He took his horse from the stable and rode forth in the gathering darkness.The noble steed slipped and stumbled and fell in the trackless way, but his rider always raised him up, and urged him only more swiftly and eagerly towards the object which he longed and yet dreaded to reach.Nevertheless he might never have arrived at it had not his faithful hound Skovmark kept with him.The dog sought out the lost track for his beloved master, and invited him into it with joyous barkings, and warned him by his howls against precipices and treacherous ice under the snow.Thus they arrived about midnight at Biorn's castle.The windows of the hall shone opposite to them with a brilliant light, as though some great feast were kept there, and confused sounds, as of singing, met their ears.Sintram gave his horse hastily to some retainers in the court-yard, and ran up the steps, whilst Skovmark stayed by the well-known horse.
A good esquire came towards Sintram within the castle and said, "God be praised, my dear master, that you are come; for surely nothing good is going on above.But take heed to yourself also, and be not deluded.Your father has a guest with him,--and, as I think--a hateful one."Sintram shuddered as he threw open the doors.A little man in the dress of a miner was sitting with his back towards him.The armour had been for some time past again ranged round the stone table, so that only two places were left empty.The seat opposite the door had been taken by Biorn of the Fiery Eyes; and the dazzling light of the torches fell upon his features with so red a flare, that he perfectly enacted that fearful surname.
"Father, whom have you here with you?" cried Sintram; and his suspicions rose to certainty as the miner turned round, and the detestable face of the little Master grinned from under his dark hood.
"Yes, just see, my fair son," said the wild Biorn; "thou hast not been here for a long while,--and so to-night this jolly comrade has paid me a visit, and thy place has been taken.But throw one of the suits of armour out of the way, and put a seat for thyself instead of it,--and come and drink with us, and be merry.""Yes, do so, Sir Sintram," said the little Master, with a laugh.
"Nothing worse could come of it than that the broken pieces of armour might clatter somewhat strangely together, or at most that the disturbed spirit of him to whom the suit belonged might look over your shoulder; but he would not drink up any of our wine--ghosts have nothing to do with that.So now fall to!"Biorn joined in the laughter of the hideous stranger with wild mirth;and while Sintram was mustering up his whole strength not to lose his senses at so terrible words, and was fixing a calm, steady look on the little Master's face, the old man cried out, "Why dost thou look at him so? Does it seem as though thou sawest thyself in a mirror?
Now that you are together, I do not see it so much; but a while ago Ithought that you were like enough to each other to be mistaken.""God forbid!" said Sintram, walking up close to the fearful apparition: "I command thee, detestable stranger, to depart from this castle, in right of my authority as my father's heir,--as a consecrated knight and as a spirit!"Biorn seemed as if he wished to oppose himself to this command with all his savage might.The little Master muttered to himself, "Thou art not by any means the master in this house, pious knight; thou hast never lighted a fire on this hearth." Then Sintram drew the sword which Gabrielle had given him, held the cross of the hilt before the eyes of his evil guest, and said, calmly, but with a powerful voice, "Worship or fly!" And he fled, the frightful stranger,--he fled with such lightning speed, that it could scarcely be seen whether he had sprung through the window or the door.But in going he overthrew some of the armour, the tapers went out, and it seemed that the pale blue flame which lighted up the whole in a marvellous manner gave a fulfilment to the little Master's former words: and that the spirits of those to whom the armour had belonged were leaning over the table, grinning fearfully.
Both the father and the son were filled with horror; but each chose an opposite way to save himself.Biorn wished to have his hateful guest back again; and the power of his will was seen when the little Master's step resounded anew on the stairs, and his brown shrivelled hand shook the lock of the door.On the other hand, Sintram ceased not to say within himself, "We are lost, if he come back! We are lost to all eternity, if he come back!" And he fell on his knees, and prayed fervently from his troubled heart to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.Then the little Master left the door, and again Biorn willed him to return, and again Sintram's prayers drove him away.So went on this strife of wills throughout the long night; and howling whirlwinds raged the while around the castle, till all the household thought the end of the world was come.
At length the dawn of morning appeared through the windows of the hall,--the fury of the storm was lulled,--Biorn sank back powerless in slumber on his seat,--peace and hope came to the inmates of the castle,--and Sintram, pale and exhausted, went out to breathe the dewy air of the mild winter's morning before the castle-gates.
