inform his sweetheart whither
he and his mates were bound. Their commander was a Captain Jikjak,
reputed something of a wit; and betimes, after the brigands had marched
forward silently for a while, this worthy called upon them to halt. They
imagined it was but the usual inspection of arms which was about to
take place, but Jikjak, speaking in stentorian tones, told them that
a traitor was in their midst, and pointing to the culprit, he bade him
step forth. The young man pled his youth as an excuse for his fault, and
he told the captain that, could he but get a chance to show his prowess
once, they would soon see that he was as gallant a robber as any of
them. But Jikjak laughed scornfully, saying he was anxious to find out
which was stronger, the young man's legs or a pair of trees. The culprit
quailed on hearing the verdict, and implored a less ghastly fate; but
Jikjak was obdurate, and smiling blandly, he bade his followers bend a
couple of stout branches to the ground and tie their tops to the ankles
of the offender....

Such, then, were the robbers of the Rhine, and such the code of honour
which existed among them. A romantic institution they no doubt were,
yet it was a form of picturesqueness whose disappearance can scarcely be
regretted.

CHAPTER II--THE RHINE IN FOLKLORE AND LITERATURE

Affinities of the Rhine Legends

A close perusal of the body of tradition known as the legends of the
Rhine displays one circumstance which is calculated to surprise
the collector of these narratives not a little. It is generally
represented--probably through ignorance of the real circumstances--that
these tales abound in the matter of folklore. This is, however, by no
means the case, and even a superficial examination of them will prove
most of them to be allied to the matter of romance in a much more
intimate way than they approach that of folklore. But this is not so
as regards all of them, and it will be interesting to look into the
character of those which present folklore affinities, whilst leaving
the consideration of their romantic aspect for a later portion of this
chapter.

By right of precedence, among the legends of the Rhine which possess
folklore characteristics is the wonderful legend of the Lorelei, a word
derived from the old High German lur, to lurk, and lai, a rock. The
height from which the bewitching water-spirit sent her song floating
over the waves of the Rhine is situated near St. Goar, and po