Page:Foreign Tales and Traditions (Volume 2).djvu/393

 and addressed William in these words: “Thou hast stood thy trial well, what wouldst thou wish me to do for thee?thee?” [sic]

“I wish nothing from thee,” answered William. “What I wanted I have prepared for myself.”

“With my help,” rejoined the stranger. “Therefore part is mine.”

“Thou hast no share in it. I called thee not,” replied William.”

The horseman laughed scornfully. “Thou art bolder than many I have known. Take the bullets which thou hast cast. Sixty are thine, three are mine. Those will go straight,—these askew. There will be joy when we meet again!”

William turned away from the mysterious figure with a look of inexpressible horror, and exclaimed,—“Never, never will I meet thee! Away!”

“Why dost thou turn from me?” said the horseman with a diabolical grin, “Dost know me?”

“No, no!” shouted William in a voice of horror, “I will not know thee! I do not wish to know thee! Whoever thou art, I adjure thee to leave me!”

The dark horseman turned his steed, but ere he rode off he said with thrilling solemnity: “Weak mortal! Every hair on thy head attests that thou dost know me! I am he whom at this moment thou namest, though with horror in thy heart.”

With these words he vanished, and the branches under which he had stood fell with a heavy crash to the ground.