . Sigurd heeded them not , but cheered himself as he rode on by calling to mind some of the beautiful stories of the old religion of his land . He thought of the elves and fairies who were said to dwell in these very forests , and at midnight to creep up from their hiding-places and gambol and play tricks among the flowers and dewdrops with the wild bees and the summer insects , or dance in magic circles on the greensward . And it did his heart good to feel he was not alone , but that these merry little companions were with him , lightening his way and guiding his course all the night through . And he thought too of luckless dwarfs whom Odin had condemned to dig and delve all day deep in the ground , and throw fuel on the great central fire of the earth , but who at night , like the fairies , might come above and revisit then old haunts . And even these mischievous little companions helped to cheer the heart of the wayfarer and beguile his journey .