This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
By Georg Ebers
Once upon a time there was a country, more beautiful than all other landsand the castle of the Duke, its ruler, lay beside a lake that was bluerthan the deepest indigo. A long time ago the Knight Wendelin and hissquire George chanced upon this lake, but they found nothing save wastefields and bleak rocks around it, yet the shores must formerly have bornea different aspect, for there were shattered columns and broken-nosedstatues lying on the ground. Against the hillside there were remains ofancient walls that once, undoubtedly, had supported terraces of vines,but the rains had long washed the soil from the rocks, and among thecaves and crannies of the fallen stonework, and ruined cellars, foxes,bats, and other animals had found a home.
The knight was no antiquary, but as he looked about him his curiosity wasexcited: "What can have happened here?" he said, and his squire wonderedalso, and followed his master. The latter led his horse to the edge ofthe water to let him drink, for though he had seen many watercourses inthe land, he had found nothing in them save stones, and boulders, andsand.
"What if this lake should be salt, like the Dead Sea in the Holy Land?"the knight asked, and the squire answered:
"Ugh, that would be a thousand pities!" As the former raised his hand tohis mouth to taste the water, wishing indeed that it were wine, hesuddenly heard a strange noise. It was mournful and complaining, butvery soft and sweet. It seemed to be the voice of an unhappy woman, andthis pleased the knight, for he had ridden forth in search of adventures.He had already been successful in several encounters, and from George'ssaddle hung the tail-tips of seven dragons which his master had killed.But a woman with a musical, appealing voice, in great danger, offered arare opportunity to a knight. Wendelin had not yet had any suchexperience. The squire saw his master's eyes sparkle with pleasure,and scratched his head thinking: "Distress brings tears to most peoples'eyes, but there is no knowing what will delight a knight like him!"
The waters of the lake proved to be not salt, but wonderfully sweet.
When Wendelin reached the grotto from which the complaining notes came,he found a beautiful young woman, more lovely than any one the grey-haired George had ever seen. She was pale, but her lips shone moist andred like the pulp of strawberries, her eyes were as clear and blue as thesky over the Holy Land, and her hair glistened as if it had been spun ofthe sunbeams. The knight's heart beat fast at the sight of herloveliness; he could not speak, but he noticed that her hands and feetwere bound with chains, and that her beautiful hair was entwined about acircle of emeralds that hung by a chain from the ceiling. She markedneither the knight nor the squire, who stood shading his eyes with hishand in order to see her the better.
Hot rage took possession of the heart of Wendelin when he saw the tearsrain down from the lady's large eyes onto her gown, which was already aswet as if she had just been drawn from the lake.
When the knight noticed this, an overwhelming pity chased the anger fromhis heart, and George, who was a soft-hearted man, sobbed aloud at herpitiful appearance. The voice of the knight, too, was unste