🧚 Legends and Tales., part 8 · page 2

"But what may there be in the cave yonder?" he thought.55

He would like to know, and now arose a struggle between curiosity and fear.56

"I will venture it!" he cried, dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and went with light steps, as if afraid some one might hear him, over the fallen rocks, and stretched his neck to look into the cave.57

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" he cried, clapping his hands together above his head; "what do my eyes see?"58 And what did they?59

In the middle of the pit, or cavern, a large brewer's copper, full of gold pieces, every one as large as the palm of the hand.60

Upon it rested a silver tray with a border of fiery carbuncles, and letters and figures in the centre formed of garnets.61

Beside the copper lay a new driving-whip, and on the other side lay a savage black bull-dog.62

The farmer stood with crossed arms for at least ten minutes, gazing at the immense treasures, thinking what was to be done to secure them without falling into the power of the savage guard--the dog.63

At last he exclaimed, "I will attempt it.64 I will not take much, but I must have the whip!"65

Encouraged, he walked into the cave, his eye always fixed on the dog, till at last he reached the copper; the dog did not move; he plunged both hands into the gold coins, filled his pockets, and with two leaps reached his horse, where he sank down overcome with terror and joy.66

Recovered, he emptied his pockets, counted the glittering coins, and dreamed thereby of a happy future.67

His horse neighed and pawed the ground impatiently.68

"Patience, old nag!" he cried; "I must have that beautiful whip."69 And again he descended emboldened into the cave, seized the whip, and turned to go, when his eye fell again upon the tempting gold; he could not resist the allurement, and plunged both hands, twice into the copper.70

At the second handful the dog rose and ground his teeth in rage; but Jacob had lost all fear, and cried, "Growl away; but one must have all good things three times, and I shall take another handful."71

But as he did so the eyes of the dog shot fire, an awful groaning and noise, a raging storm, thunder, lightning, with cracking of the rocks, broke forth in fury.72 The earth trembled, the rocks fell upon each other, trees were rent into splinters, torrents burst from the rocks, and the heavens enveloped themselves in night and flames.73

The unlucky farmer never knew how he got out of the cave; only, as he came to himself, he remembered having seen the _Gott-sei-bei-uns_[1] in the midst of a terrible confusion and fire-rain in giant form, surrounded by a thousand imps, rise out of the pit, holding in one claw the copper with the gold, in the other the tray.74

[1] _Gott-sei-bei-uns_--"God be with us."75 A name given to the devil; since when he appeared in disguise to deceive people, he is said to have used this hypocritical expression.76

Was he or had he been dreaming?77 No, for had he not the whip in his hand?78

But the tremendous weight in his pockets weighed him down.79 Rejoiced to think of his treasure, he dived into his pockets for the gold--and what did he find?80

For every piece of gold a pebble, as large again, and not one piece of gold!81

He stared at the stones, crying and trembling with pain and distress.82

Still weeping, he mounted his horse, reached home, sank exhausted, laid himself down in his bed, from which he never rose; and in a fortnight he lay in his grave.83

Since then the foul fiend has guarded his treasures in the Gegensteine, and in only one way can the enchantment be broken and the treasure won.84

When a maiden, born on the ocean, pure as the dawn, comes here alone at the midnight hour of Halloween, kneels, and with raised hand calls her own name aloud three times, and then entreats the Most High to break the enchantment, and annihilate the monster in the rocks, they shall sink at her prayer, the treasures of gold and gems shall rise to the surface, become the maiden's possession, and the hobgoblin shall vanish for ever.85

The Three Crystal Goblets and Three Golden Balls of Schloss Falkenstein.86

The Lady von Falkenstein was once summoned by the _Berggeist_[1] to attend the Queen of the Gnomes in her extremity.87 He conducted her through long dark subterranean passages to her fairy Majesty; and, after the birth of a son, the Queen presented her with three golden balls and three crystal goblets, with the warning to preserve them well, for the fate of the Asseburgs was closely connected with them.88

[1] Berggeist--spirit of the mountains.89

The three golden balls have been unhappily lost, and only two goblets remain.90

Two sons of the family, when visiting their widowed mother at Wallhausen, besought her to permit them to drink out of these mysterious goblets, which she imprudently allowed; and as they struck their glasses together with a merry prosit, one was shattered.91

Deep melancholy seized the youths, and during their drive home the wild horses plunged with the carriage into a deep abyss, where the youths were found broken in pieces.92

Since then the two remaining ghostly gifts have been sacredly preserved--one, of green-yellow glass, in Hinneburg; the other, of mountain crystal, in Falkenstein.93

Tidian's Höhle, or Cave94

Below Schloss Falkenstein, in the valley where the gentle Selke winds through her flower-strewn paths, the shepherd of the Graf von Falkenstein grazed his sheep on the dew-gathering meadows.95

It was the morning of St. John's Day, and every Härzer knows that St. John's Eve and St. John's Day are rich in miracles in these mountains, and unfold many a mysterious flower.96

Not only at this time is the St. John's wort gathered, which is said to bear a red dewdrop at midnight--hence called St. John's blood--and to be a sure remedy against every disease; but also the _Spring-wursel_, or caper-spurge, which bursts open gates, and even opens the earth and the rocks; the magic wand--_Wünschelruthe_--Aaron's rod--which points out the spot where buried treasures or the precious metals lie hidden; and the _Wunderblume_--marvel of Peru--which opens the eyes of him who is so fortunate as to find this wonder-flower, so that he sees sunken or enchanted castles, and discovers untold riches in gold, diamonds, and rubies.97

Tidian found a tiny blue flower, attracted to it by its perfume and its beauty, which must have been one of these miracle-working plants, for no sooner had he stuck it in his hatband than a never-before-seen cave in the side of the mountain opened its splendours to his dazzled eyes.98

He entered it, his mind full of tales of buried treasures, filled his pockets with the glittering sand and stones, with the intention of offering them for sale to a jeweller in Aschersleben.99

They proved to be more valuable than he had hoped, and the jeweller begged him to sell to no one but himself.100

The fame of this gold speedily spread, and it happened the Graf von Falkenstein himself visited the goldsmith, when by chance this gold was spoken of.101

"Yes," said the jeweller, "it is indisputable that Tidian's gold is as good again as any other."102