a grey dress. She stood up to her knees in the water, and stooped
from time to time as though washing. Presently they could see that
she was washing something that half floated. The moon cast a
flickering light upon it, and they saw that it was the dead body of a
man, and, while they were looking at it, an eddy of the river turned
the face towards them, and each of the five troopers recognised at
the same moment his own face. While they stood dumb and motionless
with horror, the woman began to speak, saying slowly and loudly: 'Did
you see my son? He has a crown of silver on his head, and there are
rubies in the crown.' Then the oldest of the troopers, he who had
been most often wounded, drew his sword and cried: 'I have fought for
the truth of my God, and need not fear the shadows of Satan,' and
with that rushed into the water. In a moment he returned. The woman
had vanished, and though he had thrust his sword into air and water
he had found nothing.

The five troopers remounted, and set their horses at the ford, but
all to no purpose. They tried again and again, and went plunging
hither and thither, the horses foaming and rearing. 'Let us,' said
the old trooper, 'ride back a little into the wood, and strike the
river higher up.' They rode in under the boughs, the ground-ivy
crackling under the hoofs, and the branches striking against their
steel caps. After about twenty minutes' riding they came out again
upon the river, and after another ten minutes found a place where it
was possible to cross without sinking below the stirrups. The wood
upon the other side was very thin, and broke the moonlight into long
streams. The wind had arisen, and had begun to drive the clouds
rapidly across the face of the moon, so that thin streams of light
seemed to be dancing a grotesque dance among the scattered bushes and
small fir-trees. The tops of the trees began also to moan, and the