his lance, and gave me that foul wound that came so near to
slaying me - and did slay my dear wife. Nevertheless, my men
were able to bring me out from that press and away, and we had
bitten the Trutz-Drachen dogs so deep that they were too sore to
follow us, and so let us go our way in peace. But when those
fools of mine brought me to my castle they bore me lying
upon a litter to my wife's chamber. There she beheld me, and,
thinking me dead, swooned a death-swoon, so that she only lived
long enough to bless her new-born babe and name it Otto, for
you, her father's brother. But, by heavens! I will have revenge,
root and branch, upon that vile tribe, the Roderburgs of Trutz-
Drachen. Their great-grandsire built that castle in scorn of
Baron Casper in the old days; their grandsire slew my father's
grandsire; Baron Nicholas slew two of our kindred; and now this
Baron Frederick gives me that foul wound and kills my dear wife
through my body." Here the Baron stopped short; then of a
sudden, shaking his fist above his head, he cried out in his
hoarse voice: "I swear by all the saints in heaven, either the
red cock shall crow over the roof of Trutz-Drachen or else it
shall crow over my house! The black dog shall sit on Baron
Frederick's shoulders or else he shall sit on mine!" Again he
stopped, and fixing his blazing eyes upon the old man, "Hearest
thou that, priest?" said he, and broke into a great boisterous
laugh.

Abbot Otto sighed heavily, but he tried no further to persuade
the other into different thoughts.

"Thou art wounded," said he, at last, in a gentle voice; "at
least stay here with us until thou art healed."