steed to an elm, he
pushed his way on foot through the brushwood.

Thunder began to rumble around the mountains, and the evening dew fell
cold and damp on the anxious knight.

He could still see the white figure lying on the ground, but as he
drew nearer to it a strange dread struck at Huldbrand's heart.

'Was Bertalda asleep,' he wondered, 'or did she lie there unconscious,
perchance even dead?'

He was close to her now, bending over her. She never stirred. He
rustled the branches, rattled his sword. Still she lay there quiet,
motionless. He called her by her name, 'Bertalda!' but no voice
answered him. He called again, more loud, 'Bertalda!' but only a
sorrowful echo answered his cry.

Then the knight bent nearer yet to the maiden, but darkness hid the
face on which he longed to gaze.

Suddenly the whole valley was bright as at mid-day. A vivid flash of
lightning showed to Huldbrand the face over which he bent.

It was a terrible face. And a voice, awful as the face, rang out harsh
and hollow.

With a cry of terror the knight sprang away from the horrid vision.
But was it a vision? Huldbrand knew that it was creeping after him,
and he could catch some muttered words. 'Get you gone, get you gone,'
he heard, 'there are evil spirits abroad. Get you gone, or I shall
seize you and hold you fast,' and the white figure stretched out his
bony arms to catch him. Ah! now the knight knew who it was that had
given him so cruel a fright. It was none other than Kuehleborn, the
malicious water spirit.

Seizing his sword, Huldbrand struck fiercely at the white figure, only
however to see it vanish, while a heavy shower of water drenched him
from head to foot.

'He may wish to drive me away, but he shall not succeed in doing so,'
murmured the knight. 'Bertalda shall not be left to the vengeance of
this evil spirit.'

Huldbrand now turned back to go to his horse, but ere he reached the
animal, he heard in the distance a sound of weeping. It reached his
ears even though the thunder still rolled and the wind still blew. He
hastened towards the spot from which the sound seemed to come. There,
on the hillside, trying to climb up out of the darkness of the valley,
he found Bertalda.

The maiden was too glad to see Huldbrand to remember how but lately he
had angered her. She clung to him, calling him her deliverer, her
knight, for to her too the valley had been full of horrible forms and
strange visions.

Soothing her with